Chapter 5: Fellow Destitute Souls at the Ends of the Earth, Must You Force My Hand?
“Gentlemen! Why should the poor make things hard for each other? I truly have no money!” Qian Jin looked at the dozen or so beggars surrounding him, yet felt not the slightest trace of panic in his heart.
“No money? What if I tell you exactly how much you have?” A tall, thin man stepped forward, began counting on his fingers, and addressed Qian Jin, “Today at the city gate, I watched every coin you collected. In total, you took in five taels of silver and seven hundred and thirty-two copper coins. You gave the gate officer a hundred coins, spent five coins on ten steamed buns, so you should still have five taels and six hundred and twenty-seven coins on you. Hand it over, now!”
Qian Jin’s mouth twitched; this fellow’s calculation was frighteningly accurate.
“Don’t do anything rash! I know martial arts!” Qian Jin struck a pose, arms outstretched like a crane, trying to intimidate the crowd.
“If you won’t drink the wine offered, you’ll have to swallow the punishment instead. Get him!” At the tall beggar’s order, the group surged forward, brandishing broken sticks.
“I’ll strike—!”
“I’ll kick—!”
“I’ll stomp—!”
“Aaah—!”
…
Each time Qian Jin shouted, a beggar would fall to the ground with a cry. In the span of a few breaths, all of them were writhing and groaning on the dirt.
“Hah! I told you I knew martial arts, but you didn’t believe me.” Qian Jin placed his foot on the chest of the tall beggar and brushed his nose with a flourish.
“Spare me, hero! I truly didn’t know you were just experiencing life among us. I was blind to your greatness, please forgive me!” The tall beggar pleaded incessantly, mistaking Qian Jin for a skilled master in disguise.
It was understandable; with such skills, surely he would serve some great clan as a bodyguard rather than resort to begging.
“We’re all poor here; why make life harder for each other?”
“Alas, my heart is too soft. I cannot stand to see suffering in this world,” Qian Jin sighed, lifting his foot off the beggar. He then tossed two handfuls of copper coins to the group and departed under their awestruck gazes.
“You’re quite compassionate, aren’t you? You’re so poor you’re nearly out of your pants, yet you’re still handing out money to others.” Up on the roof, Shangguan Lingxi had been observing Qian Jin, the last hope of the Xuantian Sect. Seeing him share his scant wealth even in dire straits, she nodded with a trace of approval.
“Oh, my wretched conscience and sense of justice! I just gave away enough buns to feed myself for days—my heart aches!” Qian Jin clutched his chest, genuinely pained.
“I just praised you, and now you’re making a fool of me.” Shangguan Lingxi, unable to contain herself, leapt out of her book and delivered a resounding smack to his head.
“Aaah—!” Qian Jin’s pig-like wail echoed especially loud in the dark of night.
“Who’s slaughtering pigs at this hour?”
“Exactly! Don’t you have any decency?”
“At least do it during the day if you must!”
…
“Run!” Hearing the angry shouts from all around, Qian Jin immediately dashed away, not daring to linger.
“Oh, look—a gambling house up ahead!” Shangguan Lingxi suddenly exclaimed and sent out her divine sense to investigate. “Brat, didn’t you say you had no money? Let’s take a spin in the casino.”
Qian Jin instinctively covered his chest. “But I need to eat! I don’t gamble; my master always said minors should stay far away from gambling and vice.”
“I guarantee you won’t lose. Get in there! And if you mention that half-blind master of yours again, I’ll scatter his ashes for good,” Shangguan Lingxi threatened fiercely.
“I won’t go! My ancestors warned me that the prettier the woman, the more dangerous the lie. You’re definitely trying to trick me again.” Qian Jin shook his head like a rattle drum, hugging his chest tightly.
“Are you complimenting me or insulting me?” Shangguan Lingxi couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. She reached out and pinched his ear. “Well? Will you go or not?”
“I’ll go! I’ll go!” A wise man doesn’t suffer in front of him—Qian Jin immediately surrendered and dashed for the gambling house entrance.
‘This boy might be a little slow, but he’s not malicious—and he’s obedient!’ Shangguan Lingxi smiled to herself, suddenly feeling that perhaps Qian Jin wasn’t entirely useless after all. She transformed into a wisp of blue smoke and slipped into his clothes.
“Just bet where I tell you. We’re going to clean this place out,” Shangguan Lingxi instructed, a hint of excitement in her voice as she prepared for a big score.
“But my master said owners of gambling houses are never good people. What if they don’t let us leave after we win?” Qian Jin was nervous. He didn’t doubt the ancestor’s ability, just his own ability to escape.
“No worries! No worries! You can take a beating anyway. A few bruises is a small price to pay,” Shangguan Lingxi teased mercilessly.
…
“Big! Big! Big!”
“Small! Small! Small!”
…
As soon as Qian Jin stepped inside, the raucous clamor of the casino filled his ears. “It’s huge in here,” he muttered, looking around. The gambling house was the size of several graveyards, far more spacious than the ancient tomb he used to live in.
“Stop gawking! Find a seat!” Shangguan Lingxi’s impatient voice echoed in his mind. Qian Jin hurried to an empty spot and sat down.
“Well, whose kid is this? Got beaten for stealing money to spend on wine and women, eh?”
“Haha, maybe it was the ‘star attraction’ herself who gave him that kiss!”
“Go home, little one! This isn’t a place for you.”
…
No sooner had Qian Jin sat down than his fashionable appearance drew a round of mockery from those around him.
“Place your bets! Place your bets! No more once you commit!” The dice shaker, a middle-aged man, paid no attention to the jeers, only urging the crowd to wager.
“Bet big!” At Shangguan Lingxi’s command in his mind, Qian Jin obediently placed all five taels of silver on ‘big’.
“Well, look at that—rich young master, eh?”
“Haha, it’s been five rounds of ‘big’ in a row; this one’s bound to be ‘small’. I’m betting small!”
The crowd buzzed with excitement, most placing their bets on ‘small’.
“Five, five, six—big!” The dealer lifted the dice cup, announced the numbers, and immediately swept the wagers towards himself.
“Your five taels,” the dealer said, pushing Qian Jin’s winnings toward him.
“Well, the kid’s got luck, I’ll give him that.” Five taels was no small sum, and envy rippled through the onlookers, though they chalked it up to beginner’s luck.
“No more bets!”
“Bet big again!” Qian Jin, following orders, pushed all ten taels onto ‘big’.
“Four, five, six—big!”
“I don’t believe it! I’m betting small again!” The gamblers around him were getting riled up, laying heavy wagers on ‘small’.
“Bet on triple sixes!” With the ancestor’s telepathic instruction, Qian Jin unhesitatingly pushed twenty taels onto triple sixes.
“This kid’s lost his mind.”
“He’s just giving his money away.”
“I was about to follow his bets, but forget it—I’m going with ‘big’.”
…
Qian Jin’s brazen move drew a chorus of disbelief. Everyone shook their heads, convinced he was too young and naïve, while only the dealer broke into a cold sweat, his hand trembling as he gripped the dice cup.
“Hurry up and open it—!”
“Open the cup!”
…