Chapter 10: Chapter 10 Little Beard's Gambling Skills
From their perspective, Little Beard's gambling skills were astounding. Going against Ling Zhenfei was simply a death wish, a sure-fire way to lose everything and leave.
Little Beard feigned dizziness as she shuffled the cards, seemingly intent on creating an atmosphere. She deliberately flipped up a corner of two out of the three cards in her hand.
Bettors crowded around behind her, stretching their necks to compete with giraffes. At the sight of two same-suit queens and kings in Little Beard's hand, they all uttered sounds of amazement.
The scene at Little Beard's side was lively, with exclamations of shock, envy, and even good-natured advice for Ling Zhenfei to give up, or mocking his foolishness for trying to crack a nut with an egg.
However, despite all this commotion, Ling Zhenfei sat as if he saw nothing at all, eyes slightly squinted. As for the three cards in front of him, he seemed to have no interest in even flipping them over for a look.
The gambling joint owner also saw Little Beard's cards and guessed they were likely a same-suit JQK or QKA straight flush, feeling anxious.
Turning to look again at Ling Zhenfei's calm demeanor, he couldn't help but worry for him, "Kid, your cards..."
In response to the crowd's worries, urgency, and even mockery, Ling Zhenfei remained unaffected, sitting there with a smile on his face.
"Hey, kid, don't just sit there dumbly, wake up and look at your cards."
By then, Little Beard had the three cards in her hand and, smacking her lips, she whistled at Ling Zhenfei with a certain provocation, "Although I know you're definitely going to lose, I don't want to be a bully. I'll make sure you're thoroughly convinced of your defeat!"
"Is that so? How do you know I'll lose? Maybe I've already won."
Ling Zhenfei looked at her, his piercing gaze emitting an intimidating chill, yet he still showed no intention of checking his cards.
"Haha, kid, do you really naively think you'll win? You think I'd give you that chance? Stop dreaming, you've already lost!"
Little Beard responded to Ling Zhenfei's words as if she'd heard a huge joke, scoffing repeatedly.
She then threw a stack of bills onto the center of the gambling table with nonchalance, "No need for nonsense. Place your bets! Here's ten thousand. If your funds are short, just bet one thousand according to the ten-to-one odds I mentioned earlier!"
"Thank you! Like I said earlier, I only have three thousand yuan, I'm betting it all in one go!"
Ling Zhenfei, too, kept it brief and pushed all his cash forward.
"Alright, kid. Since you're asking for it, I'll play along with you! Let's bet another twenty thousand, reveal your cards!"
Little Beard flipped an indifferent eye, threw two more stacks of red bills onto the table, and casually flopped her cards down.
Wow!
With a chorus of exclamations from the onlookers, everyone was shocked to see that Little Beard indeed held a JQK straight flush!
You see, in the Card Game—a game purely based on luck—the chances of getting a bomb or a straight flush were incredibly slim.
Especially a high straight flush like JQK, which couldn't be drawn without extreme fortune and good luck.
When Little Beard laid down her cards, the entire place was stunned.
The gambling joint owner was wide-eyed, refusing to believe that Little Beard could have such good luck every round; she must be cheating.
But how exactly was she cheating? He had watched intently without blinking and couldn't spot a single flaw.
"How about that, JQK straight flush, I beat anything! I don't believe your cards can top mine!"
Amidst the astonishment, Little Beard looked even more smug, her eyes disdainfully fixed on Ling Zhenfei.
In fact, not only did Little Beard think Ling Zhenfei was bound to lose, but also the gambling joint owner and several bettors, who had harbored a glimmer of hope for him moments before, were now pessimistic about his chances of winning.
"Heh, you think a JQK straight flush can beat everything? Then my cards must be absolutely overwhelming, right?"
Little Beard was basking in his triumph, but Ling Zhenfei just sneered, suddenly flipped his hand over, and abruptly laid down the cards on the table.
Ah!
When those three gleaming Aces were revealed, everyone, including Little Beard and the gambling den's boss, was flabbergasted!
At that very moment, the previously incessant din of the room came to an abrupt halt!
At this moment, everyone held their breath, their gazes shockingly fixed on the cards that Ling Zhenfei had revealed. The entire gambling hall was as silent as death!
Three Aces!
These were the kings among bombs, and they were in Ling Zhenfei's hands!
"No! This can't be possible!"
Little Beard's eyes were wide open, simply unable to believe what he saw.
Suddenly pointing at Ling Zhenfei, he yelled accusingly, "I've got a Straight Flush, a sure-win hand, how could you possibly have three Aces? You must be cheating in gambling!"
"Me, cheat? Haha, do you have any proof?"
Little Beard should've let it go, but upon hearing an accused cheater blame him for cheating, Ling Zhenfei found it amusing.
As if to provoke the man further, he deliberately adopted a leisurely demeanor.
"You…" Little Beard was indeed enraged, yet what Ling Zhenfei said was irrefutable. After all, those three Aces had come from his own deal.
If there had been cheating, how could he, a master of Cheating Techniques, not have noticed?
Could it be… that this guy's skills were far superior to his own?
Little Beard was both angry and astonished, yet seeing Ling Zhenfei's nonchalant air, he couldn't believe that this unimpressive-looking man could really be a master of Cheating Techniques!
Perhaps… this guy really hit the jackpot, stumbling upon those three great cards by sheer luck!
Unable to figure it out, Little Beard had no choice but to console himself with this thought.
In the gambling den, with just a slight display of skill, Ling Zhenfei easily won a round against the tomboyish Little Beard.
Although Little Beard was deeply frustrated, she couldn't spot any flaw in Ling Zhenfei's play and had to attribute his victory purely to luck.
In fact, not just her, but everyone in the den, including the owner, believed Ling Zhenfei relied on luck.
However, in the following few rounds of gambling, when Little Beard had lost two to three hundred thousand yuan, everyone realized they were dealing with a master!
Even if not a gambling expert, he was definitely a master of the highest order in Cheating Techniques!
"Alright, I've won quite a bit in these rounds. Initially, I thought about winning all your money, but I fear it might break your heart, so let's call it quits!"
After a few rounds, when Ling Zhenfei saw that the stack of bills in front of him was enough to pay off He Lingxiu's debts, he yawned and stood up, squinting at the fuming Little Beard across from him.
"You…"
Little Beard, confident in her own skill, was taken aback by how Ling Zhenfei played for a few rounds and then left, her face turning white with rage as she slammed the table and shouted, "Kid, don't think you're great just because you've won a few rounds. Have the guts to gamble a few more with me, and let's see if you can take all my money!"
"Hehe, no need for that. I'm a person who knows contentment. Winning a little is enough; I don't crave for more."