Before Shen Cuiyu could say a word, a man who had just placed a bet nearby interjected with a laugh.
"Kid, there's no need to ask, right? You've got to follow the trend! Betting on the underdog is just throwing your money away!"
Hearing this, several people around him echoed with laughter, clearly believing this to be a matter of course.
Shen Cuiyu ignored the hubbub. She simply placed a hundred taels of silver gently on the counter.
She raised her eyes, her gaze calm and clear. Her voice was not loud, but it was like a small stone thrown into a boiling pan of oil, instantly silencing the surroundings a bit.
"I'm betting on Shen Cuiyu's group," she paused, her tone showing no fluctuation, as if stating an established fact. Under the shocked gazes of Zhong Shengwan and Dongfang Xiao, she slowly continued, "I'm betting on Shen Cuiyu, Zhong Shengwan, Dongfang Xiao, and Pei Yu."
The clerk was stunned and almost suspected he had misheard. He looked at the list suspiciously and searched for a while before finally noticing the inconspicuous name at the end.
To confirm, he asked again, "You mean... you're betting on Shen... Shen Cuiyu?"
"Yes." Shen Cuiyu replied with just one word, concise and to the point.
The man who had interjected earlier widened his eyes, as if he had heard an unbelievable joke.
"Little girl, a hundred taels is no small amount. Did your money just fall from the sky..."
Before he could finish, Shen Cuiyu silently looked at him.
When he met Shen Cuiyu's calm and unwavering gaze, the teasing words on his lips were somehow swallowed back...
However, before this slight ripple had completely subsided, an even greater commotion arose in the gambling house!
A young servant dressed in ordinary clothes quietly walked up to the counter of the gambling house and placed a flimsy banknote in front of the clerk.
"Open the bet. The Tian Shu Ceremony."
Since there had been so many people betting on the Tian Shu Ceremony recently, the clerk didn't even bother to look up at the servant. He subconsciously took the banknote, but when he saw the amount and the name it was bet on, his eyes instantly widened to the size of saucers. His hands trembled slightly, and his voice involuntarily rose, with an incredulous shrillness.
"One... one thousand taels! Betting on... Miss Shen Cuiyu to win!"
This shout was like a thunderclap, instantly exploding in the entire gambling house!
The noisy discussions about other popular candidates just now suddenly came to a halt. Everyone's eyes were focused on the counter in unison!
"Good heavens... Who on earth is so generous?!"
"Shen Cuiyu?? Who on earth is this?"
"Are they crazy? Throwing a thousand taels away like this?"
"Hey, I seem to have heard this name. It came from the capital. It seems she once helped the Qin family solve a metaphysical incident. Even now, Lord Qin and Lady Qin still often express their gratitude to her!"
"In my opinion, it must be some rich young lady coming to experience life. Most likely, her family is throwing money around to build up her reputation!"
One thousand taels!
This was almost the annual expenditure of some small sects. How could someone be so reckless as to bet all this on this unknown academy disciple?
For a moment, there were all kinds of speculations in the gambling house. Everywhere there were sounds of surprise, curiosity, and disbelief.
Not to mention these strangers, even Zhong Shengwan and Dongfang Xiao were shocked. They stared at Shen Cuiyu in disbelief.
It took Dongfang Xiao a while to regain his voice. He whispered, "Could it be Uncle Shen?"
Shen Cuiyu immediately shook her head.
Although Shen Canghai doted on her, he was very serious and cautious about such matters and would never be so ostentatious. The last imperial sacrifice ceremony was a case in point.
The people around were still immersed in the shock. Someone with sharp eyes glanced at the trio in the corner and suddenly shouted, "Hey, look at their clothes. Aren't you from the Vientiane Academy?"
"Little Celestial Master, do you know who this Shen Cuiyu is?"
The three of them exchanged a look and tacitly covered their identity tags.
Shen Cuiyu: "Who?"
Dongfang Xiao: "Don't know."
Zhong Shengwan: "Never heard of her!"
There were so many disciples in the Vientiane Academy that it was normal not to know someone. The people around didn't suspect much. They withdrew their gazes and continued their discussions on their own.
The three of them all breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, they didn't recognize Shen Cuiyu. Otherwise, they really couldn't bear so many inquisitive looks.
At this moment, Shen Cuiyu's name was registered on the scoreboard and unexpectedly became the first!
Shen Cuiyu turned around. Her cold gaze fell on the huge banknote and the strange servant.
The servant kept his head down, looking deferential. After completing his mission, he quietly retreated into the crowd without leaving a trace.
Shen Cuiyu's heart skipped a beat.
Such a large sum of money and such unreasonable trust... Who else would build up her reputation in such a high - profile way?
Almost instantly, a figure of a profound, calm, and reserved man emerged in Shen Cuiyu's mind.
It seemed that only he would have such vast financial resources and such... seemingly unfounded certainty.
Was it him? Pei Yu.
Shen Cuiyu couldn't be completely sure. After all, he hadn't returned to the academy for a long time, and his whereabouts were mysterious. But now, he was sending such strong support through the crowd in this way.
Shen Cuiyu didn't step forward to question him, nor did she show too much surprise. She just took a deep look at the direction where the servant had disappeared, as if she could see through the heavy fog and see the man standing behind the scenes.
Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly. She suppressed the turmoil in her heart. In the end, she said nothing and turned to leave the gambling house.
But her departing back seemed a bit more indescribably steady than before. It was as if this bet of one thousand taels was not just a wager, but also a heavy, unspoken tacit understanding and support.
Originally, she just wanted to use this competition to thoroughly figure out Liu Ruyan's conspiracy, but now, she didn't want to let down this trust and expectation.
.........
Before the competition, the Vientiane Academy specially held a briefing for the participating disciples.
The main content of the meeting was to explain the competition schedule - the entire competition was divided into three parts, from easy to difficult, step - by - step, aiming to comprehensively assess the foundation and potential of the metaphysical disciples.
However, different from previous sessions, the content of the three parts was kept confidential in this session.
The notice issued by the palace clearly stated that in order to prevent any unfair means and ensure fairness, the specific forms and content of the three matches in this Tian Shu Ceremony would only be announced before each match.
This arrangement sparked a lot of speculation among the disciples.
"I can't even know what's going to be tested. It's so hard to prepare! I might as well withdraw from the competition!" some disciples complained.
"This is exactly what shows one's true ability," another disciple was more open - minded. "It all depends on one's daily accumulation and on - the - spot reaction. Isn't it fairer this way?"
Hearing this, Zhong Shengwan frowned slightly. He was used to preparing everything thoroughly. Such uncertainty made him feel a bit uneasy in his heart.
Dongfang Xiao didn't seem to care at all. Instead, he rubbed his hands eagerly.
"This is more exciting! No matter what they test, we'll just rely on our strength to get through!"
Shen Cuiyu stood quietly by the side, listening to everyone's discussions. Her gaze was fixed on the overlapping mountains behind the academy. She thought to herself that these three levels, from easy to difficult, were probably not just simple tests...