I chose not to pay the marble stall owner extra money, not only because I feared his insatiable greed, which might lead him to extort more from me, but also because I had already revealed my wealth during the beautiful woman's gamble earlier.
Flaunting wealth at a bus station is a major taboo.
If I were to be targeted by someone from the Rongmen sect, it would undoubtedly lead to unnecessary trouble.
Fortunately, this was a casino, and the Rongmen members who frequented the gambling dens dared not easily resort to petty theft. Moreover, the two stalls were separated by a considerable distance. As long as I didn't display my wealth again, there should be no major issues.
That's why I had been so adamant earlier.
...
Around noon.
In the rented housing area of the East Bus Station, only a few houses showed signs of life; the rest could be ignored entirely.
After searching for a while, my gaze fell upon a room on the second floor, on the east side, with its door half-open.
Through the ajar door, the aroma of food continuously wafted out.
As I got closer, I heard the voice of the young man who had bravely rescued the situation.
"Sister Yan, why didn't you let me teach that pervert a lesson earlier?"
"Looking at his smug demeanor, it was clear he intended to take advantage of you!"
Once I had pinpointed the target, I, along with Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun, crept towards the room, hunched over and stealthily.
Because there was more than one person in the room, and it was mealtime, everyone was eating and chatting freely, completely oblivious to the subtle movements outside.
The moment we reached the door, hunched over, after exchanging glances with Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun, the three of us straightened up simultaneously and kicked the door open.
Bang!
The door slammed against the inner wall, and as it reverberated, the scene inside the room instantly came into view.
On a square table, one middle-aged man and five younger individuals were seated formally for a meal.
The middle-aged man occupied the head seat, facing the beautiful woman.
The remaining four younger people were seated in pairs on either side.
It was evident that the beautiful woman's group respected the middle-aged man seated at the head.
Seeing that I had found them so quickly, the beautiful woman's expression immediately turned serious.
Even her gaze towards me was filled with caution.
She must have realized that if I were simply interested in her, there would be no need to track her down here.
At this moment, I imagined the beautiful woman was racking her brain, trying to figure out who I was and what my intentions were.
As the beautiful woman's expression shifted between uncertainty and anger, I suddenly clenched my right fist, held my left hand upwards, and cupped my hands towards the middle-aged man, calling out, "A lone flower on the rivers and lakes!"
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man first slightly paused, then instinctively stood up and immediately returned the gesture, cupping his hands towards me: "We are all from the Hua Ge Lan Rong family."
Before I could speak, the middle-aged man continued, "May I ask, young sir, what path do you walk, and what school do you belong to?"
Without hesitation or pause, I replied, "I dare not claim such a title! This humble one walks the Blue Path and belongs to the Thousand Doors!"
"Then may I know your name, young brother?" the middle-aged man inquired again.
"My surname was bestowed by my father, and my name by my mother. I am Chen Xiang, greetings, senior!"
This was my second time exchanging passwords with someone from the martial world; the first was with the renowned phantom thief Yan Ba.
The reason I knew how to exchange passwords was my intuition that anyone capable of nurturing a resourceful and intelligent cheater like the beautiful woman could not be an unknown figure.
Furthermore, after kicking open the door, among the six people seated at the table, only the middle-aged man's expression remained completely unfazed, as if he had seen such scenes countless times before.
One who can remain calm amidst thunderous events is fit to be a great general!
Such individuals, even if they cannot be friends, are worthy of my respect.
Returning to the matter at hand.
Seeing that I could skillfully exchange passwords, and that I represented the Thousand Doors, the middle-aged man immediately looked at me with renewed respect, nodding slightly, "Since we are of the same family, please take a seat!"
Upon hearing this, the young man, whose face had shown anger upon my arrival, immediately drooped his head like a frost-bitten eggplant.
He then beckoned to the person sitting next to him, and the two of them, holding their bowls, stood up to eat elsewhere.
This scene alone made my eyes light up.
Excellent leadership!
Following the middle-aged man's gesture of invitation, I respectfully sat down.
Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun stood behind me.
After sitting down, before the middle-aged man could ask my purpose, I immediately cupped my fists and apologized, "Esteemed senior, please forgive my abrupt intrusion. The matter arises from necessity."
As the saying goes: a smiling face is never struck.
Since the middle-aged man had shown me such courtesy, I naturally wouldn't wait for him to speak first, but rather proactively apologize to further extend goodwill.
Waving his hand, the middle-aged man replied calmly, "Since we are of the same sect, there's no need for excessive politeness."
"Whatever the matter, whatever misunderstandings there may be, feel free to speak your mind."
Seeing his straightforwardness, I naturally wouldn't be coy. I then recounted everything that had happened previously, without any embellishment.
There was no need for exaggeration.
Since the beautiful woman's team respected this middle-aged man, he was either their master or their true leader.
Therefore, he would surely know and understand the character of the beautiful woman and her group.
As expected, after hearing my description...
"Shiyu."
Upon hearing her name, the beautiful woman who was addressed immediately stood up.
The beautiful woman named Shiyu seemed to be very afraid of the middle-aged man, not daring to look up at him.
The middle-aged man said with a stern expression, "Shiyu, how do I usually teach you?"
"Once you enter the Thousand Doors, never engage in trickery; you must accept your losses and honor your word! Your words must be followed by actions, and your actions must yield results!"
Hearing this, Shiyu looked wronged and pouted, mumbling, "I know! But Master, he, he... he wants to take me away!"
"No!"
Shaking his head, the middle-aged man replied with certainty, "This young sir doesn't truly want to take you away, but rather wants you to help him with something!"
"Isn't that right, young sir? Am I mistaken?"
After speaking, the middle-aged man stared intently at me, as if trying to see through me.
Although I didn't understand why he could see through my true intentions at a glance, I still nodded decisively and admitted it.
Since the middle-aged man was Shiyu's master, her skills must have been learned from him. There was no point in hiding anything.
Seeing me nod in admission, the middle-aged man spoke again, "Young sir, although I don't know what you intend to have Shiyu help you with, I suspect this matter... will definitely involve gambling!"