Chapter 119 The Gambler

Child?

What child?

Xing Chun also heard it and looked at Mei Liangyu with a strange expression.

Mei Liangyu asked without changing his expression, "Boy or girl?"

Nian Qiuyan replied, "It's a boy, I'll let him talk to you."

A moment later, Mei Liangyu heard a boy's low voice coming from the other side, humble and urgent: "Brother Meimei...please save my mother, my father has taken money to the gambling den again."

Upon hearing this, Xing Chun suddenly exclaimed "Oh!" indicating he understood, and winked at Mei Liangyu: "That kid from last time?"

Mei Liangyu listened expressionlessly and then cut off the telepathic communication.

Xing Chun finished the last two mouthfuls of rice in his bowl, looked up at Mei Liangyu and said, "If his father is unrepentant and keeps gambling away money, and then he comes to you again, and this cycle continues, it's not a solution."

Mei Liangyu walked to the astrolabe, pointed out the stars corresponding to the known powers, and said, "Then what should we do? Have the gambling den cut off his hands?"

Xing Chun said, "A gambler will still gamble even if he loses his hand. He will first try to get money to make a prosthetic hand, and then go back to gambling."

"First, try to find the pattern and see what kind of celestial technique it is," Mei Liangyu said. "I'm going to the outer city."

Xing Chun had finished eating by now, so he waved his hand to signal him to go, while he stayed behind to continue watching.

On his way there, Mei Liangyu received an inquiry from Nian Qiuyan, so he gave him a brief explanation:

The boy's name was Xiao Tu. He lived on the East Island of the outer city. His family used to be wealthy, but ever since his father started gambling, they have run out of money.

He sold everything he could—land deeds, house deeds, gold and silver jewelry—except for his wife and children. Xiao Tu's mother was so angered that she fell ill and was bedridden.

Nian Qiuyan looked at the boy in front of her, who was as thin as a bamboo pole. He looked to be no more than seven years old. He was anxious and scared, with his head down and his hands nervously clutching his sleeves. His clothes were covered with tattered patches of all sizes.

Taiyi is said to be the seventh country of the Xuan Gu Continent. Besides the comparable size of the territory, the people who live here are no different from those of the other six countries.

Some people are born rich and noble, while others are born poor.

Nian Qiuyan withdrew her gaze and replied, "Where did you meet this poor little thing?"

Mei Liangyu: "He used to be a carrier pigeon for the Dongdao Yunhu Gang."

The so-called carrier pigeon is someone who runs errands to deliver messages to gang members.

The Yunhu Gang specially trained a group of children who, with their innocent and naive appearance, could minimize others' vigilance, avoid suspicion, and make it easier for them to carry out their tasks.

Nian Qiuyan returned: "Didn't the Cloud Tiger Gang disappear?"

Taiyi Outer City is divided into nine islands, with Taiyi Academy as the center. The area extending outwards from the academy's center is the most prosperous and bustling part of Taiyi.

People who grew up on the Nine Islands of Taiyi are all scrambling to climb into the outer city of the academy.

The Cloud Tiger Gang was a somewhat well-known gang on East Island, but when they arrived at Taiyi Outer City, they were like country bumpkins entering the city, nothing special. After a head-on clash with the major gangs in the outer city of the academy, they were all wiped out.

Mei Liangyu replied, "The Yunhu Gang is gone, so his way of making money has also been cut off. If his father hadn't gambled away his life-saving money, he wouldn't have come all the way from Dongdao to find me."

Nian Qiuyan comforted the nervous boy, took out a bulging money bag from her sleeve and gave it to him, saying, "The money your father took won't be found for a while. If your mother gets seriously ill, take this money to help her in an emergency."

Xiao Tu looked up in surprise. The little child was thin because of years of hard work, and his skin was tanned dark, which made his bright eyes stand out.

He hesitated, not daring to accept it.

Nian Qiuyan's smile was very gentle, like a spring breeze. She was always mild-mannered and polite, seemingly without temper and never getting angry.

When Mei Liangyu arrived, he saw the two locked in a stalemate and raised an eyebrow slightly.

It was already dusk, and there weren't many people coming and going. Nian Qiuyan and Xiao Tu were standing by the roadside outside the academy gate, but they didn't attract much attention.

When Xiao Tu saw Mei Liangyu arrive, he hurriedly went to his side. Mei Liangyu noticed the money bag in Nian Qiuyan's hand and asked, "What are you doing?"

