Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 776: Hou Luli And Her Gamble
Han Yu paused mid-step.
The name struck a faint chord in his mind before the memory surfaced clearly.
Hou Luli.
The disciple who had moved into the cave two spaces to the right of his. The one whose presence had caused repeated fights on the Fifth Rib Peak. The one drowning in debt, constantly harassed by creditors, yet strong enough to drive them off every time.
He slowly turned to face her fully and took a proper look at her.
Up close, she looked a bit different from what he had imagined. Her posture was relaxed but not careless, shoulders straight in a way that suggested long familiarity with violence. The scar on her cheek was thin and pale, old rather than fresh, and it did not ruin her looks.
If anything, it gave her face a sharp edge, a reminder that she had survived something unpleasant.
Her cultivation base was solidly at the late Core Condensation realm.
Han Yu registered that immediately.
Not weak. Not average either.
"You've been to the Inheritance Stelae," Han Yu said slowly, his voice calm and cold. "That's a bold claim."
Hou Luli snorted softly. "I didn't say I succeeded."
That answer alone made Han Yu's attention sharpen.
Most people who lied would exaggerate, not qualify.
He studied her for a few seconds longer, then asked, "Why tell me?"
Hou Luli crossed her arms and leaned slightly against a nearby stone lantern. "Because you were muttering about it like someone who's already decided to go in, not someone daydreaming. People who talk like that either have too many merit points or nothing left to lose."
Han Yu did not respond.
She continued anyway.
"And because I heard you say the name out loud," she added. "No one mentions the Stelae casually. Not unless it's eating at them."
Han Yu's eyes narrowed slightly. "You eavesdrop often?"
"Only when people talk to themselves in public," she replied flatly. "That's on you, fellow disciple Ju Fan."
The title was polite, but there was no deference in her tone.
'Interesting.'
Han Yu weighed his options quickly. Dismissing her outright would cost him nothing, but listening might gain him something he desperately lacked. Reliable information.
Rumors were useless. Firsthand experience was not.
"Walk," Han Yu said after a moment. "Not here."
Hou Luli raised an eyebrow. "Afraid someone might overhear?"
"I don't enjoy unnecessary audiences," Han Yu replied, already turning away.
To his mild surprise, she followed without hesitation.
They walked along the stone path that curved around the outer edge of the Fifth Rib Peak. The blood-red glow of the Blood Moon River shimmered faintly in the distance, casting long shadows between the jagged rocks and sparse trees.
After a few minutes, Han Yu stopped.
"This is far enough," he said.
Before he could ask though, Hou Luli raised her hand.
"Not so easily, you have to pay for it." She stated.
"Of course. No one does free favors in this sect." Han Yu sighed.
"I have debts to pay after all." She smirked slightly.
"How much?" he asked.
"Ten thousand merit points." She says casually.
Han Yu thought about it for a minute before saying in a cold and fierce tone. "If you fakes anything you'll have another debt to repay." He assured.
Hou Luli didn't seem worried though. "My information will be more accurate than any others. After all, I'm the only one who has entered that place in the recent decade.:
Han Yu reckoned what's another small gamble compared to the big one he's about to take.
He transferred the amount to her token and the woman became relaxed.
Seeing the amount, Hou Luli nodded and pushed off the railing she had leaned against. "Ask."
Han Yu did not waste time.
"When did you enter the Inheritance Stelae?"
"Four years ago," she replied.
Han Yu's breath slowed slightly. That was recent enough to be relevant.
"Any hidden requirements or qualifications? Any bribes that need to be paid? Any palms greased." Han Yu questioned knowing what usually happened.
Hou Luli gave a short laugh. "There's none. Anyone can enter if they pay. Qualification is a myth people tell themselves so they don't feel bad about not trying. And I learned that in a hard way."
Han Yu already knew that part, but he let her continue.
"One hundred thousand merit points," she said. "I spent every last one. Left myself with nothing but debt and a barely functional body."
That explained a lot.
"So you failed," Han Yu said.
"Yes," she replied without hesitation. "Completely."
There was no bitterness in her voice. Just blunt fact.
"What happened inside?" Han Yu asked.
Hou Luli's gaze drifted upward, toward the peaks towering above them. For a moment, her expression grew distant.
"That's the funny part," she said quietly. "I don't know."
Han Yu frowned. "You don't remember?"
"I remember entering," she said. "I remember standing in front of the majestic yet creepy Stelae. I remember the pressure. The feeling that something was peeling me open layer by layer."
She tapped her temple lightly.
"After that, it's fragments. Pain. Cold. Heat. Whispers that weren't words. Images that didn't belong to me. Then I woke up outside, three days later."
"Three days," Han Yu repeated.
She nodded. "For me. Others say it can be minutes. Or years. Time doesn't mean much in there."
"What did you gain?" Han Yu asked.
Hou Luli met his eyes directly. "Nothing."
Han Yu searched her face for deception, but found none.
"Then why are you still alive?" he asked.
Her lips twitched. "Good question. I wondered that too."
She paused, then added, "There were Jiangshi who dragged me out and an elder who was overseeing said the Stelae probably rejected me. Not violently. Just… indifferently."
Indifference.
That word lingered heavily.
"Most people who are rejected," Hou Luli continued, "lose something. Some more than others. The worst ones can lose Cultivation, memories or even their sanity.
Though whether that is due to the stelae or due to the loss of merit points, that's hard to tell. I lost merit points and a part of my life. That alone made me luckier than most."
