Inside the luxurious and extravagant gambling house.
Nearly all the gamblers had stopped their games, gathering around to watch the spectacle.
Truth be told, such incidents weren't rare. At the very least, people got beaten up in the gambling house every other day. Forget beatings—killing, alchemy, bloodletting, and soul extraction weren't unusual here either.
After all, a gambling den was a gambling den, especially one belonging to the Crimson-Letter Sect.
No matter your status, once you came here, you had to abide by the Crimson-Letter Sect's rules.
If you lost, you had to admit it. Once you admitted it, you had to accept punishment. When getting beaten, you stood straight; when being punished, you bore it.
If the ones being beaten today were anyone else, the gamblers present wouldn't have been so interested in watching the show. But the ones being beaten were precisely those two second-generation rich kids, Bai Yuanrui and Jin Jun. Almost everyone knew that Bai Yuanrui had the Spirit-Capital Sect as his powerful backer, while Jin Jun was a young master of the Illusory Sea Jin Clan. The Spirit-Capital Sect was one of the top major sects in the Liujin Region, and the Illusory Sea Jin Clan was one of the top major families in the Liujin Region.
As the old saying goes, when beating a dog, you still have to consider its master.
Even though Bai Yuanrui and Jin Jun had lost their gamble, no one present dared to do anything to them, let alone lay a hand on them. Doing so might be safe within Crimson-Letter Mountain Villa, but once you left the villa, your life was no longer guaranteed.
The crowd murmured amongst themselves, all speculating about the identity of the white-robed man.
No one had seen him before.
No one knew him.
They didn't even know his name.
He just sat there with his legs crossed, sipping his wine, tilting his head slightly, and squinting his eyes as he watched.
In the center of the hall.
Bai Yuanrui and Jin Jun knelt on the ground, crying for their fathers and mothers, cursing, shouting, roaring, and bellowing. But it was useless. The two couldn't move; they could only kneel and endure Fei Kui's heavy slaps.
Time passed bit by bit. Fei Kui slapped them, one palm strike after another. No one knew how many slaps he had delivered. Bai Yuanrui and Jin Jun were no longer the arrogant, domineering second-generation rich kids from before. Their hair was disheveled, their faces swollen, and blood seeped from their ears, noses, and mouths.
The two had been beaten terribly, their teeth even knocked out. Fei Kui also seemed to have tired himself out, his arms sore and his strikes growing weaker. Finally, he couldn't go on any longer. He turned around, panting heavily, and said, "Young Lord, this humble one... this humble one can't go on..."
Gu Qingfeng glanced at him and asked, "Are you satisfied now?"
"Satisfied... very satisfied."
Fei Kui was satisfied. Though his entire body was exhausted, his heart felt incomparably elated. Having cultivated for decades with no background, no exceptional talent, low cultivation, and a somewhat short, ugly appearance, Fei Kui had endured humiliation all along. In all his life, this was the first time he felt he had dignity.
*Thump!*
Bai Yuanrui and Jin Jun could suddenly move again, though neither knew why. But at this moment, the two were beaten dizzy, stars dancing before their eyes as they lay sprawled on the ground, howling in agony.
To the side, Elder Yan had been silently watching. Normally, if he encountered such a situation, he would have spoken up to mediate a couple of sentences. But this time, he did not. He didn't utter a single word, his brows furrowed in deep thought as if trying to guess the identity of this white-robed man.
Suddenly, when his gaze met the white-robed man's eyes, Elder Yan's heart inexplicably trembled. The feeling was like plummeting into an endless dark abyss in an instant, enveloped by a sense of dread.
Why was this?
Elder Yan didn't understand and didn't dare to ask further.
Just then, the white-robed man's voice came: "Are you the manager here?"
"Hmm?"
Elder Yan nodded and replied, "This old man is indeed. May I ask what instructions the Young Lord has?"
Gu Qingfeng picked up an exquisite wine pot from the gambling table, weighing it in his hand. "Where did this wine come from?"
The wine was complimentary from the gambling house. Gu Qingfeng had been drinking it since he entered. He asked not because the wine was particularly delicious, but because this wine reminded him of an old acquaintance.
But his question left Elder Yan somewhat baffled. What did he mean, where did the wine come from? Everyone knew it was the gambling house's wine. Was there even a need to ask?
Of course, puzzled as he was, Elder Yan still responded, "This wine was specially brewed by someone our Mountain Villa commissioned. It's called 'Water Cloud.'"
"Water Cloud..." Gu Qingfeng murmured the name, then asked, "Who did you commission to brew it?"
