Chapter 189 – Visitors from the Cangzhou Meng Clan (Part Three)
“Hmph, stop playing tricks with me! Tell me! Did you catch a young boy here, extremely good-looking and not too old?”
The leader, seasoned in his dealings, could easily see through the waiter’s thoughts.
He cracked the whip to demonstrate, and with a loud crack!, the sturdy gambling table shattered. A nearby gambler who hadn’t dodged in time was struck squarely, and in the next moment, a terrifying bloodstain seeped through his clothes, sending everyone scrambling away in fear.
All that remained on the ground was a broken table and a gambler clutching his waist, blood pouring out between his fingers and howling in pain.
“If you don’t tell the truth right now, you’ll all get a taste of the whip! I’ll ask again: did this gambling house capture a stunning young boy a couple of days ago? Speak up—did you catch him or not?!”
The whip in the leader’s hand was thick, about the width of two adult fingers, with many sharp barbs along its long black length!
The whip’s end had dozens of razor-like blades attached!
With such a whip, one lash would draw blood without needing much strength; if he increased the force, one hit might very well send someone to meet their maker.
The waiter stood close to the leader, watching the blood dripping from the barbs of the whip, and he was terrified to the point of trembling.
“I-I…” The waiter originally intended to hold his ground, but the moment his eyes met the leader’s, an overwhelming sense of imminent death washed over him. It felt as if an invisible force was choking his throat, rendering him unable to utter another word.
The other gamblers, unsure of the unfolding situation, sensed that the gambling house had landed in serious trouble.
They attempted to sneak away, but the leader’s subordinates had blocked the door, adopting a ‘no answers, no release’ stance.
Since the waiter wouldn’t speak, the other gamblers felt their lives were at stake and immediately started spilling the beans.
“Yes, a couple of days ago, we indeed caught such a lad. I heard he was unbelievably handsome, like a celestial being, with delicate skin. And then…” One gambler quickly spoke, but was hastily silenced by those nearby.
The entire hall fell silent, a heavy atmosphere of dread enveloping everyone.
These gamblers were ordinary folk, even weaker than the average person—when had they ever faced such a murderous aura?
Instinctively, they started shaking and, with a thud, knelt on the ground, completely oblivious to the pain in their knees.
What they didn’t realize was that the leader and his subordinates were equally shocked, momentarily forgetting how to react.
All adults, having had their share of worldly experiences—perhaps even indulged in pleasures with both women and men—they knew full well what kind of scene could have led to such a description from that gambler… and now, a singular thought filled their minds—this is it!
Indeed, it was over!
Who is Meng Liang?
The beloved heir of the clan head Meng Zhan, the future leader of the Meng Clan, and now… caught in some gambling den? It was simply unspeakable!
The leader’s expression darkened to the point of resembling storm clouds; he couldn’t even dare to think about the storm he would face when he rescued Meng Liang.
Meanwhile, the waiter was on the verge of tears, realizing that the young lad truly had a powerful background!
Now that they were demanding him back, it was evident that they were not to be trifled with. How could a mere gambling house withstand such a force?
With a trembling voice, the waiter stammered, “He-He’s… really not here… we let him go long ago…”
But how could the leader believe that?
He would much rather think that these people had taken a fancy to Meng Liang and locked him away somewhere, doing all sorts of unspeakable things.
With a wave of his hand, his more than twenty subordinates instinctively encircled the gambling house’s various entrances, not allowing a single person to escape.
“Search!”
With that command, the chaos of tearing down the place—no, I mean, the search began.
The leader stood like a stone pillar, arms crossed, his rugged face showing a grave expression.
The waiter was at his wits’ end, while other thugs, alerted to the situation, rushed in with wooden sticks when one of the subordinates drew a dagger from his waist.
Blood spurted everywhere, staining the gambling table and scattering coins and gambling tools across the floor.
Everyone watched helplessly as the thug’s arm was severed, the blade plunging into his chest, his eyes wide with horror before he collapsed with a thud.
“It’s… it’s a murder!”
Blood quickly flowed, flooding the entire hall.
The more timid gamblers clutched their mouths and vomited, while the bolder ones turned pale, as if coated in white chalk.
Though the gambling house’s thugs were used to doing wicked deeds, they still understood fear, only daring to leave their targets seriously injured but not dead. None of them expected that the very best weapons were available on their foe’s belts!
The wait for information felt painfully long, as one by one, subordinates returned, their faces ashen and without news.
Until the last one returned, holding two scrolls, dusty and grimy.
These scrolls had been found in a wood room, “We found these… Boss, take a look…”
He had carefully interrogated two of the thugs, confirming that the wood room was indeed where the gambling house was keeping its “goods.”
Not daring to take matters into his own hands, he hadn’t opened the scrolls to see their contents.
The leader reached out, roughly tore away the bindings from the bamboo scroll, and hastily unfurled it.
He skimmed through the text, growing increasingly grim as if ink were going to drip from his face.
Everyone around him felt a tingle of fear, worried about what could be written inside—the terrible news that Meng Liang was dead or something similar.
Of course, there was no such content, but the situation was far from optimistic.
“Get rid of all these people…”
The leader’s eyes glimmered with hostility.
Receiving the order, the other subordinates didn’t hesitate, unsheathing their daggers in unison and advancing toward the others.
What were they going to do?
Whether it was the gambling house staff or the gamblers, fear pierced through them, rendering them paralyzed with dread.
“Kill them!”
One gambler, unable to contain himself, dashed towards the door, only to have his head severed from his body in an instant.
Blood sprayed across the walls, and at that moment, everyone understood one thing clearly.
They were going to die!
