Chapter 966: The Most Honored Guest

Seeing the alluring maidservants, Pei You’s dissatisfaction from the journey instantly vanished. Instead, he showered Gao Ying with praise: “Brother Gao, you’re truly reliable. Following you was the right choice.”

Gao Ying couldn’t help but retort, “Your mournful little glances all the way here were practically killing me. Do you finally see my value now?”

Pei You gave an embarrassed smile. “Your younger brother was young and ignorant. Today has certainly been an eye-opener.”

Zu An, however, was not interested in these maidservants. In his previous life, who at the beach or pool wore less than them? Such displays could only impress the uninitiated. Thinking this, he immediately felt a sense of superiority as someone who had transmigrated.

Since Gao Ying had been here before, and the three of them didn't want their conversation to be overheard, they decided not to have maidservants accompany them.

The maidservants couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Although they wore masks, these men before them had an extraordinary demeanor and were all tall and imposing, far more attractive than the pot-bellied guests. The maidservants had just been excitedly calculating who among them might be chosen, as not only would they earn a considerable service fee, but serving such guests would also be a pleasure. However, being strictly trained, they didn't show their emotions, instead bowing respectfully before withdrawing.

Soon, the group arrived at a resplendent area. The surroundings were brightly lit, a stark contrast to the darkness of the path they had taken earlier. The sparkling decorations made Zu An feel as if he were in one of the Macau casinos he had seen on TV in his past life. Truly, the pleasures of the rich are so simple and unpretentious!

Seeing the flushed faces, bloodshot eyes, and radiating excitement of the people around, Zu An knew, without Gao Ying needing to say anything, that this floor was a casino. He noticed that the chips on the tables were all of high value; even the lowest-value chip was worth a thousand taels of silver. No wonder Gao Ying said that only the rich or noble came here. How could ordinary people afford such extravagance?

Many people were holding a maidservant in their arms, and these maidservants were coyly flattering the guests, making Pei You's eyes go wide. "Decadent, depraved, utterly disgraceful!" he exclaimed.

Gao Ying immediately saw through his pretense. "You're just saying you wish it were you, aren't you?"

Pei You gave an embarrassed smile. "How could I possibly be interested in such common women? At the very least, they'd have to be top-tier courtesans."

Gao Ying replied, "On the second floor, there's the Immortal Blossom Garden. Every woman in each courtyard there would be considered a top-tier courtesan outside. There are even young women from the demon tribes and the Miao frontier. Of course, it depends if you possess the charm you boast of to make these young ladies willing to receive you."

Pei You puffed out his chest and held his head high. "Nonsense! On normal days, those girls go weak at the knees just seeing me." He then asked Zu An, "Brother Zu, are you going later?" In the past, whenever he visited a brothel, his family background and handsome appearance always made him the center of attention. Unfortunately, with a great master like Zu An present, he truly had no confidence that those girls would choose him.

Zu An smiled and shook his head; he was not interested in brothel affairs.

"Brother Zu, would you like to try a hand on the first floor? Anything can be gambled on down here, and there are many games," Gao Ying said with a laugh from beside him. "I heard Brother Zu once won several million taels in Brightmoon City with just ten taels of silver in one go; he's practically the reincarnation of the God of Gamblers. Why don't you let them see it this time too? They're all rich scumbags anyway, so it'd be a waste not to fleece them."

"Ten taels won several million taels?" Pei You's eyes went wide. "Brother Gao, are you joking?"

"If you don't believe me, go back and ask Minister Sang. He was the prefect there at the time," Gao Ying stated.

Pei You then looked to Zu An for confirmation. Zu An replied with a modest expression, "That's just a rumor that got exaggerated. I spent more than ten taels that time."

Pei You was speechless. What did that mean? Did it mean winning several million taels was true? Damn! Being with him, he'd casually show you up. From childhood, he had always been outstanding among his peers, but after meeting Zu An, he finally realized that there's always someone better, and heights beyond imagination. If the gap were within a certain range, he might still have the thought of catching up, but the despair of such a vast difference left him with nothing but admiration.

"Brother Zu, come try a hand and let us witness the demeanor of the God of Gamblers!" Pei You's eyes lit up. For a moment, even the girls from the north lost their allure.

Zu An shook his head. "Forget it. I'm not interested in this, and I also have business here today." With that, he walked straight upstairs. His luck pills were gone; at this point, wouldn't he just be ruining his own reputation?

However, hearing this, the two were thoroughly convinced. He doesn't even want free money? "When will I ever reach such a level?" they wondered. Although both had outstanding family backgrounds, even prominent families like the Chu clan could face financial crises. Who would ever dislike having more money? The lowest chip here was a thousand taels; if he truly started winning, wouldn't he win at least ten million taels?

