This casino hotel was called "Tiger's Den". It was the main tourist attraction and the core of Jianye City's economy. This place hid the Sun Clan's merchant guild, which was responsible for distributing their local products to retail merchants and lesser noble clans.
The first floor was for the reception and the lounge, while the second floor was reserved for restaurants. A mini-shopping mall was on the third floor. The fourth to the tenth floor were offices of various associations and subordinate clans under the Jiangdong White Tiger Sect. As for the eleventh floor to the hundredth floor, they were all residential zones.
The underground floor, aka casino zones, could only be accessed through customer elevators. They categorized their customers into five levels – Shrimp, Salmon, Dolphin, Whale, and Megalodon.
After Miaomiao had exchanged two essence cores into gambling chips and paid for the room fees in advance, he got a shrimp emblem, which could activate one of the casino elevators. His rank was still [Shrimp] as he was still new to this place.
To get the Salmon Rank, Miaomiao needed to exchange at least 10 essence cores or 10 million refined stones into the non-refundable casino chips. Dolphin required 100 essence cores, Whale Rank needed 1,000, and the last rank added another zero to the number.
Since Miaomiao didn't care about gambling or his status, he didn't mind having the ordinary status among the customers here.
After Miaomiao had finished the check-in procedure for a two-bed room in front of the reception counter at the first floor lounge area, the clerk told him that they would register him and Gan Ning for the exam, and they would give them the exam ID cards tomorrow morning.
"Would you like to see your room first? Or would you like to play in our casino first?"
Gan Ning jumped in joy, being excited to see the famous casino, "Father, let's go! Let's go see the casino, woof!"
"Stop calling me FATHER already. That was a joke."
"Okay, woof!"
"Also, stop barking."
"… Say, do you want me to be your kid, or do you want me to be a good dog, make up your mind!"
"Just shut up for a moment."
"Aye!"
Miaomiao turned back to the clerk, "Our room first, please."
A bellman in a red robe with a squire headwear walked toward them. He pushed a tray cart, carrying 2,000 green chips, and greeted the customers.
"Here are your chips, sir. Please follow me. I'll guide you to the room."
Miaomiao nodded as he gave a tray of 1,000 green chips to Gan Ning, "We'll check our room first, and you can go play. If you cause trouble, I'll disown you."
"Yes, boss!" Gan Ning took the chips in glee.
Each chip was worth a thousand refined stones. However, as they were non-refundable chips, the casino forced their customers to play and win the house's exchangeable chips.
This trick was common even in modern casinos. Miaomiao was aware of the ploy, but he didn't care. After all, this was how casinos made money from whales.
…
30 minutes later, both Miaomiao got to their room. They got the room FSDSS-206, which was odd for a hotel room number.
Gan Ning immediately excused himself and asked the bellman to lead him to the underground casino. As for Miaomiao, he entered the bathroom and took a hot shower after he hadn't taken a bath for a couple days, after which he put on a wool bathrobe and fell on the spring bed.
It had been a while since Miaomiao had last slept on a modern hotel bed with clean sheets. He missed the Poseidon Spa House lifestyle that he could coop in a modern room all day without worrying about the world.
"Hah… This is heaven."
He buried his face in a white pillow and enjoyed his nap. Nothing was better than a good nap in a hotel room after a good bath.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt…
While Miaomiao had been sleeping, Gan Ning visited the B1 level, which was the playground for Shrimp Rank customers. Many noble clansmen and young masters from semi-wealthy families gathered here to have fun.
The casino offered several kinds of games. Each game was protected by a Qi-sealing array, which prevented every cultivator, including the dealers, from using their techniques or Qi to cheat the games.
One of the games that Gan Ning was interested in was Hi-Low Dice, which was similar to modern roulette. The dealer would toss three dices in a sealed bowl. Then, players could make a bet if the total score was low (3 to 10) or high (11 to 18). Other special bets, such as triplet, double, or specific points could also be bet for high pay.
However, Gan Ning was a simpleton. He was only interested in either High Bet or Low Bet.
Currently, the dice table was crowded with many players. Fortunately, one of the players decided to quit and left his seat.
Gan Ning immediately sat down on the empty seat and put his chips on the table. He began betting after he had read the rules on the signboard behind the dealer.
