The corner of Ji Wuye's mouth twitched in a wry smirk. For a brief moment, his eyes widened with disbelief before narrowing into piercing slits.

‘They are so brazen, daring to kill innocent people so recklessly…’ He mumbled inwardly.

The fact that these people, or rather the workers in tea house, were secretly killing off their customers meant the situation had reached the worst point imaginable.

To so callously take lives in the Qinhai Region, on the very doorstep of the Kunlun Sect, was an unforgivably provocative act.

‘Not to mention their power; it's hard to tell with these fancy-looking skills,’ he thought inwardly, furrowing his brow.

Without witnessing their combat abilities firsthand or seeing them truly in action, it was truly difficult for even one as seasoned as himself to accurately judge their skills.

"Young Master, would you like some snacks first?" While Ji Wuye inwardly pondered, the curvaceous courtesan who had been sensually caressing his muscled frame snapped him back to the present reality.

He turned to regard her with those penetrating eyes, noticing the same outwardly calm and composed gaze, but this time, there was an unmistakable hint of calculated affection, and her full lips curled into a more serene, suggestive smile.

"Ah, Sister, this humble one really wanted to treat you, but I only carry a little money, so—" He replied with feigned regret, shaking his head as he gazed down at her delicate hands. But the smooth, slender fingers suddenly grasped his own in a bold caress.

"It's okay, let this Sister pay for herself, but in exchange, it's common sense for me to know more about you. Perhaps to start with, your name?" The courtesan, who had remained utterly polite and demure before, abruptly changed her approach, leaning in as she brazenly began caressing his toned chest.

Ji Wuye met her ardent gaze evenly, his own expression shifting to match her suddenly smile, which made the courtesan titter girlishly behind one raised hand.

While outwardly mirroring her demeanor, inwardly his mind raced, keenly observing how natural and utterly convincing the act was for these workers.

‘Hmm, it's starting to get more dangerous...’ Ji Wuye's eyes narrowed once more as he shook his head slightly, refocusing his senses as an ominous black mist began insidiously spreading over the nearby table's surface.

"Then shall we begin the game?" The host's warm smile remained firmly in place as he spread his arms wide in an inviting gesture. However, the last remaining customer besides Ji Wuye, who shared the same table, posed an obvious question with furrowed brow.

"Huh? Where's that lean person from before?" The portly, ruddy-faced man squinted suspiciously as he finally regained his senses, eyes roving around the room. The previous seat where the now-missing lean man had been seated was conspicuously vacant and pristine, not to mention the table space before it.

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"We kicked him out, as you know, he was just...rude," the host smoothly interjected before the portly man could scrutinize any further potential clues.

Without allowing an opportunity to delve deeper into this topic, the lithe courtesan who had been attending the missing lean man swayed over and settled herself beside the skeptical portly customer.

"Greetings, Young Master," the newly arrived beauty purred in a sultry tone, immediately fondling and caressing his flushed, chubby cheeks with perfectly manicured crimson nails. "I hope you don't mind, this Little Liang serving you instead?" She leaned in close to whisper the words in his ear, her fragrant tresses tickling his neck.

With not just one, but two curvaceous courtesans draped over him and vying for his attention, the portly man, previously suspicious of the disappearance of the lean man, now foolishly grinned and let loose a guttural chuckle of delight as his meaty hands roamed.

"Well, it's good that arrogant bastard is gone; he was annoying as hell." He eagerly embraced the courtesans clad in loosen long robes that even showed almost their private parts, each on either side, all previous misgivings melting away.

The host's saccharine smile seemed to deepen as his beady eyes squinted to thin slits, barely visible. But then his gaze suddenly shifted, settling on Ji Wuye with undisguised calculation.

"Brother, since this is your first time attending our...place, do you mind if we check how much you've brought to play with?"

Of course, the host wasted no time in mentioning funds. Ji Wuye, who had prepared the funds given by his Senior Sisters, produced a few brass Qián coins from his sleeve.

"Hah, so you're just another pathetic beggar!" The portly man snorted with undisguised disgust, seemingly relieved to finally gain some perceived advantage over the Ji Wuye. Even the obsequious host's smile turned subtly sour at the meager sum.

"It's okay, Brother. After all, this is your first time." The host reply was accompanied by an ingratiating nod. "With your...abilities, I'm sure you can earn far more than this pittance soon enough. Then..."

Once again, an inky black mist insidiously spread forth, enveloping the entire polished wooden table in swirling shadows, while the sound of the host vigorously shaking the ornate golden cup containing the dice rang out with a metallic rattle.

To emerge victorious in Sic Bo, one needed to correctly divine the numbers or specific combination that would appear once the host ceased his showmanly shaking and revealed the clattered dice.

There were several avenues to potential triumph:

The first and most straightforward was the Single Number Bet, wherein if just one of the three ivory dice displayed the chosen number when unveiled, the player would win. However, this basic wager carried merely a 1:1 payout rate, causing most prudent beginners to avoid it as an unrewarding path mired with loss.

Another option lay in the Two-Dice Combination Bet, where should two of the trio of cubes land displaying the preselected pairing of numbers, the victorious player would be rewarded.

For example, if one staked on the combination 1-2, and both those numbers appeared in any order amongst the scattered dice, a handsome 5:1 payout would be reaped. Yet even a single die bearing just a 1 or 2 would still grant a lesser 2:1 windfall.

Such were the few rules Ji Wuye could recall as his crimson eyes suddenly began glowing with an ethereal light, instantly repelling the obscuring tendrils of black mist veiling the table's surface.

There, he clearly perceived that the golden cup was now absent; instead, the dice themselves hovered and shook with seemingly self-propelled animation.

He did not so much as blink in surprise at this unnatural display, simply waiting with eerie patience until...

SWOOSH!

The inky vapor abruptly dissipated, at last revealing the dice previously obscured by the illusory cup that even his penetrating vision could not pierce.

"Now, let's open the bets!" the host bellowed with a wolfish grin. Simultaneously, the weathered wooden table at which they currently gathered shifted and changed before their very eyes.

Ornate carvings representing the various Names of Bets such as Two-Dice Combination, Single Number, and all other potential wagers spontaneously manifested upon the aged wood, as if they had been ingrained there since antiquity.

Each option was partitioned into separate sections with boundaries demarking their spaces.

Without the briefest hesitation, Ji Wuye's powerful arm whipped out, the handful of brass Qián he had brought earlier instantly arcing through the air to settle squarely upon the Six-Number Dice section designated for the Single Number Bet.

The unorthodox boldness of his decisive move startled even the unflappable host, whose sickly smile wavered, as well as the portly man, whose beefy face turned into a frown.

"Oh my, what a brave Brother," the courtesan remarked as she who had been sensually serving Ji Wuye returned to his side.

She carried a lacquered tray laden with several skewers of vibrant, sugar-glazed Tanghulu - the common candied fruit treats consisting of alternating pieces of luminous hawthorn berries and chewy dried fruits impaled on wooden spears.