Chapter 61: I’m Jealous

Keyboard Immortal

Chapter 61: I’m Jealous

Zu An waved his hands and told the surrounding crowd, “As you have seen earlier, I didn’t want to make a move either. But he insisted that I fought him in a 1-on-1, so there’s nothing I can do about it. Who could have known that this fellow was all talk and actually this weak?”

The surrounding gamblers looked at Zu An with a conflicted look on their faces. 

You’re so good with your mouth that there’s probably no one who is a match for you when it comes to arguing.

They really couldn’t understand how this wastrel managed to win Chu First Miss' fancy. No matter how they looked at it, they didn’t pale in comparison to Zu An in any way. They honestly felt that she should have chosen them instead.

However, it was finally dawning on them that there was something that Zu An was superior to them at—the thickness of their skin.

Seeing the fuming crowd around, Zu An wondered if he should say a few more words to further agitate them and squeeze some more Rage points from them. However, looking at it from another perspective, he felt that sustainable growth was the true way to go. There was no point squeezing these people dry right away.

Thus, he said, “I have a feeling that my luck will be good today. Come, let’s begin.”

“Of course! Young master Zu, this way please!” Plum Blossom Seven’s heart blossomed in happiness. 

I thought that Brother Thirteen’s interference has messed things up, but who could have thought that this fellow would insist on barging right through hell’s gates? Well, since he’s already going this far, I’d be letting him down if I don’t at least squeeze a hundred thousand silver taels out of him! 

The only thing he needed to be worried about here was Chu First Miss interference. He would have to find an opportunity to lure the latter away, or else she would surely stop him from racking up a debt.

The crowd watched intently as Plum Blossom Seven led Zu An to a gambling table. After the earlier spectacle, the other gamblers were curious to see what would happen next, so they gathered around the area to watch the show.

Zu An looked at the gambling table before him in interest. He had only seen gambling dens in dramas and movies in his previous life; this was the first time he was seeing it with his own eyes.

Different from how he envisioned it to be, there were also many other choices that the players could choose to bet on. Betting ‘big’ and ‘small’ were just one of the ways to play the game.

Even though Zu An had never played this before, the state of the table was pretty self-explanatory. It didn’t take him long to figure out what was going on.

There were three dices in total. If the result ranged between 4 to 10, it would be deemed as ‘small’. If the result ranged between 11 to 17, it would be deemed as big. The payout was basically 1:1.

It was also possible to bet that all three numbers on the dices were the same, and the payout rate was 1:24.

For higher-risk players, it was possible to delve even deeper and bet on the specific number when the numbers of all three dices were the same, such as all of the dices being 1 or 2. The payout for that was a hulking 1:150!

Alternatively, one could also bet on the sum of the numbers on the three dices. If one chose 4 or 17, the payout would be 1:50. If one chose 5 or 16, the payout would be 1:18. Basically, the easier it was for a number to appear, the lower the payout would be.

“Young master Zu, would you like to bet on big or small?” Plum Blossom Seven asked with a bright smile. In his mind, however, he was concocting the perfect scenario to ensure that Zu An walked out of the casino in heavy debt.

Zu An shot a glance at Plum Blossom Seven and asked, “Are you planning on allowing me to win a few rounds first so that I don’t get scared off?”

How did he know? 

Plum Blossom Seven was stunned. However, the astonishment on his eyes vanished so swiftly that one would have only thought that it was an illusion, and he laughed smoothly, “Young master Zu, you’re making fun of me. How can we possibly decide the results here? The only thing that influences the outcome on this gambling table is luck.” 

“Is that so? I should warn you beforehand that my honey is a fifth rank cultivator. If you get caught trying to pull any tricks before her, you shouldn’t complain if your hands get sliced off.” Still feeling a little uneasy about it, Zu An dragged Chu Chuyan over to his side as he threatened Plum Blossom Seven.

Chu Chuyan shot a sharp glare at Zu An, dissatisfied with how intimately he was addressing her. However, she couldn’t possibly reveal that they were in a ‘fake marriage’ before so many people either.