"1,000, HIGH!"
…
An hour later, Gan Ning stared at the table with bloodshot eyes. He yelled, "Come on, HIGH!!"
The expressionless dealer opened his bowl and revealed the result.
"One, Two, Four… Seven Low!"
"FUUUUUUUUCCCCKKKKKK!!"
Gan Ning kept on betting high every game. He won some and lost some. Also, he used a newbie strategy by doubling his bet every time he lost.
Unfortunately, the house had a countermeasure to prevent that. There was a maximum bet ceiling of 10,000 chips on this table, and Gan Ning couldn't increase his stake.
In the end, he kept on losing his money after he started betting 10,000 every game. The losses piled up, and Gan Ning was frustrated.
He had already lost 70% of the non-refundable chips, but he gained 300,000 exchangeable chips. In short, he had 600,000 refined stones remaining.
Seeing how Gan Ning was on a losing streak, the table dealer offered him a piece of advice before the youngster could cause trouble, "Sir, would you like to rest a little? We have a bar over there. All food and wine are on the house, sir."
This was a common psychology strategy that casinos dealt with angry customers, offering them free stuff to calm them down and keep them satisfied with their professional services.
Gan Ning glared at the dealer as he downed a shot of pure brandy. He collected his remaining chips stomped toward the free bar.
The bare-chest teenager sat at the counter and ordered several bottles of Black Sheep Vodka at once. He kept on drinking and eating whatever the bartender had served him.
As Gan Ning was still overwhelmed with various emotions, a young man in crimson robes with a white tiger embroidery emblem behind his back sat on the counter chair next to him. He ordered a glass of beer and snickered, "Having a bad day, Gan Xingba?"
Although Gan Ning was drunk, he was still sober enough to maintain his rational thinking. He inspected the young man next to him with the corner of his eyes.
As soon as Gan Ning saw the guy's face, he widened his eyes and turned toward the man.
"L-L-Lord Sun Bofu!?"
Sun Bofu, aka Sun Ce, was the eldest son of Sun Wentai. As a famous young master of the sect master and the city lord, nobody wouldn't recognize the young man.
However, Gan Ning had never talked with Sun Bofu before. It was odd for the son of the city lord to know his name.
"Y-You know me, sir?"
"To be honest, I don't know you, but my sworn brother told me to come and find you. I wonder why as well."
"Huh?"
Gan Ning didn't know what Sun Bofu was talking about. Aside from Miaomiao and the taverns that he always visited, he didn't know anyone else in the city.
Sun Bofu turned toward Gan Ning, showing his mature face. He looked to be in his late 20 with his muscular built and 180cm in height. In reality, he was only 11 this year!
This prominent young master also had the same cultivation base as Gan Ning, the essence gathering realm. Still, his essence density and pureness were inferior to Miaomiao.
Although Gan Ning judged that his current boss might be a bit stronger than Sun Bofu, the fierce aura that had leaked from Sun Bofu's body felt like a divine creature had been staring at its prey.
It terrified Gan Ning.
Intimidated, Gan Ning didn't dare to question Sun Bofu how the latter knew about him.
"Anyway, Gongjin told me to ask you a few questions. I'll give you this chip if you answer me everything. Are you in?"
Sun Bofu placed a yellow chip on the counter bar. Unlike the green chips, which were worth 1,000 refined stones. The yellow chip was worth an essence core, and it could be exchanged for cash!
As someone who had never touched an essence core before, Gan Ning nodded repeatedly.
"W-Will you give this to me if I answer your questions?"
"Yep!"
"Okay! I'll answer every question! Ask away!"
Sun Bofu laughed and handed Gan Ning the chip. Then, he clapped his hand, "Before that, let's change the location. Follow me."
"Sure, sure!"
Like a naïve youth, Gan Ning followed this overgrown 11-year-old boy toward an elevator, which could lead to the lowest level of the casino, where only Megalodon Rank customers could enter.
…
Several hours later, Miaomiao woke up from his long nap. He had his fill sleeping and having wild sex sessions with Xu Chu in ITS to the point that his balls felt empty.
