After Rebirth, the Heroine is Consumed by Overwhelming Regret Chapter 32

What on earth was she going to do with so much money?
Qi Qing stared at the mountain of chips before her, temporarily unable to think of what to use them for. She wasn’t someone with particularly strong material desires. The allowance she had saved up at the Heavenly Sword Sect wasn’t small, and now her purse was practically bursting. The only thing she could think of was a token for Yu Yan.
Right, Yu Yan.
Qi Qing felt as if she had just woken from a dream. She had been so focused on gambling that she’d forgotten her actual purpose. Now wasn’t the time to be wasting here; she needed to leave quickly.
Just as she gathered her chips and was about to leave, she heard a commotion behind her.
“Why is the young miss leaving already? Not playing anymore?”
“Young miss, don’t go! Let us rub off some of your good luck!”
“Aiya, if you’ve won, why stick around? Stop your yapping! If I’d won this much, I’d definitely grab the money and run!”
The onlookers who had previously suspected her of cheating now had no doubts at all. Getting three-of-a-kind three times in a row was something no one would believe if told, let alone achieving it through such cheating.
The only possibility was that her luck was just that good.
Everyone present was a gambler; everyone had experienced streaks of good luck. When luck was good, no matter what they bet on, they’d win. When it was bad, no matter how careful they were, they could still lose everything.
Luck was just such a fickle, unreasonable thing.
They looked at Qi Qing with envy. Some even came closer, begging Qi Qing to play a couple more rounds so they could also bask in her luck. Others snickered, staring at the dealer; such a huge upset had occurred under her watch, costing the house so much money, and who knew what the consequences would be for her.
Amidst the noisy crowd, someone said, “Young lady, my master requests your presence.”
Turning around, she saw it was the manager of this place, Sun Daqi.
The place instantly fell silent. This Manager Sun usually never showed himself unless it was for something major. His cultivation was profound, and his lifespan was immense; he was not on the same level as these people. To think there was someone above him – one could imagine that person’s status was definitely not simple, at least not someone they could ever interact with.
It seemed the young lady had won so much that she had alarmed this important person.
But why call her over? Could it be… they planned to renege on the debt?
The crowd immediately grew agitated. They had gambled here with Qi Qing; perhaps one day they too could win so much. If they won but weren’t allowed to take the money, it would be a terrible injustice.
But they only dared to be agitated, not to speak out. It was Shuang Xi’s group who anxiously said, “Manager, our young miss won fair and square! You can’t go back on your word!”
Manager Sun smiled. “We’ve been in business here for over a thousand years; we wouldn’t renege on such a small sum. If you’re worried, I can cash out the young lady’s winnings right now. My master wants to see the young lady simply to play a game with her. Everyone here is a witness; we’ll be sure to send her out safe and sound afterward.”
He spoke frankly, and the others relaxed a little.
They just didn’t understand why this ‘master’ would be so bold as to challenge someone with such strong luck like the young miss. But then again, someone who dared to issue such a challenge must possess courage and drive, which they themselves couldn’t compare to.
It was just a pity they wouldn’t get to see such excitement.
They could only look at Qi Qing with envy, hoping she would come out later and recount everything. Even just hearing about it would be thrilling enough!
Qi Qing, however, had no interest in playing anymore. She had come intending to lose her money and leave, not to gamble for fun. She still had important things to do.
So she waved her hand and politely declined, “Never mind, I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t go up. Please offer my apologies to your master on my behalf.”
After she said this, she saw Manager Sun look troubled, and the others also looked at her strangely. Unsure if she had said something wrong, she glanced towards Shuang Xi.
Shuang Xi whispered, “Well… young miss, you don’t know the rules here, so it’s not your fault. Generally, if you win this much and the house invites you to play a game, it’s not really appropriate to refuse directly.”
Actually, it was the same elsewhere. If someone entered a casino and won tens or hundreds of times what others had, and the house invited them for a game, logically, they couldn’t refuse.
Although it wasn’t an explicit rule, it was an unwritten rule in casinos. If the house didn’t invite her, she could leave as she pleased. But if they invited her and she disagreed, it would be considered ungracious.
Qi Qing, of course, didn’t know this. She pondered for a moment and said, “Alright, if it’s just one game, that’s fine. But we have to agree that after this game, I’m going back to the surface.”
Manager Sun naturally agreed.
I’m sorry, Yu Yan, Qi Qing apologized inwardly. I’ll make this quick. I just hope you don’t get too anxious waiting. She didn’t know how long she had been inside. She looked around, trying to find something to tell the time, but there wasn’t a single time-telling device in the entire casino.
That was right. Casinos generally didn’t have clocks, precisely to make gamblers lose track of day and night, unaffected by the passage of time outside.
Speaking of which, this underground city was truly suitable for a casino. She suspected that half the establishments here were underground casinos disguised as pawnshops.
She followed Manager Sun, enduring the gazes of various gamblers along the way. Most of them were very envious of her, but their looks were mostly friendly.
This wasn’t a bad thing. At least if she disappeared, these people might notice and help report it to the authorities or something.
After walking for a while, they arrived before a formation gate.
