Chapter 659: The Second Great

Chen Jun Nan placed both hands on Qi Xia's shoulders and said softly:

“Lao Qi, do you believe that I also have some brains?”

Qi Xia was slightly startled and replied:

“I find it hard to believe, but also hard not to.”

“You big... damn it,” Chen Jun Nan muttered, “I'm really not sure if you're praising me or insulting me...”

“Ha!” Qiao Jia Jin stepped forward and patted Qi Xia on the back. “Don't worry, kid, I can show off my skills too!”

“But... but...” Qi Xia stammered for the first time, “This is Di Hou's game, after all. Logically, it should rely on me...”

“But your sister, but,” Chen Jun Nan said, pointing to his temple, “You know, Lao Qi, once I start using my brain, 'Di Hou' can only become 'Monkey Brother'.”

He turned his head and glanced at Di Hou, then raised an eyebrow: “You agree, right? Monkey Bro.”

Di Hou's expression was very cautious. He felt that Qi Xia wasn't that simple, and every word everyone said or action they took could be part of a deception, so he didn't respond.

“Relax,” Qiao Jia Jin said to Qi Xia, “Don't you remember I used to oversee a casino? Kid, just give us some casual pointers from the side. Leave the rest to us.”

Qi Xia nodded blankly, and Chen Jun Nan reached over to pull up a chair, then helped Qi Xia sit down.

“Alright, now it's my turn to think,” he said, glancing back at the others with a signal, then stepping forward to check on Zheng Ying Xiong's condition. “Kid... are you okay?”

“I'm fine...” Zheng Ying Xiong pinched his nose, his voice thick with congestion, “But be careful... it's really foul!! It's way too dangerous!!”

Qi Xia and the other two had witnessed Zheng Ying Xiong's abilities before, so they knew what he meant by “foul.”

But was it odd for that word to appear in this setting?

Either there was an incredibly strong “resonance” here, or a “Tian Ji” was present.

Yet, the person sitting there was clearly Di Hou. First, the “Sheng Xiao” never resonated, and second, he wasn't a “Tian Ji.”

Everyone sat back down at the round table. Though this was a mental game without any killing or fighting, exhaustion showed on everyone's faces.

“Qi Xia, is this where you give up?” Di Hou laughed. “I only asked you to pose one question, and you're willing to sacrifice your hand? Is it worth it?”

Qi Xia looked at Di Hou expressionlessly and said flatly:

“If it weren't for your boss pulling all sorts of dirty tricks on me, why would I go to the extreme of crippling my right hand just to deal with a mere Di Hou?”

Di Hou felt he had completely seen through Qi Xia. This person's deceptions seemed clever but always revealed major flaws unintentionally.

“Are you kidding?” Di Hou snorted. “Are you saying 'Tian Hou' was afraid I couldn't win on my own, so he fought you first?”

“'Tian Hou'...?” Qi Xia's lips curved slightly. “Sorry, I've never even noticed someone like that.”

“Then what do you mean by 'boss'? Your lies are just too...” Di Hou trailed off, suddenly pausing. “... 'Boss'?”

The words “top boss” made Di Hou freeze. He couldn't quite believe who Qi Xia was referring to.

“Why doesn't 'Tian Long' come out and see me?” Qi Xia said, as if addressing Di Hou but shouting into the void for “Tian Long.” “After all these dirty tricks against me, are you afraid I'll keep winning?”

Di Hou's face gradually changed. He leaned forward, lowering his voice:

“Qi Xia! Do you know what you're saying?! Shut up!”

“Ha...” Qi Xia's expression seemed completely relieved. “Di Hou, your face is really something... If I survive this, I'd love to have a proper chat with you. Let's continue the game.”

“Continue the game...?” Di Hou slowly straightened up. “Qi Xia, you've already lost. You're even giving up the only chance I gave you.”

“I haven't given up.” Qi Xia shook his head. “I've thought of that question.”

“Oh...?” Di Hou raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of contempt. “You've thought of it?”

“That's right.” Qi Xia nodded. Although the fog in his mind hadn't cleared, with enough time, he could still figure it out.

“Go ahead.” Di Hou said. “Let me see what you're capable of.”

Qi Xia scanned the cards on everyone's tables, then looked up and asked:

“Di Hou, in the last round, besides you, who had the second-largest hand?”

“Second-largest...?”

Di Hou furrowed his brow, thinking the question wasn't against the rules, but it was equally deadly.

It was like playing another round with the same cards and revealing the results, skipping a turn entirely.

Last time, Qi Xia had taken about two rounds to understand the rules. Could he do it again this time?

Di Hou pondered for a moment and decided that when Qi Xia asked this, he had already earned his respect.

“I can tell you.” Di Hou said. “After all, I don't think any of you will make it out alive, even if you win the rest of the rounds.”

“Is that so?” Qi Xia nodded. “We'll see about that.”

Di Hou glanced at the cards on the table, then narrowed his eyes, his lips moving as if doing a quick calculation. Finally, he extended a furry finger and pointed at Xiao Cheng.

“Besides me, he's the second-largest.”

“Oh?” Chen Jun Nan smirked. “This kid has the second-largest?”

Qi Xia immediately looked at the cards in front of Xiao Cheng. He had “Xiao Xue,” “Dong Zhi,” and the central “Chun Jie.”

These three cards made a “five of a kind one,” a “pair of twos,” and a “pair of threes,” but they weren't the largest overall—only second?

Did that mean Di Hou had assembled something even bigger?

“No...” Qi Xia racked his brain, trying to give the team one last push before everything went blurry.

If the key wasn't “five of a kind one,” then he needed a different angle.

Xiao Cheng's cards were “Xiao Xue,” “Dong Zhi,” and “Chun Jie.”

Di Hou's cards were “Qing Ming,” “Chun Fen,” and “Chun Jie.”

Qi Xia slowly frowned. This situation was too strange. A ridiculous idea suddenly formed in his mind—

Could it be “temperature”?

But how could such a vague concept determine who was larger or smaller?!

“No... it shouldn't be something as simple as temperature.”