One Encounter After Another

The Imperial City District of Chang'an City was the center of power and wealth of the Great Han Dynasty.

High-end casinos are inevitably located in bustling areas.

The Mingci gambling den was located in the former residence of the Marquis of Mingci. Similar to the brothels in Chang'an City, the gambling den also belonged to the black and gray industry.

The imperial court did not support the establishment of gambling dens, but it also did not crack down on them.

The Mingci gambling den was frequented by many people, and even though the Great Han Dynasty was at war and Dong Zhongshu and others promoted it daily, the number of gamblers remained the same.

You need to verify your funds to enter. Once inside, you will be wearing a wooden mask to cover your face to avoid the embarrassment of bumping into acquaintances. If you want to enter a high-end gambling room, there are also requirements such as changing clothes.

Rong Tianding took out thirty taels of gold, and the group received a wooden mask in return.

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at the mask, which had a distinctly witchcraft style, then put it on and stepped into the gambling den.

Few people moved around in the gambling den; most people gathered in groups, guessing the winner through different guessing games.

"The lower-stakes games here involve money. The dealer takes three items, places them in a box, and players guess which ones. If you guess correctly, you win money!"

To ensure Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't misunderstand the situation at Mingci Gambling House, Liu Xuan explained it in a low voice.

"In the high-level games, you can gamble with money for items, or with items for items. There's an extremely skilled player there who knows what I need. I've gambled over fifty times and still haven't won!"

What do you need?

"I used to want a magic lamp, because holding that lamp would stabilize my body. But now I don't really need it anymore!"

Liu Xuan sighed.

As the Great Qin, Liu Xuan used to look down on some objects and treasures, but after falling into dire straits, those treasures that he used to despise became things he could not obtain.

He won a lot of antiques by gambling at the Mingci Casino, but after his motives were exposed, it became much more difficult for him to win, and he even failed to win many times.

"Shooting the divination box isn't that difficult, don't make a big fuss, just take it if you need it!"

The gambling game in casinos provides objects for guessing, not questions posed out of thin air.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that the difficulty of the gambling den's guessing game was far less than that of the Marquis of Pingyang.

He scanned his surroundings, trying to determine Huo Qubing's location by observing his body shape. After several unsuccessful searches, Zhang Xuezhou stepped onto the second floor.

"A Life-Creating Fortune Pill!"

As usual, verification of funds was required on the second floor Rong Tianding's spare money was insufficient, Zhang Xuezhou took out a pill.

He had just taken out the elixir bottle and mentioned the medicine hidden inside when three windows on the second floor were opened.

"What a wonderful elixir! Come visit me, sir!"

"I accept all kinds of bets here, from money to goods, and I'll definitely get you a good price for the Fortune Pill!"

"I have three Law Treasure here. Would you be interested in taking a look, sir?"

The efficacy of the Life-Creating Fortune Pill is difficult to verify immediately, but the Jade Emperor's Life-Creating Fortune Pill has been nurtured for an extremely long time. As soon as the bottle is opened, the medicinal fragrance wafts out, even attracting many gamblers on the first floor to look up and watch.

Even if Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou mentioned the name "Life-Creating Fortune Pill" or referred to it as "Origin-Nurturing Pill," no one would consider it an ordinary pill.

"I want a lamp, which banker would like to play with me?"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded to the three experts who had set up the trap, then stepped forward. When his gaze fell upon a slender figure wearing a gold-embroidered robe, Zhang Xuezhou had already pinpointed Huo Qubing's location.

He looked at those who were casting glances at him and directly asked the expert who was in charge of the divination.

"I have an ever-burning lamp here. I don't know what kind of oil it's made of, but its flame burns year after year. It's quite magical. If you want to win this lamp, you only need to guess three times and win to take the lamp away!"

"Oh? Do any other bookmakers have the magic lamp?"

Zhang Xuezhou asked a question, his gaze falling on the master who had taken out a bronze palace lantern.

"If you think I'm after your elixirs, you can win the riddle game twice!"

Perhaps feeling that the eternal lamp was a little underweight, the expert who was retrieving the lamp added a comment.

"I don't know the grade or quality of your Fortune Pill, but at our Mingci Gambling House, we don't differentiate between grades for any elixirs or miraculous medicines. We treat them all as first-grade pills. The Fortune Pill is worth eight hundred taels of gold. You can place eight bets here. If you win twice in a row, this Everlasting Lamp is yours. You can also take back one hundred taels of gold for each win!"

"Once the rules are explained clearly, everything will be fine!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded in agreement.

He paced back and forth for about ten steps before taking a seat, glancing at the other customers playing the same game of guessing riddles.

"Your father hasn't been dead for long, and you're already here gambling away your money?"

"You..."

"Wear this outfit when you go to the Weiyang Palace!"

The Jade Emperor could recognize Zhang Xuezhou even after he changed his appearance, and the Dao Lord could also clearly remember Zhang Xuezhou's aura and thus distinguish him. Zhang Xuezhou's ability to recognize people was also quite good. He could identify anyone he had seen just by comparing their figures. If he needed to further demonstrate his status by the occasion, he could almost call the person by their name.

