It's hard to describe the smell specifically; it was murky and stuffy.
The smell was a mixture of sweat, cheap liquor, cheap lamp oil, moldy rice, earthy smell, and... the smell of salted fish?
Qin Zhaoyue couldn't tell, and covered her mouth and nose after only taking a half breath.
The three people behind them did not move, which was expected.
Every few steps along the stone wall hangs a ceramic oil lamp, providing fairly bright light.
The crowd of heads and the rising smoke were projected onto the wall, creating a ghostly effect.
This space is quite large, about the size of a rice shop.
The main area in the very center was the dice game, with a polished door panel serving as the gambling table, and it was surrounded by people.
Dirty straw mats and tattered burlap sacks were laid on the ground for people to kneel and sit on.
The small area on the right is quieter; people there are playing backgammon.
A wooden frame was turned upside down against the wall to form a "private seat," covered with patched coarse cloth.
On the left side are various stalls selling all sorts of odds and games, including gambling.
Looking out into the far end, there is a tall accounting office that looks like a pawnshop, with a wooden sign for loans hanging on the side.
Qin Zhaoyue quickly grasped the layout of the place, and somewhat reluctantly lowered her arms, no longer covering her mouth and nose.
The largest crowd and the loudest noise were gathered around the central gambling table.
Some people still had mud on their trouser legs and took off their worn-out straw sandals to put under their bodies, looking like laborers.
He stared intently at the dice cup, clutching the few coins he had just earned.
There was a thin man with old oil stains on his sleeves; he was probably an oil shop assistant.
His eyes darted around, as if trying to discern some secret from the bookmaker's tactics.
The young craftsman, looking distressed and sweating, unconsciously picked at the holes in the mat with his fingers, probably having already lost several rounds.
The middle-aged woman, with disheveled hair and her chin almost touching the gambling table, stared intently at the gap in the dice cup.
The dealer was a skinny man with bulging veins on the back of his hands, who was rapidly shaking the dice cup.
The dice rolled and collided rapidly, creating a buzzing sound, and crude desires were stirred up as everyone placed bets.
Bang!
The dice cup stopped rolling, and the gaunt man shouted, "Place your bets now! Place your bets now!"
Once no one placed any more bets, he shouted, "Open!"
"Four, five, six, big!"
Exclamations erupted; some shouted with excitement, while others sighed in frustration and cursed in low voices.
All these sounds were enveloped by thick mud and rice sacks, creating a nagging buzz.
Qin Zhaoyue pursed her lips, her face showing displeasure.
This was far from the casino she had imagined; it was too low-end.
"Honorable guest, you can enjoy yourself without worry. It's very safe here. I have to go back and guard the gate, so I won't keep you company any longer."
He cautiously probed, only to find that the four people in front of him didn't even look at him, so he mustered up his courage and walked around them.
He dared not issue a warning here, especially since the other party hadn't done anything yet.
As the stronghold of the Four Seas Gang, with its extensive underground network, he could take shortcuts to inform his boss.
Qin Zhaoyue let him leave without taking it to heart.
He strode confidently with an air of superiority, looking just like a tyrant surveying his own territory.
This naturally attracted the attention of the thugs who guarded the place.
The two men in the room and the one in front of the counter were all burly men.
He wore a short brown robe, no different from that of a rice shop worker carrying rice, with the cuffs rolled up to reveal his strong forearms.
They leaned against earthen pillars or piles of rice, arms crossed, their eyes calmly scanning the crowd.
The waist is bulging, possibly carrying a short stick or a short weapon similar to a dagger.
All eyes were now on the group of four, a warning in itself.
Qin Zhaoyue ignored it, and after surveying the area, approached the loan counter.
Ha, it's just like a pawnshop, high and mighty, with only a small window open, which makes people feel uncomfortable just looking at it.
Gambling is fine; whether you use the money you earn to eat or hand it over to the casino is entirely up to you.
However, nine out of ten gamblers lose, and those who frequent this place are all gamblers.
Losing once or twice might allow you to control yourself, either turning away or just standing there watching the show.
But there are always times when people lose their temper and lose their minds, borrowing money from casinos.
They're all neighbors, so there's no way they can renege on their debts. There are plenty of ways to manipulate the local thugs.
Compared to casinos, money lending is far more terrifying, with countless cases of families being ruined and lives destroyed.
Behind the counter, a middle-aged man sat high up with an expressionless face.
This angle is invisible to ordinary people, but it poses no challenge for Qin Zhaoyue.
Before him lay a bamboo tally, with the debtor's signature and the amount engraved on it.
Beside it was a stack of copper coins strung together with hemp rope, piled high, the only thing visible to those below.
It constantly tempts those gamblers who are blinded by losses; you can see it as soon as you look up.
Simply sign your name and you can easily take it away "for free".
They think they can just pay it back as soon as they recover, without owing much interest. They're dreaming.
Behind the counter, on the ground, were a lot of odds and ends, including grain sacks, oil, and cloth, presumably used to settle debts.
As four unfamiliar faces approached, the middle-aged man remained calm, but his right hand, hidden under the counter, had already quietly grasped a bamboo stick.
A spearhead was firmly tied to the top of the bamboo, and it looked very crude.
It's not that we can't get a complete spear; there are blacksmith shops in Yuqianfang, so it's not difficult to forge one privately.
However, carrying long weapons is taboo, and the guards in Wuhoufang will occasionally try to extort money for drinks during inspections. If they are discovered, they will have to pay a fine.
His booth is easy to defend but difficult to attack; even a long bamboo pole can have the same effect.
"The guests may look unfamiliar, but the fun comes first."
As he spoke, the burly man guarding the counter had already put his right hand behind his back.
The two guards in the middle of the field did the same thing, slowly approaching them to form an encirclement.
Qin Zhaoyue tilted her head back, her gaze meeting that of the middle-aged man, and she broke into a big smile.
"I'm coming back to take a look." With that, she turned and walked back.
The middle-aged man curled his lip, thinking he was some kind of powerful figure, but it turned out to be a useless piece of trash.
They nodded to the guards and returned to their places, but their attention remained focused on them.
Qin Zhaoyue returned to the center, with her "underlings" clearing the way, and arrived at the very front of the dice cup gambling table.
Just then, the dealer stopped playing, and the stranger opposite him took out a piece of silver and casually tossed it onto the "small" card.
"Place your bet now, open!"
"246, Big!"
Qin Zhaoyue pursed her lips, and the next moment, she grabbed the edge of the gambling table and suddenly lifted it up.
The gambling table flew into the air, scattering the stakes and dice cups everywhere.
It landed with a thud!
Qin Zhaoyue crossed her arms and raised her proud head.
"You dare cheat in front of me? You're tired of living!"
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