Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo' Chapter 1221 593: All Stars Surrounding the Moon_5

But if he made a move now, he would be walking right into Ding Liusan's trap.

It was obvious Ding Liusan wanted to use Jin Jinliang's case as an excuse to get rid of Dou Jiyan. With so many Gambling Cultivators present, and Jin Jinliang being a constable hired by Dou Jiyan, the Gambling Cultivators normally hated constables to the bone. Li Banfeng was an outsider; the Gambling Cultivators wouldn't feel anything for him.

As for Dou Jiyan herself, the Gambling Cultivators' attitude toward her was already painfully clear.

With All Stars Surrounding the Moon, all the human energy was focused on Ding Liusan. If anyone acted at this moment, it was hard to say what kind of predicament Li Banfeng would fall into; he might not even be able to trigger Short Step.

He had gained a new understanding of this Taoist Sect of Gambling Cultivators: they might not be that formidable one-on-one, but once they moved as a group, no one dared look down on them.

"Mr. Ding, I came precisely to speak a fair word. You've won this contest," Li Banfeng turned back and said to Dou Jiyan, "There's still one day left. Take those who are willing to go with you and leave quickly."

...

Back at the lodging, Dou Jiyan was utterly shattered.

Jin Jinliang brought several constables and helped Dou Jiyan pack her things.

A few other constables were running around the district, informing everyone that if they were willing to leave with Dou Jiyan, they should hurry and get ready to set out.

Jin Jinliang comforted Dou Jiyan: "Miss Dou, as long as the green mountain remains, there'll always be firewood to burn. I figure at least half the people in the House will be willing to follow you. You should first think of a place for them to stay."

Only then did Dou Jiyan snap back to herself: "I still have a piece of New Land. I'll take them there first, let them settle. I've stored quite a lot of grain on the New Land; it should last us for a while. As for later, we'll think of something then."

As for what they could possibly think of later, Dou Jiyan herself felt a bit lost.

Maybe she should learn from Qiu Luoye and turn the New Land into Proper Land.

But to start everything from scratch was really too hard. Dou Jiyan still wanted to seize Thousand Tael House back, only doing so would break the wager.

She struggled with it for a whole day, and by next morning, she realized she had been overthinking it.

In the entire Thousand Tael House, among more than a hundred thousand Gambling Cultivators, fewer than a hundred were willing to leave with her.

Li Banfeng said, "That actually makes things simpler. No need to worry about arranging their next home."

Walking along the slope, Dou Jiyan kept turning to look back at Thousand Tael House.

She still couldn't figure it out: "Brother Seven, did I do something wrong? I just wanted these Gambling Cultivators to live a steadier life."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "If they wanted to live steadily, they never would have become Gambling Cultivators in the first place."

"What should we do from now on?"

"From now on?" Li Banfeng asked Dou Jiyan, "Where is your Contract Book?"

"Still in Thousand Tael House."

"You're not planning to take it with you?"

Dou Jiyan shook her head: "If I don't take it, Ding Liusan won't know where my Contract Book is."

"He'll find it sooner or later."

"Let him look then. When he finds it, let him dig it up. If my position falls, I deserve it. I lost Thousand Tael House."

Li Banfeng kept shaking his head: "Saying this is useless. In a couple of days I'll go to Thousand Tael House and see what the situation is."

Dou Jiyan clenched her teeth and said, "I want to go back right now. I never should have left!"

"Now is not the time. The hearts of the people in Thousand Tael House are in perfect alignment. If you go back now, you're just going to your death.

Hua Fengshi's issuance is a Technique of your Taoist Sect. Even if you lost your head in the loss, you still remember the key points of the Technique, don't you? Wait until their hearts scatter, then go. It won't be too late."

Dou Jiyan's mind was in complete chaos: "I honestly don't know what Ding Liusan plans to do with them."

"I don't know either," Li Banfeng looked down over the full view of Thousand Tael House, a trace of unease in his heart as well.

This crowd of Gambling Cultivators was too dangerous. If they really ended up with no restraints in the future, they would become a threat to the whole of Puluo State.

Their living was a threat, their dying was also a threat. This kind of thorny situation was truly hard to handle.

...

Late at night, there was a roar of noise all over Thousand Tael House.

Everyone was gambling. Some went to the gambling houses, some gambled at home.

Ding Liusan had established new rules. From now on, within Thousand Tael House, private gambling tables were not restricted, nor were stakes. Winning or losing depended entirely on one's methods and luck.

In less than two days, more than ten thousand people had already lost everything. These people did hard labor in Thousand Tael House, barely scraping by.

Ding Liusan issued another new decree: Thousand Tael House would no longer restrict outsiders from entering. Whether you sold rice, vegetables, songs, your body, or even ran pawnshops, as long as you handed over half your income to Ding Liusan, you could come into Thousand Tael House and do business.

As for those who wanted to come and gamble, Ding Liusan restricted them even less. Every gambling house took a cut. The more people came, the better.

At a Pai Jiu table, He Jiaqing had just drawn a pair of human cards and was about to raise his bet when he suddenly turned his head and saw a blond, blue-eyed man standing at the door of the gambling house, smiling at him.

He Jiaqing threw his cards away, lit a cigarette, walked over to Cui Tiq, and asked in a low voice, "How do you have the mood to come here and gamble?"

Cui Tiq smiled and said, "This is the biggest casino in Puluo State. It'd be a pity not to come and see it for myself."

He Jiaqing looked to both sides, making sure no one was paying attention to them, then lowered his voice: "You should go. Just seeing it counts as profit."

Cui Tiq shook his head and said, "I think the one who should go is you. You've already made plenty. In a bit that croupier is going to tally the Pai Jiu deck. You swapped so many tiles—you're bound to get found out."

He Jiaqing lowered his voice even more: "I'm here helping a senior with something. That senior has a very big background."

"What a coincidence?" Cui Tiq raised his brows. "I'm also here helping a senior with something. My senior's background isn't small either."

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