Chapter 352: The Huafa Women’s Army

Outside Tianlai Gambling House in the east of the city, by the time Lin Dong arrived, Huā Wúyuè had already been there. Outside, the crowd of onlookers was even more bustling than the gamblers inside the house. Layer upon layer, it was completely packed.
At the center of the crowd, Huā Wúyuè, the heir of the Huafa family and the top young warrior in Lingnan City, was perhaps one of the focal points. But what truly made it impossible for anyone to move was the dozen or so stunningly beautiful women beside her.
In red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—some delicate and enchanting, others gentle and pure; some petite and slender, others plump and mature—differing in clothing, age, and temperament, yet all were beauties, with subtle similarities among them.
The Huafa Women’s Army was one of the well-known features of Lingnan City, a symbol of strength and beauty.
In contrast, the twenty-some muscular guards behind them paled in comparison; many didn’t even catch the onlookers’ attention.
Across from Huā Wúyuè, Zhào Qiānjun wore a smile, constantly talking to her. Sweat beaded on his forehead as Huā Wúyuè remained silent.
A layer of spiritual energy surrounded her, forming a faint barrier that not only blocked the sunlight but also acted like an invisible wall. As Lin Dong stepped forward, it silently pushed aside all the people in his path.
Seeing Lin Dong emerge from the crowd, Huā Wúyuè’s expression lit up. She quickly turned off the switch on the small spiritual stone fan she was using for show and stepped forward eagerly.
“Manager Lin!”
“Young Master Huā!” Lin Dong bowed.
“Wúyuè, is this the Manager Lin you mentioned?” A graceful middle-aged woman approached Huā Wúyuè and sized up Lin Dong.
Huā Wúyuè nodded and introduced him, “This is my sixth aunt.”
“Lin Dong meets your sixth aunt!” Lin Dong nodded in greeting as spiritual energy slowly surged from his dantian and enveloped it.
“No wonder Wúyuè brought us here to back Lin’s Gym. Manager Lin truly has great presence.”
Huā Jìngyí nodded in approval, her earlier displeasure fading significantly. Given her status, the fact that she spoke such kind words about a inn manager clearly meant she had a good impression of Lin Dong.
Huā Wúyuè then introduced Lin Dong to her sisters one by one. Compared to Huā Jìngyí, her sisters’ judgment was far inferior. At best, they nodded; at worst, they grunted in disapproval, clearly resentful that Lin Dong had persuaded Huā Wúyuè to pressure the various gambling houses.

After dealing with each one in turn, Lin Dong was about to speak when Zhao Qianjun stepped forward. He could tell that the reason the eldest son of the Hua family had brought a large group of people to block the entrance of Tianlai Gambling House was almost certainly because of this man before him. With a sharp and fierce gaze like that of a tiger, Zhao Qianjun stared at Lin Dong for a while before forcing a smile and bowing, saying, “This is…”
“Lin Dong, the owner of Lin’s Inn and the boss of Lin’s Gymnasium,” Lin Dong replied crisply, undisturbed by Zhao Qianjun’s gaze at all.
“So it’s Boss Lin!” Zhao Qianjun understood the reason now, and the smile on his face disappeared completely. The weight in his heart also lifted.
No matter how this Boss Lin had convinced Hua Wuyue to stand up for him, even if they were close friends, Zhao Qianjun believed that as long as this Boss Lin wasn’t a warrior, it wouldn’t be difficult for his boss to handle the situation with his wisdom and abilities.
Hua Wuyue couldn’t be trifled with, and no businessman in Lingnan City could be more formidable than those from Tianlai Gambling House.
“Just call me Manager Lin. It sounds more familiar,” Lin Dong replied with a smile.
“Manager Lin, what brings you to our Tianlai Gambling House this time?” Zhao Qianjun’s gaze grew even sharper. He regretted not realizing earlier that Hua Wuyue was acting on behalf of Lin’s Gymnasium, so he wouldn’t have had to send someone at full speed to Chen’s residence to report it.
Of course, if he could scare this Manager Lin away, it would also be acceptable by the time his boss arrived—at least it wouldn’t show him to be too incompetent.
“Nothing much. I heard that Tianlai Gambling House has added betting events for the four major competitions held by our Lin’s Gymnasium,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “I came to discuss this with you to see if we can earn some silver. As you know, these betting events are closely related to our Lin’s Gymnasium.”
Zhao Qianjun didn’t know that Lin Dong had already talked to Chen Yantian about the betting events. Hearing this, he sneered in disdain. Earn some silver? Bringing the eldest son of the Hua family here just for such a trivial matter?
Having been the manager of the gambling house for over twenty years, Zhao Qianjun was full of confidence in his ability to manipulate people. After glancing at Lin Dong and roughly assessing his personality, he pretended to ignore him, turned his smile toward Hua Wuyue, and bowed, saying, “Young Master Hua, Madam Liu, and all the ladies, your presence here means a lot. This is a trivial matter. Since Manager Lin has asked, I’ll decide—whatever amount he requests will be granted.”
“What a generous statement!” Hua Wuyue couldn’t help but activate the enlightenment of her spirit stone and praised, “I hope you won’t go back on your word later.”

