Chapter 20: Oh my god, what the hell is this place?

When the tip of the knife just touched that part, He Lianzhu immediately withdrew his strength, pinched the man's jaw gloomily and said:

"You should think about what to say and what not to say. For some unknown reason, the old emperor of Sheng State hid Shen Yu and even pretended to mourn the entire nation. We don't need to let him know that Shen Yu is still alive, but we can indirectly tell him that Qi Xin is a member of the Unequal Bloodline. I'm sure he won't resonate with the Unequal Bloodline for a while, but this could become a pretext for them to fight each other. We can just sit back and reap the benefits."

The subordinate crouched in fear and responded flatteringly, "Your Highness is wise."

"The method has been handed over to you. You know what will happen to you if the blood slave is not delivered..." He Lianzhu glanced at him viciously with the corner of his eyes.

The subordinate immediately understood, and crawled up and said, "Yes, sir. I'll do it right away." Then he retreated in a flash.

At the same time, beneath the bustling streets of Shengdu, there is also a spacious and noisy place, which is also a lawless place. That is the Shicha Underground Casino, the leading underground casino in Shengdu's information trading industry.

Here, regardless of status, everyone only cares about the price of the chips. There is a saying:

The living soul dies, waiting to be enshrined in the Godhood.

That is, if you want to know the secret, you must exchange it with a secret of equal value or other chips. Otherwise, this person will disappear and his life or death will be unknown.

In addition, this place also hosts some shady businesses, including hiring and selling assassins, buying and selling women and children, buying and selling official positions... whatever you want, everything is available. Despite its mysterious and strange nature, it cannot withstand the greed of the world, and therefore, people naturally flock to it.

It is said that everyone from high-ranking officials in Shengdu to common people have done business there.

The lord of the Shicha underground casino is an elusive existence, and no one knows whether he is a man or a woman, old or young.

With the return banquet approaching, Qi Ling racked her brains, unable to figure out how to turn things around. At her wit's end, she suddenly remembered Murong Fei, the Junior Official of the Dali Temple. He was known for his creative ideas and could be very useful.

Thinking of this, she quickly and secretly summoned him.

In the main hall of Princess Jinghe's mansion, Qi Ling casually fiddled with her pleated skirt, leaning against the shoulder of the servant Yuan Shang, glanced at Murong Fei, and said lightly:

"Tell me, how can you do it without anyone noticing?"

Murong Fei looked around and said respectfully, "Your Highness, please ask the others to leave."

Seeing this, the other guests dispersed. Only Yuan Shang, who was lying beside Qi Ling, was reluctant to leave. He held her sleeve pitifully and stared at her: "Sister, you can do it yourself."

Qi Ling rubbed the soft flesh on his cheek and said softly, "Lord Murong is one of us. You go first. I'll come find you later."

Yuan Shang lowered his head, looking back every few steps as he responded, "Okay, sister, don't carry it all by yourself. Yuan Shang is willing to do anything for you..."

After the guests, maids and servants had all left, Murong Fei slowly spoke:

"I do have a plan. If Princess Jialing does something immoral, not only will her status as the legitimate princess be jeopardized, but her life will also be in jeopardy. Empress Yuan has no children. If you, with your usual sensible demeanor, petition to become Empress Yuan's adopted daughter and serve her, you will not only win her favor, but you might even become the legitimate princess in the future."

"That's great!" Qi Ling slowly clapped his hands in congratulations, then tilted his head and asked, "Then how do we do it?"

"During the Return Ceremony, the Soul-Snatching Powder can be made into cakes. This thing is colorless and tasteless, and will never be noticed by others." Murong Fei wiped the stubble on his chin, squinted his eyes, and said with a smile:

"Even if the truth is revealed later, since this banquet was organized by the Minister of Rites, he should at least bear the blame for the oversight. You volunteered to assist, exposing yourself to the public. However, people only believe the hidden person behind the scenes, not the perpetrator who would publicly announce his actions. Therefore, this matter will definitely not be blamed on you."

"Good idea! Good idea!" Qi Ling exclaimed in praise, and then asked, "Then, what is the medicinal effect of this thing?"

Murong Fei said, "Shehun Powder, as the name suggests, has aphrodisiac properties similar to those of Albizia Julibrissin and Ylang-Ylang, but it can also cause a person to temporarily lose consciousness, leading to unconscious sexual activity. This drug is potent and can only be neutralized by the fusion of yin and yang, and it doesn't show any pulse signs of traditional Chinese medicine."

Qi Ling: "That's great. Where can I get this medicine? I'll ask Yuan Shang to get it."

Murong Fei said flatteringly:

"Your Majesty, I have heard of this item before, but I don't know where to find it. How about you first let me investigate the underground gambling city of Shicha? While there is a chance of success there, it is fraught with danger. I am a commoner, my life is worthless, and I have reached this position entirely thanks to your support. Therefore, I am willing to sacrifice my life for you to gather information and retrieve the Soul-Seizing Powder. Then, I will give it to Master Yuan. Is that okay with you?"

"The Shicha Underground Casino?" Qi Ling lowered her legs and sat up straight after hearing this. "This princess has heard of it and knows the price, so she has never dared to try it before. Since Lord Murong has such an intention, this princess will never forget it. When he gains power, he will definitely help you become one of the Three Dukes and Three Masters!"

Murong Fei hunched his body and pretended to be polite: "This is my duty, I dare not ask for such an honor."

Qi Ling smiled cunningly, hiding her arrogance and wantonness, and came in front of Murong Fei and said pretentiously:

"Your Excellency is so generous! This princess is so fortunate to have such a military advisor. I hope that when I see you again, we can toast to the moon and celebrate this wonderful night together!"

