Chương 110: The Saint of Gamblers, Song Xingxing

Hundred Victories Casino. Hearing Dong Tai spout nonsense, Song Que sneered coldly:"I couldn't care less where you want to go hustle, but don't give me that ghost talk. If you want to go be someone else's dog, fine. Hand over the contract breach penalty, or else you aren't going anywhere."

"How can you be so unreasonable?!" Dong Tai's face turned red as he shouted, acting as if he had suffered a massive grievance:"Quan Ping, I worked for your Quan family for ten years, and now you treat me like this! If your Quan family had continued running the business, I would have desperately helped you prop up Shunfeng."

"But look at you now! You sold the escort agency to outsiders to shed your burden, yet you cling to us employees and refuse to let go! Everyone, tell me, where is the justice in that?" Watching Dong Tai's impassioned performance, Grandee Song couldn't help but marvel at how thick the man's skin was. He said coldly:"Stop putting gold on your own face. If you had a shred of conscience, you wouldn't have kept taking your monthly salary from the Shunfeng Escort Agency.

When the Quan family had to sell their household assets just to pay your wages, why didn't you open your mouth to refuse?"

"If you had frankly admitted you wanted to leave back then, no one could have blamed you, and people would have even appreciated your loyalty. Now, you took the money on time, but the moment you're asked to fulfill your obligations, you turn your back. Was your conscience eaten by dogs?"

"You... I... I didn't..." Dong Tai's face flushed bright red. He desperately wanted to defend himself, but couldn't find the words.

"Enough!" At this moment, Peng Gu, who had been standing to the side with a dark expression, shouted loudly.

"This is not the place for your escort agency to settle its disputes. Leave immediately, or don't blame this old man for not being polite."

"Today, this man must leave with me." Song Que's expression remained unmoved as he casually pointed at Dong Tai. He was just an ordinary guard; to the Hundred Victories Casino or the Golden Snake Gang, he wasn't actually that important. But today, it was a matter of face. How could Peng Gu simply let them take a man away? Murderous intent surged in his eyes as he snarled:"Are you trying to make an enemy out of the Golden Snake Gang? Daring to snatch someone from our territory—who gave you the guts?!"

"Hehe, shouldn't it be said that your Golden Snake Gang chose to make an enemy out of me?" Grandee Song was also extremely annoyed at this point. He turned to Guan Ping, who was trembling on the side, and asked:"How much is his contract breach penalty?"

"Boss... it's... 100 taels." Hearing Guan Ping's answer, Song Que's smile grew even more radiant. He nodded:"Alright, you can head back first. You have no further business here." Seeing Guan Ping standing there at a complete loss, Grandee Song sent him away first, then stepped forward himself. Peng Gu, who had been secretly on guard, instantly grew vigilant and shouted:"What do you think you're doing?!"

"Doing what? Don't you run a casino? Are you telling me I'm forbidden from gambling?" Like magic, Grandee Song pulled a stack of banknotes worth no less than 3, 000 taels of silver from his robes. He waved them around and asked with a dazzling smile. Peng Gu felt utterly bewildered. Song Que wasn't playing by the rules, leaving him unsure of how to respond.

Although he had a myriad of doubts in his heart, and his intuition warned him that letting this youth gamble would lead to a massive disaster, there was a crowd watching. With hundreds of eyes on him, he couldn't afford to lose the prestige of the Golden Snake Gang. He could only brace himself and step aside, not forgetting to threaten through gritted teeth:"We naturally welcome guests who come to gamble, but if you deliberately cause trouble, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Hearing this, Song Que almost laughed. Does this Grandee Song look like he came to fight? Civilized people use reason to convince others! Today, he was going to broaden these people's horizons and make the Golden Snake Gang remember exactly who they could offend, and who they could not. Running a casino and daring to offend Grandee Song? Did they not know he was the successor to the legendary God of Gamblers (Gao Jin)—none other than the Saint of Gamblers, Song Xingxing?! Reading on Amazon or a pirate site?

This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. [Note: Reference to the iconic Hong Kong comedy-gambling film characters 'God of Gamblers' (Ko Chun/Gao Jin) and 'Saint of Gamblers' (Chow Sing-chi)]. The surrounding gamblers were a bunch who never feared a situation blowing up. Seeing a good show about to start, they stopped what they were doing and gathered around to see what this youth was planning. Guan Ping looked at Song Que's back.

He hesitated for a long time but ultimately didn't follow him in. Instead, he turned and ran toward the Yamen to find Guan Wu, hoping to find a solution. Walking straight into the Hundred Victories Casino, Grandee Song, who had graced this place a few times before, confidently navigated his way to a Sic Bo (dice) table and sat down. Looking at the dealer, who appeared as if facing a mortal enemy, he smiled kindly:"Don't be nervous. Roll the dice." The dealer glanced at Old Peng.

Seeing him nod subtly, he relaxed slightly, picked up the dice cup, and began to shake it.

"Please place your bets!" Without a shred of hesitation, Song Que slammed the stack of banknotes worth 3, 000 taels of silver onto the "Big" square. The surrounding crowd collectively gasped. What a massive bet! Following the shock, the entire room boiled over. Everyone held their breath, staring excitedly at this rare, high-stakes game. The dealer's hands and feet trembled, his lips turning purple. He looked helplessly at Peng Gu, not daring to make a move.

With a bet this large, winning for the house was fine—he might even get a bonus and some praise. But if he lost, he feared that tonight he'd be relocating to the bottom of the river south of the city to keep the fishes company!

"What's wrong? The bet is too big for your Golden Snake Gang to play? If you're scared, just say so, and I'll take some of my bet back." Hearing Grandee Song's sneering taunt, Peng Gu's eyes practically spewed fire. He glared coldly at the dealer and nodded. Receiving the reassurance, the dealer's trembling hands slowly lifted the upside-down cup.

