Chapter 30: Pingyu was grabbed by the neck by Nezha and lifted halfway...
"He deserves it."
As he spoke, Nezha forcefully wiped Pingyu's eyes.
He left the Qiankun Ring with the intention of protecting Pingyu. If the visitor had not been malicious, he wouldn't have ended up as a cripple.
Pingyu wiped her face, her expression suddenly turning anxious. She grabbed Nezha's collar, speaking rapidly, "Quick, Nezha! The dealer said I cheated and caused trouble, he's already gone..."
"Where are you going, little sister?"
It's too late.
The fisherwoman, whom he had just said goodbye to, faced them again.
Behind her followed a large group of thugs. Besides the croupier who had returned, the two also saw a Taoist priest dressed in a yellow robe. He had a snake-like face and was filled with demonic energy.
"Didn't you say you fed all the dishonest ones to the dogs? Why didn't you go?" Upon seeing the old woman, Nezha immediately understood the whole story. It seemed Pingyu had won too much and become a target.
He smiled enigmatically and said, "This skin isn't tight, I'll peel it off for you right now."
This is the long clang of metal clashing together.
He turned his gaze and saw that it was the rat-faced Taoist who had made the move. The long sword clashed with the golden ring, creating a shockwave that ruffled the hair of both of them.
"Young friend, don't be too hasty."
The Taoist priest seemed to have some skill, and when he smiled, he revealed his yellow teeth: "They say that little ghosts bring wealth. We saw that your sister is young and were afraid that she might be possessed by a ghost. We're just showing her to people, that's all."
The boy was enraged after his attack was blocked.
"You're asking for death." Ignoring everyone's words, Nezha swung his wrist and smashed it towards the opponent's face again.
Two figures, one yellow and one red, were locked in a fierce battle, moving with incredible speed. The Taoist priest was initially able to parry, but as Nezha's attacks grew increasingly rapid, he began to struggle and complain.
Seeing that things were turning against her, the old woman kept her eyes on Pingyu.
Pingyu's eyes met the woman's, and he immediately knew something was wrong.
Sure enough, the old woman said, "Gentlemen, whoever takes down these two will have all their gambling debts wiped clean!"
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone transformed into tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves. Ping Yu decisively shouted into the air, "Nezha!"
The Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon) appeared as if on cue, engulfing the girl completely. Nezha, not wanting to linger in the fight, breathed fire at the Taoist priest and then ran wildly through the streets with Pingyu in his arms.
Where did you just go?
The girl looked back and saw that all the gamblers in the neighborhood had come in droves, and the pursuers were like bees and butterflies drawn by honey. Because there were so many of them, their bodies were overlapping each other, and it seemed that only their heads were running. Ping Yu got goosebumps all over: "There are just too many people."
"I went to ask about something, I'll talk to you when I get back."
Nezha glanced back and said something startling: "Once they're all gathered together, kill them all."
"No!" Pingyu quickly stopped him from having this dangerous idea: "How can you kill someone without cause? Be careful you don't incur divine retribution."
"People die for money; their deaths mean they were destined to die. Go with the flow and nothing will happen."
“You only have 1,700 killing tribulations in total. If you waste them here, what will you do if you don’t have enough in the future?” Ping Yu took a different approach and said earnestly, “Killing tribulations are like money in our lives. We should spend them sparingly.”
Nezha was persuaded.
However, if they didn't kill them, escaping the gambling den would become difficult. After all, there were pursuers behind them, and thugs guarding the gate. Although they had pulled ahead of their pursuers, the gambling den had limited space, and they would eventually find themselves in a situation where they had no way to avoid it.
Just as the two were at their wits' end, Ping Yu's ears twitched, and he caught some sound.
Nezha felt the voice was familiar and turned to look for it.
A head popped out from the corner.
He was a boy with hair like a bird's nest, and a round face and eyes.
"Nezha, it sounds like he's calling you?"
Pingyu's strange path.
Seeing the two looking over, Nian Youyu waved even more vigorously. Thinking that Nezha hadn't heard him, he raised his voice a little: "Young master, come with me!"
Nezha paused.
He made a decision in an instant and darted towards Nian Youyu.
"Your friend... hello!?"
Pingyu thought this was Nezha's new friend.
As soon as she regained her footing, she saw the boy press the Qiankun Ring against her throat.
"What's up?"
Since they had spoken earlier, Nezha didn't kill him; he just kept the Universe Ring pressed against the other person's neck.
Even with fish around, he wasn't afraid. He smiled mysteriously, as if he were missing a screw: "I know a small path that can take you away from here."
"You're not going to exchange us for a reward?" Nezha didn't believe him, his hand holding the ring didn't move an inch: "Reason."
As soon as he finished speaking, the gold ring that had been pressing against his neck was removed.
The Universe Ring expanded, slipping around the boy's neck. Nezha held the other end, the magical artifact tightening around Nian Youyu's neck like a collar. If the boy showed even the slightest ill intent, his neck would snap instantly. Having made the threat, Nezha succinctly stated:
"lead the way."
.
Nezha and Pingyu suddenly disappeared from sight, causing the gamblers to stop their pursuit. They spontaneously dispersed and launched a thorough search throughout the gambling den.
Nian Youyu gestured for the two to be quiet and led them to move along the wall. Because the three were all young and slender, they went unnoticed for a while under the cover of the gambling table and shelves.
