Chapter 591: Thousand-Liang Ward

Li Li Banfeng didn't understand why Dou Dou Jiyan had to have him as a witness.

"What does this witness need to do?"

Dou Dou Jiyan said: "My senior brother Ding Ding Liusan and I have agreed that this competition will be a fair contest between him and me. But my senior brother is someone who can't afford to lose. If he makes a scene or goes back on his word, I ask Brother Seven to speak a fair word for me."

Qiu Qiu Luoye sneered: "You explain it more clearly. This isn't something that can be solved by speaking a fair word, right? If Ding Ding Liusan is relentless, does our Old Seven have to fight him?"

Dou Dou Jiyan pursed her lips. Qiu Qiu Luoye was right. It was very likely that both sides would fight: "Brother Seven, I didn't back down when I met Laughing Xiao Qianshou today. Brother Seven should be clear about what level of person Laughing Xiao Qianshou is. As long as Brother Seven says a word, I dare to rush up and fight him to the death. Brother Seven should be able to see this friendship, right?"

Li Li Banfeng nodded: "I can see the friendship, but things must be made clear. You are a Local Deity,

and your reputation is quite loud. There are plenty of capable people you can find. Why do you have to come to me?"

Dou Dou Jiyan pondered for a moment: "Because Brother Seven is upright and unyielding, helping the weak and punishing the strong, and doesn't tolerate any sand in his eyes—"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Dou Dou Jiyan sniffed: "Because Brother Seven is highly respected for virtue and keeps his word. In the eyes of all the heroes, Brother Seven is a hero..."

"Still talking nonsense!"

Dou Dou Jiyan pondered again and again, and finally told the truth: "Because my senior brother runs a pawnshop business. Four-tenths of the pawnshops in Puluo Province are in his hands.

Brother Seven is a powerful figure in Puluo Province, and all the major families listen to Brother Seven's orders. If he turns against Brother Seven, his business won't be easy to do in the future."

Li Li Banfeng nodded. This sentence should be sincere.

Ding Ding Liusan's cultivation had left the ground, but his business was all done on the ground, needing care from all places. He wouldn't easily offend a powerful figure like Li Qi. Not only would he not easily turn against him at the gambling table, but he would also have long-term protection in the future.

But for Dou Dou Jiyan, it was long-term protection, and for Li Li Banfeng, it was a long-term problem. The price had to be negotiated properly.

"I can help you be this witness, but we must draw up a contract. In the future, if I really encounter something, you can't shirk it."

Dou Dou Jiyan laughed heroically: "What are you saying, Brother Seven? We don't need any contract. From now on, as long as Brother Seven says a word, I will go through fire and water—"

"Don't say anything about going through fire and water. If you say too much, it won't be easy to end it later. Let's make it clear what we can do for each other, item by item."

Everyone went to Li Li Banfeng's residence to draft the contract. Dou Dou Jiyan was a leader among gambling cultivators, so she naturally calculated the accounts clearly. But because she was asking Li Li Banfeng for help, she definitely didn't dare to haggle over details and listened to Li Li Banfeng's decision.

Cui Ti walked to Dou Dou Jiyan's side and looked at this pretty woman in detail: "Beautiful girl, you are as beautiful as an angel. Let me be your witness. I will give you a fair answer."

Dou Dou Jiyan looked at Cui Ti: "We have no grudges, can you not stand so close to me?"

Cui Ti was a bit innocent: "I didn't use any disease on you. I just simply wanted to express my goodwill."

Dou Dou Jiyan stuck closely to Li Qi and laughed: "Put away your goodwill. I am a woman with a master. I'm following Brother Seven."

Cui Ti shrugged, walked out of the bathhouse, and looked at the street scene of Seven Autumn City.

Shui Shui Yongquan was also on the street. The vast Seven Autumn City was thriving, which made Old Shui feel quite emotional.

After returning to the residence, Shui Shui Yongquan said with unwillingness: "Old Qiu, this place of yours is too good."

Qiu Qiu Luoye hummed: "What's wrong? I'm good, and you're unhappy?"

Shui Shui Yongquan shook his head: "I'm unhappy. I wish I could tear down Seven Autumn City and turn it back into the way it was in the new land."

