Yinshan Record

Chapter 600 There's a Way Even in a Game of Dice (Part 1)
The gambling den's courtyard was small, with only a few somewhat desolate persimmon trees. Their dark green leaves, imbued with a gloomy atmosphere, made the courtyard appear rather bleak.

However, there were quite a few people in the courtyard. Some were laughing and joking after winning money, swaying as they walked out with their money bags in their hands. Others were sitting on the steps, constantly slapping their own faces with their hands, while people standing next to them kept trying to persuade them that they must have lost money.

All sorts of things, yet they all come together to form a complete set of seven emotions and six desires.

The young man who greeted Su Che was very pleasing to the eye. He was fair-skinned and clean-cut, and exuded a neat and efficient air. Although his clothes were simple, there was no trace of timidity or cowardice in his eyes.

"Your face looks unfamiliar, so this must be your first time here. How about I introduce you to the games we have..."

The young man came forward. In the casino, besides the gamblers, the most common people were these middlemen. These people walked the line between the legitimate and criminal worlds, moving between gamblers and casinos to earn a meager living.

“We are under the tutelage of Master Cui from the capital. He has connections with the City God's Mansion, and he has a lot of influence and influence. Neither the Jingye Division nor the Tiji can find us.”

Although the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty do not explicitly prohibit gambling, there are always officials from various government departments who come to make extra money in such places.

Whether a venue can stay stable depends entirely on the strength of the owner behind it.

Su Che had read the information compiled by the Imperial Guards. The owner of this place was surnamed Cui, and had some connection with Judge Cui of the City God's Mansion.

To be precise, this Mr. Cui is the only surviving descendant of the Left Judge of the Imperial Palace in the capital.

With such a powerful background, no government department would stop him from making money; on the contrary, they would intentionally or unintentionally encourage him to have more children.

It's easier to manage a child when there are many children around.

Of course, Su Che didn't care about these things. He didn't come here today to find fault with Du Chenghuang, nor did he want to get some money.

Rather, it's because this venue is quite special.

The gamblers who come here are mostly palace eunuchs, also known as palace servants, eunuchs, and palace attendants...

These people have lost their genitals for some reason, so their interests have become more narrow.

Gambling is one of the few things they have left to do.

Because these eunuchs always felt that their own yang energy was relatively weak, and that they were prone to attracting unclean things when they went out, they especially liked to come to Old Cui's place to have fun.

The reason is simple: this place is under the protection of the judges of the capital's Huangmen, so there's no way any evil spirits would cause trouble.

Su Che came here specifically to meet these eunuchs.

"Playing dice, betting on big or small."

Su Che brandished the sword in his hand and took out a silver ingot from his sleeve.

"Go and get me some chips."

"Sir, you don't know, the scale of the game here is quite large, the smallest bet is ten taels."

The middleman said apologetically, "How about this, I'll add five taels myself, and we'll make it ten taels. If we win, you can give me a little as you please, and if we lose, you can return it to me."

Lending money in casinos—that's how these people made their fortunes.

"Alright, let's try our luck today. But aren't you worried I won't have the money to pay you back?"

The man chuckled softly upon hearing this: "Sir, you may not know this, but I, Bai Qian, have been hustling in the marketplace since I was twelve. Over the years, I have no other skills, except for developing a pair of eyes that can recognize a true dragon. I feel extremely lucky today to have met someone like you. Today is my day to make a fortune, and I'll follow you around and earn some tips."

"Then you're probably going to lose money."

The middleman named Bai Qian was not annoyed. He walked through the crowd coming and going in the courtyard and came to the door of a side room. There was a metal fence there, and an old man who was half buried in the ground sat behind it, watching Bai Qian carefully hand over the silver.

"Xiao Bai, you've been having a run of bad luck lately. Haven't you run into any big spenders?"

"Grandpa, just trying to make a living, just trying to make a living."

The old man surnamed Sun casually picked up the silver, pinched it lightly between two fingers, and then took out a porcelain chip from behind the counter and tossed it into Bai Qian's hand.

"Alas, you're destined to be poor. Even if Master Cui offers you wealth and honor, you won't accept it. If you want to starve your old mother, we can't stop you."

"Thank you, Grandpa Sun."

Bai Qian wasn't annoyed. He took the chips with both hands, ran over carefully, and gently handed them to Su Che.

"Sir, please keep this safe. Let's go this way."

Su Che weighed the chip in his hand. The material should be white porcelain, but it seemed to have been made using some kind of refining technique, and it felt slightly unusual.

If there weren't other people around, Su Che would have liked to use the methods of investigating things from the perspective of the Creation lineage to figure it out.

This sword practice has indeed caused a problem. Young Master Su shook his head inwardly and followed Bai Qian through the small courtyard and several connecting corridors.

"Sir, what is your surname?"

"No need for formalities, my surname is Zuo. You can just call me Lao Zuo, or if that's not in your style, then call me Mr. Zuo. Calling me 'Master' all the time makes me uncomfortable."

