Serpent Ancestor

Xu Hei was new to the area and didn't want to attract too much attention. He planned to settle things quietly and return the thousand spirit stones.

But on second thought, if he easily took out a thousand spirit stones, it might backfire and draw unwanted attention.

After weighing the pros and cons, Xu Hei released a hint of Foundation Establishment Stage pressure.

The black-clad cultivator was about to make a move when his body suddenly trembled, his face turned pale, and he stared with wide eyes, "F-Foundation Establishment?"

This kind of aura made his True Qi stagnate, and his whole body felt numb. It was definitely not a bluff.

Xu Hei took out a storage bag, filled it with a hundred spirit stones, and tossed it over.

"This is all I have. Follow me again, and don't blame me for turning hostile."

After saying this, Xu Hei turned and left.

He estimated that the man originally owed just a small amount, but it had snowballed due to high-interest loans.

The black-clad cultivator caught the storage bag, still shocked. He couldn't believe that this wretched gambler, who had disappeared for years, had actually broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage!

The other thugs were also stunned. Was there any justice in this world?

"Master... Master Ma!"

In an instant, the black-clad cultivator's attitude changed. He followed Xu Hei, his tone now ingratiating, with a flattering smile.

The speed of his change in demeanor made Xu Hei frown, "Do you still have something to say?"

"Master, it's like this..." The black-clad cultivator paused, his tone respectful, "Our Heavenly Dragon Casino is under the Myriad Treasure Pavilion. If your debt isn't cleared, you'll remain on the blacklist and won't be able to make purchases or trades at any Myriad Treasure Pavilion location. You would only..."

The black-clad cultivator laughed awkwardly.

According to the casino's rules, if a Qi Refining Stage cultivator owed over a thousand spirit stones, they would be a wanted criminal. But for a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, it would only be a bad credit record, not enough to warrant capture.

Different cultivation levels had different credit limits.

"How did I end up owing so much?" Xu Hei asked.

"It's like this, you borrowed a hundred and twenty spirit stones from the casino years ago and didn't repay them on time. According to our interest rates, the debt doubles every year, but there's a cap where the interest can't exceed ten times the principal."

The black-clad cultivator patiently explained, "It's been five years now, so the debt has capped at one thousand three hundred and twenty spirit stones."

The tenfold cap was to prevent some debtors from disappearing for decades and returning to find their debt had multiplied to an unpayable amount.

Seeing Xu Hei's troubled expression, the black-clad cultivator added, "If you're short on spirit stones, you can sign this installment agreement, and the Myriad Treasure Pavilion will immediately remove you from the blacklist."

The black-clad cultivator took out a jade slip and handed it over.

Xu Hei looked at the jade slip and couldn't help but feel a bit strange.

The agreement divided his debt into three years of repayments, with a hundred spirit stones due each month, plus an additional double repayment.

Xu Hei was disgusted by this swindler. He lost his patience and coldly said, "I can pay it off, but are you sure you want to take it?"

"Casino rules, I have no choice." The black-clad cultivator laughed awkwardly.

Xu Hei said no more and threw over twelve hundred spirit stones.

"Thank you, Master. Take care, Master."

The black-clad cultivator collected the spirit stones with a smile.

Xu Hei left expressionlessly. Although the spirit stones were not much, just a fraction of his wealth, it still put him in a foul mood, lowering his opinion of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion to the minimum. řΆ𐌽ȪᛒÈ𝙎

At this moment, a young woman in black approached. She was young, stunningly beautiful, and dressed similarly to the previous cultivator, indicating she was also from the casino.

"Master Ma, now that you're a valued guest of our Heavenly Dragon Casino, is there anything you need to take care of in Chuyang City? I can arrange it for you!"

"A top-notch cave dwelling, a fine restaurant, a trade fair, an auction, or even a few young ladies, I can arrange it all. Or if you want to place another bet, we can raise your limit to five thousand..."

"Get lost!"

Xu Hei shouted, sending the woman flying.