Qiu Qiu Luoye rolled up his sleeves: "Hearing you talk, I'm getting angry."

Shui Shui Yongquan rubbed his head: "I know I shouldn't say this to you, but I really think so. I wanted to tear down Seven Autumn City long ago, but I really can't bring myself to do it."

Qiu Qiu Luoye pondered for a moment and looked at Li Li Banfeng: "I seem to know what his condition is."

Li Li Banfeng said to Dou Dou Jiyan: "Sister, you go out for a stroll first. We brothers have something to discuss.

Old Cui, you go prepare the hospital. Once you've chosen the territory, let me know."

Dou Dou Jiyan happened to want to stroll around the city, and Cui Ti was busy dealing with the hospital matter, so only the brothers were left in the room. Li Li Banfeng asked Shui Shui Yongquan: "Brother Shui, you can't lie anymore, right?"

"Who says I can't!" Shui Shui Yongquan avoided Li Li Banfeng's gaze, "My mind is very deep. None of you can guess it."

Qiu Qiu Luoye leaned closer: "Did you take a fancy to Zhu Zhu Chunhua too?"

"I didn't take a fancy to her, but I just don't want you to marry a wife!"

Qiu Qiu Luoye wanted to beat him again. Li Li Banfeng stopped Qiu Qiu Luoye and asked Shui Shui Yongquan: "Brother Shui, for every layer of cultivation above the clouds, you only learn one technique. But why did you learn three techniques above the clouds?"

"Do I have three techniques above the clouds?" Shui Shui Yongquan really couldn't lie and could only pretend to be confused.

Li Li Banfeng said: "Should I count them for you? 'Throwing Water into Water,' you can use this technique, right?"

Shui Shui Yongquan nodded: "I can use it."

Li Li Banfeng added: "'Spilled Water Can Be Collected,' this is also a technique above the clouds, right?"

"Yes!" Shui Shui Yongquan still could only tell the truth.

Li Li Banfeng asked again: "What's going on with 'Washing the Heart and Cleansing the Thoughts'?"

Shui Shui Yongquan said: "What's going on?"

Qiu Qiu Luoye said: "Old Shui, don't play dumb. We're asking you what's going on. With your second-layer cultivation above the clouds,

where did you get three techniques?"

Shui Shui Yongquan endured for a long time and laughed loudly: "Guogua Qiu Daxiang, you can't imagine it, can you? My cultivation is higher than yours,

and I still won't let you marry a wife. I want to bully you everywhere!"

Qiu Qiu Luoye rolled up his sleeves: "Old Seven, you go out first."

A quarter of an hour later, Shui Shui Yongquan was bruised and swollen, still laughing loudly: "Guogua Qiu Daxiang, I've eaten you up in this life."

Qiu Qiu Luoye didn't quite understand: "How could your cultivation be higher than mine? Didn't our territories have about the same amount? Just relying on those few strange creatures, how did you reach the third layer?"

Shui Shui Yongquan didn't want to say, but he really couldn't control it: "Do you remember, back then our brothers invited guests, calling over dozens of Local Deities from the neighborhood to hold a banquet in our territory?"

Qiu Qiu Luoye nodded: "I remember. You said that if we got along well with our neighbors, we would have support. That bunch of bastards said nice things, eating and drinking at our place for three whole days. When we needed help later, none of them came!"

Shui Shui Yongquan shook his head: "I knew what kind of virtue they had. I didn't count on them at all. I carefully selected these people. I invited them over because I knew where their Local Deity Seals were hidden.

During the day, we accompanied them to drink and eat. At night, I went to their territories to steal human Qi. The human Qi of dozens of territories was stolen by me!"

Qiu Qiu Luoye was stunned: "I really admire you. You even calculated this? But in three days, you ate the human Qi of dozens of territories. How could you possibly hold on?"

Eating too much human Qi would cause big trouble. Li Li Banfeng had a deep feeling about this.

Shui Shui Yongquan said: "I could hold on. I spent a lot of money to buy two Mysterious Essence Pills and swallowed them in one breath, and I managed to hold on!"

"Nonsense!" Qiu Qiu Luoye waved his hand, "Mysterious Essence Pills can't be eaten too much. With our cultivation, we can eat at most half a pill at a time. If two pills were eaten, wouldn't it kill you?"

