North District. Night.

Bubai paused at the foot of the stairs, staring at the note pinned to the door of the Book Pavilion: “Closed until further notice.”

Well, it seems he didn’t have to worry about being late for work.

"I wonder what it’s for this time..."

As if in response to his inquiry, a chilly breeze whispered past him, and a soft pat landed on his shoulder, causing him to involuntarily tremble like a leaf carried away by the night breeze.

“Fufufu…” A familiar, tinkling laugh echoed in the night air. "Did this fairy scare fairy brother?"

The teasing and light voice prompted Bubai to turn his head, his exasperation evident when he faced the silver-haired beauty standing there with a mischievous smile.

"Is it really necessary to appear behind me like that every time?"

Shu Ling covered her mouth with her delicate hand, her elegant laughter ringing out. "Fufufu… Granny said it's good practice for this fairy.”

Good for you, but it certainly wasn’t good for his own heart!

Bubai complained inwardly, but he masked his irritation with a patient expression and gestured towards the closed door. "I didn't receive any notice. Does fairy happen to know what's going on?"

Shu Ling smiled, clasping her hands behind her back as she swayed lightly on her feet. "Granny mentioned there's an urgent meeting. She's probably with the other elders at the palace by now.”

Oh, a meeting. Well, it’s presumably about the results of the secret realm.

Bubai nodded. "When do you think she'll be back?"

Shu Ling blinked innocently, her expression playful. "Who knows? Hum, this fairy doesn't have all the answers, you know."

Well, it seems he won’t be getting a clear time frame as he hoped. Looks like he’ll have to come back and check tomorrow.

"Well then, I suppose I’ll head back.” Bubai announced, turning to leave.

Shu Ling's lips bent unhappily, "So soon?"

Bubai shrugged, “What else am I supposed to do? Stand here all night?"

Rolling her eyes in mock annoyance, Shu Ling crossed her arms. "Hum, indeed you don't have to wait here, but surely there's something more interesting fairy brother can do instead of going straight home?”

Bubai arched an eyebrow. "Like what?"

“Humph.” Shu Ling pouted, her cheeks flushed with indignation before she turned her head away. "Fine, go then."

A small chuckle escape Bubai’s lips as he descended the stairs. But halfway down, he suddenly glanced back at the lonely beauty, a playful twinkle in his eyes. "Are you not coming?"

Hearing his call, the pouting fairy immediately turned to look at him, her starry eyes sparkling as bright as the moon above.

Her radiant smile lightened his gloomy heart as she bounded down the stairs to join him, "Humph, it’s good you haven’t forgotten about this fairy. This fairy’s efforts on you haven’t been wasted."

"Yes, yes," Bubai agreed, his voice filled with gentle amusement. "So, is there anywhere the fairy wants to go?"

Shu Ling tapped her finger thoughtfully against her lips, her gaze drifting off into the distance.

Suddenly, her face lit up. Her hands clapped in excitement, her eyes beseeching Bubai, "This fairy heard there was an interesting place called the Snake's Den. What do you say we check it out?"

Outer Sect. Thirteenth District.

On a roof, the cool air wrapped around Bubai like a velvet cloak.

Staring down at the brightly lit, yet nondescript gambling house, Bubai’s lips twitched subtly, "Didn't fairy say your granny doesn't let you go to places like this?"

Shu Ling, her delicate features illuminated by the bright glow, placed a finger on her lips and stared up at the moon with an innocent face. "Did this fairy ever say that? How come this fairy doesn't remember?"

“…” Bubai rolled his eyes before returning his gaze to the entrance of the gambling house.

After a moment, a sly smile suddenly played on Bubai’s lips. Turning to the beauty beside him, he gestured toward the entrance of the gambling den. "Well, if fairy really wants to go in, I can accompany you…”

The fairy's excitement bubbled over as she leaned in, grasping his hand eagerly. "Really?"

Feeling the softness pressing against his hand, Bubai still kept a straight face as he spoke, "But on one condition."

“Hum, knew it.” Shu Ling looked away with a pout, but she still nodded in agreement. "Okay, say it. What do you want to know this time?"

"It's not always about knowledge," Bubai replied, his tone tinged with amusement as he stared at the wise fairy.

