Three Kingdoms Lords: Starting by walking into the mouth of a giant python

Chapter 117 White Horse, Silken String, and Golden Hook for Killing a Son

Yuan Shu was chivalrous and fond of hunting in high carriages and with beautiful women in fine clothes. He was among the most extravagant of the princes and nobles in the entire Sili Commandery.

However, Yuan Shu's purpose in hunting snakes was not for the fabricated "beauty," but rather for the "+5 luck" they provided.

After all, he was from a prominent family and was well-informed, so he knew the value of "luck".

Xiong Ba ignored him.

Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow and said again, "How magnificent! This snake is mine, and you can name your price."

As soon as he spoke, the onlookers couldn't help but look over.

Someone asked, "Who is this guy, talking so arrogantly?"

Those with knowledge explained it to me, and the rest of me suddenly understood.

Xiong Ba had seen the Gate of the Grasshopper in the [Fanghu], and thus knew the value of fortune, so he naturally wouldn't sell it.

When Yuan Shu persisted, Xiong Ba simply declared, "I will not exchange it for anything less than a [Heavenly Grade]."

Yuan Shu shook his head. Not to mention him, the entire Yuan family of Runan only had one [Heavenly Grade] spirit beast and a recently acquired [Heavenly Grade Moonlight Scroll].

The sun was high in the sky, and the wind and dew had cleared. The crowd dispersed, each going about their own business.

Wang Bin, Li Min, and Mu Jin came to find Xiong Ba to enter the [Ghost Gate] to level up. Pan Feng followed along, casually trying to persuade his younger brother to go on a journey.

Yuan Shu greeted Pan Feng warmly. Pan Feng merely nodded, his mind still on his virtuous younger brother.

Seeing this, Yuan Shu also started talking to Wang Bin. They reached the [Ghost Gate], but still hadn't left.

When Li Yu arrived, his entourage, including the Grand Chancellor, Yuan Shu, Xiong Ba, and six others, were locked in a fierce battle with a group of [slippery ghosts].

With a wave of his hand, Wang Bin unleashed a torrent of sword energy, making Yuan Shu's eyes burn with envy. In that instant, Yuan Shu held Wang Bin in even higher regard than he had for Pan Feng.

Li Yu feigned indignation, rebuking Yuan Shu for not only poaching Zhang Guoqiang but also coveting talent from the [Sky Academy]. He accused Yuan Shu of undermining others and being utterly unscrupulous.

Yuan Shu defended himself by saying, "A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a wise minister chooses a good lord to serve."

Li Yu chuckled and said, "Can even 'dry bones in a tomb' be a place to rest?"

Yuan Shu was furious and about to lash out, but he suddenly suppressed his anger and said, "How about I make a bet with you?"

Li Yu asked in surprise, "What are we betting on?"

Yuan Shu said, "Let's bet on how many ghosts we kill within an hour. If I kill more, Prince Zijun will leave the Sky Academy, how about it?"

Li Yu shook his head: "Brother Zijun is a person, not a thing. I cannot use him as a gamble."

Yuan Shu was taken aback, realizing that he might have said something wrong.

Wang Bin bowed to Li Yu and said, "The Dean will arrange it."

He was no longer the ignorant rich kid he once was. Having experienced the [Three Thousand Swords] and witnessed the [Fanghu], his horizons had broadened considerably. Although Yuan Gonglu had taken the initiative to invite him to gamble, Wang Bin believed that with his brother-in-law's abilities, he would certainly not suffer a loss.

Li Yu reluctantly agreed. Yuan Shu was overjoyed.

However, when Li Yu asked Yuan Shu about the stakes, the latter was stumped.

To recruit Pan Feng, Yuan Shu offered a host of gifts, including [Earth Grade] and [Mysterious Grade] items. Aside from these, he had very few other valuable possessions.

He took out a [Yellow Grade · Luminous Cup] and a [Mysterious Grade · Construction Blueprint · Ascension Prince Temple]. Li Yu shook his head, saying that Brother Zijun's talent was far beyond what ordinary objects could compare to.

