Chapter 96

Hai Li City, located three thousand miles away from the Pufeng Mountain Range, offers a view of the mountains from its outer city gate, where only a faint outline can be seen.

Similarly, Hai Li City is a small city, roughly the same size as Meteor City, though its layout has some subtle differences.

The teleportation array set up by Master Feng Changshan is only a hundred miles away from Meteor City, a distance that is not far for Gu Xuyao and his companion.

"Brother Gu, the things you've experienced are really amazing. They don't seem to be any less impressive than Master's stories!"

On the way, Gu Xuyao told Feng Changshan many stories, including those about the Taiheng Sect, though he kept the existence of the Heavenly Evil Pearl a secret, as it was an ominous object, and he didn't want Feng Changshan to have any connection with it.

"Changshan, your master actually wants you to have more experience so that you can survive in the cultivation world. You said you've only been to Hai Li City once since you were young?"

"That's right. Master rarely goes out and doesn't allow me to go out on my own. He also looks down on other cultivators."

After the incident with Zhenxuezi's pursuit, Gu Xuyao became even more curious about Feng Changshan's master. A cultivator living in seclusion in a desolate mountain, with a disciple and no interaction with others, was already a strange situation. Seeing the numerous formations covering the mountain, Gu Xuyao could determine that Feng Changshan's master definitely had more than just a desire for seclusion.

"If he truly wanted to live in peace, why would he make so many preparations, with teleportation arrays and formations..."

For his own safety, setting up formations as a Heavenly Prohibition Master was understandable, but the number and the path leading to the teleportation array clearly indicated that this was a way to provide Feng Changshan with an escape route.

"Brother Gu, look, that's the Heavenly Maiden Tower. I remember it was the most crowded place when I came last time. I wonder what it's for?"

At that moment, the two were strolling down the streets of Hai Li City and happened to see the Heavenly Maiden Tower. Feng Changshan couldn't help but ask.

Feng Changshan really didn't understand the basic knowledge of the cultivation world, so Gu Xuyao smiled and began to explain.

As they walked and talked, it soon became mid-afternoon. Gu Xuyao had basically explained the general situation of cities in the cultivation world to Feng Changshan, who found the world increasingly fascinating.

"Wow, you said these shops exist in every city. Are the people who run them very powerful?"

"Of course, but with our cultivation, we probably don't have the qualifications to know their identities."

As they spoke, they came to a black shop. The entire shop was black, including the two large curtains at the entrance.

Actually, using such a color for a shop was extremely unwise, as it gave people the first impression of a black shop.

"Brothers, if you pass by, why not give it a try?"

A smiling cultivator stood at the entrance. Gu Xuyao scanned him with his mind and found him to be a Force Cultivator at the first level of the Root Birth Realm.

"Brother, what do you sell here?"

Feng Changshan, seeing the other's enthusiasm, also smiled and responded.

"Hehe, Brother, you're joking. Our shop doesn't sell anything else, just spirit stones."

Gu Xuyao frowned slightly upon hearing this, then looked up at the sign, which read "One Clear Bet."

"Spirit stones? Spirit stones are used for buying things. Why are you selling them?"

"Hehe, little brother, you have so many questions. Why don't you just go in and try it out?"

As he spoke, the cultivator smiled and lifted the curtain. The material of the curtain was unusual, and as soon as a corner was lifted, a noisy sound came through.

"No." Gu Xuyao held back Feng Changshan, who wanted to go in, and shook his head.

"Brother Gu, didn't you say we should see more? And it looks like there are many people inside, so it doesn't seem dangerous."

Feng Changshan was good in every way, but he didn't think much about things. This shop was clearly a gambling den. Although his master had left him many spirit stones, if he got involved in gambling, he would lose them all.

"There are many ways to gain experience. We don't have to stick to this. Let's find a place to stay first." Gu Xuyao saw Feng Changshan as his younger brother and couldn't let him fall into a trap.

"But... okay..." Feng Changshan, though curious, still listened to Gu Xuyao and reluctantly looked at the half-open curtain, no longer insisting.

Just as they were about to leave, three people approached from behind. These three didn't actually try to get them to enter, but when Gu Xuyao saw one of them, he changed his mind.

The three were two men and a woman. The two men were tall and muscular, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, while the woman in the middle was clearly being escorted, with disheveled hair and bloodstains on her clothes.

"Aunt Xu!"

The woman was none other than Aunt Xu, who had interacted with Gu Xuyao in Meteor City.

"Hurry up, don't dawdle. If it weren't for your young lady's request, you would have rotted in the dungeon!" The two large men behind Aunt Xu pushed her and scolded her.

