Taichu Yandao: Starting from the Villain

The tall young man smiled knowingly and said, "The Valley Master spent a lot of money to set up the Spirit Gathering Array. It can be said that you can achieve twice the result with half the effort by practicing here."

"Don't you charge any money?" Zhao Rui asked.

The tall young man smiled and said, "No charge, but we do have some rules. This is your first time in the valley, you can stay for a month. If you want to stay longer, you need to become our guest of honor."

"Then how can I become a guest of honor?"

"It's not difficult. As long as the flow of water exceeds 500 spirit stones, it will be fine."

If they had just arrived in Jin State, Zhao Rui and the other two would have jumped up and down, but with their current financial resources, they are quite calm.

However, Shen Chenqing smiled slyly and asked, "Master Zhao, it's my birthday tomorrow. How about we buy 500 spirit stones?"

"Well... OK." Zhao Rui's face tensed, and he asked, "Do I have to spend these 500 spirit stones in one day?"

"Not really. Just accumulate 500 spirit stones." The tall young man explained.

Zhao Rui let out a long sigh and quickened his pace as he walked.

At this time, they had arrived at the area where the shops were most densely populated. The tall boy and Qian Xiaoyi were able to keep up with the pace, but Shen Chenqing seemed to be struggling.

Her eyes were attracted by the dazzling array of shops, and if she was distracted, she would slow down several steps.

"Master Zhao, can we slow down a bit? My legs hurt from walking so much!"

Zhao Rui turned around, his face serious, and said: "Don't we have to hurry up and find that person? Hang on!"

"Hmm..." Shen Chenqing pouted and followed angrily.

A few people walked through the rows of shops and went up the mountain road. After about a hundred steps, they arrived at the main entrance of the gambling house.

At the gate, four marble columns ten people high are carved with dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, cranes and other rare and exotic animals, and below them is a circle of candles and red palms.

On both sides of the main entrance, two five-person-high mahogany talismans were hung, with gold characters the size of a washbasin reading:

"Eating, drinking, whoring and gambling all result in losses, only gambling pays off."

On the plaque above the door are three majestic characters "Casino".

When Zhao Rui saw these three words, he frowned. He didn't know what they meant, but he didn't ask any more questions.

The main entrance is very wide, able to accommodate seven or eight people entering and exiting at the same time, but it is not fully open. Instead, it is blocked by a half-person-high screen, leaving only a passage in the middle.

On the side of the passage, five people lined up in a long queue, waiting quietly.

Directly in front of the five people, there was a counter, and behind it sat a serious-looking monk. His lips kept moving, and he was saying something to the customer in front of the counter.

When they got here, the tall young man bowed and said, "Everyone, this is the gambling house. Just line up and go in. I can only take you here."

Seeing that the other party was about to leave, Zhao Rui asked with a try-it attitude: "Daoyou, we want to inquire about someone. I wonder if you have seen him."

The tall young man looked embarrassed and said, "Looking for someone, there are many people coming in and out of our place every day..."

"This man's nickname is the Gambler, I wonder if you have heard of him?"

The tall young man couldn't help laughing and said, "There are too many gamblers here. If there are no other characteristics, I'm afraid I won't know where to start."

"We know his last name is Hong." Qian Xiaoyi stepped forward.

The tall young man recalled for a moment and said, "I have been in the valley for three years, but I have never heard of the gambler named Hong. But you can go in and ask around. Those who play there often know each other."

Zhao Rui and the other two looked at each other and frowned.

However, since they had already arrived here, the three of them couldn't possibly give up, so they walked to the screen and lined up.

It was only half a cup of tea before it was the three people's turn. However, as soon as they walked to the counter, the monk behind them immediately took out a wooden sign with the word "pause" written on it.

The three were puzzled, but saw the monk step down from the counter and hand over to a female monk.

The nun was wearing a tube dress with orchid embroidery and hanging silk hair, with a double spiral hairstyle and a black mole between her eyebrows.

She stood at the counter, smiled 15 degrees, and asked, "Is this your first time in Panlong Valley?"

"Yes, it's my first time here."

The female cultivator immediately took out three wooden tokens and said, "This token can be used to exchange for ten spirit stones twice. It depends on what you play. I wish you all a successful start."

"As the saying goes, a little gambling can bring joy to one's heart. I hope the three of you will have fun here, but please don't get too addicted to it and delay your cultivation."

Zhao Rui was stunned, thinking to himself: "Ten Spiritual Stones? This is equivalent to giving away sixty Spiritual Stones for free, which is quite a big sum."

Shen Chenqing frowned and thought, "Hmm...why does it feel like a weasel wishing a happy new year to a chicken?"

Zhao Rui and the other two had different expressions, but the female cultivator seemed to be used to it. She still maintained a 15-degree smile and stretched out a hand, saying, "Three of you, please come in!"

Zhao Rui and the other two each took a token, passed through a passage that was only wide enough for one person, and walked inside.

In the brightly lit hall, hundreds of gambling tables were surrounded by all kinds of monks. Some of them had red faces and thick necks, and behaved in an extremely excited manner, while others looked ashen, and it was unknown how many all-nighters they had stayed up.

"You two, this is like looking for a needle in a haystack!" Qian Xiaoyi said.

Zhao Rui frowned slightly and said, "Although it's a bit troublesome, it should take only half a day to finish the questions."

Qian Xiaoyi had a sad face and was about to take action when Shen Chenqing suddenly said, "You two, those who can come here must be obsessed with money. If we offer a reward of spirit stones, will it be faster?"

Zhao Rui's eyes sparkled, and he praised: "This is a good idea, let's do it!"

He was very excited, took a few steps forward, and shouted loudly: "Who is the gambler? Your master left fifty spiritual stones before he died. Come and get them quickly."

Zhao Rui roared with all his strength, but it did not cause any ripples amid the noisy crowd.

Shen and Qian were struck by lightning and quickly moved aside, pretending not to know him.

Zhao Rui did not give up and shouted again: "You bastard...gambler...devil, your master left you a hundred dollars before he died..."

Before he finished shouting, a man approached and asked, "Are you looking for someone? Is it your first time here?"

The person who was speaking was wearing a plain grey Confucian robe and a Jinxian crown on his head. His face was as white as powder and his lips were as white as rouge.

Zhao Rui was very happy and asked quickly, "Yes, you are a gambler?"

The gray-robed scholar did not answer, but asked again: "Is this your first time here?"

"Yes, this is our first time..."

"Okay, okay, I should know who you are looking for, but there is a condition for knowing the news."

"We only offer one hundred spirit stones."

"I don't want spirit stones. I just want you to use the token to place bets for me twice. Regardless of whether you win or lose, I will give you the news about the gambler."

Zhao Rui's eyes gleamed, but after a brief thought, he hesitated and asked, "Fellow Daoist, we are not asking too much, but your request is a little strange. We are sincere in cooperating, but can you explain the reason?"