Thousand Liang Workshop

Li Banfeng didn't understand why Dou Jiyan insisted on having him as a witness.

"What is this witness supposed to do?"

Dou Jiyan said, "I have agreed with my senior brother Ding LiuSan that we will compete fairly. However, my senior brother has bad gambling habits. He can afford to play but not to lose. If he throws a tantrum and cheats, I would appreciate it if Seventh Brother would speak up for me."

Qiu Luoye sneered, "Explain yourself clearly. This isn't something that can be resolved with just a few words of fairness. What if Ding LiuSan doesn't let it go? Will our Seventh Brother have to fight him again?"

Dou Jiyan pursed her lips. Qiu Luoye was right; a fight between the two sides was indeed possible. "Seventh Brother, I didn't back down when I encountered Smiling Thousand Hands today. Seventh Brother should know what kind of person Smiling Thousand Hands is. If Seventh Brother just say the word, I'd dare to rush up and fight him to the death. Seventh Brother should be able to see that, right?"

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "I see your affection, but let's make things clear. You're a Local Earth God."

"You're quite famous; there are plenty of talented people out there. Why did you specifically choose to come to me?"

Dou Jiyan pondered for a moment, "Because Seventh Master is upright and incorruptible, helps the weak and punishes the strong, and doesn't tolerate injustice." "Don't talk nonsense!"

Dou Jiyan sniffled and said, "Because Seventh Brother is highly respected and always keeps his word, Seventh Brother is a hero in the eyes of all the heroes."

"That's bullshit!"

After much deliberation, Dou Jiyan finally told the truth, "Because my senior brother is in the pawnshop business, he controls 40% of the pawnshops in Pro State."

Seventh Brother is a powerful figure in Pro State; all the major Lineage obey Seventh Brother orders. If someone falls out with Seventh Brother, his business will suffer in the future.

Li Banfeng nodded; those words must have been sincere.

Although Ding LiuSan's cultivation level has left the land, his business is still based there and requires support from various places. He won't easily offend powerful figures like Li Qi, so he won't easily turn against them at the gambling table, and he'll have long-term security in the future.

But for Dou Jiyan, it's a long-term guarantee; for Li Banfeng, it's a long-term problem, and the price must be agreed upon.

"I can act as your witness, but we need to draw up a contract so that you can't shirk your responsibility if I encounter any problems in the future."

Dou Jiyan laughed heartily, "Seventh Brother, what are you saying? We don't need any contract. From now on, just say the word, Seventh Brother, and I'll go through fire and water for you—..."

"Don't talk about going through fire and water. If you make promises you can't keep, it'll be hard to back down later. Let's make it clear what we can do for each other, one by one."

The group went to Li Banfeng's residence and drafted the contract together. Dou Jiyan was a top expert in gambling and repair, so she could naturally calculate the accounts clearly. However, since she needed Li Banfeng's help, she certainly dared not fuss over the details and left everything to Li Banfeng's decision.

Cui Tike walked up to Dou Jiyan and carefully examined the beautiful woman. "Beautiful girl, you are as beautiful as an angel. Let me be your witness, and I will give you a fair answer."

Dou Jiyan glanced at Cui Tike: "We have no grudge against each other, could you please not get too close to me?"

Cui Tike somewhat innocently, "I didn't use any lesions on you; I just wanted to express my goodwill."

Dou Jiyan clung tightly to Li Qi: "Take back your kindness. I'm taken. I'm sticking with Seventh Brother."

Cui Tike shrugged and walked out of the bathhouse, looking at the street scene of Seven Autumn City.

The Shui Yongquan was also on the street. The vast Seven Autumn City was thriving, which made Old Shui quite sad.

Back at the mansion, Shui Yongquan said with a look of resentment, "Old Qiu, this place is too good."

Qiu Luoye snorted and said, "What's wrong? I'm fine, and you're still not happy?"

Shui Yongquan shook his head and said, "I'm not happy. I wish I could tear down Seven Autumn City and turn it back into the way it was in Xindi."

