Seeing Yelan's confidence, Mu Yang let her play freely, luring her into his trap.
He'd just guess casually—after all, there were no stakes, so what did it matter if she won?
Sure enough, Yelan was thoroughly enjoying herself.
In her eyes, the essence of danger lay in uncertainty.
Playing dice was no different.
Every guess of three or five was a dangerous adventure, every shout for one or six brought a spark of excitement.
Even the slightest challenge thrilled her.
And this time, the rules were set by Mu Yang himself.
What could be more exhilarating than beating him at his own game?
She was supremely confident in her skills, believing she could read Mu Yang's intentions through his eyes.
She could guess whether he'd choose big, small, or leopard.
Then, with a slight flick of her wrist, she'd roll the dice to produce a result that defied the rules but suited her perfectly.
"Three sixes—looks like a leopard," she said.
Mu Yang lost again.
Yelan smiled smugly, knowing she could roll whatever number she wanted.
This trick was almost too easy.
And she could predict Mu Yang's guesses through his micro-expressions, eyes, and movements.
"Does the Adeptus not play this game often?"
Since Mu Yang set the rules, Yelan assumed he was trying to gain an edge.
Dice games were her specialty, so she didn't mind giving him a slight advantage—she was certain she could handle him.
Mu Yang had lost several rounds, but he didn't get flustered.
His face remained calm. "I don't play often. I just saw people betting drinks with this method at a tavern once, thought it was interesting, and memorized the rules."
His nonchalant, carefree attitude toward winning or losing was exactly what Yelan found hard to accept.
She wanted to win, to see Mu Yang lose his cool.
If he didn't care about the outcome, the game lost its thrill.
"So the stake was drinks…" Yelan nodded thoughtfully.
"…I'm not a fan of alcohol. How about we change the stakes? The winner asks the loser a question."
Mu Yang gently set down his teacup. "Does Miss Yelan find this game too boring?"
"You're so calm and indifferent to winning or losing, Adeptus. I'm the only one getting excited—it's indeed a bit dull."
"Sounds like you have a lot of questions for me."
"Didn't you come here today for the same reason?"
"Fair enough. In that case, the contract is set."
Mu Yang/Yelan: "May the one who breaks their word face the punishment of eating rock."
With stakes in place, Yelan grew excited again.
But someone was even more excited—the system!
The system took over the game, and Mu Yang slipped into meditation, his soul wandering beyond the heavens.
You like analyzing micro-expressions and movements, Yelan? Let's see you guess while I'm napping.
One guess, and she was stumped.
In the first round, Yelan suffered a crushing defeat.
Well played, Mu Yang. You deliberately lost earlier to bait me into raising the stakes.
Liyue was a nation of contracts—once a word was given, it couldn't be taken back.
She braced herself to answer Mu Yang's question.
She had to tell the truth without revealing critical information.
But to her surprise, Mu Yang's first question was: "How was the taste of that pot of tea just now?"
Yelan had rehearsed countless questions in her mind.
These included, but weren't limited to, her intelligence work, the network of informants at the Stone Gate Teahouse, recent operational plans, and more…
The one thing she hadn't expected was Mu Yang asking about the tea's taste.
"It tastes good. Your tea-brewing skills are truly top-notch, Adeptus."
"Good to know you liked it, though the tea leaves themselves are a bit lacking."
Mu Yang continued, "I have some rare Dancong from Qiaoying Village at home. Take some back with you later."
Yelan clasped her hands in thanks. "My gratitude, Adeptus."
Her smile was radiant, but it was a practiced, habitual one, honed through countless performances.
Her eyes held no trace of mirth.
To Yelan, Mu Yang's question felt like a provocation.
From her perspective, having won the first round by feigning weakness, he should've asked a critical question.
Not something like "How's the tea?"
If he didn't ask now, he might not get another chance!
Of course, this was all just Yelan's assumption.
Reality was harsh.
The system was even harsher, revealing exactly which dice landed on which number.
Yelan lost again.
"Tell me about the origin of that jade bracelet you're wearing."
Yelan couldn't fathom Mu Yang's strategy—why ask such trivial questions?
According to Ningguang's guesses, shouldn't he be exposing her as the true owner of the Stone Gate Teahouse and starting negotiations?
But a bet was a bet, so Yelan recounted the story of her jade bracelet.
The bracelet, named Youqi Wanlan, was a family heirloom.
It was inscribed with family techniques, capable of transmitting simple messages.
However, such small artifacts required a pair to function properly, and now only one remained, reduced to a mere ornament.
Mu Yang nodded, still seeming intrigued by the bracelet.
Could Ningguang have misjudged him?
Yelan lost three times in a row…
Mu Yang asked another seemingly trivial yet somewhat personal question—Yelan's birthday…
Though Yelan showed no outward reaction, suspicion began to stir within her.
This Adeptus couldn't possibly…
No way, me?
After losing three times, Mu Yang didn't press further.
He suggested calling it a day, lest the tea get cold.
Yelan wasn't having it. You take the win and just leave?
"Speaking of tea, Adeptus, don't you want to try how we play dice here at the teahouse?"
"What's the game?"
Yelan explained the local rules, which were rather complex.
Fortunately, Mu Yang didn't need to figure them out himself.
They agreed to keep the same stakes and play three more rounds using Yelan's rules.
In the name of "fairness," Mu Yang agreed.
Then, Yelan learned just how powerless human skill was against the might of a cheat code…
Mu Yang asked his fourth question: "If someone wanted to take over this teahouse, what price do you think the new owner would offer, Miss Yelan?"
Now playing by her rules, Mu Yang didn't hold back, directly exposing her identity.
Yelan replied, "Not everything can be priced."
"Not necessarily. I've lived in Chenyu Vale for a long time and have studied jade artifacts. I'm also familiar with Adeptus techniques. Perhaps she'd be interested."
Mu Yang didn't specify, but his gaze fell on Yelan's Youqi Wanlan.
He was implying that, beyond Mora, he could help Yelan restore her other bracelet.
He could even enhance it with Adeptus arts.
Yelan interlaced her fingers. "Adeptus, one question per game."
Then…
The dice cup was lifted, and Mu Yang made a "please" gesture.
He invited the loser, Miss Yelan, to answer his question.
Yelan still shook her head.
This intelligence hub had taken nearly a year of her effort—she wouldn't give it up.
As for the lone Youqi Wanlan, it was a memento of her clash with Pantalone, the Regrator.
It served as a warning to never fail again.
Seeing the situation, Mu Yang gave up on acquiring the Stone Gate Teahouse.
He hadn't held much hope to begin with.
For the final round, Mu Yang turned off the system and played himself.
He left it to fate—if he lost, he'd answer one of Yelan's questions.
Of course, it would be answered as the Chenyu Vale Sword Adeptus, "Mu Yang."
Looking at the dice in the final round, Mu Yang felt bitter—he lost.
His luck these past few days had been awful. No wonder he hadn't seen Yun Jin…
Yelan stood up. "Adeptus, the tea's gone cold. I'll save my question for another time."
As she passed by Mu Yang, she turned her head.
"As for the rare Dancong you mentioned, just leave it at the teahouse. We can enjoy it together when you're free."
"Otherwise, with my tea-brewing skills, I'd hate to waste your kindness."
With that, Xiao Lan returned to work.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs must keep her busy, after all.