Chapter Fifty-Seven: Turning the Tide

The person in charge of the casino hurried over to Lei Ting Yue, anxiety etched on his face. The nightly cash flow had almost run dry; with Shen Xiang’s relentless winning streak, there was only enough to sustain one more round at most.

Shen Xiang appeared utterly confident in his choices, betting all his winnings each time and winning every round. Other gamblers followed suit, staking alongside him. Lei Ting Yue had arranged for funds to be transferred three times already, but each batch was instantly exchanged and depleted.

“If he keeps winning like this, we’ll soon have no money left to pay them out. Perhaps we should close the casino for tonight,” Huo Qian suggested, after considering the situation carefully.

“That’s out of the question,” Lei Ting Yue shook his head stubbornly. “If my casino closes because we can’t pay winners, my reputation will be ruined. Even if I have to sell everything, the casino’s doors must remain open tonight.”

“Boss, we’ve already brought over all our cash—there’s… there’s nothing left!” Liu Hao hesitated for a long time before whispering.

Huo Qian glanced at the gamblers still betting and the composed Shen Xiang, then leaned in to speak softly to Lei Ting Yue. “Shall I pay Uncle Gu a visit? Tell him we’re facing a liquidity issue and borrow some money to tide us over?”

“Absolutely not!” Lei Ting Yue waved his hand to stop him. “It’s just a minor issue—no need to alarm him. If word gets out that I can’t manage my own casino, who will respect me in the future?”

My gaze lingered on the long-haired figure sipping tea in the lounge. After hearing Lei Ting Yue’s words, I turned and smiled faintly.

“There’s no need to worry about such a small matter. Since you’re an expert in feng shui and metaphysics, I’d like to test your skills.”

“You have a way to break Shen Xiang’s feng shui setup?” Huo Qian asked urgently.

I nodded seriously. “Qian, you’ve always managed the casino. I’ve noticed many of your men have tattoos. Do you know anyone with a tattoo of a knife?”

“A knife tattoo…” Lei Ting Yue pondered, then grabbed one of his men nearby. “This kid has one on his arm. Will that do?”

The man quickly rolled up his sleeve, revealing an odd tattoo: a skull with a dagger stabbed through it.

“That won’t do. I need a knife, not a dagger—this is useless,” I shook my head.

“How about mine?” Liu Hao slowly unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his left chest where a steel knife was tattooed prominently.

I smiled meaningfully and nodded in satisfaction. “In a moment, follow behind me—leave your shirt open, just like this. Remember, the knife on your chest must face Shen Xiang.”

Once Liu Hao had memorized my instructions, I looked at Xiao Lianshan beside me. “Lianshan, you were born in the year of the tiger. In a moment, sit next to Liu Hao, but face away from Shen Xiang.”

Xiao Lianshan nodded. I knew he might not fully grasp my intentions, but it was clear he’d do anything to defeat Shen Xiang.

“Ting Yue, you always wear a jade Guanyin necklace. May I borrow it for a while?”

Lei Ting Yue didn’t hesitate; he removed the jade Guanyin from his neck and handed it to me.

The casino manager came over again, stammering nervously. “We… we’ve run out of money!”

The gamblers were riding high, never having experienced a night like this. Shen Xiang was their beacon, and they all followed his bets. Seeing the dealer delay the next round, they grew restless and agitated, and the scene threatened to spiral out of control.

I walked nonchalantly to the gaming table, with Liu Hao and Xiao Lianshan following as instructed.

“I’ve been waiting for you all night. That day, you embarrassed me in front of everyone—I thought you were something special. Turns out you’re just Lei Ting Yue’s dog,” Shen Xiang sneered, pointing at me arrogantly. “Don’t think you can act with impunity just because Lei Ting Yue backs you. Frankly, I don’t care about him. I’m in a good mood tonight, so I casually played and won a fortune. I plan to come every day and bankrupt Lei Ting Yue. I want to see how you two dogs will bark when your master is gone.”

Xiao Lianshan, seated with his back to Shen Xiang, clenched his fist at those words, about to turn around. My hand pressed firmly on his shoulder.

“Those who gamble must be prepared to lose. Ting Yue dares to run a casino, so he’s not afraid of challengers. Every guest is welcome—please!” I said calmly.

The gamblers instantly quieted down, waiting to see what Shen Xiang would bet on next.

“Still stubborn when the end is near. Let’s see what you’ll use to pay me,” Shen Xiang sneered, pushing all his money forward. “Fine, you must be out of cash. Let’s settle it all on one round—I bet ‘small’!”

The others saw Shen Xiang betting ‘small’ and followed suit. The pile of money grew into a mountain on the table. I noticed Lei Ting Yue’s fingers tremble slightly; if I lost this round, not only would he be unable to pay, but his hard-earned reputation would be destroyed.

