Chapter 151: Gambling Rules

“So, miss, are you selling medicine?” No, that couldn’t be it—what she described was definitely not a legitimate business.

The concept of the flower queen was easy enough to grasp; it was clearly about running a brothel. As for the “lone dragon”… that probably had to be spelled with a different “d”—“drug.”

You might be puzzled why such shadowy trades were conducted so openly. The answer was simple: everyone tacitly accepted it.

Yuque laughed teasingly, then continued:

“We never even bothered to hide it. The secret here has long been an open secret. But so what? Apart from the envoys, no one gets indignant about it.

On the contrary, they take it for granted, even envy it—they envy the decadence and debauchery of this place.”

Looking down from the thirty-second floor, one could clearly see the pedestrians on the ground. Occasionally, their gazes met fleetingly, and you could feel their envy and longing.

“Demand begets supply. After all, it’s a matter of mutual consent. We haven’t needed to resort to coercion for ages now. People come flocking to hand over their money…

Don’t think we’re cheating. We don’t stop you from cheating either. If your skills are high enough to win the money, we’ll accept the loss and pay up.”

Yuque spoke calmly, as if discussing the most normal thing in the world.

“Likewise, at the flower queen’s place, besides hypnosis services, they also deal in flesh trade. But guess what? No need to seek them out specially.

There are plenty of young, beautiful women lining up to join the tower. The selection criteria are no less strict than a beauty pageant. And it’s not just about a pretty face anymore—they’ve started competing on inner qualities too.

I hear they even require certain academic credentials now.

I stopped by recently, and the girls there were reciting poetry to each other. In the afterglow, they’d even discuss technical issues with clients. It was a mess—I couldn’t understand a thing.”

Liu Qingruo was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure how to react.

“Finally, the lone dragon. She’s turned her pharmacy into Laozi’s pill furnace. She can refine any miraculous elixir—but the prices are celestial too. Word has it that once you try it, you can never quit, and you’ll willingly become her s*ave.”

Yuque spoke in a jesting tone, as if she were either amusing herself at Liu Qingruo’s reaction or genuinely finding the whole thing absurd.

The red-haired girl was silent for a moment, then muttered sullenly:

“Can I call the police?”

Yuque chuckled, waving her fair fingers.

“Of course not. The police can’t handle any of this. And by the way, you can’t make any calls right now.”

It was only then that Liu Qingruo belatedly realized the signal was jammed. She was shocked.

“So, after all that talk, shouldn’t you share some information about yourselves, Miss Liu? It’s hardly fair for me to be the only one talking.”

A casino owner demanding fairness? Ye Qing shook her head. How ironic.

“If you were on our side, you’d have been arrested long ago!”

Liu Qingruo clenched her fists as she spoke. Yuque smiled again.

“Tell me something I don’t know. Naturally, I’m aware of that. By the way, in Mozhou, we do the same when we encounter envoys—you have the Banned Manga Prison; we have Bika Paradise, a true paradise, you know~”

Listening to Yuque’s account, Liu Qingruo’s crimson eyes widened.

“What did you do to them?!”

Yuque had intended to enjoy Liu Qingruo’s expression, but after a moment, she narrowed her eyes.

Why did she feel that the red-haired girl’s tone was off? Shouldn’t she be outraged? Instead, Yuque detected a hint of excitement.

Puzzled, Yuque shook her head and decided not to dwell on it.

“Ah, whatever. I feel you really need a proper envoy… But I won’t expect to get anything useful out of you. So let’s cut to the chase—if you want to leave, and even get a generous reward, there’s only one way: play by our rules.”

As she spoke, Yuque clapped her hands, and a serving maid brought over a chessboard.

“But a witch has her own way of gambling. Relying on skill, luck, whatever—that’s merely low-class.”

Yuque smiled, her slender fingers gliding over the board. One might have thought she was savoring the jade’s smooth touch, but the next moment, with a flip of her delicate hand, a delicate and fragile “empress” piece appeared between her fingers.

On closer inspection, it was ethereal, translucent and jade-white, exuding a faint yet tangible majesty. Its face was so lifelike—clearly a creation of magic.

Liu Qingruo, however, didn’t care about that. Just looking at the chessboard gave her a headache.

“But I don’t know how to play chess…”

“No need to know, Miss Liu. It’s not that complicated. Let me explain the rules of this gamble—since it’s a gamble, it can’t be a pure intellectual game. Otherwise, I could just bring a computer and win easily.”

Liu Qingruo scratched her head in confusion, wondering what Yuque was up to.

“Oh, and don’t try to sneak away, Miss Mo Yinling. This concerns you too.”

Mo Yinling, who had been about to slip away unnoticed, froze. Then, with an embarrassed scratch of her head, she came to stand behind Liu Qingruo, next to Ye Qing.

“Lady Yuque, I don’t need to gamble, do I? I don’t have anything you want…”

“What if I want you?”

Mo Yinling was speechless for a moment, then warily crossed her arms over her chest, which was still rather flat.

“What do you intend?”

Yuque smiled serenely, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly.

“Just to invite you to join us. Miss Mo is still a freelance witch, isn’t she? Make this place your home.”

“Forget it. So I’m gambling against the two of you?”

At that, Yuque laughed.

“I wouldn’t set up anything that disadvantages me. So you’ll face someone else.”

With that, the maids placed two more soft stools—one under Mo Yinling, the other across from her, empty, awaiting its occupant.

Just as Mo Yinling wondered who it was meant for, a refreshing floral fragrance wafted through the air. It was more captivating than any expensive perfume, as natural as wildflowers, and made everyone curious about its source.

Then, a voice so enchanting it could melt bones reached their ears, even making Ye Qing’s legs go weak.

“Thank you, Sister Yuque, for giving me this chance to devour little Silver Bell. I’ve been dreaming of her for so long~”

The moment she heard that familiar voice, Mo Yinling’s pretty face turned pale. She desperately wanted to leave her seat, but a pair of flawless, jade-white hands gently but irresistibly pressed her down.

“Long time no see, little Silver Bell. You tricked me so cruelly last time. This time, it’s my turn to throw a tantrum, isn’t it?”

Silky, cherry-white hair fell before her eyes. Mo Yinling’s pupils trembled as she struggled to look up.

She didn’t need to see to know it would be a breathtakingly beautiful face she didn’t want to face.

Sure enough, the moment she met those cherry-blossom eyes, Mo Yinling felt her strength drain, her heart consumed by dread.

“Uh… I didn’t know you were the flower queen here, hehe…”

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