đź“– Chapter 1083 - Sun De!
As the young man disappeared into the distance, the people in the teahouse discussed his story among themselves. Although they didn’t know the continuation to the story, the atmosphere here was even better than before.
“I’m guessing that one called All will end up winning in the end. Mr. Sun said he turned the void into a prison. You don’t have to think hard to know that that’s an extraordinary supernatural ability.”
“Impossible, the bad guy will definitely lose. It’s obvious that this All fellow isn’t a good person. The other one should be the final winner!”
“Hasn’t it already been half a month since Mr. Sun started telling this story? How come he hasn’t mentioned the other one’s name until now?”
“Compared to what the other one’s name is, I’m more curious about how Mr. Sun’s mind works. How did he come up with such an engrossing story?”
“Right, right. Shopkeep, what exactly is Mr. Sun’s background?”
The more people talked, the more tea they had to drink. Thus, as the waiter busied himself, the shopkeeper’s face broke out into a bright smile. When he heard the question that someone asked, he cleared his throat and poured himself a cup of tea.
“Speaking of Mr. Sun, he is a peculiar person. He passed the provincial exam and became a seeded scholar, but his ambition didn’t lie in the capital as an official. Instead, he wanted to traverse the mountains and rivers, observe the lives of the common people, and witness the passing of days and nights. In the end, he wants to create a historical record of all things in our dynasty. When he passed by, I begged him for a long time before he agreed to stay here for a while. You all are extremely lucky to be able to hear his story. It’s enough for you to brag to three generations of descendants.”
When they heard the shopkeeper’s words, the listeners all nodded with unconcealed admiration. They continued discussing the story with each other until the sun set, and as new customers arrived at the teahouse, they left one after another.
By that time, their much-admired Mr. Sun had already returned to his inn. Wherever he passed, people would greet him with hearty smiles, and the innkeeper even personally ran out to welcome him.
“Mr. Sun, you’re back. What would you like to eat today?”
“I’ll have your restaurant’s famous three treasures.” The young man surnamed Sun nodded slightly before entering his room. As he closed the door, he heard the waiter’s loud voice ordering someone to get his food.
The moment he entered the room, his elegant demeanor disappeared. Slumping down in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, he looked like a common hooligan. He placed the black wooden board in his hand on the table and quickly took out the bag of silver, excitedly touching the silver taels that he’d received today. Biting onto the silver to confirm it was real, his expression became even more excited.
“I didn’t expect that storytellers could make so much money. The people here are so simple. A good place, a good place!” The young man surnamed Sun grinned smugly. His eyes shone as he thought of ways to make more money.
In fact, this Mr. Sun, whose real name was Sun De, wasn’t some seeded scholar. He was born in the capital, but although he was literate enough, his thoughts were never focused. Although he didn’t stoop to thievery, his obsession with gambling dens and brothels ended up squandering away his family fortune. Moreover, he had failed the preliminary exams several times; not to mention a seeded scholar, he wasn’t even an elementary scholar. He was still just a student.
In the end, he owed too many gambling debts and had no choice but to escape the capital. Along the way, he relied on his silver tongue to cheat others. Before arriving in this town, his only clothes were the ones on his body, and his pockets were almost completely empty.
But fate seemed to have turned a kind eye on him after he came to this remote town. His first day here, he had a mysterious dream that contained a fabulous world. After hesitating for a long time, he went to the teahouse and started telling the story of his dream.
He didn’t expect that… the story would be an instant success. The teahouse’s shopkeeper instantly spotted a business opportunity and sought him out. The two of them hit it off immediately, and Sun De took the opportunity to fabricate his past. And so, he was arranged a room in an inn and invited to continue telling his story at the teahouse every day.
All of that was half a month ago. As he continued telling his story, his reputation in the little town continued to rise. He had gained both fame and fortune, making his life increasingly comfortable.
“I don’t know how long the story in the dream will be. I should tell it more slowly in the future so it can last longer.” Sun De blinked and pondered over this matter for a while. Soon, someone knocked on the door, and he immediately put away the bag of silver. He straightened his posture and his demeanor returned to that of an elegant scholar as he spoke lightly.
