Chapter 42: Monkey Demon

Why is this bastard here too?

Seeing the person above, Sha Lifei's face twitched, and he took a few steps back.

This person was Yuan Qu, the leader of the White Ape Gang.

He was born with strange features, and his mother was a half-hidden door, so he suffered a lot of bullying. Thus, he mixed in the streets and learned all kinds of vicious methods.

At a young age, he was given the nickname "Monkey Demon."

Unlike the leader of the Iron Saber Gang, Yuan Qu learned all kinds of low-class street fighting methods. Even though he apprenticed to Zhou Pan and had decent talent, because he started late and ruined his foundation with wine and women, he only barely reached Dark Energy.

Although his kung fu ranked last among the Eight Great Vajras, his reputation was not inferior at all; he was famously full of bad water.

The East City was the White Ape Gang's territory, and the rumor was that the gambling house was backed by a young master from Changan City. Even the yamen people didn't dare to come and stir up trouble, so the White Ape Gang naturally wouldn't come.

Sha Lifei specifically chose this place, not expecting to run into Yuan Qu, so he couldn't help but call himself unlucky in his heart.

At the same time, Yuan Qu heard a few whispers from the man beside him and immediately revealed a sinister smile, "Related to that brat? Go, bring him back to chat…"

"What are you doing!"

Hearing this, Sha Lifei immediately shouted, "Zhou Pan's disciples and grand-disciples, want to play dirty tricks before the arena duel? Fellow Jianghu friends, you all saw it!"

"Damn it, looking for death!"

Yuan Qu's eyes immediately became vicious.

Just at this moment, another person walked out of the room. It was an old man wearing a squire's robe, short and fat, with a white beard and a smiling face, looking kind and benevolent.

He stroked his beard and smiled, "Just a small character, why does Gang Leader Yuan need to get angry."

"And this is the Jin Bao Gambling House. He just has a loud voice and didn't break the rules. Gang Leader Yuan is shouting and killing like this, it's hard for me to explain…"

The words were polite, but in reality, he didn't give any face at all.

Sha Lifei nodded quickly, "That's right, that's right, I was born with a loud voice. What's the matter, do I have to be beaten for having a loud voice?"

The old man stroked his beard and smiled, "In the gambling house, who has a small voice? Guests are having fun; they can shout however they want."

"The guest wants to bet on the arena duel, and I happen to be interested too."

"A-Fu, show the sign!"

As soon as the words fell, a cold-faced man walked out from behind the old man. He supported his palm, crossed the railing, and did a front flip, landing steadily.

His body didn't sway, he didn't pant, and there was no sound under his feet.

"Good skill!"

There were many Jianghu people in the gambling house, and they immediately cheered in unison.

The man's expression didn't change. He cupped his hands to the surroundings, then came to the main platform at the back of the hall, took down two boards, and wrote the names "Li Yan" and "Zhou Bai" with dragon-flying and phoenix-dancing strokes, and wrote the odds.

Li Yan wins: Bet one, win one.

Zhou Bai wins: Bet one, win five-tenths.

White Ape Gang leader Yuan Qu had also calmed down by now, smiling coldly, "Boss Wu, you aren't playing very big…"

He had received some news that the Jin Bao Gambling House's backing had run into bad luck, so he came in a hurry to discuss the acquisition, so as not to have the fat meat snatched by others.

Who knew this shopkeeper would refuse directly and even put eye drops on him.

Although he was angry, he didn't want to turn against him just yet, so as not to cause any changes that would be hard to clean up.

After all, this behavior was a bit like taking advantage of a robbery.

Shopkeeper Wu still had a kind smile, "Just joining in the fun, making the guests happy is enough. Why, Gang Leader Yuan also wants to play a hand?"

Yuan Qu originally wanted to refuse, but his eyeballs rolled, and he suddenly smiled, "Since Shopkeeper Wu wants to play, I will naturally accompany you."

"I bet two thousand taels, does Shopkeeper Wu dare to take it?"

Shopkeeper Wu's smile didn't change. He waved his hand, and someone below immediately wrote down the betting ticket, ran upstairs, and handed it over respectfully with both hands.

"Gang Leader Yuan is bold!"

"Shopkeeper Wu is generous!"

After a round of verbal sparring, Yuan Qu saw that Shopkeeper Wu wasn't angry, so he shifted his target and stared at Sha Lifei below, sneering, "Big guy, since you have confidence in that brat, I wonder how much you are going to bet?"

