Chapter 83: Zhang Gonggong

"Your Highness!" Ye Wuming, who was always steady, now showed some trembling. He staggered into the prince's residence.

Prince Zhou Ke had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Prince, why did you summon me so urgently?" Ye Wuming asked Zhou Ke.

"It's nothing, sit down and have a cup of tea." Zhou Ke sat on the throne, not even opening his eyes.

The servants had already prepared tea and snacks for Zhou Ke and Ye Wuming.

"Prince, what's happened?" Ye Wuming asked warily; his intuition told him something was amiss.

Zhou Ke suddenly opened his eyes, his tone heavy with three parts displeasure: "Sit down and drink tea!"

"The imperial elder brother wants to kill Chen Yi He." Only after watching Ye Wuming finish a cup of tea did Zhou Ke say that.

"I had guessed as much." Ye Wuming set down his teacup, looked at Zhou Ke and said, "I gave him the prince's token I carry; I don't know if it will work."

Zhou Ke helplessly shook his head: "This time the imperial elder brother issued an edict; Zhang Huayu goes with the edict, so the prince's token is useless."

"Zhang Huayu!" Ye Wuming felt fire welling up in his deep eyes: "What about the Heavenly Mechanism Sword affair?"

"We can't lose the big picture over small matters; let's change our approach. There are many skilled swordsmen in the jianghu. Right now, turning a blind eye is most advantageous for us."

Chen Yi He is merely a pawn in Zhou Ke's eyes; Zhou Ke sees him as someone he can take or discard at will, decisive in killing, without hesitation.

"What a pity..." Ye Wuming murmured to himself.

…

"Big! Big! Big!" Chen Yi He shouted, slamming the table.

Now, besides the dealer, no one dares to oppose Chen Yi He; they all follow his bets, winning nine out of ten, making the dealer lament endlessly…

Everyone inside Chang Le Gate stared at Chen Yi He's gambling table, wanting to see who lay beneath the black cloth; they all thought Chen Yi He had come to wreck the place, relying on his superb skill and luck to do so.

"Hahaha! Beautiful!" The dealer opened the dice cup; Chen Yi He saw the result as he wished and laughed loudly.

The dealer helplessly wiped his sweat, turned his head to glance at the other dealers, signaling for someone else to take over the dice cup.

"Chang Le Gate has been open for so many years, and this is the first time we've encountered such a fierce guest!"

"I reckon he's the gambling god of Bei Du, XXX..."

"To voluntarily change the dealer—this is rare in Chang Le Gate! They're trying to swap the guest's luck; truly despicable!"

However, Chen Yi He had no objection, for he was done playing, didn't know how much he'd won, and his gambling urge had passed.

What concerned Chen Yi He more was where Ye Wuming had gone. Ye Wuming had left for a full half-hour, yet no trace of him appeared, leaving Chen Yi He alone here.

"After winning so much, why hasn't the big boss shown up?" Chen Yi He wondered; logically, after reaching a certain level of winnings, someone behind the scenes should appear, but so far he's still playing with a few small-time dealers, leaving him bored.

Not seeing the behind-the-scenes person, he instantly found winning money dull.

Chen Yi He was packing up his winnings when someone lightly tapped his shoulder.

When Chen Yi He turned his head, he saw only a wax-white palm slapping toward his face.

That palm stopped just an inch from Chen Yi He's face; the black cloth on his face shattered into powder. The strength of the palm was evident, its precision just right—external objects were shattered, yet his face remained unharmed.

After a brief hesitation, Chen Yi He quickly used the residual recoil to flip backward, sliding along the gambling table's surface! Thus he created distance.

"Isn't that Chen Yi He?" As soon as the black cloth shattered, someone recognized him on the spot.

"That Chen Yi He who came out alive from Thousandfold Gate and even snatched the third divine sword of God Sword Mountain Villa!"

Chen Yi He could indeed be considered a famous figure in the jianghu!

This time Chen Yi He had no playful smile, nor dared to be careless; he knew he had met his match.

"It's Zhang Gonggong!" Someone recognized the person who had just shattered Chen Yi He's black cloth.

Chen Yi He and Zhang Gonggong had only met once; in Thousandfold Gate, Zhang Gonggong, leading the West Factory's Ten He, had observed him.

The three words "Zhang Gonggong" are the most resounding in the capital, in Bei Du, and on the Heavenly Peace Continent—even more authoritative than the three words "Zhou Wenhuang"!

The gamblers all retreated, fearing Zhang Gonggong would drag them to the West Factory, yet they were reluctant to leave; it was rare to see Zhang Gonggong come out alone, so naturally they wanted to watch the spectacle.

"What are you doing!" Chen Yi He panicked a bit; he knew Zhang Gonggong's strength.

"That day I didn't kill you at Thousandfold Gate; I thought Xiao Feng and Nan Zhongyi could handle you, or the Embroidered Uniform Guard could kill you on the road." Zhang Gonggong's face was thickly powdered, he hunched and stooped, speaking weakly, as if he might breathe his last at any moment: "Since I couldn't kill you, it would be fine if you went far away, but you insist on coming to the capital."

Zhang Gonggong lifted his head, gave Chen Yi He a cold glance, then slowly uttered: "You insist on forcing me to act personally..."

Chen Yi He knew the gap between himself and Zhang Gonggong; with one hand holding the gambling table and the other producing the prince's token Ye Wuming had left him, he said, "Prince's token, your West Factory cannot move against me! Even Zhang Huayu can't!"

"I hate it when others call my name." The chill on Zhang Gonggong's face was about to burst forth, threatening to wash away the powder on his face.

At this, no one dared to watch the spectacle any longer; the martial world has long whispered of Zhang Gonggong's prowess! Only those who don't wish to live remain in Chang Le Gate.

The gamblers had no time to gather their winnings, all rushing toward the exit.

Zhang Gonggong raised the yellow scroll in his hand, sneering at Chen Yi He: "Heh, with the imperial edict in hand, don't think anyone can protect you."

Chen Yi He was dumbfounded; he never imagined that his first use of the so-called prince's token would be defeated by a mightier edict.

Before Zhang Gonggong finished speaking, he struck. With a single palm, the difference in skill was clear—he directly collapsed half of Chang Le Gate's wall! A huge hole opened onto the street outside.

Fortunately Chen Yi He was alert enough to dodge that palm; he hadn't expected Zhang Gonggong to strike so swiftly—"despicable villain..."

Chen Yi He's heart still pounded; he drew his Purple Tempered Sword, its violet blade flashing, reflecting his face.

Zhang Gonggong kicked the gambling table, sending it crashing toward Chen Yi He!

Chen Yi He prepared to slip through the hole in the wall! But Zhang Gonggong blocked his escape route!

Zhang Gonggong's speed far surpassed Chen Yi He's!

Before Chen Yi He could turn around, Zhang Gonggong had seized the initiative!

They simply aren't on the same level as opponents!