Chapter 18: Who Truly Has Good Luck
Inside the ruined temple, Li Xingtian was focused on cultivation. According to his own plan, he needed to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible.
The system showed his current cultivation had reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining. By his estimate, he would need about two more days to advance.
Meanwhile, Li Yingling and Ning Qianqian were drinking chicken soup. At this point, Li Yingling—no matter how hard she tried—couldn't expect rapid improvement as she once did in the Qi Refining stage.
She might have been a cultivation prodigy, but she wasn't a reincarnated powerhouse.
As for Ning Qianqian… she didn't even meet the qualifications to become a disciple. Her aptitude was likely very poor. Training her would be pointless; better to have her drink more soup and nourish herself.
Chu Xingchen's current cultivation was at the mid-stage of the Flawless Golden Core Realm. Once Li Xingtian reached Foundation Establishment, he himself would likely advance to late Golden Core.
Thus, among everyone in the sect, the one whose efforts would yield the greatest results was Li Xingtian. Once he succeeded, the sect's strength would undergo a qualitative leap.
Chu Xingchen had also gathered intelligence on Qingfeng Sect. Within their ranks was a Supreme Elder at the Nascent Soul Realm.
Even if trouble arose, that elder might not act personally.
Still, after several years in this world, Chu Xingchen had learned to always plan for the worst and never count on good fortune.
Everything in life tended to go in the most disastrous direction possible. So, he made sure Li Xingtian prepared accordingly—no matter what, they had to guarantee a safe retreat even if the rescue failed.
After all, saving others was just a side mission. Chu Xingchen wasn't the kind of man to risk his disciples' lives for strangers.
Speaking of luck, Chu Xingchen's gaze drifted to Li Yingling, who was sipping her soup.
This eldest disciple of his possessed the trait [Strong Fortune], yet after spending so long with her, he hadn't seen any sign of that luck in action.
She hadn't found any lost treasures, nor had she experienced miraculous fortune.
Even hunting wild chickens ended with her looking like she'd been beaten instead.
Could it be that his own bad luck was neutralizing hers?
Sensing her master's gaze, Li Yingling set down her bowl and looked at him curiously.
"Yingling," Chu Xingchen asked with a faint smile, "how do you think your luck is?"
Li Yingling tilted her head slightly, thought for a moment, and replied, "It's… not bad, I suppose."
Since there was nothing else to do, Chu Xingchen decided to test just how "not bad" her luck really was.
He pulled two dice cups from his spatial ring.
When it came to luck, nothing demonstrated it more directly than a game of dice.
He handed one to Li Yingling. "Care for a round? Highest roll wins."
"I don't really know how to play… There's no punishment for losing, right?" she asked, shaking the cup cautiously.
Chu Xingchen grabbed a half-burned piece of firewood, its end blackened with soot, and waved it with a grin. "Loser gets one mark drawn with this."
Li Yingling's eyes brightened instantly. Still a young woman at heart, she found such games amusing. Nonetheless, she double-checked both dice cups and the dice inside—making sure her master wasn't cheating.
The little competition between master and disciple began swiftly.
Li Yingling shook her cup with great vigor, muttering something under her breath, before slamming it down on the table with a sharp thud.
Her eyes gleamed with determination as she looked straight at Chu Xingchen—utterly confident of victory.
Chu Xingchen appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was alert. This time, he hadn't cheated either. After giving his own cup a few careful shakes, they both slowly lifted their lids at the same time.
Inside the ruined temple, Li Yingling's three dice showed six, six, and five.
Chu Xingchen's dice, however, rolled six, six, and six.
"Master! You used spiritual power to cheat, didn't you?!"
Li Yingling glared at him in disbelief.
"I didn't cheat," Chu Xingchen replied calmly, though he too was surprised. His disciple, who possessed the [Strong Fortune] trait, actually lost in a game of dice?
Seeing that she still didn't believe him, Chu Xingchen sighed and said, "Fine. Let Ning Qianqian shake for me, then."
Ning Qianqian, who had been quietly sipping her soup, set down her bowl nervously and glanced at the dice cup. "I—I don't know how to play."
Li Yingling immediately handed the cup to her; there was no way she'd let her master roll again.
"Just shake it however you like."
Ning Qianqian looked up at Chu Xingchen for confirmation. When she saw him nod, she obediently shook the dice cup a few times and set it down on the table.
Li Yingling's confidence surged. As long as her master wasn't cheating, her luck should be unbeatable. Surely she could paint his entire face black by the end of the game!
That first round was clearly just her being humble. Ever since she was a child, she had never lost a game that depended on luck.
Back in her clan's estate, she had made quite a bit of pocket money through such games—enough that the legitimate heirs would avoid her whenever they saw her coming.
Now, with her confidence restored, Li Yingling declared proudly, "The first round doesn't count! We'll start from now!"
About ten minutes later.
Li Yingling sat on the chair, her face covered in black smudges, staring blankly into space as if contemplating life itself.
In the entire ten minutes, she hadn't won a single round. Not one. Even when she rolled triple sixes, Ning Qianqian would somehow roll the exact same—without even trying.
At first, she thought her master had tampered with the dice cup. But after changing it several times, nothing changed.
It was the first time she had ever lost so miserably. And judging by her master's expression, he hadn't cheated.
Several sticks used for marking faces lay discarded on the floor. Chu Xingchen's face was spotless, and he stared at Li Yingling with equal puzzlement.
Could her [Strong Fortune] trait be fake?
How could she lose every single round? Chu Xingchen's gaze shifted to Ning Qianqian. Her status traits didn't include any luck bonuses either.
Could it be that his own luck was simply overwhelming hers?
But recalling how disastrously unlucky he'd been upon first arriving in this world, Chu Xingchen quickly dismissed the idea.
No—this so-called "good fortune" must activate under different conditions.
With her face now completely darkened, Li Yingling rose silently, her expression heavy. It wasn't that she couldn't accept losing; she just couldn't understand how it had gone so wrong.
"Master, I'm going back to my room to sleep."
Over the past few days, she had nearly finished building her small hut behind the ruined temple, in the sheltered area out of the wind. It wasn't far from here.
Chu Xingchen waved his hand casually, signaling her to go.
Ning Qianqian, still holding the dice cup, asked timidly, "Great Immortal, did you really not cheat?"
"No," Chu Xingchen replied, glancing at her before pointing to one of the wooden plank beds. "You'll sleep there tonight—the one Li Yingling used earlier."
The divider between the beds hadn't been moved yet. Li Xingtian had likely been sleeping on his own bed before.
He'd be focusing on training anyway, so he could rest elsewhere. It wouldn't make sense for the master to take the back corner.
Ning Qianqian said nothing more. She quietly placed the dice cup back on the table, then obediently climbed onto the designated bed.
After collecting the scattered items, Chu Xingchen lay down on his own bed and closed his eyes to rest.
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