Jiang Ning stared at Old Six Hu for a moment, then turned and walked towards the gambling table.
The crowd automatically parted to make way for Jiang Ning, and the four bodyguards, seeing this, returned to stand by Old Six Hu's side, no longer surrounding her.
"Two, five, six, thirteen points, big," Jiang Ning said calmly.
Her voice was neither loud nor soft, but in this quiet gambling house, everyone could hear it.
Old Yu, delighted to see the Sixth Master, didn't immediately register what Jiang Ning was saying. It wasn't until someone nearby muttered "open it" that he hurriedly lifted the lid of the dice cup.
Three colorful dice lay in the black bowl, with the upper faces showing "two, five, six," exactly as stated.
"Hiss! It's really true!" Those who saw clearly all looked at Jiang Ning with astonishment, unable to understand how she had heard it.
Old Six Hu, seeing everyone's expressions, understood and walked to the gambling table. He smiled meaningfully at Jiang Ning and said, "I, Old Six Hu, haven't gambled for many years because there was no one worthy of playing against. You, little girl, are quite interesting."
"You flatter me," Jiang Ning casually acknowledged, then asked directly, "This is your territory, how do you want to gamble?"
After saying this, Jiang Ning suddenly, for some reason, flashed back to the image of Liu Ming'an writing a letter by the bridge. She wondered if the scholar, not having seen her for so long, might be thinking all sorts of things.
Perhaps he would be worried about her?
"It's best to be quick, don't dawdle, I'm in a hurry," Jiang Ning added.
"Hahaha... Good! Good! Good!" Jiang Ning's temperament hit the spot for Old Six Hu. He laughed loudly and said, "You and I are both experts at dice games. How about we play a round of 'opposing dice,' just comparing 'big'?"
The so-called "opposing dice" is when both parties simultaneously shake three dice. If the rule is set to compare "big," then the side with the larger sum of the three dice points wins, and vice versa.
Unlike "betting big or small," "opposing dice" has multiple payout ratios. A simple win or lose has a five-fold payout, meaning if the winner bets one, the loser must pay five.
If one rolls a "straight" like "one-two-three," it's a ten-fold payout; rolling "triplets" like "one-one-one" or "five-five-five" is a fifty-fold payout; rolling "six-six-six," also known as the "big leopard," is a hundred-fold payout.
One moment you're raking in fortunes, the next you're losing everything - "opposing dice" is the most brutal and bloody existence in the casino, and also the most heart-pounding for gamblers.
"Alright," Jiang Ning accepted the challenge, then added after a pause, "But I only have one tael of silver and two hundred and four copper coins I just won. If I lose, I can't afford to pay."
"Hahaha..." Old Six Hu laughed again, then said, "Don't worry, miss. My Gold Jade Hall can lend you money. If you lose and can't pay it back, you can offer yourself as collateral."
The old fox is quite cunning! He doesn't really think these few bodyguards could stop her, does he?
"Fine, then I'll bet one tael of silver. If I win, I hope you won't renege on the debt," Jiang Ning said coldly, looking at Old Six Hu with contempt in her eyes.
This statement was not polite, and Old Yu was the first to jump out and criticize, "Aiyou~ How can you talk like that, little miss? Who do you think the Sixth Master is? Would he lack that bit of silver? Moreover, with so many people watching—"
Old Six Hu made a gesture, and Old Yu's voice abruptly stopped.
"The young lady has guts. Let's not waste words, shall we begin?" Old Six Hu's eyes showed appreciation. He then beckoned, and Monkey understood, bringing two dice cups, each containing three dice, and placing them on either side of the gambling table.
Jiang Ning walked to the right side of the table and stood firm. She picked up the dice and cup, thoroughly inspecting them from top to bottom to ensure they hadn't been tampered with.
Watching Jiang Ning's actions, Old Six Hu shook his head, quite amused. Indeed, some gambling houses did cheat by putting lead in the dice, but he disdained such lowly tricks.
After patiently waiting for Jiang Ning to finish checking, Old Six Hu asked, "Can we start now?"
Jiang Ning nodded, making a "please" gesture, indicating Old Six Hu should shake first.
Old Six Hu laughed "Haha," not declining. With a "tak" sound, he covered the dice cup, then picked it up with one hand and began to shake.
Old Six Hu's dice-shaking technique was completely different from Old Yu's. While Old Yu held the cup with both hands and shook it up and down, Old Six Hu held the cup with one hand, using his pinky to secure the bottom as he shook. Not only that, Old Six Hu first vigorously shook the cup with his right hand, "deng deng deng," so fast that others couldn't see where his hand was. Then he threw his arm, and the dice cup flew high into the air, tracing an arc as it fell straight towards the ground.
