Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The steward did not pass Old Madam Sheng’s words on to Sheng Yuanzhong.

He had served Old Master Sheng for many years and knew that, while the old patriarch was alive, he had always felt he owed this eldest son something. He had never wished for mother and son to become strangers in all but name.

And so those words could only rot in the steward’s stomach.

The rain continued until late morning.

In the front courtyard, guests arriving to offer congratulations came one after another.

Aside from the late Old Master Sheng, who had once risen to the post of Assistant Prefect of Xuzhou, the Sheng Family had only Sheng Yuanzhong, who held a seventh-rank provincial office. None of the other descendants had official positions.

In Xuzhou, their household had once been considered rather cold and neglected. Now, however, things were different.

The Sheng Family’s eldest legitimate grandson had already taken first place in three examinations in a row. His eventual ascension to the ranks of Jinshi before the imperial throne was now all but foreseeable. Those with a little foresight had already begun looking for ways to befriend the family.

Once the rain stopped, Song Fu put away his umbrella.

The people in the front hall were chatting merrily. Sheng Yuanzhong had already sent someone three times to ask after the First Young Master’s whereabouts, yet there was still no sign of him.

Song Fu had no choice but to make the trip himself.

Mottled bamboo shadows swayed around him. Following a quiet little path south, he reached a spot near a pool of water and, from afar, saw red maples scattered among the greenery.

Above the pond stood a courtyard built beside the water.

Song Fu looked up and saw four characters carved into the plaque:

Guanlan Waterside Pavilion.

Song Fu knocked on the courtyard gate. “Is the young master here?”

There was no answer from within.

He was just about to knock again, his hand already raised, when he heard footsteps from inside.

The gate opened from within, and a pretty, delicate face appeared before Song Fu’s eyes.

“Shh. Keep your voice down. The young master is resting.”

Biyun lowered her voice as she spoke.

Song Fu found it a little strange. Since when had the young master developed the habit of sleeping during the day?

Besides, today was the day the Autumn Examination results were posted. The front hall was packed with guests, all waiting to meet their household’s illustrious Jieyuan. How could he simply sleep through it?

“The Eldest Master and Madam have already invited him several times from the front hall. The young master should still go over,” Song Fu said, scratching his head shyly as he tried to persuade Biyun.

Biyun’s slender brows drew together. “No. The young master is tired. Don’t come disturbing him again.”

With that, she moved to shut the gate.

Song Fu panicked and instinctively blocked it. The gate caught his hand, and he cried out in pain.

Biyun jumped in fright. “Hey! What are you doing?”

Song Fu was sweating from the pain.

“Miss Biyun, please, have mercy on me. Everyone in the front hall is waiting. If I can’t bring him over, Steward Chen will definitely punish me!”

Song Fu’s hand was still braced against the gate. With him blocking it, Biyun could not close the door, and even when she pushed hard, it would not budge. Her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she stamped her foot in both anger and anxiety.

The young master’s instructions echoed in her mind again.

“No matter who comes looking today, say I’ve gone to sleep. I won’t see anyone.”

It was not often that the young master entrusted her with a task. No matter what, Biyun had to do it properly. Even if it meant offending the steward, she absolutely could not let anyone inside.

“I said he won’t see anyone, and that means he won’t see anyone. You shameless rascal, don’t tell me you dare force your way in!”

Biyun was determined to guard the gate and refused to yield even half a step.

Song Fu had half his body wedged in the gap, but he also refused to back away.

The two of them remained locked in a stalemate.

“What are the two of you doing?”

From behind them, the steward’s voice drifted over, heavy with anger.

Biyun started. Her hand on the gate loosened for just a moment, and Song Fu finally found his chance. He shoved hard and slipped inside.

Steward Chen strode up to the gate and swept a stern gaze over Biyun.

Under that look, Biyun’s heart began to race, and even her hands and feet went cold.

“Where is the First Young Master?” the steward asked, staring directly into her eyes.

Biyun lowered her head guiltily. “A-asleep…”

The steward looked straight at her, his gaze so sharp it seemed it could pierce right through a person.

