Chapter 477: with translation of chapter title

Following the small-built bald through the passage under the parking lot, down the stairs straight to the basement level two, I saw a doorway with no door, just covered by a dark-green curtain. Outside the doorway, two burly thug-like guards stood watch.

These two thugs didn't stop us two; instead they casually raised their hands and greeted the bald. They called the bald Haizi.

Seeing this dark-green casino, I didn't think twice, immediately lifted my hand to pull back the curtain and prepared to walk in.

"Wait," at that moment the bald raised his hand to stop me, his left hand's three fingers constantly fluttering in the air, making a gesture for money.

"Okay, take it," I pulled out five hundred from the interlayer and handed it over, my tone still nonchalant: "Enough?"

"Enough, enough, buddy, have fun, win more money, I won't bother you, I'm leaving!" The bald gave an apologetic smile and walked up the stairs, and as he was leaving he chuckled obsequiously, repeating his name: "Buddy, I'm Haizi; if you need anything, find me at the usual spot—I'm always hanging around there."

After seeing me give money to Haizi, the two guards outside the doorway immediately changed their attitude and even voluntarily lifted the curtain for me.

Just as I lifted my foot, I stopped again, glanced at the two fawning thugs on either side who were angling for money, thought it over, and then gave each of them a few large red bills.

Following Pangzi's saying, since I'm putting on the act of a big shot, I'll go all the way. Anyway, that money isn't just mine—half of the cash in the card belongs to Pangzi. Besides, short of hand, soft of mouth—if I later do something outrageous in the casino, giving them a tip also oils the wheels. I don't need them to come help; I just hope they turn a blind eye.

Under the slightly fawning smiles of the two thugs, I walked into the casino. As soon as my foot stepped inside, I knew I hadn't come to the wrong place.

A fishy smell, a strong fishy smell—although the casino had perfume, it still couldn't mask that faint fishy odor. This odor wasn't bloody; it was the particular fishy smell unique to snakes. When I was in Aomen, I had dealings with a snake infant, and this distinctive smell left a deep impression.

Thinking of that, I outwardly acted nonchalant, wandering about aimlessly, but inwardly I became even more vigilant, paying close attention to my surroundings.

Don't let the fact that this casino is under the parking lot fool you—its scale is not small. Besides pai gow, fan-tan, and these old gambling games, it also has Aomen's baccarat and big-small machines, everything you could want.

This is the difference between the mainland and Aomen: Aomen's gambling industry is legal, while the mainland's is like playing house with mice—no matter how wealthy or powerful, nobody dares to openly place a casino on the street.

Besides these novel yet ordinary gambling games, there are some older ones, like dice guessing, and the twelve zodiac animals seen at New Year's stalls.

However, the casino doesn't have what I'm looking for. These gambling stalls only take chips or cash; nobody bets gold and silver jewelry.

Chen Biao's winnings included gold and silver items; now, although I've smelled the snake's fishy odor, I feel nothing unusual. I can only start from this feature. If all goes well, the casino should have a back room, though ordinary people can't enter. I even regret letting the bald Haizi run off so fast—if I'd known, I would have brought him in.

"Damn it, lost again," suddenly a big man in a suit next to me slammed the table hard, glaring angrily at the dealer arranging the cards and shouting: "I just don't believe it—your banker's feng shui can't be that good. In the past half month you've won tens of thousands from me."

The implication of the suit-clad big man's words was that he was accusing the dealer of cheating; although I didn't get a clear look at his appearance, his tall back and tone startled me.

When the suit-clad big man slapped the table, everyone's gaze turned to him, including mine. As I was drawn over and saw him, I couldn't help but laugh.

This suit-clad big man was literally a sideburned gentleman, with a thick beard covering half his cheeks, dark skin and a sturdy build that clashed with the suit's tone. When he spoke, his eyes bulged like a bull's; he had the look of a sideburned gentleman and the domineering fury of an angry Zhang Fei. His outburst gave the feeling that he might start a fight at any moment—even the dealer in front of the table was badly frightened by him.