“In Master Hua’s presence, though I, Zhao Qianjun, am not much of a figure in your eyes, I am quite respected in Lingnan City. I would never do anything to go against my word.” Zhao Qianjun thumped his chest emphatically, already planning in his mind to leave a bold and generous impression on Hua Wuyue and the others. This would not only benefit Tianlai Gambling House but also him greatly. As for how much silver the owner of Lin’s Gymnasium was willing to pay, Zhao Qianjun didn’t even give it a thought. That Mr. Lin surely wouldn’t ask for a hundred or eight hundred million taels, right? At most, it would be twenty or thirty thousand taels. Even if it were two or three hundred thousand taels, Zhao Qianjun could immediately withdraw the money from the gambling house to pay on the spot. As long as he could get Hua Wuyue to leave, he could send a few people to Lin’s Inn or Lin’s Gymnasium later. Businessmen fear trouble and death more than anyone else. By capturing a few people or even going to Mr. Lin’s bedroom in the middle of the night with a knife, they might force him to hand over the silver and promise not to complain to Hua Wuyue—maybe even earning some extra money in the process. With confidence, Zhao Qianjun agreed with firm determination. “Generous! Mr. Lin, just tell me how much silver you want them to pay,” Hua Wuyue said, looking at Lin Dong. “Tianlai Gambling House is in Lingnan City—aren’t there already eight gambling houses here?” Lin Dong asked Zhao Qianjun with a smile. “That’s right!” Zhao Qianjun replied firmly. “What’s your surname, sir?” Lin Dong’s smile grew brighter. “Can you really make decisions on behalf of Boss Chen?” “I’m Zhao Qianjun. Thanks to Boss Chen’s trust, I’m in charge of Tianlai Gambling House and can make decisions on all matters related to it. As for the other seven gambling houses…” Zhao Qianjun turned to look at Hua Wuyue and smiled. “With Master Hua, Madam Liu, and all the ladies coming in person, even Boss Chen won’t frown no matter how much silver is asked. I’m just agreeing on his behalf.” “Quite generous! Then!” Lin Dong grinned. “Manager Zhao, what do you think… one million taels per month for each Tianlai Gambling House?” “Agreed!” Zhao Qianjun accepted immediately. “Truly befitting Tianlai Gambling House—so generous!” Hua Wuyue gave Zhao Qianjun a thumbs up in praise. “I’ve lived for over twenty years, and today I’ve truly seen what a great person looks like.” “Oh, no, Master Hua. What am I compared to you?” Zhao Qianjun quickly shook his head humbly.

“Tsk tsk… Sixth Aunt, running a gambling house is that profitable?” The twelveth daughter of the Hua family, dressed in blue armor and looking valiant, couldn’t help but click her tongue and tug at Hua Jingyi’s sleeve.

Hua Jingyi glanced at Lin Dong, who was staring at Zhao Qianjun with admiration, smiled, and nodded. “Of all industries, gambling houses are the most profitable. Tianlai Gambling House is now considered the largest in Lingnan Commandery.”

“By no means!” Zhao Qianjun quickly waved his hands. “Madam Liu, your words make Tianlai Gambling House feel utterly ashamed. Compared to the Hua family’s extensive businesses across Lingnan Commandery, our Tianlai Gambling House certainly can’t even be called profitable.”

“Eight gambling houses, one million taels of silver per month—that means paying out eight million taels of silver each month. And that’s not called being profitable…?” The twelveth daughter of the Hua family pouted, thinking of her own monthly allowance of only two thousand taels of silver. Her resentful expression instantly erased her valiant demeanor.

“Miss Hua, it’s only one million taels of silver per month. For us at Tianlai Gambling House, what’s that even…?” Zhao Qianjun was about to praise the Hua family again when he opened his mouth and suddenly couldn’t close it.

One million taels of silver per month? And that’s just for one Tianlai Gambling House?

Hua Jingyi and the other Hua family daughters, aside from the twelveth daughter, couldn’t help but smile.

This passionate manager Zhao had finally understood.

“Young Master Hua, did he… did he say one million taels of silver?” Zhao Qianjun pointed at Lin Dong, stammering.

“Mm, one million taels of silver per house per month. Eight houses mean eight million taels of silver,” Hua Wuyue said impatiently, waving her hand. “Since Manager Zhao has agreed, go get the silver bills! Just give us one month’s worth for now. It’s getting late, and I need to head back.”

Zhao Qianjun’s face turned red as he stammered, unable to speak.

