# Chapter 2452: Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qinger's Bet
"If I want to deceive Bai Qinger, I must first distract her. The things and matters that can distract Bai Qinger must be extremely few. I need to think carefully."
When Zhang Ruochen stepped through the garden gate, he already had an idea in mind.
Bai Qinger did not use the "Heaven-Concealing Great Art" to hide her aura. She wore no black veil, but instead a spotless white plain dress, with white silk draped over her arms, her entire body surrounded by sacred light. She was leisurely tending to six pots of orchids.
The six pots of orchids all had emerald green leaves and bloomed with rose-red petals.
The fragrance of the flowers was elegant and lingering.
Zhang Ruochen glanced quickly and immediately noticed the strangeness of the six orchids. Each petal grew shaped like a skull, emitting not just floral fragrance but also deathly qi.
"Devouring Soul Orchid."
The term surfaced in Zhang Ruochen's mind, sending a chill down his spine.
Bai Qinger was indeed frighteningly sinister. On the surface, she appeared pure as ice, clean as jade, untouched by worldly dust, like a celestial maiden from the Immortal Palace. Yet everything she did was shocking to the soul, even more sinister than Guyeshe Jing.
Bai Qinger did not turn around. With her back to him, she held a foot-long bamboo knife, turning the soil in the flower pot.
Beside her, two beautiful maidservants of seventeen or eighteen years attended. Both were peerless beauties, comparable to holy maidens of great ancient sects, with cultivations that even Zhang Ruochen could not see through. Of course, that was because Zhang Ruochen dared not use his spiritual power or Truth Eye.
Zhang Ruochen imitated Huanxu Blood Emperor's tone, bowing: "Miss, Xia Yu has gone to the Undying Divine Temple."
"So, Zhang Ruochen has indeed come to Ice King Star." Bai Qinger lifted the bamboo knife, her eyes still fixed on the orchid in the purple sand pot, finding it more beautiful the longer she looked.
Zhang Ruochen was secretly alarmed, saying: "Miss, how can you be certain Zhang Ruochen has come to Ice King Star?"
"If not on Zhang Ruochen's orders, why would Xia Yu suddenly leave? I think she must have gone to the Undying Divine Temple to avoid disaster."
Zhang Ruochen said: "Miss is as clever as ice and snow. What you say is true. Your subordinate also has another, more important piece of information to report."
"What is it?" Bai Qinger asked.
Zhang Ruochen said: "Someone has discovered traces of Seven-Hand Elder on Ice King Star."
"Is that so."
Bai Qinger finally seemed to take interest. She turned around, her extraordinarily beautiful eyes staring directly at Zhang Ruochen. Her gaze appeared gentle but carried a penetrating quality, making Zhang Ruochen feel as if needles were piercing his entire body.
Even when speaking with gods, Zhang Ruochen had never felt such a sensation.
"Truly a woman of extraordinary beauty. No wonder even a strong one like Wuma Jiuxing could fall for her. This elegant, pure temperament of hers, combined with her ruthless style that completely contradicts her temperament, would make any man curious, wanting to read and understand her thoroughly."
Zhang Ruochen dared not meet her gaze. With just a fleeting glance, he immediately lowered his head slightly, saying: "A cultivator discovered him in the gambling city of Western First Sacred City."
"Can it be confirmed?" Bai Qinger asked.
"Cannot be confirmed."
"Cannot be confirmed, yet you dare to report it?" Bai Qinger's eyes instantly turned cold as blades.
Piercing cold qi poured into his armor through his collar and sleeves, freezing Zhang Ruochen's Undying Sacred Body like ice.
This woman was unpredictable in mood.
Her temper was very bad.
Zhang Ruochen lowered his head further, saying repeatedly: "Your subordinate will go investigate immediately."
Zhang Ruochen wanted to take this opportunity to slip away. But as soon as he took a step back, Bai Qinger's cold qi withdrew, and she said: "No need. Such a trivial matter, I'll have the Divine Maiden Tower's cultivators investigate. Don't leave yet. I have another matter that requires your help."
