Chapter 84 Dawn Sniping (1) "Uncle, I sincerely suggest..."
Without Xiao Yinshi's foundation in Huanyan Liuguang City, Feng Tan could only escape from Huanyan Liuguang City through the exit of the Eighth Gambling House by starting from the First Gambling House and obtaining travel tickets one by one.
The steel chains on her wrists and ankles fooled Zhu Qi, that naive young man, into thinking they had been removed. Feng Tan flew through the night like a streak of light, feeling as if she had been reborn. The long-lost sense of freedom made her smile in mid-air. Qing Cang spread his wings and soared through the air, following closely behind Feng Tan.
The man and the eagle soared and tumbled through the dark city. An hour later, Feng Tan stopped panting at a dim corner of the First Casino, stretched out his arm to signal Qing Cang to land, and looked at its somewhat thin body, affectionately patted its head.
The eagle squinted slightly, enjoying its master's caresses. Seeing its contented expression, Feng Tan chuckled, "You've realized how treacherous the world is without me as your long-term meal ticket lately, haven't you?"
Qingcang glanced at her disdainfully, spread his wings and flew to the eaves to keep watch. Feng Tan lowered her eyes, and after a brief moment of joy, a solemn expression appeared in her eyes.
Before he found her, Qing Cang had been captured.
The man tied a secret letter to Qing Cang's claws. During the day, before Xiao Yinshi went upstairs, Feng Tan had already contacted Qing Cang while standing by the window and destroyed the letter.
The letter on Qingcang's claws was bound by someone unknown. The letter contained only a few words: "Shang Chunxiang is at the Eight Great Casinos."
In addition, the mysterious messenger also "thoughtfully" included a map of Huan Yan Liu Guang City for Feng Tan, and even though Feng Tan knew it might be a trap, she had no choice but to jump in.
Why did Hu Shu end up in Feng Tingxiao's hands? What message did she receive before she committed suicide by throwing herself against the sword? Was it related to her mother's death? Why was Aunt Shang thrown here?
The man told her about Shang Chunxiang so that she would seek her own death. If Feng Tan cared about Hu Shu's death and Empress Xiaoxian's death, she would still have come to brave the danger, even knowing it was a perilous place. At the very least, the man knew that Shang Chunxiang had accompanied Princess Yongle all her life, and the bond between them had long surpassed that of master and servant. Even if Feng Tan didn't want to find out the cause of her old friend's death, she wouldn't let Shang Chunxiang be devoured beyond recognition by such a dangerous place.
Therefore, that person's plan was very clever; Feng Tan had no choice but to seek out Shang Chunxiang to find out the truth. However, by a twist of fate, she happened to be brought to this city by Xiao Yinshi.
Feng Tan unfolded a map of Huan Yan Liu Guang City in the dim light of the palace lanterns. She was currently at Blood Moon Harbor, named for the fact that the river was stained red with blood all year round, and the moon was reflected on it to form the outline of a blood moon.
Which gambling den is Aunt Shang at now?
Besides, she also needed to plan her future. Yu Ruxi would definitely not give up looking for her, and the Imperial Dragon Camp might have already infiltrated Huan Yan Liu Guang City. She had to find a way to get in touch with them.
Feng Tan looked up at Qing Cang, her eyes darting around as she devised a plan.
After sending Qingcang away, Feng Tan put away the map, tied his hair into a bun, took out a human skin mask he had taken and put it on his face, revealing a rough and rugged face. He walked up to the tall, burly, dark-faced gatekeeper with a large sword at his waist, took out two gold ingots and handed them to him, saying in a gruff voice, "Brother, entrance fee."
Without a doubt, the gold ingots were also smuggled from Xiao Yinshi, who 'didn't have that much silver to spend.'
The burly, dark-faced man took the gold ingot, examined it in his hand, and then tapped it against his teeth to confirm that it was real gold. He then raised an eyebrow at Feng Tan and said in the local dialect, "We still need three ingots."
