Inside the gambling shop, two figures stand together, looking around at the various games and deciding which one to try their luck at.
They are Su Lin and Shan Yan.
Su Lin looks around and says,
"So, which game should we play? I'm interested in that rock gambling game, and that number game over there also looks interesting. You tell me, Shan Yan. Which one do you want to play?"
"Take this."
Hearing Su Lin, Shan Yan hands him a small bag. When Su Lin opens it, he finds thirty spirit stones inside.
"Come on. Let's go with the number game."
Saying this, Shan Yan takes Su Lin with him.
When they arrive, Shan Yan makes Su Lin sit on one of the seats. Before Su Lin can understand what is happening, Shan Yan's voice reaches his ears.
"Play first."
The game uses three dice, with each dice containing numbers from one to six. This means the lowest possible total is three, while the highest is eighteen.
The game is played between two parties. One party shakes the three dice inside a wooden tumbler, while the other party guesses the result.
To win, the guessing party must predict whether the total of the three dice will be higher or lower.
However, there is a special rule.
If the total falls in the middle range—8, 9, or 10—the gambling shop takes half of the total stake, while the remaining half is returned to both parties.
After understanding all the rules, Su Lin looks at his opponent.
A middle-aged man sits across from him. He wears a green robe, while his long beard makes him appear much older than he actually is.
Before the game begins, the middle-aged man places twenty spirit stones on the table as his stake.
Seeing this, Su Lin also places twenty spirit stones on the table.
The man then picks up the wooden tumbler and begins shaking it.
The sound of the dice rolling inside the tumbler reaches Su Lin's ears clearly.
Suddenly, the man slams the tumbler onto the table, looks toward Su Lin, and says,
"Come on, kid. What's your guess?"
For a moment, Su Lin remains deep in thought. Then, while staring at the tumbler, he calmly says,
"Low."
The man lifts the tumbler.
The dice show 6, 5, and 1.
Seeing this, Su Lin feels quite disappointed. However, when he sees the man laughing as he collects all the spirit stones, Su Lin places another five spirit stones on the table as his next stake.
Seeing this, the man gives Su Lin a mocking smile and places five spirit stones of his own.
This time, the man shakes the dice inside the tumbler again. After shaking them for a while, he slams the tumbler onto the table.
Su Lin immediately says,
"Lower."
When the man looks inside the tumbler, the dice show 4, 3, and 3.
The total is ten, so the special rule does apply. Su Lin and the man will receive their half stakes back according to the game's rules.
A moment later, the table assistant standing nearby comes over. She takes five spirit stones from the table and divides the remaining spirit stones equally between Su Lin and the man.
After receiving his spirit stones back, Su Lin notices that one of them is slightly damaged. He keeps that one and places all the remaining spirit stones on the table as his next stake.
The man looks at the seven spirit stones on the table and laughs.
"What happened, kid? Have you gone bankrupt already?"
Hearing this, Su Lin looks at the man but says nothing.
Suddenly, a bag falls onto the table.
Su Lin looks toward where the bag came from and sees Shan Yan standing there with a smile on his face.
"Here is my stake."
The table assistant checks the bag and finds forty spirit stones inside.
Seeing this, the man raises his eyebrows. After a moment of hesitation, he places forty spirit stones on the table as well.
He then shakes the dice inside the tumbler once again before slamming it onto the table.
Su Lin is still thinking about what to choose when a voice suddenly comes from behind him.
"Lower."
The man lifts the tumbler.
Everyone at the table looks at the dice.
The result is lower.
A look of disbelief flashes across the man's face. Shan Yan's prediction is correct.
The eighty spirit stones on the table are won by Shan Yan.
After that, the game continues.
Round after round, Shan Yan keeps winning.
Sometimes he predicts Lower. Sometimes he predicts Higher. No matter what the result is, he seems to know exactly what to choose.
One opponent after another loses their spirit stones to him.
As the rounds continue, the pile of spirit stones in front of Su Lin and Shan Yan grows larger and larger.
By the time they finally stop playing, they have accumulated around four hundred spirit stones from their various opponents.
Su Lin looks at the pile of spirit stones in front of them, unable to hide his surprise.
In a dark room, a single lamp burns on a table, providing the only source of light.
A young man in his early twenties sits at the table, quietly lost in thought.
Suddenly, the door opens.
A servant enters the room and walks toward him. He leans close and whispers something into the young man's ear.
The young man remains silent for a moment, thinking about what he has just heard.
Then, as if he has made a decision, he rises from his seat and leaves the room.
A short while later, the young man arrives at the table where Su Lin and Shan Yan are sitting.
The round currently in progress comes to a halt.
