Chapter 1 The Gambling Emperor's Abode

The Gambling Emperor's Abode was founded in the late Qing Dynasty. Initially, it was just a small gambling den on the side of the street. It wasn't called "Gambling Emperor's Abode" either, but simply "Gambling Abode."

It was said that the owner of the Gambling Abode was a monk who had returned to secular life. No one knew where he had learned his godlike gambling skills, but after leaving the monastery, he started this business that ruined families.

To this day, the name of this monk owner has been lost to history. Back then, everyone simply called him "Monk," but now he is referred to as "Gambling Monk" or "Old Ancestor."

Perhaps because he had been a monk for so long, the owner of the Gambling Abode, even though he was engaged in this shady business, didn't forget to add some of the precepts of a monk.

In the monk's gambling den, everything had to be "absolutely fair." Anyone who cheated in his place, or conspired to swindle money from others, would be immediately recognized by the owner and exposed in public. The lightest punishment was to be kicked out of the gambling den and never allowed back, while the heaviest was to be beaten half to death and thrown into the street.

The psychology of gamblers is very subtle. The vast majority of them can't afford to lose, but they don't want to admit that they can't afford to lose, which is why they lose even more.

And the Gambling Abode… gave them a place where they could "lose with conviction." People who came out of there, even if they were penniless, could only blame their bad luck and had nothing to say.

For gamblers, that was enough… as if they weren't the ones losing, but fate.

Over time, the name of the "Gambling Abode" spread.

Finally, one day, the name of the Gambling Abode reached the ears of a local official. This person was also a gambling addict, and the next day, he disguised himself and entered the gambling den.

Unfortunately… this Lord Liu's gambling skills and luck were both poor. He had only been in the Gambling Abode for a short time before he lost all his money.

Logically speaking, a corrupt official like him, who had a good reputation, could just lose and leave. After all, it was money he had squeezed from the people. He could just walk away after losing it all… However, this Lord Liu also had a terrible gambling habit. After losing, he immediately revealed his identity and shouted loudly, saying that the house was cheating him out of his money.

So, the staff in the shop called the owner… the monk. The monk listened to the whole story, smiled calmly, and proposed to gamble with Lord Liu again.

In this game, he used his entire fortune to bet on one sentence from Lord Liu.

If the monk lost, he would lose his vast fortune. If Lord Liu lost, he would only lose one sentence, and that sentence was—"I, Liu, am convinced of my loss today."

Lord Liu agreed to the bet and quickly lost.

But… he did not fulfill his promise. He simply waved his sleeve, snorted coldly, and left the Gambling Abode.

Little did he know… that this departure would cost him his life.

The next night, this Lord Liu died suddenly at his home, his death was tragic, and the cause was unknown.

Although the death of a local official could not be considered a small case… it was during the time when the Boxer Rebellion was at its worst, coupled with the corruption of the government and internal and external troubles, the imperial court had no time to investigate the matter in detail. With the local law enforcement agencies unable to find any results in their investigation, the matter was dropped…

However… although no one in the official circles investigated, the rumors about the matter among the people grew more and more intense.

In less than half a year, the story of the "Gambling Monk killing the corrupt Liu" spread throughout the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and everyone added their own embellishments to the story, making it more and more mysterious.

The name of the "Gambling Abode" also spread along with the story, which led to the rapid development of the Gambling Abode's business, and it quickly grew from a small gambling den to a large casino.

Soon after, many gambling masters came from far and wide… to challenge the Gambling Monk, but no one could defeat him. Moreover, after losing, these people were all impressed by the monk's gambling skills and demeanor, and either became his confidants or disciples… As for the stories of these gambling matches, they all became legends circulating in the streets and alleys without exception.

Later, a chance encounter changed the fate of the "Gambling Abode" forever…

On that occasion, the owners of two other casinos had a conflict and wanted to settle their differences through gambling, but neither of them trusted the people designated by the other party, which made it impossible for the gambling game to begin. Finally… someone said, "Why don't you invite the monk from the Gambling Abode to preside over it?"

As a result… they actually went to invite him, and the monk actually went. Because of his principle of "absolute fairness," the entire process of the gambling game was carried out flawlessly. After the gambling game, the loser handed over the bet money without saying a word and left…

In this way, the precedent of "Gambling Abode presiding over gambling games for others" was set…

From then on, more and more gambling games came to the Gambling Abode to seek justice. It was undoubtedly too much for the monk to handle alone, so the masters he had met and recruited also came forward in the name of the "Gambling Abode" to preside over gambling games.

