Chapter 662: The She Festival

"Is that so?" Di Hou shrugged. "I've seen many people lose everything, and even more who lose and make threats. What makes you different?"

Qi Xia simply reached out and tapped the table. "The only difference between me and them is 'I am me'."

"Putting on airs."

This time, it was Chen Jun Nan's turn to shuffle the cards.

The group first simply divided the current chips. Due to his poor condition, Zheng Ying Xiong had to temporarily leave the table to rest on the side and handed his remaining two "Dao" to Qi Xia.

Chen Jun Nan glanced at everyone's chips and was about to start shuffling when Xiao Cheng spoke up from nearby.

"I'm out."

"Hmm?" Chen Jun Nan was taken aback. "Kid? Not playing anymore?"

"Though it might not be appropriate to say this, I only have one 'Dao' left." Xiao Cheng shook his head helplessly. "After paying the entry for this round, I won't be able to match any bets. If anyone raises, I'll lose everything, so it's better to give this 'Dao' to someone more capable."

With that, he tossed the small round ball in his hand to Qi Xia, who caught it expressionlessly.

"I'm out too," Tian Tian said decisively. "I'll go take care of Ying Xiong."

She handed her two chips to Qi Xia. The group glanced at Di Hou, who didn't object.

"Huh? Why is everyone quitting?!" Chen Jun Nan and Qiao Jia Jin looked at each other, a bit confused.

Xiao Cheng slowly stood up and asked, "Qi Ge, do you think I did the right thing?"

Qi Xia slowly raised the corners of his mouth. "You're a bit smarter than I imagined."

Xiao Cheng and Tian Tian nodded, then led Zheng Ying Xiong to a spot nearby to sit down. The two of them worked on stopping Zheng Ying Xiong's bleeding while watching the gambling game from a distance with a hint of worry.

Now, aside from Di Hou, only Qi Xia, Qiao Jia Jin, and Chen Jun Nan remained at the table.

Once the game's clear rules were known, the fewer players, the better.

The ideal situation was to gather all the chips on one person and then face Di Hou in a one-on-one gamble.

That single remaining player would have a substantial stake, able to multiply the chips several times over in one round—it was truly an all-or-nothing bet.

The reason they hadn't used this strategy from the start was first to ensure a six-sevenths winning chance, and second to use more hands to figure out the game rules.

Now that the rules were basically set, there was no need for too many players.

Each fewer person meant one less "Dao" as entry, reducing the number of bets and effectively cutting into Di Hou's earnings. But this also created a problem.

The fewer people, the smaller the winning edge.

Although it greatly increased the chip amount per game, the cost of losing would be extremely severe.

"Qi Xia, your team doesn't seem very united," Di Hou said with a light laugh. "Is it falling apart already?"

"It's not 'falling apart' at all; it's become even more united." Qi Xia was referring to Xiao Cheng, of course. His willingness to bow out at this point meant he had entrusted his life to Qi Xia.

If Qi Xia won, he lived.

If Qi Xia lost, he died.

"Lao Qi." Chen Jun Nan turned to look at Qi Xia. "You wouldn't think we're in the way here, would you?"

"A bit." Qi Xia said expressionlessly. "I've sobered up a little. You two should leave after the next round."

"That won't do."

Chen Jun Nan and Qiao Jia Jin both smiled.

"Cheater boy, you should know why me and Jun Nan boy haven't left yet, right?"

"Yeah, Lao Qi, I'm more principled than you think." Chen Jun Nan grinned mischievously. "At a key moment, I can still be worth something."

Qi Xia slowly furrowed his brow. Of course, he knew why the two of them were staying.

They understood the logic but were prepared to stake their lives on this gamble at any time.

To avoid that, the only option was to make them both quit, but would they listen?

"Lao Qi, you just sit tight and watch." Chen Jun Nan laughed. "I'm about to deal the cards here."

With that, he gathered all the cards on the table and started shuffling them in his hands.

A four-player game began.

After Chen Jun Nan finished shuffling, everyone placed a "Dao" on the table.

But Di Hou didn't immediately announce the start of the fifth round. Instead, he stared straight at Chen Jun Nan.

"What's up, Hou Ge?" Chen Jun Nan asked, looking up.

"You're not being honest, kid. I don't trust your shuffle," Di Hou replied.

"Hey, what are you talking about? Even if you trust me, I'm still not honest."

"Fat horse." Qiao Jia Jin chimed in. "We agreed on taking turns to shuffle, right? Why the sudden change?"

"I want to shuffle too," Di Hou said. "I trust everyone else's shuffle, but not this kid's."

"Well, you've really hurt my feelings." Chen Jun Nan stood up and unceremoniously tossed the cards in front of Di Hou. "Go ahead, then."

Di Hou picked up the cards, reshuffled them several times, and during this, Qiao Jia Jin kept staring at his hands, making Di Hou feel uncomfortable.

"What are you looking at?"

"Watching the horse shuffle." Qiao Jia Jin answered blankly. "Keep going, don't mind me."

Di Hou felt there was something odd about the man in front of him, so he slowly pulled his hands back and moved the deck under the table, out of Qiao Jia Jin's line of sight.

"Hey!" Qiao Jia Jin exclaimed lightly. "What are you doing?! Cheating?"

"Hah." Di Hou shook his head. "This deck has thirty-six cards. Who would blatantly steal one?"

Di Hou shuffled under the table for a while before placing the deck in the center.

"Thirty-six cards, not a single one missing. Want to count them?"

Qi Xia had been sitting there with his hand on his forehead, looking unwell. Qiao Jia Jin saw this and stood up, took the deck, and flipped through it face up.

It was indeed thirty-six cards, and nothing seemed wrong with them.

"If there's no problem... then the fifth round begins."

Di Hou gestured with his eyes for Chen Jun Nan to deal. Chen Jun Nan didn't hold back; he quickly reshuffled and drew a "She Ri" card, slapping it on the table.

"'She Ri'...?" Chen Jun Nan paused slightly. "Lao Qiao, what day is 'She Ri'?"

"The birthday of the Earth God, the second of February," Qiao Jia Jin replied, turning his head. "Our group often worships the Earth God on the second of February. Don't you?"

Chen Jun Nan smiled awkwardly. "In our place, the second of February is 'Dragon Raises Its Head,' when you can finally cut the hair that's been growing since the first month."