Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Tian Nineteen led Shen Lang to a gambling table.
Shen Lang was treated like a celebrity in Prosperity Hall. Many of the gamblers in the den stopped their games and crowded around, eager to watch him play.
"Is that Shen Lang?"
"He married into the Xu Clan, and now he's the son-in-law of the Count's estate."
"He's incredibly handsome."
"I'm handsome too. Why couldn't I marry into the Count's estate?"
"I've known you a long time, but I never knew you were this foolish. When you take a leak, does the mirror lie to you?"
"That bastard Shen Lang, daring to come gamble here. Does he have a death wish? Win or lose, the Count will break his legs!"
Shen Lang ignored them, looking at the dealer behind the table.
"Let's begin!"
Tian Nineteen nodded. Against someone like Shen Lang, there was no need for petty tricks. The dealer shook the dice cup, and after a few moments, he slammed it down on the table.
"Will you bet on Big or Small?"
Three dice. A total of less than nine was Small, and nine or more was Big. Using his X-ray vision, Shen Lang easily saw the numbers inside the cup. A total of thirteen!
"I'll bet on Big!"
Shen Lang pushed all his chips, worth a thousand gold taels, onto Big.
Everyone watching held their breath. Damn, going all in on the first round? He bet the entire one thousand gold taels he had borrowed. The other gamblers watched intently, finding the high-stakes spectacle both thrilling and entertaining.
"All bets are in. Hands off the table," the dealer announced.
"Open it, open it, open it."
The dealer swiftly lifted the cup. Thirteen. Shen Lang had won.
"He actually won."
"That Shen Lang is one lucky bastard. Won a thousand gold taels on his first try."
The onlookers were buzzing with excitement. But Tian Nineteen’s expression didn't even flicker; he maintained his smile. It was just a stroke of luck, nothing more. To be honest, Tian Nineteen had been worried Shen Lang might lose the first round and quit. He needed to taste a few sweet victories to keep him hooked. The first win was always the start of a gambler's tragedy.
For the second round, Shen Lang continued with the dice game. The dealer began to shake the cup. With a look of intense concentration, he shook it for a full minute before slamming it down on the table.
His elaborate performance was a ritual meant to impress the crowd and pressure the gambler. But he could have shaken the dice for over a hundred minutes and it wouldn't have made a difference to Shen Lang. Using his X-ray vision, Shen Lang peered inside the cup again. Fifteen. Still Big.
"I'll bet on Big!"
Shen Lang pushed all two thousand gold taels worth of chips onto the Big space. Everyone in the den could barely breathe. Was the Count's son-in-law insane? Why was he playing for such high stakes? Tian Nineteen’s expression shifted slightly. If Shen Lang won again, he would have four thousand gold taels, a sum that would be a heavy blow even for Tian Heng. Prosperity Hall might look grand and opulent, but its net profit was no more than two thousand gold taels a month. Four thousand gold taels was an immense fortune, worth well over a million dollars on modern-day Earth. As a result, the hands of the dealer facing Shen Lang seemed to tremble slightly.
"O-o-opening."
The dealer lifted the cup with a flourish.
Fifteen. Big. Shen Lang had won again! He had won four thousand gold taels! The onlookers erupted in cheers, their excitement boiling over. It was a colossal sum that an ordinary person could never hope to accumulate even if they were reborn several times over.
Tian Nineteen's expression changed completely.
*This bastard Shen Lang, is he completely insane? He bets everything he wins, every single time. And his luck is unbelievable—he’s won twice in a row.*
This was the largest loss the gambling den had suffered in recent memory.
Normally, even against the most skilled gamblers, Prosperity Hall never lost more than four or five hundred gold taels. Most of their losses were essentially tribute paid to the high-ranking officials who frequented the den like wolves, offered alongside the thrill of the game.
Tian Nineteen couldn't let Shen Lang keep winning, so he decided to step in himself. If he took over, Shen Lang was guaranteed to lose.
"Here, here. Young Master Shen, allow me to shake the dice myself."
He was a master at shaking the dice. He could make it land on Big if he wanted Big, or Small if he wanted Small. But what was truly impressive was his ability to change the numbers on the dice *after* he had shaken them and placed the cup on the table. Only Tian Nineteen possessed this unique skill in all of Prosperity Hall, which was why he was the one in charge.
Shen Lang knew the other man was planning to cheat and said with a smile, "No, no. This game is decided entirely by luck, with no room for skill. I've grown tired of it. I think I'll go play dominoes."
Tian Nineteen smiled back.
"As you wish. Today, you are the star, my lord. Whatever you wish to play, we shall play."
There was no way Tian Nineteen would let Shen Lang leave. If Tian Heng found out that he had not only failed to trap Shen Lang but had also lost four thousand gold taels to him, the Gang Leader would surely skin him alive.
When it came to gambling, Tian Nineteen had no equal in Xuanwu City. Dominoes, in particular, was a game where skill was decisive. He was confident he could win the very underwear off Shen Lang, even with his eyes closed. So Shen Lang had to play. Dominoes was a difficult game that required judging whether your opponent's hand was strong or weak, deciding whether to continue or fold, and even engaging in psychological warfare.
Moreover, the backs of the tiles were marked with faint symbols that only Tian Nineteen could recognize, allowing him to know every tile. For the oblivious Shen Lang to suggest a game of dominoes was to walk willingly into his own demise.
