Chapter 64: Reaching the Peak
Snow was not a drinker, but the overflowing joy from learning that Zu An was a goner still made her subconsciously accept Mei Chaofeng's offered 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!"
Watching as the duo before him was clinking their glasses together in celebration, the sect member finally understood that his words had been misunderstood. With an almost tearful voice, he clarified nervously, "Sect master, it's not Zu An who lost 7,500,000 silver taels. We are the ones who owe him 7,500,000 silver taels!"
Mei Chaofeng was in the midst of celebrating his victory when he heard those words. Those hands that had never trembled while taking the lives of others jolted sharply, causing a wine cup to fall to the ground and shatter into pieces.
Snow also found her mind blanking out too. Even with her wildest imaginations, she couldn't begin to fathom how things had come to this point.
"Repeat that again." Mei Chaofeng's complexion looked incredibly awful. Given his high cultivation, it was almost impossible for him to mishear anything. Never once had he asked his subordinate to report a single matter twice, but what he was hearing was simply too inconceivable that he had to verify it once more.
"Zu An has won 7,500,000 silver taels in the Silverhook Casino. Master Seven has already fainted, and the brothers in the casino are in a complete fluster. Sect master, please hurry to the casino to hold the fort!" the sect member cried out anxiously.
Mei Chaofeng found himself petrified in place.
7,500,000 silver taels. Just how much money was that?
Putting aside the Plum Blossom Sect, even the nearby municipalities combined didn't earn that much money in their annual taxes!
Over! It's all over!
Mei Chaofeng found his legs trembling so hard that even remaining standing was difficult. With a slight sway, he stumbled back onto the chair behind him.
Snow, on the other hand, was still a little calmer. She anxiously asked the sect member, "What's going on? How could Zu An earn so much money?"
The sect member was a little surprised to see that there was such a ravishing young woman in the sect master's room. Even though her face was concealed by a veil, her shapely figure and eyes were more than enough to hint at her beauty. However, this was no time for him to be appreciating the looks of another person.
"He first staked all of his money on 17 points, which has a payout ratio of 1:50, earning him 50,000 silver taels. After that, he betted all of his money on triple 1, and with its payout ratio of 1:150, he won 7,500,000 silver taels right away."
Mei Chaofeng finally recovered from his daze. As if a ferocious lion, he leaped out of the chair, bolted forward, and grabbed the sect member by his collar. "How could that wastrel possibly get it right? The possibility of it happening is so small… Did he cheat?"
"He didn't!" The sect member found his entire body turning numb in fear. He was afraid that the sect master would snap his neck in a fit of rage. "No one would possibly be able to cheat before us in the Silverhook Casino. That's why all of our brothers are spooked by this matter."
It was then that Snow spoke up, "Could it be that First Miss Chu has sensed the revolutions in the dices and secretly whispered the answer to him?"
To be honest, Snow didn't really believe that to be the case either. She couldn't imagine Chu Chuyan participating in a gamble, let alone helping that wastrel.
Mei Chaofeng shook his head adamantly. "Impossible. Our dice shakers have formations inscribed by a renowned runemaster in the capital. It's able to isolate ki, preventing anyone from peeking into 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 and said, "There's no point speculating here. We should hurry to the scene and take a look ourselves."
"You're right…" Mei Chaofeng was still a little panicked a moment ago, but Snow's words allowed him to regain his composure a little. "Relay my orders. All of our brothers are to follow me to the Silverhook Casino right now!"
He had already made up his mind.
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 7,500,000 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 shirk off this debt even if he had to fall out with the Chu clan.
The Plum Blossom Sect's headquarters wasn't too far away from the Silverhook Casino. The anxious Mei Chaofeng flitted all the way there, so it didn't take him long to arrive at the casino.
A huge crowd of people had already gathered outside by now. Upon hearing that someone had managed to earn 7,500,000 silver taels, the curious passers-by began gathering around the area to watch the commotion.
It took quite a bit of effort for Mei Chaofeng to squeeze his way through. A pandemonium had already broke out in the casino by now, and the onlookers were chanting loudly, "Pay up, pay up, pay up~"
Hoh, they have a good sense of rhythm.
Zu An was currently sitting leisurely on a chair that someone had moved here for him, and his legs were resting arrogantly on the gambling table. The surrounding crowd had delivered a cup of tea to him, and some of them were massaging his back and legs. What was even more exaggerated was that there were maids around plucking grapes out one by one to feed him.
Mei Chaofeng was rendered utterly speechless at that sight. He could tell that those servants and maids serving Zu An at the moment were reserved specially for guests in the VIP room, and yet, they were all waiting on that wastrel?
Are you trying to start a mutiny here? At least poison the goddamned grapes he's eating!
