Hell Emperor.

Chapter 494: Southern Spirit Crane - Stars
Under Ye Jie's leadership, Nan Linghe was also pulled to the table by him.

Although he didn't know what to do next, Nan Linghe felt genuinely at ease when he felt the warmth coming from his palms.

"So what if you're the God of Wealth? With your talent, you're enough to teach that guy a lesson. It's up to you from now on." Ye Jie said slowly.

With Nan Linghe's help, Ye Jie finally felt relieved. When it came to luck, Nan Linghe had never let him down. Her unique talents and magical powers were the greatest reliance for victory.

Nan Linghe blinked, his eyes were full of curiosity. His obedient appearance was totally unlike that of a gambling expert, which made the Li Shi Xianguan a little dumbfounded. He thought Ye Jie had found the wrong person:

"You're not mistaken, are you letting her fight me? Are you planning to hand over your 1.5 billion years of life to me? If I win against such a young girl, it will be shameful for me. Let the strongest master do it."

Ye Jie smiled and said, "She is my choice, what's wrong? Are you afraid? If you lose to her, the reputation of the God of Wealth will be ruined."

"Would I be afraid?" The Immortal Official of Profit laughed as if he had heard a great joke. "I have already reminded you that it is difficult to persuade a ghost that is doomed to die with kind words. In this case, I will accept this life with a smile."

"Don't worry, it's still unclear who will win or lose."

Ye Jie looked calm. Anyone who underestimated Nan Linghe's natural magical powers would pay a heavy price. Even the Immortal Official Li Shi would be no exception.

Hearing the conversation between the two, Nan Linghe also realized what had happened. When he thought about the fact that he was about to bear the bet of 1.5 billion years of his life, invisible pressure surged in his heart. When he thought about the consequences of losing, he couldn't help but take a step back and pulled Ye Jie and said:
"I... I can't do it. That man is the God of Wealth. How can I be his opponent? Otherwise, let's get someone else. Sister Hong seems to be very good at gambling. Why not let her come?"

Ye Jie patted her on the back and comforted her, "Don't be afraid. He has gambling skills and you have supernatural powers. In terms of strength, you are really not inferior to him. All along, you have turned the impossible into possible. As long as you believe in your luck, you will definitely win."

Feeling the deep trust in Ye Jie's words, Nan Linghe's anxious heart gradually calmed down.

Looking back on her experiences, she is no longer the young girl who just started out, but when encountering difficulties, her subconscious reaction is still to retreat.

Fortunately, Ye Jie was always by her side, giving her the courage to move forward when she was hesitant and cowardly.

"If...if I lose, will you hate me?" Nan Linghe was still a little worried and said hesitantly.

Ye Jie smiled and said, "How could you have such an idea? You are my family, and this will not change whether we win or lose. After all, the opponent is one of the gods of wealth, so it is understandable even if we unfortunately lose. At least we have tried our best. If luck is really not on our side, we can try again next time."

After a pause, Ye Jie looked towards the Li Shi Immortal Official opposite him, and Nan Linghe also followed his gaze:

"You don't have to feel too burdened. Just treat this gambling fight as a game. Being able to compete with the God of Wealth at the gambling table is an opportunity that many people desire. If you miss it, it will be difficult to have such an opportunity again in the future."

After Ye Jie's repeated consolation, Nan Linghe let go of the last worry in her heart, and a look of interest appeared in her bright eyes. To be honest, she had never seen the God of Wealth in person except in the ancestral temple where he was worshipped. She didn't expect that she would have to compete with the God of Wealth this time.

Seeing Nan Linghe was afraid before the fight, the Li Shi Xianguan laughed in silence. It seemed that the opponent's strength was just so-so. The last bit of worry in his heart was gone. He wanted such a low-class person to beat him at the gambling table? Did he really think that the name of the God of Wealth was undeserved? Then he spoke:
"What do you want to compete in? Let me see your strength."

"Compare...compare what?"

Nan Linghe blinked. She didn't know what to compete for. This was her first time in a gambling house. All the things inside were quite new to her. She had no idea what they were for. If Ye Jie hadn't persuaded her again and again, she wouldn't have stood here at all.

"I asked you what you were comparing? Why are you asking me?"

