Why was that bastard here?
Seeing the man above, Sha Lifei's face twitched, and he took several steps back.
This man was Yuan Qu, chief of the White Ape Gang.
He had been born with a bizarre appearance, and his mother had been an unlicensed streetwalker. Enduring no shortage of torment and bullying from childhood, he had knocked about the streets and picked up all sorts of vicious, underhanded methods.
At a young age, people had dubbed him the "Monkey Demon."
Unlike the chief of the Iron Saber Gang, everything Yuan Qu knew came from gutter brawling. Even after apprenticing under Zhou Pan, and despite possessing decent talent, he had begun training late in life. Worse still, he had indulged in wine and women until his foundation was ruined, leaving him barely able to attain hidden jin.
Though his martial arts ranked at the very bottom among the Eight Great Vajras, his reputation was not a whit inferior—he was notorious for having a belly full of bad water.
East City was the White Ape Gang's territory. Yet behind this gambling house, rumor had it, was a young master from Chang'an City. Even the yamen dared not come here to shake anyone down, so the White Ape Gang naturally stayed away.
Sha Lifei had deliberately picked this place, never imagining he would still bump into Yuan Qu. He could not help cursing his rotten luck.
At the same time, a burly man beside Yuan Qu whispered a few words into his ear. Yuan Qu instantly broke into a sinister, chilly smile. "Connected to that kid? Go, bring him back for a chat…"
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Hearing that, Sha Lifei immediately hollered, "Zhou Pan's disciples and grand-disciples are trying to play dirty tricks before the match! Brothers of the jianghu, you're all seeing this with your own eyes!"
"Damn it, you're courting death!" Yuan Qu's eyes turned vicious in an instant.
Right then, another person stepped out from the room. It was an elderly man dressed in squire's robes—short, plump, with a white beard and a smiling, benevolent face.
Stroking his beard, he said with a chuckle, "Over such a minor character, why work yourself into a temper, Chief Yuan?
"Besides, this is the Jinbao Gambling House. The man was merely a bit loud, but he hasn't broken any rules. If Chief Yuan starts shouting about beating and killing, it will be hard for this old man to explain to my superiors…"
His words sounded polite, but gave Yuan Qu no face whatsoever.
Sha Lifei nodded vigorously. "That's right, that's right! I was born with a booming voice. What, is having a loud voice reason to get beaten?"
The old man stroked his beard and laughed. "In a gambling house, whose voice isn't loud? As long as our guests enjoy themselves, they can shout however they please.
"If a guest wants to bet on the match, this old man happens to be interested as well.
"A'fu, hang the boards!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a cold-faced man stepped out from behind the old man. Resting one palm against the railing, he cleared it and executed a clean, stable front flip to the ground.
His body did not waver, his breath did not hitch, and his feet made not the slightest sound upon landing.
"Splendid skill!"
There were many jianghu figures in the gambling house, and they all erupted in cheers.
Without a change in expression, the man cupped his hands to the crowd. He then walked to the main platform at the rear of the hall, took down two wooden boards, and with swift, flourishing strokes wrote the names "Li Yan" and "Zhou Bai," along with their odds.
Li Yan wins: bet one to win one.
Zhou Bai wins: bet one to win half.
By this point, Yuan Qu had regained his composure. With a skin-deep smile, he said, "Boss Wu, aren't you keeping the stakes a bit small…?"
He had caught wind of news that the backing behind the Jinbao Gambling House had fallen into misfortune, which was why he had rushed over in a hurry to discuss buying it out before someone else snatched the prize.
Who would have thought this shopkeeper would reject him outright and even give him trouble?
Though infuriated, Yuan Qu did not want to tear down all pretense just yet, lest unexpected complications arose and made the mess impossible to clean up.
After all, what he was doing was already close to looting a burning house.
Shopkeeper Wu maintained his kindly smile. "Just joining in the fun to keep the guests happy. What, does Chief Yuan care to play a hand as well?"
Yuan Qu was about to decline, but his eyes darted around, and he suddenly chuckled. "If Shopkeeper Wu wants to play, Yuan will naturally keep you company.
"I'll wager two thousand taels. Does Shopkeeper Wu dare take it?"
Shopkeeper Wu's smile never slipped. With a wave of his hand, an attendant below swiftly wrote out a betting slip, dashed up the stairs, and respectfully presented it with both hands.
"Chief Yuan has grandeur!"
"Shopkeeper Wu is generous!"
After that exchange of words, seeing that Shopkeeper Wu refused to get angry, Yuan Qu shifted his target to Sha Lifei down below. He sneered, "Big fellow, since you have such confidence in that boy, how much do you plan to wager?"
Though timid at heart, Sha Lifei puffed out his chest and patted it firmly. "Little Brother Yan will definitely win! Old Sha will naturally bet my entire family fortune!"