On the other hand, Plum Blossom Seven’s smile froze in place. “Young master Zu, please be assured. With the reputation of our Silverhook Casino, there’s no way we would resort to underhanded tricks. Do you see the inscriptions on our dice shakers? These are artifacts inscribed by a runemaster in the capital. It can isolate a cultivator’s ki, preventing them from reading the results within.”

The other gamblers clicked their tongue in annoyance, knowing full well that there were no casinos that didn’t resort to underhanded tricks. It was true that the inscriptions on the dice shakers prevented cultivators from reading or interfering with the results, but these runes didn’t impede physical interferences. It was likely that there were mechanisms under the table to change the numbers at the last moment.

However, it just so happened that it was the common wish of the crowd to see the smug Zu An losing it all, so all of them chose to watch the show without warning him.

Plum Blossom Seven, however, knew better than to underestimate the keen sight of a fifth rank cultivator. He knew that it would conceal any tricks he played, which left him feeling a little stifled inside. This was definitely an impediment in his plan, but it wasn’t all over yet.

At the very least, he felt that he could make Zu An lose all of his fortune even without resorting to trickery.

“Young master Zu, how much are you planning to bet?” asked Plum Blossom Seven

Zu An secretly took out the Fortune Pill and swallowed it before saying, “I dislike dragging things out, so it goes without saying that I’m going all in!”

“All in?” Plum Blossom Seven was stunned for a moment.

“You operate a casino but you don’t know what all in means?” Zu An rolled his eyes in disdain. “Going all in means to throw everything in!”

Like hell I wouldn’t know what all in means!, Plum Blossom Seven thought to himself as his smile faltered for a moment. He suppressed his overflowing rage and said, “Young master Zu sure is a candid man.”

As he said those words, he gestured at the dealer with his eyes. Considering that Zu An was going all in for the first round, they must not screw around with the first round or else that fellow would probably be scared off right away.

The dealer received Plum Blossom Seven’s signal. He raised the dice shakers and shook them for a while before finally slamming them down on the table. “Place your bets!”

Zu An took out a wad of banknotes and shook it before Plum Blossom Seven. “Now that I think about it, these banknotes are all a gift from Plum Blossom Thirteen. I wonder how much you’re going to give me this time around.”

Plum Blossom Seven’s face twitched upon hearing those words. He had already heard about what happened to Plum Blossom Thirteen. You tricked Brother Thirteen and made use of the academy’s teacher to get your way. How can you be so shameless as to claim that it was a gift now?!

You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Seven for +155 Rage!

However, this is a good opportunity for me too. Plum Blossom Thirteen is nothing more than a oaf; he thinks that the world revolves around him just because his cultivation is higher. Over the past few years, the sect master has also pinned high expectations on him due to that. However, I shall let the sect master know today that brain is more important than brawn!

With such thoughts in mind, the smile on Plum Blossom Seven’s face brightened further as he said, “Young master Zu, are you going to bet on ‘big’ or ‘small’?”

Zu An scanned the table leisurely. He could somewhat understand what Plum Blossom Seven was thinking of. It was unlikely that he would screw around with the first round so as to avoid scaring him off. So, regardless of whether he betted ‘big’ or ‘small’, he had a fair chance of winning.

But then, how could Zu An possibly be interested in a mere 1:1 payout?

He unhesitatingly placed the 1000 silver taels worth of banknotes on 17 points, saying, “We should go big or go home. That’s how I like to roll!”

Seeing how Zu An placed 1000 silver taels down all at once without even batting an eyelid, a slight furrow formed on Chu Chuyan’s forehead. Even if she was no gambler, she knew very well that betting on a single number had a far higher risk than just betting on ‘big’ or ‘small’, especially on 17. One must know the payout for that was 1:50!

What did such a high payout mean? It meant that if you threw a silver tael in, you would lose a silver tael!

Chu Chuyan wanted to advise Zu An against it, but on second thoughts, she realized that it wasn’t that bad either. At the very least, he should give up after this, and she would be able to bring him out of here. She didn’t like the smell of this place.

“Open it! Open it!”

The spectating gamblers around began cheering loudly for the dealer to reveal the number. They shared the same thought as Chu Chuyan, and they wanted to see how the showoff would react after losing 1000 silver taels in an instant.