The Lishi Immortal Official was a little impatient, a vein popped up on his forehead, and asked again, if she was not the candidate designated by Ye Jie, he would really think that she came to the wrong place, letting such a low-ranking character compete with him, is the other party intending to humiliate him? But the stakes are real.

Ye Jie took over and said, "Don't worry, let us think about it."

"It's up to you." The Immortal Official Li Shi took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

Being impatient is a big taboo at the gambling table. When he was competing with Ye Jie before, he still looked at ease. Unexpectedly, when he met Nan Linghe, he got angry with just a few words.

Taking this opportunity, Ye Jie also discussed with his partners what rules would be needed to bring the best out of Nan Linghe's luck.

Ren Changhong suggested. As a Shura, she also had some insights into gambling: "Since we have to rely on luck to win, let's bet on the dice."

Su Miao didn't think so: "Do you think the God of Wealth is so easy to beat? With the God of Wealth's gambling skills, dice is just a piece of cake. If you rely on luck alone, there is absolutely no possibility of winning. At most, you can only draw. It's not just dice, but other regular items are the same. The gambling skills of each God of Wealth are enough to win all the wealth in the world. The interference of luck is irrelevant to them."

Ye Jie nodded. He also understood how powerful the God of Wealth was, so he did not choose the conventional events before, but the result was the same. Even if Nan Linghe came, if he wanted to win, he had to find another way.

Hua Xiaomei was in a dilemma. The difficulty of the God of Wealth really made everyone feel very embarrassed: "In this case, what should we choose to have a chance of winning?"

Everyone was talking at once, and putting forward what they thought was the best idea, but they were all rejected one by one. In the end, everyone had a gloomy look on their face. If this continued, wouldn't they be doomed to fail?
While the argument was going on, Ye Jie seemed to have discovered something. He looked up, only to see that Nan Linghe was not participating in the discussion. Instead, she looked up at the sky, her mind wandering, and she was in a daze again. Her indifferent appearance was out of tune with the arguing people.

"I think we should give the opportunity to choose to Nan Linghe. The suggestions we put forward are only based on our own judgment. As for what she really wants to do, I'm afraid only she knows." Ye Jie said.

Everyone looked at each other and could only accept this result. Their proposals to maximize the power of the lucky star were only based on speculation. Whether it would succeed or not was still unknown. It would be better to give the choice to Nan Linghe from the beginning.

"One hundred and twenty-eight... one hundred and twenty-nine..."

It was not until Ye Jie came in front of her that Nan Linghe came to her senses.

"What are you doing?" Ye Jie was a little curious.

"I'm counting the stars." Nan Linghe smiled and stretched out her fingers, pointing them at the bright stars in the dark sky. Ye Jie raised his head and looked at the stars that flickered. He had never looked at the stars carefully except when he was young. He couldn't help asking, "Is counting the stars fun?"

"Of course." Nan Linghe smiled and introduced to Ye Jie, "The night sky is very good tonight, and there are no clouds. Look, the spoon-like one over there is the Big Dipper, and the one on the other side that hangs low in the sky and seems to rise from the horizon is the Southern Dipper. In the past, we were in the south and east at night, and I have never seen such a grand sight of looking from north to south. This is the first time..."

She stretched out her hand, and her green fingertips swept across the sky, accurately naming the star clusters one after another. Even Ye Jie's eyes changed when he looked at her. Ye Jie didn't know yet that she liked stars so much.

Seeing Ye Jie was silent, Nan Linghe withdrew his hand apologetically:
"I'm sorry... You must be feeling bored. In the past, when I was daydreaming, I would stare at the stars in the night sky, imagining what it would be like if there were ghosts up there. Do the people on the stars also have to go to Yama Palace to reincarnate after they die... Since you don't like to hear these things, I won't say them anymore in the future."

Ye Jie smiled, held her hand, and said kindly: "It's not boring at all. I like listening to you talk about this and your wonderful ideas. I think I already know what we are going to compete for."

In the end, Ye Jie made a decision in his heart. He didn't want Nan Linghe to bear a heavy burden and feel full of pressure. He hoped that she could treat the gambling battle with the God of Wealth as a game she liked. In this case, he might as well choose Nan Linghe's favorite thing.