Qiu Luoye her sleeves. "Listening to you talk has been making me really angry."

Shui Yongquan rubbed his head. "I know I shouldn't be telling you this, but that's really what I think. I've wanted to demolish Seven Autumn City for a long time, but I just can't bring myself to do it."

After pondering for a moment, Qiu Luoye looked at Li Banfeng and said, "I think I know what's going on with him."

Li Banfeng said to Dou Jiyan, "Little sister, why don't you go out for a walk? We brothers have something to discuss."

Old Cui, go and prepare the hospital. Let me know when you've chosen a location.

Dou Jiyan was just thinking of going to town for a stroll, and Cui Tike was busy dealing with hospital matters, leaving only their brother Ren in the house. Li Banfeng asked Shui Yongquan, "Brother Shui, have you forgotten how to lie?"

"Who says I can't!" Shui Yongquan avoided Li Banfeng's gaze. "I'm very deep-thinking; none of you can guess what's going on."

Qiu Luoye leaned closer and asked, "Have you also taken a liking to Zhu Chunhua?"

"I don't like her, but I just don't want you to get married!"

Qiu Luoye wanted to punch him again, Li Banfeng stopped her and asked Qiu Luoye Shui Yongquan, "Brother Shui, at each level of cultivation in the Cloud Realm, you only learn one technique. Why did you learn three Cloud Above Skills?"

"Do I have three Cloud Above Skills?" Shui Yongquan really couldn't lie anymore, so he could only pretend to be confused.

Li Banfeng said, "How about I count for you? You know how to use the technique of throwing water into water, right?"

Shui Yongquan nodded. "I know how to use it."

Li Banfeng then said, "To be able to gather spilled water back up, isn't that Cloud Above Skill?"

"Yes!" Shui Yongquan could only tell the truth.

Li Banfeng then asked, "What does 'Mind Cleansing Thought Washing' mean?"

Shui Yongquan asked, "What happened?"

Qiu Luoye said, "Old Shui, don't play dumb. I'm asking you what happened. You 'Cloud Above Second Layer of the Cloud Realm."

Where did these three techniques come from?

Shui Yongquan, who had been holding back for a long time, burst into laughter. "Qiu Daxiang, you didn't expect this, did you? My cultivation is higher than yours!"

I won't let you get married yet; I'll bully you in every way possible!

Qiu Luoye rolled up his sleeves and said, "Seventh Brother, you go out first."

Fifteen minutes later, Shui Yongquan, his face bruised and swollen, was still laughing loudly, "Qiu Daxiang, I've got you for life!"

Qiu Luoye didn't quite understand. "How could your cultivation level be higher than mine? Aren't we all in the same territory? How could you have reached the third level with just a few Strange Monsters?"

Shui Yongquan didn't want to talk about it, but he couldn't hold back any longer. "Do you remember when the two of us brothers hosted a banquet in our territory, inviting dozens of Local Earth God?"

Qiu Luoye nodded. "I remember, you said if we got along well with the neighbors, we'd look out for each other. Those bastards talked a good game, eating and drinking at our place for three whole days, but when we ran into trouble and asked for their help, not a single one of them showed up!"

Shui Yongquan shook his head and said, "I know what kind of people they are. I never expected anything from them. These people were all handpicked by me. I invited them here because I know where their 'Local Earth Seal' are hiding."

During the day, we entertained them with drinks and meals. At night, I went to their territory to steal their popularity; I stole popularity from dozens of areas!

Qiu Luoye was stunned and said, "I'm truly impressed by you. You even foresaw this? But in three days, you absorbed the energy of dozens of regions. How could you possibly survive?"

Li Banfeng has a deep understanding of the saying that consuming too much popularity can lead to serious trouble.

Shui Yongquan said, "I managed to pull through. I spent a lot of money to buy two Profound Essence Pills, swallowed them all at once, and managed to hold on!"

"Nonsense!" Qiu Luoye waved her hand and said, "You can't eat too many Profound Essence Pills. With our cultivation level, we can only eat half a pill at most at a time. If you eat two, they'll kill you."