"Our Manor Lord commissioned someone. As for who exactly... this old man does not know."
Gu Qingfeng nodded and didn't press further. After a moment's thought, he said, "Do you still have this kind of wine here?"
"Yes."
"Get me some."
"May I ask how much the Young Lord requires?"
"The more, the better. Start with eighty or a hundred jars."
Hearing "eighty or a hundred jars," Elder Yan's mouth twitched involuntarily. He then summoned an attendant, gave the order, and replied, "Please wait here a moment, Young Lord. It will be delivered to you shortly."
"How long?"
"This... very soon."
"Alright."
Gu Qingfeng rubbed his hands together as if bored. "Since we're just idling, how about you and I play a couple of rounds?"
Gu Qingfeng wasn't particularly fond of gambling, but after playing a few rounds, he felt a bit of an itch. And these little brats in the gambling house all seemed like third-rate gamblers at best. Figuring that since this old man was the gambling house manager, his gambling skills should be decent.
"This..." Elder Yan seemed hesitant. He had been observing Gu Qingfeng earlier, and all signs pointed to him being an expert.
As the gambling house manager, Elder Yan naturally possessed superb gambling skills. To be honest, he also felt a bit of an itch. But that wasn't the important part. What mattered was he desperately wanted to figure out how Gu Qingfeng, whether in an adverse or favorable situation, regardless of what Profound Mystery manifested, always used only five spiritual formulas to condense a Profound Mystery that was always one or two layers more than anyone else's.
He wanted to know. He really wanted to know.
After pondering for a moment, Elder Yan nodded and replied, "Since the Young Lord invites, this old man will accompany you for a couple of rounds."
Elder Yan walked over and sat down, activating the Taiji Array. However, at that very moment, a group of seven or eight people hurriedly barged in. The crowd looked over. Among them were a few of the second-generation rich kids who had been with Bai Yuanrui and Jin Jun earlier. After entering, they pointed at Gu Qingfeng and said to the man leading them, "It's him!"
The leading man appeared to be around thirty years old, wearing a bright jade silk robe and holding a jade fan. Though not particularly handsome, his brow carried an air of arrogance.
Many in the hall recognized him. His name was Jin Hui.
He was also from the Illusory Sea Jin Clan, an inner disciple of the Spirit-Capital Sect, and a tri-color prodigy who had opened three successive golden glows.
After entering, when he saw Bai Yuanrui and Jin Jun lying on the ground with swollen faces, his expression changed drastically. He rushed over in a flash. Seeing Jin Hui, Bai Yuanrui and Jin Jun, ignoring their splitting headaches, scrambled to their feet, pointed at Gu Qingfeng, and roared furiously, "Brother Hui! Kill him! Kill him for me!"
Bai Yuanrui also wore a ferocious expression, clamoring to tear Gu Qingfeng to pieces.
Jin Hui radiated killing intent. He turned around, glaring fiercely at Gu Qingfeng, and shouted, "You dare to hit someone from our Illusory Sea Jin Clan! You must be tired of living!"
Gu Qingfeng paid him no mind, not even sparing him a glance. He simply watched the Taiji Array as it assigned positions. Soon, he was assigned the Five-Phase Array, while Elder Yan across from him got the Two-Forms Array.
"Elder Yan, our Jin Clan are old patrons of the Mountain Villa. How could you just stand by and watch our Jin Clan members get beaten!"
"Young Master Jin, you should be clear about our Crimson-Letter Sect's rules."
Elder Yan merely stated this indifferently. The Taiji Array began its second rotation, determining the Profound Law: the Three Talents. This meant Elder Yan was in a favorable situation, while Gu Qingfeng was once again in an adverse one.
Clearly, Jin Hui had already heard about the incident on his way here and naturally knew the Mountain Villa's rules. Otherwise, he would have attacked on the spot. Clenching his fists, he roared, "Rules again! Hmph! Our Jin Clan's Patriarch, Da Qian, will be here soon. You can discuss rules with him then!"
Jin Hui stared at Elder Yan and sneered, "You old bastard! You're just a gambling house manager. Outside the Crimson-Letter Sect, you're nothing in the eyes of our Jin Clan. And don't forget the friendship between our Jin Clan's Patriarch Da Qian and your Mountain Villa's Elder Wu! When he arrives, let's see how you explain yourself to him!"
Hearing Patriarch Da Qian's name, Elder Yan's expression shifted slightly. Considering Patriarch Da Qian's friendship with the Mountain Villa's Elder Wu, when the time came, perhaps...
Just as he was worrying, someone in the gambling house suddenly shouted.
"Look! Patriarch Da Qian is here!"