"Brother Zu is truly unfathomable," Gao Ying sighed repeatedly with admiration.

"When will I be like him?" Pei You thought to himself. This kind of cool indifference was something he wanted to learn but just couldn't.

The two quickly followed him up to the second floor. Compared to the first floor, the lighting on the second floor was much dimmer, yet it was precisely this dimness that created an enchanting atmosphere. With the sweet fragrance in the air and the gorgeously dressed young women in front of each pavilion, few men could resist such temptation.

Pei You exclaimed, "Even the maidservants at the entrance are this beautiful; the ladies inside must be heavenly!" Unlike the maidservants downstairs, the women on this floor did not wear masks. Each had a beautiful face, beauties countless men would dream of if seen outside.

Seeing Pei You's eyes gleaming, Zu An laughed. "I'll go up by myself from here. Brother Gao and Brother Pei, just enjoy yourselves. Don't waste any more time." Gao Ying originally wanted to accompany him, but on second thought, there were attendants to guide him, and Zu An's cultivation level was also high, so no problems would arise. So, he cupped his hands in greeting with a smile. "Then we'll see each other tomorrow morning!"

Pei You naturally went to find the northern girls he had been thinking about, while Gao Ying decided to play around on the first floor first.

As Zu An walked further up, he secretly wondered. When he first entered, the small mound shouldn't have had this much space. Had they hollowed out the mountain behind it? He didn't know who had built this Carefree Building; it was truly a grand undertaking.

Unlike the lower two floors, the third floor had many guards standing watch, scrutinizing every guest who came and went. These guards' cultivation levels were roughly between Fifth and Sixth Ranks, which was quite astonishing, considering that regular imperial palace guards were only Fifth Rank.

Soon, Zu An was stopped by someone. The person wore a mask, but it was clear he was a middle-aged man, and his cultivation was a cut above the other guards. He asked, "I am the steward of the third floor. Does the esteemed guest wish to explore the third floor?"

"Yes," Zu An calmly replied, being both skilled and bold.

"Because the third floor is somewhat special, a certain deposit is required for entry. I hope the esteemed guest will understand." The steward's formal smile was enough to dispel any potential displeasure from the guest.

"How much is the deposit?"

"One hundred thousand taels of silver. We accept silver notes, or valuable items as collateral. We have professional appraisers here," the steward said thoughtfully, knowing that many people might not carry that much physical silver with them.

"One hundred thousand taels?" Zu An thought. No wonder this place was called a money pit; indeed, money seemed to lose all value here. He originally intended to take out silver notes, but then he remembered he would still need them to buy materials later, so he changed his mind and pulled out a sapphire the size of a pigeon's egg from his sleeve. "Is this enough?" It was one of the treasures he had obtained from the red dragon's hoard outside Brightmoon City.

Seeing the gem in his hand, the steward's eyes clearly widened, and his smile became much more genuine. "Certainly, it's more than enough! This is a top-grade cornflower blue sapphire, found only on islands in the Southern Ocean. A gem of this size could sell for at least a hundred thousand taels, and with good luck, even over two hundred thousand. Would the esteemed guest be willing to entrust it to our establishment for auction? We have many guests today, and we guarantee it will fetch a satisfactory price."

Zu An was startled. "You also handle auctions?" That red dragon liked collecting shiny things; he hadn't realized it had even traveled as far as the Southern Ocean.

The steward replied, "Certainly. The third floor is dedicated to providing our distinguished guests with a secure place for transactions. Many guests have rare and valuable items they wish to sell, but private transactions have various concerns, and they might not find items they are interested in. So, our Carefree Building provides this platform. Of course, we also charge a small handling fee. With guests from all corners of the world gathering here, there's a high chance they'll find what they're looking for."

"All right, you can help me auction it off." Zu An pondered that such a gem was not of much use to him; it was mainly preferred by noblewomen. It would be better to convert it into cash to buy urgently needed cultivation materials.

The steward smiled and handed him a jade token, engraved with the number "333." "Please keep this, esteemed guest. This jade token is given to the most distinguished guests of the Carefree Building. Later, if you see something you fancy at the auction, you can raise this token to bid. Furthermore, with this token, all your expenses in other parts of the building today will be complimentary, and in the future, you will receive the most favorable treatment at any Carefree Building in other locations."

Just then, a harsh voice came from behind them: "I say, why does your Carefree Building just hand out jade tokens to anyone? I used to think these tokens were rare, but now they're practically common as dirt."