Wuxin stood atop the city tower of Liangzhou City, his right hand clutching the Bi'an Golden Order. The gatekeeper had no choice but to bow, obeying his commands. This city, a jurisdiction of the Great Qin Empire at the state city level, was for the first time in twenty years locked at night.
The mechanized locks and chains pulled the ten-thousand-jin city gates, slowly closing.
Wuxin stood in front of the city tower, overlooking the entire city, his expression calm.
Half a month ago, he and Tie Lin received a secret report.
In the top grade, there are two confidential figures, whose movements pointed to this place.
To obtain this information, they lost more than ten Wind Catchers and three Shadow Catchers before successfully conveying this information to the Ministry of Punishment.
He would not allow any issue to arise.
Even more so, he would not allow those two people in the secret report to escape.
Wang Anfeng and Li Hu followed the young man inside. When outside, they could already feel the terrible noise within, but only after entering did Wang Anfeng realize he had underestimated the level of chaos inside this place.
As soon as they stepped in, a wave of heat and stench hit them, the air thick and oppressive, making it hard to breathe. A variety of men crowded around each table, differing in attire, demeanor, and disposition, yet their eyes almost glued to the dice on the tables.
Gracefully dressed maidservants flitted about like butterflies amidst the shouting gamblers. The smell of sweat, perfume, and the incongruous scent of wine mixed together created an atmosphere that drove men to lose their reason.
Wang Anfeng frowned, his gaze landing on one side of the underground gambling den, where clusters of rather elegant purple flowers grew. They were hardly noticeable, but to Wang Anfeng, a healer, they couldn't be ignored, so he held his breath.
The two young men who had brought them in didn't notice Wang Anfeng's gaze and led him to a middle-aged man in long robes, whispered a few words into his ear, then retreated.
The middle-aged man glanced at Li Hu, then fixed his gaze back on Wang Anfeng. Seeing that although he was dressed plainly, his demeanor was extraordinary, he dared not be negligent simply because of Li Hu's introduction. He clasped his hands, bowed, and said with a smile:
"Since Li Hu vouches for you, let's not burden this esteemed guest with unnecessary formalities. My Heaven and Earth Fortune House offers eighteen different games. I wonder which the honorable guest prefers?"
Wang Anfeng didn't answer but muttered to himself:
"Heaven and Earth Fortune?"
The middle-aged man smiled and explained:
"All treasures from the heavens and earth find their way into our establishment. I've exaggerated a bit, yet in Liangzhou City, you won't find a gambling house comparable to my Heaven and Earth Fortune House. Every wager here can be large or small."
"Even a small stake of a Copper Coin, or larger ones involving dozens, hundreds of taels can be accommodated."
Wang Anfeng said, "I'm only afraid my wager is too large."
The middle-aged man glanced at Li Hu, smiling broadly:
"You're joking, esteemed guest. Heaven and Earth Fortune, Heaven and Earth Talent, we only fear no one will come, never that a wager is too large. Even if you throw a thousand taels, ten thousand taels of silver, we can handle it."
Li Hu's body suddenly shivered slightly.
More than a dozen fierce men slowly closed in around them, their movements so practiced that they didn't alert the gamblers. To be honest, Li Hu felt that even if they made a bigger commotion, those gamblers with reddened eyes wouldn't care.
He instinctively moved two steps closer to Wang Anfeng, then noticed the icy look on Wang Anfeng's face. He felt something was wrong, and in the next moment, saw Wang Anfeng suddenly draw a Crossbow from behind his waist, aiming it at the few lanterns in this dark room.
Since the place was underground, it was exceedingly dim, lit only by lanterns. With that release, all the crossbow bolts from the Crossbow were shot, and in the murky air, the lanterns exploded into several bright flames and began burning fiercely.
The atmosphere in the gambling den paused for a moment.
Wang Anfeng raised the dark Crossbow in his hand, shouting:
"Everyone, get down!"
"The Ministry of Punishment's Patrol Officer Yan Ling is here to investigate; everyone, get down!!"
The voice echoed in the space.
The once roaring gambling den, busier than some prosperous places, fell instantly silent. Countless gazes fixed on Wang Anfeng holding the Ministry's Crossbow, and in less than three blinks, chaos erupted.
One by one, individuals panic-stricken ran toward the exit, knocking over tables. Some more shrewd ones even reached out to grab their bets from the tables and stuffed them into their arms before fleeing. It was utter chaos, and the martial artists previously maintaining order could do nothing to control the scene.
The middle-aged man, who had just been all smiles while entertaining the two, was stunned, then his face contorted, glaring at Li Hu like a ferocious beast about to devour someone, and shouted angrily:
"Li Family's Third Boy, you actually sided with the Government Office?! Became a snitch for the enforcers?! Ruining my business?! How did I never know you had such capabilities?!"
Li Hu's mouth twitched as he glanced at Wang Anfeng, then withdrew his gaze, saying woodenly: "I have nothing to say to such an unlawful renegade as you."
This single sentence left the middle-aged man shaking with rage, speechless. He turned and snatched a knife from a martial artist nearby, aiming it at Li Hu's neck to slash down.
The strike came incredibly fast, Li Hu could only see a streak of light, but before the middle-aged man could react, the knife in his hand was sent flying by a blow. The next moment, his whole being felt the world spinning as he was heavily slammed to the ground.