Chapter 64: Reaching the Peak  

Pika

Although Snow was not a drinker, the news that Zu An was a goner filled her with such overflowing joy that she subconsciously accepted Mei Chaofeng’s offer of wine. “I’m grateful for your help all this while. Once I’m back at the young master’s side, I’ll make sure to speak to him on your behalf.”

Mei Chaofeng laughed heartily. “Yes, may we have a pleasant partnership!”

They clinked their glasses together in celebration. Seeing this, the sect member realized his words had been misunderstood. With a voice verging on tears, he clarified nervously, “Sect master, it’s not Zu An who lost seven-and-a-half million silver taels. We are the ones who owe him that amount!”

Mei Chaofeng was in the midst of celebrating his victory when he heard those words. His hands, which had never trembled while taking the lives of others, twitched violently. The wine cup that he was holding fell to the floor, shattering into countless pieces.

Snow felt her mind go blank as well. Not even in her wildest imaginings had such a situation arisen.

“Repeat that again.” Mei Chaofeng’s expression was dreadful. His high cultivation meant it was almost impossible for him to mishear anything. Never once had he asked a subordinate to repeat a report, but what he’d heard was simply so incredible that he had to verify it once more.

“Zu An has won seven-and-a-half million silver taels in the Silverhook Casino. Master Seven has already fainted, and the brothers in the casino are at their wits’ end. Sect master, please hurry to the casino to hold down the fort!” the sect member cried out anxiously.

Mei Chaofeng found himself unable to move.

Seven-and-a-half million silver taels. Just how much money was that?

Without even considering the Plum Blossom Sect, not even the surrounding municipalities combined could earn that much money in their annual taxes!

Over! It’s all over!

Mei Chaofeng’s legs were trembling so hard that even standing upright was impossible. His body swayed, and he stumbled backwards into the chair behind him.

Snow, on the other hand, had held on to a last shred of composure. She anxiously asked the sect member, “What happened? How did Zu An earn so much money?”

The sect member was surprised to see such a ravishing young woman in the sect master’s room. Even though most of her face was concealed by a veil, her shapely figure and bewitching eyes were more than enough to hint at her beauty. However, this was no time for him to be distracted.

“He first bet all his money on ‘17’, which has a payout of 1:50. That won him fifty thousand silver taels. After that, he bet all of his money on triple-ones, and with its payout of 1:150, he won seven-and-a-half million silver taels right away.”

Mei Chaofeng finally recovered from his daze. He leaped out of the chair like a ferocious lion and grabbed the sect member by his collar. “How could that wastrel possibly win both bets? The possibility of that happening is so small... Did he cheat?”

“He didn’t!” The sect member went numb with fear. He prayed that the sect master wouldn’t snap his neck in a fit of rage. “There’s no way anyone could cheat in front of us in the Silverhook Casino. That’s why all of our brothers are spooked.”

Snow spoke. “Could it be that Chu First Miss sensed the revolutions in the dice and secretly whispered the outcome to him?”

Despite saying so, Snow didn’t really believe in that possibility. She couldn’t imagine Chu Chuyan participating in a gamble, let alone helping out that wastrel.

Mei Chaofeng shook his head adamantly. “Impossible. Our dice shakers have formations inscribed by a renowned runemaster in the capital. These formations isolate ki, preventing anyone from sensing what’s happening within the dice shakers. Even a Grandmaster wouldn’t be able to read the results of the dice shakers, let alone a fifth rank cultivator! Otherwise, casinos in this world would have long gone bankrupt by now!”

Snow sighed deeply. “There’s no point speculating here. We should hurry to the scene and take a look ourselves.”

“You’re right...” Snow’s words spurred Mei Chaofeng to shake off his lingering panic and regain his composure. “Relay my orders. All of our brothers are to follow me to the Silverhook Casino right now!”

His mind was made up.

Pay up? That’s a sum of money that I’ll never be able to fork out even if I work my entire life!

That’s seven-and-a-half million silver taels! I won’t be able to raise that much money even if I sell everything in the Plum Blossom Sect!

Mei Chaofeng had already made up his mind to default on this debt even if it meant falling out with the Chu clan.

The headquarters of the Plum Blossom Sect was not located too far away from the Silverhook Casino. Mei Chaofeng’s nervousness imparted a swiftness to his steps, and it didn’t take him long to arrive at the casino.

A huge crowd of people had already gathered outside by now. The news that someone had managed to earn seven-and-a-half million silver taels had spread like wildfire, and curious passers-by had begun gathering around the area to watch the commotion.

It took quite some effort for Mei Chaofeng to squeeze his way through the crowd. Pandemonium had broken out in the casino, and the onlookers were chanting loudly, “Pay up, pay up, pay up~”

Hoh, they have a good sense of rhythm.

Zu An was lounging in a chair that someone had brought over for him, his feet resting arrogantly on the gambling table. Someone had delivered a cup of tea to him, and more were busy massaging his back and legs. Even more outrageous, there were maids waiting on him, plucking grapes one-by-one to feed him.

This ridiculous scene left Mei Chaofeng utterly speechless. He could tell that the servants and maids attending to Zu An were reserved specially for guests in the VIP room. Why were all waiting on that wastrel?

Are you trying to start a mutiny? At least poison the goddamned grapes that you’re feeding him!

You have successfully trolled Mei Chaofeng for 400 Rage points!

Upon seeing the inflow of Rage points, Zu An waved his hands and said, “Shoo, shoo! Open up a path.”

He pushed the people closest to him aside, and found himself face-to-face with a livid Mei Chaofeng.

