Chapter 336: The Bet

After confirming the details regarding the sports star and carefully checking everything to ensure nothing was missed, with no additional ideas coming to mind, Lin Dong watched a few more rounds of archery competitions before standing up.
“Young man, not watching any more?”
A voice from behind asked.
Lin Dong smiled and nodded. “I have some matters to attend to. I’m heading back first.”
“Lao Li, let’s go back too,” the old man said, nodding at his companion. “After watching for so long, only Wan Xiliang is worth watching. If I keep watching, I’ll fall asleep.”
“I’m similar. Not watching… feels like a waste!” Another old man hesitated. “Our tickets cost over 800 coins each. It would be a shame not to watch it to the end.”
“That’s true!”
Lin Dong was speechless. This conversation wasn’t good news for him.
The two men behind him were archers themselves, clearly extremely passionate about archery. If even they were getting drowsy, what about the other spectators?
The top archers in the military camp also held official ranks, though only at the eighth level, which was lifetime tenure. Although their wealth wasn’t as great as that of the wealthy families, it was still quite substantial. If they felt it was a waste today, they might not come tomorrow. It wasn’t unfounded that the number of spectators dropped by a third on the second day of operation.
He needed to hurry up with the matter of the sports star.
Walking out of the passage and into the shop, Lin Dong greeted Chang Fei before heading straight to the main street. It was the busiest time of day—people were coming and going, vendors were shouting enthusiastically, and pedestrians were strolling around with great interest…
Lin Dong kept thinking about the sports star, carelessly walking toward Lin’s Inn on the same street. Suddenly, a dark figure rushed toward him from the side, scattering vendors and causing curses as it passed by.
Lin Dong frowned and glanced to the left, seeing a disheveled young man in a blue cloth shirt rushing toward him.
“Move aside! Everyone, move aside…”
The young man rushed straight toward Lin Dong, shouting for those in his way to step aside, but it seemed he hadn’t considered turning to avoid them.
Lin Dong glanced at the few burly men chasing closely behind the young man, then looked up at the sign above them—“Heavenly Gambling House” in bold letters, exuding dominance. Below the sign, the word “Gambling” flapped in the wind, giving off an aggressive impression.

Although gambling houses are dangerous places, it’s rare to see people there openly grabbing and beating others. Even if someone owes the casino high-interest debts, to prevent other gamblers from being deterred, such actions are usually carried out secretly. Only in cases of fraud or trying to disrupt the gambling house would they act so openly. Doing so not only has little impact on the gamblers’ enthusiasm but also serves as a warning to others.

Lin Dong glanced at the young man, who looked disheveled and unsteady on his feet, making fraud more likely.

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Dong turned away and continued walking.

Bang!

With a sharp sound, Lin Dong kept walking, simply telling others to move aside, unaware that the young man who failed to turn around was flung backward.

“Zhang Jiufang, let’s see where you run!”

“Daring to cause trouble in our Tianlai Gambling House—if you can get away, I’ll take your surname from now on!”

Shouts and chaos grew louder. Lin Dong thought he was out of trouble until a young man, panting heavily, rushed up and knelt down, grabbing Lin Dong’s thigh.

“Big brother, save me! Please save me…”

The man begging for help was none other than the fraudster known as Zhang Jiufang.

“I think it’s better if I don’t help. There are four or five of them against just me—I’m not that strong,” Lin Dong said casually.

“No, no, big brother, save me!” Zhang Jiufang held onto Lin Dong tightly, pleading urgently. “Don’t let my thin build fool you—I’m actually very strong. When I accidentally bumped into you, you didn’t budge at all, but I was flung backward. From this, you must be a martial artist.”

“And so what? Aren’t all the gambling house thugs martial artists?” Lin Dong replied indifferently. “Besides, you deliberately bumped into me. If you can’t beat me, you come to me for help. If you hurt me, don’t expect me to let you off easy—you’ll have to pay for the medicine. Why should I save you?”

“I… I…” Zhang Jiufang was speechless but still clung tightly to Lin Dong’s thigh.

“Zhang Jiufang, confess who sent you here,” said one of the four tough guys from Tianlai Gambling House, surrounding the two of them. With a cold smile, he added, “If you do that, we might spare your life. Otherwise, the eastern burial ground will be your new home.”

