BVAHEDLA[W Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Ancient Times 27 – Master and Bodyguard, So Spicy, They’re Both Phantom Thieves…

Chu Li-fei looked around and found that this casino was quite crowded. His ears were filled with the sounds of “Buy Big” and “Buy Small,” accompanied by the revelry of some and the wails of others.

While he couldn’t claim to be an expert, Chu Li-fei wasn’t completely ignorant about such places. Aside from the few who genuinely had skills – and by that, he meant cheating – the outcomes for the rest were firmly controlled by the dealers.

Or rather, by the casino owner.

He casually glanced at the dealer’s sleeve and, sure enough, spotted several replacement dice.

What appeared to be a contest of luck was actually a carefully laid trap that people unknowingly walked into.

As for the consequences of not being able to pay…

Chu Li-fei followed the sound of a wretched scream to the entrance, where he saw a man crawling on the ground in agony, dragged towards the door by several burly men. No matter how much he struggled, it was futile.

Soon, the screaming stopped abruptly. Chu Li-fei’s nose twitched slightly, catching a faint whiff of blood in the air.

The casino was dimly lit. Chu Li-fei chuckled inwardly, a cold glint in his eyes. He navigated through the crowd shouting “No more bets!” and arrived with Lu Mo-chen at a corner of the casino –

This was the true entrance to Rainbow Pavilion.

Lu Mo-chen seemed to sense something and glanced at Chu Li-fei. Despite the noise, he’d caught Chu Li-fei’s soft chuckle. As they rounded a corner, Lu Mo-chen glanced back.

Both he and Chu Li-fei were dressed in dark colors, and the lighting in the corner was almost nonexistent. They were like ghosts lurking in the shadows, unnoticed by the people immersed in their own worlds.

Looking at the expressions of joy and despair, Lu Mo-chen quickly averted his gaze –

Those people weren’t worth his attention.

Unlike the clamor outside, the deeper they went, the quieter it became.

A waiter wearing a mask with strange patterns stood rigidly at the door, a smile on his face beneath the mask. He was respectful but with an unsettling air, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen approaching, the waiter lowered his head slightly in greeting, then extended his hand. The eyes behind the mask were clear, pupils distinct from the whites, and his gaze was like a sharp blade, fixed on them.

Only when Lu Mo-chen presented the invitation did the waiter’s expression soften. He took the red invitation from Lu Mo-chen, glanced over it briefly, and returned it within seconds.

Then, he seemed to casually scrutinize Chu Li-fei, causing Lu Mo-chen’s heart to leap, though he forced himself to remain calm, afraid the waiter would notice something amiss.

Chu Li-fei simply stood there, allowing himself to be examined.

After a moment, the waiter retracted his gaze, turned to open the door, and bowed, extending his right hand in invitation for Lu Mo-chen and Chu Li-fei to enter.

The door opened to reveal darkness.

Lu Mo-chen turned, his gaze lingering on the waiter for a moment. Seeing him maintain his respectful demeanor, he turned back to the darkness.

Before him was a descending staircase, seemingly endless, like a gateway to hell, leading into the unknown.

Lu Mo-chen hesitated for a moment, then sensed a familiar presence approaching, calming his restless unease. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Chu Li-fei followed half a step behind Lu Mo-chen.

The door closed quickly behind them, and with the last ray of light gone, they were plunged into darkness. Chu Li-fei was fine, but Lu Mo-chen was still adjusting. Unable to see anything, he instinctively grabbed Chu Li-fei’s sleeve, entrusting himself to him, which seemed to offer some comfort.

The moment he felt his sleeve being pulled, Chu Li-fei pulled it away, quickly grabbed Lu Mo-chen’s hand, took a small step forward to his side, and carefully guided him forward.

The movements were so fast that even he hadn’t reacted.

Realizing this, Chu Li-fei paused, slightly stunned.

“Jia One…?” Lu Mo-chen whispered, his voice echoing in the narrow stairwell.

Jia One was the agreed-upon code name.

Lu Mo-chen’s persona was that of an arrogant young master, so it wouldn’t be strange for him to have several bodyguards he’d raised since childhood. Since Chu Li-fei was acting as Lu Mo-chen’s guard, there couldn’t be any slip-ups in their address. Therefore, they had agreed on the code name “Jia One.”

After all, they didn’t know if Rainbow Pavilion had other means of detecting them, testing whether they were spies or had other motives for infiltrating.

Someone might even be listening to them right now.