"The world is unjust. You scoundrels will eventually face divine punishment!"

Aunt Xu's voice was somewhat hysterical, clearly indicating that she had been tortured.

Gu Xuyao pulled Feng Changshan to his side and quietly watched Aunt Xu, but she seemed to have lost all hope and didn't even look at him as she passed by.

"Brothers, what do you think? Are you going in or not?"

Aunt Xu was escorted inside, and the guard at the entrance, seeing that Gu Xuyao and Feng Changshan hadn't left, smiled and asked.

"Since we're here, why not try our luck? Changshan, let's go in and play." From the large man's words, it seemed that not only was Aunt Xu in trouble, but Su Yun was also in Hai Li City.

"Ah? Really, Brother Gu, that's great." Feng Changshan, hearing that they could go in, didn't question why Gu Xuyao had suddenly changed his mind and happily entered the gambling den.

Gambling is actually a human nature. The thrill of winning and losing is extremely tempting. Since cultivators haven't transcended the human realm, some of them are addicted to gambling, though it is not a glorious activity. To protect the privacy of these cultivators, the gambling den has put a lot of effort into its design.

Upon entering, they found that the inside was much larger than it appeared from the outside.

Behind the curtain was a wide corridor, wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. A cultivator was responsible for guiding them.

The gambling den had the largest flow of spirit stones, so the protective measures were also more stringent. The guide led them through various formations, and after about an hour, they finally entered the main hall.

The noise was deafening as they entered. Shouts and cries echoed throughout the main hall, which could accommodate a thousand people. Each table was surrounded by many people, and various gambling games were being played. Gu Xuyao glanced around and saw that everyone's faces were filled with desire.

"Ah, this is where they sell spirit stones? There are so many people, Brother Gu. How do we play?"

The nearest game was a dice game, which had the loudest shouts. Feng Changshan, seeing many cultivators throw spirit stones on the table and start shouting, couldn't help but feel excited.

As for Gu Xuyao, he naturally didn't care about gambling. He was searching for Aunt Xu.

"I didn't expect them to act so quickly. Wait, that's not right. They wouldn't bring someone through the main hall, as it would make other cultivators suspicious. In the corridor, I saw a hidden door with most of its traces concealed by formations. Could it be there..."

Thinking this, Gu Xuyao looked back at the guard at the entrance and led Feng Changshan to the dice table.

Dice games are the most common form of gambling in the mortal world. In Leshi Village, Gu Xuyao had played a few times when he was bored. Of course, as the saying goes, "ten out of ten gamblers lose," and after understanding this truth, Gu Xuyao gave up on gambling.

According to the rules here, each round required at least ten spirit stones. Gu Xuyao taught Feng Changshan to play three rounds, with each round spaced half an hour apart, and each bet was ten spirit stones.

An hour later, the result of the gambling was obvious: they had not won.

Despite Feng Changshan's reluctance, Gu Xuyao pulled him aside, and Feng Changshan could only stare longingly at the gambling table.

"Brother Gu, what are you doing? If you let me bet fifty spirit stones at once, I'm sure I can win back all the losses." This is a common reaction for someone new to gambling. Once they lose, they want to bet big to win it all back, but the reality is often different.

"Changshan, I ask you, do you have the ability to break through those formations we passed on the way?"

Gu Xuyao's question, transmitted secretly, was unrelated to gambling, which made Feng Changshan pause, but he then nodded.

"Those formations are not sophisticated. They can't compare to what Master taught me."

Gu Xuyao smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"That's great. Changshan, betting a few dozen spirit stones is too boring. Let's bet big, at least a thousand spirit stones at once. What do you think?"

Gambling is highly addictive. Hearing Gu Xuyao's words, Feng Changshan became interested and nodded excitedly, his eyes shining with excitement.

Seeing this, Gu Xuyao could only shake his head with a bitter smile.

Pulling Feng Changshan to the entrance of the corridor, Gu Xuyao looked dejected.

"Brother, we've lost all our spirit stones and can't continue. Can you show us the way out?"

Gambling dens are like this: easy to enter, hard to leave. If you haven't lost everything, you can't easily leave. This has become a common rule in gambling dens, even in the cultivation world.

Sure enough, the cultivator looked at Gu Xuyao and Changshan with suspicion.

But the current situation left no room for doubt. The two had just experienced a fierce battle with Zhenxuezi, and though their clothes were still intact, they were covered in dust and dirt, with many tears and rips. The material of their clothes was not of high quality, so even if Gu Xuyao claimed to be wealthy, others would only think he was a fool.