"Alright! Four hundred wen it is!" Trevor Harris clearly wanted that jade talisman badly, so he gritted his teeth and staked all his belongings. "Wait for me a moment." He dashed out, took the two hundred wen he had saved from under his bed, added the two hundred wen he won today, making exactly four hundred wen.

With a clatter, the four hundred copper coins were dumped onto the table, forming a small pile. Just as Julian Reed placed the jade talisman on the table, his elbow knocked over a water bowl with a bang, spilling the full bowl of water all over the table, soaking the coins as well.

Julian Reed quickly apologized, "Sorry, sorry, Brother Harris..." Trevor Harris was furious: "Who put this here? It wasn't here just now..." Julian Reed said, "It's fine, let's just wipe the table dry and start right away." "No way!" Trevor Harris said, "Let me dry the coins first." "No need, wet is wet, it doesn't matter." But Trevor Harris insisted, "No!" He had to dry the coins before starting. Julian Reed glanced at him sideways, "Senior brother, wet or dry, they're all copper coins, what's the difference?" Trevor Harris looked uneasy, "There's no difference..." he forced a smile and said, "Alright then, we can start whenever you say."

A junior brother soon caught an ant and placed it between the pile of coins and the jade talisman. The ant circled twice, then headed straight for the jade talisman! Julian Reed cheered and jumped up, "Haha, I won!" Trevor Harris's face turned extremely ugly. He had hoped to win the jade talisman, but ended up losing all his savings.

He stormed out, kicking the chair aside, while Julian Reed laughed triumphantly behind him.

All the way until the afternoon, Julian Reed thought of the morning's bet and couldn't help but grin. He reached out and nudged Gordon Brooks, who was about to fall asleep beside him, "Do you know why I won?" Gordon Brooks yawned and shook his head. Julian Reed said, "I'll tell you, but don't tell anyone else." Gordon Brooks nodded, his head bobbing like a pecking chick, about to doze off. Julian Reed gave his shoulder a hard slap, "Wake up! Do you know why Trevor Harris kept winning at first? Because the bottom coin had honey smeared on it, so the ant always crawled over to it. I knew all along, but I let him win on purpose, and finally used the jade talisman to trick him. He thought I was like everyone else, a fool who couldn't see through his tricks, haha..." In the last round, he had deliberately knocked over the water bowl, washing the honey off the coins, and secretly smeared honey under the jade talisman himself.

But it didn't take long for Trevor Harris to figure it out, and his anger was understandable. Someone like him, who cheats first, can't stand others doing the same. From then on, the three became enemies, and Trevor Harris saw the other two as thorns in his side. He hadn't liked Gordon Brooks from the first day he arrived, and now he hated Julian Reed as well.

Chapter 007: The Bone Saint Falls Off a Cliff

"Whoosh"—a bamboo arrow shot out, and a rabbit a hundred paces away fell into the grass. Julian Reed dropped his bow and arrows, laughed twice, and dashed over. In a few leaps, he was already beside the unfortunate rabbit. This guy was clever; he had mastered the martial arts taught to the servants by the Wuwei Sword Sect, and among all the servants, he was considered an expert.

He grabbed the rabbit and shouted to Gordon Brooks, "Look, we'll have something good to eat tonight." They hunted a few more pheasants, and carrying their game, arrived behind a cliff. Julian Reed skillfully started a fire, then plucked and skinned the animals, roasting them over the flames. From hunting to now, everything was done by Julian Reed, while Gordon Brooks just waited to enjoy the results.

Actually, Gordon Brooks didn't care much for wild game, but Julian Reed felt jittery if he went a day without eating meat. Every other day, he would drag Gordon Brooks out with him. Now Gordon Brooks didn't even have to cook, because a newcomer had joined them.

With the pre-prepared seasonings, the fat rabbit sizzled over the fire, its aroma wafting into their noses. Even though Gordon Brooks didn't like eating with Julian Reed, at this moment he couldn't help but feel his mouth water.

Finally, the rabbit was done. With a laugh, Julian Reed took out some fine wine he had hidden under a rock, "Alright, we can eat now." As soon as he finished speaking, before either of them could move, a gray shadow darted in and sat steadily by the fire, "Can we eat now?"

The newcomer was a scruffy old Daoist—the same old man who had given Julian Reed the jade talisman. He was well acquainted with Julian Reed, but it was Gordon Brooks's first time meeting him. Julian Reed was displeased, "Why can't I avoid you no matter where I go?" The old Daoist chuckled, "In these Wanren Mountains, there's really nowhere you can hide from me." Gordon Brooks's heart stirred as he thought of someone: Could this old man really be him?

But Julian Reed was unconvinced, "Anywhere in the Wanren Mountains? What about Bone Pile City?" The old man stopped smiling and said to Julian Reed, "Kid, watch your mouth. Mentioning Bone Pile City here—be careful who might hear you." Although Julian Reed was defiant, he knew the rules were strict and dared not push further.