"Aren't they afraid of messing it up?"

Han Yu couldn't help but speak up.

If this strategy isn't handled well, it could easily incite trouble, throwing White Emperor City into chaos.

This move is indeed brilliant, but only if executed well. If it spirals out of control, the Inspectorate will have their hands full.

"Never mind the Inspectorate, Ou Mingdong must already be having a headache now."

His cousin chimed in, "If it weren't for my happenstance arrival and managing to set up the memory capture device, dealing with the throngs of cultivators would have been exhausting."

Suddenly, there was a commotion on the street. People were crowding into a shop on the opposite corner of the teahouse, and it seemed filled with cultivators mingling among them.

A brand-new sign was hanging outside the shop.

"The Greatest in the World!" Those four characters were boldly carved on it.

Such arrogance, daring to put up such a sign, must be someone seeking to stir up attention.

"Look closely, there are two more words next to it!"

His cousin, with sharp eyes, pointed to two smaller words behind it.

Han Yu looked carefully and burst out laughing.

Which genius thought of this clever marketing ploy? It's too crafty.

Behind "The Greatest in the World," the two words "Betting House" were clearly engraved.

A betting house that can attract so many cultivators? This is interesting. The two exchanged glances and immediately stood up, heading downstairs with a clatter.

Once they were downstairs, the entrance of the betting house was momentarily cleared, but upon entering, they found it already packed, with a bustling crowd easily numbering in the hundreds.

So many cultivators gathering in one place was certainly unusual. The two pushed their way through the crowd, steadily moving towards the front.

Outside hung the "Greatest in the World Betting House" sign, but there wasn't a single gaming table in sight. Only after pushing forward did they see a line of seven or eight Eight Immortals tables arranged in a long row at the front.

Behind the tables stood a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in gray and white silk, with a fair complexion, sharp eyes, and meticulously groomed, shiny thin mustache.

Around him were already piled up numerous magical artifacts, and currently, a fellow Divine Gaze Realm cultivator in his forties was glaring at him with puffed cheeks.

"He's already lost two rounds!"

People whispered around them.

"Boss Ma, one more round!"

The Divine Gaze Realm cultivator leaned over the table, breathing heavily, and asked.

Boss Ma smiled and shook his head, not betting this round.

"You want to break the rules and not gamble when you win?"

The cultivator was anxious, his voice hurried.

"Not at all, you're the one breaking the rules; you don't have any magical artifacts left to stake as capital."

Boss Ma chuckled, shaking his head. The man had already lost his only two artifacts here, and without stakes, Boss Ma never engaged in business.

Hearing this, the cultivator blushed, but after searching himself, he found no magical artifacts at all.

"Hmph!"

In the end, he could only leave in frustration, causing the crowd to jeer.

"Cultivators gamble too?"

Han Yu watched curiously. Shouldn't cultivators have at least some composure?

Boss Ma glanced around but saw only spectators and no one else willing to gamble, so he took something out of his pocket.

It was an entirely emerald-green Jade Turtle, with sharp carvings vividly depicted. But the key wasn't in the craftsmanship, it was...

"What a beautiful magical treasure!"

His cousin's eyes lit up as he laughed, looking at the Jade Turtle.

"Good eye!"

Boss Ma gave his cousin an approving glance and then addressed the crowd.

"This is a defensive magical treasure. Once activated, it can withstand any attack below the Realm of Transcendence. As per usual, use magical artifacts to gamble. Win and you take the treasure, lose and leave the artifact."

Damn!

Hearing this, Han Yu was intrigued; no wonder so many cultivators were lured in, gambling magical treasures against artifacts – who could resist?

As soon as he finished speaking, a gaunt cultivator jumped out and placed a square Jade Pendant on the table opposite Boss Ma.

"I'll bet my life against you!"

The crowd gasped. Where did this fierce person come from, boldly wagering his life?

A crafty glimmer flashed in the gaunt cultivator's eyes. Inspired by the previous unlucky fellow, why not wager his life if he was going to gamble?

He thought if the opponent didn't dare to surrender, he could claim a magical treasure for free.

Boss Ma's expression remained unchanged, still smiling, and then he laughed and said.

"Then let's gamble life, how do you want to place your bet?"

The gaunt cultivator was taken aback; was this person really unafraid of death?

After pondering a bit, he took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket and placed it gently on the table.

"This round with poison to wager, inside is a Poison Pill crafted by a Pharmacist from Celestial City Peak, unstoppable by a Divine Gaze Realm. If you dare to eat it, you win."

The crowd buzzed with excitement once more; Celestial City Peak's reputation was quite substantial, known for housing a group of potion fanatics with all sorts of strange and peculiar pills.

Since this is a poison pill from there, it surely won't be an ordinary one.

The gambling house boss really met his match this time, everyone thought.