Shui Yongquan laughed, "The Profound Essence Pill is extremely nourishing; taking too much can indeed be fatal, but I can really handle it because I know where to find Spinning Qing Flower!"

The Qiu Luoye leaves left me speechless.

Li Banfeng remained silent for a long time.

Shui Yongquan looked at Li Banfeng and said, "You know about this. You even fought with Lao Qiu back then just to get the Spinning Qing Flower from me!"

Li Banfeng said, "That doesn't make sense. In other words, you had already reached the third level at that time."

But why did you lose to Brother Qiu afterward?

Qiu Luoye and Shui Yongquan into a dispute on the border. Shui Yongquan Flowed into a dispute with Qiu Luoye, which led to the subsequent war.

Thinking of this, Shui Yongquan sighed and said, "It really doesn't make sense. I was already at level three, but I still couldn't beat Qiu Daxiang. Later, I heard that Chu Shaoqiang also couldn't beat Qiu Daxiang. He was also at level three. I felt much better after that."

Qiu Luoye smiled smugly, "You'd better remember this in the future. Don't think that just because you have higher cultivation, you can be arrogant in front of me. Let alone fighting a level three cultivator, even if you come to the Above the Clouds, I will still fight you without hesitation."

Shui Yongquan snorted and said, "I'll give you a few words of praise, but you're too arrogant. There are many Above the Clouds; do you know who's more experienced? A newcomer Above the Clouds is a world apart from a seasoned veteran!"

"You've been hiding it well, kid," Qiu Luoye thought for a moment, seemingly understanding Shui Yongquan's intentions. "Didn't you originally plan to ascend to the Above the Clouds and then use that to escape the earthly realm? That's why you weren't in a hurry to turn your new land into the Proper Land."

Shui Yongquan nodded and said, "I have thought about that, but things aren't that easy. We've ascended Third Layer Above the Clouds..."

It's still quite a distance from Above the Clouds; it needs a huge influx of people, and that kind of popularity isn't easy to come by.

Moreover, ascending to the Above the Clouds is very similar to the ascension from Ninth to Tenth Stage; it involves another complete transformation. If the Inner State interferes, I might not be able to make it through this stage.

So after thinking about it, I decided it's better to play it safe and I plan to ascend to the Fourth Layer Above the Clouds.

Qiu Luoye paused for a moment, then looked at Li Banfeng and said, "Seventh Brother, he's still not clear-headed. There's no such thing as the Fourth Layer Above the Clouds Realm. The Cloud Realm cultivation only goes up to the third level."

Shui Yongquan laughed, "Hehehe, that's why you don't know anything! There are Fourth Layer Above the Clouds, and there are also five and six layers. The truly ruthless people don't take the path Above the Clouds. They stay in the clouds, but I haven't figured out this path yet."

Qiu Luoye said, "Then take your time."

After saying that, Qiu Luoye glanced at Li Qi and said, "This old man doesn't even know what he's saying. I've never heard of anyone being at the Fourth Layer Above the Clouds in my entire life."

Shui Yongquan sneered, "There are plenty of things you haven't heard of. Shall I tell you something new?"

Judging from Shui Yongquan's expression, he didn't seem to be talking nonsense.

Moreover, his current state certainly doesn't lie.

The Qiu Luoye murmured, "Could it really be true?"

Li Banfeng believed that what Shui Yongquan said was true, because the Peddler had once said that Master Kong Fang was not Above the Clouds, nor was Sun Tiecheng Above the Clouds. The path one takes depends on one's own choices.

Continuing to rise above the clouds may itself be a path.

Dou Jiyan returned. "Seventh Master, the gambling match is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Thousand Liang Workshop is not close to here, so we should probably set off soon."

Li Banfeng said to Qiu Luoye, "Brother, have a good chat with Brother Shui these next couple of days and see if there's anything new."

Qiu Luoye dared not delay and coaxed Shui Yongquan into chatting, "Old Water, let's not talk about the past. There are plenty of good girls in Seven Autumn City. If you want to settle down, I can introduce you to one?"