Shui Shui Yongquan laughed: "Mysterious Essence Pills are great supplements. Eating too much will indeed cost lives, but I really could hold on, because I knew where there were Whirlpool Flowers!"

Qiu Qiu Luoye was dumbfounded.

Li Li Banfeng was speechless for a long time.

Shui Shui Yongquan looked at Li Li Banfeng and said: "You knew about this. Back then, in order to find me for Whirlpool Flowers, you even had a fight with Old Qiu!"

Li Li Banfeng said: "This doesn't make sense. That is to say, you had already reached the third layer at that time,

but after the incident, you had a fight with Brother Qiu. Why did you still lose?"

Qiu Qiu Luoye and Shui Shui Yongquan had a dispute at the border. At that time, Shui Shui Yongquan did lose to Qiu Qiu Luoye, which triggered the subsequent war.

Recalling this, Shui Shui Yongquan sighed: "This really doesn't make sense. I was at the third layer at the time, but I still couldn't beat Guogua Qiu Daxiang. Later, I heard that Chu Shaoqiang couldn't beat Guogua Qiu Daxiang either, and he was also at the third layer. I felt much better in my heart."

Qiu Qiu Luoye laughed triumphantly: "In the future, you should learn a lesson. Don't think that just because your cultivation is higher, you can be arrogant in front of me. Let alone beating a third-layer, even if someone above the clouds came, I would still beat them."

Shui Shui Yongquan hummed: "Praise you twice, and you don't know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth. There are many above the clouds. Do you know who is deep and who is shallow? The one who just reached above the clouds, and the old hand who has cultivated for many years, are ten thousand miles apart!"

"You kid hid it so deep," Qiu Qiu Luoye thought for a while, seemingly figuring out Shui Shui Yongquan's intention, "Back then, were you trying to reach above the clouds and thereby get rid of the territory? That's why you weren't in a hurry to turn your new land into proper land."

Shui Shui Yongquan nodded: "I did think so, but things weren't that easy to handle. Reaching the third layer above the clouds is still quite far from above the clouds, and it still requires a lot of human Qi. This human Qi is not easy to get,

and reaching above the clouds is very similar to the ninth to tenth layer. You still have to experience a rebirth. If the inner province intervenes, this step might be hard for me to take.

So I thought about it and decided it was better to seek stability. I plan to reach the fourth layer above the clouds."

Qiu Qiu Luoye was stunned for a moment and looked at Li Li Banfeng: "Old Seven, his brain is still not clear. There is no fourth layer above the clouds at all. Above the clouds cultivation, the third layer is the top."

Shui Shui Yongquan laughed: "Hehehe, if you don't know, don't talk! There is a fourth layer above the clouds, and there are fifth and sixth layers. Real ruthless people don't take the path above the clouds; they just stay above the clouds. It's just that I haven't figured out this path yet."

Qiu Qiu Luoye said: "Then take your time figuring it out."

After saying that, Qiu Qiu Luoye looked at Li Qi: "This old thing doesn't even know what he's saying. I've never heard of anyone being at the fourth layer above the clouds in my life."

Shui Shui Yongquan sneered: "There are many things you haven't heard of. Should I tell you some fresh news?"

Looking at Shui Shui Yongquan's expression, it didn't look like he was talking nonsense.

And in his current state, he really wouldn't lie.

Qiu Qiu Luoye whispered: "Could it be that this is really the case?"

Li Li Banfeng believed what Shui Shui Yongquan said was true, because the Peddler once said that Master Master Kongfang was not above the clouds, and Sun Sun Tiecheng was not above the clouds. How to walk the path depends on how you choose.

Continuing to rise above the clouds might be a path in itself.

Dou Dou Jiyan returned: "Brother Seven, the gambling game is arranged for the day after tomorrow. Thousand-Liang Ward is not close to here. We should set off soon."

Li Li Banfeng said to Qiu Qiu Luoye: "Brother, chat well with Brother Shui these two days and see if there is any fresh news."

Qiu Qiu Luoye didn't dare to be slow and coaxed Shui Shui Yongquan to chat: "Old Shui, let's not mention the past. There are plenty of good girls in Seven Autumn City. If you want to start a family, should I introduce one to you?"

