Along the riverbanks, the city of Jayou was bustling and lively as ever. The fluid atmosphere of casual opulence was a refreshing contrast to the noble formality that graced Karith. Perhaps he was being partial to his city of birth; both were beautiful in differing ways. Karith was like the first daughter of a great general: elegant, stately, and refined. Jayou was like a singer from a house of entertainment: lovely, coy, and charming. While most came to Jayou for artisan goods, exotic sights, luxuriant bathhouses, and gambling venues–not so for the young master from Karith. His attention was drawn here indeed by the games of chance, although it was the opportunity to play against new challengers that made him stay. Arriving by riverboat weeks ahead, Fuxing found a house specializing in mahjong and soon became a favorite among the dealers. His success granted him his own special reserved table where only select patrons were allowed to test the limits of their tactics and fortune. Personally he himself would not have minded so much, but the gambling house's notions on profits were none of his concern. He would gladly play with anyone who had a true appreciation and respect for the game.
In Jayou he picked up on many different games of chance which he had never heard of before. Most went by common names and had minor variations in rules, however their categories were familiar enough. Cards, chess, rolled dice, predicting the outcome of the roll of a ball or the flip of a coin. Something that amazed him was the sheer variety of card-based games that were available to a game enthusiast. One of his recent discoveries was what the citizens of Jayou called 'roulette'. The concept of roulette was a form of betting on chance itself. For example, bets on the tossing of a coin gave the odds of fifty-fifty for either side. Roulette took that and expanded it further into numbers spaced around a slotted dial. With the spin of the wheel, an individual could win or lose. A novel idea, yet not as interesting as the finer points of blackjack. There was no sense of competition with roulette. You either were fortunate, or unfortunate.
As the sun began to set, he left for his usual evening stroll. Unlike Karith, Jayou sprung to life after dusk and entered quiet repose at the approach of daybreak. It was like the city never truly slept. The lantern-lit promenades along the riverside were a-glow with restaurants, houseboats, and shops that only opened at night instead of day. Decorated pavilions built out over the water were popular gathering spots for young lovers, with their twinkling lights and enchanting view of water lilies. When he first arrived in Jayou, the streets were full of residents and visitors. However recently, the sleepless river city had grown quiet in the evening hours. More guards were walking the streets in pairs, and even the less savory ruffians started to behave.
There had been an increasing number of people that had gone missing. Drawn depictions of men from varying backgrounds were being sought, their last whereabouts unknown. Fuxing wondered if it had something to do with the darker underside of the city, but did not give it much thought. Perhaps it was just an assumption. He did remember seeing a few members of the city's gangs on the wall of search posters. They were quite young, all below the age of thirty years. Rumors of kidnappings were casual talk from street-side patrons of the smaller eateries. There might be a grain of truth to them.