Zhang Ruochen was inwardly anxious but had to maintain a composed expression, saying: "To be able to work for you, miss, is my honor."
Bai Qinger said to the maidservant on the left: "Shang Yue, release the batch of slaves I just bought."
The girl named Shang Yue took out a paper talisman from her sleeve, pinched it between two slender fingers, and blew a breath of sacred qi from her crimson lips. Instantly, slaves with sacred realm cultivation flew out from the talisman.
"Bang, bang."
Each slave wore handcuffs and ankle shackles, seventy-four in total.
At that moment, the garden suddenly filled with a sinister wind, accompanied by strange, skin-crawling sounds—like vengeful spirits locking souls, like demonic fiends devouring people, like ferocious beasts emerging.
The strange sounds came from the six pots of orchids.
A faint, elegant smile appeared on Bai Qinger's beautiful, stunning face. "Don't rush. All this food is for you."
Her right hand gently lifted, and instantly the seventy-four slaves on the ground convulsed, letting out miserable screams. Shadowy soul figures flew out from their bodies.
From the six pots of orchids, six ferocious skull heads emerged, devouring all their sacred souls.
The seventy-four sacred realm slaves immediately lost their life force, collapsing limply to the ground.
A look of disgust appeared in Shang Yue's eyes. Her snow-white hand waved, releasing a ball of white Purifying Divine Flame, burning the seventy-four sacred realm slaves to ashes, leaving only seventy-four sacred sources.
"This woman's cultivation is even higher than Fei'ertianding and Huanxu Blood Emperor." Zhang Ruochen discerned some clues, inwardly astonished.
What astonished him was that Bai Qinger had too many strong ones around her, already comparable to a great world like Guanghan Realm.
Bai Qinger stared at the flowers in the pots, now blooming even more brightly, and said: "These six orchids of mine are all rare species that have lived for over an eon. They only feed on the sacred souls of sacred realm cultivators. Moreover, they cannot be watered with spiritual springs—they must be watered with the blood of Great Saints. Huanxu Blood Emperor, would you use your Great Saint blood to water them for me?"
Zhang Ruochen cursed inwardly, this woman was truly sinister and harsh.
He silently sympathized with Fei'ertianding and Huanxu Blood Emperor. Being Bai Qinger's subordinate was too difficult—one never knew when they would be toyed to death.
Zhang Ruochen said with feigned fear: "Miss, blood qi is very important to us Undying Blood Clan. If we lose too much, our cultivation will drop significantly."
"You're unwilling? You just said that being able to work for me is your honor." Bai Qinger furrowed her willow-leaf-thin brows, showing a hint of displeasure.
Another maidservant, Shang Xia, said coldly: "In my opinion, we might as well kill him with one sword. Not only can we use his blood to water miss's beloved orchids, but we can also use his sacred soul to feed all six orchids."
Not only did Bai Qinger not object, but a look of interest appeared on her face.
The life of a Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint was, in her eyes, inferior to six pots of orchids? No, it could only serve as food for six pots of orchids.
Zhang Ruochen was now in a dilemma. Using blood to water the orchids was absolutely impossible.
Once blood left his body, his identity would be exposed.
But not watering them was also a death sentence.
Relying on Guyeshe Jing was even less reliable. He had to find a way himself. Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed on the Space Chaos Worm on his finger, which had transformed into a ring.
At the same time, the Multiple Space Scroll slid out from his sleeve, hidden in his left hand.
"It seems the sword qi prepared for Nixuan Shi will have to be used on this demoness Bai Qinger first."
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to act, Bai Qinger's lips curled slightly, and she said: "Forget it. Young Master Ruochen is known as an Eon-level genius. Wouldn't it be a pity to kill him just like that?"
Both Shang Yue and Shang Xia showed surprise in their starry eyes.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes froze for a moment, then returned to normal. He stopped bowing and scraping, straightened his body, and sighed: "So you had already seen through it."
