More than three days had passed since Jiang Ke’er and Qiao Xiaoxian arrived in Dongsheng Shenzhou.
Although Jiang Ke’er had been eating her fill every meal for the past three days, this was her first time enjoying food at a human market.
These carefully cooked delicacies were far better than the seafood stew she casually picked up on the beach.
“Eat more, eat even more.” Qiao Xiaoxian continuously added food to Jiang Ke’er’s bowl.
“I can’t eat anymore, I’m going to throw up,” Even delicious food can become unbearable when you eat too much.
Jiang Ke’er looked at Qiao Xiaoxian in surprise, “What’s with your attitude of ‘eat more, so you can have a good journey’?”
“This is the only thing you can do before the competition begins,” Qiao Xiaoxian put down her chopsticks and explained, “This competition will last for a month, which means you’ll be staying in the casino for a month… but the casino won’t provide you with any food for free, nor will they allow you to bring food in. Even cultivators who have reached the Bigu (abstinence from grains) realm will have their cultivation sealed.”
Jiang Ke’er roughly understood.
“To get food, you must exchange it for chips. And the way to get chips is to gamble with other contestants. And…”
Qiao Xiaoxian then explained a lot of rules, finally concluding, “In short, this competition is different from the regular gambling you imagine, because hunger, and some external factors, will create many unpredictable changes. This competition actually tests the contestants’ intelligence, quick wit…”
“Alright, I get it.” Jiang Ke’er interrupted Qiao Xiaoxian before she could finish, “As long as I win against all my opponents cleanly, everything will be fine, right?”
Qiao Xiaoxian raised an eyebrow: “That is indeed the logic… However, not listening to explanations is not a good habit.”
“You just need to tell me what I can’t do,” Jiang Ke’er patted her belly, burping lazily, “You don’t need to explain the rest.”
“There’s nothing you can’t do. As long as you’re not discovered and beaten to death, you can cheat as you please. Once inside, all contestants will have their cultivation sealed. After thirty days, rankings will be determined by the amount of chips each person has turned in.”
“But I’ll be dead from the poison in less than thirty days,” Jiang Ke’er looked at Qiao Xiaoxian suspiciously, “What are you thinking?”
“Next, I will infuse you with the essence of the Profound Fire Divine Pearl, stored within your body, allowing it to be slowly released… For the next six months, you won’t have to worry about the cold poison.”
“That good?!” Jiang Ke’er was shocked, “Why did you suddenly change your ways?”
“I don’t want to force you, and even less do I want to bind you with poison,” Qiao Xiaoxian smiled, her voice gentle, as she brushed a strand of hair from Jiang Ke’er’s cheek, “I don’t want you to see me as an enemy.”
Jiang Ke’er’s heart stirred slightly.
In that instant, she felt that Qiao Xiaoxian wasn’t so bad after all; just a poor dragon bound by reality.
But this feeling only lasted for a moment.
Rather than believing Qiao Xiaoxian had a change of heart, she was more willing to believe that this big scoundrel was definitely up to something again.
Would a villainous dragon demoness have good intentions? What a joke.
But it didn’t matter.
Jiang Ke’er’s expression remained unchanged, but her mind was racing.
In just an instant, many bold plans formed in her mind.
The night passed without incident.
Mao Shi is from five to seven in the morning.
Jiang Ke’er, yawning continuously, was led by Qiao Xiaoxian to the casino entrance.
“I still have some matters to attend to,” As Qiao Xiaoxian spoke, she seemed to glance in the direction of the Aolai Kingdom’s palace, “Every day at this time, I’ll come to the casino to check on the progress of the competition. If you withdraw early, meet me here… don’t push yourself.”
“Every day?” Jiang Ke’er waved her hand, “No need, I ate so much yesterday, I can last at least seven days without starving. You can come back in seven days.”
Qiao Xiaoxian looked deeply at Jiang Ke’er.
Jiang Ke’er met Qiao Xiaoxian’s gaze frankly and said, “Don’t worry, I don’t want to die.”
“I’ll believe you for now.”
“Mm-hmm.”
A long line had already formed at the casino entrance, and everyone in line looked solemn, as if on a pilgrimage.
Jiang Ke’er’s arrival caused quite a stir.
She stood at the end of the line, and those who came after her even formed another line ten zhang (about 33 meters) away to avoid her.
Jiang Ke’er was somewhat used to this kind of targeting.
The journey was silent; everyone was observing their opponents for this competition.
There were about three hundred contestants, not a small number.
Everyone queued up to pass through the inspection point.
They couldn’t carry any Qiankun bags (spatial storage items) or other storage tools when entering.
When Jiang Ke’er passed the inspection point, dressed in a simple, thin plain robe, looking fresh and clean, the inspector just casually scanned her, barely even noticing her, and let her into the casino.
It seems the inventory won’t be detected, Jiang Ke’er secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Qiao Xiaoxian watched her enter safely before turning to leave, her mind heavy with thoughts.
The competition had already begun.
Inside the main hall, the clamor of mahjong, pai gow, and dice filled the air.
Impatient contestants had already started showing off their skills.
Jiang Ke’er, however, seemed to wander aimlessly around the hall, occasionally looking at one table, then another, revealing an expression of sudden understanding, clearly a novice learning the rules of the game.
Just as Jiang Ke’er was about to go explore the dice area, an arm stopped her.
“Demon race, not suitable for Dongsheng Shenzhou.”
Jiang Ke’er stopped and looked up at the person: “Then where do you say I should go?”
A burly man with a rough appearance sneered, “Do you even need to ask? Beasts like you should obediently queue up in Beiju Luzhou and wait to be slaughtered. Dongsheng Shenzhou is a civilized nation. What are you, a barbarian beast, doing here? Get out quickly, don’t defile the pursuit of the Dao in Dongsheng Shenzhou.”
“So, pursuing the Dao is something only humans can do?” Jiang Ke’er asked.
“You little wild dog, truly foolish. You probably don’t even know that a few days ago, that famous Dragon Clan Saintess from Beiju Luzhou had already stepped halfway into the Nine Palace Realm, even completed her lightning tribulation, and was on the verge of ascending… but what did the heavens say?”
Jiang Ke’er’s face darkened.
“Evil heretics are not worthy of the favor of the Great Dao.”
She knew, of course.
She had witnessed it with her own eyes and would never forget that sentence.
“…So what’s the point of you beasts cultivating? Just go back to your animal dens, get fat and plump like wild boars, and wait to be slaughtered, that’s enough!”
Jiang Ke’er pulled herself out of her thoughts, calmed her emotions, and smiled.
“Since I’m an evil heretic, I naturally have to cause a huge commotion, otherwise wouldn’t I be wasting such a title?”
Jiang Ke’er looked at the burly man, her golden pupils imperceptibly narrowing into thin slits.
“What? Want to fight?” The burly man clenched his fists, his two-meter-tall body slightly bent like a longbow, striking a fighting pose.
His muscles bulged, brimming with explosive power, clearly eager for a fight.
“I’m best at beating dogs.”
Seeing more and more contestants gathering around to watch the show, Jiang Ke’er smiled sweetly: “Are you sure?”
The ring on her little finger flickered slightly.
[Punch cultivator Dongshan has been muted by you for 30 days.]
Then Jiang Ke’er took a deep breath, revealed her two little canine teeth, cupped her hands like a megaphone, and yelled to the sky: “Help! Thief!”
That’s right, I’m Jiang Ke’er, the dog demon.
The authority dog.