Chapter 38

Just as the head of the Xu Clan cried out, Xu Qianqian stepped forward.

"Father, Gang Leader Tian, getting angry here won't solve anything. Why don't we go to the scene and see what exactly has happened? That way, we can figure out how to handle this situation."

Her words made sense. Tian Heng stood up and headed for his gambling house. He didn't want to waste a single moment. How on earth had his House of Riches been trampled by Shen Lang? From behind him, he heard Xu Qianqian's voice.

"Gang Leader Tian, don't forget. The City Lord's Mansion and the Prefect's Office are behind you!"

Hearing this, Tian Heng felt a little more at ease. As long as he had those two backers, there was still room to maneuver. He immediately turned, mounted his horse, and galloped toward the House of Riches. In a matter of moments, his fine steed arrived before the grand and opulent entrance. Seeing Tian Heng's arrival, countless gamblers and onlookers swarmed forward, shouting.

"Gang Leader Tian is here! The man in charge has arrived! Pay up, pay up!"

The exceptionally handsome Shen Lang walked out, looked at Tian Heng, and said with a smile.

"Gang Leader Tian, have you been well? You've come at a good time. I've won nineteen thousand gold coins at your establishment, so please exchange them for cash right now. Oh, and these several hundred people here also bet with me and won seven thousand gold coins. Please exchange their winnings as well."

At those words, Tian Heng nearly fainted. Twenty-six thousand gold coins! To be honest, that was half of his entire fortune. He made a lot of money every day, but he didn't earn it alone and had to share it with many people. He had hundreds of mouths to feed, so his expenses were considerable. If he really gave them twenty-six thousand gold coins, it wouldn't just be a huge loss; the Black Clothes Gang itself would face bankruptcy and collapse. But if he didn't pay, the gambling house's credibility would be shattered, and the Black Clothes Gang's most stable source of income would vanish from Xuanwu City.

After a long moment, Tian Heng finally collected himself, his eyes focusing on Shen Lang's handsome, pale face.

*This damned bastard, how can he be so vicious?*

When Shen Lang had threatened him yesterday, Tian Heng had not only dismissed it but had even tried to guess what methods Shen Lang might use. He had imagined many possibilities, assuming Shen Lang would employ some profound scheme. He never expected him to use such a brazen and direct method.

Should he claim Shen Lang cheated? Should he try to frame him? In the past, before Shen Lang could win even a hundred gold coins, Tian Heng would have had his legs broken and thrown him out. But he was the Count's son-in-law. Who in Xuanwu City would dare to lay a finger on him?

Not only were four of the Count's guards standing behind Shen Lang, watching like tigers, but several hundred gamblers were also backing him. Shen Lang had become their hero, and for their own gain, these hundreds of gamblers would act in unison with him.

"Pay up. A great man like Gang Leader Tian wouldn't refuse to pay, would he?"

A muscle twitched in Tian Heng's face. He wanted to beat this pale-faced punk, Shen Lang, until he pissed himself. But he didn't have the courage, nor could he. A moment later, his expression changed in a flash, like a face-changing performer, and he put on a gentle smile once more.

"Young Master Shen, why don't we step inside and discuss this like gentlemen?"

Shen Lang thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well."

As Tian Heng and Shen Lang started to walk into the House of Riches, the hundreds of gamblers blocked their path. What if Shen Lang made some secret deal with Tian Heng and betrayed them?

"No, don't go! Pay us first, then you can go."

The numerous gamblers shouted in unison. Normally, they would have been like mice before a cat in Tian Heng's presence, but now there were many of them, and the Count's son-in-law, Shen Lang, was their pillar of support. Besides, gamblers were people who would risk their lives for money. When they won, they feared nothing.

"Everyone, don't worry. I will not betray you. I will be sure to get you a satisfactory answer. Like a gentleman!"

"That's right. Let's all trust Young Master Shen."

