“Young master…” Nailuo whispered, with a hint of apology in her tone. The one who leaped down from the second floor’s elegant seat and stood beside her was none other than the seventh son of the Mu family, Mu Nianhua. The entire gambling hall became silent in an instant. The Mu family’s son personally appeared, what a grand gesture. This was just a few bets, what could have drawn him here?
“You’re still too young.” Mu Nianhua scratched Nailuo’s head, with a touch of indulgence in his voice. “You don’t want to lose, do you?”
Nailuo bit her lip, and finally lifted her hand slightly that was holding the treasure box.
“Forget it.” Mu Nianhua’s hand suddenly pressed down hard, and crushed the treasure box along with the three dice inside. Then he casually shook his hand, and said in a careless tone. “I accidentally used too much force. It seems that the treasure boxes on the ship are too fragile. I’ll have them all replaced later.”
Su Baiyi smiled and did not get angry. “I didn’t expect that the dignified Mu family would resort to such tricks?”
“Of course not.” Mu Nianhua took out a pearl from his chest and placed it on the table.
“Night-bright pearl!” Someone in the hall exclaimed.
“This pearl is called Wen Duo, and it was a gift I received on my birthday one year. I originally gave it to your little lady, but you returned it to me. This pearl is worth three boxes of gold, do you want to bet?” Mu Nianhua asked.
“Who am I betting with this time?” Su Baiyi asked.
Mu Nianhua flicked his sleeves. “Me.”
“Young master!” Nailuo exclaimed.
“I’ve made up my mind.” Mu Nianhua gestured for Nailuo to be quiet.
As soon as he said this, the whole gambling hall crowded around him. Even those high-stakes gambling rooms that were originally closed opened their doors. A richly dressed middle-aged man stepped out of one of them, walked through the crowd in three steps and came to Su Baiyi’s side.
“Mr. He?” Mu Nianhua raised his eyebrows slightly.
“They say that among the Mu family, only you, the seventh son, are idle and frivolous. You can’t do business, but you’re the best at gambling and drinking wine. I want to see for myself.” The rich man patted Su Baiyi’s shoulder. “Young man, if you don’t want to bet, then I’ll take your place.”
“Of course I’ll bet.” Su Baiyi slammed his right hand on the table. “If I lose, then I’ll take this pearl!”
The hall erupted in an uproar.
“Has he gone mad?”
“He still wants the pearl after losing, does he also want the Golden Wind ship if he wins?”
“What a good bet!”
But Mu Nianhua’s expression did not change, as if he was not surprised by Su Baiyi’s words. He just nodded, and then asked, “And what if you win?”
“You guarantee me and my senior… my wife, a safe journey.” Su Baiyi said in a deep voice.
“You boarded the Golden Wind ship, and you are the guest of my Mu family, especially now that you are the guest of the heavenly room. It is only natural to ensure your safety.” Mu Nianhua shook his head. “This is not something that needs to be bet on. Change the condition.”
“I mean real safety.” Su Baiyi emphasized his tone.
“Please elaborate.” Mu Nianhua spread his hands.
“That is, as long as the Golden Wind ship has not docked, no one can harm me and my wife unless you, Mu Nianhua, are already dead!” Su Baiyi tapped the table lightly with his hand. “This is the kind of safety I want. Are you still willing to bet, young master?”
Unless you die, I must live.
On this ship, whose life is more valuable than the seventh son of the Mu family?
Even Nailuo’s eyes showed a bit of anger at this moment, let alone the guards who were guarding the four corners of the gambling house. They had their hands on their blades, and some were restless. At this time, as long as Mu Nianhua gave an order, they would throw this rude fellow into the river without hesitation.
“At first I thought you were quite naive, like a silly boy who had never been out of town. Now I think you’re quite cunning, like someone who has been through some life-and-death situations.” Mu Nianhua shook his head and smiled. “Did you offend someone formidable, to make such a heart-wrenching bet with me?”
Su Baiyi also followed with a smile, “You’re right about everything. I’ve never been out of town, but I’ve been through many life-and-death situations.”
“Alright, I agree.” Mu Nianhua did not give the people around him a chance to stop him. He grabbed the treasure box on the table. “The bet is set, life and death are in fate–“
“Wealth and honor are in heaven!” Su Baiyi’s eyes stared at the treasure box in Mu Nianhua’s hand.
“Indeed interesting, more interesting than your brothers.” The rich man who stood beside Su Baiyi also fixed his eyes on the treasure box, and his anticipation and curiosity increased by a few points.
The hall was silent.
It seemed that only the sound of the dice colliding in the treasure box could be heard.
One.
Two.
Three.
After three times, the sound of the dice colliding was no longer heard.
Su Baiyi’s ears twitched slightly, and he tried his best to use his ability to discern the position by the wind to the extreme.
But still, there was no sound at all!
Mu Nianhua smiled and waved the treasure box in his hand, up and down, with great movements. Several times he even threw the treasure box directly into the air, and the three dice were clearly exposed in front of everyone. They were indeed spinning rapidly. The next moment he covered the treasure box again, and swung it left and right. His voice was somewhat proud, “Even if the old man of the Tang family came here personally, he wouldn’t be able to guess the points inside.”
“Who did you learn this gambling skill from?” The rich man asked.
“Xuanyuan Wuchang.” Mu Nianhua said the name of the gambling god as a matter of course.
“That’s true.” The rich man nodded. “I can’t bet on this round either. Kid, you should admit defeat.”
Su Baiyi shrugged. “I don’t want that pearl.”
“You can’t even afford the money for the boat ride. This pearl can be sold for a lot of money. You won’t have to worry about food and drink for the rest of your life. Why don’t you want it?” Mu Nianhua asked back.
Su Baiyi curled his lips. “You’re so eager to give away this pearl, then getting it must bring a lot of other troubles.”
“It’s not trouble, maybe you’ll get a very beautiful, very beautiful, very beautiful woman.” Mu Nianhua sighed lightly. “Unfortunately, I don’t want to get her, nor do I deserve it.”
“So this pearl was the one that Ye family sent back then…” The rich man whispered.
“Enough!” Mu Nianhua slammed the treasure box on the table. “Mr. Su, please place your bet.”
Su Baiyi looked at the treasure box, held his breath, squinted his eyes, and pondered for a long time without speaking. But the people around him did not dare to urge him, because Mu Nianhua was also waiting patiently for him, and even had a bit of expectation in his eyes. Only the rich man sneered. He saw through Su Baiyi’s pretense at this moment. He was just trying to act mysterious. The matter of listening to the points should have ended at the moment when the dice fell. Any further thinking was redundant.
“I bet big!” Su Baiyi said solemnly.
“Good.” Mu Nianhua lifted the treasure box.