Chapter 60: Just Who is the Antagonist Here?
“In any case, you ought to be careful.” Snow was reassured by Mei Chaofeng’s explanation. “Do you want to head to the casino to take a look at yourself?”
“There’s no need for that.” Mei Chaofeng took a huge swig of wine. “Plum Blossom Seven might be weak, but he’s been able to rise to such a high position because of his gambling skills. No one has managed to best him in the past decade. In fact, he hasn’t had to take a personal hand in the business for a long time. His bunch of trained underlings are able to hold the fort all on their own. With him at the Silverhook Casino, nothing can go wrong. Stay here and wait patiently for the good news!”
…
Meanwhile, at the casino, Plum Blossom Seven bowed slightly toward Zu An. “Young master Zu, may I know what you wish to play?”
Plum Blossom Seven was disgusted with how subservient he had to act, but he knew that his sacrifice would soon pay off. Once this fellow lost all of his money, he would pay back the humiliation he’d suffered a hundredfold.
“Which game is the most dependent on luck?” Zu An took a look around as he asked. The reason why he dared come to this casino to ‘withdraw money’ was, of course, not because he was some kind of Gambling God. Rather, he had a trusty tool known as the Fortune Pill in his grasp.
Some of the rewards given out by the keyboard were questionable, but if used appropriately, they could be incredibly formidable. Zu An had experienced this firsthand.
Take the Fortune Pill for example. He’d initially planned to use it on the lottery, but the disclaimer provided by the Keyboard put that plan to rest. He’d been at a loss as to how to best use it, and that had left him feeling upset for a long while.
Only with the appearance of Plum Blossom Thirteen did an idea pop into his mind. While skill had great influence over the outcome of a gamble, the most important factor of all was none other than luck. In the face of absolute luck, even the greatest of gambling skill was powerless.
Of course, this was built on the assumption that no one was cheating. Otherwise, even the luckiest person in the world would be scammed of all of his money.
For that reason, he had to bring Chu Chuyan along with him. It was not just out of consideration of his own safety, but to also ensure that the dealers in the casino didn’t cheat.
Chu Chuyan was a fifth rank cultivator. While she hardly knew anything about gambling, it was unlikely that the dealers could pull off any tricks without her sharp eyes noticing.
“The game that’s most dependent on luck is no other than the Dices Trove!” Plum Blossom Seven replied with a chuckle.
While dice appear to be dependent on luck at first glance, our dealers are skilled enough to roll any numbers we want to. Let’s see how you lose all of your money here!
“What’s Dices Trove?” Zu An asked.
“It’s just guessing whether the number is ‘big’ or ‘small’,” Plum Blossom Seven replied, surprised at the question.
“Then just say that it’s ‘Big and Small’. Why do you need to find such a pointless name for it?” Zu An said with a scornful look.
This time around, Plum Blossom Seven kept his cool.
Heh, it looks like you don’t even know about dice at all. It’s no wonder why you lost a thousand silver taels the last time around. This time, I’ll make sure you lose at least 10,000 silver taels; no, tens of thousands of silver taels! With that, I shall officially retire from business!
“Hahaha, Zu An! You sure know how to court your own doom!” Arrogant laughter boomed from the entrance to the casino.
Zu An turned, and was greeted by the sight of Plum Blossom Thirteen being pushed in on a wheelchair. His eyes were red, like those of a madman.
Plum Blossom Seven was alarmed by Plum Blossom Thirteen’s sudden arrival. This fellow! Can’t he hold it in a little? We should rope this scoundrel in first before doing anything. What do we do if he chickens out and runs away?
Zu An, on the other hand, seemed delighted to see Plum Blossom Thirteen. “You should rest at home if you’re injured. If you keep moving about, you might just end up breaking your arms too.”
Plum Blossom Thirteen clenched his jaws so tightly, his gums were in danger of injury. “You scoundrel! Now that the teachers of the academy aren’t around to protect you anymore, let’s see how you’ll fare! Men, smash that brat’s arms and legs!”
You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Thirteen for 798 Rage points!
“Yes, boss!”
Given Plum Blossom Thirteen’s high standing in the Plum Blossom Sect, it was only natural that he would have plenty of subordinates serving under him.
As soon as those brutes began charging at Zu An, he ducked behind Chu Chuyan and exclaimed fearfully, “Honey, you see, you see! Those fellows dare to act so arrogantly even in your presence! This should be enough to show that I’m not lying to you, right?”
Chu Chuyan bristled at how Zu An had addressed her, but it didn’t feel appropriate to correct him with so many onlookers. She vented her rage at Plum Blossom Thirteen instead. “What did you say earlier?”
A chilling aura instantly blanketed the area, and the bustling casino fell eerily silent. Many of the gamblers found themselves shivering inexplicably.
Plum Blossom Thirteen almost fell out of his wheelchair. He rushed here as soon as he’d heard that Zu An was in the casino, but he didn’t know Chu Chuyan had accompanied him. No matter how brazen he was, he would never have messed around in her presence.
That was a fifth rank expert right there! With the exception of the the sect master, even the whole Plum Blossom Sect combined wouldn’t be a match for her!
The tension was so thick it was hard to breathe. Plum Blossom Seven immediately stepped forward to mediate. “Miss Chu, it’s a misunderstanding! Brother Thirteen was hurt earlier today, so it can’t be helped that he’s a little on edge. He’s definitely got the wrong person here.”
“Got the wrong person?” Chu Chuyan sneered coldly. She turned to Zu An and asked, “How do you want to deal with him?”
Zu An was a little surprised by that question. Chu Chuyan was usually very cold towards him around the estate, so he hadn’t expected her to show him such respect outside.
Beaming at the current situation, he pointed at Plum Blossom Thirteen. “Since that fellow wanted to break my limbs, let’s return the favor and break his.”