Shui Shui Yongquan refused decisively: "I haven't thought about starting a family. I just want you to be a bachelor with me for a lifetime."

Qiu Qiu Luoye rolled up his sleeves: "Old Shui, hurry up and learn to lie. I'm afraid I'll accidentally beat you to death."

Cui Ti stood on the hillside, looking at Dou Dou Jiyan's distant back, and whispered with a smile: "Beautiful girl, you are so beautiful. You must live well."

Ding-ding-dang!

He shook the rattle drum in his hand gently, with a trace of regret and reluctance in his eyes.

Dou Dou Jiyan was a gambling cultivator, fast-handed, and her feet weren't slow either. After walking with Li Li Banfeng in the new land for nearly a day, they arrived at Thousand-Liang Ward.

Walking out of the new land, Li Li Banfeng saw a brick wall more than two meters high. The brick wall extended to both sides, and he couldn't see the end on either side.

"Brother Seven, Thousand-Liang Ward is here."

"Is Thousand-Liang Ward a city?"

"Not a city."

"Then why is there a city wall?"

"Brother Seven, this is not a city wall, this is a ward wall."

What's the difference?

Walking along the wall for a moment, Li Li Banfeng saw two large gates. The gates were open, and people were coming in and out from time to time. There were five guards in front of the gate: one responsible for registering destinations, one responsible for checking documents, one holding a copper gong responsible for keeping watch and warning, and the remaining two holding weapons responsible for dealing with emergencies.

"Brother Seven, these are all the officers I hired. There are quite a few in the ward."

Dou Dou Jiyan walked to the gate. These five guards hurriedly saluted, but even she was the same. Entering Thousand-Liang Ward, she had to show her talisman plate.

The talisman plate was the document of Thousand-Liang Ward. The content on the plate was very simple. The front was engraved with Dou Dou Jiyan's name,

and the back was engraved with the three words "Thousand-Liang Ward."

Li Li Banfeng took the talisman plate and looked at it: "Just this plate, any blacksmith could forge it, right?"

"It can't be forged," Dou Dou Jiyan pointed to the guard responsible for checking the talisman plate, "His name is Jin Jin Jinliang. He is a disciple of my senior brother and is an Appraisal Cultivator. His level is not low, but any forged object is very difficult to escape his eyes.

The talisman plate looks simple, but the mold for casting the talisman plate was made by high-level literary cultivators and illusion cultivators I invited. Every stroke of the characters on the plate has techniques. And even if the talisman plate was forged, it would be impossible to find a place in Thousand-Liang Ward. The ward is very different from the outside. Outsiders want to stay for a day, but it's very difficult."

Li Li Banfeng looked at the officer checking the talisman plate. He should be around sixty years old.

"This person hasn't been cultivating for a short time, right?"

Dou Dou Jiyan thought for a while: "I've heard him say that counting from when he entered the Appraisal Cultivator sect, it should be more than thirty years."

"Appraisal Cultivators don't have medicinal powder. How did he enter the Daoist sect?"

"My senior brother gave him some pills, which are said to be similar in use to medicinal powder. Jin Jin Jinliang is very diligent.

In thirty-plus years, he has cultivated to the seventh layer. The four great unique skills of Appraisal Cultivators—Appraise, Induce, Discuss, Determine—he is proficient in all of them, especially in the art of appraisal, which even my senior brother appreciates very much."

Appraisal Cultivator, has pills, has levels, has unique skills similar to techniques.

"It has reached this step, this still doesn't count as a Daoist sect?"

Dou Dou Jiyan sighed slightly: "Puluo Province has this rule. Daoist sects not recognized by the Peddler don't count as proper Daoist sects."

Li Li Banfeng turned his head and looked at Jin Jin Jinliang: "This person is your senior brother's disciple. Aren't you afraid that he and Ding Ding Liusan will join forces to plot against you?"

Dou Dou Jiyan shook her head: "Don't suspect the person you use, don't use the person you suspect. I trust his character."