Therefore, to avoid complications, it was best to be careful.

“Nothing. Master, watch your step,” Chu Li-fei said, his tone calm and unwavering, as if he had completely immersed himself in the role, becoming a heartless killing machine whose only concern was his master.

Chu Li-fei, holding Lu Mo-chen’s hand, carefully assessed their surroundings. Fortunately, his night vision was good. The stairs were long, made of ordinary concrete, and had fine gravel on them.

The staircase spiraled downwards, constantly descending, and no one knew how deep it went.

After some time, Chu Li-fei noticed a faint light flickering through the gaps in the middle of the staircase.

It seemed they were almost there. Judging by the distance, they had about a third of the way to go.

Chu Li-fei squeezed Lu Mo-chen’s hand in signal, and they quickened their pace.

Reaching the last step, Chu Li-fei released Lu Mo-chen’s hand.

The warmth of the palm disappeared, and Lu Mo-chen suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He instinctively looked to his right, and in the faint candlelight, he saw Chu Li-fei taking a half step back to his previous position.

He felt a sense of loss, but quickly adjusted his emotions and looked ahead.

Instantly, as his gaze aligned, rows of candles on either side lit up one after another, illuminating the entire passage.

Judging by the distance, it seemed to be only about a hundred meters.

At the end, someone was already waiting. Judging by their attire, they looked no different from the waiter upstairs.

Finally, they had arrived. A weight seemed to lift from their chests, only to be replaced by anxiety. If what they had just experienced was merely an appetizer, then from now on, they would face the real test –

Since seeing the waiter, Chu Li-fei had been subtly observing his surroundings.

He was considering the route to steal the ledger and the route for their escape – regardless of whether they obtained the ledger, he had to ensure Lu Mo-chen’s safe exit.

However, as he didn’t yet know where the ledger might be stored, Chu Li-fei first began to devise an escape route.

Based on his observations, this underground space was vast.

Chu Li-fei stood in a second-floor box, peering down from behind a gauze curtain, taking in everything. At the same time, as he imagined it, a map of Rainbow Pavilion unfolded in his mind.

The center of Rainbow Pavilion was a huge semi-circular arched structure, presumably the main auction area. The first floor was filled with countless seats, while the second floor consisted of individual boxes, like the one he and Lu Mo-chen were in.

From the outside, the entire hall seemed to have only two floors. Chu Li-fei and the others only learned after entering that the people on the first floor held black invitations, while those on the second floor, like them, held red invitations.

This was the credential to identify which floor they could sit on.

As for how Rainbow Pavilion distinguished between people, Chu Li-fei didn’t know. However, he guessed it was probably based on factors such as family background, social status, or wealth.

His eyes scanned back and forth between the first and second floors, and Chu Li-fei became increasingly convinced that the auction hall was far more than just two floors!

Not only in terms of structure, but the arched building, no matter how he looked at it, had a lot of space above the second floor. Moreover, his instincts told him that there were definitely people above! That feeling of being watched…

Perhaps someone was hovering over his head right now.

Furthermore, he hadn’t yet seen the man in the dark green suit that Lu Mo-chen had seen that day.

And if he put himself in the auction organizer’s shoes, the third floor would be the perfect position to see everything clearly. That desire to control everything, to have everything in his grasp, certainly fit someone’s style.

As for the exit…

Before Chu Li-fei could think further, a rhythmic sound of footsteps seemed to come from downstairs, accompanied by a faint commotion in the crowd.

As someone wearing a mask with similar patterns but more elaborate clothing took the stage, the auction officially began.

At the same time, in front of the yamen.

Qian Ming had been traveling non-stop, braving the elements, and finally returned before Chou Shi (1-3 AM).

Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen, one a prince, the other a royal son, with such noble status, were willing to risk their safety to investigate Rainbow Pavilion. How could he just sit back and do nothing, waiting to reap the rewards?

He took out a token from his pocket, engraved with the character “Qin.” The token was warm from being kept close to his body.

Qian Ming casually wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, recalling how Chu Li-fei had entrusted him with the token before leaving.

This was why he had traveled thousands of miles back and forth in a single day, without even stopping to eat or drink.

They didn’t have much time.

Just as Qian Ming was astonished by what he had found out, the tightly closed door suddenly opened from the inside.

A minor official seemed very surprised to see him, and the worried expression on his face instantly changed to one of joy.

“Lord Qian, things are bad –”

“Qi Fu, he… committed suicide out of fear of punishment!”