I run a casino in the immortal realm.

The day before the gambling den opened, Zheng Yifei went to the prefectural governor's mansion.

He arrived in the evening. Zhu Zhenbang had just finished his day's official business and was drinking tea in the study in the back hall.

After Zheng Yifei entered and bowed, Zhu Zhenbang pointed to the chair opposite him: "Sit down. How did the anti-smuggling operation go?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the anti-smuggling team is doing well. They have basically wiped out the smuggling forces in Tanzhou County, except for the canal gangs."

After reporting his work, Zheng Yifei took out a jade slip from his pocket and placed it on the table: "I have come today to invite you, sir, to cut the ribbon for the gambling house."

Zhu Zhenbang paused in his tea-serving hand, glanced at Zheng Yifei, and did not take the jade slip: "Yifei, I do not object to you running a gambling den. Gambling tax accounts for more than 10% of the taxes in Tanzhou County. If you can make this business successful, it will be a good thing for the county's finances."

However, it is in my jurisdiction to attend to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Zheng Yifei didn't rush to speak, but instead pushed the jade slip forward: "My lord, please take a look at this first."

Zhu Zhenbang glanced at him, picked up the jade slip, and probed it with his divine sense. Inside was the equity distribution plan for the Nanhuang Gambling House. The plan was very detailed: the total share capital of the gambling house was divided into ten parts. Zheng Yifei and the old Nanhuang subordinates would each take five parts, the Zhu family would take three parts, the Liu family would take one part, and the Pan family would take one part, making a total of ten parts.

Zhu Zhenbang put down the jade slip and remained silent for a while.

"Yifei, you know my identity. I am the Prefect of Tanzhou, a second-rank official. There are many people eyeing this position. If I have even the slightest financial entanglement with my subordinates, I can send a letter to the Censorate in the capital the very next day."

"You are right, sir. Therefore, I did not intend for you to take this share of the profits directly."

Zhu Zhenbang raised an eyebrow.

"I will settle the gambling den's profits monthly and hand them over to Zhu Biao, the commander."

Zheng Yifei continued, "Commander Zhu Biao is your cousin and also the commander of the personal guard battalion. If he handles the matter, even if the Censorate investigates, it will only be a matter of Commander Zhu Biao's involvement. This is normal in officialdom and will not implicate you, sir."

Zhu Zhenbang still didn't budge. Although the profits from a gambling den were substantial, as the prefect, he didn't care about the small share of the profits. If someone complained to the imperial court, it would still cause some trouble.

Zheng Yifei continued, "My lord, I plan to open branches of the Southern Wilderness Gambling House in all 160 counties of the eight prefectures of the entire county. For each branch, the Zhu family will take 30% of the profits, while the Liu and Pan families will each take 10%."

Zhu Zhenbang was stunned.

He raised his head and looked sharply at Zheng Yifei.

He can ignore the 30% commission from one gambling den, but what about the 160-plus branches combined?

This sum of money is enough to further strengthen the Zhu family's foundation in Tanzhou County.

"Did Liu Zhengyi and Pan Rengui both agree?"

Zhu Zhenbang asked.

"The deal has been reached with Lord Liu, and Lord Pan is still considering it, but I estimate there won't be any major problems. The Liu family and the Pan family will each take 10%, and the remaining 50% will go to me and my old subordinates from the Southern Wilderness. With the four families joining forces, no one in Tanzhou County will dare to touch the gambling den."

Zhu Zhenbang leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest. The study was so quiet that the sound of the candle flame popping could be heard.

After a long while, Zhu Zhenbang opened his eyes and looked at Zheng Yifei: "I'll handle the ribbon-cutting ceremony. As for the profit sharing, you talk to Zhu Biao. Remember, the accounts must be kept clean."

"Your humble servant understands."

Zheng Yifei got up to take his leave, but as he reached the door, Zhu Zhenbang called him back: "Yifei."

"Is there anything else you need, sir?"

"You've brought Liu Zhengyi and Pan Rengui into this scheme, and then dragged the Zhu family in too, binding the three families together. Are you doing this because you fear I won't protect you in the future?"

Zheng Yifei turned around and stood at the doorway, the candlelight casting a long shadow over him.

He was silent for a moment, then spoke: "My lord, I am an outsider. When I arrived in Dong Shenzhou, it was the Liu family who helped me enter the officialdom. After arriving in the county town, I was fortunate to have the care of you and Lord Pan, which is why I have achieved what I have today."

"My purpose in distributing profits to you gentlemen is not to coerce you, but to repay your kindness and support. If the higher-ups investigate, I will take full responsibility and will absolutely not implicate you."

Zhu Zhenbang stared at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "You're quite honest. Go ahead."

Zheng Yifei cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, then turned and left.

On the day the Nanhuang gambling den opened, the area three miles outside the east gate of Tanzhou city was packed with people.

The plaque inscribed with "Nanhuang Gambling House" by Zhu Zhenbang himself was carved from a single piece of sandalwood, with vigorous characters, and hung above the main entrance of the main building.

Below the plaque, Zhu Zhenbang stood in the center, Liu Zhengyi on his left, Pan Rengui on his right, and Zheng Yifei on the outermost side.