Li Li Banfeng followed Dou Dou Jiyan and walked on the ward road. On both sides of the ward road were two rows of identical residences. The layout in the courtyards was exactly the same: one main room, two side rooms, one storage room, and one latrine. All the house styles were the same, the sizes were the same, the colors were the same, and even the alleys between the houses were the same width.

Li Li Banfeng walked for a full five miles, and the scenery on both sides of the road kept repeating without any changes.

"No wonder they say it's hard for outsiders to stay for a day. Walking for half a day here, you'd get lost. Building all these houses the same, is it to guard against outsiders?"

Dou Dou Jiyan said: "Also to guard against locals."

"Guard against locals for what?"

"Gambling."

"Gambling?" Li Li Banfeng looked into the courtyards of each house, "Thousand-Liang Ward is the largest gambling house in Puluo Province? Gambling is not allowed here?"

Dou Dou Jiyan explained: "People living in Thousand-Liang Ward cannot privately open gambling games in Thousand-Liang Ward. This is the rule of Thousand-Liang Ward."

"Is it true that many gambling cultivators live here?"

Dou Dou Jiyan nodded: "Besides the officers I hired and a portion of merchants, the others are all gambling cultivators."

"A whole city, all living with gambling cultivators?"

Dou Dou Jiyan corrected again: "This is not a city, this is a ward. More than ten thousand gambling cultivators live here."

Li Li Banfeng was deeply suspicious: "This number is afraid to be more than the number of literary cultivators and martial cultivators. Calculating this way, the largest Daoist sect in Puluo Province should be gambling cultivators."

Dou Dou Jiyan calculated seriously: "If you count all the incomplete cultivators, the sect with the most cultivators in Puluo Province is indeed gambling cultivators."

"What does incomplete cultivator mean?"

"It means cultivators who haven't eaten proper medicinal powder—"

While speaking, two officers dragged a woman out of a house and walked toward the gate.

The woman struggled and shouted all the way: "I'm wronged! I didn't gamble! I just played Pai Gow with him for fun,

we didn't gamble for money!"

Li Li Banfeng said: "You won't ask a question?"

Dou Dou Jiyan shook her head: "There's nothing to ask. Since she broke the rules, she has to be driven out of the gambling ward!"

Li Li Banfeng felt that Dou Dou Jiyan's idea had a problem: "You gathered gambling cultivators together, but don't let them gamble. Is the difficulty of this too great?"

Dou Dou Jiyan said: "Not allowing private gambling games doesn't mean not letting them gamble. They can gamble in the gambling house. Thousand-Liang Ward has thirty-six gambling houses, all set up for them. I'll take you to see, and you'll know."

Two miles further, a building that looked a bit different finally appeared in front.

A large courtyard, a row of bungalows. A rough scan showed there were ten or so rooms.

A hundred meters away from the courtyard, Li Li Banfeng already heard the noise in the room.

"Is this the gambling house?"

Dou Dou Jiyan nodded: "It looks simple from the outside, but it's quite exquisite inside."

In front of the gambling house, people were coming and going in an endless stream. Li Li Banfeng was a bit puzzled: "What's the difference between gambling here and private gambling games?"

Dou Dou Jiyan said: "The chips in the gambling house are very small, and rules have been set. The winnings and losses here won't exceed one silver dollar a day, so they won't go bankrupt, at least they can leave some money to survive."

"Gambling cultivators come to Thousand-Liang Ward just to survive?"

Dou Dou Jiyan nodded: "People in the world love gambling. Countless people want to get rich overnight by relying on the gambling cultivator sect, but the Peddler rarely sells gambling cultivator medicinal powder

Li Li Banfeng remembered Water Shui Yongquan's words. The flesh and blood of gambling cultivators were all living, real gold and silver: "The path you mentioned, is it eating the flesh and blood of gambling cultivators?"

Dou Dou Jiyan nodded: "Most people can't get a whole body of flesh and blood. A jin of gambling cultivator flesh is much more expensive than a jin of gold.

When they enter the sect, they might have only eaten a small piece of flesh and blood, and then they start practicing according to the rules of gambling cultivators, becoming incomplete gambling cultivators."

Li Li Banfeng said: "Can incomplete gambling cultivators also improve their level and learn techniques?"

"Yes, but they will be restricted when they reach a certain level. But even so, there are countless people who enter the sect using this method."

