Chapter 62: Intensely Regretful

Plum Blossom Seven felt a chill run through him, as if a single wrong word would freeze him into an ice sculpture. He quickly waved his subordinates away, then said with a fawning smile, "Miss Chu, you jest. How could we dare to lay a hand on you? It was those people who lacked judgment."

"Then what's with you blocking our way and not letting us leave? And what about those fifty thousand taels of silver?" Seeing that the danger had passed, Zu An piped up again.

Seeing his smug expression, Plum Blossom Seven felt a pang of annoyance. He finally understood how Plum Blossom Thirteen must have felt; this guy was truly despicable, always jumping around, relying on others' power.

"Our Silver Hook Casino has an excellent reputation; how could we not pay? Someone, bring the young master his silver notes!" Plum Blossom Seven was clearly irritated but had to force a smile, growing angrier the more he thought about it.

Rage points from Plum Blossom Seven +344!

Fifty thousand taels of silver ingots would be too heavy and inconvenient to carry, so for large transactions, silver notes were typically used.

Plum Blossom Seven took the silver notes from his subordinate and handed them over. "Young Master, please keep them safe." Although parting with fifty thousand taels was painful, Silver Hook Casino could just about afford it. Destroying their reputation would be disastrous.

Seeing Zu An take the notes and begin counting them one by one, Plum Blossom Seven's face darkened. "Young Master Zu, surely you don't suspect we've shortchanged you?"

"Exactly! You can never be too sure. It's better to count them properly." Zu An said, handing half of the notes to Chu Chuyan. "Darling, help me count these."

Chu Chuyan turned away, clearly unwilling to touch money from a casino.

Hearing Zu An's reply, all the casino staff had dark expressions, thinking how much they wanted to punch him for his money-counting antics.

Zu An noticed a fresh stream of rage points accumulating in the background. While each individual contributed little, the sheer number of Plum Blossom Gang members meant thousands of rage points were added to his tally.

"Young Master, have you finished counting?" Plum Blossom Seven asked, barely suppressing his anger.

"Oh, dear! I was counting so nicely, but then you interrupted, and I forgot where I was." Zu An said dramatically, then started counting from the beginning again.

Plum Blossom Seven was speechless.

Where's my knife?!

Rage points from Plum Blossom Seven +800!

Zu An counted once more, then said with lingering satisfaction, "Counting money really feels amazing."

Plum Blossom Seven's heart was bleeding; that was *their* money, damn it. Yet, with his profound cunning, he maintained a jovial expression. "Young Master, are you planning to leave now?"

Zu An tilted his head, staring at him with a faint smile. "You really want to stop us, don't you, darling..."

"Oh, no, no, no~" Seeing him constantly bringing up Miss Chu, Plum Blossom Seven cursed inwardly and quickly waved his hands. "Young Master, please don't misunderstand. I simply thought it would be a shame for you to leave without playing a few more rounds and winning even more, given your excellent luck today."

Chu Chuyan frowned upon hearing his words. It was clearly the casino's attempt to prevent Zu An from leaving with his winnings, hoping to keep him playing until he lost everything he had gained.

The ploy was so obvious that she didn't even bother to warn Zu An, assuming anyone would see through it and refuse.

To her surprise, Zu An readily agreed. "I also feel incredibly lucky today. Since you're so sincerely inviting me to win more money, it would be rude of me to just leave. Alright, I'll play a few more rounds!"

"Sir, this way!" Plum Blossom Seven was overjoyed. He had truly feared that Zu An would simply leave. Now that he was staying, Plum Blossom Seven planned not only to make him lose all his previous winnings but also to put him in debt, proving his own cleverness.

Chu Chuyan watched Zu An confidently stroll back to the gambling table, her hands clenching in her sleeves. This guy knew it was a trap yet foolishly walked right into it. No wonder people in the city used to think so little of him.

Rage points from Chu Chuyan +233!

Her expression completely darkened. She had initially started to see him in a new light after recent events, but now she realized he was still the same useless person she remembered. It seemed she had overestimated him.

With that thought, she became calm, following him unhurriedly, without a trace of emotion.

Learning from the previous experience, Plum Blossom Seven was no longer comfortable letting his disciples handle things, choosing instead to take the table himself.

"Oh, you're taking over personally? Are you afraid of losing again?" Zu An said teasingly.

Plum Blossom Seven's breath hitched, but he forced a smile. "How could that be? This fellow's mentality isn't good; his hands are shaking now, he can't roll the dice. Young Master, you needn't worry; your luck is good, I'm sure you'll win."

He sneered inwardly. Luck? Anyone who relied on luck in a casino ended up losing everything, even their wives and daughters to brothels.

"I think your mouth must be blessed," Zu An chuckled in return. "I'll take your good word. Let's begin."

Plum Blossom Seven probed, "May I ask how much the Young Master plans to bet this time?"

Zu An waved his hand. "Of course, I'm betting it all again. Anything less wouldn't suit my style, would it?"

Chu Chuyan's delicate brows furrowed slightly, but she said nothing to stop him. The surrounding gamblers were already shaking their heads discreetly. Over the years, they had seen countless people like this: winning a little, becoming overly confident, only to lose all their money back to the casino before it even got warm in their hands.

