Chapter 18: Opening for Business (Please Give Your First Subscription!)

"Rob? Can we really just go to someone else's turf like that?"

Ruan Xing was startled. She had sought Hu San's help precisely because she didn't want to cause trouble, so she hurriedly asked for clarification.

"It's fine, he agreed. I told him a kid wanted to gamble with him, and he thought it sounded interesting, so he'll cooperate. If anyone asks, he'll say you're someone he brought along, so don't you worry. Besides, nobody knows you're one of Qiye's people right now; you just need to keep things in moderation."

Hu San explained with a natural expression, then asked, "By the way, I haven't asked you yet—you've only been learning for a few days, are you really that confident you can make money with gambling?"

"Of course I am, I've already tested it." Ruan Xing puffed out her chest, very confident. Yesterday, she had earned fifty or sixty coins just with a single round of Three Immortals Return to Cave! At the very worst, she had the Simulator to fall back on; it was impossible for her to lose.

Hu San nodded. "Alright. I also studied with Shi Shifu for a while, but I couldn't even get past the basics. I know that anyone Qiye takes a liking to must have high talent, so I won't say anything more. Just remember one thing: keep it in moderation. That Young Master Liu is different from your father; he has a Secretary as a backer, so it's not good to go too far."

"I understand." Ruan Xing realized. No matter the place or the era, people with connections and people without them were always different.

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the entrance of a grand two-story building. It was decorated with gorgeous, low-hanging curtains. The wind lifted the outer veil, brushing against the vermilion lotus door pillars—it was breathtakingly beautiful.

"We're here?" Ruan Xing asked in disbelief, then couldn't help but quip, "It's so gaudy; it doesn't look like a Gambling Den, it looks like a pleasure house."

Hu San shrugged helplessly. "Young Master Liu is a pretender to refinement; the environment here is indeed the main reason he got hooked. I won't see you inside; there are people in there who know me, it's inconvenient. Once you get to the second floor, just say you're looking for Young Master Liu."

Ruan Xing nodded and was about to push the door open when she suddenly remembered something. She turned and said, "Being this close to Qiye's territory, this little building wouldn't happen to be...?"

"It's Hu Ye's," Hu San said. "What's wrong? Is that inconvenient for you too?"

"Not at all." Ruan Xing denied it directly. Although she had beaten up Hu Ye's lackeys yesterday, they were just two peripheral members. It wasn't even certain if Hu Ye knew those two existed, so it couldn't be called offending him or not.

Besides, those two would at least be bedridden for several days; she wouldn't be able to see them even if she wanted to.

Pushing the door open and seeing no one on guard, Ruan Xing went straight in.

On the first floor, several large tables were arranged separately. The tablecloths were painted with various patterns for people to place bets. The people standing around in twos and threes had dark circles under their eyes and looked listless. Some were lying on the ground, sleeping in twisted positions and snoring rhythmically. Ruan Xing carefully walked through the crowd and found the stairs to the second floor.

The second floor was much quieter than the first. With a square-shaped room layout, one could stand in the corridor and look down at the joys and sorrows of the people below, and once the door was closed, one could be unaffected by the outside world.

Ruan Xing went up. The three rooms on her left were all closed, and there was no movement inside. She guessed they were private rooms and decided to start looking from the right.

In the first room on the right, there was a square table with a set of Leaf Cards on it, but no one was there.

Well, that made sense; what decent person would come to a Gambling Den early in the morning to play Leaf Cards?

Ruan Xing continued to the second room on the right. In the center was a stone-built platform, and seven or eight well-dressed men were gathered in a corner, whispering about something.

The window was open, and the light gauze curtains were blowing. A young man in a brocade robe leaned against the windowsill with a dazed look in his eyes, gently swaying a small white-glazed narrow-necked wine bottle in his hand. His hair was slightly disheveled, as if he hadn't rested all night, but it didn't affect his demeanor. Seeing Ruan Xing peeking in, he hooked his finger at her.

Ruan Xing understood immediately and walked over. "Greetings, Young Master Liu. Drinking so early in the morning?"

