Chapter 41: Qin-Han War Drums, Jin Bao Gambling House

The early autumn was desolate, and the chill in the old street grew stronger.

The cold wind shuttled through the bluestone street, pushing the fallen withered leaves to fly and rub against the ground, rustling.

Accompanied by the creaking sound, a bullock cart slowly drove from the end of the old street, against the morning light, as if draped in a layer of gold trim.

On the bullock cart, three large drums were placed steadily.

These drums were each over a meter wide, with mottled black lacquer and dark yellow cowhide drumheads, ancient and substantial.

Although they had been passed down for a long time, they still revealed an undeniable momentum, as if they could emit heart-shaking drum sounds at any time.

Before they even approached the Ask-Dao Hall, Li Yan and the other two greeted them.

Wang Daoxuan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and smiled, "Layman He, many thanks."

The driver was an old man with graying hair, a face full of gullies, wearing a dog-skin hat, sitting sideways on the cart shaft and smoking native tobacco.

Seeing Wang Daoxuan, he also jumped down in a hurry, first shaking the reins to stop the old ox, then cupping his hands and smiling, "Daoist, you are too polite. You saved my whole family's lives; what are these worldly possessions worth?"

After coming out of the Zhang Family Martial Arts Hall, Li Yan said he wanted to find Qin-Han War Drums.

A fine drum takes a long time from material selection to production, then drying and lacquering. There was no time, so he could only borrow one.

Fortunately, Wang Daoxuan said he knew an old artist and borrowed the drums.

The old man's surname was He, and he was also a person of the Jianghu.

Not all people in the Jianghu know martial arts and eat with knives; more are petty thieves, swindlers, or rely on a craft to travel the world.

This old man He had a drum troupe. Whenever a shop opened or something big happened in various places in Xianyang, they would go to perform and liven things up, earning some reward money.

In the Jianghu, all trades like performing arts, opera, and drum singing belong to the Liu Family Sect, so he knew Wang Daoxuan.

Upon receiving the news, he came personally to deliver the drums.

Li Yan also thanked him politely and stepped forward to examine them.

He saw that these three war drums were quite old but still well-preserved. Although there was some wear, it didn't hinder their use. After some maintenance, they would be majestic again.

He touched them lightly, liking them more the more he looked.

Qin-Han War Drums are drum music passed down locally in Xianyang. Legend has it that a flag-bearer in the Qin army returned home to his village and passed the war drum tuning to the villagers, passing it down from generation to generation.

The Qin Shi Huang Huang swept across the six states, and the Han King conquered the world, both using this to boost military morale.

The old artist saw his appearance, and a trace of relief appeared in his eyes, "I can tell, little brother is also a drum lover. Giving them to you is a fitting end."

Li Yan waved his hands in a hurry, "It's just borrowing. How could I dare to take the old gentleman's livelihood?"

"Keeping them is useless anyway."

The old man waved his hand slightly, touching the war drums with reluctance, and sighed, "When I was young, I didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, always thinking of becoming the Drum King and making a name for myself. Half a lifetime wasted, I could only make a living, and I didn't even take care of my family."

"I originally wanted to pass it on to that brat, but because he hates drums as much as I love them, he doesn't want it at all; he's set on going to Jinmen to make a name for himself."

"I'm old. I'll accompany him for another stretch, tell him about the Jianghu rules, and make up for my past debts."

Wang Daoxuan's brows furrowed, "Layman He, your health…"

The old man waved his hand, his face calm, "Falling leaves returning to their roots isn't that important. Wherever I die, that's where it is."

"Besides, the Qin Shi Huang Huang's war drums shook the Divine Land. In this world, wherever the sun and moon shine, where is not the old man's home?"

"The old gentleman is broad-minded."

"Hahaha, what broad-mindedness, just letting go…"

The old man waved his hand and smiled, then turned and left.

