Songfeng Daoist hadn't finished uttering the word "sect," Xiaolin had already rushed over, covering the master's mouth, and whispered, “Master, don't you remember why we're here?”
Songfeng Daoist took a few deep breaths until he finally recalled the day's main purpose.
With a "clang," the mahjong set was thrown back onto the ground.
"Yuan'er, I'll give you one last chance," Songfeng said with a solemn face, "Do you recognize this thing?"
“Of course I do,” seeing that the master was about to get serious, Yao Yuan spoke more respectfully, “It’s because I took this mahjong set out of the old warehouse and organized a gambling game with a group of people, that's why I was punished to face the wall for a year by the master.”
"Okay, let me ask you again," Songfeng started to hope for a miracle, "Can you feel anything different about this mahjong set?"
“Nothing different. When we took it out of the warehouse that day, we played all night and didn't notice anything different,” Yao Yuan replied in confusion.
Songfeng's expression dimmed once again, but at this moment, Yao Yuan suddenly took a step forward, looking surprised, “Hmm, it seems a little strange.”
"You feel something?" Xiaolin asked nervously.
“Hmm, there's a strange aura,” Yao Yuan furrowed his brow as he carefully felt it out, “Strange, it wasn't there last time, but now there's a reaction.”
Xiaolin looked at Songfeng, unable to conceal her excitement, and said, “Try to feel it again.”
Yao Yuan continued to stare at the mahjong set for a while and then nodded heavily, "There is a reaction, indeed!"
In fact, his confirmation was unnecessary, as the mahjong pieces on the ground were emitting a white light one after another, indicating that there had already been a connection between Yao Yuan and the set.
Qingyou Sanren looked at Feihe Shangren, Feihe Shangren looked at Lümei Xiansheng, and Lümei Xiansheng looked at Xuefeng Zhangmen. They were all dumbfounded and couldn't help but think, "Has the cultivation world truly fallen to such a state? Such a powerful immortal treasure recognizes such a wayward master."
Xiaokai asked on the side, “Yao Yuan, do you know how to play mahjong?”
Yao Yuan looked at Xiaokai in surprise. A proud look suddenly surfaced on his face, and he said proudly, “Of course. I started learning mahjong at the age of three, began gambling at five, and was already dominating the Jiangnan region by the age of ten. At fifteen, I participated in the Asian Gambling King Contest. Although I didn't win the championship, I was still recognized by the gambling world as the most promising Asian gambling god. Do you think I know how to play mahjong?”
Xiaokai was stunned by this long list of achievements, feeling dwarfed by it, and asked in a stammer, "Then...do you know what a grand slam is?"
Yao Yuan chuckled and didn't answer. Instead, he squatted down, right in front of the mahjong set. With both hands, he reached out and effortlessly lifted the mahjong box. The mahjong pieces spilled out, covering the uneven ground of the cave floor. However, as his hand passed over them, the mahjong pieces seemed to have been invisibly arranged, each one neatly laid out with the faces down, without a single one out of place.
Yao Yuan looked at Xiaokai with one eye. He then picked up a tile, saying, “This is a three character.” As he flipped it over, it was indeed a three character. He picked up another tile and said, “This is a five bamboos.” Similarly, it was indeed a five bamboos.
He continued to comment on each tile as he flipped them over. He had never looked at this set of tiles before or made any markings, yet as he turned each one over, they matched perfectly, without a single mistake. In the blink of an eye, he had flipped over the entire set of tiles.
The onlookers were left speechless, with their jaws dropped, unable to utter a word. They were all top cultivators in the cultivation world with sharp eyes. They could see Yao Yuan’s skill in stacking the tiles and handling them, but it was easy to watch and difficult to accomplish. All the sect leaders looked at each other and couldn't help but sigh. They shook their heads, and the implication was clear: I can't do it, you can't do it, and the only one who can do it is the young man in front of us.