"Shua!"
"Shua!"
From Shang Yue and Shang Xia's bodies, a sacred sword each flew out.
One sword burned with divine flame, the other released cold sacred qi.
The two women shifted positions, appearing like teleportation to Zhang Ruochen's left and right, locking him down with their sword intent.
Bai Qinger said: "As expected of Zhang Ruochen. Even when trapped in a desperate situation, you can remain so calm."
Zhang Ruochen met her gaze and said: "How did you see through me?"
"From the moment I saw you, I knew you were not Huanxu Blood Emperor. Your transformation art is profound, even disguising your temperament perfectly. But given Huanxu Blood Emperor's character, when he saw my true face, he would definitely covet a few more glances. Yet you only looked once and immediately lowered your head." Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen laughed self-deprecatingly: "I should have looked a few more times."
"You've been looking for so long now—haven't you seen enough?" Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen said: "With just such a small detail, you still couldn't determine that Huanxu Blood Emperor was fake, let alone that I had transformed into him."
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen's form and appearance changed, reverting to his original look.
"So I tested you later. Your refusal to use blood to water the Devouring Soul Orchid was the best evidence."
She continued: "At first, you told me you had found traces of Seven-Hand Elder's whereabouts, probably trying to distract me, right? Unfortunately, that move of yours precisely exposed your identity."
Zhang Ruochen said: "Why?"
"Because the cultivators who know I am very interested in Seven-Hand Elder number no more than ten, and every single one is my slave or subordinate. Only one person is an exception, and that person is you, Zhang Ruochen. Because in the Fate Divine Domain, when you tried to use the Purple Gold Gourd to collect Cang Baizi, you accidentally trapped Seven-Hand Elder, who was hiding inside Xing Qian's corpse."
Bai Qinger's eyes rippled with light as she smiled: "So it was you yourself who revealed the flaw, allowing me to see through your identity."
Zhang Ruochen inwardly shouted "formidable" three times. His transformation art had not failed, but he had been caught by Bai Qinger on a detail. This woman was even more formidable than he had anticipated.
"No! I can't follow her rhythm. She wants to break my confidence this way, so she can control me like she controls Fei'ertianding and Huanxu Blood Emperor, turning me into her slave."
Zhang Ruochen broke out in a cold sweat and no longer wanted to say another word to her.
"Zheng!"
The sound of a sword cry rang out.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword flew out, appearing in Zhang Ruochen's hand.
"So-called Eon-level genius, so impatient? We might not necessarily be enemies."
Bai Qinger's gaze turned to Shang Yue and Shang Xia, signaling with her eyes.
The two women immediately sheathed their sacred swords, and the two sharp sword intents locking onto Zhang Ruochen dissipated. It was as if two divine mountains had been removed from Zhang Ruochen's body, making him feel much lighter.
"Young Master Ruochen is a distinguished guest. Prepare tea." Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen said: "You nearly got me killed at the hands of the Judgment Division, framed me for stealing five top-grade Origin Divine Crystals, and tried to put me to death at every turn. How are we not enemies? I won't drink an enemy's tea."
"Young Master Ruochen actually knows about the top-grade Origin Divine Crystals? Who told you? Seven-Hand Elder?" Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen said: "No comment."
Bai Qinger gently shook her head, saying: "Young Master Ruochen had best not trust Seven-Hand Elder. That old fellow is extremely deep and calculating. You must be on guard against him."
"No need for you to worry, miss. I have my own judgment." Zhang Ruochen said.
Shang Yue carried a green crystal tray, walking gracefully.
On the tray were a pot of tea and a set of teacups.
She placed the tray on the stone table in the garden, smiling: "Young Master, please."
Zhang Ruochen hesitated inwardly. Should he escape immediately, or follow the original plan, stall for time, and wait for Guyeshe Jing to arrive?