The few couldn't stop him and insisted on stuffing some silver money into his hands, saying it was travel expenses. Only then did they watch the old man's hunched figure and the creaking bullock cart disappear into the sunlight of the old street…

…………

Dong!

Inside the small courtyard, the drum sound rang out.

Li Yan tapped lightly with his hand, feeling its vibration.

The day of the arena duel was set for the day after tomorrow. In such a short time, wanting to improve in moves or experience was harder than ascending to heaven.

The only possibility was to master the Divine Drum Cloud-Lei Yin as quickly as possible, at least achieving the ability to control Dark Energy at will and use it at critical moments.

The so-called Cloud-Lei Yin is a louder thunder sound.

Qin-Han War Drums have the most majestic momentum, making them most suitable for practicing the Divine Drum Cloud-Lei Yin.

In the manuals passed down by the ancestors of the Zhou troupe leader, the divine drums used for practice all needed special production, from leather drums to wooden drums, and finally iron drums, all having methods.

There was no time now, so he could only use ordinary war drums first.

Thinking of this, Li Yan set his horse stance, his abdomen contracted and bulged, his chest and diaphragm moved up and down, as if compressing. He took a few breaths in a row and suddenly opened his mouth.

"Hum——!"

Hum (hong) is the six-character mantra of Buddhism and Daoism, and it is also the same as the sound of thunder.

The Great Cloud-Lei Yin is a secret method of Buddhism and Daoism; when practicing, this sound is the standard.

According to the book, some Buddhist masters practicing this method often do so when wind and clouds change and thunder rages. Unless one has outstanding talent, it is difficult to master.

And once mastered, the benefits are numerous.

Not only can it vibrate the fascia and internal organs, but the thunder sound combined with the mantra can also cleanse the soul, clear distracting thoughts, and condense boxing intent.

But this method also has a flaw: the weather cannot be controlled.

Therefore, that Zhou family ancestor combined it with his own trade, using drum sounds to assist. Although it is not as vast as true thunder, it has the advantage of being gradual and can be practiced at any time.

Just as Li Yan emitted the "Hum" sound from his mouth, his palm also slapped down, vibrating the drumhead and emitting a booming sound.

Inside the small courtyard, there was immediately a loud bang, with extraordinary momentum.

"Good!"

Sha Lifei immediately applauded loudly and cheered.

"Good bird."

Li Yan laughed dumbly, then shook his head slightly, pondering, "This method is likely even harder than I imagined."

According to the secret manual, the Divine Drum Cloud-Lei Yin has three difficulties. The first is the timing of the strike; the drum sound and the mantra must form a resonance.

The second is the breathing and bulging; one must use oneself as the drum, erupting the Cloud-Lei Yin.

The third is the degree; the thunder sound is vast, and only by mastering the degree can one avoid harming oneself.

This first step alone would likely take some effort.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

Li Yan tapped a few more times, carefully feeling the vibration of the drumhead.

Sha Lifei on the side felt bored, his eyes rolled, and he said, "The Daoist's food here is too plain. I'll go get some beef; we need to nourish ourselves well these two days!"

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the courtyard gate.

Li Yan was already fully focused, frowning and thinking self-forgetfully, not noticing what he said at all.

Soon, the drum sounds rang out intermittently in the courtyard again.

…………

!.

On the other side, Sha Lifei went out the door, first circling the old alley a few times to make sure no one was monitoring or leaving special marks, then swaying away.

He was very familiar with Xianyang City. He didn't take the crowded main street but wound left and right through the alleys, choosing only the quiet places to walk.

Not long after, he arrived at the West City Pailou Street.

This place was named after a large archway from the previous dynasty. Both sides of the street were filled with brothels, taverns, and gambling houses; it was the liveliest and also the most chaotic place in Xianyang City.

This street was relatively to the south. Wealthy merchants from the north and south passing through the ferry would always come here to spend the night, and those knife-wielders who lived for today without tomorrow also threw most of their earned money here.