The young man looks at Su Lin and Shan Yan before speaking.
"Junior brothers, may I speak with you two for a moment? My name is Liu Tai, and I am the owner of this gambling shop."
Hearing this, Su Lin looks at Liu Tai and asks,
"What happened?"
Hearing Su Lin's words, Liu Tai lets out a disdainful laugh.
"What happened? You're asking me what happened? Not only have the two of you been cheating at gambling, but now you're actually asking me what happened?"
He gives them a cold look.
"Come with me."
Hearing this, Su Lin looks at Shan Yan before turning back to Liu Tai.
"I think there's been some misunderstanding, sir. We haven't done anything like cheating."
Before Su Lin can finish speaking, Liu Tai angrily cuts him off.
"Whether you cheated or not, I don't know yet. But the Jin Clan will find out soon enough. Someone from the Jin Clan will arrive shortly and investigate the entire situation to determine whether you two cheated or not."
Before Su Lin can argue further, Shan Yan stops him.
"We'll cooperate with you."
After saying this, Shan Yan and Su Lin follow Liu Tai and sit down with him at an empty table.
After some time, several middle-aged men dressed in blue robes enter the gambling shop. as they walk through the shop, everyone's expression becomes respectful.
When they reach Su Lin and Shan Yan's table, they bow toward Liu Tai.
One of the men, who appears to be their leader, speaks respectfully.
"Shop Owner Liu Tai, it is a pleasure to meet you. Please tell us what happened."
Liu Tai then explains everything about Su Lin and Shan Yan's continuous winning streak and asks the Jin Clan to investigate the matter and deliver justice.
After hearing this, the man looks toward Su Lin and Shan Yan and says,
""Kids, I don't know who you are, but seeing you gamble in this shop, you two must be cultivators from a sect or clan.
So, on behalf of your sect or clan, I'll give you a chance. Admit your mistake, and I won't punish you. You only need to compensate the shop owner.
But if you refuse to admit it and are caught committing this crime, we will punish you according to our clan's rules."
When the man finishes speaking, Su Lin responds in a righteous manner.
"But, Senior, we didn't do anything."
Before Su Lin can say anything further, Shan Yan stops him and walks toward the man, standing directly in front of him.
"Greetings, Senior. Actually, you can call me Senior as well. You're already this old, yet you're still only at the Eighth Circle of the Qi Refining Stage. You should be ashamed of yourself. If I were in your place, I would have destroyed my own cultivation base and started farming instead. Hahahaha…"
Hearing Shan Yan's arrogant and domineering words, an angry expression immediately appears on the man's face.
"Kid, what exactly are you trying to say? This is my Jin Clan's city. Do you know the consequences of trying to tarnish the reputation of our Jin Clan?"
Hearing the man's words, Shan Yan speaks in the same arrogant and domineering manner.
"Oh, reputation? Then let's make a bet. I admit it—I cheated. So what? What are you going to do about it? Hahaha! You know, according to the rules of any clan, you have the right to kill me and my brother here. But there is also an unspoken rule between you and me—kill or be killed. Hahaha…"
He looks at the man with a mocking smile.
"Your Jin Clan is nothing more than a third-rate clan, and you are nothing but its trash. Let me ask you one thing. Your clan head, the person with the highest authority, the Core Formation Stage master Jin Pang, isn't even in the clan right now. So tell me, how exactly are you going to punish me?"
When everyone in the gambling shop hears Shan Yan's words, the entire place falls silent.
Even Su Lin cannot understand why Shan Yan is behaving this way.
But before he or anyone else can think further, one of the Jin Clan guards suddenly rushes toward Shan Yan with a sword in his hand.
The man is young and looks rather ordinary, but his well-built body gives off a powerful aura.
When Shan Yan sees him, his dark eyes lock onto the approaching guard.
In that instant, the old Shan Yan when Su Lin first saw him—the same silent beast that carries a devilish air, making the atmosphere around him feel completely different.
For a brief moment, Shan Yan's expression turns cold.
"Sword… I have one too."
When the young man hears his words, he tries to move backward.
But suddenly, a faint pain appears in his neck.
Before he can understand what has happened, his head falls to the ground, followed by his headless body.
When everyone in the gambling shop sees this, several screams erupt from inside.
"He… he killed someone!"
"Someone killed a member of the Jin Clan here!"
When the Jin Clan members see their companion lying dead on the ground, they immediately look toward Shan Yan.
He is now wielding an ordinary sword, a faint smile on his face as he looks at them.
Seeing this, everyone in the gambling shop feels the hairs on their bodies stand on end.
The atmosphere suddenly becomes terrifyingly silent.