Chapter 63: What It Means to Be a Gambling God

Initially, the gamblers had wanted to see Zu An humiliated, but when they realized there might be an even juicier scandal, they all erupted in excitement, their eyes red with anticipation as they clamored for more.

After being discreetly nudged by his disciple a few times, Plum Blossom Seven finally snapped out of his daze. He swallowed hard, consumed by regret. Why had he been so greedy, aiming for a complete win with the 'leopard' and 'all-size' bets? If he had just played a simple point comparison, he wouldn't have suffered such a devastating loss.

He could already envision his dire fate. Seven and a half million taels of silver! Even if the entire Plum Blossom Gang's assets were sold off, and every member resorted to selling themselves, they still wouldn't be able to raise that much money.

The gang leader would surely chop him into pieces and feed him to the dogs.

Contemplating his grim end, he steeled himself and furtively reached under the table. There was a mechanism there, designed to alter the dice within the shaker.

At this point, his only option was to risk it, gambling that Chu Chuyan wouldn't notice his deception.

To his dismay, he couldn't fathom the power of a fifth-rank cultivator. The moment his hand stirred, a wave of white frost energy swept over it, instantly freezing it solid. He couldn't move it an inch.

"What's this, planning to cheat?" Chu Chuyan had been observing intently. This bet, in particular, was partly her doing, so she wouldn't allow anyone to spoil it easily.

Zu An sighed. "I told you not to cheat, but you just wouldn't listen. Here, you open it." He casually gestured to the disciple standing beside Plum Blossom Seven.

"Open! Open! Open!"

The gamblers around them, eyes bloodshot, wondered if they were about to witness a miracle.

Plum Blossom Seven grew anxious. He tried to speak but found himself enveloped by an oppressive aura, rendering him utterly speechless.

The chosen disciple swallowed hard, then tremblingly lifted the dice shaker. Three bright red 'one' pips faced upwards, and the entire crowd erupted!

Even Chu Chuyan's breathing quickened. A payout of one hundred and fifty times the stake, totaling seven and a half million taels – the sheer magnitude was staggering!

Though the Chu family was reputed to be as wealthy as a nation, with ventures like salt and weapons generating immense daily profits, their annual earnings were nowhere near this sum.

Not even a single year's profit, perhaps not even three years' worth, would amount to this much!

Zu An, meanwhile, grinned at Plum Blossom Seven. "Thank you so much! If you hadn't specifically stopped me just now, I might have only won fifty thousand taels today. Now I've actually won seven and a half million taels! Your words truly are blessed. Here, take ten taels of silver for tea, as a thank you for your good fortune."

Hearing his words, Plum Blossom Seven recalled that he had indeed been the one to desperately insist Zu An stay. He had practically gift-wrapped his own downfall.

The ten taels of silver shimmered with a faint light, seemingly mocking him. He could no longer restrain himself; a mouthful of fresh blood spurted from his lips, and he toppled over, falling stiffly to the ground.

Rage value from Plum Blossom Seven: 1024!

Zu An instantly looked displeased. "Hey, don't think you can escape by feigning unconsciousness! Someone, please settle up the payment for me."

Back in the day, Chan Daozai could turn 20 yuan into 27 million. Today, I, Zu An, can turn 1,000 taels into seven and a half million taels, which translates to 13.5 billion RMB. What defines a God of Gamblers? This is it!

Meanwhile, at the Plum Blossom Gang's main headquarters, Mei Chaofeng chuckled. "Miss Qiao, I assure you, there's no need to worry. Once that good-for-nothing enters the Silver Hook Casino, even a tiger would have to lie low, and a dragon would have to coil. What's more, he's notoriously incompetent. When he loses a hundred thousand or even eighty thousand taels, I'm sure the Chu family won't tolerate him anymore, will they?"

Xue'er nodded. "Precisely. The Chu family maintains very strict discipline, and Madam Chu has always been displeased with this useless son-in-law. Forget a hundred thousand or even eighty thousand; if he loses just ten or eight thousand, Madam Chu will likely cast him out."

"The only complication now is that Miss Chu is with him; she might not stand by and watch him lose so much. So, Miss Qiao, why don't you go over and find a way to distract her? That way, my men in the casino can properly deal with him," Mei Chaofeng suggested.

Xue'er shook her head. "No, Miss Chu seems to be growing suspicious of me. If I attempt to lure her away now, my identity will undoubtedly be exposed. We can't risk losing sight of the bigger picture for a small advantage."

Mei Chaofeng laughed. "True. With you by Miss Chu's side, ensuring no other man can lay a hand on her, the Young Master can truly rest easy."

Xue'er's expression chilled. "It's best not to gossip about the Young Master behind his back."

"I was just making a joke," Mei Chaofeng said with a forced laugh, secretly annoyed. *You're just a maid, lording it over others because of the Young Master's favor. Hmph, sooner or later, I'll have the Young Master give you to me, and then you'll learn the consequences of offending me.*

Xue'er rose and gazed towards the distant casino. Recalling her recent squabbles with Zu An, a hint of worry creased her young face. "But why do I have such an ominous feeling?"

"You're worrying too much. A good-for-nothing like him will never amount to anything," Mei Chaofeng said dismissively, attributing her concern to the typical anxieties of women. "If I'm not mistaken, we should receive good news very soon."