Unexpectedly, Boss Ma also pulled out a porcelain bottle and placed it lightly on the table, speaking casually.

"I have here a simple Gu Insect, if you dare swallow it, you win."

Though he spoke calmly, to those listening, it was not a simple matter; no one would joke about a Magical Artifact.

This Gu Insect surely isn't as simple as he says.

Both parties have their tricks, bringing out deadly things, probably resulting in a stalemate.

The frail cultivator reluctantly was about to put away his artifact; he indeed didn't dare eat the opponent's item, and the opponent probably wouldn't eat his either, so no loss either way.

Just as he was about to make a move, Boss Ma suddenly spoke up.

"Wait! I never said it was a draw."

As he spoke, with a flick of his hand, the porcelain bottle flew into his hand, and under everyone's gaze, he uncorked it and poured it all into his mouth.

The frail cultivator's face lit up with immense joy, as if seeing the light at the end of the tunnel; he didn't expect the opponent would actually dare eat it, and not just one pill, but the entire bottle.

"I won!"

Even if the opponent dared eat his pill, once the person dies, wouldn't everything belong to him?

As he watched Boss Ma with a flushed face, waiting for the poison to take effect, Boss Ma nonchalantly shook his head, jesting.

"The taste isn't great."

Everyone around was in disbelief, nothing happened? Or perhaps the poison hasn't taken effect.

After another moment, the frail cultivator's face fell in defeat, his expression turning dejected.

The opponent was really fine; with such a large dose ingested and this much time passed, not to mention poisoning, normally the bones should have been gone by now.

"Do you want to try my Gu Insect? If you dare eat it, this round will be a tie."

Boss Ma lightly smiled, pushing his porcelain bottle to the table center, smilingly speaking.

The frail cultivator naturally didn't dare eat it, shaking his head repeatedly before quickly turning to leave.

It's not worth risking one's life over an Artifact; he... doesn't dare eat.

"Is there anyone else who wants to gamble? Anything goes, from astronomy and geography to customs and history, we each pose questions until someone answers them first, down to various quirky ideas, whoever can accomplish what the other proposes wins."

At this moment, Boss Ma retrieved the cultivator's Jade Pendant, placing it back among the pile of artifacts, once more smiling and speaking to the crowd.

Such an innovative way to gamble, this person is quite confident.

Han Yu and his cousin exchanged glances, filled with admiration, about to continue watching when still no one stepped up to challenge; the gambling house boss could only helplessly pack up the artifacts, waving his hand.

"Since everyone isn't interested, I'll have to open another session tomorrow."

-----------------

"He's opening another session?"

Ou Mingdong was in the Government Office listening to the Palace Guard's report, unable to resist holding his head in exasperation; it was really a headache.

Why are there so many troublesome matters in this place?

The Dragon and Phoenix Palace wants to establish the Celestial Pride List, which is already keeping him extremely busy, fearing that the abundance of cultivators in the city might lead to an incident.

On the other hand, the Imperial Court's Celestial Wave Crossing was destroyed by a mysterious cultivator, and there's still no resolution!

In recent days, a supposedly world's number one gambling house suddenly appeared in the city, specifically targeting cultivators for gambling.

Things kept coming one after another, and he was already busy as a spinning top, wishing there were twelve two-hours in a day to deal with everything.

"Have you found out where this person comes from?"

Ou Mingdong asked the Palace Guard.

The Palace Guard unfurled a portrait and then activated the Memory Capture Device before speaking slowly.

"This person's name is Ma Zhou, publicly identified as a Loose Cultivator, but we couldn't track down his background or origins; he's been wandering between various State Prefectures, and this portrait was provided with the help of brothers from the Inspectorate in other State Prefectures, so the identification should be correct."

Ou Mingdong meticulously compared the portrait to the image, confirming they were identical, ruling out the possibility of an impersonation.

Merely this made him even more puzzled; why did this person choose this precise moment to open such a bizarre gambling house in White Emperor City?

"Is there anything else peculiar?"

He asked with some unease.

The Palace Guard thought for a moment, and indeed there was.

"Would it count that Young Master Mo and your friend also went into the gambling house?"

Forehead veins bulging, Ou Mingdong quickly stopped him.

"You people from the Inspectorate need to be precise; I don't know Han Yu, I've never met him, he's not my friend, don't defame."

The Palace Guard lowered his head, hiding his amusement, then lightly coughed a few times, bowing to remind.

"Sir, your Sect is acquainted with the Tower Master; you might conceal the present, but the past acquaintances can't be hidden; these things aren't immune to investigation."

Ou Mingdong's mouth twitched, thinking bitterly how it seemed so reasonable, feeling like even a casual investigation could uncover his acquaintance with Han Yu, cursed Inspectorate, without a shred of moral bottom line, no personal privacy?

"Then keep the present hidden; now that I'm your superior, you can't compromise me, insist that I've never met him, got it?"

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