Chapter 655: Subtle

The fourth round began.

Di Hou's words rang out with authority.

Qi Xia paid no attention to Di Hou's expression and shifted his gaze directly to the wooden box in the center of the table.

As Qi Xia had anticipated, the moment Di Hou finished speaking, the wooden box in the center changed color once more.

Although the change was subtle this time, after three rounds, the box's overall color had transformed completely, making it impossible not to notice.

At that moment, Qiao Jia Jin patted Qi Xia on the shoulder: "Deceiver... you seem to be right; that box is really changing color!"

Qi Xia was well aware that the box was changing color, but the situation remained unclear. He had noticed this anomaly two rounds earlier but still couldn't figure out the reason for the change.

Now, the wooden box had turned a deep golden yellow, as if the light inside had reached its maximum brightness, making it look like a bright lamp in the room.

Everyone had noticed the change, yet no one immediately understood the cause.

This round, it was Xiao Cheng's turn to deal. He shuffled the cards thoroughly and placed one in the center of the table.

This was the "public card," "Chun Jie."

"First day of the first month," Qi Xia foresaw the direction this hand would take.

He needed to get more "ones" to have a chance of beating Di Hou.

The best outcome would be drawing a "Shiyi Yue" card, giving him four "ones" and making it easy to outplay Di Hou.

After revealing the "public card," Xiao Cheng dealt himself another card and showed it.

"Xiao Xue."

"Twenty-third of the tenth month... 1023," Qi Xia murmured.

This card was neither strong nor weak. It didn't give many "ones," but it was moving toward a "straight." Now, everyone's hands would likely aim for "pairs," and if Xiao Cheng could form a "straight," he might sweep the table.

Next was Chen Jun Nan, who drew a "Li Chun" from Xiao Cheng, the sixth day of the first month.

"Damn, another 'Li Chun'?" Chen Jun Nan was stunned. "Why does it feel like this card has shown up before? Am I that 'Li Chun'-looking?"

Qi Xia remembered that Chen Jun Nan had drawn "Li Chun" in the first round, but the circumstances were different then—the "public card" was "Zhong Yuan," or "715."

"Li Chun" hadn't been useful in that round, but now, with the "public card" as "Chun Jie," Chen Jun Nan already had three "ones." If his next "hidden card" also had a "one," he could form "four of a kind ones," greatly improving his chances.

Moreover, all the solar terms in the first half of the year were "twenty-one," and the eleventh and twelfth months also had plenty of "ones," so Chen Jun Nan had a high probability of drawing more "ones."

Qiao Jia Jin drew a "Zhong Yuan."

Qi Xia drew "Bai Lu," which he calculated as the eighth day of the eighth month.

This card didn't connect well with "first day of the first month," but it wasn't a weak card on its own. Now, Qi Xia's hand equaled "two pairs": a pair of "eights" and a pair of "ones."

At this point, everyone's eyes turned to Di Hou, as he was the opponent everyone was betting against.

When Di Hou revealed his card, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Qing Ming," the sixth day of the third month.

This card didn't pair well with "Chun Jie" at all, whether for pairs or straights—it was too far off.

"'Three six' and 'one one'...?" Qi Xia narrowed his eyes slowly, sensing something was amiss.

Based on the previous round, Di Hou would likely fold.

Now in the fourth round, if Di Hou kept folding, would anyone have a chance to turn things around?

Next, Zheng Ying Xiong drew a "Li Qiu," the eighth day of the seventh month.

Tian Tian drew "Xiao Han," the eighth day of the twelfth month.

Everyone's hands were decent, except Zheng Ying Xiong's, whose "eighth day of the seventh month" was similar to Di Hou's "sixth day of the third month"—neither could pair well with "first day of the first month."

Tian Tian scanned the table and realized her "Xiao Han," from the twelfth month, had the latest date, so she started considering raising the bet.

"Xiao Han" was in the twelfth month, commonly known as December, and it could form three "ones" with the "public card" of "Chun Jie," making it a solid hand that would beat Di Hou's card no matter what. So, she raised by one token.

Xiao Cheng looked at his "Xiao Xue" and had a similar idea, as it was from the tenth month and could also form three "ones." He followed with a bet.

Chen Jun Nan and Qiao Jia Jin, both having "ones" in their hands, also called the bet.

After Qi Xia called as well, he glanced at Di Hou with a hint of resignation.

If Di Hou folded, all the raises would be pointless.

To Qi Xia's surprise, Di Hou kept his head down, staring at his card, then pulled a "Dao" from under the table and bet it.

"I call."

"Call...?" Qi Xia was stunned and double-checked Di Hou's card—it was indeed "Qing Ming."

Qi Xia's doubts lingered; he had no idea what Di Hou was waiting for.

As Di Hou had explained the rules at the start of the game, it was about combining hand cards with the central card to compare strengths. Even if the rules changed, it couldn't be to the extent that a mismatched "Qing Ming" and "Chun Jie" would beat everyone's neat hands.

Even if it were just a simple comparison of numbers, "Qing Ming" and "Chun Jie" were among the smallest.

Yet, Di Hou clearly said, "I call."

Then it was Zheng Ying Xiong's turn. He looked at his "Li Qiu" from the "eighth day of the seventh month" and announced he was folding.

Di Hou heard Zheng Ying Xiong fold, slowly lifted his eyelids to glance at his card, then lowered his head expressionlessly.

Qi Xia noticed that Di Hou's lips had been trembling slightly the whole time, as if he were calculating something.

Though the game did involve calculations, did a veteran gambler like Di Hou need to keep his head down the entire time?

Once all bets were placed, Xiao Cheng started the second round of dealing. Everyone except Zheng Ying Xiong received a face-down "hidden card."

Qi Xia held his "hidden card" without revealing it and looked up at Di Hou, only to find Di Hou doing the same, staring back at him.

"Di Hou, betting without even looking at your card—dare you?" Qi Xia asked.