Shui Yongquan resolutely refused. "I've never thought about starting a family. I just want you to stay single with me for the rest of your life."

Qiu Luoye rolled up his sleeves and said, "Old Shui, you'd better hurry up and learn how to lie, or I'm afraid I'll accidentally kill you."

Standing on the hillside, watching Dou Jiyan's departing figure, Cui Tike murmured with a smile, "Beautiful girl, you are so beautiful, you must live well."

Mi ding ding!

He gently shook the Pellet Drum in his hand, a hint of regret and reluctance in his eyes.

Dou Jiyan was a gambling expert; she was quick with her hands and feet. She and Li Banfeng walked for almost a day in Xindi before arriving at Thousand Liang Workshop.

Upon leaving the new site, Li Banfeng saw a brick wall over two meters high, which stretched out to both sides, with no end in sight.

"Seventh Brother, we've arrived at Thousand Liang Workshop."

"Is Thousand Liang Workshop a city?"

"Not a city."

"Then why are there still city walls?"

"Seventh Brother, this isn't a city wall, it's a neighborhood wall."

What's the difference?

After walking along the wall for a while, Li Banfeng saw two large gates. The gates were open, and people were going in and out from time to time. There were five guards in front of the gates: one was responsible for registering whereabouts, one was responsible for checking documents, one was responsible for keeping watch and alerting others with a gong, and the remaining two were responsible for dealing with any unexpected events.

"Seventh Brother, these are all the thugs I hired. There are quite a few more in the neighborhood."

As Dou Jiyan walked to the door, the five guards quickly bowed. Even she had to show her token to enter Thousand Liang Workshop.

The talisman was a document issued by Thousand Liang Workshop. The information on the talisman was very simple, with Dou Jiyan's name engraved on the front.

The back is engraved with the three characters "Thousand Liang Workshop".

Li Banfeng examined the talisman. "This talisman could be easily forged by any blacksmith, right?"

"It can't be forged," Dou Jiyan pointed to the guard in charge of checking the talismans. "His name is Jin Jinliang, he's my senior brother's disciple, a Grade Cultivator of considerable rank. Anything forged would hardly escape his notice."

The talisman may seem simple, but the molds used to cast it were made jointly by high-ranking literary and magical cultivators I invited. Every stroke of the characters on the talisman demonstrates skill. Moreover, even if a talisman were forged, it wouldn't be accepted in Thousand Liang Workshop. The market is vastly different from the outside world; outsiders would find it difficult to stay even for a day.

Li Banfeng glanced at the constable checking the talisman; he looked to be around sixty years old.

"This person has been cultivating for quite some time, hasn't he?"

Dou Jiyan thought for a moment and said, "I heard him say that it has been more than 30 years since he entered the Grade Cultivator stage."

"How did Grade Cultivator enter the Daoist sect if he didn't have medicinal powder?"

"My senior brother gave him some pills, which are said to have similar uses to medicinal powder. Jin Jinliang is very diligent."

Over the course of more than thirty years, he has cultivated to the seventh level, Grade Cultivator the four great skills: Appraisal, Guidance, Discussion, and Determination. He is proficient in all of them, especially in Appraisal, which even my senior brother greatly admires.

Grade Cultivator involves elixirs, levels, and unique techniques similar to various methods.

"Having come this far, isn't this already a Daoist sect?"

Dou Jiyan sighed softly, "That's the rule in Pro State. Any Daoist sect that isn't recognized by the Peddler isn't considered a proper Daoist sect."

Li Banfeng turned to look at Jin Jinliang: "This man is your senior brother's disciple. Aren't you afraid he and Ding LiuSan will join forces to plot against you?"

Dou Jiyan shook her head and said, "If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them. I trust his character."

Li Banfeng followed Dou Jiyan onto the alleyway. On both sides of the alleyway were two rows of identical houses. The layout of the houses was exactly the same: one main house, two side rooms, one storeroom, and one outhouse. All the houses were the same style, size, and color. Even the alleys between the houses were the same width.