Zhang Jiufang shuddered and screamed incoherently, begging for mercy. “Gentlemen, I really just came to gamble here. Please let me go! I have an elderly family and children to support. I really didn’t come here to steal records from Lin’s Gymnasium’s gambling games.” Lin’s Gymnasium, gambling games?

Lin Dong, who was about to shake Zhang Jiu Fang away with a kick, froze. How could gambling fraud involve him?
“Is that so?” The leader of the thugs showed a fierce expression on his cold face. “I said you came to steal records from Lin’s Gymnasium’s gambling matches.”
Zhang Jiu Fang’s mouth dropped open, his face turning pale instantly. The frustration in his heart was so intense that, if it weren’t for still needing to hold onto Lin Dong as his last lifeline, he would have wanted to pull out all his hair.
“Kid, we’re here at Tianlai Casino on business. If it has nothing to do with you, get out of the way quickly.” A burly man glared at Lin Dong, annoyed by his calmness.
Lin Dong remained silent. Slightly more spiritual energy flowed into his right leg, and with a snap, Zhang Jiu Fang was pushed back a bit. But instead of heading toward Lin’s Inn, he turned and walked toward Tianlai Casino. He had to see what was going on at Lin’s Gymnasium’s gambling matches.
“Big brother… save me!” Zhang Jiu Fang was quick-witted. Being easily pushed away only strengthened his determination that Lin Dong was his lifeline. He immediately threw himself at Lin Dong’s legs.
Lin Dong shifted slightly, causing Zhang Jiu Fang to miss and fall to the ground.
“Big brother, please save me. I’m willing to pay you—would a hundred taels work?” Zhang Jiu Fang pleaded. “If not, two hundred, three hundred—even a thousand taels is fine. I’m Zhang Jiu Fang. If you’ve heard of me, you should know I can pay back the money.”
“Are you that famous?” Lin Dong asked in doubt. “If you really could come up with a thousand taels, why would you risk going to someone else’s casino to steal records for a little money?”
“Famous? Of course I’m famous,” Zhang Jiu Fang shouted. “I’m one of the top painters in Lingnan City. If I really wanted to earn a thousand taels, I could do it in just a few months. It’s just… I’m too lazy to go out and paint for others. I owe money to others, so I’m forced to do this. Don’t worry, big brother. As long as you save me, I promise to reform. In half a year… no, just three months, I’ll definitely give you a thousand taels as payment.”
Lin Dong couldn’t help but laugh. In this world, he had seen it all. From Zhang Jiu Fang’s shifting gaze and the flaws in his words, he could tell right away that if he really saved this kid for a thousand taels, the kid would leave Lingnan City by the next day.
But a painter…
If this kid was really one of the top painters in Lingnan City, wouldn’t he be someone needed to promote sports stars?

“Brother, trust me.” Seeing Lin Dong remain silent, Zhang Jiufang thought he had him convinced and kept assuring him, “One thousand taels. I can write you an IOU right now. Three months—I guarantee I’ll pay it back within three months.”
“How about your skill in drawing portraits?” Lin Dong suddenly asked a question that seemed very strange to the onlookers.
“Huh?” Zhang Jiufang thought he heard wrong and didn’t know how to respond.
By then, a crowd of bold passersby had gathered around the four thugs. Noticing the strange atmosphere inside, one particularly bold man, eager to watch the thugs torment Zhang Jiufang, couldn’t hold back and shouted, “Brother, you’re from out of town, right? This Zhang Jiufang—his three greatest skills are: first, his speed; second, his good memory; third, his ability to draw portraits vividly.”
“This guy is just lazy and reckless, loves gambling, and is arrogant. Otherwise, why would he be like this?” someone else added. “Lord Liu from the north of the city offered him a hundred taels to paint his portrait, but because the tea used wasn’t good enough, he played tricks on Lord Liu in the portrait. Luckily, Lord Liu still showed it at his 50th birthday celebration, and when people noticed the jokes, it almost drove him mad. The treasurer of the palace saw some talent in him and kindly invited him to work as a clerk there. But instead of accepting, he deliberately agreed—only for to mess up all the accounts in the palace. After being thrown out, he complained that they looked down on him for paying him only four taels a month. He doesn’t realize how rare it is these days to earn four taels a month. He deserves to be beaten to death. Sir, I think you’d better stay out of this mess and avoid getting into trouble because of such a person.”
“Yes, exactly…”
Seeing someone brave enough to speak up, more onlookers joined in. One after another, none of them showed any sympathy for Zhang Jiufang.
In the eyes of ordinary people, casino thugs were nothing but ruthless villains. And now, with villains catching someone, no one showed sympathy for the caught person—undoubtedly, this man wasn’t much better than the villains.
“Brother, don’t listen to them. They’re jealous, yes, jealous of my talent.” Zhang Jiufang was drenched in cold sweat, glaring at the onlookers as if he wanted to devour them all.
Lin Dong couldn’t help but laugh silently. At such a low level of character, yet still blaming others for jealousy—truly extreme.
However, the words of the onlookers convinced Lin Dong that Zhang Jiufang was indeed a painter, and he had real skill in drawing portraits.