"Just to perk up. I was originally going to sleep, but wasn't I waiting for you?" Young Master Liu took a sip of wine. "I've been hanging around Jiangning City for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen someone as young as you in a casino. Interesting. What do you want to play?"

Before Ruan Xing could answer, Young Master Liu continued on his own: "The guest follows the host's lead. Hu San said you're quite good at listening to Dice, so I won't play those with you. Here—"

He pointed to the large stone platform in the middle and winked slyly. "We'll play this."

The stone platform was a meter high, and Ruan Xing was only half a head taller than it. She had to stand on tiptoe to see what was inside. Her appearance as she clung to the edge of the table and tried desperately to stand on her toes was quite pathetic, but it amused Young Master Liu.

Ruan Xing's face darkened.

Young Master Liu gripped her arms and hoisted her up to sit on the edge of the platform. Only then did she see that the stone platform contained half a meter of water, partitioned by wooden boards into rectangles. In each aisle, a palm-sized little turtle was swimming slowly.

"This is a type of land turtle. If you put it in water, it will swim desperately to find a piece of land to climb onto. This round is almost over, so just watch for now, and later, guess which one will win the championship."

Ruan Xing watched the pool with rapt attention, and her ears clearly caught the low muttering of a young master nearby.

"Green-Haired General, swim! Move! You're about to be overtaken by the other turtles!"

Following his gaze, it was a deep green little turtle with moss on its back. It was only a hair's breadth away from the land at the finish line, but it had given up and was staying put.

Behind it was a black little turtle with two red patterns on its shell, swimming hard. It was about to catch up to the green turtle and reach the land.

The other little turtles had long since died halfway or were still spinning in circles like headless flies, unable to find the direction of the land.

"You probably haven't played this kind before. Guess which one will win?" Young Master Liu rested his hands on the platform, leaned down, and whispered in her ear with great interest.

Ruan Xing watched with a calm gaze. She really didn't understand this kind of game, similar to cockfighting or cricket fighting, and Shi Shifu had never taught her. Animals wouldn't act according to human thoughts; the lower the intelligence of the animal, the more uncontrollable it was. It was easy for people to spot if someone drugged them or injured them to control the outcome of the match.

Therefore, this kind of gambling, which seemed the most fair, was what made people deeply fascinated. Whether one won or lost depended entirely on the luck given by the Heavens.

She didn't use the Simulator; there was no rush yet.

Ruan Xing asked back: "I really haven't played this. Young Master Liu, you're here every day, so you must know more about it, right? Which one do you think will win?"

Young Master Liu curled his lips. "Hmm, this Green-Haired General has won many matches in the last two days. Once it hits the water, it knows exactly where to put its effort. I've long since grown tired of watching it. This Red Lotus Mysterious Water is a new gimmick I've cultivated. Today is its first battle, and I've bet on it."

"Then I think your eye is good. This Red Lotus Mysterious Water will probably win."

As soon as Ruan Xing finished speaking, the Red Lotus Mysterious Water had already overtaken the Green-Haired General and crawled onto the land. The young master nearby who had bet on the Green-Haired General immediately beat his chest and stomped his feet, sighing.

Young Master Liu smiled somewhat triumphantly and raised the small wine bottle in his hand. The Gambling Den staffer presented his winnings at the right moment.

The white, irregularly shaped Silver on the tray was piled into a heap, roughly estimated to be over ten taels, which made Ruan Xing's eyes burn with envy.

"Not bad. Since Red Lotus Mysterious Water just entered the field, no one knew its ability and didn't dare to bet. I bet five taels, and with a one-to-three payout, I earned fifteen taels." Young Master Liu pinched a corner of the broken silver, toyed with it, and tossed it to the attendant holding the tray. "A reward for you."

That corner of broken silver might have weighed about a hundred coins. The attendant was beaming with joy and bowed repeatedly. "Thank you for the reward, Young Master Liu! Your luck is soaring to the heavens today; you will surely return home with a full load!"

Two men brought up a large bamboo cage, used long-handled tongs to clamp the Green-Haired General out, and poked it. The little turtle moved its front claws listlessly.

