As Horse King had said, those who played inside the inner garden were all either immensely wealthy or of high status.
The interior of the garden was naturally even more resplendent and luxurious beyond compare. All sorts of delicacies and fine wines were available for free tasting.
A circular gambling table was large enough to accommodate fifty people. At the moment, over thirty were placing bets. Each gambler had a maiden attendant by their side, responsible for serving tea and pouring wine.
An elderly man stood at the central platform, seemingly the attendant for this gambling table. However, Horse King, as an old patron of this gambling garden, knew clearly that the old man was not merely a table attendant. He was the manager of this gambling garden, addressed by everyone as Elder Li.
Seeing Elder Li personally serving as the table attendant, Horse King knew the gamblers at this table were likely extraordinary.
He glanced around and, sure enough, the over thirty gamblers at the table were either elders from minor secret realms, stewards from major secret realms, or young nobles from immortal clans. Without exception, they were all people for whom money was no object. Among them were two from their own Jinnwu Secret Realm: one was a steward of the Jinnwu Secret Realm, and the other was the young noble of the Li family, an immortal clan within the Jinnwu Secret Realm—Li Fengyan.
"Well, if it isn't our Jinnwu Secret Realm's Big Fool Ma."
Li Fengyan sat sideways in his chair, an alluring maiden attendant nestled in his arms. He tilted his head slightly and, upon seeing Horse King, spoke with utter disdain, "I say, Big Fool Ma, with the paltry Immortal Stones you have on you, you dare come here to play? Can you even afford it?"
"Apologies, Young Lord Li. Today, it's not me who's here to play."
The family behind Li Fengyan was one of the nine immortal clans that governed the Jinnwu Secret Realm. Someone like Horse King, with no family background or connections, couldn't afford to provoke him. He said, "I'm just accompanying my brother here."
"Your brother?"
Only then did the gazes of the crowd fall upon Gu Qingfeng. Seeing that he had no cultivation or aura whatsoever, they found it very strange. After all, in the Great Desolate, a place where one could become an immortal upon birth, encountering a mortal of flesh and blood was not easy.
"This is indeed a rare sight today. A mere mortal of flesh and blood actually wants to play a few rounds."
"There's no rule here that says mortals can't play a few rounds, is there?"
Gu Qingfeng showed no hesitation, directly taking an empty seat.
"Oh?"
The people at the gambling table were no ordinary lot. Their experience and discernment were far beyond those of the common gamblers outside. They clearly understood that since Steward Zhu Guang had brought this mortal here, it at least meant he had the financial means.
Li Fengyan asked disdainfully, "And who might you be?"
At this moment, Zhu Guang introduced, "This is Young Lord Tuhao. Just now, outside, he wagered eighty thousand Immortal Stones on a single bet for Four Points and won a massive four million."
Hearing this, everyone was first startled, then couldn't help but laugh, especially Li Fengyan, who laughed with great contempt. "So I thought he was some extraordinary figure, but it turns out he's just another nouveau riche. Young Lord Tuhao?
Tsk tsk...
I must say, the name truly suits him."
"Young Lord Fengyan, this old man dares not agree with that statement."
One of the elderly men stared at Gu Qingfeng and said, "Although this young lord appears unremarkable, a mortal of flesh and blood with no cultivation aura, seemingly an ordinary human, the calm and composed demeanor he exudes in his speech and bearing is not something a nouveau riche could possess. As for 'Tuhao,' heh, it's likely just an alias."
The old man's words gained agreement from many. They also believed that just based on the calm composure exuded by this Young Lord Tuhao, he was definitely not simply a nouveau riche.
"Calm and composed demeanor?
Heh."
Li Fengyan laughed. "How come this young lord can't see any such composure on him?"
"What composure or not? To be honest with everyone, I am a thoroughbred nouveau riche. Otherwise, how could I live up to the name 'Tuhao'?"
Gu Qingfeng snapped his fingers and said, "Miss, I heard the fine wine here is free for the taking, right?"
The maiden attendant beside him nodded and asked, "Young Lord, shall I bring you a pot first?"
"A pot isn't enough. Bring a dozen or twenty jars to start."
The maiden attendant was somewhat at a loss, unsure how to respond, because no one had ever asked for a dozen or twenty jars right off the bat. This was too extreme.
Zhu Guang stepped forward and said, "Young Lord, although the fine wine here is complimentary, it is only for consumption within the garden. It cannot be taken out."
"Did I say I wanted to take it out?"
"Young Lord, how about this: I'll have a pot of wine brought for you first. If it's not enough, the attendant will promptly bring a second pot."
"That would trouble her too much."
"Young Lord, rest assured, the attendants in the garden are here to serve you."
"Fine, let's do it that way then. Don't just stand there, bring a pot for me to taste first."
Watching this scene, the other gamblers at the table were somewhat puzzled.
Judging from Gu Qingfeng's speech and bearing earlier, he hadn't seemed like a nouveau riche. But now, seeing him demand a dozen or twenty jars of fine wine in one breath, he did seem to have a bit of that nouveau riche air.
Who asks for a dozen jars of fine wine as soon as they arrive?
Had he not tasted fine wine for several lifetimes?
Or was he planning to drink his fill in one go because the wine was complimentary?
That was really lacking in class.
Had they misjudged him?
Everyone was perplexed.
"A nouveau riche is just a nouveau riche, unfit for decent company."
Li Fengyan shook his head with a scornful laugh, not even bothering to pay him any further attention.
The maiden attendant brought a pot of fine wine and poured a cup for Gu Qingfeng. Without a word, Gu Qingfeng threw his head back and drained it in one gulp, then looked at the gambling table.
The game was no different from the open tables outside—still dice, betting on big/small, odd/even. The only differences were perhaps the table was larger, the bets were higher, and the dice cup and dice were also not small.
"Gentlemen, please place your bets."
Elder Li, standing inside the circular gambling table, raised his hand in invitation.
Everyone began placing their bets. True to their status as the wealthy and noble, their moves were incredibly lavish—not three or five thousand, but seven or eight thousand. Li Fengyan was even more extravagant, casually tossing out a hundred thousand chips.
Horse King, who had entered the garden, had become much more subdued. Outside, he dared to shout and make a scene, but inside here he did not, as everyone present was, more or less, a figure of some standing in the Dual-Pole Heavenly Domain.
In contrast, Gu Qingfeng, faced with so many important figures, was no different from when he was outside. He still sat casually in his chair, legs crossed, sipping his wine. There was no stage fright, no nervousness, no fear—only an indescribable leisurely comfort.
This made Horse King admire him all the more and increasingly convinced that Gu Qingfeng must have been a major figure who had seen the world in his past.
"Before coming here, I thought you all played for big stakes. Turns out it's only this much."
Gu Qingfeng's indifferent voice came through. Everyone's brows furrowed slightly. Li Fengyan was even more disdainful. "Nothing but a nouveau riche, yet his tone is small!"
"If my tone weren't big, would I dare call myself 'Tuhao'?"
Gu Qingfeng placed the four million Immortal Stone chips in front of him, directly pushed out a portion of the chips, and said with a playful smile, "Let's start with a million to get a taste."