“Open! Open! Small, small…!”

The casino echoed with deafening shouts from the gamblers.

I wore a faint smile, my gaze never leaving Shen Xiang. I slowly uncovered the dice cup, while Lei Ting Yue turned away, unable to watch.

The noisy crowd suddenly fell silent. Everyone stared at the dice cup, stunned. Lei Ting Yue slowly turned his head, and the anxious lines on his face relaxed, his lips curling upward as he exhaled a long breath.

“Four, five, six—fifteen points. Big! The house wins!” Liu Hao exclaimed excitedly.

Shen Xiang frowned, staring at the dice in disbelief. “No… no… impossible. How could it be ‘big’?!”

I won back all the casino’s losses for the night in one stroke, and Lei Ting Yue’s face beamed with joy. Shen Xiang’s expression was grim as he glared at me.

“You cheated! It’s impossible for ‘big’ to come up—I refuse to lose tonight!”

“Before he came, you couldn’t lose. But once he arrived, you couldn’t possibly win!” The voice came from the crowd. The long-haired man who had been sitting in the lounge now stood beside Shen Xiang, meeting my gaze with cold, deep eyes.

“The man opposite you has a knife tattoo on his chest. You wear a necklace of Guan Yu reading. Guan Yu died by beheading, which counters your Guan Yu reading. The one sitting with his back to you was born in the year of the tiger—the tiger faces away from the knife. The White Tiger sits in the hall; one tiger brings calamity, two bring harm. You sit at the opening gate, with the White Tiger holding the line, but when a tiger appears, the White Tiger chases after it. Without the knife above, one must die. The opening gate transforms into the death gate. How could you win? Moreover, he shakes the dice holding a jade Guanyin. Though you wear the Kunpeng ring, which can break the casino’s Nine Dragons Soaring formation, the Golden-Winged Roc bows before the true Bodhisattva. He has dismantled all your feng shui setups—how could you possibly defeat him?”

Shen Xiang, consumed by rage, slapped the table and stood up, furious and humiliated. “If you knew he broke the feng shui formations you taught me, why didn’t you warn me earlier?”

“He knew I’d see through it, so he turned your opening gate into a death gate. You had no choice but to gamble this round. You sat at the opening gate, now it’s the death gate—death plus opening is the dispersal of filial sons and wealth, a sign of disaster. Whoever triggers it will lose wealth year after year, and may even suffer bereavement. If you don’t lose money, you’ll lose your life.”

I smiled faintly, nodding at the long-haired man. “It’s easy to see Shen Xiang’s fate from his features. All his feng shui tonight must have been taught by you. Feng shui and metaphysics are meant to guide people toward fortune and away from disaster, yet you use them for greed and chaos. Your intentions are impure—you are no true master. Besides, Shen Xiang’s fate doesn’t carry this wealth; sudden fortune will surely bring calamity. You’re not helping him—you’re harming him.”

“Feng shui methods differ from person to person. You and I serve different masters. Victory belongs to the winner—history is never written by the losers,” the long-haired man replied indifferently.

“Enough with the nonsense. Miao Renyu, give me a straight answer—can you beat him? I refuse to lose tonight!” Shen Xiang shouted, eyes red with anger.

So the long-haired man’s name was Miao Renyu. Su Lengyue was skilled in the art of poisons, and her companion was deeply versed in feng shui and metaphysics. I wondered what kind of person the mysterious Master Huang behind them truly was.

Miao Renyu glanced at me, nodded calmly, and said to Shen Xiang, “He already said, ‘Those who gamble must be prepared to lose.’ Besides, luck has always favored me—I’ve never lost.”

“Fine, then I’ll bet the casino!” Shen Xiang slammed the table, full of bravado.

I looked back at Lei Ting Yue, waiting for his decision. Lei Ting Yue didn’t even pause; he sat casually in his chair and said, “I’m not afraid to gamble my life, so what’s a casino? Go ahead.”

“Good—let’s raise the stakes. I’ll bet both these men’s hands. If I win, they’ll cut off their hands for me,” Shen Xiang said, glaring at me and Xiao Lianshan with hatred. If he could, he would have ground us to dust.

“My hands aren’t worth much—bet as you please. I only worry you won’t be able to pay if you lose!” Xiao Lianshan, still facing away from Shen Xiang, laughed scornfully.

“I don’t mind such high stakes, but unfortunately I never gamble—I know nothing of the rules. What do you want to bet on?” I replied lightly.

Shen Xiang pointed coldly at the dice in front of me. “Enough talk—let’s bet on this. Just now, you were the dealer, using your equipment and staff. If you cheat, no one would know. This time, I’ll be the dealer, and you place the bet!”

I was about to nod in agreement when Miao Renyu suddenly shook his head. “Since you don’t know the rules of the table, why don’t we choose something simpler?”