Immortal Cage - Chapter 44 Tempting Opportunity
After taking back his IOU, Yu Lie walked straight out of the money house gambling hall.
On the way, he carefully inspected the IOU, confirming it was the one he had signed, then immediately tore it up, tucked it into his pocket, planning to burn it when he got back.
However, just as he was about to step out of the money house gates, a money house attendant suddenly flashed in front of Yu Lie.
"Guest, please wait!" The attendant bowed, smiling warmly, inviting Yu Lie to follow him to a side room.
Yu Lie halted his steps, his gaze slightly cold, chuckling, "What is it? Is your boss looking for me?"
The attendant shook his head in response, "No, it's a distinguished guest in the hall who wishes to meet you, hoping to have a conversation."
Yu Lie was slightly taken aback, squinting his eyes. He thought it might be because of his high-interest gambling that he had offended the gambling hall, or perhaps some other reason, but it turned out it wasn't the gambling hall looking for him, but someone else.
"A distinguished guest?"
After a brief thought, Yu Lie spoke, "Lead the way."
Regardless of whether it was the gambling hall owner or a distinguished guest, Yu Lie couldn't afford to offend them for now. Instead of avoiding them, he decided to meet them face to face, better to be prepared for whatever was to come.
Before returning the money to the money house, Yu Lie had already mentioned to Radish Head and others that he would only repay the interest.
The attendant immediately led the way, saying, "Please!"
This time, the path inside the shop was different from the one led by Single Dao Tong. Not only were there no miserable cries, even the floor of the corridor was polished, with exquisite decorations on both sides, porcelain fruits emitting a faint fragrance.
In no time, they arrived in front of a warm room. Before Yu Lie could even see the fireplace, a wave of warmth hit his face, making him feel comfortable.
The attendant lifted the red beaded curtain, saying, "Distinguished guest, shopkeeper, the guest has arrived."
As soon as Yu Lie bent down to enter, he felt a chill run through his body, as if experiencing a sudden change in temperature, but it quickly disappeared, much like the feeling he had when he entered the book depository.
Next, Yu Lie distinctly felt several pairs of eyes quietly assessing him.
Yu Lie calmed his mind and looked towards the opposite side.
A diminutive figure resembling an old woman, a doll-like child, and a servant-like elderly man stood behind the child.
The three of them gazed at Yu Lie.
Yu Lie greeted them with a nod and asked, "May I ask what brings you to me?"
The old woman-like figure first, with a stern face, spoke, "Hehe! Young man, you've repaid today's debt, directly causing my attendant to lose face, quite bold of you."
Yu Lie assessed the other party, raising an eyebrow slightly, realizing that the person in front of him might be the mastermind behind the gambling hall, or at least a figure similar to the elder at the Danfang. Yu Lie remained composed and replied with a smile:
"Shopkeeper, that's not entirely accurate. I am a guest here. In just a few months, I've helped your shop earn thousands of coins. Isn't that considered taking care of your business? As for the high-interest friend, you have a discerning eye, surely you can judge accurately, naturally making the right decisions."
The old woman chuckled, her face suddenly changing to a nauseating expression, smiling:
"Well said! I've been running a pawnshop in this town for thirty years, and discipline is the most important thing. Without discipline, there's no order. How can we let our attendants bully guests who come to repay their debts!"
"Today's lesson for the guest! If it weren't for your reminder, I wouldn't have known that my subordinates were daring to control the gambling tables recklessly."
"Hmph!" The old woman smiled coldly, showing her teeth, "A bunch of incompetent fools! It seems I need to discipline them and clean up the house."
Yu Lie listened to the old woman's words with skepticism.
He didn't believe that the other party was unaware of the situation in the gambling hall. Otherwise, where did all those gambling experts come from? At most, this person might have known but didn't care, and then was taken advantage of by the high-interest Dao Tong.
However, Yu Lie still flattered the old woman, "Shopkeeper has a discerning eye!"
The old woman smiled and waved her hand, "That's enough talk. I've disturbed the young master enough. Today, it's not me looking for the guest, it's this distinguished guest!"
She quickly made way for Yu Lie to see the doll-like child next to her.
Only then did Yu Lie notice that while he was conversing with the old woman, the child on the recliner was staring intently at him, looking curious.
The eyes of the elderly servant next to the doll were sharp, as if trying to strip Yu Lie down with his gaze.
