Chapter 465: Everyone Follow Me!

Xiao Ningyuan hummed for a while: "That Incense Hall has existed since the previous dynasty, Xue Jiangtao has been here for years, yet he never discovered that treasure…"

Tuan Tuan's eyes lit up: "A secret room?"

Xiao Er smiled gently: "Miss, you're really clever!"

Lu Qi immediately agreed: "That's great, there's no secret room in this world that our Lord Master can't open!"

Tuan Tuan, praised by the two, happily shook her little head, her smile radiant.

Xiao Ningyuan shook his head helplessly, "You two, just spoil her!"

"Tuan Tuan is right, but I think, first there might be a secret room, second… in an extremely ordinary place that everyone wouldn't think of, so it could stay hidden until now."

Xiao Er and Lu Qi exchanged a glance: "Eldest son, what you said is reasonable."

Xiao Ningyuan walked to the window, gazed at the dark river outside, and pondered for a moment.

"That Incense Hall is already a murky water, so let's split into two groups and fish in the muddle!"

He turned around: "Tomorrow let five brothers go up to the second floor first, gamble big, create enough momentum, so those gamblers and the hall's stewards have no time for anything else."

"Later when night deepens, I'll take Tuan Tuan to the second floor and act when the chance arises."

"Xiao Er, Lu Qi!"

"Present!"

"You two wear night‑cloaks over your outer clothes, and when everyone's eyes are on the second‑floor gambling tables, slip into the third floor to investigate."

"If there's nothing on the third floor, take off the night‑cloaks and search the kitchen, latrine… in short, leave no place unchecked."

"If nowhere, withdraw directly, wait for us outside, and don't come in."

"Today we just went together, the dealer will surely remember."

Lu Qi hesitated a moment: "Eldest son, what if we truly can't find it anywhere?"

Xiao Ningyuan thought: "We'll decide then; in any case, everyone act according to the situation."

"We only have this one night; no matter what, we must find it!"

"Yes!"

After dinner the next evening, five guards, each holding enough silver, walked to the Incense Hall.

"What kind of task is this? Let us run wild with money? Gamble all night? Truly unheard of!"

"Indeed! The Eldest son ordered us to bet big! If we win, it's ours; if we lose, it's the Princess (Commandery)'s!"

A few exchanged glances, one said: "Let's go in, brothers, obey orders to gamble!"

Just after the hour of the Pig, Xiao Ningyuan led Tuan Tuan, disguised as a boy, up to the second floor.

Tuan Tuan had never been in a gambling den; everything was fresh, she was excited, looking at this table, then that table.

"What is this? How do you win?"

"And that one?"

The five guards were now spread across the tables, already flushed from gambling.

The second‑floor gamblers, seeing several generous foreign patrons arrive today, each rolled up their sleeves, hoping to get a share.

Xiao Ningyuan explained the rules of these games to his sister while watching coldly.

Soon, he noticed a man near fifty with a goat‑style beard.

The man kept his hands in his sleeves, his clothing unremarkable, occasionally pausing by the gambling tables to silently observe the scene.

It seemed he was a steward.

"Big brother," Tuan Tuan tugged his sleeve, eager, "that dice‑shaking thing looks fun, can I try?"

Xiao Ningyuan glanced toward the third floor; Xiao Er and Lu Qi were probably still searching, and he didn't know how long they'd wait.

Fine, let my sister play; it will amuse her and raise no suspicion.

"Alright. But we agreed, if you lose you may not whine!"

"Mm‑mm!" Tuan Tuan replied happily.

Xiao Ningyuan led her to the dice‑game table.

In the center of the red‑wood table sat a black lacquered dice cup; the dice‑dealer, a lean middle‑aged man, skillfully rattled the three dice with a "whirl‑whirl" sound.

"Bet and don't look away!"

Tuan Tuan stood on tiptoe, looking at the three squares marked "Big", "Small", "All‑in" and asked, "Where should I bet, big brother?"

Xiao Ningyuan casually pointed to "Small": "Try this."

"Alright!" Tuan Tuan took out a small piece of broken silver and solemnly placed it on the "Small" square.

The dealer dropped the cup and lifted the lid.

"Two, three, three—eight points, Small!"

"Wow! I won!" Tuan Tuan clapped her hands and jumped up happily.

The dealer pushed the broken silver on the table in front of her.

The gamblers at the table were stunned; a few who lost money clearly looked disgruntled:

"It really caught this kid off guard."

"Who hasn't had a streak of luck? She'll know she's good soon."

The dealer smiled faintly, taking big and opening small, which is the reason gambling dens thrive.

He shook the dice cup: "Everyone, aim carefully! Bet and don't look away!"

Tuan Tuan tilted her little head, looked at him for a moment, and pushed all the silver before her onto the "Big" square.

Xiao Ningyuan was startled, leaned down and asked, "Sweetie, do you know what you're betting on?"

"I don't know!" Tuan Tuan declared confidently, "But I know putting it here can win!"

The gamblers at the table burst into noisy laughter.

"Hey, little kid, you don't even know what you're betting on, yet you still dare to gamble?"

"Utter nonsense!"

"Kid! Be careful you don't squander your elders' family fortune!"

Before the words finished, the dice cup landed on the table with a "pop," and Treasure Official lifted it gently.

"Four, five, six, fifteen points big!"

Tuan Tuan won again.

Treasure Official again pushed the silver on the table in front of her.

In the next few rounds, Tuan Tuan hit every bet, and gradually the silver before her piled into a small hill.

The gambling table fell quiet.

Seeing sweat beads appear on Treasure Official's forehead, a few old gamblers exchanged glances, stopped betting, and just watched quietly.

Soon, only Tuan Tuan and Treasure Official remained gambling at the table, while the onlookers around gathered more and more, even the five guards came around.

Xiao Ningyuan glanced around; this was fine, everyone came to watch Tuan Tuan gamble, and no one paid attention elsewhere.

In this round, Treasure Official's shaking of the cup took noticeably longer, and his technique became flamboyant.

Tuan Tuan could no longer push the little silver hill before her, so she extended a small finger toward Treasure Official and said, "I'll bet this!"

"Sss…" everyone inhaled a cold gasp.

"Kid, that's a surround‑dice all‑win!"

"Don't you think? This requires three dice showing the same point to win!"

Tuan Tuan, calm as ever, said, "No need to think, that's exactly what he shook out!"

Sweat beads on Treasure Official's forehead had already streamed down his sideburns to his chin.

"Kid! Don't think that just because you've won so much, I can sweep it all over to you in one go!"

With a "pop," the dice cup fell down.

Treasure Official glanced at Tuan Tuan, and slowly lifted the dice cup.

Three deep‑red "four‑point" dice lay quietly on the table.

Treasure Official was stunned, his voice trembling: "Four, four, four… surround dice!"

"All‑win! This kid hit the all‑win!"

"Incredible! Truly incredible!"

"Kid, what will you bet next? Brother's with you!"

The whole table instantly erupted.

Gamblers at the next table also surged over, craning their necks to see what deity this was.

Tuan Tuan's big eyes shone astonishingly: "Alright, alright, everyone follow me!"

"Everyone wins money!"

Xiao Ningyuan slapped his own forehead.