Chapter 19: Approaching Crisis

Ma Liu laughed heartily, "Haha, Brother Jiu Si, we haven't seen each other in two days. How about coming over for a few rounds today?"

Chen Jie shook his head and said, "No thanks, Brother Liu. I'm short on cash lately, so I'm not playing."

"Don't be like that. Money isn't an issue; we have ways to lend it," Ma Liu said with a smile.

Chen Jie replied, "Brother Liu, I'm penniless. Who's going to lend to me?"

"Eh~ don't you still have a house? Besides, that little tag-along of yours and that jinx of a woman—you could use them as collateral. At the very least, you could swap them for five or six taels of silver," Ma Liu said, squeezing a smile onto his pockmarked face.

Hearing this, murderous intent flared in Chen Jie's heart. These bastards truly intended to strip him to the bone; they were planning to squeeze every last drop of oil from his body.

They were predators who devoured people without leaving a bone.

Chen Jie put on a troubled expression. "This... this wouldn't be right, would it?"

Ma Liu said, "Come on, brother, win back your losses! Think about it, how much did you lose at Yu Jiabao's gambling den? Don't you want to win it back? That was the entire fortune Old Man Chen accumulated in his lifetime. Are you just going to let others win it all like that?"

"Can you really be at peace with that?" Ma Liu incited him. He understood the gambler's psyche perfectly, so every word he spoke struck right at the heart of a gambler.

A gambler, once you sit at the table, you can never leave.

If you win, you want to win more; if you lose, you want to win it back. Unless you lose everything—your fortune, your wife, and your children—you will never stop.

Thus, Ma Liu's tactics were incredibly effective. Usually, a rigged game would let you win a little at first, then slowly let you lose. Once you start losing, you'll want to win it back, and the more you try, the more you lose, until not a single penny is left—it all goes to the house.

"Come on, brother, just a few rounds. A little gambling is good for the soul. Let's go."

As he spoke, Ma Liu reached out to nudge Chen Jie.

Unexpectedly, Chen Jie pulled his hand away. Looking at Ma Liu, he said, "Brother Liu, I'm done. I have things to do, so I'll be going."

With that, Chen Jie pushed his cart and walked away.

Seeing this, Ma Liu stared blankly at his hand, which was still extended in a gesture of invitation. His gaze turned dark and sinister.

He watched Chen Jie's retreating figure and withdrew his hand, feeling that this Chen Jiu Si was different now.

A lackey standing nearby looked at Chen Jie's back and asked Ma Liu, "Brother Liu, this kid...?"

Ma Liu's eyes were grim. "Something's not right."

The lackey asked, "You mean he's reformed?"

Ma Liu sneered, "Reformed? Heh, he's worked for me for years. I've seen plenty of people lose their families and have their homes destroyed. Have you ever seen anyone wash their hands of it and stop gambling for good?"

The lackey shook his head. Ma Liu sneered again, "This Chen Jiu Si won't be able to escape my palm."

"However, this kid... is acting abnormal. No, I have to find an opportunity to pressure him. You two keep soliciting customers; I'm going to see Young Master Yu."

"Understood!"

The two lackeys responded, and Ma Liu hurried toward a large manor in town.

This was the Yu family manor. After being announced, he was told to wait a moment as the Young Master was performing his "morning lessons." Ma Liu understood perfectly.

After a while, the butler informed Ma Liu that he could enter. Upon entering the courtyard, he saw a man being held up by several servants, his face covered in tears.

The large door facing him was wide open. Yu Sanliu, the young master of the Yu Jiabao gambling den, walked out while pulling up his trousers, his torso bare. Through the crack in the door, one could see a woman naked and tied to a rack in a very shameful position.

It was obvious she had just undergone a very "cruel" treatment.

As Yu Sanliu emerged, a maid immediately offered him tea. He took a sip, walked up to the man being held, and splashed the tea directly into the man's face.

The man stared at Yu Sanliu. Yu Sanliu looked at him and said, "Your wife is quite good; she served the Young Master very well. I'll waive the interest on the money you borrowed. Following the old rules, just return the principal by tomorrow. If you can't, you'll have to get lost again. And next time, your wife might not be enough to cover the interest."

"Understand?"

"Yes, yes!"

The man nodded. Yu Sanliu waved his hand. "Take your wife and get lost! Let him go!"

The man was released and entered his house in a daze, followed immediately by the sound of wailing from within.

Yu Sanliu used his pinky to pick his ear and looked at Ma Liu. "What is it?"

"Master, I saw Chen Jiu Si today."

"Oh?"

Yu Sanliu's eyes lit up. That Chen Jiu Si was a living god of wealth; in the last half year, he had brought nearly a thousand taels of silver to the gambling den.

This included real estate, fertile land, antiques, calligraphy, paintings, gold, silver, and various other valuables.

"Then why didn't you drag him in for a few rounds? That wife of his, Su Yunjin, is quite something. Years ago, my father wanted to marry her into our family, but that old man Su was too arrogant and looked down on me. But I like arrogance—the more she looks down on me, the more I want to have her, the more I want to humiliate her!"

Yu Sanliu made no effort to hide his perversion.

Ma Liu, however, said, "Master, it seems Chen Jiu Si has changed. He didn't come this time; instead, he bought some rice, flour, oil, and salt..."

"Hmm?"

Yu Sanliu's gaze sharpened. Returning to family life—that was not a good sign. Ma Liu continued, "So, Master, I think we need to pressure him. Otherwise, I'm afraid he won't submit willingly."

"Oh? And what do you suggest?" Yu Sanliu looked at Ma Liu.

Ma Liu said, "I remember he has an IOU here with you, Young Master."

Yu Sanliu chuckled. "That one tael of silver? Is he not paying it back?"

Ma Liu said, "But the IOU wasn't torn up. Back then, you let him win two taels, and in his excitement, he simply forgot about it."

"Using one thing for two purposes... Ma Liu, they say you're a bad influence for a reason."

Yu Sanliu waved his hand to the butler. "Ding, find that IOU and give it to him."

"Yes, sir."

The butler immediately went to search. After a short while, he returned and handed over an IOU. It read: *Chen Jiu Si borrowed one tael of silver from Yu Sanliu, with a daily interest of two cents. Dated the second day of the third month, ninth year of Zheng.*

Ma Liu took the IOU and smiled. "Master, this time, I don't believe that kid won't submit!"

As the two were laughing, a sudden *thud* echoed!

This was followed by a man's scream: "Cui'er!"

Soon, a servant came to report, "Young Master, that woman jumped into the well to commit suicide."

Yu Sanliu flew into a rage. "Damn bastard! How could you let her jump into the well? What about the water? Can we even drink it anymore? What damn bad luck! Carry it away, carry it away..."

"Yes, yes, Young Master. I'll handle it immediately."

The servant responded and hurried off to deal with it, as if this sort of thing had happened more than once or twice. Ma Liu smacked his lips and muttered, "What a waste."

Yu Sanliu glanced at him and said, "Do a good job with this task for me. Once I get my hands on Su Yunjin, I'll reward you during the next 'morning lesson'."

"Ah, thank you, Young Master!"

Ma Liu was overjoyed.