Li Li Banfeng frowned and said: "Are gambling cultivators that popular?"

"They are indeed popular. Let's go in and take a look!" Dou Dou Jiyan led Li Li Banfeng into the gambling house.

The gambling house was originally very noisy, making Li Li Banfeng's ears ring, but after Dou Dou Jiyan entered the door,

Many people saw her, and the gambling house gradually quieted down. Everyone respectfully saluted Dou Dou Jiyan.

Dou Dou Jiyan smiled and said: "You guys continue playing, don't worry about me."

The crowd returned to the card tables, no one called, no one shouted, each playing their own game.

There were more than a dozen card tables in this room, all playing Pai Gow. A woman threw the dice, and everyone grabbed the cards. They were playing small Pai Gow, with two cards per person.

Before opening the cards, they placed their bets. Two people didn't even look and discarded their cards.

Li Li Banfeng asked Dou Dou Jiyan: "Is this just blind guessing?"

Dou Dou Jiyan shook her head and said: "This is a gambling cultivator technique, 'Flowers Bloom at the Right Time.' When the flower should bloom, it naturally blooms; when it shouldn't, it keeps its petals tightly closed and doesn't move. Those two cultivators saw that the timing wasn't right, so they simply didn't look at the cards, not adding trouble to themselves. Either way, they only lose the base bet, and the loss isn't big."

Li Li Banfeng still didn't understand: "If you look at the cards and don't bet, wouldn't you also lose the base bet?"

"That's different. Knowing it's not the time for the flower to bloom, yet the petals insist on moving, this will ruin one's spirit and also ruin one's luck."

"Do spirit and luck have a relationship?"

"Of course they do. Gambling cultivators rely on luck to settle down and establish their lives. If the spirit is sufficient, luck will naturally come. Look at the man at that table, his bet is full of spirit, his hand is steady when opening the cards. In the next dozen rounds, I'm afraid no one will be his opponent."

Dou Dou Jiyan was talking about the table by the window.

Li Li Banfeng stood in the distance and watched for a while. Dou Dou Jiyan was right; the man's momentum was always sufficient, and he won more than a dozen rounds in a row, but Li Li Banfeng also saw some problems.

The man touched two eight-point cards. In Pai Gow, this is called a pair of human cards, which is a very large card type.

Relying on the pair of human cards, the man won this round. When shuffling the cards in the next round, Li Li Banfeng stared at these two human cards.

With Li Li Banfeng's eyesight, even though the cards were turned over, he could see very clearly that these two human cards were taken away by two women respectively.

But when opening the cards, the man opened a pair of human cards again.

Did this man cheat?

What's even stranger is that after the two women opened their cards, there were no human cards in their hands.

Are they shills?

Dou Dou Jiyan explained on the side: "This amount of bet is not worth cheating. If a gambling cultivator cheats, they will ruin their cultivation. That man used a gambling cultivator technique, 'Grafting Flowers onto Trees.' The cards were swapped by him using an indescribable force."

"What's the difference between this and cheating?"

"The difference is that he didn't violate the rules of the gambling game. He didn't deliberately arrange the cards when shuffling, didn't play tricks when throwing the dice, and didn't swap cards after grabbing them. He completely relied on techniques to keep a pair of human cards in his hands. As long as it relies on real ability, it cannot be counted as cheating."

That also makes sense. Cultivation is invisible. In an outside gambling house, doing this really can't be counted as cheating.

The man won a few more rounds, and the eyes of the people around were full of envy.

Dou Dou Jiyan said: "This is called 'Stars Holding the Moon.' The more others chase and hold, the better the gambling cultivator's luck. But this chasing cannot be forced; it must be earned through real effort!"

The crowd was indeed very envious, but after the man won, no one in the gambling house said anything.

The man wasn't very excited either, because the bet was too small. Adding all those rounds together, the man only won a few dozen dollars.

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Is this person a complete gambling cultivator?"

Dou Dou Jiyan shook her head: "Incomplete, and the level isn't high either. But his spirit is good today, winning a hundred or so dollars isn't a problem.

If it were an outside gambling game, gambling with a group of white lambs, earning a few hundred silver dollars overnight wouldn't be a difficult task.

