Chapter 32: Chapter 31: The Gambler_1
Kuaihuo Tower always seemed to be filled with all the pleasures of the world.
Whether it was Pai Gow, cockfighting, cricket fighting, dice, or tossing arrows, any type on the market could be found in Kuaihuo Tower.
Those who came here to indulge were all gambling addicts. There were no harsh outside elements like wind or cold, only gamblers shouting excitedly at the gaming tables, either deliriously ecstatic or weary in demeanor. Regardless of poverty or wealth, whether from noble mansions or humble homes, once at the gaming table, they were like monkeys stripped of their human skin, their eyes filled only with greed and madness.
In a corner under the lamp, a crowd was gathered around a table, with two people sitting across from each other. One was a young man in green, slender and delicate. His opponent wore a brown robe and seemed to be on a lucky streak despite appearing tired—his eyes sparkling with light.
Wan Quan was feeling extremely happy.
He had only learned gambling recently and was just hitting his stride when some blabbermouth told his father, Wan Fu. His father gave him a good beating and locked him up for a few days. Today, by chance, he overheard a conversation at the door; someone said that the gambling dens in the alleys were nothing compared to Kuaihuo Tower on Qinghe Street—the premier gambling house in Shengjing.
The speaker had extolled Kuaihuo Tower as unparalleled, sparking an itch in Wan Quan that he couldn’t scratch. Taking advantage of the upcoming birthday celebration of Lady Ke, when his parents would be busy with the feast preparations at Ke Mansion, Wan Quan seized the opportunity to sneak out.
He rushed to Kuaihuo Tower as soon as he was out the door. Upon entering, he saw that indeed every kind of gambling game was available. The place was crowded and lively, with the gambling house’s waiters bringing over yellow wine for the patrons now and then.
The more wine he drank, the more excitement he felt, and the bigger the bets he placed.
Wan Quan was having a lucky day. Since his arrival at Kuaihuo Tower, he hadn’t lost a single game. The young Zheng he was playing against, who’d brought twenty taels of silver, was about to lose it all to him.
That "Young Master Zheng" seemed to realize he was on a losing streak and, gritting his teeth, took out more silver to place on the table: "Tch, this small betting is no fun. Let’s wager something big!"
Wan Quan chuckled inwardly, thinking this man must be delirious with anger. A fat lamb ripe for slaughtering was hard to ignore. Thus, he laughed, "Let’s gamble then!"
"We’ll start at one tael of silver as the base, then double to two taels for the next game, and four taels for the one after that, then..."
"Fine—" Young Master Zheng declared boldly, as the crowd around them immediately erupted into noisy excitement.
With the atmosphere more vibrant than before, Wan Quan found no reason to refuse. He rolled up his sleeves, tilted his head back to finish the wine a waiter had brought, and placed the dice on the table: "Bring it on!"
The vibe was even more electrifying than earlier, but it seemed Wan Quan’s lucky streak had come to an end.
He kept losing after that, squandering all his earlier winnings, his forehead glistening with sweat. Looking at Young Master Zheng across him, his previous despondency was replaced by the triumphant smile of the victorious.
"Shall we continue?" Young Master Zheng asked, a mocking glint in his eye.
Wan Quan hesitated.
He had gambled away all his own silver, but... he still had some silver notes in his possession.
Under Lady Qin’s strict management, the Ke Family was tight on funds, and Master Ke had several private properties behind her back that brought in a good amount of silver each year. Fearing Lady Ke’s discovery, Master Ke had collected several years’ worth of rent last month, which Wan Fu was keeping safe. Those notes amounted to almost two thousand taels.
Before coming to Kuaihuo Tower that night, Wan Quan had heard that unlike ordinary gambling houses, it didn’t admit shabby folks—only those with a thousand taels of silver could enter. So, he pried open the chest and took the silver with him, intending to flaunt it. Yet, once inside, no one bothered to check.
Now, with no chips left, all he had were these silver notes.
