Chapter 60: I Mourn

Volume One: First Entry into a Different World

Zu An spread his hands and said to the people around him, "You all saw it just now. I really didn't want to get involved, but he insisted I come out and fight him one-on-one. What could I do? Who knew this guy was all talk and actually so weak?"

The surrounding gamblers looked at him with complex expressions, thinking, 'When it comes to glib talk, no one here can probably compare to you, right?'

They had previously wondered how such a good-for-nothing could possibly win over over Miss Chu. They believed they were no worse than him and could have done just as well.

But now, they finally understood a little: at least in terms of thick-skinnedness, they truly couldn't compare.

Seeing the indignant expressions of the crowd, Zu An initially wanted to provoke them further. However, he reconsidered, thinking it better to play the long game. So he said, "I just saw blood, so my luck must be great today. Come on, let's start."

"Alright, young master, this way please!" Plum Blossom Seven was secretly delighted. That fool Plum Blossom Thirteen had caused trouble just now, making him worry the opponent wouldn't gamble anymore. Now that Zu An was practically asking for trouble, not winning him for a hundred thousand taels would be a shame. The only concern was whether Miss Chu, standing nearby, would intervene and stop them. He needed to find an opportunity to distract her, otherwise, it would be difficult to make this guy owe so much gambling debt.

Zu An was led to a gambling table. After the previous incident, the other gamblers also became interested, many even stopping their own games to gather and watch the spectacle.

Zu An observed the gambling table before him. He had only seen dice games like "Big or Small" in martial arts movies on TV before; this was his first time seeing one in person.

Unlike the "Big or Small" games he remembered, this table had many betting areas. Simply betting on "Big" or "Small" was just a small part of the game.

Although he hadn't understood it before, the areas on the gambling table were clearly labeled and easy to understand at a glance.

There were three dice in total. A sum of 4-10 was "Small," and a sum of 11-17 was "Big." Betting on either "Big" or "Small" paid one to one.

Additionally, if you bet on all three dice having the same number, the odds were 1 to 24.

However, if you broke it down further, as there were six possible sets of identical numbers (all 1s, all 2s, and so on), hitting one of these "Leopard" combinations would yield odds of 1 to 150!

You could also bet on the sum of the three dice. For example, a sum of 4 or 17 paid 1 to 50; a sum of 5 or 16 paid 1 to 18. The more common the sum, the lower the odds.

"Young Master, are you betting on Big or Small?" Plum Blossom Seven asked with a smile, though inwardly he was calculating how to make him lose more.

Zu An glanced at him. "Are you thinking of letting me win a few rounds first so I don't get scared off?"

Plum Blossom Seven was startled, thinking, 'How did he know?' But he quickly recovered, smiling as he replied, "You jest, Young Master. At the gambling table, it's all up to your luck; how could we control it?"

"Is that so? My wife is a fifth-grade master. If you dare to cheat in front of her and get caught, don't blame us for chopping off your hands," Zu An said, still not reassured. He pulled Chu Chuyan closer to him and threatened Plum Blossom Seven again.

Chu Chuyan glared at him fiercely, clearly annoyed by his overly affectionate use of "wife," but in front of so many people, she couldn't very well announce that their marriage was fake, could she?

Hearing Zu An's words, Plum Blossom Seven's smile faltered. "Rest assured, Young Master. Our Silver Hook Gambling Den has a reputation, and we naturally wouldn't engage in such practices. Do you see the runes on the outside of this dice cup? They're the work of a rune master from the capital and can block cultivators' spiritual energy, preventing them from probing the dice. So, please, have no worries."

The other gamblers secretly curled their lips, thinking, 'Which gambling den doesn't cheat?' Although the dice cup had runes to block cultivators' interference, there were mechanisms under the table that could temporarily change the dice results. However, everyone was hoping Zu An would lose everything, so they simply waited to watch the show, and no one offered a warning.

Plum Blossom Seven, however, knew his own difficulties. With Miss Chu present, it would be hard to cheat without her noticing. But against a nobody like Zu An, he could make him lose his entire fortune even without cheating, so he wasn't particularly concerned.

"How much are you planning to bet, Young Master?" Plum Blossom Seven asked again.

Zu An secretly took out a Lucky Pill and swallowed it, then said, "I'm too lazy for small bets. Of course, it's all in."

"All in?" Plum Blossom Seven was puzzled, clearly not understanding the term.

"Running a gambling den and you don't even know that?" Zu An gave him a disdainful look. "'All in' means betting all your stakes."

Plum Blossom Seven's smile froze. 'Where did he pick up such bizarre slang?' he thought, suppressing his annoyance. "Young Master certainly has guts," he said, winking at an assistant. This guy was betting everything on the first round, so they couldn't roll a "Leopard" that would make the house win all. That would scare him off immediately.

The assistant understood, picked up the dice cup, shook it for a while, and then placed it on the table. "Place your bets, no more bets!"

Zu An directly took out a stack of silver notes and fanned them in front of Plum Blossom Seven. "Speaking of which, most of these silver notes were willingly given to me by Plum Blossom Thirteen. I wonder how much you'll give me today?"