The Green-Haired General's loyal fan nervously went over to ask the men: "What's wrong with it? It's not dead, is it?"

The man shook his head. "No, it should just be tired. I'll take it to rest for a couple of rounds before bringing it back up."

The turtles for each lane were re-released, and the next round was about to begin. The attendant stood to the side with a new empty tray, waiting for everyone's bets.

Young Master Liu placed one tael on Red Lotus Mysterious Water, and others also bet some broken silver or coins. Ruan Xing was a bit troubled; she hadn't expected Young Master Liu to play something so high-end and classy. Would there be a minimum bet? She only had twelve coins on her in total.

Ruan Xing asked the attendant, "Young man, what is the minimum bet?"

The attendant didn't slight her because she was a child and replied with lowered eyes: "There is no minimum bet. You can bet as much as you like."

Ruan Xing was relieved. She didn't care about the gazes of others and calmly took out one copper coin. "Then I'll bet one coin on Red Lotus Mysterious Water."

Because of Red Lotus Mysterious Water's recent victory and the temporary withdrawal of the Green-Haired General, the odds for Red Lotus Mysterious Water in this round weren't that high. Even if she won, she would only win 0.5 coins, and the Gambling Den didn't have such small denominations.

It wasn't that Ruan Xing was stingy, but the Simulator wasn't on, and she didn't know if she would win or lose this round, so she didn't dare to lose all her capital.

Young Master Liu chuckled and teased, "So confident, yet you come to gamble with me without money?"

"That's right. Look at me—do I look like I have money? I'm just waiting to win your money to buy myself some new clothes!" Ruan Xing showed herself to Young Master Liu openly.

The clothes she was wearing were still made from the flawed scrap fabric that Ruan Mu had brought from the Weaving Workshop. The fabric wasn't particularly bad, but the style wasn't complete; there were color differences and traces of stitching. Qiye hadn't thought to issue her clothes either, so she had just kept wearing the two sets she brought from home.

After hearing this, Young Master Liu did not look down on her; instead, he laughed and said, "To think you want to earn a set of clothes from me with just one wen of capital—I am truly becoming more and more curious about your abilities. After we finish betting on these few rounds, let's go next door and play."

Having said that, his gaze turned toward the Red Lotus Profound Water at the starting point, where the little turtles were flailing their limbs and struggling incessantly in the man's hands, showing the wealthy patrons around the table just how lively and healthy they were.

Ruan Xing's gaze also dropped down to look at the slightly rippling water surface, and she silently recited, "Start Simulation!"

【Simulation in progress】

At six years old, you participate in a gambling game at the Red Pavilion with Young Master Liu; you bet one wen on the Red Lotus Profound Water to win, and after the first round ends, you win.

In the second round, you bet one and a half wen on the Red Lotus Profound Water to win, and you lose.

In the third round, you bet one wen on the Red Lotus Profound Water to win, and you lose.

In the fourth round, you, Young Master Liu, and his two friends go next door to play Pai Gow; you have no stake to add, so Young Master Liu lends you ten taels of Silver. After you all raise the stakes three times, the young master opposite you calls your hand, and you win; the young master opposite pays out to the three parties, and you obtain twenty-three taels of Silver.

In the fifth round, after you all raise the stakes five times, the other two gongzis choose to fold; you and Young Master Liu reveal your cards to compare values, Young Master Liu wins, and you lose fifteen taels of Silver.

Young Master Liu feels that you have no real skills and can only listen to the Dice, so he ends the gambling session with some disappointment.

You work hard to learn Gambling from Shi Shifu and make rapid progress; a month later, Qiye takes you out of the city. On the road, you encounter an ambush. You remain cautious and on guard against a masked man who can use True Qi. When he appears, you take advantage of the enemy's lack of preparation to ambush him with a chili powder mixture. After the opponent is injured, he is no match for Qiye and flees in a panic.

Before the dense forest, you use your Gambling skills to pass the first test given to you by the Daoist boy and successfully enter the Dense Forest Labyrinth. You decide to keep walking forward along the direction of your left hand, but suddenly you accidentally step into a trap, and you die.