It’s just a small effort; those who are useful will surely be saved. As for character… Even Cheng Bao, a bandit who has committed every kind of evil, was taken in as a chef, and Yu Mudan, the owner of that shady shop, was also brought into the inn. Compared to these two, especially Cheng Bao, Zhang Jiu Fang is far worse in character—he doesn’t even deserve to be kicked aside.

“Kid, are you going to move or not?” The leader of the thugs grew impatient.

Lin Dong smiled calmly. In the next moment, the four thugs instantly felt their bodies lose control, unable to move even a little.

Such a strange phenomenon made even these four martial artists shiver with fear. Their faces turned pale, and though they wanted to call for help, their pounding hearts prevented them from uttering a sound.

Lin Dong grabbed Zhang Jiu Fang by the collar, lifted him slightly, and said with a smile, “Speak! Who sent you to Tianlai Gambling House?”

“This… this…” Zhang Jiu Fang looked troubled. Revealing it might only bring more danger.

Snap!

The next second, Lin Dong pulled his right hand holding Zhang Jiu Fang’s collar upward, then shifted his grip from the collar to the neck. With a slight force, Zhang Jiu Fang let out a scream.

After just a few screams, he couldn’t bear the pain any longer and stammered in agony, “It was Hong Wanfu, the boss of Hongfu Gambling House. It was Hong Wanfu.”

The increasingly forceful grip stopped. Lin Dong glanced at the two thugs across from him and said nonchalantly, “Since the culprit has confessed, let’s show some courtesy. How about I release this one?”

As soon as he spoke, the force that held the four men in place vanished instantly.

The four of them, trembling with fear, stared at Lin Dong.

“If you stay silent, that means you admit it.”

Lin Dong carried Zhang Jiu Fang toward Lin’s Inn.

“Big brother, be careful! They might attack from behind!”

Zhang Jiu Fang kept warning Lin Dong, but even as Lin Dong passed by one of the thugs, there was still no resistance.

Amid disappointed looks, Lin Dong made his way through the crowd.

Seeing that the thugs weren’t chasing after them, Zhang Jiu Fang breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I can’t express my gratitude enough, big brother. You can let me go now.”

Lin Dong smiled but ignored him, continuing to carry Zhang Jiu Fang to the right side of Lin’s Inn.

Upon reaching the side door of the back courtyard, Lin Dong flung the door open and pulled Zhang Jiu Fang inside.

“Big brother, where are you taking me?” Seeing that there was no one around, Zhang Jiu Fang grew anxious, fearing he might have just escaped the wolves only to fall into the tigers.

