Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 230: The Biggest Bet

Vermillion Bird naturally did not want to question the credibility of her own Twenty-Eight Mansions, yet she found herself inclined to trust Zhao Changhe’s judgment. Perhaps it was because of Zhao Changhe’s track record of effectively solving cases, which had subconsciously instilled her with the idea that his assessments had merit to them.

Upon deeper reflection, it became apparent that Zhao Changhe’s success in solving cases could not solely be attributed to his exceptional detective skills. While his deductive reasoning and attention to detail were commendable, his primary method of investigation involved predetermining a conclusion and then seeking confirmation.

This approach could potentially lead him astray if he could not find sufficient evidence to support his initial conjecture. However, each time he pursued verification, the outcomes somehow aligned with his expectations, suggesting either a stroke of luck or an unusually sharp intuition.

After a moment of hesitation, Vermillion Bird asked in a low voice, “So, what should we do now?”

“I need to go somewhere. It’s best if you don’t do anything. You should just go back to the Pinghu Association and rest. If you’re found to have snuck out at night, it might raise suspicion.”

Vermillion Bird’s eyes widened. “So, you really see me as a burden?”

“Not at all,” Zhao Changhe replied with a wry smile. “You’re the main combat force I’m relying on. I’m just a newbie.”

“Oh really? Call me big sister then.”

“Big sister~”

Satisfied, Vermillion Bird stood up. “Since you addressed me so sweetly, I’ll reluctantly cooperate with you. I’ll be going now.”

With a fragrant breeze passing by, she disappeared.

Zhao Changhe looked out the window at the bright moonlight and silently acknowledged that the true strength of the one whom he had just called big sister might not be so simple.

The Four Idols Cult was truly a gathering of hidden talents. Originally, he already believed Wan Dongliu to be fairly formidable, but now it seemed that his ability to stand among the Twenty-Eight Mansions was likely due to the advantage of his youth. In terms of actual strength, he was likely far behind the rest.

The most crucial information brought by this big sister was that Han Wubing had not been captured by Yan Lianping. This further corroborated many of Zhao Changhe’s thoughts, and now he was almost ninety percent certain of Han Wubing’s whereabouts.

After a moment of contemplation, he hid Dragon Bird in his room and left empty-handed.

A short while later, a dark-faced man appeared at the entrance of Kangle Gambling House. The guard glanced at him lazily and paid him no further attention.

It was forbidden to enter this kind of gambling house with a sword or saber, as it could lead to brawls every day. Zhao Changhe had already expected it, so he simply did not carry any weapons. In fact, as long as the sword or saber was not too conspicuous, or if the clients simply brought some small hidden weapons, then the guards would not really bother them. After all, they had to do business.

Entering the gambling house, he found it quite spacious. But no matter how large it was, it could not accommodate the throngs of people. This night was when gamblers were most frenzied. Looking at the sea of people, he saw crowds of people gathered at various gambling tables, the noise overwhelming and drowning out any attempts to hear anything clearly.

There were numerous VIP boxes around the hall, their interiors concealed. Zhao Changhe paid them no mind, his gaze falling on the massive gambling table at the center of the hall, where a young master was shouting and yelling from the dealer’s seat, his face flushed with excitement.

The dealer at the table was dressed like a wealthy young master, which made him seem out of place. And another thing that made him stand out was his name.

Seventh Lord Sha of Kangle Gambling House sounded more like a rugged underworld figure, but he was actually just a young master. He had never made it onto any of the rankings and he was keeping an extremely low profile, yet he was quite well-known in Sword Lake City. Zhao Changhe had easily obtained Sha Seven’s description just by casually asking a random passerby.

There were numerous guards roaming the gambling house, many with visibly bulging muscles, indicating that they were not weaklings. The fact that these people gathered in such numbers in just one gambling house indicated that it was not merely a gambling house, but also a gang with a powerful backing.

As Zhao Changhe’s gaze swept over the blades hanging at the guards’ waists, he quietly considered whether he would be able to escape if they all rushed at him.

One of the employees saw a strange face coming in to look around. He went to Zhao Changhe and said, “Sir, what would you like to play?”

Zhao Changhe looked away from the guards’ swords and lifted his chin in the direction of Sha Seven. “What is he playing over there?”

“Oh, big or small. Do you want to play, sir?”

“Do I need to exchange for chips?”

“You can exchange for chips and use those if you want. But if you’d like, you’re also free to use gold, silver, other items, and even deeds of mortgage.”

“Alright.” Zhao Changhe leisurely walked over. Over there, Sha Seven was enthusiastically shaking the cup, his face flushed. “Bet big or small, bet big or small, bet now!”

Pah!

Zhao Changhe slammed all the silver he had snatched from the robbers and bet onto the three sixes area. “I bet on big.”

No one paid any attention to the small amount of money he bet. Sha Seven opened the cup and said, “Two, two, four, small! Sorry, everyone!”

“Wait a minute.” Zhao Changhe held out his hand to stop him from taking the silver. “What do you mean two, two, four? Isn’t that three sixes?”

Everyone looked down and saw that the dice that had been revealed to two, two, and four had somehow become three sixes at some point.

Everyone was in an uproar and looked at Zhao Changhe with amusement.

It’s obvious that you used internal energy to change the direction of the dice. Are you here to cause trouble?