Li Banfeng walked for a full five miles, and the scenery on both sides of the road kept repeating itself without any change.

"No wonder they say it's hard for outsiders to stay even a day. They'll get lost after walking around for half a day. Are all these houses built the same way just to keep outsiders out?"

Dou Jiyan said, "It's also to guard against people from our own village."

"What are you guarding against, locals?"

"Gamble."

"Gambling?" Li Banfeng looked around the courtyards. "Isn't Thousand Liang Workshop the largest gambling den in Pro State? Why isn't gambling allowed here?"

Dou Jiyan explained, "People living in Thousand Liang Workshop are not allowed to run gambling dens in Thousand Liang Workshop; that's the rule of Thousand Liang Workshop."

"Are there many gambling dens and gamblers living here?"

Dou Jiyan nodded. "Apart from the police officers I hired and some merchants, the rest are all gamblers."

"An entire city, inhabited entirely by gambling enthusiasts?"

Dou Jiyan corrected her again. "This is not a city, it's a neighborhood. There are hundreds of thousands of gambling dens living here."

Li Banfeng expressed deep doubt. "This number is probably more than the number of literary cultivators and martial cultivators. If we calculate it this way, the number one sect in Pro State should be gambling cultivators."

Dou Jiyan did the math carefully. "If we include all the incomplete cultivators, the sect with the most cultivators in Pro State is indeed the gambling sect."

What does "incomplete cultivator" mean?

"It's just cultivators who haven't taken the proper medicinal powder—"

As they were talking, two policemen dragged a woman out of the house and walked toward the door.

The woman struggled and screamed, "I'm innocent! I didn't gamble! I was just playing dominoes with him for fun!"

We don't gamble!

Li Banfeng said, "Aren't you going to ask a single question?"

Dou Jiyan shook her head and said, "There's nothing to ask. Since she broke the rules, she has to be kicked out of the gambling den!"

Li Banfeng felt that Dou Jiyan's idea was problematic. "You're bringing gambling dens together and then not letting them gamble? Isn't that too difficult?"

Dou Jiyan said, "Not allowing private gambling doesn't mean they can't gamble. They can gamble in gambling dens. There are thirty-six gambling dens in Thousand Liang Workshop, all set up for them. I'll take you to see them, and you'll understand."

The two walked for another two miles or so, and finally a slightly different building appeared ahead.

A large courtyard, a row of bungalows, with about ten rooms at a glance.

When he was still a hundred meters away from the courtyard, Li Banfeng could already hear the noise coming from inside the house.

"Is this the gambling den?"

Dou Jiyan nodded and said, "It looks simple from the outside, but it's quite exquisite inside."

People came and went in a steady stream in front of the gambling den. Li Banfeng was puzzled. "What's the difference between gambling here and running a private gambling den?"

Dou Jiyan said, "The chips in the gambling den are very small, and there are rules that the daily wins and losses here will not exceed one silver dollar, so they won't go bankrupt. At least they can keep some money to survive."

"You gambled away Thousand Liang Workshop just to survive?"

Dou Jiyan nodded and said, "People love gambling. Countless people want to get rich overnight by gambling and cultivating Daoism. However, Peddler rarely sell gambling and cultivation powder. Those who want to enter the gambling and cultivation sect have to find other ways."

Li Banfeng recalled Shui Yongquan's words, that the flesh and blood of gambling cultivators were living, breathing gold and silver. "The method you're talking about, is it eating the flesh and blood of gambling cultivators?"

Dou Jiyan nodded. "Most people can't get a whole body of flesh and blood. A pound of flesh and blood from a gambling cultivator is much more expensive than a pound of gold."

When they entered the Daoist path, they may have only eaten a small piece of flesh and blood, and then began cultivating according to the rules of gambling cultivation, thus becoming incomplete gambling cultivators.

Li Banfeng asked, "Can incomplete gambling skills still lead to higher levels and the learning of techniques?"

"Yes, but there will be limitations once you reach a certain level. Even so, countless people still get started using this method."

