Seeing this scene, Zhu Yan’s group immediately thought of the Half-Face Ghost rumors. This time it was an arm – what would await them next?
Without dwelling on it, Zhu Yan swallowed hard. She seemed to already smell death in the air.
Seeing the three stunned, Ji Dafu’s expression immediately softened. With a face full of smiles, he said, “Pardon the unpleasantness, sirs. Just some fools lacking judgment. Please, come inside.”
Zhu Yan’s lips twitched, while Shen Du and Pan Chi remained remarkably calm.
Zhu Yan deliberately acted flustered. Her role in the gambling den was that of a rich family’s foolish young master. She committed fully to the act, responding to the sudden situation with an extremely idiotic and terrified expression.
“You scared me just now,” Zhu Yan said stupidly. “What happened to that man? His arm fell off.”
Ji Dafu casually reassured her, “It’s nothing, nothing. His arm was just too fragile, couldn’t take a hit. Let’s go inside and talk.”
“Oh…” Zhu Yan nodded foolishly as if completely trusting Ji Dafu’s words.
Seeing this, even Shen Du had to admire Zhu Yan’s acting. She’d seen it all, yet still believed such an excuse. It was truly difficult for her.
They entered the back hall. Servants brought tea, and after some pleasantries, Ji Dafu began hinting, “You gentlemen must be from out of town. Winning so much and wanting to leave – that’s rather against the rules, isn’t it?”
“We won it fair and square, didn’t steal it. How is that against the rules?” Zhu Yan said foolishly, while Pan Chi beside her could barely hold back his laughter.
Shen Du remained silent, also forcibly suppressing his amusement as he observed the situation.
This woman truly had a knack for playing dumb.
“You must be Master Wan Er?” Ji Dafu stood up, looking at Zhu Yan very politely. “You’ve been the most outspoken since entering the gambling den. I assume these two are just your servants?”
“No, they’re my brothers,” Zhu Yan said foolishly. “My father said to treat servants like brothers. Only then will they truly work for me.”
Hearing this, Ji Dafu almost laughed in exasperation. Truly a rich idiot lacking brains.
“In that case, I won’t waste words with you. You won so much money at my tables. Now I’ll give you two choices: either gamble with me and lose it all back nicely, or leave the money and a part of your body. It’s up to you.”
The two men said nothing, but Zhu Yan blinked foolishly.
“That’s 200,000 taels of silver. I don’t want to bet big now. If we bet small, how long would it take to lose it all?”
“What do you mean?” Ji Dafu’s expression turned displeased. He glared at Zhu Yan. How could a fool suddenly turn clever?
“It’s simple. The money I won is mine. You want me to lose 200,000 or leave part of my body behind. That’s quite a difficult choice. How can I choose?”
“If you can’t choose, I’ll choose for you.”
Ji Dafu’s face darkened as he glared fiercely at the three.
“Since you won’t gamble, we’ll use the second method. Leave the money and part of your body. Men take their eyes. Let them never find their way to revenge.”
The thugs nearby moved to grab Zhu Yan on command, but Shen Du stepped forward to block her.
The aura he exuded was more terrifying than the arrival of the King of Hell himself, stopping the thug in his tracks.
Seeing this, Zhu Yan’s heart sank. If this continued, wouldn’t they be exposed?
Quickly devising a strategy, Zhu Yan hurriedly pulled Shen Du aside and stepped forward, saying, “Alright, alright, it’s just choosing one option. Why ruin the mood?”
“Father always said, ‘Make friends far and wide, value harmony above all.'” Zhu Yan approached Ji Dafu as she spoke. “Let’s coexist peacefully. You take a step back, I’ll take a step back.”
“Oh?” Ji Dafu frowned curiously. “What path has Master Wan Er chosen?”
“I reject both your options. I want the money and my body.”
“Pfft…” Pan Chi nearly spat blood. Zhu Yan’s words were even more audacious than Shen Du’s. He couldn’t help but admire her.
Ji Dafu’s face instantly turned ashen. This fool dared to trick him? She must be tired of living.
Just as he was about to explode, Pan Chi quickly stood up, feigning surprise as he pulled Zhu Yan behind him. “You… you’re Brother Ji?”
Ji Dafu, ready to kill, paused at these words. “Who are you? Don’t claim false relations.”
“Oh my, it is Brother Ji! I hardly dared believe it earlier.” Pan Chi switched to a fluent northeastern accent. “It’s me! Don’t you remember? Years ago, we were on a boat in Jiangnan when a storm hit. I saved your life!”
Zhu Yan and Shen Du were petrified. What was Pan Chi doing, suddenly recognizing an old acquaintance?
Pan Chi’s heart was racing. This wasn’t a true story, but something he’d uncovered while investigating. He’d learned the man was from the Northeast and had deliberately dressed in a northeastern style today to handle unexpected situations.
Hearing Pan Chi’s words, Ji Dafu froze. The shipwreck in the storm had indeed happened, but was this man truly his savior?
He stared intently at Pan Chi’s face, struggling to recall that incident. It had been too dark then, and everything happened so suddenly that he couldn’t clearly remember the man’s appearance. But the build seemed similar, and the accent matched.
“What’s your name?” Ji Dafu was starting to believe.
“Liu Qingming,” Pan Chi quickly replied, gesturing as he spoke. “Don’t you remember? The situation was so perilous. If I hadn’t grabbed you, you’d have been swept away by the waves.”
Ji Dafu was speechless. Though not entirely certain this man was his savior, the details he mentioned didn’t differ much from what had happened. Moreover, his build and accent were identical. Could such a coincidence truly exist?
Seeing Ji Dafu still doubtful, Pan Chi continued, “Oh my, Brother Ji, you haven’t forgotten me, have you? I saved your life, after all.”
“No, no, how could I forget a life-saving debt?” Ji Dafu was bewildered. He didn’t know how to refute Pan Chi’s words and could only go along. “Since we’re all family here, it was just a misunderstanding. No harm done now that it’s cleared up.”
Seeing Ji Dafu accept Pan Chi’s identity, Zhu Yan quickly chimed in, “So we’re all brothers! Goodness, look how tense we made things. We almost came to blows!”
“All a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding,” Ji Dafu said, full of remorse. Then he turned to Pan Chi, “Say, I remember you were a jinshi scholar back then, doing quite well. How did you end up gambling here?”