By the time of Chenshi (7-9 AM), the fog had not yet dissipated, and the golden sunlight shone on the red bricks and green tiles. Many restaurants and shops had opened for business, welcoming guests for the new day.

Especially the "De Yi Gambling House," which was always bustling with customers. It had two floors, and you could hear the sound of dice being shaken even before you got close. The sounds of men losing and winning were mixed together and never stopped. As time went by, it became even more lively.

As noon approached, a handsome young man swaggered into the gambling den. He was not tall, but he was very generous with his money, betting dozens of taels of silver at a time.

Unfortunately, he was unlucky and lost money one after another. After betting two or three times, he lost a hundred taels of silver. So he simply stopped making any moves, squinted at the dealer shaking the dice, and tapped the edge of the gambling table with his fingers.

It was too noisy; she couldn't even hear the dice being shaken.

Chang Lili frowned her beautiful brows, intently watching the dealer's movements.

Gambling is all about luck, and you can lose everything if you're not careful. That's why she always cheats. But this time, she's going to infiltrate the gambling den and try her luck. After a few rounds, she lost money every time except at the beginning. It wasn't just her; everyone else was in the same boat. The dealer kept urging her to place bets.

She always felt that this die was destined to be heavier than the others.

"Place your bet and you're done."

The dealer shook the dice, and only after everyone placed their bets did he open the lid of the cup. The result was 165, which was big.

Whether you buy smaller ones or other types, you'll lose money on everything.

Someone shouted, "Change the dice cup!"

The dealer had no objections and had his men bring over the prepared dice. Chang Lili followed and pretended to be interested. Before the man could reach out, she took the dice and weighed them in her hand.

This was an extremely disrespectful act, and the employer suppressed his anger: "What are you doing?"

Chang Lili blinked innocently: "I noticed this die is different from the others; it's a bit heavy. I wanted to try and see if I guessed wrong."

As soon as Chang Lili finished speaking, the landlord's expression changed. From the crowd, the man who had lost everything strode forward and snatched the dice: "Let me see."

He weighed it a couple of times, then smashed it in front of everyone, revealing a small, jet-black sphere inside. The man flew into a rage: "You dare to cheat in front of everyone?!"

The owner retorted, "This gambling den has been open for so long, everyone knows the rules! Since I make a living this way, how could I possibly cheat?"

"You're talking nonsense!" The man's face turned red and his neck bulged. "The evidence is irrefutable, and you still dare to argue?!"

"Exactly! No wonder I kept losing, there was something fishy going on!"

Others who lost money were also aggressive, clamoring for compensation and threatening to fight. The owner was wronged for no reason and had nowhere to vent his anger.

"Listen to me..."

As the owner grew increasingly angry, he gradually realized that the dice had originally been in the hands of a young master, and that person must have tampered with them!

Where are the others?

The landlord looked around, but every time he took a step, someone blocked his way. He wanted to find the person and force him to tell him the truth, but after looking around, he couldn't even see a shadow.

Chang Lili's gaze at the gambling table, which seemed ready to ignite at any moment, drew the attention of people at the other tables around her.

Chang Lili revealed a sly smile, playing with a die in her hand. When she turned the corner, she casually threw the die into the corner and quietly slipped deeper into the gambling den.

According to the report from Xu Yuandao's surveillance personnel, half an hour ago, a man in a black robe entered the gambling den. He was wearing a hood, so his face could not be seen, but the people in the gambling den treated him with great respect.

Although this was different from what she had expected, logically speaking, the person hadn't left yet and should be at the gambling den withdrawing money.

Chang Lili avoided passersby and searched quietly.

"Why are you the one coming this month? Has something happened inside?"

The questioning voice was accompanied by low coughs. Chang Lili's mind was stirred, and she went over. Soon she heard another man's reply.

"It's just withdrawing money, a small matter. You don't need anyone from above. Just do your job and I'll report the news to the sect leader."

The person who spoke first was silent for a moment, then opened the cabinet and took out the banknotes and ledgers: "This is this month's bill. Please verify it."

The man counted the silver notes; there was more than usual, and he simply put them away, saying, "No need, I will hand them over to the sect leader for verification."

Chang Lili lightly bit her fingertip.

Even if she catches the man and raids the entire "De Yi Gambling House" without the leader showing up, what good will it do? If she alerts them, they'll only hide deeper and become even harder to catch.

They couldn't have only one hideout in Duanzhou.

Just as Chang Lili was in a dilemma, she heard voices coming from inside: "We've recently taken in a few women from the Northern Border. Be careful and clean up any traces so that no one comes looking for you."

Chang Lili was startled and almost couldn't resist rushing in to ask for clarification. No wonder... no wonder they couldn't find Boran anywhere.

"Something's wrong! Someone in the lobby is falsely accusing us of cheating at gambling, and a fight has broken out!"

The sound of hurried footsteps approached, heading towards Chang Lili's location. Chang Lili's expression hardened slightly, and without further delay, she quickly jumped down from the open window on the other side.

Someone's eavesdropping!

The two people talking inside the room changed their expressions. The man in black quickly pushed open the window and chased after Chang Lili in the direction she had fled.

Chang Lili felt a sense of foreboding and rushed into the crowd, using them as cover.

The man in black was even more clever; he had already seen through Chang Lili's intentions. He leaped onto the roof, his eagle eyes fixed on her, and a hidden weapon appeared between his fingers.

Chang Lili caught a glimpse of it, and her heart pounded so hard it almost jumped out of her throat. She suppressed her palpitations, forced herself to calm down, and focused intently on pushing through the crowd, staring ahead, searching for a way out.

Ahead lies the wide river.

We've arrived! Chang Lili took two steps in one and jumped into the water!

At the same time, the man's hidden weapon was aimed directly at her. Chang Lili raised her hand to block it, and the hidden weapon shot straight at her arm, causing her to fall heavily into the water.

It's fatal; that person is doomed.

Some people around had already started to notice, and the man in black didn't linger. With a few light leaps, he disappeared into the crowd.

"Someone has fallen into the water! Quick, save them!"

Someone shouted, and more and more people gathered around, but no one jumped into the water. Finally, a good swimmer jumped in and searched the area, but there was nothing at the bottom.

As the river flowed downstream, Xu Yuandao directed the search party. Soon, a guard found the man, who was nearly unconscious, and dragged him out of the water and onto the shore.

Chang Lili coughed awkwardly, choking on some water. She had been soaking in the water for a while, and her clothes were soaked and clung to her body, making her shiver from the cold.

Xu Yuandao took off his cloak and draped it over her.

"Brother Xu, it's good that you remembered what I said, otherwise I might really have become fish food."

Dozens of guards stood in an orderly line. Xu Yuandao gazed at the water and asked, "No one is chasing after us. What did they discover?"

"Quite the opposite," Chang Lili said with a smile, "He thought I was dead."