By 1920, when the monk passed away peacefully, the Gambling Abode was no longer a casino, but an organization that specialized in presiding over gambling games for others and extracting a commission from them.

The second-generation owner regarded the "Gambling Monk," who had never been defeated in his life, as the patriarch, and renamed the Gambling Abode "Gambling Emperor's Abode," meaning that the monk was the emperor of gambling.

Time passed quickly, and by the 1930s and 1940s, there were many concessions and rampant gangs in S City.

At this time, it was the peak of the Gambling Emperor's Abode's prosperity. The people they served were rarely from the common people… In those days, those who could invite the "Gambling Emperor's Abode" to preside over gambling games had to be at least big shots in the martial world, celebrities, or military and political figures.

And the contents of the gambling games were usually huge amounts of property, or… lives.

Gambling is like this. As a person loses heavier and heavier chips, the weight of life in his heart becomes lighter and lighter.

At this time, things like "credit" become very ridiculous. It's like… a gang leader with a dozen brothers gambling with an unarmed old man… as long as the amount won by the latter reaches an amount that the former cannot accept, what awaits him is inevitably a breach of contract and the silencing of the old man.

The existence of the Gambling Emperor's Abode is to supervise and prevent this kind of situation from happening. As long as there are people from the Gambling Emperor's Abode witnessing, then the loser must pay the price he gambled on… no matter what that price is.

If the loser breaks the contract, then the people from the Gambling Emperor's Abode will be responsible for "collecting the other party's chips" for the winner. Whether it's money or life, no matter who that person is, no matter what he loses… the Gambling Emperor's Abode has a way to make him pay what he should pay, and there are never any exceptions.

This… is also the purpose that everyone who knows of the existence of the "Gambling Emperor's Abode" needs to understand.

…………

A century later, in the office of a well-known entrepreneur in S City.

"You… actually know about the Gambling Emperor's Abode?" Jiang Daode asked in a deep voice.

He didn't mean to pretend, because he understood that the other party couldn't have said those three words out of thin air. What Jiang Daode wanted to know was… how did the kid on the other end of the video know that he was related to the Gambling Emperor's Abode, and how many details did he know?

"That's of course because…" Feng Bujue smiled, "I'm also a member of the Gambling Emperor's Abode."

"You… say… what?" A shocked expression involuntarily appeared on Jiang Daode's face.

"Is that so strange?" Feng Bujue asked.

"You?" Jiang Daode then sneered, "Hmph… based on you?" He paused for half a second, "Do you know how much a membership to the 'Gambling Emperor's Abode' is worth on the black market?"

"About 30 million RMB, right?" Feng Bujue replied calmly, "However… this kind of valuation is useless, because their number of members is currently saturated and they are no longer selling memberships to the public. And existing members are not allowed to privately buy, sell, or transfer their memberships." He lazily stretched in front of the camera, "Of course… you can use your membership as a bet in the presence of a 'Gambling Supervisor'… and gamble against others. As long as the Gambling Supervisor approves of this gambling game, a transfer may occur."

"It seems that you really know the rules of the Gambling Emperor's Abode…" Jiang Daode said, but suddenly thought of something, and he immediately exclaimed, "Wait… could it be that you…"

"That's right, my membership was 'won'." Feng Bujue spread his hands and continued, "Hehe… speaking of which… I feel a little sorry for the guy whose membership I took, because I haven't exercised my rights as a member even once in these years."

After saying this, Feng Bujue paused for two seconds and then said, "Oh, right, I can also tell you the other question in your heart…" He said leisurely, "You must be thinking, even if I really am a member of the Gambling Emperor's Abode, members don't necessarily know each other, so how did I know your identity?"

Jiang Daode didn't speak, silently watching the screen, waiting for Jue-ge's answer.

"Hehe… actually, that was also an unexpected gain." Feng Bujue said, "When I was investigating your private life and personal history, I inadvertently discovered that you were related to a missing person case twenty years ago… So, I found a few news sources (Bao Qing) who have a good relationship with me, retrieved some of the information from that time, and roughly deduced the whole story…" He tilted his head, pointed to Jiang Daode through the video screen, "You are not Jiang Daode at all."

