The current situation, though stemming from Qin Lei overlooking Kang Zhiwei's female companion, ultimately arose from my underestimation of Anhai!
Subconsciously, I always felt that Anhai, a mere speck of land, couldn't possibly harbor so many diverse individuals and members of the Eight Gates.
Little did I know, the greatest masters hide in plain sight, and the lesser ones in the wilderness! Where there are people, there is the martial world, and where there is the martial world... there are naturally those who make a living from it!
After sorting out my thoughts, I didn't immediately call the alluring woman.
In peacetime, unless it's a matter of life and death, violence is rarely seen.
Therefore, Qin Lei was likely not in mortal danger.
But he was probably in for a beating.
Even if I rushed over to save him now, it wouldn't change the fact that Qin Lei was going to be beaten.
The more anxious I became, the more passive Qin Lei and I would be.
So, saving him couldn't be rushed, and it also couldn't be done carelessly! I had to plan this properly.
However, I couldn't afford to be too slow either.
If I took too long, I feared Qin Lei would develop negative feelings towards me...
With that thought, I first returned to the Tianyuan Casino, exchanged all the chips I had won for cash, and then went to the nearest bank to withdraw twenty thousand yuan from the ATM.
Although I knew in my heart that the amount demanded by those Yanmen members was likely far greater than what I had prepared.
But there was no alternative. It was already night, the banks were closed, and ATMs had withdrawal limits, so I could only take out twenty thousand.
Therefore, no matter what, I had to take a gamble.
After preparing the money, I glanced at the time displayed on my phone screen.
About an hour had passed since I was supposed to meet the alluring woman at the casino entrance.
Muttering to myself and thinking the time was about right, I decisively took out my phone and, recalling the number from memory, dialed the alluring woman's number.
It took a while for the call to be answered.
As soon as it connected, Qin Lei's somewhat flustered voice came through the phone.
"Brother Xiang! I, I, I'm in..."
"I'm in trouble!"
Listening to Qin Lei's voice, although he sounded flustered and disheveled, he wasn't wailing.
It seemed his situation was better than I had initially anticipated.
Secretly letting out a sigh of relief, I lowered my voice and asked, "Where are you?"
"I'm at the Penglai Hotel in the southern part of the city!"
"The people who captured me said that they discovered you cheating at the gambling table, and you escaped too quickly. So they had to detain me to force you to show yourself!"
As if hearing my voice, Qin Lei's emotions seemed to have calmed down significantly as he spoke.
Discovered cheating? Heh heh...
What nonsense is this?!
Outsiders watch the fun, insiders see the skill.
As the saying goes: Cheating techniques and thieving techniques are inseparable! Among the Eight Gates, only members of the Rongmen can see through the tricks of a cheat!
If you want money, just say so; there's no need for these convoluted excuses!
Without exposing their lie, I directly asked, "Where are you? I'll come find you right away!"
After Qin Lei gave me the address, the call was quickly hung up.
Because I had seen through their scheme to extort money, a bold idea suddenly popped into my mind without any warning...
...
Half an hour later.
I, going alone to face them, arrived as agreed outside a room on the second floor of the Penglai Hotel.
After knocking three times, I heard faint footsteps from inside.
The alluring woman opened the door for me.
Seemingly certain that I wouldn't dare bring anyone, the alluring woman raised her eyebrows at me triumphantly after opening the door, then let out a cold laugh.
Completely ignoring the alluring woman's expression and demeanor, I walked straight into the room.
As soon as I entered, I spotted the female companion who had been by Kang Zhiwei's side at the Tianyuan Casino.
Besides her, on the two beds in this standard room, sat four or five young women dressed provocatively and alluringly.
In the center, surrounded by these young women, was a beautiful middle-aged woman in her mid-thirties.
The middle-aged beauty was wearing a black, deep-V, off-the-shoulder tight-fitting long dress, her eyes sparkling, and a smile playing on her lips.
If there was one thing that most caught the eye about the middle-aged beauty, it was the tattoo of a Lycoris radiata extending from below her right collarbone to above her ample chest.
Lycoris radiata, also known as the Manjusaka.
Blooming for a thousand years, falling for a thousand years! Flower and leaf never meet! Love is not for cause and effect; fate is destined for life and death.
The Lycoris radiata, tattooed in an eerie, vibrant hue close to blackish-red, its shocking crimson appearance was like fire, like blood... and like passion!
Just by looking at the middle-aged beauty's attire, I knew she must be an expert at bird hunting and falconry, with explosive combat power.
Don't ask me how I knew; those who understand will understand...
*Cough cough!* Just kidding, back to the point.
As I was secretly observing the middle-aged beauty, she suddenly stood up and walked slowly towards me.
When she was less than half a meter away, the middle-aged beauty, who had been silent with a charming smile, suddenly had her expression turn grim.
At the same time, her gaze became fierce and sharp, and she coldly reprimanded, "Humans have their ways, ghosts have their ways! The Eight Gates... have their ways!"
"It's one thing to not announce yourselves, but to directly come over and pluck the ripe peaches from our heads, what's the meaning of that?"
"Do you know that the fish that bit the hook you threw was a big fish we've been raising in our pond for almost a month!?"
"Normally, with my girls keeping an eye on things, even if the big fish got excited, the win or loss would only be around twenty thousand by the end! Sometimes they even win back some!"
"But you! In less than two hours in one night, you pinned the big fish to the gambling table and washed away nearly a hundred thousand yuan in chips!"
"What you can do with a flick of your finger, our girls have to wear out their mouths and coax for ten days to half a month!!!"
"If you hadn't shown up, this money should have all fallen into our pockets in the near future..."
"But now it's all gone! Tell me! How should this matter be resolved?"
As she spoke, the middle-aged beauty's face was as cold as frost and snow.
Hearing this, I, knowing I was in the wrong, offered no defense. Instead, I smiled slightly and said, "This was my oversight. I will do whatever you say to resolve it! But..."
"Can I see my brother first, and then we can discuss how to resolve it?"
Upon hearing my words, the middle-aged beauty immediately gave a look to someone beside her.