Before Yu Lie could speak, the elderly servant bluntly said, "The person has arrived, shopkeeper, you should step aside first."
The old woman smiled, her face stiffening at the words, but she immediately fiddled with her scarf, "Alright, alright, I won't disturb the young master's business!" She covered her mouth, walked out of the warm room, and considerately closed the door behind her.
Creak, the warm room instantly fell silent, the red light shining, the fragrance piling up thickly.
The bloody gambling fight outside the window continued, but no sound could be heard.
Yu Lie looked at the two men in front of him, not knowing their intentions, so he simply clasped his hands and waited.
The sinister old servant suddenly sneered, "Yu Lie, a descendant of the Yu family in Qian County, illegitimate, once used his liver and lungs as collateral, borrowed money to eliminate demons in the town, now a lower-level Dao Tong... Tsk tsk, in just a few months, you've completed the second transformation."
Upon hearing the other party recite his information one by one, Yu Lie immediately realized that he had just completed the "Ferocious as a Wolf" transformation.
His pupils contracted instantly.
Next, Yu Lie felt the light in front of him dim, and the old servant, in the blink of an eye, took six or seven steps, making it impossible for Yu Lie's naked eye to catch up, appearing in front of Yu Lie as if in a trance.
However, the old servant did not show hostility. He looked at Yu Lie calmly, his coldness fading, appreciating Yu Lie's composure, and asked, "What kind of cultivation technique do you practice?"
Yu Lie realized that this old servant might not just be a Dao Tong but could be a figure at the level of an eighth-grade Dao Disciple! Lowering his gaze, Yu Lie took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:
"Nine Poison Refining Organ Guiding Technique, a poison cultivation technique."
Yu Lie had obtained the technique from the book depository and had to record each one. This information was supposed to be kept confidential for ordinary people, but if the other party truly wanted to inquire, it wouldn't be difficult.
The old servant pondered, "So it's a poison technique, no wonder you've progressed so quickly."
The man's interest grew, pointing outside the window, he asked, "From what I see now, in that previous gambling fight, even if you were at a disadvantage, there was a good chance you could have killed the opponent, vented your anger, and earned ten thousand coins... Why didn't you gamble?"
Yu Lie pondered for a moment and simply said, "It's unnecessary. Gambling fights are risky after all, not worth it, and could further offend people."
"Hahaha!" The old servant, upon hearing Yu Lie's response, became thoroughly delighted:
"A wise young Dao Tong, in such a dangerous place as Heishui Town, where not fighting means death, practicing a poison technique, yet still understanding the principle of 'why take risks,' knowing when to advance and retreat."
The old servant turned to the doll-like child behind him and bowed, "Young master, your book attendant has found a candidate again, this one is quite promising, perhaps he could even become the leader of your Dao soldiers in the future."
The doll-like child, upon hearing the old servant's words, immediately showed a happy expression on his face.
Despite being obese and struggling to get up, the doll-like child managed to get off the chair and reached out towards Yu Lie, as if trying to mimic a bow.
Upon hearing the old servant's words, Yu Lie was momentarily stunned.
In his mind, a spark of inspiration flashed, immediately thinking of the information he had leaked to High Interest before, a thought emerged: "Could it be that High Interest wants to win consecutively to gain the favor and appreciation of this person?"
Sure enough, the next moment, the sinister old servant said again:
"Young Master, I can ensure that you leave Heishui Town today. I can also provide you with resources and opportunities to advance as a Dao Disciple, as well as the chance to go to Jinzhou City to study Daoist methods..."
The old servant continued, promising various conditions, but Yu Lie only heard the first three, feeling a thunderous explosion in his mind, as if struck by lightning.
Leaving a remote and barbaric place like Heishui Town was the lifelong dream of the town's Dao Tong! The reason why Yu Lie had accelerated his cultivation and practiced poison techniques was to hope to advance as a Dao Disciple within thirty years, giving him a chance to leave Heishui Town.
But this was only a possibility, considering he had delayed for more than a decade, and in the end, to advance as a Dao Disciple, he still had to pass through the trial of death!
As for going to Jinzhou City to study Dao, that was even more unimaginable, as in Yu Lie's own family, only one or two generations had achieved that.
Yu Lie looked at the doll-like child bowing on the recliner and thought to himself:
"This is a wealthy family!"