Sha Seven’s frenzied expression froze slightly. He tilted his head and looked at Zhao Changhe with a half-smile. “Yes, yes, it’s three sixes. You won. Do you want to continue betting?”

Zhao Changhe said, “I’m fine to continue betting, but this kind of gambling seems quite pointless. How about I change what I bet?”

The frenzied look resurfaced on Sha Seven’s face and he said extremely excitedly, “What would you like to bet? Your head?”

Zhao Changhe said, “I bet the Ji Clan’s assets on Taiping Street. If I lose, I will give them to you. If I win, I want you to help me with something.”

Sha Seven asked curiously, “Who are you to be able to bet the Ji Clan’s property? Don’t tell me that you’re that Young Master Ji who was supposedly rushing back to the Ji Clan?”

Zhao Changhe said, “Can I not be that Young Master Ji?”

Sha Seven looked him up and down for a while and said with a smile, “How can you prove that you are Ji Bochang?”

After hearing these three words, Zhao Changhe was stunned for a moment and looked down at his little brother. “Well... Can we go to a private room so I can prove it to you?”

Everyone was stunned for a moment. No one thought that anything was wrong at first, but they all realized what he was hinting at and burst into laughter.

Sha Seven laughed so hard that he banged the table. “Hahahaha! You’re pretty funny!”

Zhao Changhe’s expression did not change. It was not actually that he wanted to remain expressionless, it was just that he could not change his expression even if he wanted to after having disguised himself. “How about it, Sha Seven? Would you like me to prove it to you in private?”

“Alright, alright!” Sha Seven laughed so much that he began gasping for air. “Let’s go to a VIP room, and we can play in private.”

The crowd laughed heartily, but beneath that laughter, there was a subtle sense of apprehension.

They knew what this “private game” was—of course, it had nothing to do with verifying this Young Master Ji’s identity and everything to do with gambling on some truly important matters.

Everyone knew about the upheaval that the Ji Clan was going through. Could it be that the young master of the Ji Clan had returned and was now involved in the power struggle between the Pinghu Association and the Xingyi Gang?

It seemed like there was going to be a good show to watch in Sword Lake City.

Some people discreetly left, rushing to the Pinghu Association to report the news.

Meanwhile, Sha Seven left the dealer’s position and gestured for Zhao Changhe to follow him into a VIP room on the side. Zhao Changhe smiled faintly and followed.

Originally separated by a wide table, the two gradually converged and approached the VIP room together. Countless big men surrounded them on both sides, watching closely.

Neither of them seemed to mind. As they drew closer, Sha Seven chuckled and said, “I didn’t expect the young master of the Ji Clan to be so bold, coming to my Kangle Gambling House. Are you not afraid of being swallowed whole? What can you possibly gain by coming here?”

Zhao Changhe said calmly, “If I were to be swallowed up by the Pinghu Association, you would still end up with nothing. A gambling house is a gambling house, after all. It’s necessary for you to maintain appearances in public. You need to at least go through the formalities for the sake of your reputation, right?”

“Not bad, not bad,” Sha Seven said with a smile. “But you do not have the deeds to use as collateral, so it’s difficult to proceed with this wager. Or perhaps you can offer something else? For example, some martial arts from the Divine Brilliance Sect? We’re quite interested in those as well.”

As they spoke, they simultaneously arrived at the door of the VIP room, standing less than a chi apart.

Zhao Changhe said calmly, “If we’re changing the wager, why don’t we change the game as well?”

Sha Seven looked at Zhao Changhe’s hand, then looked at the guards whose blades were already half drawn, and chuckled before stepping into the room. “Sure, feel free to make a suggestion.”

Zhao Changhe followed in and said slowly, “How about...”

His right hand suddenly struck at the back of Sha Seven’s neck. “Your life...”

Shing!

Several blades were thrust toward Zhao Changhe’s back and neck. At the same time, Sha Seven twisted his torso strangely, avoiding Zhao Changhe’s grasp. Then, his elbow shot backward, aiming directly at Zhao Changhe’s Danzhong acupoint.

Zhao Changhe ate this strike without hesitation. Meanwhile, his hand bloomed like a lotus flower.

Sha Seven’s twisting had no effect at all. Zhao Changhe’s hand still managed to grab hold of his throat.

At the same time, the blades of the guards were placed against his neck and his back.

Sha Seven calmed down, and only silence remained at the door of the VIP room.

Seemingly unaware that he was under threat of being stabbed to death, Zhao Changhe held Sha Seven by the throat and continued, “...in exchange for Han Wubing’s life.”

Sha Seven stood silently for a few moments, then he smiled and spoke with some difficulty due to his throat being squeezed, “Isn’t this just between us?”

Zhao Changhe said calmly, “Before these blades can cut my throat, I’ll crush yours. You can fully trust the strength of my grip. For you, your life is all you have. Whether or not you can take me down with you is meaningless.”

“Your life is also all you have.” Sha Seven sighed. “Is it worth gambling like this?”

Zhao Changhe revealed a smile and said, “Isn’t this a gambling house? Gambling with one’s life is the ultimate gamble, no? Don’t you find it exciting?”

“I’m asking whether it’s worth it, not whether it’s exciting or not. You’re doing all this... just for a friend?”

“Isn’t that enough?”

Sha Seven was silent for a moment and then laughed, “As expected of Bloodthirsty Asura Zhao Changhe. Bring Han Wubing out.”