Wan Quan was reluctant; after all, this was not his money, and Master Ke would need it from his father in a few days.
Young Master Zheng across the table seemed to be growing impatient, dumping his winnings into his bag. The clink of silver was exasperating to hear, and he said with a smile, "Are we still gambling, Brother Wan? If not, I shall be off to bed—"
The smile on his face was particularly irritating, and with heat rising to Wan Quan’s head, fueled by a surge of alcohol, he exclaimed, "Let’s have another round!"
Upstairs, Lu Tong stood at the railing, watching Wan Quan gamble against Yin Zheng, and smiled slightly.
The fish had taken the bait.
This son of the trusted servant of the Ke Family, Ke Chengxing, was not as cautious as his father, and getting close to him was much easier than approaching Wan Fu.
All she had done was let someone casually mention Kuaihuo Tower in front of Wan Quan’s door, and he couldn’t wait to visit the gambling house under the cover of night.
Yin Zheng, who had grown up in a world of pleasure, played dice with supreme skill. To evoke Wan Quan’s addiction to gambling was effortless.
Lady Yun had once told her with a laugh, "Little Shiqi, let me tell you, if you despise someone, poison them. Let the poison rot their guts—that’s the way to be rid of the hate."
Gambling addiction... oh...
That was an inextricable poison too.
Lu Tong’s gaze was dim as he quietly watched the people below.
Beneath the lamp, Wan Quan began to tremble.
His good luck had run out, but his bad luck seemed to have no end in sight.
The other party doubled the bet as if it were nothing, yet with each round, the stakes grew higher and silver notes flowed out like water. Each time he thought, the next round, the next round I will win back. But the next round, it seemed that fortune still did not favor him.
The alcohol gradually rose to his head, his face flushed with redness, his eyes bloodshot, unaware of how much he had lost. When he reached into his bosom, he found it empty.
Gone?
How could that be?
That was two thousand taels of silver!
Wan Quan’s mind went blank as the wind blew open the windows outside, a crack of icy night rain hit his face, which helped the excitement of the alcohol fade and brought him back to a semblance of sobriety.
"How much, how much have I lost?" he mumbled.
The clerk counting at his side chuckled, "You’ve lost a total of five thousand taels of silver."
"Five thousand taels?" Wan Quan looked at him blankly, "Where did I get five thousand taels from?"
He had only brought two thousand taels of silver with him, how could there be five thousand taels?
"You didn’t have enough silver coin, so you signed a debt note in the name of the Ke Mansion in the south of the city," the young clerk said cheerfully, "You were drunk from the wine and don’t remember now?"
Wan Quan felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
He signed a debt note?
When had he signed a debt note!
He had just been gambling with Young Master Zheng, he lost a lot, but how could five thousand taels of silver be lost in such a short time?
Young Master Zheng... right, where was Young Master Zheng?
Wan Quan looked up, the crowd around the gambling table was in an uproar, faces of mockery were looking at him, Young Master Zheng’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
Not right... not right...
He had been tricked!
The young clerk asked with a laugh, "Will the young master continue to play?"
Wan Quan shoved the table forward: "Play what? Your gambling house cheats, using tricks to deceive people!"
As soon as these words were uttered, the smile on the young clerk’s face disappeared, and his voice turned sinister: "The young master intends to renege, it seems."
"Who is trying to renege on a debt?" Another voice rang out, and from the depths of the gambling house, a tall, burly man with a face full of brutal scars walked down, his mere presence intimidating.
Wan Quan shrank back a bit and saw another person in gray following the burly man. The person in gray was slender and half-hidden by the man in front, making it difficult to see their face, but they appeared to be very young.
The young person spoke, their voice was cold, yet it instantaneously made Wan Quan’s scalp tingle with dread.
He said, "Lord Cao, if the other party wishes to renege, then we follow Kuaihuo Tower’s rules, one hundred taels of silver for a finger."
The hesitant young clerk chimed in, "But he owes three thousand taels."
The speaker replied indifferently, "Then take both fingers and toes."