Chapter 227: Playing Cards Is So Much Fun

The pink pawn's top cards, which one haven't I tried?

Ding Laji, his short body perched on a chair, spoke with saliva flying, and the patrons at nearby tables listened intently: "If I have to say which flavor is best, it's definitely Cui Xi, that figure… *tsk tsk*, but Cui Xi's looks are a bit lacking."

"The most beautiful is still the elf Aman Da, but unfortunately she's not lively!"

Ding Laji shook his head regretfully, "Aman Da lacks professionalism. I've inquired; she's been in this line for over eighty years, her skill is still poor, not even as good as a teenage girl, wasting that pretty face of hers."

"Yeah…" someone echoed in agreement.

"She also refuses to go with other women, and can't stay overnight, pfft!" a burly client slammed the table in displeasure.

A middle‑aged man at Ding Laji's table said, "Who says she's an elf? Just because of that status, eight Gold Shields a night is still cheap."

A large group of men chatted heatedly, their drinks never stopping; a few got drunk, arguing fiercely over which prostitute's skill was best, their faces flushed, almost coming to blows.

In this regard, Ding Laji is practically an authority.

His eloquence is excellent; a few words earn everyone's approval and quell disputes.

Lei En listened with keen interest, then sauntered up to the third floor—the tavern's top level, designed as an open platform with a wide view, where one could see the bustling pedestrians on the street; not far away stood the main gate of the Giant Hammer Arena, making it the prime spot on the road.

The platform had a dozen or so tables, almost all filled.

Most patrons were transcendants; they were either drinking and playing cards or bragging and chatting.

Lei En didn't intend to interact with Ding Laji; he planned to find an empty seat to sit and rest, while using his Soul Eye to continue searching for a target.

"Demonhunter."

Ding Laji halted his discussion, looked over suddenly, and called, "Please come sit here."

Lei En was sure he was being called, because he was the only Demonhunter here, and he felt surprised—had Ding Laji spotted some flaw?

He scanned the platform with his gaze, found no empty seat, so he could only go over and sit.

This table was at the edge of the railing, the best spot, overlooking most of the street; besides Ding Laji, the only other at the table was a middle‑aged man dressed as a mercenary, with black hair and black head, a scruffy beard, lean build, a ferocious wolf‑like appearance, and a long sword hanging at his waist.

Lei En glanced at him; he was a high‑rank Swiftwind Demon Swordsman.

"Thank you."

Lei En thanked in a low voice, his expression indifferent.

"No need to be formal." Ding Laji sat back, gulped a large mouthful of strong liquor, grabbed a stack of Myriad Spirits Cards, shuffled swiftly, and cheerfully called, "Bo Lin, another round; today I'm going to make you lose even your underwear."

"Alright."

The high‑rank Demon Swordsman called Bo Lin hummed, "You pervert, you won't even spare a man's underwear; stay away from me in the future."

The two began playing Myriad Spirits Cards, ignoring Lei En.

Lei En summoned a server to order a beer, his gaze falling on the street, continuing his observation.

Soon, a round ended.

"Ha ha, hand over the money!" Ding Laji laughed arrogantly, "I brushed the hem of the goddess of luck today, not only landed a big deal but my card luck turned great; whatever I play I can turn the tide, ha ha ha…"

"Dog‑shit luck!"

Bo Lin reluctantly drew two Gold Shields, tossed them to Ding Laji: "Another round."

Half an hour later.

"Damn it, are you cheating?" Bo Lin's face flushed bright red; he had lost five or six rounds, already owing Ding Laji over a dozen Gold Shields.

Ding Laji shrugged, a smug grin: "I said my luck was good today, and you still didn't believe me."

"I'm done!" Bo Lin flung the cards onto the table, began drinking in silence.

Lei En observed silently; he saw clearly that Ding Laji hadn't cheated—his card skill was indeed excellent, and his luck was genuinely good; several times a losing hand turned around when he drew a good card, instantly reversing the situation and finally winning money.

The Myriad Spirits Card game has complex rules; skill is crucial.

But when card skill reaches a high level, both sides are evenly matched and the card quality is similar, the contest involves more than skill—luck also plays a part.

Sometimes a single card can turn the tide.

Bo Lin cursed cheating, but actually knew his own skill and luck were inferior, not truly wanting to fight Ding Laji.