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "Is gambling cultivation really that popular?"

"It's really appealing, let's go in and take a look!" Dou Jiyan led Li Banfeng into the gambling den.

The gambling den was originally very noisy, making Li Banfeng's ears ring, but after Dou Jiyan entered,

Many people saw her, and the gambling den gradually quieted down. Everyone respectfully bowed to Dou Jiyan.

Dou Jiyan laughed and said, "You guys play first, don't worry about me."

Everyone returned to the card table, no one called out, no one shouted, and everyone played their own game.

There were more than a dozen mahjong tables in the room, all playing Pai Gow. A woman threw down the mahjong tiles, and everyone grabbed their tiles. They were playing Small Pai Gow, where each person got two tiles.

Before the cards were dealt, everyone placed their bets. Two people folded their cards without even looking at them.

Li Banfeng asked Dou Jiyan, "Is this just a guess?"

Dou Jiyan shook her head and said, "This is Gambling Cultivation Technique. Flowers Bloom in Season is right. When a flower is supposed to bloom, it will naturally bloom. When it is not supposed to bloom, it will close its petals tightly and not move. Those two cultivators saw that the timing was not right. At this time, they simply did not look at the cards and did not add to their own troubles. In any case, they only lost the base money, and the loss was not great."

Li Banfeng still didn't understand. "If you see the cards but don't bet, you only lose the initial bet, right?"

"That's different. If you know it's not the right time to bloom, but you still insist on moving the petals, you'll lose your spirit and your luck."

"Is there a connection between ambition and luck?"

"Of course there is a connection. Gambling cultivators rely on luck to make a living. If you have a strong will, luck will naturally come. Look at the man at that table. He has a strong betting spirit and a steady hand when dealing cards. In the next ten or so rounds, I'm afraid no one can beat him."

Dou Jiyan was referring to the table by the window.

Li Banfeng watched from a distance for a while. Dou Jiyan was right; the man had been very aggressive and had won more than a dozen games in a row. However, Li Banfeng also noticed some problems.

The man drew two eight-point tiles, which in Pai Gow is called Double Man Card, a very high-ranking hand.

With the help of Double Man Card, the man won this round. When shuffling the cards in the next round, Li Banfeng kept an eye on these two cards.

With Li Banfeng's eyesight, even though the cards were face down, he could still see very clearly that the two cards had been taken away by the two women respectively.

But when it came time to reveal the cards, the man revealed Double Man Card again.

Was this man cheating?

What's even stranger is that after the two women dealt their cards, they didn't have any cards in their hands.

Were they shills?

Dou Jiyan explained from the side, "This bet isn't worth cheating on. Cheating in gambling will ruin one's cultivation. That man used Gambling Cultivation Technique called 'Grafting Flowers onto Trees,' and he used some unknown power to switch the cards."

"What's the difference between this and cheating?"

"The difference is that he did not violate the rules of the game. He did not deliberately arrange the cards when shuffling, nor did he cheat when throwing the dice. He did not switch the cards after drawing them. He relied entirely on skill to get a pair of cards into his own hand. As long as it is based on real skill, it cannot be considered cheating."

That makes sense. Since his cultivation level is invisible, in a gambling den outside, someone doing this wouldn't be considered cheating.

The man won a few more rounds, drawing envious glances from those around him.

Dou Jiyan said, "This is called being surrounded by Surrounded by Stars Holding up the Moon. The more others fawn over you, the better your luck will be. But this adulation can't be forced; it has to be something you truly earn!"

Everyone was indeed envious, but after the man won, no one in the gambling den spoke.

The man wasn't particularly excited because the stakes were too small; after so many rounds, he had only won a few dozen yuan.

Li Banfeng asked, "Is this person a complete gambling cultivator?"

Dou Jiyan shook her head and said, "It's incomplete, and the level isn't very high, but he's in good spirits today, winning a hundred or so yuan shouldn't be a problem."

If it's a gambling den outside, betting against a bunch of White Lamb, making several hundred dollars a night isn't difficult at all.