The young woman was terrified but didn't dare to react. She bowed respectfully, "If Master Ma needs anything, feel free to send me a message."

Xu Hei ignored her and walked away.

Damn, they're too damn greedy!

Even after he paid off his debt, they still wanted to raise his limit and trick him into gambling more.

They'd squeeze the rich dry and leave the poor in debt.

"When I leave the city, I'll visit the casino personally and place a big bet!"

Xu Hei didn't care about the money, but he didn't want to suffer a loss. Once he finished his business, he would make the casino understand that sometimes, it's not spirit stones you lose, but your life.

...

Inner City, Jiaofang Division.

In Chuyang City, brothels were divided into several levels, with the Jiaofang Division being the highest. The women there were all stunningly beautiful and had notable backgrounds.

They included family members of high officials, fallen nobles, daughters of cultivators, and even female cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage. As long as you had enough spirit stones, you could find any kind of woman.

At this moment, in a courtyard, a young girl was cleaning.

The door opened, and a black-clad cultivator entered. It was the same person from the Heavenly Dragon Casino.

"Ma Yuanyuan, you can leave now," the black-clad cultivator said indifferently.

"What did you say?"

Seeing the person who had sold her here years ago, Ma Yuanyuan thought she had misheard.

"You're lucky. Your father, Ma Teng, has repaid the debt and even reached the Foundation Establishment Stage. The Jiaofang Division naturally won't hold you anymore. You can leave."

The black-clad cultivator's gaze was indifferent. He raised his hand and lifted the seal within Ma Yuanyuan, restoring her cultivation.

"Master Ma is now a valued guest of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion. You can find him there."

After saying this, he ignored the stunned young girl and turned to leave.

Ma Yuanyuan sat on the ground in a daze, tears streaming down her face.

"Mother!"

...

Myriad Treasure Pavilion, marketplace.

Many cultivators set up stalls here, either selling or buying. The outer area was filled with Qi Refining Stage cultivators, while the inner area had Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Xu Hei casually browsed the stalls but found nothing useful.

"If only Hei Huang were here. With his knowledge, he could probably sniff out some treasures," Xu Hei thought.

Suddenly, Xu Hei's eyes narrowed, and his Divine Sense locked onto a jade detection plate.

There was a large red dot on it, right nearby.

Xu Hei had long known there were Qi Condensation cultivators in Chuyang City, but he hadn't paid much attention. However, this red dot was right in front of him, among the stall owners.

The puppet's face remained calm, and his gaze shifted to a purple-haired man in the corner.

This man looked unfamiliar, but he gave Xu Hei a sense of familiarity, especially with his unique roguish aura. It reminded Xu Hei of someone.

Xuan Yangzi's accomplice, the Qi Condensation cultivator who escaped from Rock Serpent City...

"Han Te?"

Xu Hei discreetly sniffed with his snake tongue. He recognized Han Te's scent. As Xu Hei approached, he sniffed again, confirming that this person was indeed Han Te.

But he was in disguise.

This man's cultivation was also suppressed to the late Foundation Establishment Stage. Who knew what he was planning?

"Hey! Fellow Daoist, interested in any of these treasures? They're all rare finds, reasonably priced, just five thousand spirit stones each."

Han Te noticed Xu Hei's interest and smiled. Anyone who didn't back off at that price was definitely wealthy.

Xu Hei glanced at the three items in front of Han Te.

An ancient map, a mechanical box with a keyhole, and a pitch-black mirror.

The moment he saw the mirror, Xu Hei's pupils contracted.

Damn... that's Hei Huang's mirror.

The real mirror was in his possession.

The one before him was undoubtedly a fake!

Seeing Xu Hei's gaze, Han Te's eyes lit up. He pointed to the mirror and said, "Fellow Daoist, you have a good eye. This mirror has a mysterious origin. It's said to be a supreme treasure left by an ancient demonic cultivator, with unfathomable powers!"

Xu Hei was speechless.

This guy had made a fake mirror and was praising it to the skies. Didn't he feel embarrassed?

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