“What, Manager Zhao, are you telling me the gambling house doesn’t have that much cash on hand?” Hua Wuyue asked unhappily. “You agreed so readily just now—was that just to appease me?”

“No, no…” Seeing signs of anger from Hua Wuyue, Zhao Qianjun didn’t care about face any longer. He quickly shook his head and said with a sad expression, “I… I misheard. I thought it was one hundred taels of silver per house per month.”

“One hundred taels of silver per house per month? Manager Zhao, are you not just appeasing me but also mocking me?” Hua Wuyue’s expression turned cold. “I, Hua Wuyue, came here in person to discuss this—can eight hundred taels of silver settle it? But who am I, Hua Wuyue? Who is my Sixth Aunt? And who do we, the entire Hua family, think we are?”

“No, no…” Zhao Qianjun’s face turned ashen as death. He repeated repeatedly, “Young Master Hua, think about it—it’s just a gambling match. How could we have to pay eight million taels of silver every month? Even if we sold Lin’s Gymnasium, it probably wouldn’t be worth a hundred thousand taels, right?”
“A hundred thousand taels? It seems Manager Zhao still doubts my judgment,” Hua Wuyue sneered. “By your logic, did I act foolish by offering ten million taels to buy Lin’s Gymnasium a few days ago?”
Zhao Qianjun was stunned into silence. Ten million taels for Lin’s Gymnasium? Could a single gymnasium really be worth that much?
“A hundred thousand taels? You’ve been at Tianlai Gambling House for over half a month. With Lin’s Gymnasium, the profit you’ve made must be at least that much, right?” Hua Wuyue laughed coldly. “It seems Manager Zhao still thinks of me as an ignorant fool.”
Zhao Qianjun panicked. Based on the construction cost of Lin’s Gymnasium, a hundred thousand taels was the absolute maximum. But according to Hua Wuyue’s calculation, ten million taels might not even be a lie. Although the eight gambling houses in Tianlai Gambling House hadn’t made a hundred thousand taels in half a month, all the gambling houses in Lingnan City combined might very well have exceeded that amount.
Just one gambling match could generate hundreds of thousands of taels in profit per month. With ten million taels, it would only take five or six years to recoup the investment.
Zhao Qianjun was filled with regret. Missing just one word had led to such serious consequences. Incompetent, foolish! Any of those labels applied—given Hua Wuyue’s popularity in the Hua family, even if Hua Wuyue herself wasn’t willing to hold it against him, the many young ladies in the family certainly wouldn’t be so easy to deal with.
It might explode at any moment.
Zhao Qianjun shuddered and dared not think any further. He kept saying, “Young Master Hua, Young Master Hua… How could I dare…”
Bang!
With her sharp eyesight, how could Hua Jingyi allow Zhao Qianjun to explain further? She silently pushed out a palm, hitting him right in the chest. Not only did it send the words back down his throat, but it also sent him flying backward.
“Master Zhao!”
Inside Tianlai Gambling House, the gang members ordered by Zhao Qianjun not to leave and upset Hua Wuyue watched as Zhao Qianjun was knocked to the ground by a single palm strike. They wanted to rush forward to help but dared not act rashly and provoke Hua Jingyi’s anger. They could only try to sound worried from behind, constantly calling out to Zhao Qianjun.
“Madam Liu, it’s a misunderstanding, really a misunderstanding.” As Hua Jingyi stepped forward slowly, Zhao Qianjun pleaded for mercy while praying that Chen Yantian would arrive soon.

“A misunderstanding? Daring to tease Wu Yue? There’s no need to keep this Heaven’s Gambling House open at all.”
Hua Jingyi stopped, raised her fair arms, and pushed forward slightly with her fingers.
The Hua family had more women than men, and whenever conflicts arose, these female warriors were always involved. As a result, after repeated encounters, the Hua family’s young ladies had developed an extremely high level of coordination—upon seeing Hua Jingyi’s gesture, they immediately understood what she meant and could even tell the appropriate intensity of their actions. Almost simultaneously, they all took out the spirit swords from their storage rings and charged forward with cries.
In an instant, over a dozen Hua family young ladies rushed into Heaven’s Gambling House, brimming with fierce energy. The gambling house’s thugs, who usually acted like demons among gamblers, trembled like timid lambs facing bloodthirsty wolves when they saw the Hua family’s ladies charging in.
In terms of both momentum and strength, the thugs were nowhere near their match. In fact, since the Hua family’s ladies had weaker physical conditions than men, they had to be more courageous and aggressive than any other family if they wanted to maintain their status among the major clans in Lingnan City.
While perhaps not as fierce as bandits, the Hua family’s ladies still surpassed the thugs, who were second only to bandits.
Soon, loud noises resembling thunder filled the area around the gambling house—the sound of structures being demolished.