Chapter 66: The Talented Gambler Wang Youtai
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation.
At six years old, Yu Zhao was discovered by Master Qing Yan and taken to the Five Elements Sect, severing ties with her past life. Before this, she was an anonymous beggar in a remote border town, scraping by with other beggars. She begged daily, sometimes lucky enough to get a full meal, and sometimes starving for days.
One vivid memory stood out to her: a little girl around her age, dressed in fine silk, surrounded by servants, with pearls glimmering on her shoes. The girl discarded a piece of dessert, and the young Yu Zhao, who had never tasted such a treat, saw it as a rare bright spot in her bleak existence. Though she no longer remembered the dessert’s taste, the memory lingered as a symbol of a life she could never have.
“Freshly baked pastries! Sweet and delicious pastries!” The melodic cries of a street vendor pulled Yu Zhao from her reverie. She found herself at the entrance of a bustling pastry shop. The shop’s assistant, a sharp-eyed young man, noticed her hesitation at the door and beckoned her in.
“Miss, would you like to try some freshly baked pastries? They’re sweet and delicious, straight from the oven,” he offered with a warm smile.
Yu Zhao, drawn in by the tempting aroma, nodded. “I’ll take one of each,” she said, feeling a sudden urge to indulge.
“Right away!”
The assistant quickly packed a sample of each pastry and handed the box to Yu Zhao. “That’ll be seventy-two spirit pearls.”
Spirit pearls, small beads made from spirit stones, were the currency of the cultivators’ world. Even a low-grade spirit stone could produce nearly ten thousand pearls, and the process was simple for even a novice cultivator.
Yu Zhao swiftly converted a spirit stone into pearls using her storage bracelet and handed over seventy-two of them. The assistant, impressed by the high quality of the pearls, thanked her profusely.
With her box of pastries, Yu Zhao decided to visit a nearby restaurant. Though it wasn’t a typical mealtime, the place was lively with patrons chatting and enjoying tea and snacks. As she entered, all eyes turned toward her. In this small town, everyone knew each other, so her unfamiliar face stood out.
A waiter, alerted by the sudden hush, hurried over from the backyard where he was boiling water. He greeted Yu Zhao warmly and guided her to an empty table.
After a quick glance at the menu, Yu Zhao ordered two of the restaurant’s signature dishes and a pot of their house-made rice wine. While waiting, she unwrapped the pastries, releasing a fragrant aroma into the air. She picked up a flower-shaped pastry with her chopsticks, took a delicate bite, and savored the rich floral taste that spread across her palate.
The waiter returned with her order and noticed the pastries. “The shop next door has been around for decades. Their pastries are famous, and we often serve them to our guests,” he commented, placing the dishes on the table along with a pot of rice wine.
Yu Zhao tried the dishes, finding them average compared to the exquisite pastries. The rice wine, however, was rich and mellow, complementing the pastries perfectly. As she enjoyed her meal, she blended in with the other diners, who soon resumed their gossip.
“Stop! Don’t run!”
“Gambler Wang, if you run again, I’ll break your legs!”
“Chase him! Quick!”
A sudden commotion outside caught everyone’s attention. Yu Zhao looked out the window and saw a frantic man sprinting down the street, pursued by a dozen burly men wielding wooden clubs and makeshift weapons.
“Isn’t that Wang Youtai? Did he gamble again?” one diner whispered.
“The Wang family’s doomed,” another muttered.
“If Old Man Wang knew his son squandered the family fortune, he’d be rolling in his grave,” someone added.
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation.
The chatter revealed Wang Youtai’s dire situation. Amid the chaos, he stumbled and fell, allowing his pursuers to catch up. The leader, a muscular man, pinned Wang Youtai to the ground with a heavy foot on his back and causing the latter to cry in pain.
“Thought you could escape, huh? You owe the gambling house a fortune in spirit pearls. Pay up!” the man sneered.
Tears streamed down Wang Youtai’s face as he pleaded, “Third Master, please give me more time! I promise I’ll pay as soon as I can… Just, please, stop!”
The Third Master leaned closer, his voice cold. “Wang Youtai, I have a way for you to clear your debt. Interested?”
Wang Youtai nodded desperately.
“It’s simple. You owe the gambling house a lot of money, which is my and my brothers’ hard-earned cash. Here’s the deal: let each of us stomp on you until we’re satisfied, and we’ll consider your debt paid. Sound fair?”