[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h":3,"chapter-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-56":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Devouring Evil, Exterminating Demons Across All Heavens",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2267001,4426,"Chapter 56: Hong Ying, the Beauty Die","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-56",56,"\u003Cp>In this city, dozens of casinos, big and small, aren’t all built on land or rented as venues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying’s casino operates on boats—one converted passenger ship, plus several luxury yachts for VIP guests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he often stays aboard the yachts, in formal settings he’s known as a prominent entrepreneur with investments in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Bangkok; in informal circles, insiders call him “Island Edge Old Hong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he’s not even old enough to be called “Old.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looks about forty, in his prime, with thick hair, a square face, bushy eyebrows like inked pine smoke, and a well-groomed beard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment someone meets his eyes, their first instinct is to think he radiates upright integrity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He doesn’t look like a man running gambling boats—he looks more like some incorruptible inspector.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Chu Tianshu and Fang Jun boarded the yacht, Hong Ying sat in the shade, sipping tea and reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On a small round table beside him lay several books: *The Unruly Chronicles of Min Kuang IV*, *Youyang Zazu*, and *The Water Classic: Vernacular Edition*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, his tastes were eclectic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did these boys do to warrant Fang Young Master dragging them to my yacht?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying set down his book, smiling as he looked over, but didn’t rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun removed his sunglasses: “They attacked our special consultant, Mr. Chu Tianshu. The offense is extremely grave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And according to their own admissions, your brother Hong Yong was assaulted by a suspect we’re investigating and hospitalized.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To get the full details, I had no choice but to disturb you, Brother Hong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying feigned surprise and asked his black-clad attendant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was Yong hit and hospitalized?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought he’d been parading a bone around like a dog begging for scraps and broke his ribs falling down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-clad man said: “That’s right—we saw it with our own eyes. Brother Yong was chased by dogs. If you need witnesses, we’re all here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu glanced skeptically over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this man openly stalling and provoking out of old grudges—or is he trying to lure someone into a negotiation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun smiled: “Brother Hong, we’ve always kept to our own waters. Why play these tricks?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying grew serious: “What do you mean ‘keep to our own waters’? As Nie family’s adopted son, there are plenty in the gambling world eager to test you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu recalled he’d checked some Macau-related data online before coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several internationally renowned gamblers had once operated in Macau; the most famous one still living here is surnamed Nie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He once faced nine gamblers at once in Las Vegas and defeated them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two years ago, rumors spread he’d been diagnosed with a brain tumor, causing major upheaval in Macau’s business circles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he seemed to have survived—he didn’t die then, and lately he’s gone quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just an adopted son. I didn’t inherit my father’s talent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun said sincerely, “If I’d been good at gambling, why join the Special Capture Unit? Wouldn’t it be better to sit at home counting money?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying chuckled: “Maybe it’s precisely because you’re an adopted son and learned gambling too well that you were forced into the Special Capture Unit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun sighed: “If you already think that way, then no matter the truth or what I say, you’re going to demand a gamble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying stood up, solemn: “Those few gambling kings are all aging. Everyone wants to accumulate enough to challenge their positions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone organized a gambling tournament—it’ll start soon. The winner gains enough prestige to challenge them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before that tournament, I want to test myself against a worthy rival, get a feel for the competition.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun stayed silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re worried about damaging the Nie family’s reputation, we can hold a private match.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying continued, “As long as you show your true skill, win or lose, I’ll give you all the information you need.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun looked at Chu Tianshu: “If I refuse to gamble and lose these leads, wouldn’t that count as neglecting the case, dereliction of duty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew this consultant was desperate to investigate because something precious had been stolen from his own home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why ask Chu Tianshu and not someone else? What answer was he truly seeking?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he himself eager to gamble, just lacking an excuse?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Letting him gamble would be the perfect solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu said seriously: “I recall that while gambling is legal here for ordinary people, government officials with formal positions are still forbidden to gamble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think I’d advise you to break the law?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun slowly pulled out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Hong, you see for yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our consultant is standing right here. We’re out of options.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu turned to Hong Ying: “But this consultant of mine doesn’t seem to have formal status.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying said calmly: “Do you believe this gentleman is strong enough to be my rival in gambling?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know nothing about gambling, but we’re not betting money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu said, “If being your rival gets me the leads, and failing means I lose nothing, then under these rules, I’ll give it a try.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grandpa, this isn’t gambling, this isn’t gambling, this isn’t gambling!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Important things must be said three times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m just making an attempt to get leads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph, since you came with Fang Jun, I’ll give you this chance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying sat back down. “One round decides it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone brought over the gambling equipment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun’s expression flickered with surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the die wasn’t a standard six-sided die—it was a regular icosahedron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each face bore a different character.