Each of the four people held a pair of golden scissors and simultaneously cut the red silk.

The sound of firecrackers echoed from one end of the street to the other, and the music troupe played their instruments, keeping the atmosphere lively for most of the day.

The prominent families and businesses of Tanzhou Prefecture all sent congratulatory gifts. The head of the Wang family came in person, as did the heads of the Li and Chen families. Although their expressions were not very pleasant, they all wore smiles.

They knew perfectly well that behind this gambling den stood the Zhu, Liu, and Pan families, as well as Zheng Yifei, who held four hundred Nascent Soul cultivators in his hands.

No power in Tanzhou Prefecture could offend all four at the same time.

After cutting the ribbon, Zhu Zhenbang walked around the main building lobby, looked at the layout, and then at the gamblers crowding the gambling tables. He said to Zheng Yifei, "Well done."

Then he left with his entourage.

He stayed for less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, but that short time was enough for the entire Tanzhou Prefecture to know that Prefect Zhu supported this gambling den.

Liu Zhengyi came from Yuanyang Prefecture, bringing two cartloads of congratulatory gifts, all of which were Yuanyang Prefecture's specialty spiritual fruits and spiritual wines.

He sat with Zheng Yifei in the private room for a while, drank two cups of tea, and exchanged a few polite words.

Before leaving, Liu Zhengyi patted Zheng Yifei on the shoulder: "Yifei, you did a great job with the anti-smuggling team. You can gain some experience in the county town for a few more years. When the opportunity arises, the Liu family will help you go to the capital."

Pan Rengui did not come in person, but sent an official from the Judicial Commissioner's Office with a gift—a box of mid-grade spirit stones—as a gesture of goodwill.

Pan Rengui was still in seclusion, trying to break through to the Void Refinement Realm, but before he went into seclusion, he had already reached an agreement with Zheng Yifei on the profit-sharing, which would be managed by his trusted advisor.

On its first day of operation, the number of customers at Nanhuang Casino exceeded Zhao Wenyuan's expectations.

From opening at Chenshi (7-9 AM) to closing at Haishi (9-11 PM), more than 10,000 gamblers entered the venue.

All the tables in the lobby on the first floor were full, and the private rooms on the second floor needed to be booked three days in advance.

Among the gamblers were independent cultivators, merchants, scions of prominent families, and even minor officials. They came to the Southern Wilderness Gambling House for two reasons: novelty and affordability.

In the local gambling dens of Tanzhou County, it is the industry practice to take half a percent of the winnings, and some gambling dens take 10 percent.

The Southern Wilderness Gambling House doesn't take a cut from the winners' winnings; gamblers who win money put it all into their storage bags and take it away.

This alone is enough to make gamblers vote with their feet.

In its first month of operation, the Southern Wilderness Casino made a profit of 1.5 billion gold.

Zhao Wenyuan calculates accounts until midnight every day, and the smile lines on his face become deeper day by day.

Su Wanqing's accounts were crystal clear. The income, expenses, losses, and profits of each gambling table were all recorded, reviewed every ten days, settled monthly, and the dividends were delivered to the three major families on time.

Business at other gambling dens in the county town has visibly slowed down.

The "Jubao Gambling House" in the south of the city is the largest and oldest gambling house in Tanzhou County, backed by the Chen family.

In the first month after the opening of the Nanhuang Gambling House, the turnover of Jubao Gambling House dropped by 40%, and the head of the Chen family was so anxious that he was jumping up and down, but there was nothing he could do.

They had considered lowering prices and halving the commission, but the sixth-order spirit-gathering array of the Southern Wilderness Gambling House was there, and a gambler staying inside for one day was equivalent to cultivating outside for ten days.

This is something that Jubao Casino can't learn.

There were also female cultivators from the Southern Wilderness Gambling House serving as attendants.

The female cultivators trained by Jade Rakshasa are all stunningly beautiful and incredibly alluring. They serve tea and water, chat with others to relieve boredom, and handle the situation with perfect tact.

When gamblers lost money, female cultivators would comfort them with gentle words; when gamblers won money, female cultivators would serve them spiritual wine and delicious food to celebrate.

Such treatment was unheard of in other gambling dens in Tanzhou County.

What makes the Southern Wilderness Gambling House even more irreplaceable is its spirit wine and spirit food.

The spirit wine recipe that Ye Tianqiong brought from the Southern Wilderness produces a mellow and long-lasting spirit wine; a sip of it sends spiritual energy straight to the dantian.

The chefs at the Spirit Food Pavilion are elders from the Heavenly Demon Sect in charge of meals. Their spiritual dishes are not only delicious but also replenishing. When gamblers are tired from gambling, they can go upstairs for a spiritual meal and a couple of cups of spiritual wine to restore their energy for the next round.

After this whole process, gamblers don't even want to leave the gambling den.

In the third month after opening, Zhao Wenyuan submitted an expansion plan to Zheng Yifei.

The plan was very detailed. First, branches would be opened in eight prefectural cities, with each branch controlled to be about 30% of the size of the main branch in the prefecture city. The investment would be about two million gold, and the cost would be recovered within six months.

After reviewing the plan, Zheng Yifei wrote four words: "Proceed according to plan."