Pingyu and Nezha followed the boy around, and the scent of perfume in the air gradually dissipated.
Instead, there was an indescribable smell.
The closer they got, the stronger the smell became. In the end, to prevent himself from gagging, Pingyu simply covered his mouth.
Nezha also made a disgusted expression and covered his mouth and nose with his Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon).
Pingyu confirmed that it was a foul odor.
It smells so bad it's bitter and makes you dizzy.
When the stench reached its breaking point, the boy leading the way stopped.
With no one around, he whispered to the two of them, "This is it."
This was a thatched hut, filled with the constant buzzing of insects and swarms of flies. Just then, the door to the hut was opened. A man was fastening his belt; he was startled to see the three people facing him.
The man recognized Pingyu and Nezha and was about to shout.
Nian Youyu: "Wait a minute!"
While the man was stunned, Hun Tian Ling went up and slapped him across the face.
He slapped him so hard that his ears bled, and he fell back into the room.
It's a latrine.
"No wonder it smells so bad!?"
Pingyu wanted to grin but held back, afraid of smelling even more stench. Nezha's expression was unfriendly; he waited for Nian Youyu to explain.
The boy scratched his head sheepishly, "It does stink a bit, but..."
He stepped inside first, saying, "Come with me."
Nian Youyu led them to the latrine, where the ground was covered with dirt and thatch, which had been trampled into clumps by the soles of their shoes.
As for what the adhesive was, Pingyu dared not think about it in detail.
They saw the boy squatting over the pit, his hands groping along the wall.
Soon, Nian Youyu touched a protruding mechanism and turned it to the left.
Instantly, the wall began to shake. The entire wall emitted a rumbling sound as if a mechanism was operating, and Pingyu and Nezha saw that a fairly large square opening had appeared in the stone wall. It was large enough for an adult to enter.
Nezha is igniting the Samadhi Fire.
The firelight dispelled some of the darkness inside the cave, revealing the steps leading deeper into it.
Where does this lead?
Ping asked.
Nian Youyu shook his head: "I don't know either."
"I found this when I lost my bag. My legs went numb from squatting for too long, so I held onto the wall to avoid falling into the pit. As a result, I stumbled upon the trap. I never dared to go in, thinking that if I ever owed money and was detained in a gambling den, I would gamble and escape from here."
After saying that, he asked, "Do you want to go in? Anyway, there are people arresting you outside, and there's nowhere else to go."
"I'm fine with it."
After Pingyu finished answering, he and Nian Youyu looked at Nezha together.
Nezha paused, annoyed by their stares, and snapped, "Why are you looking at me like that!"
Half a minute later, the door closed.
Surrounded by the stench, the three disappeared into the wall.
"You are not allowed to mention this to anyone when you get back."
Nezha repeatedly gave Pingyu instructions.
The girl made a zipper to seal her mouth, indicating that she would keep it a secret.
The passage was narrow, but the firelight from Nezha's torch illuminated the four walls, making it bright enough. The steps led slowly, with no end in sight.
Nian Youyu was an impatient young man. He took the initiative to ask, "My name is Nian Youyu. What are your names? I originally thought you were young masters and ladies who came to have fun, but now it seems that you are more like talented people who are here to cause trouble."
"I'm Pingyu, and he's Nezha," the girl said. "We just came here to earn some extra money, but we didn't expect the people here to be such sore losers!"
“Only someone who’s obsessed with money would open a casino,” Nian Youyu clicked his tongue twice. “Once you’ve eaten it, who wants to spit it out?”
They followed behind Nezha, led by the boy's flames, and continued down the narrow steps.
They walked for an unknown amount of time, constantly lifting and lowering their feet.
So long...
Pingyu paused for a moment and looked back.
It was pitch black behind them, with no light, making them feel like there was no way back. If this staircase continued downwards, how far underground would they be?
"Nezha, I don't think this is right."
Ping Yu frowned: "Don't you think this road is a bit too long? Why don't we turn back?"
But after waiting for a long time, Nezha still didn't make a sound.
But when the girl started talking to him, he stopped in his tracks.
Pingyu felt something was off. Looking at the other person's lingering back, she tentatively asked, "...Nezha?"
The boy turned around.
Nezha's figure was completely swallowed by the darkness, and in the firelight, his handsome face appeared extremely artificial. It was like an artist creating a beautiful but lifeless drawing on paper.
Ping Yu felt a chill run down her spine for no apparent reason. She looked at the other person uneasily and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
The next second, Nezha moved.
The boy's face suddenly drew close, and the firelight went out abruptly.
The last glimmer of light flashed by in Ping Yu's eyes.
The other person's eyes were like fish eyes, their eyeballs facing each other, and Ping Yu could almost count the blood vessels in Nezha's whites.
“Pingyu, it’s because you’re hopelessly stupid and don’t know when to stop. That’s why we were chased here and I had to hide in the latrine.”
My throat was suddenly tightened, and a feeling of suffocation surged through me.
"It's all your fault."
In the darkness, Pingyu was grabbed by the neck by Nezha and lifted into the air.
Author's Note: I'd like to ask everyone! Does it feel drawn out?!
And then, strictly speaking, this story is set in a fictional world and can't be considered a pure Shang Dynasty story. After all, the Shang Dynasty had nothing, not even gambling dens [sunglasses].
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