The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#352 - Wait a minute

An hour wasn't a long time, but for the fifteen people participating in the gamble, it was quite eventful.

Every so often, someone would discover they were out of the running and shake their head in dismay.

Although after hearing Gambling Ghost's words, many had come to believe that Lu Jing could stay in the house for a full hour, their bets had already been placed, and they still held a glimmer of hope.

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on their side this time. Soon, those who had bet on less than an hour were eliminated one after another, while those who bet on longer times perked up.

However, as time passed, the door in front of them remained unopened, and the expressions on the faces of those remaining gradually changed.

Someone glanced at Gambling Ghost, wondering if this guy was going to win again.

Gambling Ghost, at this moment, looked overjoyed. He also felt like he was about to win. There were fewer and fewer people left, and no one except Old Blindman had bet on a longer time than him. Besides, Old Blindman himself had admitted that he was just guessing.

It seemed that the final winner of this gamble should be him.

However, after another half hour passed, Lu Jing still hadn't come out of the house.

As a result, the expression on Gambling Ghost's face, who had been preparing to accept congratulations and envy from the crowd, gradually changed.

What's going on? Has that guy been in there for too long?

Even if the Little Vajra Force was peaceful and effective for prolonging life, it shouldn't be this powerful, right? Or could it be that this commonplace internal skill would undergo some unexpected qualitative change after being cultivated to the first-class level?

Gambling Ghost knew that some mysterious mental cultivation methods didn't seem remarkable at first, but would become stronger and stronger as one's internal energy realm improved.

However, he couldn't associate the Little Vajra Force with that.

Or was it that Mr. Bamboo Cane had lied earlier? He hadn't used his full strength after all, or perhaps the internal injuries he had suffered before had ultimately affected him. But according to Old Blindman, he didn't have many days left to live, so there was no reason for him to lie for a few white shells, right?

Gambling Ghost thought to himself while also stealing a glance at Mr. Bamboo Cane, only to see that the latter's face was full of surprise and fervor.

Old Blindman was clearly not happy about winning the gamble, but excited to have finally found a suitable successor before his death.

Judging by his appearance, he probably didn't expect himself to win either.

Just then, Little Marquis, who had left sometime before, returned, driving an ox cart with two tables and a cartload of food.

Little Marquis jumped off the ox cart and said to the crowd, "It's getting dark. Everyone has worked hard today. Let's eat something to fill our stomachs first."

As she spoke, she was about to help Old Blindman, but heard the latter say, "You guys eat first. I'll wait a little longer. I'll eat with Lu Jing when he comes out. I have something to say to him."

Gambling Ghost also shouted at this time, "Then I won't eat either. I'll wait for him too!"

Old Blindman frowned, "This old man wants to find a successor. What are you doing here, joining in the fun?"

Gambling Ghost said, "Mr. Bamboo Cane, don't worry, I won't ruin your good deed. I'm also willing to admit defeat, but I just want to know where I lost this time. Otherwise, I won't be able to swallow a single bite of this food."

Old Blindman couldn't stop him from saying that.

Hearing their words, the scholar also said, "The dishes will get cold as soon as the food box is opened. It seems that Lu Jing should be out soon. In that case, why don't we all wait a little longer and eat together when he comes out?"

His suggestion was supported by most of the paper figures. After all, Mr. Bamboo Cane was the oldest here and a senior, and he claimed that he wouldn't live long. Everyone didn't want him to eat leftovers in the last days of his life.

However, no one expected that this wait would last another hour.

By the time the moon was in the middle of the sky, the group of paper figures outside the door looked at each other in dismay.

Now there was no need to worry about who would eat cold dishes and who would eat hot dishes, because even if they were in a food box, the dishes would have been cold after such a long time.

After a while, someone said, "Why don't we eat something to fill our stomachs first?"

But soon someone else said, "Let's wait a little longer, let's wait a little longer… We've been waiting for so long, he should be out soon."

And after waiting for another half hour.

Now, surprise and suspicion appeared on the faces of everyone outside the door. They didn't even bother to eat, but began to guess what was happening behind that door.

Because they didn't believe that anyone's internal energy could be so strong. Even if Lu Jing disregarded Little Marquis's previous agreement to use only half of their internal energy and went all out, exhausting all the internal energy in his dantian, it was impossible to last this long.

Just as everyone was in shock and uncertainty, the door was finally pushed open again.

Has he finally come out?

Many people breathed a sigh of relief, but when they saw the person who came out clearly, they were all stunned.

Because it wasn't Lu Jing who came out of the house, but Ding Liu, and the person who was supposed to replace him after Lu Jing.

Ding Liu looked around and didn't see any food. He couldn't help but feel disappointed and complained, "Did you guys finish all the food? You didn't even leave a little for this old man."

"No, we haven't started eating yet," said the old fisherman.

Ding Liu chuckled, "Who are you trying to fool with that nonsense? It's already midnight. How could you not have eaten?"

"It's true that we haven't eaten," Gambling Ghost knew that no one would believe the old fisherman's words, so he also spoke, then pointed to the direction of the ox cart, "The food is still there, but it's all cold."

Ding Liu was surprised to hear this, "Why don't you eat? Are you all going to practice abstinence from grains together?"

"We're waiting for Lu Jing," someone said at this time.

"Waiting for him to do what?" Ding Liu was confused.

"Mr. Bamboo Cane said he wanted to chat with him, and Gambling Ghost is also waiting for him, so we discussed it and thought it would be better to wait together. Who knew we would wait so long."

Ding Liu had been treating Mr. Bamboo Cane's internal injuries, so he naturally knew Mr. Bamboo Cane's physical condition. Hearing this, he immediately understood what Old Blindman wanted to do and shook his head, "If you wait for him, you might as well just wait for breakfast."

"Breakfast? What exactly is he doing in the house?"

"Helping to brew medicine to prolong her life, and also smoothing out the disordered true energy in her meridians," Ding Liu didn't hide anything.

As soon as he said this, the outside of the house immediately became quieter.