Techniques and Dao

Chapter 200 Eastern Casino
During the flight, Tai Shang Xiao Jun recalled the words the local earth god in front of the Mazu Temple had said to him before he left.

“Mazu’s younger brother, Fu Guang Tian Sheng, is slightly different from ordinary deities; he has a bit of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air about him.”

Regarding this, the Earth God described it as follows:
“Fu Guangtiansheng has a very generous personality. If someone asks him for money, he not only doesn’t charge interest, but the amount asked for must not be too small. If the amount asked for is too small, Tiansheng will get angry and will never lend the money.”

Tai Shang Xiao Jun pondered, "He sounds like a straightforward older brother. But many people with a江湖气 (jianghu spirit) are very direct and straightforward; it's natural for them to kick you out at the slightest disagreement. Besides, this kind of 'big brother' type can turn on you in a heartbeat."

It seems we still need to be cautious and adapt to changing circumstances.

Looking down, Taishang Xiaojun saw that they had reached the west bank of the Pearl River Delta. The neon lights on the human world stretched as far as the eye could see, as bright as day. He couldn't help but sigh:
"Macau is indeed a bustling place. The neon lights of this city that never sleeps are several times more lively than those of St. Petersburg. No wonder Fuguang Tianshengdu moved here. It can indeed be called a territory that needs the protection of a big brother."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun used his magic to transform into a mortal and descend. Although it was past seven o'clock at night, far from the busiest time in the area, the neon lights of the entertainment venues all over the street still left him speechless.

Following the address given by the local deity, he arrived at a tall building covered in neon lights and topped with a tiger claw design. Like the surrounding buildings, the most prime locations beneath these structures housed massive casinos.

Passing through the bustling crowd of tourists hailing taxis and taking photos at the entrance, Tai Shang Xiao Jun entered the lobby under the guidance of two brightly dressed hostesses.

Welcome to the Casino Hotel!

The hostess's sweet, high-pitched Cantonese voice, coupled with her professional and polite smile, almost made Tai Shang Xiao Jun walk straight into the casino.

Various sculptures are placed in the center of the lobby, most of which are in the shape of dragons and tigers. A huge crystal chandelier weighing several tons hangs from the ceiling of the lobby, which is as high as a five-story building.

The interior decoration of the building is magnificent, and when illuminated by the lights, it is so dazzling that one cannot open their eyes.

However, since he appeared to be underage, he was not allowed to enter the centrally located entertainment area, which is a casino. The Southeast Asian security guards at the entrance were already planning to stop him from a distance. Tai Shang Xiao Jun had no interest in going in to investigate at the moment, so he turned and walked towards the elevator next to the indoor fountain on the right.

Passing through the lobby, you'll find an elevator leading up to a luxurious and sophisticated five-star hotel.

"It seems the Earth God was referring to the 88th floor..."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun stepped into the elevator and searched for the floor buttons. He thought to himself that this building looked to be at most forty or fifty stories high, and shouldn't have so many floors.

Sure enough, the highest button on the menu was for the Executive Lounge, which was only on the 45th floor.

Taking advantage of the fact that no guests followed him into the elevator, Taishang Xiaojun searched for the buttons inside, confirming that the address was correct.

Suddenly, he saw the word "88" in the corner of the ceiling above the floor button on the upper right side. But the button was positioned quite high.

Seeing that he couldn't reach the button, Tai Shang Xiao Jun waved his hand at the elevator camera, reducing its resolution to a pixelated mess. He then took to the air and pressed the "88" button, but the elevator didn't respond.

The Supreme Lord Xiaojun then made a hand seal and chanted an incantation: "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

With another press, golden light burst forth in the elevator.

The elevator flashed with golden light and shot upwards at high speed. Due to the rapid ascent, the Supreme Lord Xiaojun, who was originally airborne, suddenly fell flat on his backside onto the elevator floor.

The numbers on the elevator's LCD screen jumped from "1" to "10" and then faster and faster, quickly reaching the number "88".

The numbers had just stopped changing when the elevator doors suddenly swung open to both sides with a whoosh.

Two rows of tall men in black suits and sunglasses came into view, all staring intently at Tai Shang Xiao Jun, who was sitting on the ground. "Ah! I..." Tai Shang Xiao Jun was startled and quickly got up from the ground.

One of the tall men, who looked like a bodyguard, asked, "Who are you looking for?"

While straightening his clothes, Tai Shang Xiao Jun said, "I am Tai Shang Xiao Jun, and I have something to ask of Fu Guang Tian Sheng!"

"What do you want, brother?"

"It's urgent, please inform them..."

"Why should I, your brother, see you?!"

"Um... just say that the grandson of Laozi requests an audience."

The bodyguard who asked the question pushed his sunglasses down and glanced at Tai Shang Xiao Jun. Seeing that the other party was someone important, he didn't say anything more, turned around and went inside, leaving dozens of burly men staring at Tai Shang Xiao Jun.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun stood there alone, feeling uneasy under their gaze, and no one even offered him a stool.

He stood there with his arms crossed for a while, still feeling extremely awkward being stared at. He then looked around and said, seemingly casually:
"The decor is pretty good, it's so luxurious and imposing..."

The bodyguards remained expressionless, their eyes fixed on Taishang Xiaojun.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun remained silent. After a while, he began to worry, hoping that Fu Guang Tian Sheng might also be absent. Just as he was about to ask, the black-clad bodyguard who had gone in came out, raised his head slightly, and said, "Come in!"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun was eager to escape the sharp eyes of the bodyguards, so he quickened his pace and followed.

The bodyguard led him through a lavishly decorated corridor to a large door at the end. He gently knocked and respectfully said, "Brother! We've brought the person you wanted to see."

The main door was opened from the inside by a bodyguard on each side. The large office inside was not as luxuriously decorated as the outside; the style inside was relatively simple.

Upon closer inspection, the Supreme Lord noticed that all the furniture in the room was made of sandalwood, and a huge, exquisite handmade Persian carpet was laid on the floor.

An enormous desk faces the door, behind which is a large executive chair, and behind the chair is a huge floor-to-ceiling window offering a view of the brightly lit cityscape of Macau at night.

Upon hearing the sound, the office chair spun around, and Tai Shang Xiao Jun then saw that a complete tiger skin was draped over the chair.

Sitting in the chair was a bald, burly man wearing a yellow Tang-style jacket. He had a fierce look in his eyes, which gleamed with gold.

The burly man had a very dignified expression, holding a yellow paper fan in his hand and gently waving it in front of his chest. The yellow paper fan was clearly inscribed by a first-rate calligrapher.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun thought to himself that since he needed someone's help, he couldn't be too frivolous. He straightened his Taoist robes and stepped forward respectfully. But when he saw the yellow paper fan, he couldn't help but chuckle.

It turned out that two elegant black calligraphy characters were written on the paper fan—

"air conditioner".

(End of this chapter)