The guest before him was Tian Tian, the son of the former prime minister Tian Fen. Zhang Xuezhou had met him several times and could easily recognize him.

When Tian Fen was in power, he was very powerful, but after his death, his Lineage was in a precarious situation. In addition, the Empress Dowager was ill and difficult to care for, so it is not surprising that Tian Tian, who inherited the title of Marquis of Marquis of Wu'an, was targeted and framed.

Zhang Xuezhou recommended that Tian Tian go directly to the new emperor, who would surely show her some favor, thus allowing Tian Tian to withdraw peacefully.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir!"

Wearing a gold-embroidered robe and a wooden mask, Tian Tian looked back and forth at Zhang Xuezhou several times before bowing and leaving.

"Guest, that's not a good habit of yours!"

The expert gambler tapped his gambler's tool, signaling that Zhang Xuezhou was ruining the gambling den's business. Only after Zhang Xuezhou took out three porcelain bottles containing pills did he swallow hard and swallow his words.

"Let's bet two rounds straight. I'll see if you can take a quarter of my pills, or if I can take the lamp!"

"Please, this is my cover. This is a bronze wine vessel, this is an iron wine vessel, and this is a gold wine vessel. Now that I've covered it with this cover, can you guess what kind of wine vessel is inside?"

The expert divination master quickly changed the objects in his hand, moving them repeatedly from slow to fast, almost dazzling the eyes. When the cover was closed, all three wine cups had disappeared.

The current method of guessing games is somewhat similar to magic tricks, with extremely fast hand speeds used to make feints and confuse the senses, thus achieving the effect of deceiving the eyes.

This kind of pure skill is very difficult to master. Among the palace officials, the most skilled archer was Attendant Guo.

In the past, Zhang Xuezhou could not say for sure that he would defeat Attendant Guo, but with the ability to control speed, such techniques would undoubtedly appear as slow motion in his eyes, making it easier to break the deadlock.

"I have a friend who's very skilled at manipulation. After I guess correctly, he likes to stuff something into the cover to turn the right answer into the wrong one," Zhang Xuezhou said. "I want you to put down your left hand that's holding the iron wine vessel, and don't move the gold wine vessel hidden in your sleeve. Then, use your right hand to slowly lift the cover to reveal the bronze wine vessel inside!"

"..."

The expert who was in charge of the guessing game didn't move, but someone in the side room whispered, "The troublemakers are here."

"Want to learn my divination skills?"

Zhang Xuezhou waved to Huo Qubing, who was wearing a mask.

"Master, you're back! I'll definitely learn from you! This wretched place tricked me, making me lose three hundred and twenty taels of gold over time. I've wanted to smash this place up for a long time!"

Huo Qubing was also tricked and lost a lot of money at the Mingci gambling den, but he was aware of his situation.

He exclaimed with delight, and his overly blunt words immediately drew several swords.

"One more round, then I'll grab the lantern and leave!"

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at the two swordsmen guarding the gate, completely ignoring their approach, and instead urged the expert in riddles who was in charge of the game.

"All three wine bottles are inside the cover!"

After a dazzling display of skill, the expert at the riddle-guessing game successfully sealed the wine vessels inside the covering.

Zhang Xuezhou made a casual guess, then waved his hand, signaling the other party to bring over the ever-burning lamp.

Zhang Xuezhou stopped short of making a move. The Mingci Gambling House wasn't so bad at losing a treasure. When someone coughed on the third floor of the gambling house to signal them, the two experts who had drawn their swords put them back.

"Brother Lei, have you come to Chang'an City and lost so much gambling that you need to work as a guard for a gambling den?"

You don't know the dangers of gambling until you enter a gambling den. Zhang Xuezhou had run into a few acquaintances, and none of them had a good ending.

He accepted the ever-burning lamp that Liu Xuan needed, glanced at the guards who had drawn their swords a few times, and recognized his former friend Lei Bei.

Zhang Xuezhou knew that Lei Bei guessing riddles was mediocre; he liked guessing riddles but could never win. However, he never expected that Lei Bei, a first-class guest of the King of Huainan, would be reduced to working as a bouncer in Chang'an City.

This is equivalent to Lei Bei ripped off at a restaurant, losing all his money, and then having to wash dishes to pay off his debts.

"I came to Chang'an City on official business, and I'm just stopping by here to earn some extra money. Once I've made some, I'll go downstairs and play a couple of rounds!"

Lei Bei few friends in Chang'an City, and after being identified, he also recognized Zhang Xuezhou's identity.

Lei Bei, who was wearing a mask, responded with a disgruntled tone.

The money in his hands flowed like water, passing through his fingers and being handed over as soon as it was gone.

This was a must-visit spot for him whenever he came to the King of Huainan's Household in Chang'an City. Unlike the gambling dens in Shouchun City, the wages for the guards here were very high. Whenever Lei Bei had free time, he would come to serve as a guard to solve thorny problems.

He never expected that he would almost run into Zhang Xuezhou this time.