The price has to be increased.

Yuan Shu then added the prized horse he had previously promised to Pan Feng to the deal—

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A bolt of silk

[Rank] Mysterious.

[Attribute] Multiply by this, and the speed can reach 450 li/hour.

[Characteristics] A bolt of silk

[Description] Confucius and Yan Hui climbed Mount Lu in the east and looked towards the Wuchang Gate. Yan Hui said, "I see a white horse with a blade of grass in front of it." Confucius said, "It's a white horse, made of reeds and straw." —Han Shi Wai Zhuan

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[Dragging a silk ribbon] If a silk ribbon is dragged, it will disappear in a short while.

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It was a very fine white horse, and its speed was so great that it was half again as fast as the [Bamboo Rib Ox].

Not to mention Wang Bin, even Xiong Ba and Li Min liked him very much.

Li Yu nodded and agreed to the bet.

"Haha!" Yuan Shu laughed loudly, then recited a string of French words, pointed his halberd at a [slippery demon], and shouted, "Hurry!"

The [slippery ghost] suddenly stretched out his hands, as if binding himself with two ropes. Yuan Shu swung his sword and slashed at him more than ten times, scattering him into nothingness.

Yuan Shu dared to make the bet, naturally he had his reasons.

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"Exorcism Technique"

[Rank] Earth Grade.

[Attribute] When you see ghosts or demons, you can exorcise and punish them.

[Description] Marquis Shouguang was a man during the reign of Emperor Zhang of Han. He could exorcise all ghosts and demons, causing them to bind themselves and reveal their forms. A woman in his village was afflicted by a demon, and the Marquis exorcised it, producing a giant snake several feet long, which died outside the door. The woman was thus healed. —From *In Search of the Supernatural*

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This is a strange technique that Yuan Shu recently acquired, which is extremely easy to use to impeach ghosts and demons.

One by one, the [slippery demons] bound themselves and were beheaded. Yuan Shu looked back at Li Yu and saw that the other party was still stabbing the demons with spear after spear.

He was secretly pleased with himself and asked Li Yu with a smile, "Dean Li, how many did you kill?"

Li Yu finally killed the [slippery demon], wiping the fine sweat from his brow: "Only three. And you, sir?"

Yuan Shu laughed loudly: "I only have thirteen heads."

With the ghosts vanquished, the group entered another stone chamber, and the gambling continued.

Of the thirty-five [lazy ghosts], Yuan Shu destroyed twenty-three, and Li Yu destroyed twelve.

Yuan Shu was smug, as if he had finally found a talented man. Li Yu remained silent.

Li Min and Mu Jin couldn't help but feel a little worried, and looked at Xiong Ba and Wang Bin, but the two of them remained calm.

Upon entering another room, they found a group of "familiar ghosts"—[the philandering ghosts].

Li Yu brought out rows of peony plants, and the ghosts flocked to them. Yuan Shu only needed to kill five ghosts before the room was empty.

Pan Feng counted the ghosts. Half an hour later, Yuan Gonglu had killed forty-one ghosts and Dean Li had killed forty-two ghosts.

Li Yu was actually ahead.

Yuan Shu was anxious and entered the stone chamber again, but encountered another accident. It turned out that the [Exorcism Technique] had exhausted his energy, and he had to stop and rest.

Thus, Yuan Shu watched helplessly as Li Yu killed more than a dozen more ghosts.

Once his energy was restored, Yuan Shu used his magic repeatedly and finally caught up with Li Yu just before the deadline. However, he then encountered a room full of [reckless ghosts] and [corpse ghosts].

Finally, after an hour, Yuan Shu was defeated by the difference of two ghosts.

Yuan's servants were indignant, all saying that Li Yu had taken a shortcut and that his victory was not honorable.

Li Yu smiled and said, "If Gong Lu is not satisfied, then this bet is over."

Yuan Shu waved his hand dismissively: "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond. A loss is a loss, how can I go back on my word?" With that, he handed over the [luminous cup], the [blueprint], and the white horse to Li Yu.

Li Yu gifted the white horse to Wang Bin and then continued to kill ghosts and level up.

