In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

As for Xiang Wentian, he could only try his best to cover up this problem.

After all, nobody knows they stole it.

As long as the Zhang family doesn't know, the matter can be covered up.

Unfortunately, despite their clever plan, they were unaware that their base had already been raided.

"Master, finding the Holy Maiden is our priority right now, and we should unite with other experts within the sect to overthrow Dongfang Bubai."

"Good, find Yingying first, that's the priority."

····

"Ghost Street Invitation!"

The Li family of Yangzhou was one of the top ten salt merchants.

As a century-old family in Yangzhou, they are already an established family. Because salt merchants make money, but the risks are also high.

Of the top ten salt merchants today, only three families have a history of over a century.

Of the other seven families, only one managed to retreat safely; the other six had their homes confiscated and their entire families wiped out, demonstrating the risks involved.

Like pigs in a sty, they could be slaughtered at any moment.

For example, the Li family, a century-old clan, not only indulged in extravagance in their daily lives, but also accumulated at least several million gold coins and thousands of acres of fertile land outside Yangzhou City.

Without absolute power, isn't the imperial court just a fattened pig in their eyes?

Moreover, the drawbacks of the salt transport system were no less severe than the power struggles in the business world.

Therefore, the Li family has always been very cautious.

Upon receiving this invitation, Li Cheng, the head of the Li family, immediately saw hope.

What is Ghost Street?

He had been to the Ghost Street in Lin'an Prefecture several times, and could be said to have connections everywhere.

It's also a way of taking care of oneself, as the forces and strength behind it are absolutely formidable.

If the Li family could obtain the protection of Ghost Street, it might be more effective than the tens of thousands of gold coins in bribes each year.

Officials have two mouths, and once they've set their sights on you, they show absolutely no mercy.

If this invitation to Ghost Street truly represents the Yangzhou black market, then the power behind it is unimaginable.

Therefore, Li Cheng made many preparations, including 100,000 units of gold alone.

Because she knew that gold was the key to unlocking the Ghost Street.

It wasn't just Li Cheng; many salt merchants had their eyes on Ghost Street.

Even the mysterious Salt Gang is no exception.

Smuggling salt was profitable, but getting caught was a capital offense, and the salt gangs weren't a powerful force.

Compared to the dangers of the Tea Horse Road, the Salt Gang's dangers came from the outside. They controlled such a large amount of profit in Jiangnan that even top masters couldn't control them, let alone the fact that there were no top masters within the Salt Gang itself.

The Ghost Festival, on the 15th of the seventh lunar month, is when the gates of hell open at midnight!

Small boats emerged from the mist on the river, unaware of the approaching light or their destination.

What shocked many people was that these ships were bottomless.

Or the bottom of the boat was covered by a layer of water;

"Please board the ferry, everyone!"

"This boat has no bottom, or the bottom is leaking."

The daring salt merchants had already boarded the ships, and sure enough, their shoes were soaked afterward.

Only a few people were debating whether to go over; clearly, there was something wrong with these ships.

Each bottomless boat carries only one person, who gets on and leaves immediately.

In a short while, the last small boat also left the shore, leaving only those on the shore who could not get there.

Those who boarded the ship suddenly found themselves sinking into the void.

Whether they came prepared or were experts, they all vanished in an instant.

Within the black fog, the small boats vanished without a trace after a wisp of mist dissipated.

"How is this going?"

The expert who had been watching closely from the shore suddenly felt that what he was seeing was like something out of a ghost story, and rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...

At this moment, many water ghosts came ashore, and when questioned by the crowd, they all, without exception, yielded no results.

The small boats seemed to vanish into thin air from the water's surface, and as for the people who suddenly sank into the water, they saw nothing at all, even though they were underwater.

This scene left everyone dumbfounded, their expressions filled with disbelief.

···

Welcome to Ghost Street!

In the dim, fluorescent light, when everyone opened their eyes, they saw a woman wearing a Rakshasa mask facing them.

The surrounding area looked like a den of iniquity, with brocade pavilions and towers, brightly lit and dazzling.

The place they were in was now an underground city, similar to a palace, and extremely luxurious.

Hiss...

Feeling as if it weren't a dream, with all the money still on them, and realizing that everything had just happened as if it were a dream, everyone was greatly shocked.

The methods used in this ghost street are truly astonishing.

"Today is the first day of the opening of Yangzhou Ghost Street, so all direct purchases will be 30% off."

As for those gentlemen and gang leaders who wish to connect with Ghost Street, Ghost Street will issue one red invitation, three black invitations, and nine gold invitations within the next month.

Whether they are dragons or phoenixes depends on your methods.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood that the color of the invitation signified the level of the invitation.

The fewer the natural quantity, the higher the level!

"Now, everyone, have a great time."

This is the first time Tianji Tower has opened, and there are dedicated staff to give introductions. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to offer them before you leave.

As for how to leave? Just tell the guard next to you.

There's no need for you to worry about Ghost Street being exposed or being silenced. What just happened was merely a grand magic show performed by my young master to entertain you all.

Ghost Street is a black market, not some forbidden area.

