Zu An nodded. “Very well, hurry up and shake the dice.”
Plum Blossom Seven favored him with a cold sneer as he began shaking the dice shaker dexterously. His arm moved so swiftly that it left an afterimage in its wake, and drew awed exclamations from the crowd.
While Plum Blossom Seven wasn’t a particularly strong cultivator compared to the other godsons of the sect master, he had managed to secure his current position through his superior skill at gambling.
As long as he willed it, he could get any number he wanted.
He decided to shake out a triple, which allowed him to win all bets, regardless of whether one bet on ‘big’, ‘small’, or even a specific number. The only chance to win was if Zu An bet on triple, which was extremely difficult to win given the long odds.
Halfway through his shaking, Plum Blossom Seven suddenly hesitated. What if that fellow somehow wins the bet while being all in?
Betting on a triple had a payout of 1:150, which meant that he would owe Zu An seven-and-a-half million silver taels. Even if they sold the entire Plum Blossom Sect, they wouldn’t be able to raise that much money!
Even so, it would be close to impossible for Zu An to win. There were six different sets of triples, so even if Zu An did bet on a triple, he still only had a one-in-six chance.
What am I so afraid of?
Plum Blossom Seven quietly reassured himself as he finally slammed the dice shaker onto the table. He looked at Zu An and smiled. “Young master Zu, please place your bets.”
His predatory gaze seemed to say: ‘Come and deliver your money right here!’
Zu An, however, was in no rush to proceed. He first turned to look at Chu Chuyan, who said to him, “Rest assured, he didn’t cheat here.”
Considering the disparity in their cultivation—Chu Chuyan was at rank five whereas this fellow was only at rank two or so—there was no way Plum Blossom Seven would be able to hide any tricks from her.
However, Zu An shook his head and said, “That’s not what I’m not asking. I’m asking you if you have any copper coins on hand.”
Chu Chuyan was confused. “Copper coins? What do you need those for?”
As someone in charge of the Chu clan’s businesses, she always had some money on hand in case of emergencies. At Zu An’s request, she fished out a single copper coin from her coin pouch.
“Lend it to me for a moment.” Zu An plucked the copper coin from her hand and leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Help me blow on it.”
Chu Chuyan’s face immediately turned cold. “Stop messing around.”
Zu An insisted with a chuckle. “Just help me out this once. As long as you give it a wisp of your divine breath, I promise you that I will win this bet.”
“Blow on it! Blow on it! Blow on it!”
The gamblers in the room loved a good commotion, and they began chanting in unison.
With all eyes on her, Chu Chuyan found herself put on the spot. She had no choice but to blow softly onto the copper coin. Her fair cheeks colored with a slight tinge of red. She told herself that she would surely settle this score with Zu An later on.
Zu An smiled in satisfaction as he felt a slight breeze tickle his fingers. “All right, with my wife’s divine breath on my side, my win is assured. I shall bet on whatever this copper coin falls on!”
As he said those words, he flicked the copper coin up into the air. Everyone watched with bated breath as the copper coin fell onto the gambling table and rolled around. Even Chu Chuyan was unable to tear her gaze away.
She had intended to watch nonchalantly from the sidelines, but Zu An’s request for her to blow on the coin had ended turning her into a participant in his show.
Her heart, which had for many years remained still, began to hasten for once. She found herself anticipating—almost eagerly—the result of the toss.
The copper coin continued to roll until it finally struck the edge of the gambling table. It rebounded, before finally settling on the box indicating triple ones.
With a hearty peal of laughter, Zu An placed all of his fifty thousand silver taels’ worth of banknotes onto the box, declaring, “Since destiny has decreed so, I shall stake all of my money here!”
“Open it! Open it! Open it!”
All the gamblers around found themselves dying to know the outcome of the throw. Needless to say, they were all praying for Zu An’s loss. This man actually dared to flirt with his wife in the middle of the round. How abominable!
With his hand still on the shaker, Plum Blossom Seven’s face twisted in horror. How could this be possible?
His mind went blank, and his ears failed him. He couldn’t seem to hear any of the commotion ringing around the table; all he saw were mouths opening and closing, seemingly shouting something at him.
“Hm?”
Seeing how the dealer wasn’t lifting the dice shaker, the gamblers realized something was amiss. This brat couldn’t have been so lucky as to have really guessed it, can he?
“Plum Blossom Seven, why aren’t you lifting the dice shaker?”
“Hurry up and open it!”