How many strong ones were hidden in the garden? Just now, several powerful spiritual forces had swept over him. If he tried to escape, Zhang Ruochen was not at all confident of success.
Shang Yue said: "The famous Zhang Ruochen, the extraordinary genius favored by Xue Jue War God and Fortune Venerable, yet so lacking in courage? Shang Yue is truly disappointed."
"Even a maidservant dares to use provocation on me. I have underestimated the Goddess Twelve Pavilions." Zhang Ruochen said.
Shang Yue laughed: "What eyesight does Young Master Ruochen have? I am no mere maidservant, but my master's senior disciple."
Zhang Ruochen had no interest in flirting with an enemy at a life-or-death moment. "Drinking tea is unnecessary, I think. Miss Bai, if you have something to say, just say it directly."
"Fine! I have only one request. Hand over the top-grade Origin Divine Crystals and Seven-Hand Elder to me. From now on, we will no longer be enemies. You may leave whenever you wish. If you are still resentful of past matters, Qinger is willing to personally offer a cup of tea as an apology." Bai Qinger lowered her posture, speaking thus.
The lower her posture, the stronger Zhang Ruochen's sense of crisis.
Zhang Ruochen laughed loudly: "Miss Bai, do you take me for a fool? If I hand over the top-grade Origin Divine Crystals and Seven-Hand Elder, I lose my final bargaining chips. How could I possibly survive?"
Bai Qinger sighed softly: "Unless absolutely necessary, how would Qinger dare to kill you? If Xue Jue War God and Fortune Venerable were to investigate, it would be a disaster for Qinger and the Goddess Twelve Pavilions."
"The other meaning of that sentence is that as long as it's handled cleanly, so that Xue Jue War God and Fortune Venerable cannot find out, you can kill me without restraint."
Zhang Ruochen was not fooled at all. He had only one thought in his mind: this woman could not be trusted.
Bai Qinger finally lost patience and no longer wanted to pretend. She said coldly: "I know that keeping you here is no easy task. And you should understand that escaping is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Since that's the case, why don't we make a bet?"
"How do we bet?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger waved her finger lightly.
Instantly, Yunhuan Iron Blood King's tall figure walked out from the garden, standing behind her, locking onto Zhang Ruochen with hostile eyes.
Bai Qinger raised her snow-white neck slightly, quite arrogantly: "To be honest, I have great disdain for so-called Eon-level geniuses. I mean not just you and Yan Wushen, but also Xue Jue War God and Desolate Heaven. However, I have also heard that when you fought Yan Wushen, you displayed power close to a Supreme Realm Great Saint. That shocked me. But after all, those are just rumors. I have never believed in rumors."
"Indeed, many rumors are false." Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger pointed at Yunhuan Iron Blood King, saying: "His cultivation has reached the peak of the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm. If you can defeat him, it proves you are worthy of the title Eon-level genius. I have always cherished talent. Even if you are an enemy, I can spare your life."
"I find that hard to believe." Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger said: "Of course I won't let you go, but today I can."
"What do you mean?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger said: "If you can defeat Yunhuan Iron Blood King, proving your talent, I will let you leave today. But I can guarantee that within three months, I will capture you twice more. If I succeed, from now on, you will submit to me. Zhang Ruochen, do you dare to bet?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled, saying: "Wanting to capture me three times—you are even more arrogant than I imagined. I am very curious, what if you fail?"
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen seemed willing to agree, Bai Qinger immediately showed a relaxed expression, smiling charmingly: "Xue Jue War God has been arranging marriages for you all over the Hell Realm. The marriage proposal has even been sent to the Goddess Twelve Pavilions, specifically naming me to marry you. If I fail to capture you Zhang Ruochen three times, it means you do have some skill. Then I will agree to the War God's marriage proposal. That wouldn't be a loss for me, would it? Don't you think this bet is fair?"
"Of course, you must first pass the test of Yunhuan Iron Blood King. If you cannot even defeat him, then it only proves you are unworthy of the title Eon-level genius, and have no value in living."