Therefore, all kinds of people gathered here, and dragons and snakes were mixed.

It was still early morning, and most of those brothels were still closed after a night of tossing and turning. The scent of powder and rouge drifted out through the open windows.

From time to time, women in thin clothing could be seen combing their hair in front of the windows.

But Sha Lifei didn't even look at them.

He walked quickly to a two-story building, looked up, and saw the building gate wide open. Two strong men were guarding the gate; even in the cold weather, they were bare-armed, with cowhide copper-nailed wrist guards on their wrists.

The plaque above read the four large characters "Jin Bao Gambling House."

Some people love beauty, some love gambling.

In this vast Xianyang City, from high officials and nobles down to peddlers and porters, whether they were people of the Jianghu or those eating the public meal, there were always some addicted to this.

The whole street was still cold and clear, but the gambling house was already bustling with noise.

It wasn't that the guests came early, but that they were gambling all night!

Clatter!

Just as Sha Lifei was about to enter, he saw the large cloth curtain shake, and a middle-aged man was pushed out, stumbling and falling to the ground like a dog eating excrement.

Half of his face was bleeding from the grinding, but he didn't care, turning to climb up and begging, "Lend me a bit more, lend me a bit more… I'll pay double when I win it back!"

"Young Master Lu."

A man in white walked out, with broom-like brows and long, narrow eyes. Although he smiled, his eyes were cold, making people uncomfortable no matter how they looked at him.

He crouched down and patted the middle-aged man's face, sneering, "Calling you Young Master is giving you face. Take my advice, stop playing. Besides, you have nothing left to bet."

The middle-aged man's eyes were bloodshot, "I… I still have my life!"

"Your life isn't worth money!"

The man in white stood up directly and gave a wink. The two men at the gate dragged the middle-aged man and threw him into the alley next to them.

At this time, he saw Sha Lifei standing in the distance. His face changed, and he put on a fawning smile, "Yo, Hero Sha, a rare guest. Want to play a couple of hands today?"

"Get lost!"

Sha Lifei ignored him and walked straight into the gate.

He knew the background of this man in white; he was a card-sharp of the "Flower Family Sect."

They and the gambling house were in a cooperative relationship.

One is "setting the trap," observing people and acting accordingly, finding those young masters with rich family assets, using sweet words to lure them into the trap.

Two is "waking up," cheating to make people lose everything.

This group of people even had gangs, including "Swallows" who cheated with beauty, "Old Rongs" who specialized in faking and stealing, and even "Wake Guazi" who did the physical work.

As long as you suddenly get rich, you will be targeted by this group of people.

Throughout history, it has always been like this.

They have many methods: greed, beauty, family affection, friendship, sympathy… As long as you have a weakness, there is a corresponding trap. Even those old oil-slicked veterans, if they are not careful, will fall for it.

The young troupe leader of the Spring Breeze Troupe fell into this kind of trap.

Sha Lifei naturally was too lazy to pay attention and pushed him away to enter the gambling house.

The man in white behind him gave a "humph" and followed closely.

Inside the gambling house hall, the air was foul.

Lanterns hung above the gambling tables, surrounded by gamblers, all with disheveled clothes, red eyes, and livid faces, looking like hungry ghosts in the dim candlelight.

The smell of sweat and smoke made Sha Lifei stagger.

"Thieving bastards…"

Sha Lifei cursed secretly, then stuck out his neck and shouted, "The life-and-death arena the day after tomorrow, does your Jin Bao Gambling House have a bookmaker?"

A shout immediately attracted the attention of many people.

"What are you shouting for?!"

The wooden door of the second-floor elegant pavilion was kicked open.

Several men in black surrounded a man and came out of the room.

The man was not tall, looking only thirty or so, but he had albinism. His face was pale and dark red, his brows and beard were snow-white, yet his hair was dense.

Looking at him, he looked exactly like a white ape…

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 42 =====