Everyone hurriedly moved away from the sideburned gentleman, stepping to the side. At that moment, a few men resembling thugs silently crept closer to the gambling table.

"Forget it, forget it—I know I'm unlucky. Damn it, I don't believe in evil; I must turn defeat into victory, pah pah!" The sideburned gentleman said while spitting twice into his palms and solemnly wiping his hair, as if that could sweep away bad luck.

When he finished speaking, the casino's thugs again silently shifted their steps, continuing to wander about as usual.

Although the sideburned gentleman's build was coarse, he was certainly no fool; his self-pity happened just as those thugs approached him. And after cursing, he decisively threw down a wad of bills.

This clearly meant he was just complaining, not looking for trouble.

It's clear the casino's behind-the-scenes boss wields great power; it seems nobody who comes here dares to cause trouble. Thinking this, I became even more cautious—I can catch ghosts and exorcise demons, but if it comes to beating people up… my slight frame seems only good for getting beaten.

Blindly asking the casino staff wouldn't work—it would easily raise suspicion. Since the staff are out, I only have to target the casino's patrons; after becoming familiar, I'll see if I can worm out some information.

After a brief ponder, I already had a plan in mind.

Feigning indifference, I squeezed into the crowd and ran up to the sideburned gentleman. Seeing he'd lost another round and was about to pull out money to bet, I hurriedly said: "Boss, going on like this isn't going to get you anywhere—even if you win a few more rounds, you won't recoup your losses."

The sideburned gentleman glanced at me, annoyed: "Isn't that nonsense? I also want to win big, but the Wealth God isn't helping me—what can I do?"

"Fish on the hook!" I chuckled inwardly, but put on a fawning tone: "Boss, I see the highest payout on this table is the triple, paying eight times. If you place two heavy bets on it, you'll win it back."

"Triple? It hardly ever comes up—do you think it's your pet that you can just call out? Roll wherever you like, don't block my gambling." Although the sideburned gentleman bore that name, his tone was most unpleasant.

"Heh heh, boss, frankly speaking. I may have no talent, but my luck is terrible—since childhood I've constantly stepped in dog poop and fallen into pits when I go out. My hometown folks call me the Misfortune God." I spread my hands, imitating the bald Haizi's money‑begging gesture, pointed at the table and gave a dry laugh to the sideburned gentleman: "Boss, why not give me some chips? I'll bet both big and small while you bet the triple—guaranteed win. After we win, heh heh…" My fawning, dry‑laugh manner was like a lackey's—vividly a gambling addict with empty pockets, the sort normal people want nothing to do with.

The sideburned gentleman was no exception; he found me disgusting and spat fiercely: "I see you're just trying to swindle me out of some money."

Although shameless, the sideburned gentleman generously tossed a few bills my way: "Go wherever you like, just don't get in my way of making a fortune."

Perhaps my words struck a chord; after hesitating a moment, he snatched the remaining bills on the table and slammed them onto the triple spot, cigarette dangling from his lips, shouting: "Lose and go home to sleep, fuck off."

The rule at the table is that you can only start shaking the dice after everyone has placed their bets. Taking the chance, I quickly shoved the bills the sideburned gentleman gave me all onto the small side.

Just as the dealer was about to open the cup, I waved my hand urgently and said: "Wait."

Under everyone's doubtful gaze, I pretended to hesitate, then carefully split the betting bills into two stacks, placing the larger one on the big side.

"Bets placed, ready to open," the clear, melodious voice of the female dealer rang out as she pressed the bell twice.

"Wait a bit more," I raised my hand again, stopping the dealer and pleading: "Just wait a moment."

Everyone's doubtful looks turned to me again; I took out two cigarettes from my pocket, lit them, stuck them in front of me, and feigned agitation with my palms pressed together in prayer, muttering inaudible words. To onlookers, I looked like I was begging the gods for luck to win money—a typical sore loser gambler. Only, nobody could clearly hear what I was murmuring.

"I invoke the Fire God Zhuxiapu, may it shine upon me from all directions, lighting the three lamps on my head…"

A wave of boos rose instantly; everyone shouted at me, and even the female dealer gave me a look of contempt.