"Come in."
The door opened and the smiling innkeeper entered with a jug of wine. Quickly placing it down, he enthusiastically chatted with Sun De for a while. Then, after making sure that the big boss in front of him had no other requests, he took his leave.
As soon as the innkeeper left, Sun De’s body slumped down in relaxation again. He ate and drank until he was full, then patted his stomach in satisfaction.
“Good place, a good place indeed. The people here are simple and honest, and the women are beautiful as well. Sigh, those slender, charming waists… it’s a pity that I’ve got an image to uphold, so I can’t go to the brothel to experience it personally. Oh, and there are also gambling dens…” Sun De rubbed his hands together. But after thinking about it for a while, he decided that he would hold off on the gambling.
“Right now, the most important thing is to see the continuation of the story as soon as possible.” When his thoughts reached this point, Sun De took off his clothes, carefully folding them and placing them to the side before lying down on the bed. He gradually fell asleep.
As he slept, the mysterious dream slowly unfolded before his eyes again.
Just like that, time passed slowly. As he narrated day by day, the story from Sun De’s dream gradually reached its climax…
“When they clashed, the void prison collapsed, the 90 million Heavenly Daos collapsed, and a terrifying storm swept across the entire universe…
“Then, the one who condemned the Heavenly Dao used an astonishing divine ability to incarnate himself into 90 million clones. The one named All did the same. Instead of reincarnating life after life, though, the moment their clones awakened, they immediately went to battle in an endless war!
“The figures of the two Almighties could be found everywhere in the river of time, their struggle seemingly without beginning or end. Sometimes, they were mortals fighting to the death; sometimes, they were wild beasts devouring each other; and sometimes they turned into cultivators, betting on who would reach a higher level first!
“Innumerable Chosen were merely their clones; uncountable legends spawned from their fights… and their incarnations were always linked through karma. Before they awakened, they were sometimes husband and wife, sometimes parent and child, sometimes master and disciple, sometimes devoted brothers… finally, after 90 million kalpas, the Vast Expanse Dao Domain and Never-Ending Dao Domain appeared. This was a critical point in time, because after battling over innumerable lives, the two of them were finally ready to decide the winner!”
As Sun De’s story reached its climax, his fame in the town also reached its peak. When he came to the teahouse every day, there wasn’t a single empty seat. Moreover, crowds of people still gathered just outside the teahouse trying to listen in. The former gambling addict of a few months ago had rapidly risen to incredible heights.
Soon, Sun De started receiving invitations from the town’s wealthy families, experiencing what it felt like to be a celebrity loved by all. The words of one family in particular made him even more excited. That family had no children of scholarly rank, so when they found out that Sun De was unmarried… perhaps because of his fame in the town, or perhaps because of his false status as a seeded scholar, they actually suggested betrothing their daughter to him. When they asked for his horoscope, he hurried to fabricate a birth register.
The wealthy family’s daughter had fair skin, a beautiful face, and an alluring figure. She was considered a famous young miss in the town, and when Sun De saw her, he felt like his eyeballs were about to pop out. His heart was instantly moved by her beauty.
But he knew that he was no seeded scholar, and his background would be uncovered after some investigation. However, that investigation would still take time, so after coming up with a plan, Sun De spread the news that he was about leave and return to his hometown to get married.
Since his story wasn’t finished, everyone who came to the teahouse to listen instantly became anxious when they heard this news. And the wealthy family who wanted to marry their daughter to him was even more anxious. They were unwilling to give up on this opportunity, so after some urging, they didn’t wait for the investigation to be completed and directly set a wedding date.
And so, Sun De’s days in the small town became better and better. On the day of the wedding, he finally drank himself drunk. When he lifted his bride’s veil and looked at her beautiful face, his heart was instantly set aflame. He felt that coming to this town was the best choice in his entire life.
Emboldened by alcohol, he immediately pounced. His wedding night was filled with bliss… As for the possibility that he would later be exposed, he was indeed a little worried. However, Sun De was a gambler through and through, and he was perfectly willing to take this gamble. In any case, as long as his story was exciting enough, it wouldn’t matter too much even if his lies were exposed.