Chapter 92: The Transaction

Shangguan Xueer said with a cold face, "My master once said that gambling dens and brothels are the places where news travels fastest. Since you are the big boss of the Silver Hook Gambling House, you must surely know of this jade tablet."

Her tone was icy and carried an impatient air, as if she were very eager to take the money and continue gambling.

Of course, almost every gambler has this same mindset.

Blue Beard did not speak; his eyes were fixed intently on that tablet, as if it were more alluring than a beauty stripped of her clothes.

Shangguan Xueer said crisply, "I only ask you: is this jade tablet worth five hundred thousand taels of silver?"

It is worth it.

Of course it is very worth it.

Never mind five hundred thousand taels of silver; even five million taels would be worth it.

As long as one can hold the Rakshasa Tablet and rush to the Kunlun Great Brightness Realm on the seventh day of the first lunar month, one can become the new Rakshasa Cult Sect Leader, dominate beyond the passes, and command the clouds and rain with a flip of the hand—how could such a thing be measured by mere worldly wealth?

A flash of greed and ferocity crossed Blue Beard's eyes: "But I heard the Rakshasa Tablet was in the hands of the 'Jade-Faced Divine Sword' Yu Liancheng. Even the 'Number One Thief Under Heaven' Sikong Zhaixing could not steal the Rakshasa Tablet from him. How did you obtain it?"

Shangguan Xueer rolled her eyes at him and said, "Can you not tell? I am the only disciple of Yu Liancheng."

"I truly cannot tell, but I do have a way to distinguish it." Blue Beard gave a wink, and two sturdy thugs beside him leaped out, rubbing their fists and palms, pouncing toward Shangguan Xueer from left and right.

A person who can run a gambling house must be able to handle both the black and white paths.

Blue Beard was no exception.

He kept quite a few experts under his command, and their fist and foot skills were all quite remarkable.

The two attacked simultaneously from left and right, their fists swinging with a whistling wind. Never mind such a young girl; even a grown man would lose half his life if he took one of their punches.

Shangguan Xueer did not even blink; her slender fingers suddenly moved, tapping onto the two men. The two burly, fierce-looking men were sent flying back amidst screams.

"Good, good, good. Truly the disciple of the 'Jade-Faced Divine Sword'." Blue Beard clapped, showing a look of praise, then said with slight hesitation, "But five hundred thousand is really a bit too much. Even for the Silver Hook Gambling House, it is difficult to scrape that together all at once."

Shangguan Xueer bit her lip and suddenly turned around: "If you won't buy it, then forget it. I am also afraid I won't be able to answer to my master when he asks."

"Wait." Blue Beard called out to Shangguan Xueer and suddenly grinned.

When he was not smiling, he appeared dignified and terrifying. But when he smiled, it carried an even more ferocious meaning, as if he were an evil ghost from hell: "I did not say I wouldn't buy it, it is just that you will have to wait a little while."

Shangguan Xueer said, "I will wait for you for at most one stick of incense, and you must at least give me ten thousand taels of silver right now."

Blue Beard laughed: "Because you still want to gamble."

Shangguan Xueer gritted her teeth and said, "Yes, I still want to gamble."

Whether man or woman, old or young, once they are deeply trapped in a gambling game, it is difficult to extricate themselves; they believe they can turn the tables.

But they do not know that when they have this thought, a rope has already been placed around their necks. The rope tightens and tightens, eventually strangling them to death.

Is Shangguan Xueer not already being strangled right now?

The time for one stick of incense had not yet passed, and Shangguan Xueer had already lost nearly half of her ten thousand taels of silver; her originally cute face now seemed to be wearing a livid mask.

Fortunately, Blue Beard appeared again at this moment.

When he appeared, everyone in the gambling house could not help but hold their breath.

Because he held a stack of silver notes, exactly forty-nine of them.

The amount on the silver notes was not small, exactly ten thousand taels each.

Some people's breathing had already become rapid; as long as they pulled off this job, they could enjoy themselves comfortably for a lifetime.

But following Blue Beard's appearance, there were already twenty or thirty burly men in the gambling house, their gazes like hawks, scanning all around. Once they discovered anyone harboring improper thoughts, they would use thunderous methods to make life worse than death for them.

"Here are four hundred and ninety thousand taels of silver; you can count it." Blue Beard handed the silver notes to Shangguan Xueer, not afraid that she would renege on the debt.

Shangguan Xueer's eyes lit up; she took the silver notes, counted them, checked their authenticity, and after confirming, a brilliant smile appeared on her small face. She took out the Rakshasa Tablet and handed it to Blue Beard: "Money for goods. But you had better hide it well. My master might not care about this tablet, but if those three old fellows find out about this, they certainly will not let it rest."

"Three old fellows? It's the Three Friends of Winter!" A flash of ferocity crossed Blue Beard's eyes: "Although they are formidable, the Silver Hook Gambling House can open both inside and outside the passes—how could it be left for others to slaughter? As long as they arrive at my place, they must follow my rules."

"Oh, and if we do not follow them, what will you do?"

When the first "Oh" sounded, this gloomy and aged voice seemed to be very far away.

With every word that came out, the sound was closer than the previous one, and by the time the last word "do" fell, the speaker had already appeared in the Silver Hook Gambling House.

These were three old men in green robes, their entire bodies exuding a gloomy aura. On the chests of their garments were embroidered monsters with human heads and snake bodies. Anyone could see that these three old men were definitely not to be trifled with.

"Three Friends of Winter, you really have come! You have come just in time." Blue Beard's gaze turned sharp.

Gusong looked coldly at Blue Beard and said, "Hand over the Rakshasa Tablet, and I will spare your life."

Kuzhu said, "If not, the three of us will take action personally."

Cold Plum said, "By then, even if you want to die, it will be difficult."

Some people had already quietly slipped out.

They naturally knew the terror of these three old men, and they also knew that staying in the gambling house next would be a very dangerous thing.

Of course, there were still many people who did not leave.

Some people's eyes were gleaming; they knew there was excitement to watch next, and they also knew the opportunity to fish in troubled waters had arrived.

When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits.

Perhaps they themselves were this fisherman.

Blue Beard snorted coldly: "I bought this jade tablet fair and square; do you all want to seize it by force?" He waved his hand, and the burly men all around were already rubbing their fists and palms, ready to swarm forward at any moment.

Shangguan Xueer nodded: "I sold it to him."

Blue Beard clapped his hands and said: "Exactly, this business was money for goods, both parties willing; it is truly a very fair transaction. Even if you are the Three Friends of Winter, you cannot ignore fairness."