122: Escaped smoothly

The Old Demon's expression grew even uglier. If things were truly as Yang Kai said, killing him would instead bring trouble upon himself. This was not the result he wanted—he had set up this underground market to find Loose Cultivators to gamble with for entertainment, rather than to invite trouble for himself.

"A sharp-tongued brat!" The Old Demon slammed the table, causing the dice on the black stone table to bounce high. "Even if you're right and I don't kill you, this gambling match isn't over! So what if you won one round? We're playing best of three. If you can win one more round, I'll let you go and return what I won from you earlier. If you lose, you must leave behind all your possessions and kowtow three times to admit your mistake!"

In the end, he couldn't let go of his gambling addiction, nor was he willing to lose to a Junior just like that. Even knowing that Yang Kai might truly have a background in the Bone Sect, he couldn't resist gambling one more time—what if he won? He could regain his face and calm his mood; wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?

Yang Kai cursed the Old Demon's greed in his heart, but feigned hesitation on his face. After a moment, he nodded: "Since Senior insists on gambling, this Junior will accompany you to the end. But let's get the ugly words out of the way first: this time, we must use my dice, and Senior cannot use his cultivation to manipulate the points. Otherwise, even if this Junior loses, I will absolutely not acknowledge it."

"Hmph, I wouldn't stoop to using my cultivation to bully you!" The Old Demon snorted, forcing himself to maintain the bearing of a Senior. "We'll do as you say, betting purely on luck!"

Yang Kai took a deep breath and picked up the dice cup again.

"Clatter—clatter—" The dice spun rapidly in the cup, making a crisp sound. Yang Kai deliberately slowed down his shaking, his eyes fixed on the Old Demon's expression. Seeing that he was just staring intently at the cup without any sign of using Devilish Qi, he inverted the cup on the table.

"Senior, you open first," Yang Kai said.

The Old Demon, unable to restrain himself, flipped open his cup lid—the three dice were "one," "three," and "five," a scattered hand, with a total of only nine. His expression sank; he was clearly extremely dissatisfied with this result.

Yang Kai slowly flipped open his cup lid; the three dice were "four," "five," and "six"—a straight!

"You won again!" The Old Demon was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged. He reached out to grab the dice cup, but Yang Kai pressed it down first.

"Senior, this Junior has now won twice. According to our agreement, you should let me go." Yang Kai's tone was calm, but the strength in his hand was not weak at all. He knew the Old Demon would definitely try to renege, so he had to make things clear first.

The Old Demon violently shook off Yang Kai's hand, a flash of ferocity in his eyes: "Who agreed to two wins out of three with you? I said we would gamble three more rounds. We've only played one so far, it's not over yet!"

"Is Senior going to renege again?" Yang Kai sneered, deliberately raising his voice. "If the Demonic Path Cultivators outside knew that Senior not only refused to honor the bet after losing but also wanted to force extra rounds, I wonder what they would say?"

Footsteps of Demonic Path Cultivators could be heard faintly outside the tent. The Old Demon's expression changed slightly, and he gritted his teeth: "Fine, one more round! One round decides the winner! If you win, I'll let you go immediately and return all your things; if you lose, you will be at my mercy!"

"Then this Junior must also raise the stakes. If I win, not only will my gambling debt be wiped clean, but the gambling debts of these Demonic Path Loose Cultivators outside must also be cleared, and you must let us leave!" Yang Kai's eyes flashed. Gambling like this was endless, and luck was ethereal, like walking a tightrope at high altitude. If he could scare the Old Demon into ending the gambling match, that would be the best strategy.

"Hmph! A bunch of penniless wretches with no oil to squeeze anyway. I never intended to make them pay off those debts. I agree, hurry up and start!" The Old Demon waved his hand dismissively, signaling Yang Kai to start quickly.

Yang Kai thought to himself that this was the last round; he had to win no matter what. He picked up the dice cup again and shook it rapidly.

"Clang!" Yang Kai inverted the cup on the table and lifted the lid—the three dice were "three fives," a triplet!