As long as it's a gambling cultivator, they will definitely take a big advantage in the gambling house. But once a gambling cultivator earns some money and has some reputation, their flesh and blood will be targeted."

Li Li Banfeng nodded and said: "This can also be considered fair. When they ate others' flesh and blood to enter the sect, now they themselves are also on the chopping block."

Dou Dou Jiyan agreed very much: "Seventh Brother is right. Those who are greedy will sooner or later be on the chopping block. But some who know how to advance and retreat can still have a way out. People who come to Thousand-Liang Workshop are all looking for a way out for themselves. Money is earned enough, suffering is endured enough, and their cultivation can't go up in this life.

Relying on previous savings, they could have lived out their lives, but gambling cultivators' temperaments are hard to change. They set up private gambling games in Thousand-Liang Workshop, betting thousands of gold, gambling away their savings, gambling away their wives and children, until they bet their own flesh and blood for money.

In the early years, there were many loan cultivators in Thousand-Liang Workshop. They all carried bone-carving knives with them. Gambling cultivators who lost everything couldn't pay their debts, so they used flesh and blood to pay off debts. They killed and cut on the spot, treating Thousand-Liang Workshop as a vegetable market.

Since I became the local god, I set the rules: private gambling games are not allowed in Thousand-Liang Workshop from now on. You can practice in the gambling house, but the daily win or loss cannot exceed one silver dollar. Whoever breaks the rules must leave Thousand-Liang Workshop. There is absolutely no room for negotiation on this point."

The two left the gambling house and didn't walk long before seeing another wall.

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Is Thousand-Liang Workshop just this big?"

Dou Dou Jiyan shook her head: "Thousand-Liang Workshop has twenty-eight subordinate workshops. There are twenty-eight such large places in total. Each place has a gambling house and a market. The workshops are separated by walls. You can walk around during the day, but at night, the workshop gates are closed, and residents can only move within the workshop.

In the center of Thousand-Liang Workshop, there are eight large gambling houses, with teahouses, theaters, taverns, and restaurants.

I have prepared everything that should be prepared. As long as they are willing to live a good life, Thousand-Liang Workshop lacks nothing—"

Dou Dou Jiyan didn't finish her sentence, her voice was drowned out by a burst of noise.

The noise came from the gambling house. Since Dou Dou Jiyan left, the gambling house gradually became lively again.

Dou Dou Jiyan was a bit embarrassed. She looked at the iron fence outside the gambling house: "These fences have been here for years,

It's time to paint them."

Li Li Banfeng asked: "What color?"

Dou Dou Jiyan said: "Paint them red. In Thousand-Liang Workshop, the fences of gambling houses are all painted red."

Li Li Banfeng nodded slightly, but in fact, he wasn't talking to Dou Dou Jiyan.

He was reminding the projector to observe the colors in the gambling house.

The projector had been observing.

Walking a bit further, Li Li Banfeng went to the latrine. The projector whispered in his ear: "Seventh Guide, the colors in the gambling house are very complex, but very eye-catching.

Before you went, there was the gray of loss and frustration around the gambling house, and also the red of joy and excitement, with gray being slightly more."

Ten gambles, nine losses. People who come out are more frustrated, which is also human nature.

The projector continued: "After you entered the gambling house, the colors inside changed. There was the black of oppression, the green of fear, and even brighter red."

"Brighter? Do you mean they are more joyful?"

The projector answered cautiously: "Such dazzling red, perhaps not joy, it could also be anger."

Walking to the workshop wall, Dou Dou Jiyan introduced: "Pass through two more workshops, and you will reach the large gambling house in the center of Thousand-Liang Workshop. Tomorrow's gambling game is in the large gambling house. Seventh Brother, I'll take you to see it."

Li Li Banfeng wasn't in a hurry to see the large gambling house. He first asked a key question: "You asked me to come as a witness. If you lose tomorrow, should I act according to justice?"

Dou Dou Jiyan nodded slightly: "Willing to gamble and willing to lose is the duty of a gambling cultivator. But I won't lose. I won't let Thousand-Liang Workshop be given to Ding Ding Liusan."

Li Li Banfeng didn't make a sound.

PS: Who wins is really uncertain.