He ignored the maid before him and walked directly into the courtyard. When he reached the door of the room, he paused, then knocked and said, “First Young Master, are you there? The Eldest Master and Madam ask that you proceed to the main hall in the front courtyard.”

Inside, there was only silence.

Steward Chen turned back to look at Biyun. Seeing her lips pale with nerves, her face full of panic and helplessness, his eyes narrowed. Then he pushed the door open with force.

The room was cold and deserted, with no one in sight.

“Where are they?” the steward demanded, his eyes bulging with rage as he turned back.

…

On the outskirts of the city, in an underground gambling den.

“Place your bets! No more bets!”

“High, high, high!”

“I won! I won, hahahaha!”

In the dim, half-subterranean stone chamber, a dozen or so men were packed shoulder to shoulder around a long gambling table, their faces flushed with excitement.

Torches burned along the walls, making the space feel even more stifling.

Gold and silver were piled high on the table. Old winnings were swept away, and new stakes were quickly thrown in to replace them. The games went on day and night without pause.

At the center of the table, a woman in purple sat cross-legged amid the heaps of silver and coin. Her gauzy robes traced the faint outline of a slender waist.

She shook the dice cup in her hand, revealing a stretch of fair wrist that drew countless gazes after it.

“We’ve been playing dice all day. I’m sure you gentlemen must be getting bored.” She set the dice cup down. Beneath the veil covering half her face, only a pair of beguiling, foxlike eyes showed.

“Why don’t we try something new today? What do you say?”

At that, everyone perked up.

“Something new? Like what?”

The woman in purple curved her lips into a smile.

She lifted her chin and said, “Open it.”

Several men who looked like hired thugs walked over to a stone pillar. After fiddling with it from top to bottom for a while, there came a click. A mechanism dropped into place, and the heavy stone wall slowly opened to both sides.

The crowd cried out in surprise and surged forward.

Behind the stone doors, a massive beast arena appeared before them.

It was an enormous pit dug several zhang deep into the ground. The surrounding stone walls had been polished smooth, and there was only a single spiral staircase leading upward. At the moment, even that had been locked, leaving no way through.

All around the stone walls, more than a hundred iron doors were sealed by mechanisms, encircling the central arena. Beyond them was only pitch-black darkness; no one could see what was imprisoned inside.

Everyone present gaped in shock at the sight before them.

No one could have imagined that inside this small underground gambling den, such a vast pit had been carved out of nowhere. It was mysterious and faintly reeked of blood, stirring an inexplicable thrill in their chests.

“Well? Is this game fresh enough for you?”

Someone immediately swallowed and asked, “H-how do we play?”

“Very simple.” The woman in purple clapped her hands.

One of her subordinates acknowledged the order and stepped forward to a candle stand. He reached out and yanked it, and the locks on the iron doors snapped open in response.

More than a hundred iron doors opened at the same time.

Everyone held their breath. When they finally saw what walked out from behind the iron doors, their eyes went wide, and they cried out in disbelief, “People! They’re people!”

Down in the stone pit, over a hundred children emerged from the iron doors.

The youngest of these children were not even ten, and the oldest were only thirteen or fourteen. Yet each of them had a cold look in their eyes, filled with deep wariness and killing intent.

It was hard to believe such eyes could belong to children.

The woman in purple sat in her chair and let out a clear, ringing laugh. “Pick one from among them. Guess who will survive to the very end. Guess right, and you leave this place alive. Guess wrong…”

She admired the freshly dyed red balsam on her nails, blew on it, then lifted her eyes halfway and said lightly, “Then you die.”

Screams rose one after another.

The woman in purple savored their terror, laughing so hard her shoulders shook.

Slowly, she rose to her feet and swayed her waist as she walked behind the figure standing in the shadows. Her bonelessly soft body pressed close, and she rubbed her chin against the figure’s back, speaking in a coquettish voice.

“And you? Which one do you choose?”

Her delicate, supple body was pushed away without mercy.

Far from being angry, the woman in purple laughed even more happily.

She walked around to face her, hooked a nail under her chin, and let her seductive gaze trail over her lips, then up to the bridge of her nose, before finally meeting those clear, striking eyes.

“Sheng Zhaoning, you really are getting more and more boring.”