"Mr. Zuo, you seem like a straightforward and easygoing person. You're not from Jiankang, are you?"

This is a winding road.

Su Che didn't expose his thoughts, but simply replied casually, "From the East Sea."

"You clearly have some cultivation. However, it's best not to use supernatural powers here."

Bai Qian chuckled: "Look at my mouth, you're definitely much more knowledgeable than a mere mortal like me."

"No, actually I really don't know. I'll need your help later."

Su Che was telling the truth.

My family has never touched this thing in either of my previous two generations.

Bai Qian simply smiled politely, and the two continued walking forward until they finally arrived at the door of a side room.

It turns out that the man surnamed Cui bought all the courtyards in the vicinity, but in order to cover his tracks, he only left one entrance outside. People who didn't know better would think it was just a small courtyard, but in reality, he had turned the surrounding dozen or so courtyards into a casino.

A burly man stood at the door of this room, his temples slightly bulging, clearly a trained martial artist.

"Master Hu, are you in charge of Fugui Residence today?" Bai Qian clearly recognized the man and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"you."

The burly man ignored him and looked directly at Su Che: "Weapons cannot be brought into the arena."

This man was merely at the Qi Refining stage; no, he was just a mortal who had just stepped into the threshold of cultivation.

At most, he only knows a little bit of martial arts.

"sword?"

Su Che looked at him and asked, "What sword?"

The sword was still in Su Che's hands, but Su Che used the Breathing Void Secret Technique passed down by Kong Kong'er, which subtly influenced the Han's perception.

It is similar to an illusion, but it is more than just an illusion.

The burly man frowned slightly. Indeed, although Su Che in front of him seemed to be holding a long sword in his right hand, there was nothing there at the moment.

Could I have really misread it?
"Mr. Hu, harmony brings wealth, doesn't it?"

The burly man snorted and slowly stepped aside. Su Che then entered.

The room was bustling with activity.

Inside were four gambling tables, behind which sat a woman with her upper body bare, shaking a dice cup. Layers of chips were laid out on the tables, and a group of people were shouting themselves hoarse.

I have no goals.

Su Che glanced at it briefly.

The reason for coming here, of course, wasn't just to see eunuchs. (Otherwise, the author could just look in the mirror.)
It was because the palace eunuchs all wore waist tokens, which were talismans used to identify themselves within the grand formation. If Su Che wanted to enter the palace discreetly, those waist tokens were something he couldn't bypass.

There are many ways to get a waist tag. For example, Su Che knows that there are people selling such things on the black market in Jiankang.

Su Che chose a more convenient method: he simply swiped a card from the eunuchs at the gambling den. Palace rules were strict; anyone going out had to report their itinerary and carry a waist token. Without these items, they couldn't roam freely.

However, it was clear that this place was very ordinary, and there were no "nobles" from the palace present.

Su Che glanced at Bai Qian beside him, realizing he needed to come up with an idea.

"Sir, what are you doing?"

Bai Qian asked curiously.

"Could you please explain the rules to me?"

Su Che smiled and said, "I really don't understand."

This question really stumped Bai Qian.

He really thought Su Che was some kind of dragon or snake, but he never expected him to be a complete novice.

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Bai Qian repeatedly told himself that this was just a trick by this guy who was pretending to be weak to take advantage of others.

This time I've definitely struck gold, and I must make sure I can hold onto it firmly.

"Sir, this is called Sic Bo, a game that's been played since ancient times. There are three dice, each with six sides. Four to ten is considered 'small,' and ten to seventeen is considered 'big.' There are other names too; three sixes are called 'leopard,' and three ones are called 'stuck chicken'... Different numbers have different payouts..."

"I don't quite understand."

Su Che looked at Bai Qian and said, "If I bet big on this chip, the result will be small..."

"Then you can let the bookmaker, or the casino, take your share. I'll take my break for today."

"If the opening price is high, then we'll compensate you ten taels, so you'll have a total of twenty taels."

"understood."

Su Che nodded, randomly picked a younger croupier, and stood directly in front of the table.

The gambling had just ended at that table; some people were happy to have made a fortune, while others were cursing their mothers for losing money.

Su Che picked up the code and casually tossed it onto the "big" one on the table.

"Master."

Bai Qian felt he was definitely going to lose five taels of silver today. This guy didn't even know to roll the dice before betting; he must not have the money to pay him back.

"Young man, you should wait until that woman finishes shaking her hands before placing your bet."

A gambler nearby reminded Su Che, "Otherwise, they have the skills to gamble away your entire fortune."

The dealer stood inside without saying a word, only glancing at Su Che before raising the dice cup and shaking it incessantly.

“Brother, I’m lucky. If you want to get rich, why don’t you come with me?”

These words caused a group of men who had quit gambling to shake their heads in disbelief.

The dealer placed the dice cup on the table and shouted, "Place your bets now!"

Most people put their bets on the small ones, but a few defied the odds and bought the large ones.

The dice clock is opened.

"Four four five, big."

Bai Qian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly picked up a chip from the table.

(End of this chapter)