Chapter 72

A gust of wind swept past the entrance of the stone cave, immediately making the inside cooler. The weather had turned colder, and even the cave facing the sun was not as warm as before. Zhou Lu stood up, lit the torch on the cave wall, then walked over and slammed the stone cave door shut, feeling a bit warmer inside.

Zhou Lu walked to the stone table and plopped down.

Just now, there had been a fierce battle in the new bandit valley. Although they had successfully rescued Red Asura, it had been extremely dangerous, with one crisis after another leaving him flustered. His energy had been almost completely drained during the battle, and now he felt famished and exhausted.

Forgetting everything else, Zhou Lu gobbled up the food and drink on the table, feeling satisfied and full. He burped and patted his fat belly, then lay down on the thick fur on the stone bed and fell into a deep sleep.

He didn’t know how long he had slept, but the crackling of the torch on the cave wall woke him up. Zhou Lu opened his eyes and sat up, feeling completely refreshed. Waking up in a completely unfamiliar environment, he rubbed his eyes, feeling a bit uneasy. With the light from the torch, he got out of bed and walked to the cave door, pushing it open. It was already dusk outside, the night was dark, and there were faint lights in the distance, indicating that there were still people around the mountain.

He had actually slept the whole day, which made Zhou Lu a bit surprised. Suddenly, he remembered that Red Asura had told him to report to her the next day.

Zhou Lu was a bit stunned. Where does that woman live? How do I know the way? No one told me in detail. If I miss the order, with her temper, even if we have been intimate, she would still cut me down.

Zhou Lu was a bit scared and looked around outside the cave, but there was no one to ask. However, in the twilight, he could faintly see the stone doors of a few caves nearby, tightly shut in the darkness.

Zhou Lu suddenly remembered that the guard had said they all lived nearby, and within five miles, everyone was the second chief’s personal guard. So, within five miles, I’m the biggest, right? I don’t know how many caves there are within five miles, but I should go out and look around, find someone to ask...

Zhou Lu took large steps and walked out. In the twilight, he didn’t know the direction, so he just followed a random path. On a nearby hill, there were indeed a few stone caves, but when he knocked on the doors, no one responded.

He wasn’t sure if the caves were abandoned or if the people inside were out on business.

Zhou Lu was a bit puzzled.

It’s not possible for them to go to bed so early, and even if they did, they should have heard me knocking so loudly...

Where are the people? Where did they all go?

Zhou Lu shivered, looking at the distant mountains shrouded in darkness. He was不服气 (unwilling to give up), gritted his teeth, and continued walking, one step after another. After walking for more than a mile, he saw a large stone cave ahead, with a faint light coming from the tightly shut stone door.

Finally, someone.

Zhou Lu felt a bit excited and quickened his pace, approaching the cave door. He could hear the faint noise inside. Zhou Lu was happy and carefully pressed his ear to the door to listen. The noise inside was the sound of dice rolling, tiles being shuffled, and people shouting, “Big or small!” It was very lively, and even with the door closed, he could sense the heated atmosphere inside. He could imagine a group of men shouting and betting, sweating profusely.

The more he listened, the angrier he became. His chest heaved up and down, and he gritted his teeth, suddenly stepping back and kicking the door open with a loud bang, then charging in.

Inside the cave, more than ten men, some with their sleeves rolled up and others even bare-chested, were in the middle of a heated game. They all froze and turned around when they heard the door being kicked open, seeing their new captain standing at the entrance, his face dark and furious. The guards were all stunned.

Gambling was not prohibited in the mountains, and those rough men loved to gather and gamble. However, the second chief, Red Asura, was bloodthirsty and hated gambling, even though she didn’t forbid it. The bandits respected her preferences, and whenever she was around, all the underground gambling dens would be cleaned up to avoid upsetting her.

As the second chief’s personal guards, even if they were avid gamblers, they could only secretly play in hidden places, fearing that their gambling would reach the second chief’s ears and leave a bad impression.

Today, the second chief was injured and wouldn’t be patrolling, making it the safest night for the guards to gather and indulge in their gambling addiction. They never expected to be caught by the new captain.

Would that fat man report them? His face didn’t look good. Today, the new bandit became the captain, and they all felt unbalanced, so no one had approached him.

Would that fat man seek revenge?

The air in the cave was tense, almost suffocating.

“Ancestors...”

Zhou Lu stood at the cave entrance, rolling up his sleeves and cursing loudly.

The guards’ hearts raced. A guard with a fierce face secretly drew his leg knife, while a more experienced one shook his head and held the knife-wielding hand down, then felt the ox knife in his waist pouch, indicating that they should use money to buy him off.

However, the guard with the fierce face still clutched the leg knife tightly, his teeth clenched.

Zhou Lu strode into the cave, and the guards were both nervous and anxious, all staring at the fat man. Zhou Lu walked a few steps to a guard, pushed him off the chair, and sat down himself, shouting loudly, “You guys are having so much fun and didn’t even call me? You’re really not nice.”

Everyone was stunned.

Zhou Lu casually picked up the dice and shook them in the bowl, shouting, “I’m joining late, so I get to be the banker this time. Bet! Big or small, what are you all waiting for...”

Zhou Lu slammed the bowl on the table.

With a loud cheer, the guards all laughed. They looked at each other, their gambling spirit reignited, and a few of them eagerly crowded around Zhou Lu.

It turned out the fat man was just upset that they hadn’t invited him to gamble.

The guards’ guard was completely lowered. Seeing the fat captain sitting as the banker and enjoying it, they felt a bit warmer towards him, thinking he wasn’t so bad after all.

The guard with the fierce face sighed in relief, smiling and hiding the leg knife back in his leg bindings. He muttered to himself, “Damn, he’s just another gambling addict. Scared the hell out of me just now.”