“Very well.”
A white blur streaked forward before anyone could react, and Plum Blossom Thirteen cried out in pain. He toppled out of his wheelchair, and his groans continued loudly as he lay on the floor, his limbs bent at odd angles. Clearly, his arms and legs had been broken. Blood leaked out through the bandages around his knees.
Chu Chuyan calmly returned to Zu An’s side, resuming her frosty demeanor. A chorus of horrified gasps were heard around the casino.
Underneath her beautiful and graceful appearance, she’s actually such a vicious individual?
Those who had catcalled earlier swallowed in fear, and surreptitiously took several steps backward to blend into the crowd.
Zu An gave Chu Chuyan a thumbs-up. As expected of my wife. Straightforward and vicious—ah no, I mean straightforward and elegant.
Chu Chuyan turned to Zu An and said nonchalantly, “Don’t think too much into it. I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this to uphold the honor of the Chu clan.”
She had doubted Zu An’s story, but Plum Blossom Thirteen’s arrogant attitude had settled them. Even if Zu An had exaggerated the situation, his version of events was likely not too far off from the truth.
The Plum Blossom Sect was indeed planning to end his life!
While the Chu clan steered clear of politics so as to not rouse the suspicions of the royal court, it was not one to respond meekly to direct attacks. The fact that Plum Blossom Thirteen had dared to utter such threats toward a member of the Chu clan in her presence was clear provocation.
If I hadn’t made a move, everyone would have seen that our Chu clan are pushovers!
“It’s all the same! We’re all from the Chu clan after all!” Zu An remarked gleefully.
Chu Chuyan rolled her eyes. This fellow’s skin is really as thick as the city walls!
Zu An sensed a good chance to reap Rage points. He ran up to Plum Blossom Thirteen and gazed down on him from above. “What did I say earlier? Since your legs are injured, you should have stayed at home obediently to recuperate. If you insisted on staying out, you might just injure your arms. Still, you chose to ignore my advice and did as you pleased. Hah! You must be regretting your foolishness right now!”
Plum Blossom Thirteen roared at him furiously, “Zu An, stop hiding behind others and fight me one-on-one!”
You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Thirteen for 999 Rage points!
“Hah! Unlike the powerless hoodlum that you are, I have connections and backing to rely on. Do you know how precious my body is, now? A lowlife like you isn’t worth dirtying my hands over! Besides, why don’t you get with the times? Who still plays one-on-one these days?”
Holy shit! This level of shamelessness is insane!
The crowd grew disgruntled. You’re also a lowlife just a few days ago, but now, you’re really taking yourself to be a noble, huh?
You have successfully trolled Passerby A for 66 Rage points!
You have successfully trolled Passerby B for 66 Rage points!
You have successfully trolled Passerby C for 66 Rage points!
…
Even Chu Chuyan, looking on impassively, felt an urge to stifle Zu An’s horrible mouth.
Plum Blossom Thirteen finally reached the limit of his patience and bellowed, “Precious? You must be joking! You are just a mooch!”
You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Thirteen for 999 Rage points!
“So what if I am? If you’re that capable, why don’t you find a rich, beautiful, and powerful wife like mine then?” Zu An said as he leisurely wrapped his arms around Chu Chuyan’s shoulders.
You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Thirteen for 666 Rage points!
At this point, Plum Blossom Thirteen couldn’t tell whether he was angry at Zu An’s shamelessness, or at the fact that he had been unable to find a wife like Chu Chuyan.
Zu An’s gleeful boasting had riled up the crowd as well, and a huge serving of Rage points was served up to him on a platter.
Not going to the VIP room now seemed an inspired decision. Without a crowd to watch the show, how could he earn so many Rage points?
Chu Chuyan tilted her body slightly, shaking off Zu An’s arms. Her face was dark. She whispered harshly, “Shut up! You’re really embarrassing me!”
This level of unfettered shamelessness had far surpassed her comprehension.
At this, Zu An walked back over to Plum Blossom Thirteen. “Look, now you’ve angered my wife. Fine, I’ll fight you one-on-one then!”
There were question marks in Plum Blossom Thirteen’s eyes.
What? You’re the one who angered her in the first place! Why are you pinning the blame on me?
You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Thirteen for 666 Rage points!
Wait a moment, did you say one-on-one?
Before he could react, the sole of a boot smashed right into his face, causing his nose to bleed profusely.
Zu An sighed deeply as he lamented, “You cried desperately for me to fight you one-on-one, and yet, you turned out to be so weak that you can’t even handle a single blow from me? Why must you put yourself through such misery?”
Son of a bitch! You only accept my challenge after breaking all my limbs, huh?!
Countless times, Plum Blossom Thirteen had imagined how he would pummel Zu An until shit came spilling out of his guts, once there was no one to back him up. Yet, when it seemed his opportunity had finally arrived, he had ended up on the wrong end of a beating instead.
Being humiliated by a wastrel! The sheer frustration and anger that welled up within him knocked him out cold.
You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Thirteen for 1024 Rage points!
Zu An was a little surprised. This was the first time that his Rage points earned in a single troll had exceeded 1000. Could this be the true upper limit of a person’s rage, or was this amount of rage just too difficult to generate?
He prepared to smash his foot into Plum Blossom Thirteen again, but Plum Blossom Seven and the others had recovered from their daze, and rushed forward to stop him.
“He has already passed out. Please let him go.”
The words felt awkward to Plum Blossom Seven. Their Plum Blossom Sect were specialists in bullying others, and these were the words usually spoken by weaklings trying to play the hero. He had never imagined that he would be put in such a position one day.
This truly is…
For the first time in his life, Plum Blossom Seven found himself doubting whether he was really a bad guy!
You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Seven for 666 Rage points!