The moment the Old Demon saw the points, his pupils contracted sharply, his face full of disbelief. He snatched the dice cup and began shaking it frantically, Devilish Qi leaking out uncontrollably. The tent fabric was torn to shreds, and the blood-colored crystals emitted a harsh cracking sound. He didn't believe his luck was this bad, and he believed even less that Yang Kai could roll good hands continuously!

"Open for me!" The Old Demon roared, but when he lifted the lid, the three dice were still "two," "four," and "seven," a scattered hand!

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" The Old Demon slumped onto the stone stool, staring blankly at the dice on the table, as if he had suffered a huge blow. Losing so miserably at the gambling table was far harder to accept than losing a fight with someone.

Yang Kai slowly stood up, put his own Spirit Stones and Magical Artifact into his Storage Pouch, picked up the black bone banner, and said indifferently: "Senior, a bet is a bet. This Junior will not disturb you any further. Farewell."

The Old Demon did not speak, only staring fixedly at Yang Kai, a trace of unwillingness and resentment flashing in his eyes. The anger in his heart was already on the verge of losing control.

Yang Kai's heart skipped a beat, thinking: "This is bad!"

So Yang Kai hurriedly spoke to stabilize the Old Demon: "Senior, this matter is actually a great thing!"

The anger rising in the Old Demon's heart was interrupted by Yang Kai's words. The Old Demon looked at Yang Kai with some confusion, seemingly wanting to know what he meant.

"Senior is so outstanding and has unrivaled cultivation, yet your reputation is not widely known. In a moment, I will go tell these Demonic Path Loose Cultivators that Senior has forgiven their debts. When they go out, they will surely be deeply grateful to you. I will instruct them to spread your mighty name, especially your excellent gambling ethics. Even with a Cultivator of my level, you were so open and magnanimous; you are truly a model in the gambling world!" Yang Kai's series of flattery hit the Old Demon's soft spot, and his expression began to relax with Yang Kai's words.

"You little brat are not bad; you think things through thoroughly, and you have so many new tricks. Are you interested in becoming my Disciple? Bearing the name of my, the Soul-Devouring Demon Leader, you can run rampant in the Demonic Path in the future." The Soul-Devouring Demon Leader nodded with satisfaction, looking at Yang Kai, having developed a fondness for his talent.

Yang Kai repeatedly declined, taking advantage of the Old Demon's good mood to successfully walk out of the tent, breathing a sigh of relief in his heart.

His gaze swept over a nearby stall, where the fleshy-faced Demonic Path Cultivator was guarding those dozen or so children with a fawning smile on his face. A thought stirred in Yang Kai's heart, and he walked towards that stall. Since he had already saved these children, he could not let them fall into the hands of other Demonic Path Cultivators.

"Boss, I want to take away the children we agreed upon earlier." Yang Kai walked up to the stall and said in a flat tone.

Seeing Yang Kai approach, the Demonic Path Cultivator's smile became even more fawning: "Fellow Daoist is here! Don't worry, I've been taking good care of these little brats; not a single one is missing." As he spoke, he pointed to the children squatting on the ground.

Yang Kai nodded, took out six Low-Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch, and handed them to the Demonic Path Cultivator: "Take the remaining money."

The Demonic Path Cultivator took the Spirit Stones, grinning from ear to ear: "Many thanks, Fellow Daoist! Many thanks, Fellow Daoist!"

Yang Kai stopped talking, turned to the children and said: "Follow me, I'm taking you away from here."

The children raised their heads, their eyes filled with fear and confusion. They had been imprisoned for too long and had long since lost trust in strangers.

Seeing this, Yang Kai sighed inwardly, took some dry rations from his Storage Pouch, and handed them to the youngest-looking child: "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

The child hesitated for a moment, took the rations, and began to eat in small bites. Seeing this, the other children also gathered around.

Yang Kai smiled and led the children towards the exit of the underground market. He knew that leaving here was only the first step; next, he had to find a way to send these children back to their homes.