Yao Yuan continued his performance but was not satisfied. He moved his hands like a dancing butterfly, and the mahjong on the ground had been quickly arranged into seven or eight sets of winning hands, as he pointed at each one, saying, “This is Thirteen Wonders, this is Big Wheels, this is the Big Four Marvels, this is the Big Three Gifts...”
At this point, Xiaokai had no doubts. The guy in front of him, named Yao Yuan, was truly a natural-born gambler.
"Very good, very good," Songfeng's anger had long disappeared. He stroked his beard and laughed, “Come on, Yuan'er, give it another try. Use your mind to control the mahjong tiles and set up a winning hand.”
“Yes, Master!” Since coming to Huangshan, everything Yao Yuan had done had been subjected to a beating and scolding by the master. He had been moody for countless days, but unexpectedly, today he had the chance to show off in front of all the cultivators. Moreover, judging by the master's expression, it seemed very supportive. His heart was filled with pride, so with a thought, he threw out the 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000 tiles, which started to grow in size as they were blown by the wind, and they quickly became as big as a screen, landing not far from the cave entrance.
Yao Yuan watched with delight, “Wow, this mahjong set is really a treasure. Alright, I’ll set up the Nine Lotus lamps for you!”
Xiaokai was greatly surprised and immediately grabbed Yao Yuan's hand, “Stop! You can't set up the Nine Lotus lamps!”
“Why not?” Yao Yuan looked up in surprise.
“We can't set up the Nine Connected Lamps, absolutely can't!” Xiaokai firmly stated, “You can only set up a small victory, no, you have to set up a 'fart' victory, the smallest victory!”
It was at this moment that the sect leaders finally reacted and unanimously nodded, “Yes, we want the 'fart' victory, that’s all we want.”
Although Yao Yuan was a bit disappointed, when he saw the master also joining in the chorus, he reluctantly nodded, “Alright then.”
With a thought, he immediately flew out three tiles, the 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000, landing on the open space.
Xiaokai was about to relax when he suddenly saw Yao Yuan throw out the 5,000 and 6,000, and he again grabbed Yao Yuan's hand, “No, a triple run in one suit is also not allowed!”
“What’s the matter now?” Yao Yuan was a little frustrated, “This is already a small win.”
“No, it's not small enough,” Xiaokai said, “No triple run in one suit!”
Yao Yuan was itching with anger. Rarely did he have an opportunity to show off his proudest skill in front of all the cultivators. However, at this moment, he was constantly obstructed by the guy in front of him. If the master hadn't been present, and if they had been in his own family instead of Huangshan, he would have probably already found someone to take care of Xiaokai.
But for now, the only thing he could do was to continue the fight.
"Can we do six, seven, or eight Ten-thousands?"
"Oh, come on, you want six in a row, but you don't even have your doors!"
"What about the five, six, and seven Bamboo tiles?"
"Hmph, don't think you can get away with it, it's clearly a Terminals and Honors hand."
"Damn, three East winds and a pair of Red dragons, that should be good enough, right?"
"Haha, with five different suits, I'm not an idiot."
"Sigh, I give up. A pair of Twos and a concealed hand, it's just luck."
"Hmph, this isn't just luck, having a pair of Twos, Fives, and Eights as the pair requires some calculation. Don't think you can escape my keen eye!"
"......"
As the two people's conversation got faster and more intense, a series of professional terms were thrown out, and it was becoming more and more intense: "Pure Straight, Seven Pairs, Pong hand with a Single Wait on Terminals and Honors, Lack of one suit, Terminals and Honors Triplets, Mixed Triplets, Double Concealed Hand..."
Several leaders were completely speechless. This kind of scene was obviously unprecedented for them, but the two people didn't see the expressions of the others. Instead, they became more and more enthusiastic as the competition continued. Eventually, after who knows how long, Xiaokai patted Yao Yuan heavily on the shoulder, bursting into laughter: "Well done, well done, this is the hand we were waiting for."