“Going to the outer city to get money from his father will take too much time. By the time we find him, he might have already lost it all. Where will we get the money then?” Nian Qiuyan said. “We can’t let you go and win it back.”

Mei Liangyu stood in the shadows of the setting sun, looked down at Xiao Tu and said, "If he wants to give it to you, then take it."

Xiao Tu then stretched out his hands, his dark hands cupped together, palms facing upwards, and bowed to Nian Qiuyan: "Thank you, big brother."

Nian Qiuyan placed the money bag in his palm and said with a smile, "Go back quickly."

With tears in his eyes, the child bowed deeply to Mei Liangyu in thanks, clutched the money bag tightly to his chest, and ran wildly home.

Mei Liangyu was about to step forward when Nian Qiuyan stopped her with her hand: "Where are you going?"

“Go to the outer city to find his father,” Mei Liangyu said, glancing sideways.

Nian Qiuyan sighed, "You can help with this kind of thing once, but if you do it twice or three times, are you going to raise this child? Going to the outer city to find his father won't help. If you kill someone to solve the problem, you'll have to go to the Mechanical Island again, and the Mechanical Island probably doesn't welcome you now."

Mei Liangyu replied irritably, "He'll only come a second and a third time if you give him money."

Nian Qiuyan shrugged and said, "Things that can be solved by paying money are actually a good thing."

Mei Liangyu retorted, "Where do you get so much money to support this child and his seriously ill mother?"

After pondering for a moment, Nian Qiuyan flicked her sleeve and said, "Forget it, let's go find his father and make him take responsibility."

After saying that, he asked again, "Do you know where his father is? Do you want me to calculate it?"

“No need, I saw him before, I know where he’s going.” Mei Liangyu strode forward, and this time Nian Qiuyan didn’t stop him, and walked with him.

Nian Qiuyan asked, "Where?"

Mei Liangyu said, "Mingzhu Fang."

The gambling den in Nangong Restaurant. Last time when Yu Sui was waiting, he stood in the dark alley by the side door and saw Xiao Tu's father coming out of the gambling den.

"Several gangs in the outer city have been fighting recently, causing a bloodbath. Many gambling dens and restaurants have closed down, not daring to provoke them. By the time we get to the outer city, it will be night. Let's hurry up and finish finding our people and come back."

Nian Qiuyan squinted, glancing at the golden twilight on the horizon, and sighed softly, "I heard that the newly appointed leader of the Tianhe Gang has a mortal feud with you. You must be careful not to run into him."

Mei Liangyu said coldly, "If that's what you're saying, then you're bound to encounter it."

Nian Qiuyan laughed and said, "I'm not a famous person, how could I be so accurate?"

Mei Liangyu sneered, "Your words are even more accurate than those of famous writers."

Nian Qiuyan walked slowly beside him and asked with a smile, "I've noticed that you have some complicated and unresolved relationships with those gangs in the outer city. Meimei, how old were you when you joined a gang?"

"Six years ago, I wanted to leave Taiyi. I argued with my master and told him that if he didn't let me leave Taiyi, I wouldn't obediently stay in the academy. So I went to wander in the outer city." Mei Liangyu casually recounted the past as she and Nian Qiuyan headed towards the outer city.

As dusk settled, lights began to illuminate the outer city, one after another, brightening the dark sky.

The streets were bustling with people, and the restaurants were even more lively, filled with laughter and chatter, which could be faintly heard from outside the doors.

On the wide imperial road, carriages sped back and forth, some driven by human drivers and others by mechanical wooden horses.

Those who arrived by carriage entered through the main entrance of the restaurant, while those who sneaked in entered through the side door in the dark alley. When they arrived at Mingzhu Fang on the second floor, the door was already filled with shadowy figures.

This West German restaurant is part of the Nangong family's business and their largest property. Up the second floor next to the restaurant, there are other shops selling clothing, fabrics, tea, and fruits.

This wasn't Mei Liangyu's first visit, and the staff here recognized him as their princess's senior brother. Although Blackbeard wasn't here today, the staff were still very accommodating, greeting Mei Liangyu with smiles and respectfully asking what he needed.

Looking at the obsequious smiles of the waiters in the magnificent restaurant, Nian Qiuyan walked beside Mei Liangyu and said in a low voice, "You look like the young master here."

Mei Liangyu also lowered his voice and replied, "This is my junior sister's restaurant."

Nian Qiuyan suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "No wonder. You'd better hold back later, or you'll smash up the Nangong family's restaurant and offend your junior sister too."