“Not knowledge?” Shu Ling looked back at him.

After a brief silence, a teasing smile slowly spread across her face. “Fufufu, this fairy thought you would never ask…”

The fairy slowly wound her way forward, her movements almost hypnotic as her soft figure rubbed against him.

"If this is what you want, this fairy doesn't mind accompanying you…" She leaned in, her low and sultry voice tickling his ear. “Right here, right now.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The duo locked eyes in a silent standoff, tension crackling between them like electricity.

After a moment, Bubai broke the silence, "Fairy, please respect yourself."

Shu Ling tilted her head slightly. “Really no?”

Meeting her wide, innocent eyes and facing those lips begging for attention, Bubai’s resolved wavered slightly, yet he still steeled his heart, “No.”

Though he was extremely tempted to taste the forbidden fruit, Bubai really didn’t dare.

Once bitten, twice shy. Most of his women were trap cards thus far… he didn’t want to unknowingly set another.

Failing to get the answer she wants, Shu Ling pursed her lips and took a step back, huffing in frustration. "Humph, not this, not that. So what exactly does fairy brother want?"

"Simple." Bubai replied, pointing at Shu Ling’s satchel. “We’ll only play with whatever you have.”

“…” Shu Ling dully stared at her satchel, her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

Huh? Bubai arched a brow, “What’s wrong?”

The fairy’s pitiful eyes stared back at him, “This fairy... has no money.”

Um? Bubai curiously looked down at her satchel, his soft voice probing, “Really none? What happened to the gold I gave you?”

Facing his inquiry, Shu Ling seemed to deflate, her shoulders slumping as she hung her arms and confessed.

“All gone. Granny didn't give this fairy any allowance. She even took back the gold fairy brother gave this fairy. Said she was afraid this fairy would learn badly once this fairy had too much money.”

For real?! Bubai's lips quirked with amusement.

Well, he can’t say the granny was wrong. Obviously, the granny understood the fairy's true nature all too well.

So, Bubai turned around, ready to put an end to their little adventure. "Well, that’s that. Let's not waste time and go back."

But before he could take another step, Shu Ling hurriedly grasped his arm and pleaded, her voice dripping with sweetness. "Fairy brother~ since we're already here, can't we just go in for a spin?"

Bubai shrugged, his hands held up in a gesture of helplessness. "No can do. Gambling is a bottomless pit, and I can't afford to waste my money.”

Hearing this, Shu Ling blinked playfully back at him, "But what if this fairy can guarantee you can win?"

…

Time flowed like sand, slipping away like the money in the hands of gamblers.

The Snake’s Den welcomed all sorts of guests, many entering with zealous expressions, but the ones exiting…

A grizzled man shuffled out, his face flushed with anger as he gave the door frame a punch. “Rigged! Rigged I tell you!”

After throwing a glance back, the man suppressed his anger. “Next time… next time, I’ll win it all back!”

The poor gambler turned away, his eyes landing on an approaching man cloaked in white, “What ya looking at?! Are you mocking me?!”

The cloaked man’s inclined head slowly looked up, revealing Bubai’s face, now donning a white mask.

Through the eye holes of his mask, Bubai’s gaze bore into the man picking a fight, a grin slowly creeping onto his face, “Problem?”

“Tch. I’m too lazy to bother with you losers.” The nameless side character passed by and… left the stage with zero trouble, probably never to be seen again in his story.

Troublesome mobs loves to seek out the protagonist, lining up to receive a face-slap. Well, looks like he won’t get to enjoy this special event.

Stepping through the entrance, Bubai immediately notice a large caged area dominating one side of the establishment.

Within the caged area, women stood in chains, their eyes reflecting a mixture of despair and resignation as they watched the men gambling outside.

Some men, their clothes tattered and fray, were queuing up at a counter, ready to hand over their female companions for more funds to fuel their addiction...

Gambling in a demonic sect, how to say… it’s reasonable? It’s just that… here, players are gambling much more than money.

Bubai turned his attention to the other side, where a staircase led to the second floor. It was guarded by bouncers, their imposing figures serving as a warning to any who dared to venture upstairs.

Bubai's divine sense walked right past them and into the upper level, but it was soon met with resistance, barred from penetrating the private rooms enclosed by walls of white jade and formations.

