I gave you a chance, but you're still useless

Because...

They could tell that if they refused to give up their rooms to Chu He today, he probably would not dare attack them openly inside the inn. Outside the inn, however, that was another matter. He might well ambush them.

When that happened:

They would be outnumbered, and things would likely end badly.

As the saying went: beneath another's eaves, one had no choice but to bow one's head!

In an instant!

They had scraped together nine superior rooms!

At that moment!

Chu He surveyed his surroundings. Only one table of diners had remained silent just now-the Divine Sword Sect disciples.

"You're Chu He?"

The Divine Sword Sect disciple leading them stood and asked coldly.

"Impudence!"

"How dare the likes of you address our lord by name!" Lu Feng immediately drew his Demon-Suppressing Saber, ready to strike.

However.

Zhao Yuan stopped him!

This was an inn, after all. Killing someone merely for addressing Chu He by name might be defensible, but it would sound bad.

At the very least:

One had to be a thousand-household commander to act with such tyranny!

"Oh, you recognize this company commander!" Looking at their swords and attire, Chu He immediately guessed that they were Divine Sword Sect disciples. He said with amusement, "So you're disciples of the Divine Sword Sect. What, do you want revenge for those fellow disciples of yours who plotted rebellion?"

"Hahaha..."

Chu He threw back his head and laughed twice, then walked toward them, step by step.

Step!

Step!

Step!

He declared imperiously:

"Don't say I never gave you a chance. I'm standing right in front of you now. Draw your swords. Come on."

"You..."

The leading Divine Sword Sect disciple, Jian Wu, turned livid. He reached for the sword at his waist, only for several fellow disciples to pin his hand down:

"Senior Brother Jian, don't! He's deliberately provoking you..."

"If you draw your sword against a Demon Suppression Guard without cause, he has the right to execute you first and report afterward."

"Senior Brother Jian, you mustn't fall for their trap..."

Hearing his fellow disciples' warnings, Jian Wu forced down his fury. Staring at Chu He before him, he said through gritted teeth:

"Don't get too smug..."

Pat! Pat!

Chu He lightly patted Jian Wu's face twice and said disdainfully, "I gave you a chance, but you're still useless."

"I'm bored today, so I'll have another wager with you. I wonder if a piece of trash like you has the guts."

"Why wouldn't I? What's the wager?"

Jian Wu immediately retorted.

Heh, young and hotheaded, just as expected!

Seeing Jian Wu immediately take the bait after such a slight provocation, Chu He could not help marveling at how hotheaded these sect disciples were.

They knew nothing of the treachery of the world!

An old hand would have spotted something fishy here. Since you've willingly taken the bait, don't blame this company commander for teaching you a proper lesson!

"Simple. Let's bet on dice!"

"If you win, I'll personally go to the Divine Sword Sect and apologize. If you lose, hand over every treasure on you and crawl out the door."

Chu He pointed at the inn's entrance.

"Fine, I'll take that wager!"

Jian Wu nodded in agreement.

Although.

He also felt there might be a trick involved, he did not want to keep retreating and suffering humiliation. Even if it was a trap, he would give it everything he had.

"Set up a gambling table!"

Chu He waved a hand.

Immediately!

The Demon Suppression Guards hurried over to lift two nearby tables, swept off the dishes on top, and pushed them together before Chu He.

Then.

Lu Feng quickly brought over a chair and placed it behind Chu He.

Thud!

Chu He slowly sat down.

Just then!

A voice suddenly rang out:

"Since you two wish to gamble, why not use my Heaven and Earth Dice Cup? It can prevent any cheating."

They saw.

An old man quickly emerge from the crowd with a dice cup in his hand, which he placed on the gambling table.

"The Heaven and Earth Dice Cup!"

"He's Zhao Yizhi, the Gambling King of East Mountain! They say his gambling skills are famed across several provinces. But didn't he say he was leaving Great Qian?"

"That's him. I remember seeing his portrait in quite a few gambling houses." A sect disciple recognized the old man and immediately said, "I heard he has a deep grudge against the Demon Suppression Bureau. The woman he loved was killed by them."

Hearing this!

Quite a few sect disciples nodded.

Clearly.

They also knew about it. The affair involving Zhao Yizhi had caused a great stir back then. His wife had been a surviving member of the White Lotus Cult. After verifying this, the Demon Suppression Bureau had executed her on the spot. Originally, he too would have been unable to escape death.

But!

A word from the East-Subduing Prince had spared him the death penalty!

Ever since then!

He had traveled throughout Great Qian without ever gambling again. However, his hatred for the Demon Suppression Bureau had never faded. Supposedly, the many Demon Suppression Guards involved in killing his wife had all later died mysterious deaths.

"None of your damn business! Get lost!"

Lu Feng roared at Zhao Yizhi.

He also knew the man's reputation. The Heaven and Earth Dice Cup in his hand was famous too. Rumor had it that it could block even a sixth-grade expert's perception.

In other words:

Anyone below the sixth grade could only win through gambling skill!

"What's wrong? Are you afraid, Company Commander Chu?"

Jian Wu immediately seized the opening.

"Why would I be afraid?"

Chu He's expression chilled. He took out a pill bottle and placed it on the table, saying, "But if we're using the Heaven and Earth Dice Cup, let's make it a big wager. I'll stake ten years of my salary and this Sacred Blood Pill. What will you stake? If you can't match my wager, don't blame me for refusing to play."

What?

Hearing Chu He's words, Jian Wu's expression changed.

Leaving aside:

The considerable sum that ten years of Chu He's salary as a company commander represented, he could not even produce anything equal in value to the Sacred Blood Pill on the table.

Looking at Chu He's cold smile.

He knew:

The man was betting that he could not produce a matching stake.

At that moment!

Inside a guest room on the inn's second floor!

Two men in splendid robes watched what was happening below, with several people dressed as guards standing silently behind them.

One man's face was youthful, yet carried a trace of authority. Clearly, his status was not low. The other had a fair, smooth face and gave an impression of delicacy. Clearly, this was a woman disguised as a man.

"The Yunzhou Demon Suppression Guard is actually this overbearing-and shameless enough to try forcing the other side to gamble without the Heaven and Earth Dice Cup. But he'll probably lift a rock only to smash his own foot," the delicate man said leisurely.

His tone brimmed with sarcasm. Clearly, he disapproved greatly of what Chu He had just done, and was even quite angry.

"Something isn't right!"

The authoritative man shook his head.

His instincts told him that this Company Commander Chu could not be so simple. That bottle of Sacred Blood Pill alone was not something an ordinary company commander could obtain.

"Royal Brother, you actually think highly of him? Just wait until he makes a fool of himself. They ought to learn that being a Demon Suppression Guard doesn't mean they can do whatever they please. They're partly responsible for the chaos throughout the realm."

The delicate man flung his sleeve and said angrily.

Below!

Hearing Chu He's words, the onlookers also felt anger rising in their hearts:

"Brother Jian, take his wager!"

"Yes! I have a pair of blood bracelets that can enhance a martial artist's blood Qi. I'll stake them for Brother Jian. If we lose, the loss is mine."

"This is a ten-year-old Heavenly Mountain snow lotus..."

"A two-hundred-and-fifty-year-old ginseng root..."

Disciples from sects and prominent families took out treasures one after another and placed them on the gambling table, adding to the wager while making one demand:

"Zhao Yizhi must shake the dice on Jian Wu's behalf."

Only after hesitating for three full breaths.

Did Chu He nod with an icy expression, while inwardly thinking:

The fish have finally taken the bait of their own accord!