Plum Blossom Seven's face twitched. 'Goddamn, willingly given to you!' he thought. He had heard about Plum Blossom Thirteen's situation; it was clearly this scoundrel who shamelessly framed him and used the academy teachers to extort and rob him!

Rage from Plum Blossom Seven +155!

'But that Plum Blossom Thirteen is brainless, thinking he's invincible just because his cultivation is high. The gang leader has always valued him in previous years. Today, I'll let the leader know that a brawny brute who only knows how to fight cannot compare to someone like me, who relies on wits.'

So, the smile on his face widened. "Young Master, are you betting on Big or Small?"

Zu An looked at the table. He roughly guessed the other party's psychology: they definitely wouldn't start by rolling a "Leopard" to make the house win everything and scare him off. So, whether he bet on Big or Small, he had a fifty percent chance of winning.

However, he didn't care for one-to-one odds.

He immediately placed the stack of one thousand taels of silver notes on the 17-point spot. "If I'm going to play, I'm going to play big. Only that suits my extraordinary temperament."

Seeing him bet a thousand taels without a second thought, Chu Chuyan, standing beside him, slightly furrowed her brows. Even though she didn't gamble, she knew that directly betting on a specific sum of points carried much greater risk than simply betting on Big or Small. Especially with 17 points, the odds were as high as 1 to 50, second only to a "Leopard."

What did such high odds usually mean? It meant that if you put down one tael of silver, you would almost certainly lose that tael of silver completely.

Chu Chuyan initially wanted to advise him against it, but then she had a change of heart. Losing might be for the best; that way, he would completely give up, and she could take him out as agreed. She strongly disliked the murky atmosphere of the gambling den.

"Open, open, open!"

The surrounding gamblers began to cheer, clearly sharing Chu Chuyan's sentiment. They wanted to see the look on this arrogant guy's face when he lost that thousand taels.

It would be best for Miss Chu to see for herself that such a good-for-nothing was truly hopeless. Perhaps, after being disappointed, she might even take an interest in them?

'Such a beautiful and noble woman – we wouldn't mind that she's already married!'

Even Plum Blossom Seven laughed. "Young Master, you're still too young and impetuous. You should play it safe. Would you like the gambling den to lend you a bit more to get your capital back? Don't worry, out of respect for the Chu family, we won't charge you interest."

Last time, they had subtly led this guy on, step by step, until he lost a full thousand taels.

Back then, Zu An was still cautious, betting one tael at a time. It had only been a few days, and now he was throwing away thousands without batting an eye?

'Damn, from a nobody to someone significant, is being a kept man really that good?'

'I'm starting to feel a bit jealous.'

As he spoke, he suddenly felt something was amiss. The bustling gambling den had instantly fallen silent. The gamblers around him looked at him with extremely complex expressions; he could even faintly discern a hint of sympathy?

A terrible suspicion flashed through Plum Blossom Seven's mind. He quickly turned to look and found that the three dice in the cup were a six, a six, and a five, adding up to exactly 17 points.

Plum Blossom Seven felt his mind explode, a complete blank in that instant. How could this be?

At one to fifty odds, their gambling den had just lost fifty thousand taels in this single round!

Fifty thousand taels!

Thinking of that figure, Plum Blossom Seven's vision blurred. This was equivalent to half a month's net income for their gambling den!

He glared fiercely at his apprentice. 'Could this guy have been bribed by that Zu fellow?' But he immediately dismissed the possibility. These disciples were well-known and completely trustworthy. So, had that guy really just gotten incredibly lucky?

Zu An spread his hands with a smile. "Hehe, why are you brothers so generous with me? Plum Blossom Thirteen only gave me eight hundred taels before, but I didn't expect you to give me fifty thousand directly! Hahaha, please give me the money."

Plum Blossom Seven nearly spat blood from anger. 'Goddamn, I gave you money!'

Rage from Plum Blossom Seven +543!

Just moments ago, he had been despising Plum Blossom Thirteen for being played like a fiddle. He never expected to lose even more terribly. Wait, listening to his tone...

"Young Master, are you leaving?" Plum Blossom Seven asked hurriedly.

"Why not?" Zu An laughed. "I've already won fifty thousand taels. What else is there to gamble for?"

He couldn't help but marvel at how amazing the Lucky Pill was. He hadn't been very confident, yet he had actually won purely by luck.

Plum Blossom Seven immediately grew anxious. If Zu An really left with fifty thousand taels, the gang leader would surely flay him alive.

"Young Master, please wait! Young Master, please wait!" Plum Blossom Seven quickly blocked his path, and the gambling den's subordinates also surrounded them, wielding their weapons.

Zu An's expression darkened. "What, you won't let me leave after I win money? Is this how you run a gambling den?"

As he spoke, he pushed Chu Chuyan forward. "Wife, these people are going back on their word!"

Chu Chuyan was unaccustomed to so much physical contact with him, but she couldn't scold him. She could only redirect her anger towards Plum Blossom Seven and his men. "What, do you want to fight?"

The other gamblers also began to jeer. Although they resented Zu An for being an "ugly toad wanting to eat swan meat," as gamblers, they detested nothing more than a gambling den reneging on debts. If they did that, who would dare to come back in the future?

Gambling harms oneself and others. The protagonist has a cheat, so please, do not learn from him.