With that, he pulled a heavy purse from his robes, walked to the rear, and slapped it down onto the counter.
The clerk keeping the ledger was initially startled, but upon carefully opening the pouch, his expression turned deeply peculiar.
Most of it consisted of copper coins, with barely a few bits of broken silver.
Left speechless, the clerk quickly counted the money and called out, "Guest places a bet totaling nineteen taels and five qian…"
Before he could finish, Sha Lifei reached into the pile, took back one tael of silver, and muttered, "Almost forgot, I need to keep some meal money."
Resigned, the clerk called again, "Eighteen taels and five qian!"
"Hahaha!"
In an instant, the entire gambling house roared with laughter.
Even Yuan Qu could not keep from smirking, jeering, "You pauper, acting all grand in a place like this. How about I lend you a few hundred taels to play with?"
"No need!"
Sha Lifei was thick-skinned and did not care in the least about their mockery. Tucking away his betting slip without another word, he headed straight for the exit.
Having knocked about the jianghu for so long, how could he fall for such a trap?
If he lost the money on him, at worst he would start over from scratch. But borrowing money from scoundrels like these would mean a fate worse than death.
The customary practice of lending nine and demanding thirteen in return was considered abiding by the rules.
Certain ruffians made a living entirely off such schemes. When the time drew near, they would make a racket at your doorstep every day, refusing to leave without extorting some spending money—which they would never credit against the interest, claiming it as 'tea money' or 'running fees.'
Many small shopkeepers were driven mad by such harassment.
Of course, those tactics were reserved for ordinary folk.
When dealing with people of the jianghu, they would specifically seek out someone afflicted with consumption and on the verge of death to come knocking, pestering relentlessly.
If the jianghu man lost his temper and beat the wretch to death, he would fall squarely into their trap.
When that happened, corrupt yamen clerks would join in, like two ghosts pounding at the door, making your life a living hell.
Besides, there was already bad blood between them; Sha Lifei would naturally be on his guard.
The moment he stepped through the doors of the gambling house, he took to his heels, vanishing in a flash…
Inside the gambling house, seeing that Sha Lifei had refused to bite, Yuan Qu lost interest. He turned his head to the shopkeeper beside him and said in an undertone, "Shopkeeper Wu, you should think it over again.
"The price I offered is low, but it is real gold and silver. If things really come to that pass, there will be more than one person looking to trap a white wolf with empty hands!"
With a slight smile, he turned and departed.
Behind him, Shopkeeper Wu's smile remained unchanged, but his gaze turned dark and deep…
Meanwhile, in the gambling hall, the Flower Gate cheat in white robes rolled his eyes and hollered loudly, "Oho! A life-and-death match—betting on human lives is far more thrilling!
"Zhou Bai is the pillar of the Zhou family's next generation. Bet on him and you walk away with fifty percent profit. If you want to play big, bet on Li Yan, and your silver doubles in no time!
"Where else will you find such a deal? First come, first served!
"What, short on silver? Come find me…"
Among the people of the jianghu, some grew more terrified of death the older they got, but far more were desperate gamblers who carried their heads tucked into their waistbands. Immediately, people began scraping together silver to place their bets.
Gathered here were cart drivers from carriage houses, dock laborers from the Canal Gang, brokers hustling through the city, and even outlaws concealing their tracks.
Dragons and snakes mingled together; every sort of person was present.
And news of this martial contest quickly spread across Xianyang City…
……
On the other side, White Ape Gang Chief Yuan Qu had just stepped out of the gambling house when a henchman stepped forward, bowing his head. "Chief, that Sha Lifei is slick as grease. He ran off."
"Let him run. He isn't important."
Yuan Qu shook his head and said in a heavy voice, "What did your inquiries turn up?"
The man lowered his voice. "We found out. That kid visited the Zhang Martial Arts School. After he left, Zhang Yuanshang started making arrangements.
"However, they sparred behind closed doors, so our people couldn't see."
"Is that so…"
Yuan Qu fell into thought, then muttered grimly, "I'm afraid this matter isn't completely safe. Go fetch Mister Chen, and track down Zhou Bai. I'm making a trip to Master's place."
With that order, the men split into three groups and took their leave.
……
Yuan Qu led his men to the front of a grand mansion in the west of the city. Ordering his subordinates to wait outside, he respectfully had someone announce him.
"Is the Venerable Master in?"
"He is. Martial Uncle Yuan, please enter."
Not long after entering the estate, Yuan Qu emerged again.
Trailing behind him came a carriage.
Upon the carriage rested an enormous iron cage draped in red cloth, clanging and rattling incessantly, accompanied by suppressed, feral roars…
Chapter 42