The crowd cried out "Ai!" Their hearts leaped into their throats, but they saw Old Six Hu lower his body, his left hand reaching out from behind to catch the cup steadily. He then began to throw and catch, throw and catch... like a juggling act, captivating the onlookers who cheered loudly.
Jiang Ning was also watching intently. When she saw Old Six Hu switch hands, she felt something was odd. Looking closely, she realized that this Old Six Hu actually had six fingers on his left hand!
Polydactyly, a type of deformity, usually occurs next to the thumb in most patients. However, Old Six Hu's extra finger grew next to his pinky, looking quite flexible and not so strange.
"Bam!" Old Six Hu, having finished his performance, slammed the dice cup heavily on the table and urged Jiang Ning, "Your turn, miss."
Jiang Ning had long grown impatient watching Old Six Hu's flashy antics. She covered the dice cup lid, and just as everyone was eagerly anticipating Jiang Ning to put on a show as well, they saw her casually shake the cup two or three times before setting it down, making no further moves.
"You're done already?" Old Six Hu could hardly believe it.
It's worth noting that in "opposing dice," shaking the dice is also a major spectacle. Whoever shakes the cup louder, faster, and with more flair gains the upper hand in terms of momentum. Someone like Jiang Ning, who casually shook the dice, had already lost three points before the results were even revealed.
"Open it," Jiang Ning simply said.
It wasn't that Jiang Ning couldn't perform these tricks; she just felt there was no need to make a monkey of herself and waste time.
After his initial surprise, Old Six Hu guessed Jiang Ning's thoughts. This girl had skills and personality; he could only smile and let it go. He turned and nodded at Old Yu, signaling him to open the dice cup lid.
Old Yu nodded and stepped forward, shouting, "Everyone, watch carefully! I'm opening it now!"
Having not seen Old Six Hu in action for many years, everyone was full of anticipation, craning their necks and squeezing in to see.
The lid was lifted, and Old Yu, the first to see the dice, suddenly exclaimed "Ai!" His voice trembling with excitement: "Three sixes! Big leopard! It's the big leopard!"
"As expected of the Sixth Master!"
"So impressive! Rolling a big leopard right off the bat! Admirable, truly admirable..."
"The Sixth Master is truly the Sixth Master..."
The crowd erupted, chattering and offering compliments, their faces flushed as if they had just picked up money.
"You're too kind, too kind! I'm old now, my skills are not what they used to be, I've embarrassed myself..." At the center of the crowd, Old Six Hu listened to the praise from all sides, his eyes full of pride. The gambling table was his domain, and no one could steal his thunder.
Jiang Ning watched Old Six Hu's smug expression, seeing that he seemed to have forgotten about their dice match. She tapped her fingers on the table and raised her voice, "Shouldn't we look at mine now?"
The noise in the casino suddenly died down, followed by uproarious laughter from the crowd. "Aiyou! The little miss doesn't know her limits! With this 'big leopard,' the Sixth Master has already won, don't you know?"
Old Six Hu also laughed along, "Miss, you indeed have some skill, but you're still too young."
"Oh?" Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow, not understanding.
Seeing her unwillingness to accept, Old Six Hu decided to explain clearly: "Your ability to discern numbers by sound is already one in a hundred, but in a casino, that alone isn't enough to strut around. If I heard correctly, you rolled 'four-five-five,' while I got the big leopard. You've already lost, with a hundred-fold payout. I'll round it down for you – you owe me a hundred taels of silver."
Jiang Ning's exposed eyes flashed with obvious mockery, her tone equally scornful: "Sixth Master, is it? Sometimes it's best not to be too confident. There's always someone better out there. I think you'd better take a look at my dice."
Jiang Ning's tone was so certain that it made Old Six Hu doubt his own judgment. The smile on his face faded considerably, and he gave Old Yu a look.
Old Yu caught on immediately and loudly exclaimed, "Alright, gentlemen! Let's take a look at this young lady's dice roll!"
Old Six Hu leisurely twirled the jade ring on his finger, not the least bit concerned. He had heard clearly that the girl's roll was "four-five-five," and there was no mistake about it.
Old Yu had followed Old Six Hu for many years and had never seen anyone beat his boss at the gambling table. So when Old Yu opened the lid and saw "six-six-six" in the dice cup, his mind went blank with shock.
"How... how is this possible?" Old Yu couldn't believe his eyes.
The onlookers craned their necks to look and exclaimed in surprise, "It's a triple six! She also got a triple six!"
Old Six Hu instantly lost his composure. He strode over to the other side of the table in three quick steps, staring at the three dice in the cup with furrowed brows, silent.
Both sides had rolled triple sixes. It was a tie.
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Even the formidable Sixth Master had met his match.
After a moment, Old Six Hu finally looked at Jiang Ning and slowly said, "I underestimated you. The young are indeed formidable."
"You flatter me," Jiang Ning replied casually, her eyebrow slightly raised.