From their soul states, their relationship is good; they are close friends.

Ding Laji bragged for a while, downed most of his cup in one gulp, then suddenly looked at Lei En beside him and asked, "Demonhunter, what's your name?"

"Fan Haixin," Lei En replied succinctly.

"Can you play cards?" Ding Laji asked eagerly, "Want to play a few rounds with me?"

Lei En was slightly taken aback.

This guy took his own mission, didn't chase the undead Wizard, yet sits here drinking and playing cards—what on earth is he up to?

The Soul Eye delved into Ding Laji's mind, seeing his soul state; among them an Element was flashing, constantly rotating.

Lei En saw this Element clearly, and his mind suddenly enlightened.

A cold, inscrutable expression crossed his face, and he replied concisely, "Can play, no cards."

"No problem, I have many spare cards; I can lend you a deck first." Ding Laji enthusiastically pulled several stacks of cards from his waist pouch, about one or two hundred, many of them rare blue cards, and even a few epic purple cards, clearly his careful collection.

"Fine." Lei En did not refuse.

Anyway, he's idle; playing cards doesn't affect his scouting of pedestrians, so he can just keep watching.

Playing a round of Myriad Spirits Cards, each person needs at least sixty cards to form a deck, also called the pot; each round draws one card from the pot into the hand, which can then be played.

Cards are categorized by effect into minions, equipment, spells, items, and weather.

The rarer the card, the stronger its effect.

The win‑lose rules are simple: both sides take turns playing cards; each player has an initial health, takes damage from the opponent's attacks, and whoever reduces the other's health to zero first wins.

Lei En was now quite familiar with Myriad Spirits Cards.

Last year at the Basil Hotel, he had seen Luo Jie and Zuo Er Tan play far too many rounds; he hadn't eaten pork but had seen a pig run away.

Moreover, in a previous life there were several similar card games; they were not unfamiliar to him.

Lei En flipped through Ding Laji's card pool while recalling Luo Jie's deck; his memory was excellent, and he had a few photos on his phone, deciding to learn a strategy Luo Jie used.

In less than two minutes, he had already selected sixty cards.

This deck is composed entirely of white common cards and blue rare cards; it looks rather ordinary, with no standout advantages, but its applicability is broad, able to handle most situations, and as long as one plays well, it won't be far behind those powerful decks.

However, the prerequisite for playing well is skill in calculation and a very high demand on memory.

One must remember every card the opponent has, the order in which they are played; what card might appear next, what its probability is, all must be calculated precisely, without any error.

This mode heavily tests skill and memory, reducing the luck factor.

Ding Laji looked at Lei En's deck but didn't take it to heart, impatiently preparing to roll the dice to start the game.

"Wait a moment," Lei En sat still, unmoving.

"What's the matter?"

"How much per round?" Lei En asked; when playing Wànlíng cards, there's no way to play without betting money, only a matter of big or small stakes.

Ding Laji assumed Lei En didn't want to bet too high and said, "I usually wager two Gold Shields per round; if you think that's too much, we can drop to one Gold Shield, or thirty silver kron will do as well."

"No," Lei En shook his head, "ten Gold Shields per round."

Ding Laji's face showed astonishment; he is usually lavish with money, yet rarely bets this high in a card game, so he hesitated, feeling a bit uneasy.

Lei En didn't even have any cards; he should be a novice, yet his expression was calm, which didn't seem to fit.

"Ten Gold Shields is fine," Ding Laji gritted his teeth in agreement, trusting his luck today, unafraid even if a Master-level card player showed up.

Bo Lin, who had been watching the match nearby, perked up and watched attentively.

The game began.

A few minutes later, Lei En played a blue card from his hand onto the table before him and said calmly, "I win."

"Huh?" Ding Laji was stunned for a moment before reacting.

He scratched his messy hair, his face blank, not understanding how he had lost.

This round felt truly stifling, dominated from start to finish by the opponent, as if whatever card he played was always anticipated and countered.

Even a powerful purple epic card was neutralized.

"Your play is too good," Ding Laji forced a smile, his mind already on guard; this guy is at least a Master-level card player!

Lei En nodded in acknowledgment and reached out.

Ding Laji was reluctant to hand over ten Gold Shields, and, unwilling, shouted, "Another round!"