【Simulation ended】

Please select a reward for this simulation:

1. Memories from age six.

2. A random item from your person at age six.

3. A random skill mastered at age six.

4. The realm of cultivation reached at age six.

Ruan Xing chooses option one, and after receiving the memories, she quickly browses through them.

By the time she regains her senses, the first round has already ended.

The attendant brings over a tray, smiles, and offers congratulations to the few who won, preparing to start the next round. Young Master Liu feels a bit bored and decides not to place any bets this round.

Ruan Xing cannot help but sigh; people with good luck are just different from others. They don't need any analysis of the situation to avoid trouble themselves. No wonder Young Master Liu is often targeted by schemes but still remains full of enthusiasm for this.

When no one is cheating, his win rate is indeed quite high.

Ruan Xing feels it is necessary to get to know this Young Master Liu well.

After thinking for a moment, Ruan Xing speaks up: "Young Master Liu, since you aren't betting this round, could you lend me the winnings you just earned?"

"Hm? You want to borrow money to bet on the Red Lotus Profound Water?" Young Master Liu is somewhat surprised. "I feel the Red Lotus Profound Water is already tired."

"No, what is that one called?" Ruan Xing points to a small turtle that is entirely black with a white tip on its tail. Its body is slightly larger than the other turtles, and it looks very stable on its base.

Young Master Liu has only been here for a little over a month, and he hasn't recognized all the turtles he doesn't pay attention to, so he cannot answer and lowers his head, falling into deep thought.

A loyal fan of the Green-Haired General nearby sees this and interjects; he also hadn't placed a bet just now. "That is the Black-Faced War God. Its performance last year was relatively stable, but it hasn't been good since it passed the winter. It hasn't won a single time this year. It often sticks itself to the partition board after entering the water and doesn't move. It looks imposing, but its 'turtle character' is no good."

He shakes his head and sighs with regret. Ruan Xing remains unmoved and takes out the remaining eleven wen of cash she has on her, saying to the attendant, "One and a half wen plus Young Master Liu's one and a half taels, plus these eleven wen, bet on the Black-Faced War God."

The loyal fan stops her in surprise. "Eh? I already told you the Black-Faced War God hasn't won a single time this year. Aren't you just throwing your money into the water? Brother Liu, is this your child? Aren't you going to manage this?"

"Brother Wang, why be in such a rush? It's not your Silver, it's just for fun." Young Master Liu smiles nonchalantly, leaning against the table and continuing to drink his wine.

Young Master Wang can only stomp his feet in frustration. "Fine, Brother Liu, your family is wealthy and doesn't care about this little bit, it's my fault for being a busybody, happy now?"

On the other side, the other few young masters are also people who have been playing together recently and have some acquaintance with each other. Hearing someone bet on the Black-Faced War God, they also chime in one after another to persuade her.

"Why bet on the Black-Faced War God of all things? In this pool, the Black-Faced War God hasn't won a single time this year."

"Exactly, why bother? You should have fun when you come out to play. You spent money to watch the Black-Faced War God take a nap at the starting line; aren't you angry?"

"While it hasn't started yet, hurry up and change it, there's still time!"

The smile on Young Master Liu's face is also becoming hard to maintain. After all, on the surface, Ruan Xing is someone he brought to play; if she loses, he will at least be laughed at for three days.

But he has already lent the money to Ruan Xing, so he can only hesitate and whisper, "How about... changing it? If you lose, I won't make you pay back this money, deal?"

Ruan Xing's expression is calm and firm. She has already seen this turtle's victory in her memories; she will not give up, and the people at the Gambling Den will not risk making small moves for her petty profit of a little over a tael.

"No change, just bet on the Black-Faced War God."

Yes, it's very sudden, I also think it's very sudden! Writing two thousand words a day is already my limit, and today I broke through that limit! I received notice from the editor at noon that I could go live, so I started writing furiously from one o'clock, and after eight hours, I finally finished four thousand words. This is a great miracle, please praise me! Also, thanks to book friend 20190310124939139 for the monthly ticket! Finally, I hope everyone can encourage little You with their first subscription and tickets! Please! (End of chapter)