This was completely unexpected for Feng Tan, who asked, "Isn't the entrance fee two ingots?"
The burly, dark-faced man raised his voice, looking down at the short, rough, and unruly man in front of him. "The price has just been changed. If you don't have the money, go play at another place!"
A large, pampered hand handed ten gold ingots to the burly, dark-faced man. The man said in a deep voice, "The extra two ingots are yours."
The burly, dark-faced man grinned broadly, revealing his white teeth. He popped the gold into his mouth again to confirm its authenticity, then gestured for it to be presented. The vermilion gate behind him swung open with a rumble, revealing a deep, curtained corridor.
Stepping into the winding flower corridor with its carved railings and latticed windows, Feng Tan turned back to look at Feng Tingxiao, who was dressed in a dark purple silk robe with cloud patterns, and her eyes turned icy.
Feng Tingxiao was shot several times by Feng Tan in the imperial prison and returned to the world after a brush with death. He was sickly weak. "Yongle, I heard that someone kidnapped you. I came here specifically to find you."
“Heh,” Feng Tan sneered, “Feng Tingxiao, in your heart, imperial power trumps everything. You risked your life to come to such a dangerous place to find me? You’d be fooling a ghost.”
Feng Tingxiao's voice, tinged with amusement, rang out, "Whether you believe it or not is up to you, but I advise you to travel with me on the road ahead. After all, you're not good at gambling, and if you want to get out of here, joining me in overcoming this challenge is your best option right now."
Feng Tan looked at him, her mind racing. Could it be that the secret letter on Qing Cang's claws was sent by Feng Tingxiao?
No, that's not right, it's not him.
If Feng Tingxiao wanted to kill her, he had countless opportunities in the capital; with his power, he didn't need to go through such trouble. The only person who wanted her dead was someone indirectly connected to the recent events. He remained hidden behind the big picture, subtly throwing out bait to lure her into hell.
To conquer the eight major casinos, one must possess gambling skills. King Chu frequented gambling dens and brothels in the capital for many years, and after weighing the pros and cons, traveling with him was indeed the best choice.
Feng Tan made up her mind and stepped into the main hall.
As Feng Tingxiao gazed at her graceful, solitary figure, his gentle eyes took on a strange hue, and his resolute profile was shrouded in gloom, giving him an air of wickedness.
The main hall was decorated with red silk and green brocade, and adorned with dazzling lights. As the first and lowest level of the eight major gambling dens, the decorations here already exuded an air of extravagance and debauchery. Inside the hall, there were about a hundred gambling tables, each crowded with all sorts of gamblers, who were smoking drugs with gun barrels, their faces showing intoxicated and dazed expressions.
The first level of the gambling den was relatively clean, as it was free of bloodshed. Feng Tingxiao had a substantial amount of capital and top-notch gambling skills, so he easily obtained the ticket to the second level of the gambling den.
After passing through six more gambling dens, the stakes became increasingly high, shifting from betting on money to betting on body parts. The stench of blood filled the air, and the gamblers screamed in agony as human remains were chopped into mincemeat and fed to drooling wolfhounds.
The thug on duty at the Seventh Gambling House watched the two men rake in bags of gold. He exchanged a glance with the burly man beside him, then approached with a forced smile and said, "You two gentlemen have quite the gambling skills, arriving at the Seventh Gambling House in just three hours. However, our rules here are quite different from the others. We gamble on body parts, and if you lose badly, you have to bet your life!"
Gamblers who come to the casino become increasingly irrational as they fight their way through the rounds. When their gambling addiction takes hold, they lose all reason. If they lose in the middle of the round, they have to hand over 80% of their winnings before they can leave the casino. Few people are willing to hand over the money they have earned back to the casino.
So despite the bloody impact of dismembered bodies, most gamblers will still be blinded by greed and choose to continue gambling.
Feng Tan hadn't seen Shang Chunxiang in the previous levels, so there was no doubt that she was on the seventh or eighth level. He smiled and said, "How can I not gamble?"
