The Monkey Demon Yuan Qu

"How is this scoundrel here?"

Upon seeing the person above, Sha LiFei's face twitched, and he took a few steps back.

This person was Yuan Qu, the leader of the White Ape Gang.

He had a strange birth and his mother was a courtesan, so he was often bullied. He ended up hanging around the streets and learned all sorts of vicious tricks.

At a young age, he was nicknamed "Monkey Demon."

Unlike the leader of the Iron Saber Gang, Yuan Qu only learned low-class street fighting techniques. Even though he apprenticed under Zhou Pan and had decent talent, he started too late and ruined his foundation by indulging in wine and women. He only barely reached the Hidden Strength level.

Although his martial arts ranked last among the Eight Great Vajras, his reputation was no less. He was known for being full of wicked schemes.

The East City was the White Ape Gang's territory, and this gambling house was rumored to be backed by a Young Master from Chang'an City. Even the yamen officials didn't dare to extort them, so the White Ape Gang naturally wouldn't.

Sha LiFei had specifically chosen this place, but he didn't expect to run into Yuan Qu. He couldn't help but curse his bad luck.

At the same time, Yuan Qu heard a few words whispered by the man beside him. A sinister smile immediately appeared on his face, "It's related to that brat? Go, take him back to have a chat..."

"What are you doing!"

Sha LiFei immediately shouted, "Are you trying to play dirty tricks before the arena match, disciples and grand-disciples of Zhou Pan? Fellow martial artists of the Jianghu, you all saw this!"

"Damn it, you're asking for death!"

Yuan Qu's eyes immediately turned fierce.

Just then, another person walked out of the room. It was an old man dressed in the attire of a local rich man. He was short and plump, with a white beard and a smiling face, looking kind and benevolent.

He stroked his beard and chuckled, "Such minor characters, why should Gang Leader Yuan get angry."

"Besides, this is the Jinbao Gambling House. He was just a bit loud, and he didn't break any rules. Gang Leader Yuan, shouting about killing and fighting, makes it difficult for me to explain..."

His words were polite, but they showed no respect at all.

Sha LiFei quickly nodded, "Exactly, exactly. I'm naturally loud. What, do I get beaten up for being loud?"

The old man stroked his beard and smiled, "In a gambling house, who isn't loud? The guests are having fun, they can shout however they want."

"The guest wants to bet on the arena, and I'm also interested."

"A Fu, bring out the badge!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold-faced man walked out from behind the old man. He held up his palm, flipped over the railing, and landed steadily with a front flip.

He didn't sway, didn't gasp for breath, and his feet made no sound.

"Good skill!"

There were many people from the Jianghu in the gambling house, and they all cheered.

The man's expression remained unchanged. He cupped his fists to the surroundings, then went to the main stage behind the hall. He took down two boards and, with swift strokes, wrote the names "Li Yan" and "Zhou Bai," along with the odds.

Li Yan wins: Bet 1, get 1.

Zhou Bai wins: Bet 1, get 0.5.

The leader of the White Ape Gang, Yuan Qu, had also calmed down by now. He said with a fake smile, "Boss Wu, you're not playing big here..."

He had received some news that the backer of the Jinbao Gambling House had fallen on hard times, so he had rushed over to discuss acquisition matters, lest someone else snatch the prize.

Who knew that the shopkeeper would directly refuse and try to provoke him.

Although he was annoyed, he didn't want to fall out with him yet, lest things get complicated and difficult to handle.

After all, this behavior was a bit like taking advantage of someone's misfortune.

Manager Wu maintained his kindly smile, "Just joining in the fun, letting the guests have a good time. What, does Gang Leader Yuan want to play a round too?"

Yuan Qu was about to refuse, but his eyes darted around. He suddenly smiled, "If Manager Wu wants to play, I, Yuan, will naturally accompany you."

"I'll bet two thousand taels. Does Manager Wu dare to accept?"

Manager Wu's smile didn't change. He waved his hand, and someone below immediately wrote a betting slip. It was carried upstairs and respectfully handed over with both hands.

"Gang Leader Yuan is generous!"

"Manager Wu is magnanimous!"

After a verbal exchange, seeing that Manager Wu wasn't angry, Yuan Qu shifted his target and fixed his gaze on Sha LiFei below, sneering, "Big guy, since you have confidence in that brat, how much are you going to bet?"