No sooner had he finished speaking than hurried footsteps approached. A gang member rushed in to report, "Boss, Boss, it's bad, it's really bad!"

Mei Chaofeng's face darkened. "Who are you saying is bad? Slap yourself!"

The gang member froze, but Mei Chaofeng's authority was absolute. Without a word of protest, he knelt down and slapped himself hard several times.

Mei Chaofeng leisurely picked up his teacup and gently blew on it. "Remember, don't be so hasty in your actions from now on."

"Yes," the gang member replied, feeling a touch of injustice, but dared not offer any further explanation while kneeling.

Mei Chaofeng nodded with satisfaction. "Alright, tell me what happened."

The gang member then reported, "We lost fifty thousand taels."

"Fifty thousand?" Mei Chaofeng chuckled. While it wasn't quite as much as he'd anticipated, Plum Blossom Seven had still performed admirably, especially managing it right under Miss Chu's nose. "Regardless, fifty thousand taels is certainly enough to get the Chu family to cast out that Zu fellow."

Xue'er, standing nearby, also allowed a faint smile to grace her lips. Fifty thousand taels was more than enough. With a bit more fanning the flames, given Madam's temperament, she would surely never tolerate that man.

Realizing they had misunderstood, the gang member grew anxious. "Boss, *we* lost fifty thousand taels!"

"What?" Mei Chaofeng's smile vanished. He spun around abruptly, his eyes a little murderous. "What did you say?"

The gang member could only brace himself and repeat, "The Silver Hook Casino lost fifty thousand taels to the Chu family's son-in-law."

The teacup in his hand shattered. Mei Chaofeng was incandescent with rage. "What on earth was Plum Blossom Seven doing, letting that good-for-nothing win so much money? Even a pig at the gambling table, losing every single hand, wouldn't lose fifty thousand taels that quickly!"

"Actually, it was lost in just one hand," the gang member replied.

"One hand?" Mei Chaofeng was taken aback and quickly pressed for details. His subordinate hastily recounted everything he knew.

After hearing the explanation, Mei Chaofeng fell silent, his expression visibly softening. He waved his hand, dismissing his subordinate, then leisurely settled back into his chair and began sipping his tea once more.

Seeing his indifference, Xue'er finally couldn't hold back. She stepped forward and asked, "Why aren't you going to check? You've already lost fifty thousand taels!"

"There's no rush," Mei Chaofeng said calmly. "Miss Qiao, please compose yourself."

Xue'er retorted coldly, "How can I not be anxious? If you mess up the Young Master's important business, you'll be held responsible!"

Mei Chaofeng was secretly annoyed but patiently explained, "If the casino had lost fifty thousand taels over many hands, it would definitely signal a problem. But you heard what he said: it was just one hand. That Zu An simply got lucky, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse."

"A single hand has an element of chance, but over several hands, that randomness is minimized. Rest assured, Plum Blossom Seven will quickly win the money back, and even make him end up owing us more."

Xue'er frowned. "What if Zu An stops gambling?"

Mei Chaofeng laughed. "I've seen too many people like that over the years – completely insufferable when they get lucky. They never know when to quit. Besides, Plum Blossom Seven is in charge there. Even if the other party genuinely doesn't want to gamble anymore, he has ways to lure them back. Otherwise, he wouldn't be Plum Blossom Seven."

"You have a lot of faith in this Plum Blossom Seven?" Xue'er inquired.

"Of course. He's my most skilled and steady confidant when it comes to gambling," Mei Chaofeng said, a hint of pride in his expression. "I've cultivated quite a few talents over the years. Just you wait; it won't be long before we receive good news."

Just then, hurried footsteps approached. Mei Chaofeng pointed to the doorway and chuckled, "What did I just say? Here they are already!"

A faint smile gradually appeared on Xue'er's face as well. It seemed the Plum Blossom Gang was quite efficient.

Moments later, a gang disciple, utterly pale, stumbled into the room. "Report... report... we lost... we lost seven and a half million taels!"

Mei Chaofeng's face instantly darkened. "How many times have I taught you? You people have no memory whatsoever, always acting so rashly..."

He suddenly paused, as if a thought had struck him, and his voice sharpened. "Wait, how much did you just say?"

"Se-seven... seven and a half million taels of silver," the disciple stammered tremblingly.

Mei Chaofeng was instantly ecstatic. "Hahahaha, seven and a half million taels of silver! That boy is finished! Even if the entire Chu family sold everything they owned, they might not be able to raise that much money!" No wonder the disciple was so agitated; Mei Chaofeng had already forgiven his subordinate's rashness. Even his own breath quickened at the mention of that sum.

Xue'er also looked utterly shocked. "That man actually lost seven and a half million taels?" She simply couldn't fathom how anyone could lose such an enormous sum in so little time.

At the same time, she completely relaxed. While there might have been a tiny chance the Chu family would cover his debts if it were just tens of thousands of taels, seven and a half million taels was utterly out of the question. Not even the Chu family combined with the immensely wealthy merchants Yuan, Zheng, and Wang from Bright Moon City would likely be able to raise that much liquid capital.

Mei Chaofeng poured a cup of wine and handed it to Xue'er. "Miss Qiao, your mission has been successfully completed. I wish you a swift return to the Young Master's side."