Chapter 65: Mindset Collapsed

Zu An happily accepted this huge wave of rage points, thinking to himself that it was a truly brilliant decision not to agree to discuss things in a private room.

Mei Chaofeng gritted his teeth in fury, looking at Zu An's smug expression. Just half a month ago, this kind of trash wasn't even fit to appear before him; a mere command to a subordinate would have Zu An bowing and scraping. Yet, in just a few days, he could stand as his equal and even threaten him so brazenly? Damn it, it almost made him want to become a kept man himself!

Rage points from Mei Chaofeng +666!

Mei Chaofeng took a deep breath and waved to the side. "Someone, bring Plum Blossom Seven over."

Soon, Mei Chaofeng's subordinates escorted Plum Blossom Seven, who was practically a puddle of mud, towards him. Seeing Mei Chaofeng, Plum Blossom Seven quickly struggled free and knelt on the ground with a thud. He clung tightly to Mei Chaofeng's leg, sobbing tearfully, "Godfather, your son has let you down, causing such a huge disaster for you."

Mei Chaofeng kicked him away without even a glance and coldly addressed Zu An. "The bet with you earlier was Plum Blossom Seven's personal action and does not represent our gambling house. If you want to collect money, go get it from him. Furthermore, given Plum Blossom Seven's illicit conduct, which has brought severe negative repercussions to our gang, effective immediately, he is expelled from the Plum Blossom Gang and will never be readmitted."

"Godfather! Gang Leader, you can't do this to me! I've been so diligent for you all these years..." Plum Blossom Seven instantly realized he was being used as a scapegoat and panicked. Forget 7.5 million taels, he would struggle to even produce 10,000. Even if his bones were crushed and sold, they wouldn't fetch that much.

He tried to speak further, but someone nearby punched him in the jaw, dislocating it. He could only make muffled sounds, unable to speak another word.

Seeing his miserable state, the previously boisterous gambling house immediately fell silent. Everyone suddenly remembered that this was a ruthless underworld magnate. One by one, they backed down, no longer daring to shout as enthusiastically as before.

Zu An's eyes narrowed. "This guy is quite skilled at playing the 'temporary worker' card. But trying to cheat me out of my money won't be that easy!"

"Gang Leader Mei," Zu An said, "aren't you treating everyone present like fools by doing this? Plum Blossom Seven is your sworn son and confidant, and this Silver Hook Gambling House is an asset of your Plum Blossom Gang. Now you lose money and refuse to pay up? Who would dare come to your gambling house in the future?"

"Exactly, exactly!" the surrounding people whispered among themselves. What's most important for a gambling house? Reputation is paramount. A gambling house without reputation is destined to close down. If the Plum Blossom Gang dares to renege on a debt even with the Chu clan as a backer, what about ordinary, powerless customers like them when they win money in the future?

Mei Chaofeng, however, sneered. "I'm not afraid to tell you, today I'm simply going to cheat you out of your money! I'll pay every other customer their winnings in full, but you, in the entire Brightmoon City, will not receive a single copper coin of the money you won. What can you do about it?"

"You pathetic good-for-nothing, do you really think you can contend with me? A common hen can't become a phoenix just by perching on a branch. What kind of storms haven't I weathered over the years? How could a naive, stinky brat like you ever imagine? Do you think the world is all about reason? Today, I'll let you experience the treachery of this world!"

"Gang Leader Mei, that's utterly shameless of you!" Chu Chuyan's expression turned cold, and she was about to step forward, but Zu An reached out and stopped her.

Zu An smiled. "Gang Leader Mei, do you think I'm out of options just like that?"

Mei Chaofeng snorted coldly. "What could you possibly do? A good-for-nothing who climbed to power by relying on a woman couldn't possibly turn the tables."

Zu An spread his hands. "It's fine if you don't pay me. From now on, I'll go to every single gambling house under your name. I won't even place bets myself; I'll teach these people how to bet. I'll make sure they win every single hand. How does that sound to you all?"

The gamblers, and even the spectators outside, instantly erupted:

"Good!"

"Long live Young Master Zu!"

"Young Master Zu, you're so handsome!"

"Young Master Zu, you are our benefactor!"

"Young Master Zu and Miss Chu are truly a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman."

"Damn it, you can say such hypocritical words?"

"Aren't you shouting enthusiastically too?"

...

As a great man once said, with a 50% profit, people will take risks. For a 100% profit, people will trample all human laws. For a 300% profit, they will commit any crime, even risk being hanged.

How immense was the profit at the gambling table? Zu An had just personally demonstrated it—a 15,000% profit! Who wouldn't go mad? Moreover, these gamblers were all people who valued money over their lives. What if it's the Plum Blossom Gang? If they dare not pay, these gamblers combined could wipe out the Plum Blossom Gang.

Mei Chaofeng clearly understood this principle, and his face was extremely grim. "Do you really think you can win every hand?"

Zu An spread his hands. "Today, I won 7.5 million taels from you in just two hands. What do you think? From now on, please call me the God of Gamblers."

The surrounding spectators, hearing that he would help them win money, began to flatter him shamelessly:

"God of Gamblers!"

"God of Gamblers!"

"God of Gamblers!"

...

