N-A-A Chapter 113 Zhang Sanfeng's spirit snake and black tortoise were snatched away by an eagle!
Chapter 113 Zhang Sanfeng's spirit snake and black tortoise were snatched away by an eagle!
Chapter 113 Zhang Sanfeng's spirit snake and black tortoise were snatched away by an eagle!
"Young Master, may you be promoted and made rich!"
The coffin, edged with gold, was pried open. The Lord of Bliss, accompanied by twelve maids, stood respectfully at the entrance of Bliss Tower, bowing and paying their respects to Xu Qingya.
Xu Qingya coughed lightly: "Old Jia, tell me what Wu Yan's test was today, and I'll tell you a top-secret message. Don't miss it!"
Everyone knows that the owner of the Paradise Pavilion who greets guests at the door is definitely an imposter. He is actually a gambling expert hired by the real owner to manage the venue, and is jokingly called "Old Jia"!
This nickname was given to him by King Yinye.
Master Jia happily accepted it.
In order to retain Yin Yewang, a super customer, Master Jia went to great lengths. Only if Yin Yewang frequently came to the Blissful Pavilion could it be proven that the Blissful Pavilion was an ultra-luxurious den of extravagance, thus covering up the matter of counterfeiting banknotes.
Let alone jokingly calling him "Master Jia," if he really gets into a tantrum, all those courtesans who sell their art but not their bodies, or the test questions for the beautiful but unattractive girl, will be meaningless.
Wu Yan is the top courtesan of the Blissful Pavilion. Only those who win in the gambling den on the second floor of the Blissful Pavilion can participate in Wu Yan's test, and the winners become her guests.
Yin Yewang was arrogant and domineering. He was lecherous, but he disdained to force anyone. Moreover, the Pleasure Pavilion was very good at understanding psychology, so no trouble was caused.
With a beaming smile, Master Jia said, "Young Master, Miss Wuyan's test today is to count flower petals. She throws a plate of petals into the air and the guests have to guess whether the number is odd or even!"
Xu Qingya scoffed, "Elegant! Truly elegant! Damn, so elegant! The Paradise Tower really knows how to have fun!"
Master Jia laughed and said, "Young Master, Wu Yan has a rather stubborn personality and prefers scholars and pretty boys. She finds it a bit too much for a rugged man like you!"
Xu Qingya pulled out a money pouch from his pocket: "No matter how handsome a pretty boy is, can he be as handsome as money? Do you prefer pretty boys or me, young master?"
"Whoosh whoosh!"
Xu Qingya tossed twelve ingots of silver into the hands of twelve maids, who exclaimed in unison, "Of course, the young master is more charming! We like him the most!"
"Well said! Well said! I've been to so many brothels, but only the girls at the Pleasure Pavilion are truly skilled at serving men. Old Jia, you're really something!"
"Thank you for the compliment, Young Master!"
"I have no interest in flowers and plants. Have Jinse and Ningxiang accompany me to the gambling den. Old Jia—Chu Liuxiang—sneaks into Qiantang quietly; be careful!"
"Is it really... Chu Liuxiang?"
"Would I make money lying to you? My brother-in-law is good friends with Chu Liuxiang. Others might not know where Chu Liuxiang is, but my brother-in-law definitely does. He's afraid I'll be stolen away by Chu Liuxiang, so he sent someone to warn me!"
Xu Qingya spread his hands and snapped his fingers. The other two top courtesans of the Paradise Pavilion, Jinse and Ningxiang, one with a robe and the other with a mask, gently helped Xu Qingya change his clothes and went directly to the private room on the second floor.
Master Jia coldly ordered, "Pass down the order: report immediately if you see a young, handsome man carrying a folding fan and smelling of perfume! No! Chu Liuxiang can disguise himself! Add another rule: write down every single guest who doesn't want to sleep with a girl!"
The head maid reminded him, "Master, Chu Liuxiang is a dashing and romantic figure with countless lovers. If one of his lovers is here, wouldn't all this effort be wasted?"
Are you questioning my decision?
Master Jia's expression suddenly turned cold!
The foreman said coldly, "You, surnamed Jia! I call you 'Lord,' but do you really think you are? Anyone with eyes can see you're a fake! Our status in the Blissful Pavilion—I'm slightly higher than you!"