After all, once Ghost Street gets more crowded, each shop will have its own entrance.

The place where you are now is merely the core of Ghost Street—the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion; what you see is not the entirety of Ghost Street.

That's it!

As everyone's worries subsided, they also dismissed the Rakshasa woman's explanation with disdain.

Magic? More like intimidation.

Moreover, the outside world must be in an uproar because of their disappearance.

Chapter 174 Ghost Street Gold Rush Salt Gang Feng Dao

"Gambling den!"

Looking at these two large characters, there are no other embellishments.

On one side, there is a layout diagram of the casino's interior, which is divided into three floors:

The first floor is the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, which sounds imposing but is actually full of irony.

The hall displays the locations of over a dozen gambling games, including the most popular Pai Gow and dice games, as well as the "Zha Jin Hua" game from Zhang's Gambling House.

The second floor consists of VIP rooms, where betting requires a minimum of 1,000 taels of chips and at least two players. Each VIP room receives a 10% cut of the winnings.

The mere introduction was enough to pique the interest of many gambling salt merchants.

Moreover, there is a privacy policy; only invited people can go up, and there is a special passage for leaving, so there is no need to worry about being watched.

The third layer is a type of gambling stone called Yuhuazhai, which comes in two varieties:

Guessing jade, gambling on jade!

Guessing jade is gambling on whether there is jade inside a stone. In more detail, the leopard pattern represents the quality of the jade, such as glutinous, icy, or glassy.

Gambling on jade involves buying it yourself and then opening it.

Seeing the introduction above, many salt merchants who were fond of gambling went inside out of curiosity.

If it is somewhat dark outside, the room is brightly lit, as if it were daytime, with nine huge candles illuminating the entire room without any blind spots.

On a dozen or so huge round tables, ladies in cheongsams, dressed in manners comparable to those in the imperial palace, stood quietly and gracefully, exuding elegance and poise.

"Little girl, how do you play with this?"

Dice and dominoes have been played to death, while playing cards are a new method that the Zhang family has introduced in just a few years.

However, this product did not become widespread because the Zhang family controlled the manufacturing technology.

It's not that they didn't want to imitate it, but the things they made were neither fish nor fowl, completely lacking the luster and texture of Zhang's playing cards, and the cost was also high.

They all more or less guessed that the Zhang family had acquired a special coating.

As for purchasing?

A deck of cards costs one or two taels of silver, and a casino consumes at least several hundred decks a day, or even thousands. Which casino would be willing to be such a sucker?

"Ladies and gentlemen, the rules are on the right side of each seat. There are rules on the right side of every seat."

Would you like to learn the rules first, or learn while playing?

"Of course, you learn while playing, little girl. How do you do that?"

"This is a bet involving three or more people. The rules for dealing and opening the game are all here. The dealer takes 10% of the winnings. Gentlemen..."

"No need to say anything, I'll take one."

"Let me broaden my horizons too..."

After all the seats were filled, the female dealer in a cheongsam, responsible for dealing the cards, used pushers to deliver the cards to everyone's hands, without any point of contact throughout the process.

···

More than just a unique casino, it exudes the atmosphere of a modern casino; in the dimly lit bar, sexy and fiery dancers perform under the lights, with numerous beautiful women as companions—all recruited by Madam Wang from brothels; a tranquil and elegant teahouse sells various antiques, refined and tasteful; a dark exchange for buying and selling stolen goods…

The entire Tianji Tower resembled a super shopping mall in later times.

As for the outside, Ghost Street is not yet fully prepared, so entry is naturally prohibited.

"This old man is Feng Dao, and I greet you, Madam!"

"Just call me Ghost Rakshasa. May I ask what brings Chief Feng here?"

The dome where the Jade Rakshasa was located was built in mid-air, five zhang above the ground, and was shaped like a skull, making it look extremely terrifying.

This is Ghost Street, not the White Lotus Sect. Skeletons are standard equipment for the boss.

For ordinary people to get up there, besides making an appointment, they also need to have considerable martial arts skills; otherwise, they won't be able to get up at all.

Undoubtedly, Feng Dao, as the leader of the Salt Gang, was a top master in the martial arts world. His Red Sand Palm technique was famous throughout the Central Plains and had killed many enemies.

"I've come to see you, Madam, for only one answer: Does the Salt Gang have the qualifications?"

"Of course there are. The Salt Gang has existed for hundreds of years since the beginning of salt transportation in Yangzhou. If the Salt Gang is not qualified, then who is?"

Moreover, at this time, Yangzhou Ghost Street had just been established. Although the two major Ghost Streets were expanding simultaneously, the Salt Gang had already been chosen as the top three contenders!

"Just the middle three gates?"

Hearing that the Salt Gang was only one of the three major sects, one realizes that the Salt Gang has tens of thousands of members and its power is even greater than that of the Iron Palm Gang and the Twelve Linked Forts.

Feng Dao's tone held a hint of resentment. Just as Madam Wang had said, the Salt Gang was an old, established force that had existed for hundreds of years and remained powerful for a long time.