Immortal Cage - Chapter 41: Entering the Life and Death Gambling Arena
In the gambling house, not all the guests were crowded together in a chaotic manner.
Above the heads of the crowd, there were specially crafted elegant private rooms, reserved for esteemed guests.
In a corner draped with red silk curtains, a man resembling an old actor from a theater troupe, hunched over, spoke in a high-pitched voice, introducing:
"Guests rarely visit Heishui Town, are you satisfied with the performances in our establishment?"
A chubby-faced guest in Daoist robes reclined on a rocking chair, with two plump servants on each side, offering sweet milk.
After a few mouthfuls, milk dribbling down his chin, the chubby-faced guest clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Fun, fun! Bring on more, I want to see the acrobatics!"
Behind the chubby-faced guest stood a steward-like old servant, who stepped forward and said sternly, "Young master is pleased. Today, trouble the establishment to arrange more performances. Make sure the guests have a good time."
Upon hearing this, the old actress referred to as the establishment owner, smiled and said, "Alright, alright. In this rural place, all we have to offer is cockfighting, human and animal fights, but it's quite impressive."
The old actress clapped her hands and called a servant, instructing in a sharp tone, "Tell the staff below to quickly arrange. Anyone who can breathe in the gambling pit, throw them in. Today, we must ensure the esteemed guests leave satisfied!"
After giving orders, the old actress respectfully asked, rubbing her hands, "Young master, which side are you betting on?"
The chubby-faced guest and the old servant in the private room both looked down at the chaotic crowd below and the blood-stained gambling pit.
The chubby-faced guest grinned and pointed randomly.
Roar!
Just now, a fierce tiger tore apart a Daoist, surrounded by dark energy. This tiger was no ordinary ninth-grade beast.
It stared at the excited and twisted faces outside the gambling pit, its tiger face fierce like a demon, saliva mixed with blood dripping from its mouth.
In just a short while, a creaking sound was heard.
A iron door in the pit opened, and another Daoist stepped into the gambling pit.
This Daoist was different from the previous one, holding a steel fork, sturdy in stature, wearing iron armor. If not for the Daoist bun on his head, others would mistake him for a military general rather than a Daoist.
"Evil beast!" the armored Daoist shouted, "You devoured my brother, today I will settle the score with you!"
A roar erupted, and the tiger and the man immediately engaged in a fierce battle.
"Good, good!"
The crowd in the gambling house became excited once again, and the servants hurriedly shouted, "Place your bets, don't miss out!"
The entire gambling house was lively once more!
In a corner of the gambling house, Yu Lie finally saw Gao Ji, the Daoist. They had a small table set up in the gambling house, facing each other.
Gao Ji was tapping on a jade box on the table, not putting it in his mouth but spitting out the contents, swallowing the essence directly.
Gao Ji said leisurely, "Have you considered it, Yu Ge? Ten thousand coins is not a small amount. Even if you climb up in the ranks at the Poison Gate, it will take you more than a year of saving without eating or drinking. And by then, it won't just be ten thousand coins at stake."
Yu Lie, sitting beside him, looked a bit embarrassed. He was only earning sixty coins a month at the Poison Gate, and ten thousand coins were indeed a large sum, a bit too much.
When Yu Lie borrowed money initially, he only borrowed a thousand coins, and in the end, he only received about four thousand, the rest being deducted by the other party as interest.
Now, in just a few months, the amount had doubled. This gambling was truly dark!
A Daoist also stood next to Yu Lie, whispering in his ear, "Yu Ge, you have to seize this opportunity. Otherwise, how will you survive? Listen to my advice, why not participate once, this way you can easily avoid several months of interest for free!"
The Daoist continued, "As long as you can act, no one will notice. You can even bet against yourself, play a few more rounds, and by the end of the month, you'll have paid off both the principal and the interest."
Yu Lie sat at the table, listening to the two persuading him, his face darkening.
Just as he sensed the danger when he entered the gambling house.
After meeting Gao Ji, the latter didn't immediately ask Yu Lie for money but instead boasted about the various tricks in the gambling pit and the stories of overnight wealth.