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is, Lu Xiaofeng can just let Wu Yan deal with him. We've already prepared a plan! We should dedicate half our forces to finding Chu Liuxiang as soon as possible! If Lu Xiaofeng and Chu Liuxiang join forces, the sky will burst open! If they ruin the leader's grand plan, we'll be in deep trouble!"
"I don't believe Chu Liuxiang is that powerful!"
"Whether you believe it or not is your business, whether I believe it or not is my business! According to the cult leader's orders, my authority is above yours. In case of an emergency, I can strip you of your power, and I can even kill you!"
The foreman wasn't just trying to suppress him; seeing that Master Jia's expression was worsening, he immediately said, "Master Jia, we're all in the same boat. We can earn money anytime! But we only have one life!"
The landlord, Jia, nodded seriously.
A hint of disdain flashed in the foreman's eyes.
They belong to the same faction, but are backed by different people, and their responsibilities are very different.
The boss's job is to make money and recoup costs as quickly as possible, while the foreman's job is to investigate intelligence, especially about martial arts families and powerful figures in the martial arts world.
Investigating Chu Liuxiang was the foreman's task, and she had to do it whether she wanted to or not. However, if she diverted too much of her efforts and interfered with the Paradise Pavilion's ability to make money, the foreman would not be punished, but Pavilion Master Jia would not escape death.
Chu Liuxiang is unimportant; the most important thing is to take the opportunity to kill Master Jia. Master Jia is a gambling expert found in the Heavenly Prison, who is both valuable and worthless.
Skilled gamblers, especially those who know how to maintain good relationships with clients, are definitely valuable and can get a high-paying job at any large casino.
The problem is, there are too many people like that!
In a world where martial arts flourish, a third-rate martial artist can hone his skills for seven or eight years. Even if he doesn't become a master gambler, he can at least master some decent gambling techniques and make a fortune in several common gambling games. High-level masters of gambling are not much different in terms of technique; the competition comes down to their wisdom.
Master Jia's abilities are very valuable; his annual salary is as high as eight thousand taels of silver, and with the extra income he earns from gambling, he can make thirty to forty thousand taels of silver a year.
Unfortunately, for the Bliss Pavilion and the powerful forces behind it, they can find seven or eight people to replace Master Jia at any time. A person who can be replaced at any time, no matter how outstanding their abilities are, will become cheap and their status will naturally decline.
The foreman looked down on Jia, but she forgot one important thing—Jia was a conman.
There are three basic skills that con artists possess.
Hands, eyes, and heart!
Quick-witted and nimble-fingered, adept at reading people and their expressions, and skilled in psychological manipulation!
The foreman's murderous intent was deeply hidden, but for Jia Louzhu, her acting skills were truly lacking.
You want to kill me?
You really think I'm easy to bully!
A murderous intent brewed in Jia Louzhu's heart.
The tricks used at the gambling table are considered minor and unorthodox. The real masters of cheating use psychological tactics.
Turning people into beasts and demons, causing their families to be destroyed and their entire clans wiped out—that's something Jia Louzhu is an expert at!
TAA IA n
The Paradise Tower is a super-large den of iniquity. Apart from the slightly dim lighting, everything else is top-notch. The girls may not be as talented as the Eight Beauties of Qin, but they certainly understand the hearts of their guests best and are the most skilled at serving them. The casino is all-encompassing, with all kinds of gambling stalls available.
Dice, mahjong, dominoes, fantan, roulette, cockfighting, dogfighting, cricket fighting, turtle racing—there are also private rooms where guests can make their own betting agreements, betting whatever they want until they lose everything.
The architectural layout is also extremely ingenious. Although they seem to be in the same space, they are well separated. Gambling will not affect those listening to music, and those listening to music will not affect those fighting cocks and dogs. At the same time, the sound blends together in a natural and harmonious way.
Gambling at the tables, shouting and laughing; private rooms filled with the sounds of flutes and pipes; light singing and dancing on the stage; the restaurant brimming with the aroma of wine and meat—all the ways of enjoyment that exist in the world can be found here.
For every minute you stay, your blood and energy will be heated a little more by the vibrations of the sound, your mind will be clouded by the heat, and your reason will gradually decline, until you've spent all your money, until your body is completely exhausted, until the Pleasure Pavilion closes down—
No wonder, even someone of Yin Yewang's status would be attracted to the Paradise Tower, willingly sitting in a coffin to enjoy himself there. This place really knows how to have fun!