"Young Master Shen is the Count's son-in-law. He wouldn't abandon us."

"Young Master Shen, I love you!"

As Shen Lang and Tian Heng entered the House of Riches, the Count's guards followed closely behind them. Once they were all inside, the main doors of the House of Riches were firmly shut.

***

Once inside, Tian Heng's smile vanished instantly, his face turning as cold as ice. He sneered.

"Young Master Shen, your methods are truly vicious. To think you'd come to my gambling house yourself just to force me to break Thirteen's legs, as if I were cutting off my own arm. Are you trying to throw away the Count's reputation?"

"Reputation? You clearly don't understand what reputation means to someone like me. To me, reputation is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a weapon I can use at any time. If my reputation were good, doing one bad thing would lead to my ruin. But what can I do? My reputation is already so bad it can't possibly sink any lower! If someone like that does even one good thing, wouldn't people praise me to the high heavens, saying Shen Lang has turned over a new leaf or changed for the better?"

Hearing this, Tian Heng was momentarily speechless. He was completely stuck. It was true what they said—there's no dealing with a shameless man.

"Are you pressuring me like this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just to make me break Thirteen's legs?"

"I suppose you could put it that way."

"You want me to cut off my own arm over nineteen thousand gold coins? How ridiculous. Do I, Tian Heng, look like a fool to you? If I were to break Thirteen's legs, it wouldn't just be his legs I'd be losing; my own prestige would suffer."

Tian Heng was no fool; he had navigated the world of Xuanwu City for years. He knew Shen Lang's intentions in demanding he break Thirteen's legs.

"If I break Thirteen's legs, everyone will know that I, Tian Heng, lost to the live-in son-in-law of the Count of Xuanwu. My reputation would be in tatters. If a man like me loses his fearsome reputation, who will fear me in the future? Money can be earned again, but a ruined reputation is the end."

Tian Heng calmly took a few sips of tea.

"So, Shen Lang, you think I'll break Thirteen's legs for nineteen thousand gold coins? You're mistaken. I'm not that stupid, so you can stop dreaming."

Seeing that Tian Heng had finished his tea, Shen Lang poured him another cup, his expression sincere and his voice kind.

"Gang Leader Tian, you still misunderstand me. My plan was never just about what you've described."

Tian Heng sneered, crossing his arms and fixing Shen Lang with a fierce glare. Let's see what other tricks you have up your sleeve. He stared as if trying to see right through Shen Lang's thoughts.

Tian Heng had made up his mind. He would never give Shen Lang nineteen thousand gold coins, let alone nineteen hundred.

"I never intended to trade nineteen thousand gold coins for Thirteen's legs! My thinking is this: you will give me the nineteen thousand gold coins I won, *and* you will break Thirteen's legs!"

Tian Heng nearly leaped out of his chair. The four guards from the Count's Estate behind Shen Lang pretended not to hear, but they were stunned by his words.

"Shen Lang, have you finally lost your mind? What nonsense are you spouting?"

Not just Tian Heng, but even the four guards thought Shen Lang was talking in his sleep and digging his own grave. Tian Heng clearly had no intention of breaking Thirteen's legs or paying the nineteen thousand gold coins. It would be a miracle if he did even one of those things, yet Shen Lang was demanding both? Was he insane?

Tian Heng was so furious he actually laughed.

"Hahaha. I see now I've been dealing with a madman."

Shen Lang shifted lightly in his seat and crossed his legs. Tian Heng glared at him and said.

"Let me make this perfectly clear to you. Thirteen tried to kill your family, but I was the one who ordered it, and I have no intention of letting a single hair on his head be harmed. And you want me to break his legs and drag my own prestige through the mud? Dream on! As for the nineteen thousand gold coins you won, I won't give you a single cent."

Now that things had come to this, Tian Heng felt he had nothing left to fear.

"If you have the guts, go ask the Count to come and collect it from me. Don't you think he'd break your legs instead?"