He would make sure Shen Lang lost everything, and then he would make him borrow more. Ten or twenty thousand gold taels should be enough. Then the Count's estate, unwilling to repay the debt, would disown Shen Lang and sever all ties. Once that happened, he could finally exact his revenge.
* * *
The rules of dominoes in this world were much simpler than those on Earth. Thirty-two tiles were placed face down on the table, and each player drew two. The winner was determined by the value of the tile combination, from highest to lowest. Instead of rolling dice to draw, players simply chose two tiles themselves and compared their hands.
The highest combination was the Supreme Treasure, a pairing of a 1-2 tile and a 2-4 tile, which corresponded to a value of 3 plus 9. Though the individual tiles had low point values, their combination made them the strongest. The next highest was the Heavenly pair, followed by the Earthly pair. Since it's not important, I won't explain the rules in detail.
Just as Tian Nineteen was about to start the game, Shen Lang suddenly spoke.
"I don't trust the house's tiles. Send someone to buy a new set. I'll inspect them, and if they're clean, we can play!"
Hearing this, Tian Nineteen's brow furrowed slightly. All the tiles currently in use were secretly marked.
"If not, I'm leaving. Please exchange these four thousand gold taels for cash."
Shen Lang stood up as if to leave.
"D-d-don't go. We'll b-b-buy a new set."
He couldn't let Shen Lang walk away. If he did, it would be the end of him. Tian Nineteen ordered a clerk, "Go buy ten new boxes of dominoes. And don't buy them from any of our own shops."
The clerk immediately ran out and returned with ten new boxes of dominoes. Shen Lang scanned them with his X-ray vision and found that six of the sets were unmarked. He chose the most normal set, one with no markings and with perfectly uniform patterns and density inside the tiles, making it impossible to cheat with.
"We'll use this set."
"Very well."
It didn't matter to Tian Nineteen. He was the undisputed master of gambling in Xuanwu City, so he was confident he would win even without cheating. The match between the two began.
"You may choose your tiles first," Shen Lang said.
Tian Nineteen nodded and drew two of the thirty-two tiles. Shen Lang could easily see his hand. Tian Nineteen's luck was quite good. He drew a Plum Flower pair, the sixth-strongest combination. Tian Nineteen pushed his chips forward.
"I bet one hundred gold taels."
If Tian Nineteen had drawn the sixth-strongest hand, Shen Lang had drawn the fifth-strongest: a Harmony pair. Without even looking at his tiles, he placed them directly on the table. Pushing his chips forward, Shen Lang said, "I'll see your hundred, and raise you a thousand gold taels!"
He had the air of a true God of Gamblers. Seeing him push forward a thousand gold taels worth of chips without even looking at his tiles, everyone gasped in unison. This was a truly high-stakes game, the likes of which they had never seen before. Tian Nineteen hesitated for a moment, but his hand was strong, so he thought it was worth the risk.
"I'll call your thousand gold taels!"
"Reveal the tiles!"
The revealed tiles showed Shen Lang's overwhelming victory. At this, Tian Nineteen felt a cold sweat trickle down his back. But this was only the beginning. A nightmare was about to unfold for him. A nightmare the likes of which he had never experienced. Round after round, Shen Lang would push forward chips worth a thousand gold taels without even glancing at his tiles. And he won, and won, and won again! Tian Nineteen's whole body trembled, a chill ran through him, and his head spun as he began to question his very existence.
*Heavens, why are you testing me like this? The heavens themselves must be protecting this man!*
Tian Nineteen was certain there were no marks or tricks with these tiles. Yet Shen Lang won every single time. What kind of sorcery was this? Did marrying into the Count's estate bless him with fortune that reached the heavens? The key was that this pale-faced pretty boy bet a thousand gold taels every round without even looking at his tiles. Sometimes, on a whim, he would even bet two thousand.
*What gives you such nerve? What makes you so damn confident? This is my gambling den, Tian Nineteen's! So why are you taking my money with your eyes closed as if you own the place?!*
With every tile clearly visible to him, Shen Lang couldn't lose. He won again and again with effortless ease, while the crowd of gamblers watched the thrilling showdown.
*Amazing. I've never seen anything this exciting.*
They had seen winning streaks before. They had even seen a gambler win a dozen rounds in a row. But for a novice like Shen Lang to win eight consecutive rounds was rare, and to win over ten thousand gold taels was something they had never even heard of. It was as if a legendary God of Gamblers had descended among them.
By the time Shen Lang won the ninth consecutive round, Tian Nineteen was completely dazed, drenched in a cold sweat, his hands frozen stiff.
*How can this be? I'm supposed to be the greatest God of Gamblers in Xuanwu City. How can I possibly be losing?*
"I'm a dead man, I'm dead..."
Seeing Shen Lang, who had already won over thirteen thousand gold taels, he could only mutter blankly. Adding the money from the dice game and the initial loan, his total winnings were sixteen thousand gold taels.
*Shen Lang, you've gone too far! To walk in here without a single coin and walk out with sixteen thousand gold taels!*
Tian Heng would surely skin him alive.
"I-I'm suddenly feeling dizzy. Please excuse me..." Tian Nineteen said, his voice trembling.
He couldn't afford to lose any more money. He shouldn't have lost so much in the first place, but with each loss, he had been desperate to win it back and ensnare Shen Lang. Unable to stop, he had unknowingly lost sixteen thousand gold taels. That was nearly a full year's net profit for the gambling den. If he lost any more, he would be dead!
He immediately left the table and hurried away. He had to report to the Gang Leader at once.
*I couldn't control the house. I'm finished!*