Rumor has it that the entrance to the Shicha underground gambling city is hidden deep in the wild grass of the mountains, invisible by day but bustling with activity at night. First-time visitors generally require a guide who has successfully traded there before. This guide, in effect, uses the lotus hidden pattern on their wrist to signal for passage.

When this hidden lotus pattern was first branded, you could still see its shape slightly. However, as time passed, this pattern disappeared inside the wrist and others could no longer see it.

Only within the gambling city, under the dim, shimmering purple lights, could the hidden lotus patterns on their wrists be revealed. Therefore, the Shicha underground gambling city was able to operate with such ease because it was a place where life-threatening transactions were made. Once involved, one would be at its mercy for the rest of their lives.

What's even more bizarre is that the eunuchs in the underground casino of Shicha are not only all young women, but they can also clearly see the lotus hidden patterns on the wrists of every visitor without the need for a purple shadow lamp, thus avoiding some people with bad intentions who want to take the opportunity to sneak into the casino.

But in this bustling world, where people come and go for profit, who isn't a gambler?

A few days ago, after finally convincing Qi Ling, Murong Fei couldn't wait to sneak into the depths of the wild mountains in the dark and quietly entered the underground gambling city of Shicha as soon as the office was dismissed that day.

The sound of the xun is soft, petals are falling, the lights are dim, and the beautiful figure is hazy.

The lotus pattern on Murong Fei's wrist was faintly visible under the purple shadow lamp. It seemed to be larger than the patterns on the wrists of the people in the city, almost extending to the back of his hand.

He walked around to the inner room with ease, prostrated himself beneath a snow-blue curtain, and said respectfully, "My Lord."

The person behind the curtain remained silent. Instead, the woman to the right, half-hiding her face with a fox-shaped mask, spoke: "How is it going?"

Murong Fei responded, "I have lived up to your expectations and have recommended the Soul-Snatching Powder to Fourth Highness Qi Ling, and have initially gained her trust."

The fox-faced woman tilted her head and, after receiving the instructions, she relayed, "The Lord is aware of Lord Murong's contributions. You only need to return to your normal life. The Lord will hand over the Soul-Capturing Powder to you before the Return Feast. Please return now."

Murong Fei bowed as he retreated, responding with a salute: "Yes, I will take my leave."

After Murong Fei left, the person behind the curtain said gloomily, "Do you think this person is trustworthy?"

The fox-faced woman shook her head, pondered for a long time, and then slowly replied, "This person is two-faced and a fence-sitter. It's hard to say how much help he can bring us, but at least he should be able to add some fuel to the fire. But the eldest princess is clever. Although she is isolated and helpless now, she is, after all, a rare person with zero blood. There's no telling what the power of the blood pill will bring her."

The man behind the curtain's emotions were clearly shaken when he heard the words "Princess." He angrily choked out each word, "Qi Xin? Why didn't she die in the Moon Kingdom?"

Hearing this, the fox-faced woman offered repeated advice, soothing the person behind the curtain with gentle words, "Master, please do not be angry. The great cause is halfway through. Do not fall into someone else's trap and become a scapegoat for others."

The person behind the curtain gradually calmed down, but with the lingering anger, he cursed:

"That beast He Lianzhu is worse than pigs and dogs. All he gave me were blood survivors whose degree of completion was less than 50%. What's the use? Fortunately, I synthesized blood pills myself based on the essence and blood of these blood survivors, but the effect is still, alas..."

The person behind the curtain took two breaths and continued, "Originally, one blood pill should be able to fuse into a blood remnant. However, although my homemade blood pill is less than half as effective as the original, it still synthesized a 50% blood remnant. He Lianzhu used the witch doctor's top formula, but he only synthesized a superior zero-blood person, and he still can't resonate? He's nothing, always bossing me around."

The fox-faced woman echoed the sentiment, "Indeed, the Lord is the one who carries the divine oracle and is a gifted talent. Neither the people of the Moon Nation nor the current Emperor of Dasheng are half as talented as the Lord. I heard that the person in charge of this homecoming ceremony is the Minister of Rites, Wen Shao. Even if that Murong bandit fails to accomplish his mission, you can take advantage of their opportunity to recruit Lord Wen into your fold, and that will help you achieve your goals in the future."

The person behind the curtain pretended to hesitate, then asked, "From what I know, Wen Shao doesn't have the temperament of a coward. Are you so sure that Wen Shao will accept our threats?"

The fox-faced woman curled her lips and replied calmly with a smile on her face, "Don't worry, my lord. Everyone has secrets, and with secrets come weaknesses. As long as we can prescribe the right remedy, we can capture them easily."

"Well done, you too, have made great progress." The person behind the curtain laughed heartily, then calmed down and said seriously, "Have you confirmed it? Was the body at the state funeral the one from Shen Yu?"

The fox-faced woman thought for a moment and said vaguely, "It's almost right, probably."

Hearing this, the person behind the curtain suddenly became furious and scolded, "I've told you so many times not to use such ambiguous words. I want a definite answer! What is He Lianzhu's attitude towards this?"

The author has something to say:

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ps——

Hold on tight for a bit early on, maybe you can guess the villain. After all, our Marshal Shen is a dead body early on, and he certainly doesn't seem as adept at debating with the wits as our Xiaojiu! But don't forget the might of the three major battalions of the Jingguo Army in Ningbei, especially our "heavy ship Lan Luo" outside of Shengshi. Super cool!!!

Also: I wonder if you think that some of the words I used in this article are a bit childish?