Chapter 28 "I'll pay, she'll gamble..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Nezha's confusion began to arise.
What does "going into business" mean?
He touched Pingyu's forehead, wondering if she had a fever. Although seafood was indeed expensive, this place was surrounded by mountains; where could they possibly swim?
This sea is not that sea!
Pingyu was only momentarily blinded by greed, and fortunately, Nezha wouldn't understand such nonsense. She breathed a sigh of relief and said to the boy, "I just wanted to eat fish."
Lin Pingyu, never be tempted by beauty!
The girl repeatedly warned herself: a pretty boy is like candy, but Nezha is a nuclear bomb. If she were fooled by that face, she'd probably be left with nothing but ashes.
"Really?" Nezha asked suspiciously, reaching out to pull the small girl into his arms. "That's not what I meant, is it?"
That's exactly what I mean!
Taking advantage of the information gap, Pingyu stubbornly refused to admit it: "I want to eat fish, fish soup with tofu."
"Then let's go make money first."
Nezha suppressed his unease and led her outside, saying, "We've made money, let's eat tonight."
.
We wandered through streets and alleys, walking along narrow, winding paths.
Pingyu, with his keen hearing and keen observation, suspected that Nezha was about to sell him out.
Where to?
She asked.
"arrive."
Nezha stopped.
In an instant, a plucked orchid appeared before Ping Yu's eyes. It held a pink silk handkerchief, fluttering up and down.
The handkerchief spoke in a woman's voice, sweetly calling out:
The pungent smell of the perfume preceded Pingyu's loud sneeze before Nezha could even reply: "Achoo!"
She was hitting him so hard she was doubled over.
The handkerchief was instantly snatched back, and the man then lashed out, "Hey, where did this kid come from!"
Ping Yu looked up and saw a woman dressed in red and green staring at him.
The other person had a fair complexion and red lips, with heavy makeup applied from her forehead to her fingertips, and her cheeks were so plump that they resembled those of a pufferfish.
Looking back, one can still see red tiles and green bricks, with bright red lanterns hanging under the eaves, giving it a rather decadent feel.
This place doesn't look like a respectable place at all!
“Nezha, there are plenty of places to make money in this world. Although we are down on our luck, we are not so poor that a decent young man like you needs to come here to make a living.”
She whispered in someone's ear.
The stone gate opened wide, and Pingyu could see it clearly.
The door knocker here, meant to ward off evil, is not made of snails or clams, but of a fox biting a copper ring.
Even if she didn't understand metaphysics, she knew that the fox spirits were known to attract romantic partners.
Nezha is very bad, has a bad temper, and is very rough.
Pingyu's talk about going to sea at the inn was just a joke; she never expected that Nezha would actually have this plan!
"Read less random books in your spare time," Nezha said bluntly, covering her mouth. "You'll ruin your brain."
Having said that, he bluntly asked the woman, whose face was full of disgust, "Are you a madam or a hooker?"
The woman paused, covered her face with a handkerchief, and looked Nezha up and down.
This handsome young man was dressed in fine clothes, made of the kind of fabric only officials could afford. He must have a purse full of gold and jade; he was a fat sheep.
Anglers and madams are very different.
The former recruits gamblers, while the latter recruits female clients.
However, no matter where you seek pleasure, she can provide it here; it's just a matter of taking things out of your left pocket and putting them into your right.
Thinking of this, the woman laughed.
The woman twisted her waist and walked like a bear.
Nezha followed with Pingyu.
The girl then realized what was happening and leaned close to the boy's ear, asking, "Isn't this your first time here? Where did you find this place?"
“I have help.”
As they were talking, Pingyu felt a tap on the back of his neck.
In an instant, the red silk slipped smoothly under her neck and shoulders, nuzzling the girl's cheek affectionately as if seeking praise. But after only a few moments, Nezha seized its lifeline and transformed it back into the long ribbon used to tie a boy's hair.
He explained, "The Hun Tian Ling went ahead to scout ahead."
No wonder I hadn't seen it earlier.
Ping Yu was very envious: "It's so great to have your own magical artifacts; you can even use them as GPS navigators."
Nezha didn't know what a navigation device was, but judging from the name, it should be something used for finding a way.
"What's so difficult about that?"
He put the girl down: "I'll give you something in the future."
Pingyu took it as just polite talk and didn't take it to heart.
She was startled by the sight before her as soon as she landed.
"babble!"
She nearly stepped on a sharp knife.
"Little sister, don't be afraid, don't be afraid~" The old woman looked over at the sound of the voice and comforted her with a smile, "Look carefully, it's just a reflection."
The fact that the young man could utter the term "fishing woman" proved that his interest wasn't in her beauty. The woman, having seen countless men, considered herself quite discerning. She then took it upon herself to lead the two men to a brothel.
Four long, sharp knives hung upside down from the ceiling.
The knife tip points towards the person, reflecting on the ground like two rows of fangs in a beast's mouth.
"You're quite fierce, you scared my daughter." Nezha pulled Pingyu behind him, a half-smile on his face. "With this knife hanging over your head, you can kill any guest you want. Could it be that you can't take all the money you win here with you?"
"Daughter...?"
Both the old woman and Ping Yu were taken aback.
She finally understood why Nezha had made her call him "father" at the inn.
The relationship was like a rehearsal for a role; once she arrived at this place, she had no choice but to shout, even if she didn't want to!
