Chapter Ninety-One: Let’s Play Cards Today!
At noon, the Gobi Desert was scorched by the blazing sun, resembling a furnace, with everything in sight distorted by the surging heat waves.
Behind a U-shaped earthen platform, voices occasionally emerged from the shadows formed by the greenery.
“…Not only have our three forward camps been attacked, but the Siye Society’s camp has also been assaulted. If this continues, it won’t be long before it’s our turn…”
“Pu Hahaha!”
The laughter was as jarring as a kazoo mixed into a symphony, abruptly cutting off Xiem’s words. He turned to look at Fang Ji, who was sitting on the sandy ground beside him, frowning.
In his view, the Miracle Cult had been continuously attacked by the criminals under “Calamity” for several days, which seriously affected their plans. This was a very serious matter that required careful attention, with no comedic elements whatsoever. It was quite strange that Fang, the left envoy, was laughing out loud…
It felt rather odd!
To put it exaggeratively, it was like playing “Happy Days” loudly on a cellphone at a funeral.
The Holy Son was about to arrive, and the gates of Yumen Pass were about to open for the Miracle Cult. If something went wrong at this time, who among them could bear the consequences?
“…” After a brief silence, Xiem couldn’t help but ask, “Why is the left envoy laughing?”
“Because I thought of something interesting!” Fang Ji smiled back at Xiem.
Xiem was momentarily speechless, his mouth twitching slightly.
Although Fang’s answer made his head throb, looking at that stunningly beautiful and adorable face made it hard for him to harbor any anger.
Seeing Xiem’s hesitant expression, Fang Ji shrugged indifferently and explained, “Elder Xiem, I know all that you say. Not only do I know, but after carefully studying the looting routes of the Calamity gang, I’ve also caught a whiff of the fragrance of the Miracle Flower.”
“Ah?” Upon hearing Fang’s words, Xiem was even more puzzled.
In recent days, several camps of the Miracle Cult had been looted, suffering heavy losses. Where did a hint of Miracle Flower’s fragrance come from?
“From my research, Calamity has passed my… uh, this place prepared for the Holy Son not once, but several times. The most recent time was only less than two kilometers away, yet they still haven’t noticed this place.” Fang Ji explained, “Isn’t that a miracle?”
In fact, when “Calamity” raided those forward camps, they didn’t even leave behind the underwear of the Miracle Cult’s members stationed there; it was a complete clean sweep. However, the losses inflicted upon the Miracle Cult could be negligible, and it wouldn’t affect the Miracle Flower that was about to bloom in this Gobi Desert.
Because apart from the Holy Son’s holy relic in his hands, all the other holy relics were personally kept by him, meaning they were all within this camp, and “Calamity” had never come here at all. Da Yu exclaimed that he was skilled.
“…” Xiem pondered Fang Ji’s words, finding some rationale behind them, so he refrained from arguing, “It’s still wise to be cautious. If Calamity truly has its sights set here, it could pose some trouble.”
“Haha!” Fang Ji chuckled lightly and casually, “I actually hope she really comes here to rob!”
“If she can take away all the holy relics here, it wouldn’t be a bad miracle; I wouldn’t mind giving them to her.”
“After all, everything is guided by the Miracle Flower!”
“…”
Kuerban Rihanman had just taken that Siye Association operative from Shancheng, and Calamity had just fought a battle with the Haze God’s progeny. According to logic, it would be the earliest next week before they followed to Yumen Pass…
I want to see what kind of brave leader of the bandits appeared on the Gobi Desert a week ago, and whether he has the ability to touch the holy relic and still escape unharmed, thought Fang Ji.
Those bodies of the first-generation Miracle Saint contain the fragrance of the original Miracle Flower. If it weren’t for a special entity like Calamity, but instead an ordinary spiritual ability user or urban legend, then just touching it would turn into fine wine, food, weapons, and livestock.
Fine wine, gold, precious swords, livestock, food, represent five different miracles.
————
After viewing the photos and videos sent by Xing Yuan, Lu Yibei, already fuming, felt even more complicated emotions mix in.
It was like having an extra spicy, numbing hot pot dish suddenly topped with a scoop of chocolate ice cream.
Since finding that token at the ancestor’s old house, she had planned a trip to Yumen Pass, although it wasn’t a top priority—it had to come after rescuing her father’s lingering soul.
However, now due to the appearance of that imposter, the priority of going to Yumen Pass had been slightly raised.
If it weren’t for Jiang Li being kidnapped by the Solar Eclipse Society members and going missing, she would have rushed to Yumen Pass immediately to grab that false figure who had tarnished her reputation and torture him.
But…
“Let her be arrogant for a few more days. Once I find Miaomiao Sauce, I’ll let her know what calamity and disaster are…” Lu Yibei murmured thoughtfully.