“Brother, don’t worry. I’ll write an IOU right now. Three months… no, two months—just two months. I promise to bring a thousand taels of silver to see you.”
By the stone table in the backyard, Liu An, who had been sitting there the whole time, stood up when he saw Lin Dong enter.
Glancing at Zhang Jiu Fang in Lin Dong’s hand, Liu An hesitated to speak.
Lin Dong swung his right hand like a knife and slashed at Zhang Jiu Fang’s neck. The next moment, the world became a bit quieter.
Throwing Zhang Jiu Fang to the ground, Lin Dong sat down on the stone bench and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Liang Gufeng has arrived. He says he has something to discuss with the owner. Manager Ma told me to wait in the backyard and ask if we should see him,” Liu An explained. “According to Manager Ma, Liang Gufeng probably wants us to join forces against Hongfu Restaurant.”
“Liang Gufeng…”
Lin Dong pondered for a moment before making up his mind. Alliance was out of the question. He had already decided to take advantage of the chaos between Fenglin Restaurant and Hongfu Restaurant to sneak in—that would be asking for trouble.
Still, he needed to meet Liang Gufeng. Liang Gufeng wasn’t stupid; he must know that it was better for Lin’s Inn to focus on its own development. Getting involved would do more harm than good. The fact that he came looking for Lin’s Inn meant he suspected the inn’s people were foolish—there must be something valuable as a bargaining chip.
Whether to agree or not was one thing; just meeting him would waste a little time.
Of course, he had to finish what he was doing first.
“Liu An, don’t reply yet. Get a basin of water,” Lin Dong ordered. “Also, bring pen and ink. I plan to have you in charge of Lin’s Gym for a while. There are some things I need to instruct you on.”
Liu An was overjoyed. Being Ma Chun’s subordinate and now in charge of Lin’s Gym alone was a huge leap forward for him.
Soon, Liu An rushed over with a wooden basin, the water inside sloshing. From inside his clothes, a piece of rice paper appeared and disappeared with his movements.
“Give him a basin!” Lin Dong nodded at Zhang Jiu Fang.
Though puzzled, Liu An didn’t ask questions. He brought the basin to Zhang Jiu Fang and poured a bucket of cold well water over his head.
Ssshh…
Zhang Jiu Fang shuddered, his body twitching a few times before he slowly regained consciousness. Seeing Lin Dong, he fully woke up.
Glancing at the basin in Liu An’s hand and then at Lin Dong, who sat calmly on the stone bench, Zhang Jiu Fang swallowed hard and cautiously apologized, “Brother, what are you doing…?”
“First, explain what’s going on with the gambling matches at Lin’s Gym,” Lin Dong said calmly.

“Gambling on matches?” Zhang Jiufang was utterly confused, not understanding why Lin Dong would be interested in this. If he really wanted to know, he could just go to Tianlai Casino and find out.
Lin Dong took out the Warrior Card and waved it in front of Zhang Jiufang, saying casually, “For warriors, killing someone with a poor reputation only requires a pretext of acting bravely for justice—seems they don’t even have to pay a fine.”
Zhang Jiufang’s heart sank; he crawled to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Sure enough, he had left the wolf’s den only to fall into a tiger’s lair.
“I’ll ask questions one by one. Answer immediately if you know, and say you don’t know if you don’t. Under no circumstances ask back questions,” Lin Dong said, putting the Warrior Card back on the counter. His voice was grave. “What’s the deal with the gambling on matches at Linji Gymnasium?”
Zhang Jiufang didn’t dare hesitate. He quickly replied in a trembling voice, “That’s a new betting option introduced by Tianlai Casino yesterday afternoon. There are two ways to bet: on the four major events at Linji Gymnasium, you can bet on how many people will score 100 points in total—whether it’s for a single match or all four matches—or on scores from 99 down to zero. The odds range from 10 to 1 for the lowest stakes to 100 to 1 for the highest. There’s also betting on who will make it to the autumn competitions, with odds from 1.1 to 1 for the lowest stakes to 100 to 1 for the highest. I heard they’ll add double-team bets for each match, betting on who will come in first, second, or third. I happen to owe a large sum of silver at Hongfu Casino and can’t repay it. Since I have an eidetic memory, Master Hong sent me here to record all of Tianlai Casino’s betting options, probably planning to introduce them at Hongfu Casino as well.”
Lin Dong frowned slightly. On the very first day Linji Gymnasium opened, Tianlai Casino already had betting on matches. Just based on this foresight for Linji Gymnasium’s future development and the boldness to introduce such betting options without any prior information, it seemed the owner of Tianlai Casino could outshine Hong Wanfu, who had dominated the gambling industry in Lingnan City for over twenty years, not just because of his connections with local officials. His personal ability was the real reason.
At the very least, the fact that Hong Wanfu wanted to copy Tianlai Casino showed he was somewhat inferior.
This was likely extremely bad news for Linji Gymnasium.