Most gamblers secretly disliked seeing others succeed. They watched the table with a sense of anticipation, waiting for him to lose all his money in the next round.

Plum Blossom Seven, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Young Master, you are truly magnificent!" He had worried that Zu An might bet small amounts, and if he quit before losing all fifty thousand taels, that would be a disaster.

Now, with an all-or-nothing bet, he could finally report back to the gang leader.

Zu An, however, suddenly said, "You're not planning to cheat, are you?"

Plum Blossom Seven's breath hitched, and he quickly explained, "How could I dare to cheat in front of so many gambling masters? Besides, Miss Chu is watching. If I made any small moves, they certainly wouldn't escape her notice."

As the saying goes, ten bets, nine losses. As the house, he didn't need to cheat to win. Some people mistakenly believed that if they bet on both "big" and "small" simultaneously, they would break even regardless of how many rounds they played.

In reality, that's impossible, because many dice combinations result in the house winning everything, such as a triple. Therefore, when gambling against the house, even if you win once or twice, you are bound to lose if you play multiple times.

Zu An nodded. "Alright, then go ahead and roll."

Plum Blossom Seven sneered inwardly. His hands moved swiftly, rolling the dice, leaving behind blurred afterimages and eliciting gasps from the crowd.

He couldn't help but feel a touch of pride. Among the gang leader's adopted sons, his cultivation wasn't high, yet he held this position thanks to his gambling skills and his "ghost hands."

He could roll any number he desired.

So he decided to roll a triple this time, which would beat both "big" and "small." No matter if Zu An bet on "big," "small," or even specific numbers, he would lose.

Halfway through rolling, he suddenly hesitated. This guy was betting everything. What if, by some incredibly bad luck, he actually guessed correctly?

At a payout of 150 to 1, if he lost, it would be 7.5 million taels – the entire Plum Blossom Gang wouldn't have that much money even if they sold everything.

But then he reconsidered. How could Zu An possibly guess it? Even if it was a triple, there were six possibilities. Even if Zu An intended to bet on a triple, he would only have a one-sixth chance.

What was he afraid of?

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, placed the dice cup on the table, and smiled at Zu An. "Young Master, please place your bet."

His gaze seemed to say, *Come, bring your money. Bring your money.*

Zu An wasn't in a hurry; he first looked at Chu Chuyan.

Chu Chuyan said indifferently, "Don't worry, he's not cheating." With her fifth-grade cultivation, and the opponent only slightly above second-grade, a three-grade difference was an overwhelming advantage. What small trick could possibly escape her notice?

Zu An, however, shook his head. "I wasn't asking about that. Do you have any copper coins on you?"

"Copper coins? What do you need them for?" Chu Chuyan asked, puzzled. She pulled one from her pouch; she usually carried some small change as she managed the Chu family's business affairs.

"Let me borrow it," Zu An took the coin, then brought it close to her lips. "Give it a little blow for me."

Chu Chuyan's expression turned cold. "Don't be ridiculous!"

Zu An chuckled. "Just a little favor. With your celestial breath, I guarantee a win."

"Blow! Blow! Blow!"

The onlookers, eager for a show, began to cheer him on.

Seeing everyone watching her, Chu Chuyan found herself in a difficult position and reluctantly gave the coin a gentle puff. A faint blush appeared on her jade-like cheeks. She resolved to settle accounts with him later.

Feeling as if a gentle breeze had brushed his fingertips, Zu An chuckled. "Alright, with my darling's celestial breath, I'm guaranteed to win this time. I'll bet wherever the coin lands."

With that, he tossed the coin into the air. As it landed on the gambling table and rolled around, everyone watched intently, even Chu Chuyan found herself involuntarily captivated.

Originally, she had intended to simply watch the spectacle, but Zu An, by asking her to blow on the coin and claiming he'd bet according to where it landed, had unwittingly drawn her into the game.

Her heart, which had been as still as an ancient well for as long as she could remember, was now, for the first time, beating a little faster. She wanted to know the outcome of this bet more than ever before.

The coin rolled along until it hit the edge of the gambling table, bounced back slightly, and then stopped in the box marked for a triple one.

Zu An burst out laughing and immediately placed his fifty thousand taels in silver notes on it. "Since it's divine will, I'll bet it all on this!"

"Open! Open! Open!"

All the surrounding gamblers wanted to know the outcome. Of course, what they truly desired was to see Zu An lose everything. He was utterly detestable for even flirting in the middle of a bet!

Plum Blossom Seven's face drastically changed. How was this possible?!

In that instant, his vision blurred to white. The surrounding cacophony seemed to lose all meaning; he could only see people's distorted faces, their mouths opening and closing as if speaking, but he couldn't hear a single word.

"Huh?"

Seeing that the casino was slow to open the cup, the surrounding gamblers suddenly realized something was amiss. Could this kid have actually gotten incredibly lucky and guessed it right?

"Plum Blossom Seven, why aren't you opening it?"

"Yeah, open it quickly!"