Yuan Shu didn't leave. After fighting the ghosts with the others for a while, he suddenly said to Li Yu, "Brother Li, how about we play another bet?"

Li Yu shook his head and refused, saying that winning one game by trickery was already a stroke of luck, and he did not want to take any more risks.

Yuan's servant sneered, "Coward."

Li Yu frowned. Xiong Ba and the others retorted sarcastically, saying, "Those with guts will be utterly defeated" and "Defeated generals."

Ignoring the commotion, Yuan Shu whispered a few words to Pan Feng and took out a pair of [Earth Grade - Killing Child Golden Hooks].

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"The Golden Hook That Kills a Child"

[Rank] Earth Grade.

[Attributes] Sharpness 280, Hardness 100, Texture 150, Toughness 120, with [Special Feature: Flying Goose].

[Description] King Helü ordered the making of golden hooks throughout the kingdom, decreeing, "Whoever can make the best hook will be rewarded with one hundred pieces of gold." Someone killed his two sons, used their blood to consecrate the gold, and forged two hooks, which he presented to Helü. The king asked, "How are these different from the hooks made by the other masters?" The hook maker called out the names of his two sons towards the hooks: "Wu Hong, Hu Ji, I am here, Your Majesty does not know your divine power." Before the words were finished, both hooks flew and struck the father's chest. King Helü was greatly astonished and rewarded him with one hundred pieces of gold. He then wore them constantly on his person. — *The Inner Biography of Helü* (from *The Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue*)

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[Characteristic - Flying Goose] It has a son named Hongji, which flies without wings.

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The Golden Hook, also known as the Wu Hook, is the Wu Hook mentioned in the line "Why shouldn't a man carry a Wu Hook and seize fifty states beyond the passes?"

It resembles a knife but is not a sword; it can fly away from the hand, which is quite amazing.

Li Yu still refused, which drew a lot of ridicule from the Yuan family. Li Yu then angrily accepted the bet.

Before the event even started, the Yuan family rushed to the [Sky Courtyard] market and bought fifty pots of peonies.

Li Yu and his companions looked embarrassed, but Yuan Shu smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother Li, please."

Several people entered the stone chamber.

[The Wandering Ghost], [The Mischievous Ghost], [The Debt Collector], [The Scoundrel Ghost]...

Yuan Shu used the "Art of Exorcising Ghosts" to swiftly eliminate them.

If you encounter a reckless person or a womanizer, learn from Li Yu's method: cleave them in two and then unite them.

When encountering a "romantic ghost," he would bring out peony bushes. Although they were not as "graceful and charming as Li Yu's peonies," they still attracted ghosts to throw themselves at them.

With half an hour to go before the hour was up, Yuan Shu had already gained a firm advantage with the thirteen-headed ghosts.

At that moment, Li Yu gritted his teeth, took out a seemingly extremely rare [Cinnabar Talisman], and chanted—

"Heaven and earth are boundless, the universe borrows their laws, restraining all things and dispatching thunder to protect my form. So be it!"

A blonde, white-feathered girl from another race appeared here.

The girl bowed to Li Yu, then glared at the group of ghosts. Instantly, several ghosts vanished without a trace.

Yuan Shu was taken aback, and despite his exhaustion, he quickly began to use the [Exorcism Technique].

A quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye. The [Vermilion Talisman] burned out, and the girl vanished. Yuan Shu, by a mere half-ghost's margin, was defeated once again, watching helplessly as the [Child-Killing Golden Hook] was taken by Li Yu.

The servants of the Yuan family fell silent, but Yuan Shu's eyes reddened: "Again!"

Li Yu refused.

Yuan Shu gritted his teeth and said, "My Yuan family has recently acquired a [Heavenly Grade Moonlight Scroll], which allows ten people to enter. I'll wager one of those spots!"

Li Yu said, "Two spots are available."

Yuan Shu shook his head, "Only one."

Li Yu wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and smiled, "Okay!"

I had to work overtime to get a nucleic acid test last night, sorry...

(End of this chapter)