Although Sha LiFei was intimidated, he forced himself to pat his chest, "Yan XiaoGe will definitely win. Old Sha will naturally bet his entire fortune!"

Saying that, he took out a heavy money bag from his embrace, went to the back, and slammed it on the counter.

The clerk who was recording the bets was initially surprised, but after carefully opening it, his expression became strange.

Most of it was copper coins, with very little scattered silver.

The clerk was speechless. After quickly counting, he announced, "The customer's bet is a total of nineteen taels and five qian..."

Before he could finish, he saw Sha LiFei take out one tael of silver from it, muttering, "Almost forgot, I still need to leave some money for food."

The clerk was helpless and said again, "Eighteen taels and five qian!"

"Hahaha!"

At that moment, the entire gambling house burst into laughter.

Even Yuan Qu couldn't help but chuckle, sneering, "You poor bum, trying to act generous here. How about I lend you a few hundred taels to play with?"

"No thanks!"

Sha LiFei, thick-skinned as ever, ignored their mockery, put away his betting slip, and walked straight out of the gambling house without another word.

He'd been in the Jianghu long enough to know better than to fall for that.

Losing the money he had was one thing; starting over was manageable. But borrowing from those people would be worse than death.

The saying "nine out, thirteen returned" was still considered civilized.

Some loan sharks specialized in this racket. When the time was right, they'd show up daily, making a fuss until they got their cut, not even counting it as interest. They called it "tea money" or "errand fees."

Some small business owners were driven mad by these types.

Of course, these tactics were usually reserved for ordinary folk.

When dealing with people from the Jianghu, they'd specifically target those with consumption, who didn't have long to live, and pester them relentlessly.

If a Jianghu person lost their temper and killed one of them, it would play right into their trap.

Then, corrupt officials from the Yamen would get involved, like a pincer movement, making your life a living hell.

Besides, there was already bad blood between them, so Sha LiFei was naturally on guard.

He bolted out of the gambling house and disappeared in a flash...

Inside the gambling house, Yuan Qu, seeing that Sha LiFei hadn't taken the bait, found it boring. He turned to the shopkeeper beside him and said in a low voice, "Manager Wu, please reconsider."

"My offer might be low, but it's real money. If it comes to that, you won't be the only one trying to get something for nothing!"

With that, he smiled slightly and turned to leave.

Behind him, Manager Wu's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes were dark...

Meanwhile, inside the casino, the white-clothed conman from the Hua Family's eyes darted around. He loudly announced, "Yo, the Life and Death Arena! Betting on lives is way more fun."

"Zhou Bai is the pillar of the Zhou Family's next generation. If you bet on him and win, you get half the profit. If you want to go big, bet on Li Yan – you can double your money in just a short while!"

"Who wants in on this good deal? First come, first served!"

"What, you don't have enough money? Come to me..."

In the Jianghu, some people fear death more as they get older, but more often, they carry their lives on their belts and are huge gamblers. Immediately, they started raising money to place their bets.

Among them were carriage drivers from the Carriage Guild, laborers from the Cao Gang at the docks, brokers who roamed the city, and even bandits hiding their tracks.

It was a motley crew, a mix of all sorts.

News of this match quickly spread throughout Xianyang City...

Meanwhile, on the other side, as Yuan Qu, the leader of the White Ape Gang, exited the gambling house, a subordinate approached him, head bowed. "Gang leader, that slippery kid Sha LiFei got away."

"Let him run. He's not important."

Yuan Qu shook his head and said gravely, "What did you find out?"

The man whispered, "We found out the kid went to the Zhang Clan Martial Hall. After he left, Zhang YuanShang started making arrangements."

"But they sparred behind closed doors, so our people didn't see anything."

"Is that so..."

Yuan Qu pondered, then said seriously, "This matter might not be foolproof. Go, invite Mister Chen. Find Zhou Bai, and I'll go see my master."

With his command, the men split into three groups and departed.

Yuan Qu led his men to a large mansion west of the city. He ordered his subordinates to wait outside and then respectfully requested to see the master.

"Is my master home?"

"Yes, Martial Uncle Yuan, please come in."

Not long after entering the mansion, Yuan Qu emerged.

Following behind him was a carriage.

Inside the carriage was a large iron cage, covered with red cloth. It rattled constantly, and suppressed beast roars could be heard