Zu An closed his eyes, his face filled with rapture, enjoying the cheers of the crowd. Now, all that was missing was the classic background music.

Mei Chaofeng's face twitched. To be honest, he wasn't sure how the other party had done it. From Zu An's tone, it was clear that the previous two instances weren't just coincidences. In fact, it couldn't have been a coincidence; otherwise, how could he have bet so accurately? If this guy really brought this group of gamblers to cause trouble in his other gambling houses, his gambling business would truly be ruined. But paying him the money? That was even more impossible! It was 7.5 million taels, not 75,000! For a moment, he was caught in a dilemma.

Just then, a commotion erupted at the entrance.

"Make way, make way!"

A group of soldiers stormed in, followed by a tall and slender young general clad in golden armor. His appearance was quite distinguished, and with his gleaming armor, he was truly eye-catching. "Wow, so handsome!" nearby maids whispered.

Zu An looked displeased. "It's just the advantage of a uniform," he thought, "these women are so uncultured." He secretly glanced at Chu Chuyan and, seeing her expression unchanged, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who is causing trouble here?" the young general asked, scanning the room after entering, his gaze finally landing on Zu An.

"Why are you looking at me? Jealous that I'm more handsome than you?" Zu An retorted irritably. This guy immediately pointed the finger at him, clearly with ill intentions, so there was no need to be polite.

Rage points from Sang Qian +100!

"Surname Sang? That's quite an unusual surname," Zu An pondered to himself.

The young general had originally intended to interrogate Zu An, but being interrupted like that, he was momentarily at a loss for words. Fortunately, Mei Chaofeng quickly went over and added fuel to the fire. "Commander Sang, you've arrived at just the right time. This guy came to our gambling house to extort money. When I disagreed, he threatened to bring other gamblers to cause trouble and ruin my business." The people around them stared wide-eyed. "Everyone knows you're a gang, but do you have to be so brazen? Do you think we're blind?" However, no one spoke up. They knew that this world wasn't truly a place that valued reason. Before the situation became clear, it was best not to get involved. Although the money Zu An promised was tempting, they needed to be alive to spend it.

The young general, Sang Qian, immediately rebuked Zu An. "Do you know what the crime of extortion is? By the way, how much money did he extort from you?"

Mei Chaofeng gave a bitter smile. "7.5 million taels!"

"7.5 million taels?" Sang Qian was instantly startled. "Are you playing for such high stakes?" Even when his father was the Grand Minister of Agriculture, this amount of money would be an astronomical figure in the national treasury. Thinking of this, his face instantly lit up with excitement. "Extortion involving a huge amount or other serious circumstances is punishable by three to ten years in prison. If the amount is exceptionally large or the circumstances are particularly severe, the sentence is ten years or more. With 7.5 million taels, you can expect to rot in prison!"

Zu An couldn't help but roll his eyes, completely ignoring him. Instead, he looked at Chu Chuyan beside him. "Wifey, who is this guy? How can he convict me just by listening to the Mei fellow's one-sided story? It seems he's been taking favors from the Plum Blossom Gang for a while, hasn't he?"

Hearing his words, there were murmurs of disapproval from the crowd.

Chu Chuyan's lips curved slightly upward as she explained. "This Commander Sang is the son of Sang Hong, the former Grand Minister of Agriculture. Now, Lord Sang has been appointed as the new Prefect of our Linchuan Commandery. You must not treat him lightly."

Sang Qian quickly bowed. "Miss Chu, you flatter me. My father's future work will rely heavily on the Chu clan's cooperation."

No man could resist the charm of a stunning beauty like Chu Chuyan. So, even though it was clear their father and son had taken office specifically to deal with the Chu clan, he still instinctively wanted to present his most elegant and proper side in front of her.

Just as Sang Qian felt his etiquette was impeccable, a discordant voice rang out: "Hmph, I thought he was very capable. Turns out he's just relying on his family background, just like me."

Zu An was seen picking his ear, then he flicked his finger lightly in Sang Qian's direction.

Sang Qian's breath hitched. Although he had never met Zu An before, he had long heard of the "great name" of this Chu clan son-in-law. This good-for-nothing was merely a joke in their circles. Yet today, he was actually being dragged down to the same level as him? Even being equated with him in such a manner, he felt it was a humiliation!

Rage points from Sang Qian +300!

Mei Chaofeng, standing by, also widened his eyes. Sang Qian's family was prominent; his father was a high-ranking official in the imperial court and now a grand official governing a region. He was truly a top-tier young master from an aristocratic family. "You, Zu An, are just a street punk who merely relied on dumb luck to cling to the Chu clan. But can that be considered your family background? How dare you say such a thing? Have you no shame?!"

Rage points from Mei Chaofeng +300!

Zu An was stunned for a moment. He thought, "I was talking about Sang Qian, why is Mei Chaofeng getting angry? It seems they really do have some unspeakable secret relationship."

Seeing Sang Qian's eyes practically spitting fire, Chu Chuyan secretly chuckled, thinking, "Finally, others are getting a taste of Zu An's shamelessness." She cleared her throat and said, "Young Master Sang, if I'm not mistaken, you are merely the commander of the River Defense Camp and do not have the authority to manage local affairs. It would probably be inappropriate for you to make a judgment here today."