"Are you done yet?" the female dealer snapped, losing patience.

I pursed my lips and scoffed: "You do your opening, I'll do my talking—I wasn't stopping you from opening." The words had barely left my mouth when I felt embarrassed; it seemed… I really had been stopping them from opening the cup.

"Open…" the female dealer, made jittery by me, flung open the cup impatiently.

As the cup opened, an uproar rose among the crowd—inside lay a triple: three ones. And coincidentally, someone had placed tens of thousands on the triple; that someone… was naturally the sideburned gentleman.

The gamblers hadn't expected a triple at all, but they merely envied the sideburned gentleman's luck, gave it no further thought—only the sideburned gentleman, his expression surprised, glanced at me for a moment.

"Carrying all this cash is inconvenient—let me go to the front desk to exchange for chips? I'll cash them in later!" the sideburned gentleman called to the dealer. He had still wanted to bet another round, but seeing me with empty hands and empty pockets, he simply exchanged all the money for chips.

I was idly wandering the casino, bored out of my mind, when shortly the sideburned gentleman, clutching a huge stack of chips, ran up to me.

"Kid, not bad—here's your change," the sideburned gentleman said. The chips he gave me numbered only a few pieces, but each corresponded to a five‑digit amount, every one over ten thousand.

His generosity wasn't unexpected; I had chosen him initially not just because he was relatively unlucky, but also because I read people by their faces.

First, from physiognomy, the sideburned gentleman is a slightly earth‑type person among the Five Elements, but this earth nature isn't pure and also contains fire. Hence, although his build is coarse and tall, his temper is explosive. More important are his eyes: in physiognomy they belong to the lower three‑whites category.

Eye physiognomy is a branch of physiognomy. Three‑whites is one type of eye appearance. This look is actually easy to recognize: besides the black pupil, the left, right, and lower parts of the eye are pure white, with no impurities—hence the name three‑whites. If the pupil is positioned upward, it's called lower three‑whites; if downward, upper three‑whites.

Yes, conversely, if the pupil is down it's upper three‑whites; if up it's lower three‑whites. The distinction is mainly made by the eye white: upper white above, black pupil above, white below means lower.

For upper three‑whites, the pupil sits low, with white above, left, and right. In physiognomy this eye resembles a snake's, indicating a person who is secretly sly and crafty; though they seem mild and tractable on the surface, when faced with a crucial dilemma they will unhesitatingly choose to harm others for their own gain, using any means, even committing heinous acts against heaven and reason.

But lower three‑whites are completely different. The owner of lower three‑whites is naturally bold and magnanimous, with a strong desire to control; whether brothers, friends, or endeavors, he likes to be in a leading position, guiding others. His eye tolerates no speck of sand; he despises traitors and hypocrites, and his nature is exceedingly proud.

However, such a person may be coarse, yet they are the easiest to win trust from. If you treat them sincerely, they will never shortchange you. Moreover, they are prone to act on emotion—even if committing a crime out of loyalty, they don't care at all.

So, such a person either has a violent temperament that clashes with yours, becoming your enemy; or they share your vices, becoming the best of friends. But, whether according to physiognomy books or proven by later generations, those with the three whites in their eyes usually do not have a good ending.

No matter how dynasties change, selfish people are everywhere, and friends who come out for personal gain are by no means rare. Moreover, in today's society of rampant materialism and emphasis on realism, who doesn't have some ulterior motive? Who isn't appearing mild and jade-like, smiling, like your relatives and friends, but behind the scenes, who knows if they might stab you?

Therefore, people with the lower three whites in their eyes hardly ever die a good death; they are easily deceived and betrayed. They may even be killed by this very sense of righteousness. In their view, loyalty and feelings rank above the law.

There is no doubt that Meibin Gong is such a person, and this is also the main reason I chose to help him.

As for why the dice cup would roll three leopards and one, there is naturally great mystery here; it can only be said to be the marvel of yin-yang and the Book of Changes. As for me, I merely used the right method at the right time and gave it a try.