Suppressing her anger towards that imposter, she put away her phone and flagged down a taxi, heading straight to the Shining Star Mahjong Hall in Nanbei District.
All matters must take a backseat for the sake of rescuing Miaomiao Sauce!
Although Xing Yuan had warned her not to act alone, urging her to hurry back to Huacheng to assist in investigating the “Calamity Desert Bandit” case, wasn’t it limited to twenty-four hours?
Within that twenty-four hours, she could still move freely, as long as she remained within the boundaries of Huacheng and, from a certain perspective, she had already reported to Xing Yuan; in fact, she could act even more recklessly than before.
In reality, Lu Yibei was very skilled at this kind of after-the-fact reporting. When she was a child, she often sneaked out to play while leaving a note when her father was not home, or bought things online and filled in her father’s name for cash on delivery… The result was always being beaten up.
She had no fear whatsoever!
Also, she didn’t know if it was because of the sudden deadline, but she felt even more motivated than before.
One must admit, deadlines are always the greatest productivity boosters!
————
Moments later, in the slightly run-down old street of Shancheng Nanbei District, beneath the lush canopy of street trees, a sign reading “Shining Star Mahjong” hung from the second-floor window facing the street.
The frosted window was half-open, allowing Lu Yibei’s gaze to drift through the gap onto the colored glass of the small church’s pointed roof not far away.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
Not knowing if it was because she used to be a little boy, she had always held no fondness for churches. After learning about the birth of Mu Se, her aversion multiplied.
“Bang—!”
The sudden dull sound broke into her ears, jolting Lu Yibei back to her senses. She looked at the man sitting across from her and silently sighed.
A man in a suit, with a face full of flesh, sat on the sofa across from her, sizing her up like merchandise, a mocking smirk curving his lips as he loudly said, “Little sister, have you thought it through? If you lose, the next round will be quite miserable; it’s still not too late to regret now.”
“I-I thought it through.” Lu Yibei stammered, “No regrets; I desperately need the money.”
Her poker face looked as if she desperately needed money, like a sick person throwing herself into a wolf’s den, stunned.
Lu Yibei really wanted to complain to Zhang Yu, asking him if he had broken the law too much to the point where he couldn’t even distinguish between a mahjong hall and a casino.
Indeed, the so-called Shining Star Mahjong Hall, although only secretly organizing high-stakes gambling and could not be compared to Dream Come True Entertainment City, was still a genuine casino disguised as a mahjong hall.
It was the kind one could get a solid report for!
She didn’t know what Dailin was doing running around here?
Could it be that he was a gambling addict?
After entering the Shining Star Mahjong Hall, Lu Yibei was scrutinized for a full minute by a group of intimidating-looking men before realizing it was a casino, and now she decided to play a trick on the mahjong hall owner sitting opposite her.
While she wanted nothing more than to slam the mahjong hall owner down on the table and torture him with severe interrogation, using violence in broad daylight was problematic. If she accidentally let the information leak, it would alarm the snake in the grass.
After all, she had promised Xing Yuan not to cause trouble; it was best to use “gentler” methods as much as possible.
So, today let’s play cards!
Once the mahjong hall owner loses big, exhibiting a bit of strength should allow her to extract the information she wanted from him.
With this thought in mind, if she could stroll through Dream Come True Entertainment City, what was there to fear about dominating a mere mahjong hall?
However, it was quite subtle; why was it that every time something related to Miaomiao Sauce came up, it necessitated a gamble?
Clearly, she detested gambling the most… Lu Yibei thought.
“Heh!” Upon hearing Lu Yibei’s response, the mahjong hall owner sneered, “You can play cards with me, but in our place, you need at least twenty thousand as the capital to sit at the table…”
“I-I don’t have money.” Lu Yibei weakly replied.
“What do you want to play without money? Are you looking for fun here?” The mahjong hall owner said viciously.
“But I have this, is it okay?” Lu Yibei said as she pulled out gold bars from her pocket and placed them on the table.
Exactly five bars!
Shiny and blinding!
The mahjong hall owner’s expression momentarily froze, and he looked at Lu Yibei with a subtly changing gaze.
If he had previously looked at her like she was a little fat lamb, now he was looking at her like a Kobe beef ready for market.
“Hmph! Since you’ve made up your mind and have the capital, then follow me!”
Saying this, the mahjong hall owner stood up and walked toward a small room, pushing open a door to reveal a hidden corridor before turning around to instruct, “Oh, by the way, before entering, please leave your communication devices like phones outside, it’s the rule.”
“I understand, I understand!” Lu Yibei nodded repeatedly.
“Alright! Follow me!” The mahjong hall owner rolled his eyes.
Never seen such a dimwitted girl with so much money!