It would be best if the Chu First Miss saw her husband’s true colors and realized that he was a wastrel who couldn’t be changed. Perhaps, in her moment of disappointment, they might just stand a chance.

For a woman as beautiful as her, they wouldn’t mind that she had been married before.

Even Plum Blossom Seven also burst into laughter as well. “Young master Zu, you’re still too young. You should go slow and steady to make big money. Why don’t you allow our casino to borrow you some money so that you can earn more? Don’t worry, in view of the Chu clan, we won’t charge you any interest!”

That was how they managed to lure Zu An into losing a hulking thousand silver taels the last time. Back then, he was still proceeding carefully, gambling a tael away by a tael. Yet, in just a few days' time, he had gotten so full of himself that he could toss a thousand silver taels away without even batting an eyelid?

Gosh, it’s really like a chicken had transformed into a phoenix. Is mooching of women really that lucrative?

Maybe I’ve been going about it the wrong way thus far.

While Plum Blossom Seven was saying those words, he suddenly sensed that something was amiss around him. The casino had turned deathly silent at some point. The surrounding gambler had turned to look at him with a complicated look in their eyes, seemingly carrying a tinge of… pity?

A fearsome premonition struck Plum Blossom Seven’s heart as he hurriedly turned over to take a look. In the dice shaker, the numbers reflected on the three dices were no other than ‘6’, ‘6’, and ‘5’, which added up nicely to 17 points!

An explosion occurred in Plum Blossom Seven’s mind there and then. His mind suddenly blanked out as he struggled to come to terms with what had just happened.

A payout of 1:50, their casino had just lost 50,000 silver taels!

That was a freaking 50,000 silver taels there!

Just thinking about this humongous sum was enough to leave Plum Blossom Seven’s vision blacking out. That was equivalent to half a month of profits for their casino!

He shot a ferocious glare at his disciple, wondering if the latter had been bought off by Zu An. However, he soon shook off the possibility. He had investigated the backgrounds of his disciples carefully before taking them in, and he was certain that they were all people who could be trusted.

Could Zu An have just been lucky?

Zu An waved his hands leisurely with a smile, saying, “Hahaha, you brothers sure are kind to me.  It was just a moment ago that Plum Blossom Thirteen generously gifted me 800 silver taels, and now you’re giving another 50,000 silver taels. Hahahaha! Time to pay up.”

Plum Blossom Seven nearly spurted blood. The hell I am giving you money!

You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Seven for +543 Rage!

It was just a moment ago that he was still looking down on Plum Blossom Thirteen for falling prey to Zu An so easily, but who could have thought that a worse fate was awaiting him? 

No, wait a moment. His tone… Doesn’t that mean that… 

“Young master Zu, are you going to leave now?” Plum Blossom Seven asked anxiously.

“What else do you think?” Zu An replied with a smile. “I’ve already won 50,000 silver taels here. Do I need to continue gambling here?”

He was truly impressed with the effects of the Fortune Pill. To be honest, he wasn’t confident about it at all, but things really worked out in his favor, just as the pill promised.

Plum Blossom Seven immediately flew into a fluster. If he were to really allow Zu An to walk away with 50,000 silver taels just like that, the sect master would surely skin him alive!

“Young master Zu, please wait a moment!” Plum Blossom Seven quickly dashed forward to block Zu An’s way, and his henchmen also stepped in to surround the latter with weapons in hand.

This made Zu An’s face darken. “What’s wrong? I’m not allowed to leave with the money I’ve earned? Is this how your casino operates?”

While saying those words, he slyly snuck behind Chu Chuyan and pushed her lightly forward. “Honey, these people are playing punk with us!”

Chu Chuyan was really not used to having such physical contact with another man, but it wasn’t the right occasion to berate him. So, once again, she could only redirect her anger toward Plum Blossom Seven and the others. “Are you intending to make a move on us?”

The other gamblers also roared in protest as well. 

It was true that they couldn’t stand how a toad like Zu An managed to latch itself onto a swan like Chu Chuyan, but as fellow gamblers, they couldn’t stand seeing the casino shirking once it had lost. If it could happen to Zu An, it could also happen to them some other day too.

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