Сhаpter 218: Gоing tо thе Саsino
Howеvеr, Zhu Yan had аlreadу mаdе hеr рlаns. She cоuldn’t come all this way еmрty-hаnded, аnd tо еnsurе smoоth еntrу, shе hаd prеpared fоr а disguise.
“Wе not only nеed to сhange оur арреаrаnces but аlsо our nаmеs аnd identitiеs. Thаt wаy, it’ll be diffiсult fоr them tо detect us.”
Zhu Yаn stroked her сhin, gаzing аt the tеahouse nоt fаr аwaу with а mеаningful ехprеssiоn. “You gо find somе clothеs, and I’ll рrерarе sоmе mаterials for disguisеs.”
Zhu Yan assigned tasks clеarly, and Рan Chi hаd no оbjеctiоns. Just as he was about to go find clothes, Shen Du, unnoticed, had caught up with them.
Glancing at the teahouse in the distance, Zhu Yan had her back turned to him and hadn’t sensed his arrival at all.
“Are you sure it’s here?” Shen Du’s sudden question startled Zhu Yan.
She quickly turned around to see Shen Du standing behind her with a dark expression. “When did you get here? You walk without a sound—it’s enough to scare someone to death.”
Zhu Yan’s tone was full of reproach, but Shen Du paid no attention. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and stared at the teahouse in the distance, asking further, “This looks like an ordinary teahouse. How could anyone guess there’s more to it inside?”
“Hehe…” Zhu Yan chuckled foolishly. “If they didn’t disguise themselves like this, would they openly run a casino?”
Shen Du lowered his gaze and gave Zhu Yan a light knock on the head. “Enough nonsense. Have you figured out how to get in?”
“Yes,” Zhu Yan replied, rubbing her forehead with displeasure. “Be gentler. That hurt.”
Hearing this, Shen Du’s heart trembled slightly, and his voice carried a hint of concern. “I didn’t use any force at all. Did it really hurt?”
Seeing Shen Du’s concern, Zhu Yan pouted playfully. “Of course it hurt. Would I joke about something like this?”
“I…” Shen Du was about to say more when he was interrupted by Pan Chi’s voice.
“Alright, alright, I’ve found the clothes.” Pan Chi approached the two and handed them the clothes he was carrying. “They’re all men’s clothes. You’ll have to make do, since places like casinos aren’t suitable for women.”
“Mm,” Zhu Yan didn’t mind and quickly nodded in agreement. She glanced at the clothes in her arms and then looked at Shen Du. “To avoid raising suspicion, we’ve decided to disguise ourselves to get in. You should change into your clothes too. I’ll go find a household over there to change.”
This time, Shen Du had no objections. He gave a slight nod and watched as Zhu Yan left.
When Zhu Yan emerged from the farmhouse dressed as a dashing young gentleman, both men were stunned. How could this woman be like this? Attractive to both men and women?
In women’s attire, she was graceful and enchanting, but in men’s clothing, she was elegant and refined. It was almost too much for their eyes to take in.
Even Pan Chi, a man of extraordinary appearance, felt inferior to Zhu Yan in her male disguise.
“What a handsome young gentleman,” Pan Chi stepped forward to tease, while Shen Du’s expression turned displeased.
It wasn’t for any other reason but because Zhu Yan’s outfit was the same color as Pan Chi’s, which irked him greatly.
They looked like a perfect pair, and it was glaringly obvious.
Flattered by Pan Chi’s praise, Zhu Yan beamed like a flower. She approached Shen Du and boasted, “Well? How do I look? Am I even more handsome than you?”Shen Du therefore straightened his chest and cast a disdainful glance at Zhu Yan. "What's the use of being good-looking? If you were really a man, someone as short as you probably couldn't even find a wife."
"..." Zhu Yan was nearly choked by Shen Du's words, while Pan Chi beside them couldn't help but laugh.
After changing into men's clothing, Zhu Yan indeed looked perfect—except for being a bit short.
Unable to swallow her anger, Zhu Yan stomped her foot fiercely and headed alone toward the teahouse. The two men hurriedly followed.
"We can't act impulsively now. We need a foolproof plan to get in," Pan Chi quickly caught up to Zhu Yan and whispered a reminder.
Zhu Yan had already planned everything in her mind. Pointing at Shen Du with her left hand, she said, "He's Sun Danu."
Then pointing at Pan Chi with her right hand, she continued, "You're..."
Pan Chi interjected, "Liu Qingming."
Zhu Yan was momentarily speechless but nodded. Finally, she pointed at herself. "I'm Wan Erge."
A row of crows seemed to fly over the two men's heads—this woman certainly had plenty of ideas, and she’d even come up with names so quickly.
What Shen Du couldn’t understand was why their names sounded so meaningful, while his had to be something as rustic as "Sun Danu."
Before he could ask for the reason, Zhu Yan went on, "The three of us are merchants here to do business. We have nothing else, but we’re not short on money. We came here just to find a place to have some fun."
It sounded like everything was neatly arranged, but the two men already had other plans in mind.
After all, a gambling den was a chaotic place. Even though they had prepared their identities, they would still need to adapt to the situation once inside.
"We’ve overlooked the most important issue," Shen Du, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, causing both of them to stop in their tracks.
"What issue?" The two looked at Shen Du in confusion.
Shen Du’s expression was profound. "We’re going to a gambling den. Which of you two is skilled at gambling?"
When it came to gambling, all three naturally knew the rules, but as for being skilled, Zhu Yan immediately found herself at a loss.
Shen Du’s concern was not unfounded. They were going to a gambling den. If they weren’t skilled at gambling and just threw money around, how much would be enough?
Their goal was to win money, keep going until the gambling den couldn’t hold them back, and finally force the mastermind behind it to show themselves.
But if they weren’t skilled at gambling, wouldn’t this trip be like throwing meat to a dog? They might even lose everything they had.
Just as Zhu Yan was struggling with this dilemma, Pan Chi confidently patted his chest. "You two, staying in the capital all day, probably haven’t had much exposure to this. I’ve traveled far and wide and seen all kinds of things. Don’t worry, with me here, I guarantee we’ll win so much from their gambling den that they’ll even hand over the land deed."
Hearing Pan Chi’s words, the other two finally felt relieved. At least one of the three was "skilled" in these matters.
Entering the teahouse, they ordered a pot of tea and hadn’t been seated for long before their conversation caught the attention of the waiter.
Zhu Yan deliberately spoke loudly, portraying herself as someone with more money than sense, looking for a place to have some fun and gamble recklessly, but as newcomers, they didn’t know where to go.
She lamented not knowing where to find such a place for entertainment. The waiter exchanged a meaningful glance with the shopkeeper, who immediately understood.Sure enough, after half a cup of tea, the shopkeeper approached the three men. First, he pretended to casually glance around, then leaned in and whispered in a voice only they could hear, "Are you three gentlemen looking for a place to have some fun?"
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