His purpose was to persuade Yu Lie to participate in at least one gambling match.
He claimed that the gambling house was short of manpower recently, and with a big client visiting today, if Yu Lie was willing to participate, regardless of winning or losing, he would directly waive three months' interest.
He even mentioned that he would also participate, arranging for Yu Lie to compete against him, with a list available for verification.
At that time, Gao Ji would pretend to be exhausted, deliberately lose to Yu Lie, or give Yu Lie a chance to admit defeat, all negotiable.
However, upon hearing these words, Yu Lie immediately scoffed.
Ignoring the numerous loopholes in the other party's words, even if they were all true, Yu Lie had no intention of risking his life and outright refused.
The Daoist spoke up, "Yu Ge, say something?"
Yu Lie ignored the words, seeing the gambling house heating up again, the air thick with impurities, and he couldn't be bothered to listen to the other party's nonsense.
Clang!
Yu Lie took out a stack of crimson talismans from his bosom and slammed it on the table.
The talismans were heavy, making a loud sound, immediately drawing the attention of Gao Ji and the Daoist.
Both of them were stunned by the action, looking down at the blood-like talismans, unable to react.
Yu Lie counted the talismans, retrieved several of them from the stack back into his sleeve, then tapped the table.
"One stack of red copper talismans, totaling ten thousand coins. You count them."
Talismans were divided into different grades, with the lowest being black iron talismans, painted black, shaped like a bagua, inscribed with symbols, also known as Black Emperor talismans, one coin per piece.
The higher grade was red copper talismans, bright red in color, valued at ten coins each, also known as Red Emperor talismans.
The four talismans Yu Lie obtained in the Daoist Academy were based on red copper talismans, with additional markings, specially made by the Daoist Academy.
With so much money, Yu Lie had a way to make money and had made preparations early on; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to gather it all.
Bang!
Yu Lie continued to tap the table, startling the two, saying, "Daoist Gao, bring out the contract!"
At this moment, Gao Ji raised his head, staring strangely at Yu Lie, and let out a dry laugh, "Haha... bold! Truly worthy of a family background, now even holding a position, you must have quite the wealth!"
The Daoist beside him was staring fixedly at the pile of blood-colored talismans, his eyes almost falling on the table. He had never seen so much money before.
After a moment of shock, Gao Ji's face not only didn't show any surprise, but his smile grew wider, his mouth dripping saliva on the table.
The white temptation couldn't sway Yu Lie, Gao Ji clapped his hands, called a servant over, pointed at the talismans on the table, and said, "These belong to this guest, take them."
The servant promptly collected the talismans, reporting a precise amount, bowing, "Guest, ten thousand coins!"
The people at nearby tables were surprised to hear this, turning their heads to listen.
Then, Gao Ji took out a white paper with blood-red characters from his sleeve, waving it in front of Yu Lie, showing that it was the contract where Yu Lie had pledged his liver and lungs to the other party.
But the next moment, Gao Ji didn't hand over the contract to Yu Lie, instead placing it on the tray of the gambling house servant.
"This is mine, a contract for liver and lungs."
Gao Ji pointed at Yu Lie, grinning, "It's a bet with this young man!"
The Daoist stood by, somewhat slow to react after hearing this.
But Yu Lie immediately frowned, a cold expression in his eyes.
Gao Ji didn't care about Yu Lie's expression, stood up, patted Yu Lie's shoulder, leaned in close to his ear, and said, "You think you can get the contract back by repaying the money? You're dreaming too big! Do you think this 'Wealth Comes East' is a charity? Let me give you a hint, today, whether you repay the money or not, you'll have to participate. Otherwise, don't think our family will let you off, and the owner of the gambling house won't spare you either."
Gao Ji took out a yellow paper from the servant's sleeve, placed it in front of Yu Lie, pointing at a name on the paper.
"See clearly?"
On this yellow paper were the names of Gao Ji and Yu Lie. The latter had been added to the list of tonight's gambling match by Gao Ji, announced to many guests before the event.
And the next match would be a life and death battle between the two!