Seeing that the two chose to continue gambling, the thug lowered his fingers from the guillotine at his waist, took the toll pass, and let them go, saying, "Alright! Please, esteemed guests!"
The thugs led the two into a deep corridor, explaining the rules as they went: "The seventh casino is different from the previous six. Here, guests are not allowed to travel together. So, you two will have to gamble separately. In addition to the initial stake, the loser will have to add the body part drawn by a blind lottery. Conversely, if you win, the casino will reward you with three times the stake as a bonus to unlock the eighth casino."
Upon hearing that they would have to travel separately, Feng Tingxiao frowned and said unhappily, "Separately? A newly established rule?"
The thug said, "That's right, it's newly modified!"
Feng Tingxiao pondered for a moment. The Seventh Casino was both extravagant and bloody. Yongle had never seen such a disgusting and brutal scene. This game should end here. He would reveal his identity and send his henchmen to contact the city lord Tan Yinyin. In any case, he had to discuss the matter with the city lord.
He brought Feng Tan along the way to overcome obstacles simply to keep a low profile and avoid Xiao Yinshi's eyes and ears in Huan Yan Liu Guang City. After all, he didn't know how powerful Xiao Yinshi was in the city, and taking Feng Tan away rashly was risky.
He was about to speak when Feng Tan looked at him as if sensing his gaze, her eyes filled with clear determination, and said, "Alright, let's do it according to the casino rules!"
"Nonsense!" Feng Tingxiao couldn't help but shout, showing the manner of an imperial uncle disciplining a junior. "What kind of talk is it for a young girl like you to go into a casino alone?"
Feng Tan said, "Feng Tingxiao, if you can't handle this, then leave. Don't get in my way."
"Can't take a joke?" Feng Tingxiao looked at Feng Tan's icy face with a half-smile and said, "Is that all you think of me?"
Of course not. Feng Tingxiao has his own purpose in coming here. He's a meticulous person and always leaves himself a way out. If he dared to come in, he can naturally leave, so he can definitely take her out too. But Feng Tan can't leave right now. She has to go to the Seventh Casino to see what's going on. Even if it's a dangerous place, she has to go.
Feng Tan ignored Feng Tingxiao and stepped across the threshold into the magnificent, crowded casino filled with screams.
A shadow fell over Feng Tingxiao's face. Without a word, he strode up to Feng Tan, grabbed her arm, and his tone turned stern, "What are you meddling in for?"
A freshly severed male sex toy, dripping with blood, was flung to Feng Tan's feet. Feng Tingxiao glanced down at it, his temple veins throbbing even more violently. "Come out with me!"
Feng Tan looked at his appearance and sneered inwardly, but said expressionlessly, "Royal Uncle."
Having not heard this form of address in a long time, Feng Tingxiao gripped Feng Tan's arm even tighter, then looked at her with a pair of eyes full of sarcasm, "You like me that much?"
Feng Tingxiao's pupils contracted sharply, and his Adam's apple bobbed. "Yes."
"You've frequented brothels and brothels quite a bit over the years, and you even thought about committing incest with your own niece. Do you know the saying, 'Even a rat has skin, but a person without manners is no good; if a person without manners is no good, what is the point of living?'" Feng Tan removed his fingers from her arm, her eyes flashing with hatred. "Uncle, I sincerely suggest you go and die."
After killing Hu Shu, Feng Tingxiao knew that Feng Tan would never forgive him in this life. Now, seeing her full of hatred, he stood there stunned, watching Feng Tan walk alone into the Seventh Casino.
However, his indescribable emotions did not last long. Two thugs came out of the casino and said to him that Feng Tan had lost the first game. Then, they took out a contract of servitude with his handprint on it, which they didn't know where they got it from, and used him as collateral to be a male prostitute. They said it wasn't breaking the rules, since he was a whole body after all.
Standing in the dim light, Feng Tingxiao recalled Feng Tan's restrained yet disgusted expression and smiled gloomily.
Her bad temper and ruthless methods are exactly like her father's.
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