Upon seeing the inflow of Rage points, Zu An waved his hands and said, "Shoo shoo, open up a way."
He pushed the people before him aside and found himself looking face-to-face with a livid Mei Chaofeng.
"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 7,500,000 silver taels in total~" Zu An stretched his hand forth and demanded.
Chu Chuyan was still standing by one side with a look of disdain subconsciously walked a little closer to Zu An. Mei Chaofeng was known to be a vicious figure who had ruled over Brightmoon City's underworld in the recent years. Many innocent lives had been lost in his hands.
Zu An's words made Mei Chaofeng's cheeks twitch. How in the world can I raise 7,500,000 silver taels for you?
Seeing how Mei Chaofeng wasn't saying a word at all, Zu An sighed softly and continued, "Sect Master Mei, you can be considered a distinguished individual in Brightmoon City. Surely you aren't thinking of shirking off your debt, are you? You should know that there are a lot of eyewitnesses here."
"Indeed! Pay up, pay up~"
The surrounding crowd cheered loudly. There were so many of them around right now, and First Miss Chu was here to back them up too. There was no need for them to fear the Plum Blossom Sect here!
Their only regret was not betting together with Zu An, or else they would have made a huge killing too.
If they could do it all over again… well, it was still unlikely that any of them would have the guts to bet on triple 1, which had an extremely low chance of rolling out.
Mei Chaofeng first took in a deep breath to calm himself down before saying, "There are too many people here to talk things out. Why don't we proceed inward to discuss the matter thoroughly?"
Yet, who could have thought that Zu An would turn down his request. "I think it's perfectly fine to discuss things here. Everyone is so warm-hearted here, and they say 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 with me! How am I supposed to earn Rage points from everyone else if I discuss things with you in private?
On the other hand, Mei Chaofeng didn't expect Zu An to snub his request. This bastard!
"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 him long for him to adjust his state of mind. "Since young master Zu's luck is so good here, why don't you have another gamble?"
He wasn't sure what was going on here. Regardless of whether Plum Blossom Seven and the others had betrayed him or that Zu An was really that lucky, it all would unravel now that he was going to make a move personally. He was confident that no one could pull any tricks before him.
Just like how Zu An had won 7,500,000 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 forgot the fact that it was Mei Chaofeng who had imparted the knowledge to him. On top of that, if one were to consider the difference in cultivation as well, there was no way Plum Blossom Seven would stand a chance against Mei Chaofeng in a gambling match.
It was just that Mei Chaofeng had risen to a position where he didn't have to manage the casino personally anymore.
What if Mei Chaofeng lost the bet?
For one, Mei Chaofeng didn't think that he would lose. Also, it was not as if anything would change if he were to lose the bet. What was the difference between owing 7,500,000 silver taels and 10,000,000 silver taels? He couldn't pay up anyway.
Desperate times call for desperate measures indeed.
Upon hearing Mei Chaofeng's invitation, Chu Chuyan grew a little anxious. She could ensure that Plum Blossom Seven wasn't able to pull anything before her, but the same didn't apply for Mei Chaofeng. Just like her, Mei Chaofeng was a rank five cultivator, and he was clearly much more experienced than her. It was likely that she wouldn't be able to see through him if he were to resort to dirty tricks.
So, she immediately walked over to Zu An to remind him not to accept the bet. After all, the latter was a really hot-headed person. He even fell for Plum Blossom Seven's provocation so easily; it would really be the end if he were to accept Mei Chaofeng's invitation in a spur of recklessness.
Surprisingly, before she could say a word, Zu An had already waved his hand to turn down the invitation. "Why would I gamble with you? I have already won 7,500,000 silver taels! Besides, I reckon that you'd have difficulties trying to fork out the 7,500,000 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 still waiting to return home to embrace my honey in bed!"
Even if Mei Chaofeng had the money, he wouldn't continue gambling anymore. Quite a while had passed since he ate the Fortune Pill, so it was almost time for its effects to run out.
Zu An's words brought a relieved smile to Chu Chuyan. This fellow looks reckless, but he isn't a fool after all.
However, she soon heard the latter half of Zu An's sentence and her smile immediately froze on the spot.
Meanwhile, the gamblers gathered around were starting to feel deeply envious too. It was just half a month ago that Zu An was still a wastrel that they looked down on. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he suddenly won 7,500,000 silver taels, a wealth that they dared not even imagine! Not to mention, he even married such a beautiful wife. This was the literal definition of 'winner in life'!
I know that you are gleeful about it, but do you need to keep flaunting it before us?
Just the thought of Zu An having his way with the ravishing Chu First Miss sent their blood gushing into their heads. They were just here to watch the commotion, but all of a sudden, they felt that it wouldn't be too bad of an idea for Mei Chaofeng to strangle the neck of that darned scoundrel.
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