The moment those words left his mouth, Jiang Daode felt as if a tank of hot oil had been poured over his head, and he jumped up in shock.

"If I'm not mistaken…" Feng Bujue continued, "Back then, the real Jiang Daode gambled with you and lost his 'everything'."

"You… what exactly…" This "Jiang Daode" was now completely surrounded by fear, and the enormous psychological pressure made him stutter.

"After the gambling game, the Gambling Emperor's Abode disposed of Jiang Daode's body and arranged a secret plastic surgery for you. A year later, they arranged a car accident to get rid of Jiang Daode's parents in South Korea. In this way, you obtained his identity, education, appearance, inheritance… in short, his entire life." Feng Bujue was still saying, "And you yourself… became a 'missing person'. Am I right? Feng…"

"Enough!" The "Jiang Daode" in front of him didn't let Feng Bujue say his original name, he quickly shouted, "You…" He glared at Jue-ge, and then pointed at Ouyang Jian, "...and you! You better figure out who you're dealing with!"

"Hmph… is that another meaningless threat? What? Are you trying to silence me?" Feng Bujue said, "Forgive me for speaking frankly, I don't think you have the courage or ability to use violence yourself. If you want to use other methods, then feel free. I want to see… in a fight with me, whether you die first or I die first, hehehehe…" As he said the last sentence, a terrifying smile appeared on his face.

"You…" Jiang Daode sat back in his boss's chair, trembling as he stared at the screen, and asked, "...what exactly do you want?"

"I said… I'm just playing a game with you." Feng Bujue said, "I've already called the 'Gambling Supervisor', we'll start as soon as he arrives."

Knock, knock, knock…

It was as if Cao Cao arrived as soon as he was mentioned. Before the words could fade away, the door to the chairman's office was knocked on.

"I'll get it." Ouyang Jian said as he stood up from his chair and walked towards the door.

Jiang Daode was in no mood to care about these things at the moment. A series of sudden mental blows had turned his thinking into a tangled mess.

Bang—

After the knocker entered the room, Ouyang Jian slammed the door shut.

The person who came was a man wearing a light-colored Tang suit. He looked to be around thirty years old, with shiny, slicked-back short hair and cloth shoes without socks on his feet.

"Mr. Jiang, hello. We meet again." As soon as he entered the room, he went straight to the desk and greeted "Jiang Daode."

"How did you…" Jiang Daode wanted to ask how the security guards on the first floor let him up in this getup, but after saying half a sentence, he felt it was unnecessary to ask, "...never mind, let's pretend I didn't say anything." He paused, "Hello, Mr. Kujo…"

It was clear that this Gambling Supervisor, Kujo, was not the first time presiding over a gambling game in which this Mr. "Jiang Daode" had participated.

"I'm truly honored…" Kujo said, turning his gaze to the briefcase on the desk and looking at the screen, "Mr. Feng, a member who never asks for our services, actually contacted a Gambling Supervisor today, and even specifically stated… 'Please choose a Gambling Supervisor who is familiar with Mr. Jiang'."

Hearing this, Jiang Daode couldn't help but glance at Jue-ge again. The bizarre smile on this kid's face was becoming more and more terrifying…

"I just thought it would be more convenient to find a Gambling Supervisor he knows, so he doesn't suspect that I just found a friend to pretend to be someone from the Gambling Emperor's Abode." Feng Bujue replied, and then continued, "Alright, Mr. Kujo, I don't have much time, since you're here, how about I start explaining the rules?"

"Wait!" Jiang Daode immediately shouted, interrupting, "How can we start the gambling game if you're not here in person?"

"Heh… there's nothing wrong with that." Feng Bujue shrugged and smiled, "As long as the fact that I'm 'not here' doesn't cause any factors that are beneficial to me in terms of the rules and the content of the bet, what's wrong with that?"

"He's right." Kujo continued, "There's no rule that the two parties in a gambling game must be face-to-face to start the game. We often encounter remote gambling situations. If there are loopholes in the rules that he can exploit, I won't let the gambling game start."

Jiang Daode hesitated for a few more seconds, and then said, "Alright… let's put the rules aside for now, first tell me… what do you want to bet with me?"