Although Sha Lifei was terrified inside, he braced himself and patted his chest, "Little Brother Yan will definitely win. I, Old Sha, will naturally bet my entire family fortune!"

As he spoke, he took out a heavy money bag from his bosom and slapped it on the counter at the back.

The clerk who was keeping the accounts was originally surprised, but after carefully opening it, his expression became strange.

Most were copper coins, and there weren't even a few scattered silver pieces.

The clerk was speechless. After quickly counting, he shouted, "Guest bets, a total of nineteen taels and five qian……"

Before he finished speaking, he saw Sha Lifei take back one tael of silver, muttering, "Almost forgot, have to leave some meal money." The clerk was helpless and said again, "Eighteen taels and five qian!"

"Hahaha!"

For a time, the whole gambling house burst into laughter.

Even Yuan Qu couldn't help but laugh, sneering, "You poor ghost, coming here to act generous. How about I lend you a few hundred taels to play with?"

"Forget it!"

Sha Lifei had thick skin and didn't care about the mockery at all. He put away the betting ticket and, without wasting words, walked straight out of the gambling house.

He had traveled the Jianghu; how could he fall for this trap?

Losing the money on him, at worst he'd start over, but borrowing money from this group of people would be worse than death.

The so-called "nine out, thirteen back" is still following the rules.

Some "Wake Guazi" specialize in this bowl of rice. Seeing that the time is about right, they come to the door to shout all day, insisting on getting some expenses before leaving, and they won't count it as interest, calling it tea money or errand money.

Some people doing small business were driven crazy by these people.

!.

Of course, these are all tricks to deal with ordinary people.

When they run into people of the Jianghu, they specifically find those who have tuberculosis and won't live for many days to come to the door, pestering them.

If people of the Jianghu can't take it and beat someone to death, they fall right into their trap.

By then, the slippery clerks in the yamen will also join in, like two ghosts clapping at the door, playing you until you are worse than dead.

Moreover, both sides already had a grudge, so Sha Lifei would naturally be on guard.

After walking out of the gambling house gate, he ran away, disappearing in a flash…

Inside the gambling house, Yuan Qu saw that Sha Lifei didn't fall for it, also felt bored, turned his head to look at the shopkeeper beside him, and whispered, "Shopkeeper Wu, you should consider it again."

"The price I gave is low, but it's real gold and silver. If it really reaches that step, there won't be just one person wanting to catch a wolf with empty hands!"

After saying that, he smiled slightly and turned to leave.

Behind him, Shopkeeper Wu's smile didn't change, but his eyes were dark…

And in the gambling house, the white-clad card-sharp of the "Flower Family Sect" rolled his eyes and shouted loudly, "Yo, life-and-death arena, betting on human lives is much more fun."

"Zhou Bai is the top pillar of the next generation of the Zhou family. If you bet right, you get half the profit. If you want to play big, bet on Li Yan; you can double your money in a moment!"

"Where to find such a good thing? First come, first served!"

"What, you don't have enough money? Come to me…"

People of the Jianghu, the older they get, the more they fear death, but more of them carry their heads on their waistbands and have a great gambling nature, so they immediately started raising money to bet.

Here, there were drivers from the carriage and horse firms, porters from the wharf's grain transport gang, agents mixing in the city, and even bandits hiding their tracks.

Dragons and snakes were mixed, and there were all kinds of people.

And the news of this duel quickly spread throughout Xianyang City……

…………

On the other side, White Ape Gang leader Yuan Qu had just left the gambling house when a subordinate man stepped forward and lowered his head, "Gang Leader, that brat Sha Lifei is slippery, he ran away."

"Run if he runs, he's not important."

Yuan Qu shook his head and said in a deep voice, "How is the inquiry going?"

The man whispered, "Asked clearly, that brat had been to the Zhang Family Martial Arts Hall. After he came out, Zhang Yuanshang started making arrangements."

"But they were closed-door sparring, our people didn't see it."

"Is that so…"

Yuan Qu was thoughtful and said in a deep voice, "This matter is likely not safe. Go, invite Master Chen, then find Zhou Bai. I'm going to Master's place."

With an order, the group split into three paths and left.

……

Yuan Qu brought people to a large mansion in the West City, ordered his subordinates to wait outside, and went in to ask for a report respectfully.

"Is Master at home?"

"Yes, Uncle Yuan, please come in."

Not long after entering the mansion, Yuan Qu came out.

And behind him followed a carriage.

On the carriage was a huge iron cage, covered with red cloth, clanging non-stop, and there were suppressed beast roars…

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 43 =====