Returning to the gambling table, Ye Jie slowly spoke and announced his final decision:

"Let's count the stars."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, not only were everyone dumbfounded, but the Immortal Official Li Shi was also a little bit unbelievable and thought he had heard it wrong.

Since he had been the God of Wealth for so long, he had experienced all kinds of gambling and seen many strange rules, but this was the first time he had heard of a competition involving counting stars.

Even Shoufa in the back couldn't stand it anymore and said with sweat dripping down his back:

"Palace Master Ye, this is not a joke. It is a grand gamble involving the fate of 1.5 billion years of life. No matter what, there should be some more serious rules. What's the matter with counting the stars?"

Ye Jie looked calm. From the moment he made the decision, he had anticipated the confusion of others. To this, Ye Jie did not give too much explanation, but just said:

"This is the rule I chose. If Fairy Wanshou insists on objecting, I will have to seek help from someone else."

Shoufa took a deep breath and had to look at the Wanshou Fairy behind him with an inquiring look, but she banged her cane and spoke in a calm tone: "It's okay, I can still afford to lose a mere dozen billion years of life. Palace Master Ye, just give it a try."

Seeing that no one in the back had any objections, the Lishi Immortal Official snorted coldly: "It seems that you are determined to make trouble with the stars. However, since it is a gambling fight, there must be corresponding winning rules. How can we determine the winner just by counting? In my opinion, we should use the number of extinguished stars as the winning rule."

After a pause, the Li Shi Immortal Official thought for a while, and quickly came up with a rule that was beneficial to him:

"The night is still long. Until the fourth watch, we each have half an hour. When one of us starts timing, the other cannot start. During this process, as long as the stars that are lit are extinguished for more than an incense stick of time, it will be counted. If they light up again in the middle of the time, it will not be counted. At the same time, we cannot use any means to cover up the starlight. The person who counts more at the end wins."

Ye Jie pondered for a moment, and the rules sounded fine. The brightness of the stars depended entirely on luck, which could bring out the natural talents of Nan Linghe to the fullest.

"Do you agree?" Ye Jie asked Nan Linghe.

Nan Linghe nodded vigorously, and the meaning in her eyes was very obvious. She agreed to the rules.

Under the witness of everyone, the rules were completely established. Seeing this, the Li Shi Immortal Official took the initiative to step forward and said, "I proposed the rules, so let me go first."

Nan Linghe nodded in agreement. The people from the gambling house brought an incense burner and carefully inserted a stick of incense, which also meant that the timer had begun.

Behind Ye Jie, the voices of his companions' discussions could be heard.

Hua Xiaomei's eyes lit up and she said, "Since counting stars depends entirely on luck, does that mean that Sister He can easily win? After all, when it comes to luck, she has never disappointed anyone, even when her opponent is the God of Wealth."

Shen Qingge took a deep breath, his face stern: "It's not that simple. Since he dared to propose this rule, I think he is very sure of it. It's Sister He who should be careful."

As if to prove that what she said was true, the noisy exclamations of the surrounding spectators suddenly spread:
"Look, a lot of the stars in the north have suddenly gone out..."

"The Tianshu star is extinguished, and the Tianquan star is also extinguished. How could this happen?"

"The Big Dipper was fine, how could it suddenly go out? I have never seen anything like this."

"Could it be that he summoned clouds to cover the night sky? But that is clearly a foul..."

Unlike the others who exclaimed in surprise, the Immortal Official Li Shi had expected this and looked calm.

Just now, he had sent a message back to the Heaven. His identity as the God of Wealth made his words quite effective. Many star officials in the north were willing to give him a favor and temporarily extinguish their starlight for a while.

According to the rules, he did not use his own means to block the starlight, but the star officials took the initiative to do so, so it did not constitute a foul.

He looked at Nan Linghe on the other side, and a triumphant light flashed in his eyes. The outcome of a gambling game is never decided on the gambling table. These 1.5 billion years of life can be regarded as the tuition fee paid by the other party.

Half an hour passed in a flash, and after everyone counted, they found that there were thirty-six stars that met the requirements.

After learning this number, Shoufa's expression was quite complicated. He was shocked and scared. He was shocked that if a star official extinguished the stars for no reason for the time of an incense stick, he would be punished. Behind those thirty-six stars stood individual star officials. He was scared that it seemed that this time, he was bound to lose.

(End of this chapter)