You, Shen Lang, might not care about face, but the Count is different. Would he come to collect a gambling debt of nineteen thousand gold coins for Shen Lang? Impossible. He'd be more likely to break ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Shen Lang's legs for gambling in the first place.

The rules of the Count's Estate were strict; in hundreds of years, not a single member of the family had ever set foot in a gambling house. If the Count were to come demanding Shen Lang's winnings, a scandalous rumor would spread that the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was on the verge of bankruptcy and had to send its live-in son-in-law to a gambling house to win money to avert a financial crisis. That was why Tian Heng dared to renege on the debt.

"You think you can get the money by stirring up a commotion with a few hundred gamblers? Dream on. I'll pay them the seven thousand gold coins they won, down to the last cent, but I won't give you a single coin of what you won. What can you do to me?"

After saying this, Tian Heng opened the window and shouted to the hundreds of gamblers below.

"I, Tian Heng, opened this gambling house because I can afford to lose. I will pay out every coin you've won! Men, pay our guests!"

Hearing this, the hundreds of gamblers below erupted in ecstatic cheers. Then, dozens of clerks from inside the gambling house began to pay out the winnings to the several hundred gamblers. In a short time, the seven thousand gold coins won by the gamblers had all been converted to cash.

"Long live Gang Leader Tian!"

"Gang Leader Tian is a man of his word!"

"Gang Leader Tian, you're awesome!"

"Gang Leader Tian, I love you!"

It was that same person again. You truly are a paragon of universal love. Hearing their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cheers, Tian Heng smiled coldly.

"See, Shen Lang? See how these people grovel and cling to power. Now that I've paid them all, do you think they'll still stand with you and cause a scene?"

Of course not. After receiving their gold, the gamblers completely scattered.

"The money in a gambler's hands isn't theirs. They're just holding it for me. Believe me, Shen Lang, before half a month is out, every one of those seven thousand gold coins will be back in my pocket. In fact, I'll have earned even more than seven thousand."

Shen Lang believed him. It wouldn't even take half a month; the money would be back in less than a week. A gambler's money could never be held onto. As long as they couldn't break the habit, bankruptcy was their predetermined fate. Winning was merely a temporary phase; ultimately, a gambler could never truly win against a gambling house. There were only two possible outcomes for them: death or losing all their money.

"They won't make a scene with you, and the Count won't come to me for your money. Shen Lang, the nineteen thousand gold coins you won are worthless. I'm not giving you a single coin, so what are you going to do about it? You want me to break Thirteen's legs? Dream on!"

Shen Lang clapped his hands forcefully. Clap, clap, clap.

"Impressive, Gang Leader Tian. I never knew the great Gang Leader Tian had such a silver tongue. For a moment, I almost felt you were a man after my own heart. However…"

Shen Lang took a sip of tea and said.

"It's no use. Did you really think you could save your reputation by simply refusing to pay?"

"It's useless for you to struggle, Gang Leader Tian. Just as there's a surefire way to win at anything, I have a secret technique for winning at the gambling tables. Did you think this was about nineteen thousand gold coins?"

Shen Lang laughed sharply, like a villain.

"Hahaha. Let me spell it out for you. As long as this gambling house is open, your money is my money. I can win as much as I want. And it won't just be me; I'll bring all the gamblers with me. As long as your gambling house doesn't close, I will win until you are bankrupt. Consider it a good deed; I won't take a single coin for myself, but I'll help the countless gamblers win your entire fortune. Are you thinking of banning me from your establishment? Do you really think you can stop me? Do you dare to even touch a hair on my head?"

After saying this, Shen Lang turned to the numerous gamblers still lingering below the window.

"Everyone, don't leave! If you gamble with me, you can keep winning! Let's win all of Gang Leader Tian's money until he's bankrupt! Gang Leader Tian, our conversation is over."

Shen Lang immediately turned and walked out.