nucmednet Chapter 108: Trouble at the Gambling House
Chapter 108: Trouble at the Gambling House
The dealer sneered, and several men who looked like thugs immediately surrounded him, rubbing their hands and showing fierce looks on their faces. Seeing that the situation was not good, the scholar wanted to withdraw and escape, but was grabbed by them.
Fists and kicks rained down on the scholar. He huddled in a corner, his hands covering his head, still muttering, "I deserve to win..."
At this moment, he had completely lost the elegance and reserve of a scholar, and was left with only madness and despair. The hustle and bustle in the gambling house continued, and no one cared about the miserable situation of this down-and-out scholar.
Because of the provocation, the scholar was beaten and thrown out like a dead dog, right in front of Cheng Yuntao and Jiang Yu.
The scholar looked horrible at this moment, with his hair scattered messily in front of his forehead, and a few strands of hair stuck together by blood, hanging down his cheeks.
His clothes were torn to pieces, revealing blue and purple scars. In some places, his skin was torn and flesh was exposed, and blood was oozing out, staining the ground beneath him red.
One of his eyes was so swollen that it could only be narrowed into a slit, letting in a faint light. His lips were cracked and swollen beyond recognition, his teeth were stained red with blood, he was breathing in less than he was breathing out, and he kept twitching on the ground, uttering faint groans.
When Cheng Yuntao saw the scholar's miserable state, her brows instantly furrowed, but there was no sympathy in her eyes.
Those nightmarish memories of the past haunted her like ghosts.
In the original owner's memory, that unscrupulous gambler father always stayed out all night, hanging out in gambling houses, and losing all the family savings bit by bit. In order to repay the gambling debts, he even abandoned his little daughter. He really had no conscience at all.
Gamblers lose themselves between winning and losing, and their wealth disappears like water on the gambling table. They pin their hopes on illusory luck, but they don’t know that every roll of the dice and every bet is getting closer to despair. How can they deserve the sympathy of others when they are so stubborn and stubborn?
Cheng Yuntao's eyes were filled with indifference and disgust. The swollen face on the book turned into the face of a scumbag and scoundrel. She turned her head away, unwilling to take another look.
Jiang Yu frowned, his eyes sternly sweeping over the miserable condition of the scholar. He took a step forward with his tall figure and instantly protected Cheng Yuntao behind him.
The gambling shop clerk strode out, glanced at the scholar lying on the ground, and a sneer of disdain appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Hmph, you're such a fool. You don't have any money but you still want to act like a big shot. You don't even know how much you weigh. You can't control your mouth and keep barking. You're just getting a beating, which is a bargain for you."
Seeing Jiang Yu standing not far away, his eyes rolled and he immediately changed his expression. He bowed to Jiang Yu with a smile on his face, and the flattery was almost written on his face.
"Oh, young man, you have such an extraordinary demeanor, you must be a noble from some noble family. Our gambling house is bustling with activity, and every night someone gets lucky and wins a ton of money."
"This is your first visit today, and we have a rule in our shop that first-time customers are given some gambling money so you can try your luck. If you win, it's all yours. Consider it a token of our appreciation."
The gambling shop clerk leaned over and made an invitation, trying to lead Jiang Yu into the gambling house.
Cheng Yuntao's expression remained unchanged, but she stood behind him and quietly reached out to tug at Jiang Yu's sleeve, signaling him not to be fooled.
Jiang Yu regained his former carefree and unrestrained look. He raised his chin slightly, a hint of unruliness flashed in his narrow eyes, a faint smile played at the corner of his mouth, and his voice was a bit teasing.
"Hey, buddy, you're really putting your face in the wrong place. I've never been interested in taking shortcuts or making a small profit. Besides..."
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Yu raised his toes and nudged the scholar who was lying half-dead on the ground.
"The lesson of the past is clear as day. I want to live a few more years and enjoy myself. There's no need to push myself into the fire pit."
The guy choked and was about to open his mouth to refute, but Jiang Yu seemed to see through his thoughts and spoke first.
"I only look brave, but my family is really strict. If I really go into this gambling house, my old man will definitely break my legs. Will you be responsible for reattaching them for me then?"
After saying that, he deliberately acted as if he was terrified, which made Cheng Yuntao beside him burst out laughing.
When the gambling house clerk heard this, the smile on his face froze instantly. He snorted coldly and curled his lips.
"Humph, you are such an ungrateful person. So many people begged me to take them in to make a fortune, but you refused the good things that were delivered to your door."
"He looks like the real deal. I didn't expect him to be such a useless loser, wasting our time." His words were full of sarcasm and anger, but Jiang Yu was not moved at all.
Seeing that they could not get any benefits, the guys gave up the idea. Finally, they kicked the scholar, signaling him to get away, and then led their people back.
The scholar crawled forward two steps, stretched out his hand tremblingly, and grabbed at the air aimlessly, as if a drowning person was desperately grabbing at the last straw.
Cheng Yuntao was startled by his sudden action and stepped back repeatedly to avoid him, but unexpectedly, the scholar reached out and grabbed the hem of her skirt.
He seemed to have grasped the hope of life, and he used up his last bit of strength to try to raise his head. His cloudy eyes were full of pleading, and his cracked lips opened and closed with difficulty, begging the person in front of him to save him.
"Save me... I won't gamble again... Please... save me..."
Jiang Yu's brows furrowed instantly, and without hesitation he took out the short knife he carried at his waist and cut off the blood-stained skirt with a neat movement.
As the skirt fluttered down, the scholar's hands also fell weakly to the ground. Jiang Yu's expression became more and more stern, and he began to ridicule.
"Your current situation is entirely your own fault. If you had kept yourself clean and not indulged in gambling, you wouldn't have ended up like this. Please don't bother us innocent passersby anymore."
As soon as he finished speaking, he held Cheng Yuntao's hand tightly, as if he was afraid of being contaminated by this bad luck, and turned and left without hesitation. Cheng Yuntao let Jiang Yu lead her away.
The scholar collapsed to the ground, looking at their departing backs, his hands still stretched out weakly, but no one paid any attention to him. The only sound around him was the continued noise from the gambling house.
After Jiang Yu took a few steps, he suddenly paused. A thought flashed through his mind, and then he turned around abruptly and walked quickly towards the scholar.
At this time, the scholar was still collapsed on the ground, his eyes empty and desperate, his hand still tightly grasping the bloody piece of cloth cut by Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu took a few steps to the scholar, without saying a word, bent down, stretched out his hand and snatched the piece of cloth from the scholar's hand.