The Immortal Gambling Den in Taiyun City was the last place Chen Yan knew of that Song Mingde had visited before turning himself in to the outer court Enforcent Hall.
It was here that he had lost all the spirit stones from the outer court rit Hall's accounts, then entered the inner area, after which no one knew what happened.
Perhaps within the gambling den, Chen Yan could find answers.
Chen Yan stood before the Immortal Gambling Den in Taiyun City, gazing at the three-story pavilion in front of him.
He had always heard rumors about this gambling establishnt—it was said to constantly gather disciples from various sects who ca here to gamble and enjoy themselves.
Although Chen Yan had often used Taiyun City as a regular stopping point, he had never once entered the gambling den, because whether in his previous life or current one, he firmly believed in one principle.
That was: gambling addicts die miserable deaths.
Rumors claid this gambling den was owned by the Wang family of Taiyun City.
But even a three-year-old child wouldn't believe such rumors.
A re cultivation family from a mortal dynasty, with their peak combat power being just two Qi Circulation Realm cultivators, could never possibly control such a massive enterprise.
At best, the Wang family was just a puppet on the surface, only worthy of picking up scraps and leftovers.
The major shares behind the gambling den were definitely divided among those major sects that truly held power, though such matters couldn't be discussed openly.
It was even possible that the Kongshan Sect had connections behind it.
No, the Kongshan Sect definitely had connections behind it.
Without the Kongshan Sect's approval, who would dare open a gambling den in Taiyun City?
A attendant standing at the gambling den's entrance noticed Chen Yan standing not far away, staring intently at the establishnt before him.
Chen Yan's Kongshan Sect robes clearly caught the attendant's attention—his eyes lit up, and he quickly approached Chen Yan.
"Esteed Immortal Master, would you like to play sothing?"
The attendant wore an ingratiating smile as he addressed Chen Yan:
"Dice, pai gow, mahjong, complintary tea and wine... definitely not those vulgar mortal things, but genuine immortal tea and immortal wine. Immortal Master, care to try your luck?"
Chen Yan pretended to hesitate for a mont, then nodded:
"Then I'll give it a try."
"Excellent, right this way!"
The attendant said, then began leading Chen Yan inside.
Upon entering the gambling den, noisy sounds assaulted Chen Yan's ears, making him frown slightly.
Cultivators wearing various sect robes gathered around tables, shouting and gambling excitedly, all appearing quite stimulated.
Chen Yan recognized several of the robes—the Golden Spirit Sect from the east, the Ancient River Sect from the south, and others.
There were also many sect disciples that Chen Yan wasn't very familiar with.
Most were Body Forging Realm and Qi Circulation Realm cultivators.
The rule that Body Forging Realm cultivators couldn't leave their mountains basically only existed in behemoths like the Kongshan Sect.
For those small and dium-sized sects, there were no such restrictions at all.
There were also so Kongshan Sect disciples present, though they were relatively rare.
Looking at the disgraceful appearances of these gamblers in the den, Chen Yan couldn't help but feel profound emotions.
Indeed, regardless of cultivation level, once soone beca involved with gambling, they would all end up like this.
"Immortal Master, what would you like to play?"
The attendant leading the way ahead of Chen Yan asked.
As they passed several gambling tables, so people noticed Chen Yan—after all, a Kongshan Sect cultivator stood out relatively prominently in such a place.
So sharp-eyed individuals even noticed the gold-trimd cloud crane patterns on Chen Yan's sleeves and couldn't help exclaiming:
"Holy crap, Kongyuan Mountain!"
Besides the outer court, the Kongshan Sect's inner court was divided into Three Mountains and Four Peaks, totaling seven peak lineages.
And Kongyuan Mountain, as the main peak among the Kongshan Sect's seven peak lineages, seed to grant its disciples slightly higher status when outside compared to disciples from other peaks.
Although within the sect, disciples from the seven peak lineages weren't ranked by their respective peaks, this stereotypical external perception of the Kongshan Sect seed difficult to change.
Chen Yan's heart sank—he suddenly realized he might have been sowhat hasty.
He should have concealed his identity as much as possible.
Moreover, given the current situation, whether Lu Li, who was leading this mission, was friend or foe remained unknown.
"There's nothing in the outer area that interests ."
Chen Yan said:
"Take to the inner area."
"This..."
The attendant leading the way hesitated slightly:
"Forgive my boldness, Immortal Master, but entering the gambling den's inner area requires verification of assets."
Did Song Mingde undergo asset verification back then? Or did he bypass it thanks to his status as an outer court steward of the Kongshan Sect, or his cultivation as a Martial Spring Realm practitioner?
Chen Yan didn't know.
He had almost no spirit stones on him—in fact, he was practically penniless—but that didn't an he lacked treasures that could serve as verification.
Chen Yan took out from his chest the jade box that Lin Qifeng had previously given him.
When the attendant saw the jade box Chen Yan produced, his breathing hitched. Having worked in the gambling den for so long, he had developed so discernnt and naturally recognized that what this Kongshan Sect immortal master had taken out was no ordinary item.
Soul Ice Needles.
"Will this grant access to the inner area?"
"Immortal Master, this humble one doesn't understand such matters. May I take it to have the gambling den's cultivators examine it first?"
Chen Yan nodded without refusing.
He wasn't worried at all—the Immortal Gambling Den was established right here in Taiyun City. The temple might run away, but the monk couldn't. Even with ten tis the courage, they wouldn't dare sche against a Kongshan Sect disciple.
"Please wait a mont, Immortal Master."
The attendant bowed to Chen Yan, then took the jade box and entered the inner area.
After less than half an incense stick's ti, soone returned with Chen Yan's Soul Ice Needles.
It wasn't the previous attendant, but a graceful young woman with delicate features, wearing a gauze dress.
From her posture and aura, one could tell she was a cultivator, definitely not a mortal.
She returned the jade box containing the Soul Ice Needles to Chen Yan, then curtsied to him:
"Sorry to keep you waiting. May I ask your esteed na, fellow cultivator?"
"Sun Lu."
Chen Yan answered without hesitation.
"So it's Senior Brother Sun. Please follow ."
The woman said, then turned and walked toward the inner area, her waist swaying gracefully.
The gambling den's inner and outer areas were connected by an indoor arched bridge.
The inner area was much quieter than the outer area, as it consisted of private rooms one after another. The rooms seed to have boundary inscriptions carved from spirit stones outside them, preventing sounds from inside from leaking out.
"Senior Brother Sun, what would you like to play?"
The woman asked the sa question as the previous attendant.
"Nothing. I'm looking for soone."
Chen Yan said.
"..."
Hearing this, the young woman stopped walking and turned around. Her expression and eyes showed no fluctuation, then she smiled faintly.
"May I ask who Senior Brother Sun is looking for?"
Chen Yan looked at the woman before him and slowly spoke:
"Song Mingde."
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