"Anyone who cultivates gambling will definitely have a huge advantage in casinos, but once they've made some money and gained some fame, they'll become targets for those who prey on their flesh and blood."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "That's fair. They entered the Daoist sect by eating the flesh and blood of others, and now they're on the chopping block themselves."

Dou Jiyan wholeheartedly agreed, "Seventh Brother is right. Those who are greedy and insatiable will eventually end up on the chopping block, but some who know when to advance and retreat can still find a way out. The people who come to Thousand Liang Workshop are all looking for a way out. They've made enough money, suffered enough hardship, and their cultivation will never improve in this lifetime."

With their previous savings, they could have lived out their lives, but Du Xiu's gambling nature was incorrigible. He secretly set up a gambling den in Thousand Liang Workshop, gambling away all his savings, his wife and children, until he finally pawned his own body for money.

In the old days, there were many Loan Cultivators in Thousand Liang Workshop who carried boning knives with them. Gamblers who had lost everything and couldn't pay their debts would offer their flesh and blood as payment. They would kill and butcher on the spot, treating Thousand Liang Workshop like a marketplace.

"Once I became the Local Earth God, I set the rules: no private gambling is allowed in Thousand Liang Workshop. You can cultivate yourself in the gambling den, but the daily win or loss cannot exceed one silver dollar. Anyone who breaks the rules must leave Thousand Liang Workshop. There is absolutely no room for negotiation on this."

The two left the gambling den and, after walking for a short while, saw another wall.

Li Banfeng asked, "Is Thousand Liang Workshop really this big?"

Dou Jiyan shook her head. "Thousand Liang Workshop is divided into twenty-eight wards. In a place this size, there are twenty-eight such wards. Each ward has a gambling den and a market. The wards are separated by walls. During the day, people can move around between them, but at night, the ward gates are closed, and residents can only move around within the wards."

In the center of Thousand Liang Workshop, there were also eight large gambling dens, teahouses, theaters, taverns, and restaurants.

I've prepared everything that needs to be prepared. As long as they're willing to live a good life, Thousand Liang Workshop has nothing to lack.

Before Dou Jiyan could finish speaking, her voice was drowned out by a commotion.

The noise was coming from the gambling den. Since Dou Jiyan left, the gambling den had slowly become lively again.

Dou Jiyan was a little embarrassed. She looked at the iron fence outside the gambling den. "These fences are old."

It's time to paint it.

Li Banfeng asked, "What color?"

Dou Jiyan said, "It's painted red. In Thousand Liang Workshop, the fences of the gambling dens are all painted red."

Li Banfeng nodded slightly, but he didn't actually speak to Dou Jiyan.

He was reminding the projector to observe the colors in the casino.

The projector kept observing.

After walking a little further, Li Banfeng went to the outhouse. The projector whispered in his ear, "Seventh Director, the gambling den's colors are complex, but very eye-catching."

Before you arrived, the area around the casino was tinged with a gray of loss and frustration, and a red of joy and excitement, though gray was more prevalent.

Nine out of ten gamblers lose, and those who emerge from the gamble are often more frustrated, which is only natural.

The projector continued, "After you entered the casino, the colors inside changed. There was a depressing black, a fearful green, and a more vibrant red."

"More vibrant? You mean they're more joyful?"

The projector cautiously replied, "That dazzling red might not be joy, but rather anger."

As they walked to the wall of the ward, Dou Jiyan introduced, "After passing through two more wards, you will reach the main gambling den in the very center of Thousand Liang Workshop. Tomorrow's gambling will be held in the main gambling den. Seventh Brother, let me take you to see it."

Li Banfeng wasn't in a hurry to see the large gambling den. He first asked a crucial question, "You asked me to be a witness. If you lose tomorrow, shouldn't I act fairly?"

Dou Jiyan nodded slightly. "It is a bettor's duty to accept defeat, but I will not lose. I will not give up Thousand Liang Workshop to Ding LiuSan."

Li Banfeng remained silent.

P. S.: It's really not certain who will win.