Chapter 168: Huang Family Gambling Den
Southeast of the city.
It was early spring, and the locust tree by the corner of the wall had just sprouted green buds.
A handso young man in a cyan Daoist robe walked slowly on the moss-green stone bricks, then raised his head.
A gentle breeze brushed past the hem of his robe, sunlight filtered through the clouds to spill between the bricks, and the air carried a faint, damp scent of earth.
Right in front of Chen Yan stood a rather sizable courtyard compound. This was the very courtyard the waiter at the tea stall near the gambling den ruins had ntioned, the one bought by the Huang Family.
After the Immortal Gambling Den was destroyed, the Huang Family, the most powerful immortal cultivation family in Taiyun City, quickly recognized the opportunity within.
They spent just over a hundred taels of gold to purchase this courtyard, then swiftly created a buzz and opened this Huang Family Gambling Den within Taiyun City.
However, relying solely on the Huang Family, this newly opened gambling den naturally could not operate normally.
Back in the day, Taiyun City's Immortal Gambling Den had a Qi Sea Realm cultivator and two or three Martial Spring Realm cultivators overseeing it.
Never mind the itinerant rogue cultivators or the cultivators from small and dium-sized sects.
Even if disciples from the Kongshan Sect ca, they had to behave properly and follow the rules.
One must know that even the supervisors of the Kongshan Sect's outer court were only at the Martial Spring Realm.
Moreover, the Immortal Gambling Den itself had the shadow of the Kongshan Sect behind it.
But the Huang Family was different.
The current head of the Huang Family, Huang Renqiu, was rely a cultivator at the late stage of the Qi Circulation Realm.
He definitely could not hold the fort.
Huang Renqiu thought of a solution.
He sohow managed to invite back a cultivator at the mid-stage Martial Spring Realm to oversee the gambling den.
Thus, the situation was stabilized.
Not many people could afford to provoke a Martial Spring Realm immortal cultivator.
Even those who could would have to carefully weigh whether it was worth the trouble before picking a fight.
To invite this mid-stage Martial Spring Realm cultivator, Huang Renqiu naturally had to pay a considerable price.
The cultivator took half of the gambling den's rake-off.
Considering the other operational costs of running the den, one could only say the Huang Family was fortunate not to be losing money.
Because the real reason the Huang Family established this gambling den was not to earn spirit stones.
It was to accumulate connections.
The Huang Family's greatest gain, naturally, was obtaining a backer at the mid-stage Martial Spring Realm.
This further solidified the position of the Huang Family, already quite prestigious in Taiyun City, as the leader among the city's Seven Great Immortal Cultivation Families.
So might ask, why didn't that mid-stage Martial Spring Realm cultivator choose to bypass the Huang Family and open his own gambling den in Taiyun City?
The rules simply didn't allow it.
As for the rules, they were established by the External Affairs Hall of the Kongshan Sect's outer court and enforced by the stationed envoy disciples.
The Kongshan Sect's influence in this region was unparalleled.
"Fellow Daoist?"
Just as Chen Yan was observing the courtyard compound before him, a voice ca from behind him.
Chen Yan turned around to see a middle-aged cultivator in a vermilion-purple Daoist robe standing behind him. He looked to be around forty, with a handlebar mustache, and his robe was embroidered with subtle patterns.
Azure Glaze Silk.
Chen Yan recognized the fabric of the robe worn by the middle-aged cultivator before him;
it was quite expensive. One bolt of Azure Glaze Silk cost about twenty high-grade spirit stones.
Even most disciples of the Kongshan Sect's outer court couldn't afford such expensive fabric.
"...Senior."
Chen Yan cupped his hands in greeting.
The identity he was currently playing was that of a rogue cultivator who had stumbled onto the immortal path by chance, with a current cultivation realm at the mid-stage Body Forging Realm.
"New face?"
The middle-aged cultivator in the vermilion-purple Daoist robe narrowed his eyes slightly, looked Chen Yan up and down, and quickly reached a conclusion:
Dressed shabbily, cultivation didn't seem high either, so brat who popped up from who-knows-where.
"Yes."
Chen Yan replied with a smile:
"This junior hasn't been to Taiyun City for so ti. I rember last ti I ca, the Immortal Gambling Den in the city..."
"Want to go in and try your luck?"
Clearly, the middle-aged cultivator in the vermilion-purple Daoist robe had little patience for this shabby-looking kid before him.
"Right."
Chen Yan answered.
"How many spirit stones did you bring?"
The middle-aged cultivator continued asking.
"Not many."
Chen Yan gave a sowhat vague answer.
"Tch."
The middle-aged cultivator in the vermilion-purple Daoist robe was clearly very dissatisfied with Chen Yan's answer.
He lifted his sleeve, shook the Azure Glaze Silk fabric in front of Chen Yan, and said:
"You think I'd covet your asly few scraps?"
"Senior misunderstands."
Chen Yan quickly said.
"What's your cultivation level now?"
The middle-aged cultivator in the vermilion-purple Daoist robe continued asking.
"Mid-stage Body Forging Realm."
Chen Yan replied.
A hint of surprise appeared between the middle-aged cultivator's brows and eyes.
"You, kid, look to be only around twenty, and you're already at the mid-stage Body Forging Realm?"
The middle-aged cultivator nodded, then continued:
"Seems your talent isn't bad."
"...Senior flatters , I dare not accept such praise."
Chen Yan said.
But indeed, for the vast majority of rogue cultivators in this world, or those cultivators from utterly unremarkable, third-rate sects, reaching the Qi Circulation Realm was already quite an achievent.
Xiao Qing, the second son of Xiao Ao, the head of the Xiao Family, one of Taiyun City's Seven Great Immortal Cultivation Families, broke through to the Qi Circulation Realm at the age of twenty-seven. He was imdiately hailed as the top genius among the Seven Great Families and subsequently entered a small sect called the Rainfall Sect within the Qingque Kingdom.
The sect master of the Rainfall Sect was a Qi Sea Realm cultivator, a figure who could command respect in the Qingque Kingdom.
It was precisely because of this that the Xiao Family was now the only immortal cultivation family in Taiyun City that could rival the Huang Family.
In fact, with Xiao Qing's talent, he could have easily entered the Kongshan Sect's outer court and beco an outer court disciple.
But he never considered it.
Because if he entered the Kongshan Sect and ended up in a relatively marginal position within the sect, the cultivation resources he might receive wouldn't necessarily be better than what his family could provide.
More importantly, the Kongshan Sect would absolutely not allow Xiao Qing to use the sect's prestige to beco a backer for the Xiao Family.
But the Rainfall Sect could.
If one couldn't beco an inner court disciple of the Kongshan Sect, then most scions from prominent families wouldn't consider entering the outer court of such a colossal entity.
"I'll take you in."
The middle-aged cultivator in the vermilion-purple Daoist robe said to Chen Yan:
"Taiyun City hasn't been very peaceful lately, especially this gambling den. The Huang Family can earn a profit of over ten high-grade spirit stones from this den every month. So people are burning with envy!"
"Then I'll trouble you, Senior."
Chen Yan said.
Afterwards, Chen Yan followed behind the middle-aged cultivator in the vermilion-purple Daoist robe and stepped into the Huang Family Gambling Den.
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