Xu Chu's dual-cultivation technique, her sexy moan, her natural aphrodisiac-like sweet scent, and her soft body was so addictive that he couldn't stop pumping his semen into her womb. Staying in Isolation Training Space for a long period of sex made him lose his sense of time.
Miaomiao looked at the clock on his system screen. It was already 6 PM.
He had slept the whole day!
"Aw, shit. I didn't manage my time."
Miaomiao patted his butt cheeks several times to hype himself. He put on his clothes and walked toward the door, planning to leave the room and get something to eat from the restaurant or the casino.
As he was about to leave the room, Gan Ning opened the door. He strolled into the room along with three sexy young ladies in bunny suits.
"Erm, boss. Do you mind?"
Gan Ning boldly waved his hand, asking Miaomiao to leave the room.
The corner of Miaomiao's mouth twitched as he knew what Gan Ning wanted to do, "Make sure not to mess my bed. If I find any stain on my bed sheet, I'll kick you out of here."
"Understood, boss! Thanks!"
Miaomiao left the room and walked toward the nearest elevator, which could lead him to the Shrimp Rank Casino Level.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAs soon as the elevator door opened, Miaomiao found a tall youth in there.
"Excuse me," Miaomiao politely entered the elevator and pressed the B1 button without paying attention to the 4th-stage youth.
The elevator door closed, and the lift slowly descended.
Suddenly, the youth behind Miaomiao muttered in a clear voice, "You must be Cao Mao. I've heard a lot about you."
Without looking back, Miaomiao took a deep breath and circulated his Qi, preparing to transform into a dragonewt at any moment.
"Do I know you?"
"Actually, we met at the Xuan City's auction event, but we haven't talked."
"I see. Mind if I know who I'm talking to? I'm kinda forgetful since I met so many people there."
"Sun Bofu, the son of Sun Wentai."
"Ah…"
Miaomiao raised his eyebrows, wondering what Sun Ce was trying to do by approaching him.
Still facing toward the elevator door, Miaomiao clasped his hands above his belt, touching his master ring and preparing to summon Killer Queen in case if he had to fight.
"What can I do for you since you seem to be looking for me?"
"I'm just curious why someone from Siren City is doing here when we've just declared war against you."
As soon as Sun Ce finished his sentence, the killing intent of Sun Bofu and Miaomiao collided. The elevator's glass cracked as it couldn't bear the pressure.
Despite the intense pressure in the enclosed space, the cracked glass self-repaired. Strange symbols in the lift flashed, displaying the maintenance array within this hotel.
Both men ignored the phenomenon and continued standing still.
Miaomiao was unperturbed even though his identity had been exposed. He maintained his pokerface and negotiated under the stressful environment, "If I say that Sun Yun sent me here, will you believe me?"
After Miaomiao had mentioned Sun Yun, Sun Ce's killing intent fluctuated, hesitated if he should take an aggressive stance, a friendly stance, or a neutral approach.
"Tell me, how is my cousin?"
"She's alive and kicking. Say, didn't she call her parents on the phone? Haven't they told your father?"
"Oh. She did?"
DING
As they talked, the elevator door opened as they had reached the destination.
Miaomiao calmly walked out of the elevator and entered the public area, where Sun Bofu couldn't afford to cause a scene.
"I suggest you show me some respect as an emissary of Siren City. Go back and tell your father that I've come for a peace talk. It's also for the sake of Sun Yun's safety."
Sun Ce didn't follow Miaomiao out of the elevator. He gazed at the man as the door closed.
He couldn't make the call since Miaomiao half-told him that Sun Yun was Siren City's hostage. At the same time, his words could be interpreted as that he had come to negotiate for a truce.
As such, Sun Bofu decided to leave Miaomiao alone. For now, he would consult with his father and his sworn brother, Zhou Gongjin.
Seeing that Sun Ce didn't follow after him, Miaomiao heaved a sigh of relief.
Fighting Sun Jian's son in their territory was akin to committing suicide as Miaomiao might not be able to escape from this place in one piece. They had battleships, flying beasts, and tools that could chase after him 24/7, so provoking this hornet's nest was a stupid thing to do.
Having a headache, Miaomiao walked toward the resting lounge and sat on a couch. He leaned back and massage his temples. Then, he took out his phone and called Sun Yun.