"Whoa!"

"It's Big!"

"That's godly! He couldn't have just guessed it blindly, right?" — Passerby A.

"Motherf*cker, if you have the guts, pull out 3, 000 taels and try guessing blindly! I'd say there's a 90% chance we've met the God of Gamblers today!" — Passerby B, a man of the world, immediately drew a conclusion. The surrounding spectators roared and clamored. Not afraid of blowing things out of proportion, they began calling their friends over to witness the God of Gamblers.

"Pay up! Is the service here always this terrible?" The Great Saint of Gamblers Song tapped his finger on the table in dissatisfaction. The dealer sitting across from him had lost all color in his face. His eyes were vacant, completely deaf to Song Que's words, his mind filled only with overwhelming dread for his own tragic future.

"What exactly do you want?!" Peng Gu couldn't hold back anymore and shouted in a deep voice.

"Oh? What do I want? I won a bet, so naturally, I want my money. Or are you saying that at the Hundred Victories Casino, only the house is allowed to win, and when someone else wins, you refuse to pay?" Hearing Grandee Song's mocking laughter, the surrounding crowd immediately joined in the uproar.

"That's right! If you owe money, pay up! Don't tell me the Hundred Victories Casino is a sore loser?!"

"I lose dozens of taels here every week! Have you guys been playing dirty tricks?!" — An old gambling addict voiced his sudden suspicion.

"Taking our money when we lose, but refusing to pay when we win? Who would ever dare gamble at your casino again?!" Hearing the dissatisfied clamor from the crowd, Peng Gu knew that if he didn't resolve this today, they could forget about keeping their doors open for business. At this moment, he hated Song Que to the core, and by association, he also utterly despised Dong Tai and the person who introduced him to the casino. But it was too late for that now. He had to settle the immediate crisis first.

With a face so flushed it looked ready to bleed, Old Peng gritted his teeth and shouted:"Everyone, there is no need to doubt our casino's reputation! We can afford to win, and we can afford to lose! Men, bring the money out and pay the guest!" Ignoring the dramatic performance of the crowd, Grandee Song sat leisurely until someone brought the money over. He casually counted it, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Do you want to keep playing?" Peng Gu stared coldly at Song Que and asked.

"Naturally. I haven't had my fill yet." — With money to be made, the Saint of Gamblers Song was more than willing. Old Peng nodded toward the back of the crowd. Instantly, a skinny old man stepped forward and shoved the catatonic dealer aside.

"Get lost, you trash."

"Old He, I leave it to you!" Peng Gu seemed to trust this old man deeply. Seeing him step up, he breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. Old He gestured for him to relax, then turned to Song Que and asked:"Customer, do you mind if I act as the dealer?" Song Que casually gestured for him to begin, but internally, he was highly vigilant. He hadn't researched this particular field deeply, and he was a total novice when it came to the hidden tricks of the trade. Up until now, he had relied entirely on his "cheat" to win.

Now that he seemed to be facing a genuine expert, his heart pounded nervously. But you can lose the fight, not the attitude! At this moment, he couldn't act cowardly. He could only brace himself, feign indifference, and see what kind of performance the opponent would put on. Old He picked up the dice cup. His hands moved like magic, shaking it in a dazzling blur for a long time before slamming it down on the table. Bam!

Song Que, who had been using his Domain to meticulously observe the opponent's every move, was astonished to discover that the dice were currently resting tilted against the inner wall of the cup! This meant the opponent knew exactly what faces were where. When opening the cup, he only needed to use a specific lifting technique to produce different results. If he opened it normally, letting the dice slide down naturally, the result would be "Small".

If he tilted the cup slightly upon opening, lifting the dice up and flipping them, the result would be "Big". Truly skilled! Even Grandee Song had to admire it, and he fell into a moment of hesitation. It looked like he was trapped in a dead end. The outcome was entirely controlled by the opponent. No matter what he chose, he would lose! Seeing Song Que deep in thought, Old He smiled smugly:"Please place your bet!" Caught in a stalemate, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Grandee Song!

Maintaining a poker face, he tapped his finger on the table, silently transmitting a wave of An Jin through the wood, intentionally knocking the dice off the wall of the cup so they landed flat. On the surface, he looked deeply at Old He and said solemnly:"Excellent gambling technique. May I ask your esteemed surname, Senior?"

"Hehe, the customer flatters me. Just call me Old He. Are you going to place a bet or not?"

"Of course I am. I won't leave until I've had my fill today." Old He originally thought the young man would recognize the difficulty and back down. Who knew that Grandee Song would boldly push all the money on the table onto the "Small" square? Old He was startled and couldn't help but say in a deep voice:"Are you sure, customer? Once the hand leaves the bet, it is final!" Seeing Song Que nod in confirmation, an ominous premonition rose in Old He's heart. But this was his ultimate trump card!

He had dominated the gambling tables for years with this single trick and had never been defeated. He only hesitated for a moment before refusing to believe in ghosts, tilting the cup as he lifted it:"OMG!"

"It really is Small!!!"

"Mother of God, ten thousand taels of silver in one go! I'm not dreaming, am I? Someone hit me!" — Passerby C. Smack...

"Ouch..." There was no shortage of kind-hearted people around. Someone didn't hesitate to grant Passerby C's bizarre request. Old He and Peng Gu stared blankly at the dice on the table. Unwilling to believe it, they rubbed their eyes and looked closely, then simultaneously widened their eyes as if they had seen a ghost.

"You cheated!" — Unable to accept this reality, Peng Gu screamed like a madman.