Xu Qingya narrowed his eyes slightly.
It seems that only one power in the world has the ability to take "pleasure" to its extreme, stimulating people's desires from the inside out and from the outside in.
"Racing Turtle, what kind of game is this? You guys at Paradise Tower really know how to have fun, I'll have to place a bet!"
Xu Qingya gestured, and two servants carrying a large stack of chips walked to the turtle stall.
There are four tracks, and each track has a tortoise. The race is to see which tortoise reaches the finish line first.
This kind of betting is full of uncertainty.
Turtles prefer stillness to movement. The fastest turtle is likely to give up near the finish line, while the slowest turtle is likely to overtake it.
Of course, any gambling game can be cheated. For people in the martial arts world, they can use the method of transmitting power through objects to stimulate the tortoise shell with their true energy.
When a turtle is provoked, it will "run wildly".
Jinse said softly, "Young Master, you usually enjoy dice and dominoes, why are you here to see turtles today? What's so interesting about them! They're so slow!"
According to the rules of the Pleasure Pavilion, prostitutes cannot reveal the identity of their customers; otherwise, they will be beaten to death.
However, Yin Yewang has always been arrogant and domineering, and he doesn't care about revealing his identity. The few songstresses he knows all directly call him Young Master, without having to be so coy.
Ningxiang's eyes were alluring: "You little hussy, what's with all this 'turtle' stuff? Are you just itching to see the young master's turtle? Of all the sisters in our family, you seem the most virtuous, but you're more wanton than anyone else!"
Xu Qingya laughed loudly: "You don't know, the eagle is a master at catching turtles. It was probably sixty-five years ago that Master Zhang watched the battle between the turtle and the snake, and from it he comprehended unparalleled martial arts, defeated the carefree king, and established the Wudang foundation on Wudang Mountain. But there is a sequel to this story!"
The ten-thousand-year-old black tortoise and the thousand-year-old giant python were evenly matched. The giant python could not break the tortoise's shell, and the tortoise could not catch up with the giant python. However, the divine eagle descended from the sky and easily defeated the two beasts.
It's like an eagle catching a snake—nothing special to say about it!
Do you know how eagles deal with tortoise shells?
I'll grab the black tortoise and fly it a thousand feet into the sky, then throw it down, killing it instantly. Tortoises are naturally at the mercy of eagles; I'm destined to make a fortune today!
While they were talking, three more customers came in.
The mask of the Pleasure Pavilion covers the upper half of the face, leaving only the mouth exposed. Although you can't see the face, you can tell from the other person's slovenly mustache and frivolous and dissolute movements that he is "Four-Eyebrow" Lu Xiaofeng.
Under heaven, only Lu Xiaofeng has such a small mustache; it is a mark that cannot be faked.
The other two have a unique ability: one walks on tiptoe, landing silently, and no matter which direction you look at him from, you can clearly see him, but you will subconsciously ignore him.
The other man held a folding fan, radiating a warmth that defies description, like a piece of ancient, sun-facing jade atop Mount Tai bursting open, its essence and spirit fully merging into his body.
His temperament was completely out of place in the Paradise Tower.
He should be playing the zither amidst a sea of flowers, enjoying wine with a few close friends by a winding stream, and discussing the art of governing the country at the Imperial Academy, not in a den of iniquity.
Their auras were too obvious; there was no need to remove their masks to identify the three of them: Lu Xiaofeng, Sikong Zhaixing, and Hua Manlou. Why would they wear masks? Anyone with a little experience in the martial arts world could recognize at least two of them.
Lu Xiaofeng looked at the tortoise on the track with interest, then took out a silver ingot: "I think this tortoise is the most interesting. I'll bet twenty taels!"
The dealer said with a smile, "Honorable guest, the rule on the second floor is that the minimum bet is one thousand taels!"
Lu Xiaofeng certainly didn't have any money.
Sikong Zhaixing would never pay money.
Hua Manlou took off the fan pendant and asked, "Take a look at this fan pendant and give it an estimate."
The fan pendant belonging to the seventh young master of the Hua family was certainly no ordinary item. The croupier laughed, "This—this is top-grade Buddha's Hand jade, worth at least ten thousand taels!"
Hua Manlou nodded: "In that case, let's set the price at five thousand taels, brother. Please place your bet!"
Lu Xiaofeng casually put down the fan pendant.
