A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

Jubaofang, located in the heart of the southern part of the city, boasts a century-old ebony signboard with gold lettering above its entrance, showcasing its wealth. The two life-sized stone Pixiu sculptures at the entrance are even more imposing.

This place is a notorious den of iniquity in Zhenbei City, a melting pot of all sorts of people, with many city guards and merchants from all walks of life frequenting it.

Standing in front of the gleaming gates of Jubao Fang, Li Tiezhu followed behind Zhao Daxuan, his face contorted with constipation.

Li Tiezhu couldn't help but tug at Zhao Daxuan and said, "Xuanzi, we're not going to waste our money like this. Why don't we just stop betting? Let's not fight this battle."

Zhao Daxuan was both amused and exasperated, never expecting that Li Tiezhu had so little faith in him.

The main reason for having him lead the way was that I wanted to take him along to make a fortune from this great opportunity.

Zhao Daxuan turned to look at Li Tiezhu seriously and said, "Tiezhu, if you trust me, bet with me later, and I guarantee you won't lose."

He paused, then added, "The opportunity has been presented to you; whether you cherish it or not is up to you."

After saying that, he stepped into Jubao Fang. This was Zhao Daxuan's first time here. His predecessor never had any spare money to come here to play.

It was still early, far from the busiest time at Jubaofang, and there were only a dozen or so people scattered around inside.

As soon as they entered, a servant hurried to Zhao Daxuan and his companion, bowing slightly and fawning, "You two look unfamiliar. Is this your first time here?"

Zhao Daxuan glanced at him, nodded slightly, and said softly, "I heard that your gambling den has opened a new betting platform related to the military order to suppress bandits in the Liangshan Mountains."

The servant smiled and gave Zhao Daxuan a thumbs-up.

"Sir, your information network is truly impressive! This betting odds just opened last night—a '95% discount' deal to bring in wealth! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Worried they might not understand, he explained further: "If you bet on that sickly Zhao fellow being unable to kill a single bandit, a bet of one hundred taels will guarantee you five taels!"

Zhao Daxuan chuckled and said, "Your employer is quite generous. What if we're betting on whether you can fulfill that pledge?"

Upon hearing Zhao Daxuan's question, the servant was puzzled. Did anyone really think that the military order could be fulfilled?

But he still smiled and replied, "Sir, the odds for that are way higher, a whopping 50 to 1! If there's an upset, you'll definitely make a fortune!"

Hearing that the servant said the same thing as Li Tiezhu, Zhao Daxuan smiled and nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Lead the way, I bet you can fulfill your military pledge."

The servant's smile widened immediately; it turned out that a money-bringing boy had arrived.

"Alright, sir, this way please."

After saying this, the servant led the way to the betting platform.

"Thump!"

Zhao Daxuan took out a small bag from his pocket and threw it on the table. Inside were 80 taels of silver that he had taken out in advance from the turntable space.

Zhao Daxuan calmly replied, "We can fulfill all the military orders."

The person in charge, who hadn't even raised an eyelid, looked up at Zhao Daxuan with a strange expression after hearing his words.

He picked up the bag on the table, opened it, and found it full of gleaming silver.

Based on his experience, there were at least several dozen taels of silver in that bag.

He was immediately filled with doubt and uncertainty. It wasn't uncommon for people to place so many bets, but this was the first time he had ever seen so many bet on a game that was guaranteed to lose.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

The dealer was somewhat unsure, so he turned around and found the casino manager, explaining the situation to him.

Soon, a middle-aged, fair-skinned, chubby man, accompanied by the bookmaker, arrived at the gambling table.

The fat man smiled like a Maitreya Buddha and said to Zhao Daxuan, "Young brother, I'm Zhang Youfu, the manager of this gambling den. I heard you're betting that Zhao Daxuan can fulfill his military order?"

Zhao Daxuan nodded calmly: "That's right, is there a problem?"

Zhang Youfu shook his head and said, "Of course there's no problem. I'm just curious why you dared to place such a bet, young man. Could you please enlighten me?"

After hearing Zhang Youfu's words, Zhao Daxuan grinned and said, "I am Zhao Daxuan, the one who made the pledge."

After hearing this, Zhang Youfu showed an expression of understanding and said, "So you are Zhao Daxuan, young brother. What a spirit! Since you are so confident, my Jubaofang has no reason to spoil your fun."

He then turned his head and instructed, "Hurry up and place a bet for Brother Zhao."

The dealer, suppressing a laugh, turned back to the gambling table, counted the silver in Zhao Daxuan's bag, and announced loudly, "Eighty taels of silver received. The bet is complete!"

He then handed over the gambling ticket with his monogrammed insignia, smiling as he said, "Sir, here is your gambling ticket. Please keep it safe."

After carefully examining the contents of the betting ticket and confirming that everything was correct, Zhao Daxuan put it into his pocket.

At this moment, Li Tiezhu, who had been standing silently to the side, gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and said, "I'll bet two taels on Zhao Daxuan fulfilling his military order!"

Zhao Daxuan smiled slightly upon hearing this, patted Li Tiezhu and said, "Don't look like you're sure you'll lose. Be a little bolder and bet a few more ounces if you want."

Li Tiezhu turned around and gave a smile that looked more like a grimace, saying, "This is all I have left. I don't feel safe keeping it anywhere else, so I only dare to keep it on my person every day. This is just enough to use for betting."

Zhao Daxuan was speechless for a moment. He had almost forgotten that just a few days ago, all his wealth was less than one tael of silver. Two taels of silver was a huge sum of money for Li Tiezhu.

Zhao Daxuan comforted him, "I was just joking. In a few days, your entire fortune will multiply many times over."

Then he turned to Zhang Youfu and said meaningfully, "Manager Zhang, I'll be leaving now. I believe we'll meet again soon."

Zhang Youfu, however, seemed not to understand, and simply bowed with a nonchalant expression, saying, "Brother Zhao, please take care."

After leaving Jubaofang, Li Tiezhu said to Zhao Daxuan, "Xuanzi, I won't go back with you. Go back and prepare well. When you arrive in Daliangshan in a few days, act according to the situation. Preserving your life is the most important thing."

Zhao Daxuan nodded and said, "Don't worry, wait for my good news."

Pushing open the door to return home, the two women, hearing the door open, immediately came out of the kitchen. Seeing that it was Zhao Daxuan, they breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to ask with concern, "Husband, did it go smoothly?"

Zhao Daxuan smiled and pulled out the betting slips from his pocket, handing them to the two women. He said, "Fifty to one, we're rich!"

After carefully examining the betting ticket, Li Shishi felt both delighted and worried.

The good news is that if they win, they'll really make a fortune.

The worry is that if they lose, losing eighty taels is a minor matter; if Zhao Daxuan fails to fulfill his military order, the consequences are unimaginable.

Looking at Zhao Daxuan's confident expression, she suppressed her worries and forced a smile, saying, "Then let's congratulate our husband!"

Li Weiwei, standing to the side, chimed in, "Hehe, my husband's fortune is truly unstoppable!"

Zhao Daxuan smiled and was about to say something modest when he suddenly sniffed, frowned, and asked, "What's that smell?"

The two women's expressions changed simultaneously, and they exclaimed, "Oh no!"