Uh... it seems a gambling den had more privacy than a brothel. Go figure.

Bubai turned his attention away, taking in the rest of the scene before him.

The gambling floor wasn't grand. There were only a few tables scattered across the room, surrounded by disciples in worn-out clothes, their voices filled with anticipation and desperation in equal measure.

His divine sense weaved through the throng of people gathered around the nearby table, immediately detecting the table full of silver and gold taels, with low-grade spirit stones thrown in the mix.

Bubai’s heart skipped a beat. The allure of an instant payday beckoned to him, and he almost couldn’t resist the urge to just rush up and sweep the table clean – table included!

In the world of cultivation, where gambling held significant stakes and opportunities, cheating methods proliferated like weeds in a fertile field.

However, cultivators wouldn’t abandon such a lucrative money-making field so easily.

Tapping into their potential to capitalize on profit, cultivators adopted stringent measures and implemented thorough modifications to the game assets.

A lot of these modifications took the form of arrays, carved directly onto the table itself! Thus, each of these tables were treasures in their own right!

If he grabs one of these tables and finds a proper channel to sell them, he could fetch a handsome sum of tens, if not hundreds, of spirit stones!

Alas… the nagging voice of reason woke Bubai up.

Riches were definitely aplenty here, but without knowing how many foundation establishment cultivators were sitting in-house, it will be much riskier than looting a gang or escaping from Hei Hua Lou.

It wasn’t the time or place for such a risky play.

Plus, he didn’t come here to engage in his old trade. His purpose was...

“Go! Go! Hurry up, what are you standing still for? This fairy doesn’t have all day!” The excited voice of Shu Ling sounded in his mind.

Bubai looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary with his eyes. However, his divine sense detected a misty silhouette standing beside him, and he still felt her warm touch on his arm.

With a hint of skepticism, Bubai hissed through his teeth, "Are you sure this is going to work?"

Shu Ling's voice sounded in his mind, confident and eager. "Trust this fairy! Just buy what this fairy asks, and we'll be walking out of here with riches in no time."

Bubai rolled his eyes but decided to go along with her plan, "I'll trust you this one time."

Shu Ling’s voice chimed in again, filled with mischief. "And you'll be believing in this lucky fairy's golden fingers from now on. Fufufu..."

Ignoring her boast, Bubai slipped onto the gambling floor, his mysterious attire drawing the attention of the bouncers.

Their eyes followed him suspiciously, but they made no move to stop him because he wasn’t the only one dressed like this.

Bubai set his sights on a Sic Bo table, a dice game where players bet on the sum of three dice. It was rather popular in the mortal world of this era.

He pushed his way through the crowd until he stood at the front of the table.

A rough-looking man stood at the center, a transparent barrier enveloping him like a bubble. He soundlessly shook a white jade dice holder with gusto before slamming it onto the table.

Then, his booming voice reached the crowd’s ears, as if coming from a speaker, “Place your bets! Place your bets! Tonight will be when you walk away with a pocketful of spirit stones and perhaps even a beauty of your choice!”

Bubai calmly pulled out a spirit stone and a tael of gold from his pouch, weighing them thoughtfully in his palm. He can afford to lose this much.

His eyes then scanned the faces of the excited gamblers, finally settling on the dealer, who grinned back at him.

Returning the smile, Bubai's gaze flickered to the misty silhouette standing next to the dealer, her form leaning over the table as if peering into the dice shaker. This mysterious fairy really...

Her excited voice abruptly echoed in his mind, "Big, 11!"

At this moment, the dealer urged the players once more, “Time is almost up! Quickly place your bets!”

After a moment of hesitation, Bubai placed his spirit stone on "big" and the tael of gold on the “10 or 11” event.

Well, let’s hope this fairy isn’t a legendary black sheep.

Shortly after, the dealer announced, "The time to bet is over! All hands leave the table!"

The announcement shifted the plot to its climax, and the crowd was divided into two camps.

“Big! Big! Big!” “Small! Small! Small!”

Absorbing the crowd’s excited chants, the dealer’s grin widened as he placed his hand on the dice holder. “Ready? This time it’s...”

The crowd held its breath as the dealer slowly opened the dice holder...