"Hmm," Lei En felt a quiet thrill inside and reshuffled the cards.

His card skill could only be considered above average, but he possessed a MutatedPhone; every card Ding Laji played was recorded, then compared with his deck, opening a calculator that instantly computed the probability of the next draw and the opponent's possible hand and plays.

With the card‑tracking device and calculation cheat, losing is difficult unless luck is at its worst.

In the second round, Ding Laji lost even faster.

The losing process was almost identical to the previous round, and his luck was worse; he didn't draw suitable cards and surrendered in under three minutes.

"Again," Ding Laji produced ten Gold Shields, looking defiant.

Lei En calmly collected the money, his heart already blooming with joy.

Playing cards is really fun!

In less than half an hour, the two had played five rounds, Lei En won them all, taking fifty Gold Shields from Ding Laji.

Ding Laji felt his heart bleed, yet he was helpless.

Each round he lost miserably; at his best, luck was on his side, the opponent was down to a sliver of health, and a single hit would have secured victory, but that hit was as unreachable as a chasm in the sky, watching his own health drain to zero.

He also tried swapping decks and using different play patterns, but there was no difference; he still lost.

This hunter‑Demonkin named Fan Haixin used only a civilian deck from start to finish; his expression never changed while playing, making his thoughts impossible to read.

Rarely encountering such a skilled card player, Ding Laji was not discouraged; instead, his competitive spirit was sparked.

He felt his empty wallet, still wanting to play, only to discover he had no money.

"Uh..." Ding Laji said awkwardly, "Let's stop for today, we'll play next time, next time."

Lei En guessed he was out of money, yet was reluctant to let him go: "Twenty Gold Shields, sell me your cards."

The sixty cards in his hand weren't especially pricey, total value under ten Gold Shields, and could be bought at any branch of an Alchemy Association.

Anyway, the cost comes from the sheep; the money spent on buying cards can just be reclaimed from Ding Laji.

"Sure."

Ding Laji, worried about having no money, gladly sold the cards and got back twenty Gold Shields.

Ten minutes later, those twenty Gold Shields returned to Lei En's hand.

Ding Laji's face was mournful; he gulped the remaining wine down, nearly choking himself.

"Hahaha..." Bo Lin, who had been watching for a while, laughed heartily, a face of schadenfreude, "I see you didn't draw the lucky goddess's hem today, but the misfortune lady's seed, losing must feel great, huh?"

He laughed so hard he fell forward and backward, even tears of laughter streaming out.

"Get out, get out, stop mocking me!"

Ding Laji snapped angrily, his gaze returning to Lei En, and couldn't help asking, "Fan Haixin, how exactly do you play your cards? Why do I always feel I'm just a bit off?"

Lei En gave a faint smile, unusually speaking at length: "Playing cards is about skill, not luck."

Of course, having cheats makes it even better.

Ding Laji was very depressed; those words as good as nothing.

Lei En held the cards in his hand, flipping them up and down, shuffling with one hand; it looked dazzling, and he finally grasped the joy of playing cards.

Winning or losing was secondary; when he won and saw the opponent's frustrated expression, it felt incredibly satisfying!

Unfortunately, Fan Haixin's character is taciturn; otherwise, teasing while playing would be even more enjoyable.

No wonder Luo Jie and Zuo Ertan play cards day and night; next time we meet them, we must study them properly and witness their card skills.

Lei En felt his appetite wasn't satisfied, so he looked at Bo Lin, "Want to play?"

Bo Lin was somewhat tempted, his hands itching; after a moment he said, "Ten Gold Shields is too high; twenty silver kron per round, and I'll play with you."

Fine.

Lei En nodded in agreement; he didn't really care about winning much money, as long as he could play cards, that was enough.

Without realizing it, they played dozens of rounds; even though the stakes were low, Bolin ended up losing all the money he had. In all those rounds, he only won against Lei En twice when his luck was blazing; the rest he lost miserably.

"I'm done, I'm done," Bolin put away the cards, his face turning ashen from the loss.

Lei En, however, was radiant and still not satisfied.

He looked up around; most of the patrons on the tavern's platform had left, the pedestrians on the street had thinned out, and it was already deep night.

"Whoa, it's so late!" Lei En's eyes froze; what had he gone out for tonight?

It's the last day; if you have a ticket, don't waste it…

(End of chapter)