Xu Qingya followed up, saying, "What I dislike most are gigolos. Gigolos are the most lecherous. What's worse, my sister found a gigolo, and I have to get used to living with him. Jinse, whatever the gigolo bets on, I bet on too!"
Jinse bet all her chips.
Sikong Zhaixing whispered, "Lu Xiaofeng, this guy is Yin Yewang, the young leader of the Sky Eagle Sect. I was hoping to exchange some change with him when I was short of money, but I didn't expect this guy to hit the jackpot. His brother-in-law is Xu Qingya! Even Chu Liuxiang fell for it, what can I do!"
Hua Manlou looked at Xu Qingya with curiosity.
Hua Manlou is blind, but his ears and nose are unusually sensitive. He can tell that Xu Qingya deliberately speaks in a rough voice, imitating other people's voices.
After a moment's thought, Hua Manlou guessed that the Yin Yewang in front of him was someone else in disguise. The fact that someone could borrow Yin Yewang's identity at any time clearly meant that it was someone from his family.
Excluding Yin Tianzheng and Yin Susu—
Hua Manlou smiled as he looked at Xu Qingya.
Xu Qingya, unaware that he had been "seen through," continued to make a ruckus. It has to be said that Yin Yewang's disguise was really useful; no matter how reckless he acted, nothing would happen!
Seeing that no one was placing bets, the dealer waved to open the partition, and four turtles slowly crawled forward. Lu Xiaofeng was lucky; the turtle he chose was the fastest and had the strongest desire to crawl.
The track wasn't very long. Seeing that Lu Xiaofeng was about to win, several gamblers exchanged glances, placed their hands on the gambling table, and blatantly cheated using their internal energy. Lu Xiaofeng snorted coldly, extended his index and middle fingers, and flicked them lightly on the gambling table, causing his internal energy to shatter.
"Damn it, I don't believe it!"
Several gamblers struck a pose as if they were in a magic alliance, with the person behind them placing their palms on the shoulders of the person in front, combining their strength to compete with Lu Xiaofeng. Lu Xiaofeng, however, showed no fear and remained relaxed and at ease.
Xu Qingya was startled. The accumulation of power was not something that could be done simply by placing a hand on someone. It was a very advanced technique for applying true qi, which was extremely rare in the Central Plains. The Central Plains preferred combined attack formations, while the Tantric sect preferred combined techniques.
This is related to the living environment and the characteristics of martial arts.
Combined Technique: Power is stacked, but agility is low. Everyone maintains the same movements, making them vulnerable to sneak attacks.
Formation: The number of people is large, the agility is high, and the movement is based on the formation, so the power is relatively dispersed.
Tibet has a small population, and monks have a very high status and little pressure to survive. Martial artists are skilled in powerful and forceful hand seals, which combine the power of several or even a dozen people into one, making them more cost-effective.
The Central Plains have a large population and a constant stream of experts. They are so ruthless that their combined attack formations are more flexible. If one person dies, it will only affect the power of the formation, not kill anyone. The others can escape. Their flexibility is far superior to the combined attack formations.
The opponent used a combined technique, specifically a high-level "seven-person combined technique." The combined true energy of seven second-rate martial artists could create a balance against Lu Xiaofeng in a short period of time, demonstrating the terrifying power of the "combined technique."
Of course, it was absolutely impossible for them to defeat Lu Xiaofeng. No matter how much the seven people exerted their power, Lu Xiaofeng did it all with ease, and even had the strength to keep the gambling table from being shaken apart. Suddenly, Lu Xiaofeng increased his power, and the five people cried out and fell backward in a big tumble!
"clang!"
The gong sounded, and the gambling game ended.
The tortoise that Lu Xiaofeng chose won.
The odds for the tortoise bet are 1 to 2. Xu Qingya just bet 15,000 taels of silver, which immediately doubled to 30,000 taels. For super VIPs like Yin Yewang, the casino doesn't take any cut; he takes whatever he wins.
They're not afraid of you winning, they're afraid you won't come!
Xu Qingya grabbed a handful of chips and threw them down onto Jinse and Ningxiang's bodices: "These are for you! Use them to hold as much as you can, they're all yours!"
The two women happily grabbed the chips.
This is a rare opportunity to make money!
A dealer said with a smile, "The young master who wins the tortoise race can go to the third floor to participate in Miss Wuyan's betting game. Please, gentlemen!"
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