Zu An leisurely stretched a hand out. “You must be Sect Master Mei. Since you’re here, I’d have to ask you to hurry up and pay me my earnings. It’s seven-and-a-half million silver taels in total~” he demanded in a singsong voice.

Chu Chuyan, who had been standing off to the side with a permanent look of disdain, took several discreet steps toward Zu An. Mei Chaofeng was known to be a vicious figure who had ruled Brightmoon City’s underworld in recent years. Many innocent lives had been lost at his hands.

Zu An’s words made Mei Chaofeng’s cheeks twitch. How in the world can I raise seven-and-a-half million silver taels for you?

Zu An sighed softly at Mei Chaofeng’s silence. “Sect Master Mei, you can be considered a distinguished individual in Brightmoon City. Surely you aren't thinking of defaulting on your debt, are you? There is no shortage of eyewitnesses here.”

“Indeed! Pay up, pay up~”

The surrounding crowd took up the chant. There were so many of them right now, and Chu First Miss was here to back them up too. There was no need for them to fear the Plum Blossom Sect!

Their only regret was not betting together with Zu An. If they had, they would have made a huge killing as well.

If they could do it all over again... well, it was still unlikely that any of them would have had the guts to bet on triple-ones. The probability of that outcome was just too low.

Mei Chaofeng took a deep breath to calm himself. “There are too many people here to talk things out. Why don’t we proceed inside to discuss the matter thoroughly?”

Unexpectedly, Zu An flatly rejected his request. “I think it’s perfectly fine to discuss things here. Everyone here is so warm-hearted, and they say such pleasant words. I love it here. As the saying goes, a gentleman has nothing to hide from others. Sect Master Mei, feel free to speak here.”

You must be joking! How am I supposed to earn Rage points from everyone else if I discuss things with you in private?

Mei Chaofeng was incensed at his refusal. This bastard!

You have successfully trolled Mei Chaofeng for 631 Rage points!

“Very well. Since young master Zu wishes to talk things out here, let’s do it then.” Mei Chaofeng’s years of ruling the underworld weren’t just for show. It didn’t take long for him to adapt to the situation. “Since young master Zu’s luck is so good here, why don’t you accept another gamble?”

He wasn’t sure what was going on here, so he decided to personally make a move. Regardless of whether Plum Blossom Seven and the others had betrayed him, or if Zu An had really been that lucky, now was the time for this situation to unravel. He was confident that no one could pull any tricks with him watching.

So what if Zu An had wonseven-and-a-half million silver taels from him? He was confident that he could win it back.

Everyone thought that Plum Blossom Seven was the number one gambler in the Plum Blossom Sect, but they had forgotten the fact that it was Mei Chaofeng who had imparted the knowledge to him. Factor in the difference in cultivation as well, and there was no way Plum Blossom Seven would stand a chance against Mei Chaofeng in a gambling match.

It was only because Mei Chaofeng had risen to a high position that he had stopped managing the casino personally.

What if Mei Chaofeng lost the bet?

Firstly, Mei Chaofeng didn’t think that he would lose. Also, it was not as if losing the bet would drastically alter the current situation. What was the difference between owing Zu An seven-and-a-half million silver taels and owing him ten million silver taels? He couldn’t pay up either way.

Desperate times called for desperate measures indeed.

Chu Chuyan grew a little anxious at Mei Chaofeng’s invitation. While she could easily see through Plum Blossom Seven’s attempts at trickery, the same couldn’t be said for Mei Chaofeng. Just like her, Mei Chaofeng was a fifth rank cultivator, and he was clearly much more experienced. It was likely that his dirty tricks would go undetected by her.

She hastened over to Zu An, meaning to counsel him to turn down the offer. After all, he was a really hot-headed person. He’d even fallen for Plum Blossom Seven’s provocation so easily; it would really be the end if he recklessly accepted Mei Chaofeng’s invitation.

Surprisingly, before she could even say a word, Zu An had already turned down the invitation with a wave of his hand. “Why would I gamble with you? I have already won seven-and-a-half million silver taels! Besides, I reckon that you’d have difficulties trying to fork out the seven-and-a-half million silver taels in the first place; you wouldn’t be able to pay me even if I won anything else from you. Do you really take me for an idiot? Cut the crap and pay up! I’m itching to return home to embrace my honey in bed!”

Even if Mei Chaofeng had the money, there was no way Zu An would continue. It had been quite some time since he’d taken the Fortune Pill, and its effects were bound to fade soon.

Zu An’s words brought a relieved smile to Chu Chuyan’s lips. This fellow looks reckless, but he isn’t a fool after all.

Her mind belatedly registered his last sentence, and her smile quickly slid off her face.

You have successfully trolled Chu Chuyan for 199 Rage points!

The other gamblers who had crowded around simmered in envy. Barely half a month ago, Zu An had been a notorious wastrel that they’d looked down on. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he had won seven-and-a-half million silver taels, an unimaginable fortune! Not only that, he had somehow married such a beautiful wife. He was the literal definition of ‘winning in life’!

Of course you are proud of your accomplishments, but do you need to keep flaunting them in front of us?

Just the thought of Zu An having his way with the ravishing Chu First Miss sent blood gushing to their heads. They had merely gathered to watch the drama unfold, but they were all seized by the same sudden thought: it wouldn’t be too bad of an idea for Mei Chaofeng to strangle the life out of this darned scoundrel!

You have successfully trolled Gambler A for 77 Rage points!

You have successfully trolled Gambler B for 77 Rage points!

You have successfully trolled Gambler C for 77 Rage points!