Chapter 170: Mr. Tang's Fear

In less than an hour, the banknotes on Luo Zhoucheng's person had been lost clean.

During the final decisive round, Luo Zhoucheng held a top-tier hand; his heart surged with excitement, thinking he was about to turn the tables, and he wagered almost all of his remaining banknotes.

However, the cards Jiang Qingyu revealed were a pair of Monkeys (Supreme Treasures).

A Supreme Treasure crushing a top-tier hand—a rare encounter indeed!

Luo Zhoucheng's face twisted, and he jumped up with bloodshot eyes, pointing at Duan Rong and shouting, "Go eat shit! You motherfucker, you cheated! I don't believe it; how could I just happen to run into a hand where a Supreme Treasure crushes a top-tier hand!"

"Hey... Young Master Luo, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want. In the Xin Zi Room, someone just had their fingers broken!" Duan Rong looked at Luo Zhoucheng, his gaze flickering as he spoke.

The muscles on Luo Zhoucheng's face twitched. He turned his head and glanced at the burly Mr. Tang, who was sitting diagonally across from him.

Mr. Tang noticed his gaze, merely shook his head slightly at him, and then lowered his eyelids...

This man surnamed Tang was, in fact, also a card sharp.

Luo Zhoucheng had invited him over originally intending to learn a few card tricks, but as luck would have it, they encountered Jiang Qingyu, so he deliberately provoked Jiang Qingyu with a few words to set a trap and lure Jiang Qingyu into the snare.

Just as he was about to strip Jiang Qingyu bare, Duan Rong suddenly barged in, and the situation completely reversed. By the time Luo Zhoucheng came to his senses, he had already been slaughtered by the Supreme Treasure crushing the top-tier hand, leaving him with nothing left.

To say that Duan Rong hadn't cheated was something he absolutely could not believe.

But if Duan Rong had cheated, why hadn't the man surnamed Tang noticed it?

But in truth, Luo Zhoucheng did not know that the most shocked person in this room was neither Ximen Kankan nor Jiang Qingyu, nor was it he, Luo Zhoucheng.

The most shocked person was precisely this Mr. Tang.

In fact, he was more than just shocked; he was terrified!

During the card game, he had, in truth, exhausted all his methods.

But no matter what he did, it was like a clay ox entering the sea, seemingly having no influence on the changes in the situation. He knew best in his heart what this meant...

The seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth sitting next to Jiang Qingyu seemed to possess eyes that could discern all phenomena and hands that could turn stone into gold; he not only controlled the entire state of the cards, but even the people sitting at the card table had become marionettes in his hands!

The moment he saw the Supreme Treasure crush the top-tier hand, an urge to take him as a master even welled up in his heart!

He had always been quite confident in his own Thousand Arts, but just now, his confidence had been ground into powder by the youth sitting behind the others across from him.

Because he had absolutely failed to see how the other party had done it; he hadn't even found a single trace of evidence...

When Luo Zhoucheng asked him, he was still recalling the details of the card game, wanting to trace back even a single clue... even if there were only one, it would at least show he had touched the edge of it...

It was no wonder the man surnamed Tang was shocked; Duan Rong's current Thousand Arts indeed completely crushed him. After Duan Rong digested and absorbed the Proficiency-level Clear-Insertion Sleight of Hand and the Proficiency-level Hundred-Change Thousand Arts, even Fang Jingbao himself was no longer his match.

Because he also had the auxiliary sharp tool of Divine Sense Projection!

Not to mention this man surnamed Tang; in Duan Rong's eyes, he was actually just a clown not fit for the stage!

Seeing the man surnamed Tang shake his head, Luo Zhoucheng felt a prick in his heart and sat decadently in his seat. Even the man surnamed Tang hadn't seen it, and the other party had been gambling in their own private room, so where could he find evidence that Duan Rong had cheated?

Holding a large stack of banknotes, Jiang Qingyu, with an excited expression, left the Gui Zi Room private suite with Duan Rong and Ximen Kankan. As soon as they reached the Corridor, Jiang Qingyu tugged at Duan Rong and said, "Mr. Duan, did you see it just now? That look on Luo Zhoucheng's face was just like his father had died... tsk tsk tsk..."

Jiang Qingyu's smugness was written all over his face; not only had he crushed Luo Zhoucheng's arrogance, but what made him even happier was that this ugly bastard would never be able to harass Lan Ying again.

