Xiao Bai tracked a scent to a casino, where it vanished amidst the overwhelming mix of odors: wine, foot odor, sweat… Xiao Bai sneezed repeatedly.
This casino was hidden. Pearl City discouraged gambling, so this one was built underground with a discreet entrance. Xiao Bai, with six tails, was equivalent to a cultivator at the early Golden Core stage. A sweep of its divine sense revealed individuals lurking in the shadows, the strongest at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Xiao Bai transformed into a single-tailed white fox and invisibly followed a drunkard.
Descending the underground stairs, the cacophony of noise and stench assaulted Xiao Bai, nearly suffocating it. It sneezed violently. The drunkard swayed, looked behind him at the sound, saw no one, and assumed he was mistaken.
"Haha, I must be really drunk..."
Someone at a nearby gambling table, overhearing the drunkard's mutterings, sneered,
"Zheng Laosan, have you ever been sober?"
Those who heard it burst into laughter.
"Come, come, try your luck today..."
Another person enthusiastically offered him their seat.
Xiao Bai conjured a spiritual energy shield around itself to ward off the casino's foulness.
Humans were truly strange, milling around square objects, so boring!
Xiao Bai wriggled under tables, unable to comprehend the purpose of the activity.
"Come, place your bets! Bets are closed, no take-backs!" the casino dealer shouted loudly.
"Sigh, bad luck, my newly acquired spirit stones are gone again!"
Xiao Bai's ears twitched at the grumbling of a burly man.
"Hey, brother, where'd you get rich? You're flaunting your wealth today! Wasn't it just the other day you owed the casino spirit stones? What's this, got money and not paying?" a doorman said, patting the burly man's shoulder with a fake smile.
"What are you patting me for? Who are you?" the burly man, not looking up, replied impatiently.
"Oh, acting tough with me~" The doorman, with a forced smile, grabbed his collar.
The burly man looked up, saw it was Brother Hu, the doorman, and immediately cowered. Brother Hu, despite his small stature, was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage; dealing with someone at the mid-Qi Refining stage was as easy as crushing an ant.
"My apologies, Brother Hu, I didn't recognize you! It's just that I encountered a small fish this morning and got some minor funds. I came to try my luck. Once I win big, I'll pay you back immediately! Hehe~ Hehe~"
"Got money and not paying, you don't want your hands anymore? Hmm?"
"No, no, no~ I'll pay, I'll pay immediately~" The burly man produced a spirit stone pouch and obediently handed it over!
Xiao Bai saw it was the spirit stone pouch its sister had given A You. It dissolved its spiritual energy shield and sniffed. Indeed, the spirit stone pouch had A You's scent! And this burly man was the person it was looking for.
Brother Hu snatched the spirit stone pouch and was about to examine it when he heard a sharp cry:
"Let go, that spirit stone pouch is mine!" Xiao Bai revealed itself.
"Wow, a white fox~ A white fox, where did this little white fox come from? Rich, rich, rich."
"Wow, a talking spirit beast! Rare, must be worth a lot of spirit stones..."
As soon as Xiao Bai showed itself, the entire place erupted. The casino patrons immediately became excited, their eyes filled with greed.
"Quiet!" A lion's roar infused with spiritual power reverberated through the entire casino.
Xiao Bai leaped onto a nearby gambling table, glaring sharply at the burly man and Brother Hu, who held the spirit stone pouch. The gamblers at the table scattered in fear...
Brother Hu was also surprised, "You say this spirit stone pouch is yours, do you have any proof?"
"Hmph, you~ This spirit stone pouch was obtained from a young man wearing a greyish-brown vest and a green long gown, right?" Xiao Bai ignored Brother Hu's question and asked the burly man.
Its crisp, childish voice was full of authority.
The burly man, feeling guilty, stammered. Then, as if remembering something, he firmly asserted, "This is mine, how could it be someone else's."
"Liar, the spirit stone pouch clearly has A You's scent on it. You robbed him of his spirit stones and injured him too.
Hmph, speak! Who ordered you? My sister said that anyone who robs spirit stones will be thrown into jail!"
Saying this, it extended its tail, intending to coil around the burly man, snatch the spirit stone pouch, and leave.
Brother Hu flashed forward, tossing the spirit stone pouch upwards. Simultaneously, he kicked the burly man, sending him flying and evading Xiao Bai's attack. Then, using the momentum, he gracefully caught the spirit stone pouch.
Xiao Bai's attack missed, and it said angrily, "Why are you stopping me? Are you in league with them?"
"Little white fox, this is a casino, fighting is not allowed. Furthermore, his spirit stones now belong to us, the casino. He still owes the casino money, so you can't take them."
The kicked burly man gritted his teeth in pain. Trembling, he repeatedly said, "Yes, yes~ yes~ I am a guest of the casino now. Brother Hu, your casino doesn't allow fighting, you must protect guests' safety. I don't want to be taken away~ I don't want to be taken away~"
"These spirit stones clearly belong to A You, how did they become the casino's? And this person, I must take him. A You was injured by him, I want to avenge him!"
"Little white fox, this won't do. Anyone who enters the casino is under the casino's jurisdiction. This person owes the casino money, and he must repay it. His spirit stones have already been returned to the casino. Therefore, you cannot take these spirit stones."
"Hmph! My sister said, if someone dares to bully me, I should fight back."
"Ice Blade! Go!" Xiao Bai spat out ice blades towards Brother Hu.
"Earth Shield!"
Brother Hu, possessing earth spiritual roots, erected an earth wall, blocking the ice blades. The ice blades struck the earth wall and exploded, scattering mud. Several people were instantly knocked down, injured by the flying debris.
Seeing the fight break out, the surrounding gamblers instantly crowded together and fled the casino, abandoning their spectating. Their lives were more important. This was a fight between cultivators; a single mistake could affect others, turning them into dead fish!
"Run! A demonic beast is fighting a cultivator!"
Someone unknown shouted. Those outside, not understanding what was happening, immediately panicked and surged towards the exit. They didn't care about injuries or trampling. Others who couldn't get out scrambled to hide, trying to get as far away as possible.
This casino was very large, divided into a front hall and a back hall. Xiao Bai stood on the central table of the casino, its tail swaying in the air as if unaided, exuding a subtle pressure.
At this moment, gamblers were cowering under tables at the edges. Brother Hu erected earth walls on all sides to protect them from harm.
The burly man also tried to escape amidst the chaos. How could Xiao Bai allow him to flee? Its eyes sharpened, and instantly one tail whipped out, knocking him unconscious and coiling behind it. Another tail lashed out at Brother Hu.
Seeing the fierce white tail, Brother Hu dared not meet it. He also didn't have time to erect an earth wall, so he retreated, creating distance. He was shocked: a two-tailed white fox, it had been hiding its strength…
Before he could recover, three ice blades followed closely, startling him into diving down. He rapidly formed hand seals, instantly raising an earth wall that buried him, narrowly escaping.
As the ice blades struck, his heart trembled violently; he was a step away from death. Where did such a powerful white fox come from? Earlier, seeing it with one tail, he had selfishly thought he could capture it. He had misjudged.