Yao Yuan sighed deeply, clearly admitting defeat, but instead of saying something dejected, he said, "Kindred spirit, a kindred spirit!"
Of course, this hand he had was indeed a Concealed Hand. Yao Yuan had a sudden thought and actually retrieved the tiles he had discarded earlier, and effortlessly threw out the remaining fourteen tiles all at once.
The grand formation of Concealed Hand finally appeared.
"Crash!" With a loud thunderclap, a bolt of lightning struck the formation, and the fourteen mahjong tiles began to spin like a merry-go-round. Countless thunders, lightning, water, fire, and rocks emerged out of nowhere within the formation, surging in all directions, then there was a booming explosion, and the fourteen mahjong tiles flew out and instantly returned to their original positions.
Everyone looked up, and where the formation had been, the ground had sunken in, creating a massive crater about five or six meters deep.
Yao Yuan took a sharp breath, "Master, this power is extraordinary!"
"Yes, indeed," Master Song Feng, with a deep personal understanding, sighed, "it's fortunate that this was just a Concealed Hand..."
"Hmph, now do you understand my painstaking efforts?" Xiaokai's hand was still on Yao Yuan's shoulder and couldn't help but pat him heavily again, "If you had just played the Nine Lanterns earlier, do you think you would still be standing here alive?"
Yao Yuan looked grateful, "Yes, you're a good person, brother. We must find time to have a good sparring match."
"But this time is a bit short," Xue Feng said, "may I ask, Master, how is the time for this formation controlled?"
"Don't ask me, I don't know," Xiaokai shrugged, "I just learned to use it, and I don't know anything else. Well, now that the mahjong is out, I don't have anything else to do. You guys take your time to study it."
"Hey, don't leave," Yao Yuan grabbed Xiaokai's arm, "Brother, what's your name and which sect are you from? Come, let's chat in my room. By the way, do you have a girlfriend?"
Xiaokai rolled his eyes, wanting to say "I'm the chosen Master of the Sect, and I'm on the same level as your Master." But before he could say it, he was almost pulled away by Yao Yuan, who, as a gambler from Huangshan, not only had a stubborn temper and a hot temper but also had an unexpectedly extraordinary strength. In just a few steps, Xiaokai had been pulled more than ten meters away.
Master Song Feng was obviously in a very good mood. The mahjong tiles were scattered all over the place, but he was no longer angry. He swept his robe sleeve and stored them inside a storage ring, loudly calling out to Yao Yuan, who was walking away, "Yuan, today I declare here that the fate of the Huangshan Sect will completely depend on you from now on. You are the next head of the Huangshan Sect!"
"What did Master just say?" Yao Yuan dug at his ears and pulled out a chunk of earwax, "My ears haven't been good recently, I've been having trouble hearing what people say."
"Oh, he wants you to come back early tonight and not delay your meal," Xiaokai also didn't hear clearly and said offhandedly, "Where are we going?"
"Of course, we're heading to my room." Xiaokai was very familiar with the path Yao Yuan was taking, arriving at the room he had lived in himself. It was actually the room Yao Yuan was currently living in, but because Yao Yuan had to face the wall for a year, it had become empty. However, no one would have expected this guy to be released today, and Master Song Feng hadn't had time to explain, so the two of them went there.
"What, you were staying here yesterday?" Yao Yuan put his arm around Xiaokai's shoulder, looking pleasantly surprised and mysterious, "Fate, brother, we are so fated. Tell you the truth, did you touch my treasure last night?"
"What treasure do you have?" Xiaokai found himself unable to keep up with this guy's enthusiasm and took a step back, "I didn't see anything besides that mahjong."
Yao Yuan chuckled, "Come look."
He lifted the mattress on the bed, then felt around the middle of the big bed for a while. There was a soft click and a wooden board was lifted up, revealing a compartment full of things.