The manager in charge of Mingzhu Fang greeted him at the entrance, his slightly plump face full of a kind smile: "Young Master Mei, are you here with friends today?"

"Looking for someone." Mei Liangyu stood at the entrance of Mingzhu Fang, his peripheral vision already catching glimpses of the tables filled with people inside.

There were tables where everyone was playing very enthusiastically, and tables where everyone was quiet.

The number of people is considerable, but finding them is not easy.

The tables were filled with dominoes and twisted tiles, with at least four people per table. Mingzhufang opened two tables every day for unlimited betting, and these were the most crowded and noisy places.

The gambling games presented on the table will change daily. Today it's dominoes, tomorrow it's dominoes, and in a day or two it might be betting on fighting animals, grasshoppers, scorpions, and so on.

You can play any gambling game that exists in the world here.

During his time wandering the nine islands outside the city, Mei Liangyu loathed two types of people: gamblers and lecherous corpses.

The former was blinded by gambling and refused to repent, while the latter bought and sold drugs; both of them harmed themselves and others.

He casually glanced at the men and women in the main hall, and heard the manager of Mingzhu Fang ask, "Do you need our help?"

Mei Liangyu said, "We'll find it ourselves, and once we find it, we'll leave. Don't worry about it."

The manager of Mingzhufang watched the two go in. Hearing what he said, he only asked someone to help them out and then stopped paying attention. Instead, he continued to keep an eye on the gambling tables that seemed suspicious.

Blackbeard went to the next street today to attend the birthday banquet of Master Taixu.

During this period, the Tianhe Gang was embroiled in internal strife and a new leader took office. The Shishan Sect and the Longwu Gang were vying for territory and commercial buildings. The old man of Xingyue Island was dying and was choosing a successor, but the chosen successor had a grudge against the leader of the Lihuo Sect.

The head of Taixu Hall, under the pretext of his birthday banquet, summoned all the prominent gangs and forces in the outer city of the academy, giving everyone a chance to sit down and have a proper talk to avoid escalating the conflict and affecting everyone involved.

Two years ago, there were rumors that the head of the Taixu Hall was likely to be one of the next Taiyi Twenty-Four Saints, and that his cultivation had reached the critical point of ascending to the thirteenth realm.

Therefore, even though Master Taixu intervened to mediate, everyone still had to give him face.

Blackbeard felt that he had nothing to do today; he was just going to give face to the old man of Taixu Hall and watch the other gangs make fools of themselves.

An hour later, Blackbeard regretted not going to see a fortune teller today.

Mei Liangyu and Nian Qiuyan entered Mingzhu Fang and leisurely mingled with the crowd, watching the men and women inside change tables and sit down, or get up and leave.

Today's gambling table is for a Gu worm.

The jade basin on the table gleamed and looked exquisite and lovely, but the worms wriggling inside were ugly and bloody.

The dealer shouted, "Today's betting is about to begin! The bet is on the Love Gu, which the Farmer family refined on the night of the full moon. It is made from sixteen of the most vicious and evil poisonous insects. These sixteen insects have already been tempered with medicine and magical techniques. Today, we only need to determine the winner and refine the final Love Gu!"

As he shouted, many people got up and left their tables to rush towards the dealer's side. Some people didn't leave, but stopped what they were doing and craned their necks to watch curiously.

"There are descriptions of sixteen kinds of poisonous insects on the table. Betting begins now, with a 15-minute timer," the dealer continued. "The biggest winner of Mingzhufang tonight will take away this fully-trained Affection Gu!"

On the long table sat sixteen small, transparent jars containing various poisonous insects. The spirit of a master craftsman, using his magic, caused the tabletop to glow slightly. In front of one of the jars, descriptions of the insects and their battle scenes appeared.

The guards of the gambling den are all low-level sorcerers, but anyone who uses low-level sorcery to gamble here, whether it's the gambling den or the gambler, will either have their hands and feet removed or their light core destroyed.

As the dealer introduced the game, more and more people came to the gambling table, and the atmosphere became lively. Mei Liangyu stood not far from the gambling table, squinting as he observed the crowd.

Nian Qiuyan went to the front to take a closer look at the sixteen kinds of poisonous insects, and came back to Mei Liangyu and said, "I've heard of the Love Gu, but I've never seen it before. I've learned something new tonight."

Mei Liangyu said, "You want it?"

[Author's Note]

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!