The formations here were built like elevators, probably to protect privacy. In an instant, they were transported to a rooftop terrace. This terrace was on top of the tallest building in the underground city. Qi Qing looked down and saw numerous tall buildings below, though still some distance from her. Looking down like this, she felt as if she were above a starry sky, with all sorts of lights twinkling beneath her feet.
Beside her was the pillar of light from the large teleportation formation.
She felt a little relieved, thinking that once this was over, she could leave directly from here.
“We’ve arrived, young lady.”
Just as her mind was wandering, Manager Sun suddenly stopped and made an inviting gesture. She looked up and saw a huge, magnificent jade door in front of her.
There were many inscriptions on the jade door. She recognized some as soundproofing charms, others for warding off external prying and protecting the objects inside. Maintaining so many inscriptions would consume a lot of spiritual energy, but they didn’t seem to care. They must truly be wealthy and extravagant.
Manager Sun opened the door. As soon as she stepped inside, a beautiful woman came forward to greet her. This woman wore gorgeous clothes and exquisite hair ornaments, exuding an air of noble grace with every step. Yet, she had a fox-like face. Foxes were inherently alluring, but she lacked that seductive charm; instead, she radiated brightness and innocence. This feeling was very similar to Yu Yan, yet not entirely the same.
Compared to Yu Yan, she seemed a bit more naturally airheaded.
Before she even reached her, she stumbled and fell on flat ground.
Then she scrambled up with an “Aiya!” and stuck out her tongue. “Sorry to make a fool of myself, fellow cultivator. Please, sit down quickly. I have so many questions to ask you.”
Then, she turned to Manager Sun and said, “Alright, quickly go get us some tea. This fellow cultivator and I hit it off right away; I was just thinking of talking all night!”
“Uh, Elder Sister, I have things to do later, so there’s no need to reminisce. Didn’t you want to gamble with me? Let’s not delay, let’s start now!”
Qi Qing urged her anxiously. She really didn’t have time for tea.
“But the tea here is really delicious!” the woman whispered, then suddenly clapped her hands. “How about this: we can drink and play at the same time. What do you think?”
This has nothing to do with whether the tea is good or not…
Qi Qing was a bit speechless, but seeing the other party acting as if she didn’t understand, and not bothering to argue, she nodded and emphasized again, “I have things to do later. Please, let’s not dawdle.”
“Mhm, okay!” The other party delightedly invited her to sit down. She took out a dice cup from a nearby low table, then a set of Pai Gow tiles, and then a large pile of miscellaneous gambling tools. “Fellow cultivator, take your pick. Which one do you want to play?”
Qi Qing didn’t recognize any of them. These are too complicated. Something simple and direct would be better. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Can we play rock-paper-scissors?”
“Rock-paper-scissors?”
Qi Qing explained it to her. Because the rules were very simple, the other party quickly understood. “I never thought a fellow cultivator would know such an interesting gambling game! It’s simple and fun, suitable for all ages, and doesn’t require any equipment. Doesn’t this mean one can gamble anytime, anywhere they want in the future?”
Qi Qing replied briefly and said, “Can we start now?”
“Okay, let’s place our bets then!” the woman said. “Fellow cultivator, don’t mind me, just place your bet. I’ll definitely give you a stake you’re satisfied with!”
Qi Qing thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll bet all the chips I just won.”
“What?” The woman was surprised. “Why?”
“Since I’m only playing once, it doesn’t matter what I bet.” Qi Qing said this, but she was actually trying to minimize the time spent on the game. She had thought it through: she didn’t need this much money anyway. The other party knew how much she had won. If she didn’t bet it all, she could easily be dragged into playing longer, which was an outcome she wanted to avoid.
Whether the other party didn’t want to let her go or was stalling with other intentions, the result would be the same. If she lost quickly, she wouldn’t be pestered anymore.
“I see, so this is your habit.” The woman pondered for a moment, then said, “Alright then, I’ll bet something interesting too. If you win against me, all the gambling dens in this Fallen Wind City will belong to you.”
Manager Sun, standing nearby, jumped in fright. “Palace Master, how can this be? You have over three hundred gambling dens under your name! Their total value is over a hundred billion, enough to shake the entire demon realm!”
“Enough, don’t concern yourself with so much. Our fellow cultivator is so sincere; if I don’t put up a fitting stake, how could I have the nerve to invite her to play?” The woman smiled faintly. “Go get the deeds and all the keys to the money vaults. Gambling is only interesting if you bet big.”
As her words fell, the woman’s entire aura changed. It was very powerful, the imposing pressure of someone in a high position.
Manager Sun didn’t dare say anything more and immediately withdrew. After a short while, he returned carrying a small box. He opened it and placed it beside the two of them. Inside was a thick stack of deeds and keys.
Qi Qing got goosebumps looking at it. Even if she were a fool, she knew the value of the items inside—enough for her to live extravagantly for three lifetimes without any worries. The other party wasn’t playing dirty tricks with her, nor were there any hidden complexities. Her own boldness seemed somewhat lacking in front of this woman.
Her hands couldn’t help but tremble slightly. With this one game, she would either lose everything she had just won, or her entire fortune would multiply tens of millions of times over.
Either way, she wouldn’t truly be at a loss.
“Well then, let’s begin.” Hua Yayun smiled, raised her hand, and said, “Rock-paper-scissors—”