Jiang Qingyu, Duan Rong, and Ximen Kankan returned to their Geng-character Room private suite.

Jiang Qingyu organized the banknotes in his hand and placed them respectfully in front of Duan Rong, saying, "Mr. Duan, these are the banknotes you won today; please keep them safe, Mr. Duan."

Duan Rong smiled slightly and said, "I can accept the banknotes won from Luo Zhoucheng. As for Young Master Qingyu's banknotes, they should be returned to their original owner."

Jiang Qingyu immediately said, "No, no, no. If Mr. Duan doesn't accept them, I won't have the face to walk out this door today."

Ximen Kankan said from the side, "Brother Duan, just accept them. This bit of money doesn't mean much to this kid, and besides, you helped him teach Luo Zhoucheng a lesson and cleared away the tail at Lan Ying's place; he's too grateful to you to even say it."

"That's right!" Jiang Qingyu echoed, looking at Duan Rong with bright eyes.

Duan Rong's heart stirred, and he took a deep look at Ximen Kankan.

Because Ximen Kankan had just called him Brother Duan.

When he had painted the Spring Palace Painting of Xia Shuangshuang's nude body for Ximen Kankan, Ximen Kankan had promised to acknowledge him as his big brother.

But in their later interactions, this guy only called him big brother intermittently and coldly, and most of the time he just called him by his name, Duan Rong.

However, Duan Rong didn't mind this matter, nor did he have any intention of PUA-ing this kid.

But that "Brother Duan" from Ximen Kankan just now was clearly from the heart, natural and appropriate, without any sense of incongruity; he had truly acknowledged Duan Rong as his big brother in his heart.

Duan Rong himself hadn't expected that what finally captivated this kid was actually gambling skills!

It seems this kid is just as keen on gambling skills as he is on collecting Spring Palace Paintings!

Duan Rong felt happy in his heart and accepted the banknotes.

Jiang Qingyu's excitement had not yet dissipated, and he wanted to invite Duan Rong and Ximen Kankan to Yanyue Tower for drinks.

Ximen Kankan said, "Let's forget it. It's already late today. My father isn't home, and there are still chores to handle at the estate, so I have to go back."

"Let's set a date, and I'll treat you. After all, I won money!" Duan Rong patted the banknotes in his hand and smiled.

"Then when the time comes, I'll have to slaughter you properly!" Ximen Kankan said, "Make you bleed properly..."

The three of them chatted and laughed as they came out of the Weiyang Workshop.

Duan Rong bid farewell to Jiang Qingyu and Ximen Kankan at the entrance and walked alone toward the Yuanshun Escort Agency.

At this time, it was already the Xu hour; the night was like water, the lanterns were just being lit, and Duan Rong had not yet eaten dinner, so he bought some cooked beef, cold dishes, and steamed buns at a shop on the street, preparing to eat and drink inside Liu Lu.

Liu Lu was spacious, unlike the cramped dormitory he originally had, where if one ate inside, the smell would not dissipate for a long time.

Carrying the cooked food and steamed buns wrapped in dry lotus leaves, Duan Rong returned to Liu Lu.

Duan Rong began to eat and drink in the simple pavilion in the courtyard.

He had only been eating for a while when he suddenly saw a black shadow rubbing back and forth at his feet; it turned out that the little hedgehog had smelled the fragrance and come searching. It circled at Duan Rong's feet, its little black nose raised, sniffing and twitching incessantly... clearly bothered by the fragrance of the cooked beef...

Duan Rong threw a few pieces of beef and broke off some steamed buns, throwing them on the floor of the pavilion...

After both man and hedgehog were full, Duan Rong stood up and practiced his Hunyuan Stance in the courtyard!

The little hedgehog was full and didn't need to forage in the night, so it found a dark corner and went to sleep...

Duan Rong stood until the midnight Zi hour before ending his practice; he took a cold shower by the large water vat next to the kitchen and then went back to his room to sleep.

As Duan Rong lay on the bed, his weight caused the bed to shift, and he heard a rustling sound from under the bed. Duan Rong swept his Divine Sense and discovered it was the little hedgehog curled up in a corner under the bed, sleeping.

Duan Rong gave a dumbfounded smile and said, "This little thing..."

As he spoke, Duan Rong wrapped himself in the blanket and fell into a deep sleep.

(End of chapter)