Feng Luan?
The same Feng Luan from Medicine King Valley who, some time ago, stripped the Minister of Rites' legitimate son, Liu Ling, naked in front of the Huan Cai Pavilion, and later went to Yu Zhou to manage flood control with the county princess?
This person, who has been missing for so long, has actually reappeared?
"You said who?"
Feng Luan of Medicine King Valley?
Upon hearing Feng Luan's name, Hua Niang shot up from the soft couch. Her eyes trembled slightly, and she instinctively raised a hand to caress the hideous, ugly scar.
The servant girl lowered her head, staring at the ground. As she sat up, her feet dangled, fair as jade, the tips of her toes a faint red, swaying left and right with the rise and fall of her emotions.
Her face was not always like this. The servant girl had been in Yi Pin Ju the longest. Back then, Hua Niang had a captivating face. In those days, countless princes and nobles would spend a fortune just to spend a night with Hua Niang. But later, Hua Niang was kidnapped by bandits, and her face was injured.
A hideous scar, stretching across her entire face, remained.
As the servant girl lost herself in thought and heard Hua Niang's question, she replied, "Feng Luan, the direct disciple of Medicine King Valley, Feng Luan!"
The servant girl repeated Feng Luan's name twice, emphasizing the tone.
After a moment of silence, Hua Niang commanded, "Keep a close eye on the person. Don't let him cause trouble at Yi Pin Ju!"
"Yes!"
After the servant girl left, Hua Niang rose, put on her shoes and socks, donned her veil, and elegantly walked towards the first floor.
...
More and more people gathered around the dice gambling table. Many gamblers began to place their bets along with this 'child of fortune.'
"Two, three, four, nine, small!"
"Hahaha, won, won again!!"
As the dealer opened the dice cup, a thunderous roar erupted from the crowd. The gamblers who had bet with Feng Luan were cheering in delight at their winnings.
They had found a money god!
Everyone watched and followed suit with their bets.
The dealer's expression grew increasingly grim. The hand that shook the dice cup moved like a blur. With a "dong" sound, the dealer placed the dice cup on the gambling table.
His gaze was fierce, as if he had made up his mind, and he gritted out, "Place your bets!"
Seeing the dealer's expression, Nan Shi Ying couldn't help but stroke her chin. She glanced at Ji Jin Mo, who was almost 'disfigured.'
For him, this ordinary face was a disfigurement!
Ji Jin Mo lowered his head slightly. Seeing the almost imperceptible look of distaste on Nan Shi Ying's face, he raised an eyebrow. He hadn't realized before that she was someone who judged by appearance.
He smiled and asked with his eyes, "What's wrong?"
Nan Shi Ying glanced around. With so many people crowded around the gambling table, was Liu Cheng among them?
Ji Jin Mo shook his head.
Even on the first floor, Yi Pin Ju was divided into inner and outer areas. A young man from an official family like Liu Cheng would have already entered the inner area.
He was merely indulging Nan Shi Ying's desire for some entertainment.
Gambling with dice was the most boring thing. Seeing no sign of Liu Cheng around, Nan Shi Ying casually tossed a silver ingot onto the gambling table, landing it precisely on 'small.'
The gamblers followed suit with their bets.
The dealer glanced at her, then pressed down slightly on the table with his hand. The dice cup on the table trembled gently, and one of the dice inside flipped over, turning the top face from a one to a six.
The next moment, the dealer opened the dice cup.
"Four, five, six, fifteen, big!"
Immediately, cries of despair arose.
"How is it big?"
"Why is it big?"
"My silver, no, I bet my entire fortune!"
Smart people, seeing that the opponent had only bet one silver ingot, didn't follow with much or continued to observe. But those who had gotten carried away and were addicted to gambling, without a second thought, put all their money down. In just one round, they had almost lost their shirts.
Nan Shi Ying gave the dealer a knowing glance. With his cheating methods, he was only good at deceiving these gamblers who had no control over their wins and losses. Besides, she wasn't here to cause trouble today. What did it matter to her whether the other party cheated? She had only bet one silver ingot anyway.
"This is boring. Let's go somewhere else!"
Nan Shi Ying scooped up the winning silver, casually tossed the less manageable smaller pieces of silver to the dealer as a tip.
"Don't leave!"
The gamblers, red-eyed from losing, blocked Nan Shi Ying's path. They looked at the silver she could barely hold in her arms, and a greedy, malevolent thought flashed in their eyes.
Nan Shi Ying clicked her tongue in distaste, muttering to herself: Must not cause trouble, must not cause trouble!
Turning to the attendant beside her, she yelled, "What are you still watching for? If you don't do something, I'll take matters into my own hands!"
She didn't believe that the staff of Yi Pin Ju didn't recognize her face.
"Esteemed guest, Yi Pin Ju has its rules. We will not interfere in matters like this. You may handle it yourself." The attendant stepped forward, a smile on his face, but his words made Nan Shi Ying pause slightly. She turned to look at Ji Jin Mo, who nodded at her.
At Yi Pin Ju, one could rob and steal. Conflicts between gamblers could be resolved by themselves. In short, if you had the ability, you could get anything here.
This was the first time Nan Shi Ying had heard of such a rule.
"Did you hear me, kid? If you're wise, hand over all the silver, otherwise..."
The threat was not finished. The other party grabbed a nearby chair and forcefully broke it. The chair snapped in two, and Nan Shi Ying glanced at the chair split in half, seemingly implying that this was the consequence of her disobedience.
Nan Shi Ying suddenly smiled. She turned to the attendant and asked, "Does killing someone count as a crime here?"
Her exposed white teeth gleamed in the sunlight. In her slightly curved eyes, a cold tide seemed to ebb and flow. Even the most scorching sunlight, upon entering them, would be instantly cooled and frozen.
Stared at by her, the attendant couldn't help but shiver. He had no doubt that if he dared to nod, she would truly kill everyone in front of them.
"No, no, no, no killing!"
Even though their owner had connections everywhere, on the surface, no one could die.
Nan Shi Ying sighed regretfully, "I thought that with such rules, Yi Pin Ju would have some powerful backing, but it seems they are nothing special."
The attendant's eye twitched. This was the first time he had heard someone openly disparage their Yi Pin Ju, calling them nothing special.
"Kid, you think you..."
Seeing Nan Shi Ying ignore him completely, the gambler who had just threatened her was about to grab her collar. However, before he could step forward, his legs went weak, and he immediately knelt on the ground.
The next moment, everyone blocking Nan Shi Ying's path knelt down.
"When did you... poison them!"
The voice was abruptly cut off. The man who had broken the chair with his bare hands now gaped with a contorted face, trying hard to make a sound, but his vocal cords seemed to have been choked, rendering him utterly speechless.
Nan Shi Ying handed the silver to Ji Jin Mo and slowly squatted down. She casually picked up a wooden strip from the broken chair and inserted it precisely and ruthlessly into the man's mouth.
The wooden strip immediately pierced through the man's jaw.
As blood splattered, Nan Shi Ying's smiling voice echoed in everyone's ears: "Since you can't speak, there's no need for this mouth either."