"So what if he called out 'brother' outside?" Ping Yu pinched his fingers and made a circle the size of a grain of rice for Nezha: "Your heart is only this small."
Becoming a father at such a young age, isn't he afraid of getting too old and wetting the bed in the middle of the night?
"Since you are so handsome, I'd like to speak frankly with you, young master. Our master's original intention in setting up this entertainment venue was to generate wealth. If customers win money but can't take it with them, who will bring it in? If the money doesn't flow, the entertainment venue will go bankrupt. I'm in charge here, and I have to keep a tight rein on these servants from time to time. Those who don't follow the rules are all fed to the dogs, and the remaining servants are all obedient."
With that, the woman used her sharpened fingernails to trace a line from the boy's chest down to his stomach and patted him twice: "You can rest assured now~"
She spoke of feeding people to dogs so casually, it didn't sound like an explanation, but more like she was taking the opportunity to give them a warning, so as to avoid trouble between the two of them.
That's good.
Nezha smiled gently and brushed the woman's fingers away.
"We just wanted to earn some pocket money to go to the temple on the mountain to offer our prayers."
"I'm just here to earn money from incense offerings, it's nothing special."
He smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes and asked, "How are the stakes calculated at your establishment?"
"That's exactly what I was about to tell you!"
Seeing that the two men knew what was good for them, the old woman's smile became even more genuine.
The eyeballs bulge out, like a [blank]:
"Our gambling den doesn't require any initial investment for the first time. Just tell the skinning advisor in front of the counter how much you want. However, regardless of winning or losing, you must return all your chips before leaving. But you can only have your initial investment waived once a day; after that, you'll have to pay back the money. The chips must also be returned within one month."
The rules seem familiar; they sound similar to those of the three-legged toad.
Pingyu looked at Nezha, indicating that he had something to say.
This little gesture didn't escape the fisherwoman's notice. She was understanding: "Young master, I think this young lady has something to say. Why don't you finish discussing it first before coming back?"
Nezha was led away by Pingyu, and the girl, hands on her hips, said seriously, "We don't want to lend it!"
"Why?" I hadn't noticed it before, but now that Nezha has grown bigger, Pingyu seems so small, like a hamster.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch. What's free is often the most expensive! Free chips are addictive when you win, and they fuel your gambling instincts when you lose." Pingyu asked, "Have you ever gambled?"
"No," the boy denied.
I thought he was a pro, but he's just a pushover! Kids like Nezha are most prone to going astray. One slip and they'll become street thugs. Come to think of it, the Wind Fire Wheels are kind of like will-o'-the-wisps! Ping Yu was exasperated, grabbing him and shaking him a couple of times: "These scams are designed to prey on people like us! A little gambling is harmless, but excessive gambling is harmful! Listen to me, understand?"
"Okay." Nezha nodded in agreement, but the hum came from his nose and sounded somewhat perfunctory.
Pingyu remained anxious as he followed Nezha back to the fishing woman.
Just as I stood still, everything suddenly went blurry before my eyes.
She felt her robe being tugged and instinctively looked down.
"Fake!"
The shrill scream startled Pingyu; beneath him lay a horrifying face.
His face was bruised and purple, and his eyes were filled with blood clots. The person who grabbed Pingyu had clearly been violated.
"It's fake! It's all fake!"
The woman said to the thugs beside her, "Didn't you see you're scaring the customers? Drag them away right now!"
The subordinate grabbed the boy by the waist and dragged him outside.
The other person's ten fingers were like peeled grapes, dripping juice and blood, leaving ten bloody streaks on Pingyu's hem.
Pingyu stared blankly at the departing figure, only to be pulled back to his senses by the snapping of the fisherwoman's fingers.
"Little sisters, have you finished discussing it?"
The old woman laughed.
"That was..."
Pingyu hesitated for a moment, but still asked.
“A wandering soul without paper money becomes an evil ghost, and a person without money becomes a poor ghost.” She tapped the girl’s nose in mid-air and said, “Didn’t I just say that the knife on your head is for slaying ghosts?”
If you lose all your money here, you can imagine what your fate will be.
A den of iniquity; if wealth is not enough, life will be the price.
But why would he say the gambling den was fake?
The bell isn't hot; there's no demonic aura here.
"How are you two?"
The old woman summoned the skinning clerk, who was holding an account book.
Nezha, without looking to the side, said: "I want to borrow it."
Pingyu's anxious heart finally died.
I knew this would happen!
"How much do you need to borrow?" the old woman asked again.
"Ten taels of gold."
The boy's outburst shattered Pingyu's already broken heart.
Children raised in affluence have no sense of money.
Even a boy whose fur hasn't fully grown in has big fingers; these two sheep that came today are going to eat the old woman until her mouth is dripping with oil. The happier she was, the uglier Pingyu's face became.
"You're lying."
She lost her temper, clenched her fist, and gave the boy a hard punch.
Nezha felt like he had been scratched by a cat; it didn't hurt, but it was a little itchy.
He said, "I'm not lying to you."
The old woman over there had already summoned someone to bring the chips, and she said with a smile, "Young master, here you go."
"Who said I was playing?"
He glanced at the old woman and pushed Pingyu forward.
The girl and the other person stared at each other, when they heard Nezha say behind them:
“I pay for it, and she gambles.”
Author's Note: Limited-time dungeon-exclusive Gambler King skin, given away upon login!
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