Immortal Gambling House

The Immortal Gambling House in Taiyun City was the last place Chen Yan knew Song Mingde had visited before he turned himself in to the Outer Court Law Enforcement Hall.

It was here that he lost all the spirit stones from the Outer Court Shang Gong Hall's accounts, and then entered the inner hall. What happened afterward is unknown.

Perhaps Chen Yan could find the answer in the gambling house.

Chen Yan stood before the Immortal Gambling House in Taiyun City, gazing at the three-story pavilion before him.

He had heard about this gambling house before. It was said to be a place where disciples from various Sects gathered year-round to gamble and have fun.

Although Chen Yan had considered Taiyun City a regular stop for himself, he had never actually entered the gambling house. This was because, in both his past and present lives, he had always believed in one principle.

That gamblers never come to a good end.

Rumor had it that this gambling house was an enterprise of the Wang family in Taiyun City.

But even a three-year-old child wouldn't believe such a rumor.

A mere cultivation family from a secular dynasty, with their top combat power being only two Qi Condensation Realm cultivators, could never control such a vast enterprise.

At best, the Wang family was just a puppet on the surface, only fit to eat scraps.

The main force behind the gambling house was surely divided among the major Sects that truly held power, but such matters couldn't be spoken of openly.

Perhaps the Empty Mountain Sect was behind it.

No, the Empty Mountain Sect was definitely behind it.

Without the Empty Mountain Sect's approval, who would dare to open a gambling house in Taiyun City?

A shop assistant standing at the entrance of the gambling house noticed Chen Yan, who was standing not far away, staring at the gambling house before him.

The Daoist Robe Chen Yan wore clearly caught the shop assistant's attention. His eyes lit up, and he quickly walked up to Chen Yan.

"Esteemed Immortal Master, would you like to play something?"

The shop assistant said to Chen Yan with a fawning smile:

"Dice, Pai Gow, Mahjong. The complimentary tea and wine... are by no means ordinary mortal fare, but genuine immortal tea and immortal brew. Esteemed Immortal Master, would you like to try your luck?"

Chen Yan pretended to hesitate for a moment, then nodded:

"Then I'll give it a try."

"Excellent, please come inside!"

The shop assistant said, then led Chen Yan the way.

Upon entering the gambling house, a cacophony of noise hit him, causing Chen Yan's brow to furrow slightly.

Cultivators in various Daoist Robes were gathered around tables, shouting and cheering, all very excited.

Chen Yan recognized some of the Daoist Robes: the Golden Spirit Sect from the east, the Ancient River Sect from the south, and so on.

There were also disciples from many Sects he didn't know well.

Most of them were Body Tempering Realm cultivators and Qi Condensation Realm cultivators.

The rule that Body Tempering Realm cultivators were not allowed to descend the mountain was basically only held by behemoths like the Empty Mountain Sect.

For small and medium-sized Sects, there were no such restrictions.

There were also disciples of the Empty Mountain Sect, but they were relatively rare.

Looking at the pathetic state of the gamblers in the gambling house, Chen Yan couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Indeed, regardless of cultivation level, as long as one touched upon gambling, they would all turn into this state.

"Esteemed Immortal Master, what would you like to play?"

The shop assistant who was leading Chen Yan said.

As they passed several gambling tables, some people also noticed Chen Yan. After all, it was relatively conspicuous to have an Empty Mountain Sect cultivator in a place like this.

Some sharp-eyed individuals even noticed the gilded cloud crane pattern on Chen Yan's sleeve and couldn't help but exclaim:

"Holy crap, Kongyuan Mountain!"

Besides the Outer Court, the inner sect of the Empty Mountain Sect was divided into three mountains and four peaks, a total of seven major peak lineages.

And Kongyuan Mountain, as the main peak of the Empty Mountain Sect's seven major peak lineages, its disciples seemed to hold a slightly higher status externally than disciples from other peak lineages.

If you can't find the book by its title, you can try searching for the author, maybe the name has been changed!

Although within the Sect, disciples of the seven major peak lineages did not distinguish themselves by their respective peaks, this ingrained external impression of the Empty Mountain Sect seemed difficult to change.

Chen Yan's heart sank. He suddenly realized he might have been a bit too hasty.

He should have hidden his identity as much as possible.

Moreover, given the current situation, it was still unknown whether Lu Li, who was leading the group this time, was friend or foe.

"There's nothing I want to play in the outer hall."

Chen Yan said:

"Take me to the inner hall."

"This..."

The employee leading the way hesitated for a moment.

"Forgive my boldness, Immortal Master, but to enter the inner sanctum of the gambling house, you need to prove your assets."

Did Song Mingde have to prove his assets back then? Or was it because he was an Outer Court Steward of the Empty Mountain Sect, or perhaps his cultivation in the Martial Spring Realm, that allowed him to enter the inner sanctum without such a check?

Chen Yan didn't know.

He didn't have much spirit stone on him, in fact, he was practically penniless. But that didn't mean he didn't have a treasure he could use for the asset check.

Chen Yan took out the jade box that Lin Qifeng had given him earlier from his embrace.

When the employee saw the jade box Chen Yan took out, his breath hitched. He had worked at the gambling house for a long time and had some discernment. He naturally knew that the item the Empty Mountain Sect Immortal Master had taken out was no ordinary object.

The Po Bing Needle.

"Can this let me enter the inner sanctum?"

"Immortal Master, I don't understand these things either. Could you let me take it first so the cultivators inside the gambling house can verify it?"

Chen Yan nodded, not refusing.

He wasn't worried at all. The Immortal Gambling House was right here in Taiyun City. Even if the monk ran away, the temple wouldn't. He wouldn't dare to plot against a disciple of the Empty Mountain Sect even if he had ten times the courage.

"Immortal Master, please wait a moment."

The employee bowed to Chen Yan and then took Chen Yan's jade box into the inner sanctum.

After about half an incense stick's worth of time, someone returned with Chen Yan's Po Bing Needle.

It wasn't the same employee, but a graceful, beautiful young woman in a gauze dress.

From her gait and aura, it was clear she was a cultivator, not an ordinary person.

She handed the jade box containing the Po Bing Needle back to Chen Yan and then curtsied to him.

"Thank you for waiting. May I know Fellow Daoist's esteemed name?"

"Sun Lu."

Chen Yan answered without hesitation.

"So it's Senior Brother Sun. Please follow me."

The woman said, then turned and walked towards the inner sanctum, her waist swaying gracefully.

The inner sanctum and outer area of the gambling house were connected by an indoor arched bridge.

The inner sanctum was much quieter than the outer area, as it was composed of individual private rooms. Outside the rooms, there seemed to be inscriptions of barriers carved with spirit stones, preventing sound from the rooms from reaching the outside.

"Senior Brother Sun, what would you like to play?"

The woman asked the same question as the previous employee.

"I don't want to play anything. I'm looking for someone."

Chen Yan said.

"..."

Hearing this, the young woman stopped in her tracks, turned around, her expression and eyes showing no fluctuation. Then she gave a faint smile.

"May I ask who Senior Brother Sun is looking for?"

Chen Yan looked at the woman in front of him and slowly said, "Song Mingde."