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gambling matches using ordinary dice always risk damage, and without tricks, ties are too common.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying smiled: “So beyond official tournaments, when practitioners practice privately, each has their own style.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My twenty-faced die has a name: Beauty Die. It bears twenty characters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mountains and rivers, beauty, boundless wind and moon, love and hate, grievances erased…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Life and death are in Heaven’s hands!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying said, “I’ll roll. I won’t damage the die. You guess the character. If you guess right, you win.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu extended his hand: “May I examine the equipment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying ordered his men to pass it over; his pupils subtly turned blue—he had entered the Opening Qiao state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this man had no reputation in gambling circles, being a Special Capture Unit consultant meant he must have some cultivation techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying watched closely, ready to catch any trickery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chu Tianshu took the dice cup, glanced inside, picked up the die, and weighed it twice in his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t tamper with it at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His posture was that of someone who’d seen a few gambling movies and knew dice could be filled with mercury—so he checked the weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A complete novice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying frowned slightly as his men returned the equipment, then snapped his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mental force radiated; the die shot up from the tray with a hiss, flying into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying caught the cup, snatched the die mid-flight, and shook it violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clatter-clatter-clatter!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The die rattled and tumbled furiously inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stood five meters away, right hand behind his waist, watching silently, eyes unblinking, body motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this were against Fang Jun, both sides would already be deploying techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chu Tianshu used not a single interfering move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After twenty seconds of shaking, Hong Ying found it dull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying slammed the cup onto the tray, listlessly: “Guess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone and expression made it sound less like “guess”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and more like “start guessing blindly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gambling is supposed to be luck—but to gambling masters, luck is the lowest, weakest form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They compete with vision, calculation, technique, cunning, even endurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-clad men, though masked by sunglasses, turned their heads to watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, they resented this novice daring to challenge their boss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu didn’t take offense: “I think it’s the character ‘Heaven.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying’s expression changed; he sat upright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun paused, exhaled a smoke ring, and smiled broadly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying stared intently at Chu Tianshu, then casually lifted the cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-clad men saw clearly: the die showed the character “Heaven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In gambling, Chu Tianshu was unskilled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after testing the weight and hardness of the gambling tools, he could discern the force direction and the dice’s response simply by watching the opponent’s hand movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if all twenty characters were flat, with no engraved depth differences, he could simulate in his mind the entire rolling process—the direction, the number of rotations, the final result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was akin to the Taiji skill of sensing force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Chu Tianshu had also cultivated magical arts; even if the opponent used mental force to interfere midway, he would sense it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems I’ve won.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stepped forward, seized the dice cup, and swept the dice with a flick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s body suddenly retreated three steps, floating as if carried by the wind, utterly fluid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During those three steps, not a single sound came from inside the dice cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Chu Tianshu had precisely calculated the dice’s motion speed—he ensured the die never touched the inner wall of the cup during the retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being set in motion by the initial immortal force, the die spun at high speed in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one could discern by hearing alone how many full rotations it had made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after the third step did Chu Tianshu push the die forward again, returning it to the tray and covering it with the cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying stared at the dice cup, his expression unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll shake it randomly too—it doesn’t count as part of the bet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu smiled playfully and released the cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment his hand left, Hong Ying’s mental force slipped inside and saw the face facing upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wind!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the character Hong Ying had originally guessed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can shake dice like this without mental force.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying clapped his hands. “Good, good—I’ve truly learned a lesson.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his eyes burned a spark of determination, and a sense of renewed drive from the lesson learned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was precisely the purpose of warming up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his age, certain flaws were invisible to him—flaws his younger self never had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed a worthy opponent to warm up with, to awaken, and to enter battle in better condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me tell you this: the old man who injured Ah Yong was nearly killed by Ah Yong’s men—until another man suddenly appeared and took him away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu asked immediately: “Who was the intruder?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying’s expression turned strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was the Western Poison, Ouyang…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1770,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","09f7d6d6c9b4137a81942a39ad533efad7cb2eedc4b91f6180b7ba2fc4ef7ca0","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-57","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-55",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]