Watching dozens of ghosts sitting together playing mahjong.
Some were smoking, some were picking their toes.
They were also shouting orders.
The scene was no different from a street-level mahjong hall.
At the same time, Old Mo leaned in and whispered to me:
"It's relatively clean here..."
I grunted, understanding what he meant.
These ghosts were all wandering spirits, lacking Yin煞 (malevolent energy).
Without Yin煞, there were no malevolent or fierce ghosts.
As long as there were no malevolent ghosts, the threat to us wouldn't be too high.
At that moment, the pale-faced male ghost walked in.
Still with a smile:
"Gentlemen, my Zhaocai Mahjong Hall, although a bit out of the way.
We welcome gamblers from all over the world.
We have various stakes, and all types of gambling can be accommodated.
Over here is Baccarat, Pai Gow, Bull Bull, and over here are dice games, Golden Flower, etc.
And I don't know if Xiao Wu has told you both.
For any new customer who visits, Zhaocai Mahjong Hall covers the first ten rounds completely!
We are honest and fair, and we will definitely make sure everything is in order.
The most important thing is, we have connections upstairs, so it's safe..."
The pale-faced male ghost explained with a smile.
Wu Jing was already terrified, trembling violently.
Cold sweat dripped one after another, his eyes filled with panic and alarm.
Old Mo and I, however, remained calm.
Old Mo said nothing.
I, on the other hand, spoke:
"Boss, can you show us around first?"
The pale-faced male ghost chuckled, extremely enthusiastically:
"Of course!
Here at Zhaocai Mahjong Hall, all are guests.
Come, this way please..."
Saying that, he led us towards the room on the left.
This was where the Baccarat and Pai Gow tables were.
The pale-faced male ghost introduced enthusiastically:
"The stakes in the games here start from at least a thousand..."
As he spoke, he began to elaborate on the details.
I don't understand gambling and have no interest in it, so I wasn't really listening carefully.
My main focus was to assess the overall situation within this nether building and identify any threats to us among these ghosts.
After looking at the gambling tables in the left room, we were led to the room on the right.
This was where Golden Flower and dice games for guessing high or low were played.
Each table was surrounded by ten people.
Old Mo and I scanned the area and both our gazes landed on a Golden Flower gambling table.
It wasn't because the gambling was particularly exciting.
But because we saw a living person at this table.
It was a young man, appearing to be in his twenties.
He stood up at the moment, a cigarette in his mouth, looking smug and dealing the cards.
He even muttered:
"This round, everyone goes all-in!
The more you bet, the more you win.
Look, I've already won so much!"
Old Mo and I exchanged glances.
We hadn't expected that besides Wu Jing, there was another living person gambling here.
However, judging by the man's demeanor, he had good luck, with a pile of money in front of him.
It looked like tens of thousands.
But Old Mo and I scanned the table and noticed he was the only living person. The other nine were ghosts.
Although the ghosts were losing money, they all smiled cheerfully, not showing any anger.
They kept exclaiming:
"Brother, you have great luck!"
"Brother, this round, older brother will accompany you for ten more rounds!"
"Brother, you've been winning for ten rounds, it's time for us to win one, right?"
"..."
As the ghosts spoke, they would occasionally inhale towards the man.
With each inhale, the young man dealing the cards' complexion would diminish slightly.
But he was completely oblivious.
The money he won was exchanged for his own life.
When his life wasn't enough, he wouldn't be able to win any more money...
Seeing that Old Mo and I were staring at the Golden Flower table, the pale-faced male ghost continued:
"Gentlemen, the stakes here are smaller.
The bet starts from one hundred yuan per round.
Would you like to try a hand?"
This time, I didn't reply.
Old Mo, however, said solemnly:
"No rush, we'll go upstairs to take a look."
The pale-faced male ghost paused, but didn't get angry, nor was he annoyed by our requests.
He still smiled:
"Alright, upstairs are all private rooms.
If you two gamblers want to see, I'll take you up to have a look. This way please!"
With that, he turned and left the room.
I cast a final glance at the young man dealing the cards, still excitedly shouting, urging the nine ghosts at the table to bet against him.
But how could he tell that with each bet the ghosts made, they would siphon a bit of his vitality?
This ghost den, though devoid of malevolent spirits,
was in reality, more ruthless and insidious than malevolent spirits.
They traded money for lifespan, killed invisibly, and avoided karmic retribution.
The gamblers who came here were unaware.
When they went below, they likely wouldn't find a place to seek justice...
Such a "betting for lifespan" mahjong hall could not be allowed to remain.
After further investigation, I would first gather comprehensive intelligence on this nether building.
Then, I would confront this pale-faced male ghost.
It would be best if we could negotiate. If not, then don't blame us for being impolite.
I thought to myself, having made up my mind.
Soon, we ascended to the second floor.
The second floor had ten private rooms.
However, only six rooms were occupied for gambling.
The rooms had windows facing the corridor, allowing us to see inside as we passed by.
As Old Mo and I walked past those six rooms.
We discovered that each room contained living people.
Some were playing mahjong, some were playing Dou Dizhu, and some were playing long cards.
Upon seeing this,
the pale-faced male ghost spoke again:
"Gentlemen, you've completed your tour.
May I ask what you would like to gamble on?"
"Boss, isn't there still a third floor?"
I asked.
The pale-faced male ghost replied with a genial expression:
"The third floor is the pantry and the finance office, it's not open to the public."
I nodded.
Now, Old Mo and I had basically grasped the situation within the nether building.
The next step, therefore, was to negotiate with the ghost boss.
So, I continued to speak:
"Boss, my brother and I came tonight wanting to gamble with you."
The pale-faced male ghost was taken aback:
"Gamble with me?"
Old Mo nodded:
"Yes, with you.
May I ask if you dare to open a table with us?"
The pale-faced male ghost maintained his smile.
But this time, he sized up Old Mo and me.
Finally, his eyes narrowed slightly:
"Hahaha, what is there for me to fear.
Since it's Xiao Wu who invited me to gamble with you.
I presume you must have some skills in gambling.
Very well, then I will with you.
Open a table..."