Chapter 37: Happiness on the Left, Singleness on the Right
The bunny girls in the entertainment city all seem to have graceful figures, dressed in outfits that aren’t very convenient for movement. They are polite to all customers while maintaining a certain distance, so there’s no need to worry about them suddenly pulling out a crowbar from somewhere.
However, these vase-like roles are surprisingly efficient in their tasks. After Jiang Li requested a private room for a gambling match with Luxianbei, a luxurious private room was ready in under ten minutes.
Inside the elegantly decorated room, a velvet-covered gambling table was placed in the center, illuminated by splendid palace lanterns. A bunny girl dealer stood at one corner of the table, with various common discarded cards and gambling tools beside her.
At the bar in the corner, a bunny girl bartender stood by, ready to serve well-prepared drinks to customers at any moment.
Sitting at the gambling table, Jiang Li wore a deep-V backless black gown, her exquisite face lightly adorned with makeup, as if she had made careful preparations for a date.
However, after everything was ready, Luxianbei still hadn’t shown up.
After Jiang Li finished her third cup of strong tea, a bunny girl approached with a delicate teapot, ready to refill her cup, but Jiang Li waved her hand to interrupt.
“Thank you, but no.”
It had already been over two hours; what on earth was Luxianbei doing?
Could it be that he was getting cold feet at a time like this and was making a run for it?
Or does she know that I have limited time and is deliberately trying to delay?
Jiang Li thought as she paced to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the private room and looked down at the noisy hall.
Soon, she spotted Luxianbei among the crowd of revelers.
She stood out too much, completely out of place compared to the other patrons immersed in drinks, food, and dance.
Clutching a thick stack of flyers in her hands, she insisted on shoving them into the hands of other guests, regardless of whether they were interested, chatting away until they looked close to losing their cool, only then slipping away.
Jiang Li, “…”
What on earth was she doing?
She looked like the Miracle Cult trying to promote their heavenly father…
What does this have to do with our gambling match?
————
“It does matter, it matters a lot!”
Luxianbei handed half of the flyers to Ahua. “If I don’t do this, how will anyone know about the gambling match with your lady?”
“If they don’t know, how can I open the external betting? I just asked those bunny girls. The entertainment city allows external betting and even provides basic safety guarantees, and all it takes is paying 5% of the gambling amount.”
“Think about it, a match involving hundreds of millions in chips—these gamblers will definitely be very interested, right?” Luxianbei whispered in a voice only she and Ahua could hear.
While speaking, she narrowed her eyes and scanned the reveling guests in the hall, like a hungry wolf surveying carefully bred 5A-grade beef.
After looking around, Luxianbei turned her gaze back and continued, “There must be at least two thousand guests on the upper three floors. More than half will participate, and assuming a minimum bet of a hundred thousand, that’s more than a hundred million.”
“However, I believe not everyone will only bet the minimum. Conservatively estimating, we might rake in a few hundred million chips this time.”
Coupled with the chips in Jiang Li’s hands, they would definitely qualify to challenge the Big Boss in Nowhere Land, allowing for the second phase of the plan to take place.
If the second phase proceeds smoothly… Hmph! Who says we can only take down this casino by defeating the Big Boss?
As long as that so-called Big Boss doesn’t get enraged and forcibly change the outcome with terrifying strength. Luxianbei thought as she looked toward the white spiral staircase in the center of the hall.
The stairs seemed to descend from heaven, continuously stretching upward until it vanished into a pitch-black abyss.
And after that continually spiraling abyss, it seemed as though a pair of eyes was watching everything in the entertainment city.
Ahua glanced at the flyers in her hand, then at Luxianbei, anxious. “I know this can earn a lot of chips, but how does this relate to saving my lady?”
“It relates, it relates a lot!” Luxianbei patted Ahua’s shoulder to reassure her. “From what I understand, saving her requires not only winning the gambling match against her but also a huge number of chips.”
“But…” Ahua hesitated.
“Don’t worry! I wouldn’t harm your lady! She’s my dear and lovely superior, our mutual life-and-d*ath partner, Miaomiao Sauce! We have shared bowls of noodles and slept on the same bed!”
“…” Ahua opened her mouth, ready to say something, but Luxianbei pushed her toward the nearby group of patrons drinking heavily.
“Go on, quickly help me distribute the flyers!”
Just as Luxianbei sent Ahua away, she spotted Liu Banxian approaching. He carefully squeezed through the crowd, slowly crossed two tables piled with liquor, and stood in front of Luxianbei.
“Kid, I’ve taken care of what you asked me to do!”
Luxianbei’s eyes lit up with surprise, “So soon?”
“Of course, it must be quick!” Liu Banxian straightened up proudly. “You thought I’ve been messing around here for years without reason?”
Liu Banxian had indeed been mingling in the upper three floors of the entertainment city for quite a long time, familiar with many people and urban legends here. If it hadn’t been for the recent bad luck, he would never have left.
However, Luxianbei didn’t expect that a guy who looked to fortune-telling would be so familiar with zodiac predictions, indicating a surprisingly broad range of expertise.
“Go and listen in; how many people here haven’t borrowed money from me, and how many haven’t I beaten up? We’re on familiar terms! Guiding them on what to drink is a piece of cake!” Liu Banxian added.
“Moreover, this time it’s not them footing the bill.”
Luxianbei, “…”
Why can you say such things so proudly?
If one didn’t know better, they’d think you’ve beaten them up and that they owe you money!
After Liu Banxian finished boasting about his “social connections,” he glanced at the flyers in Luxianbei’s hands and raised his eyebrows. “So, kid? Do you want me to help you with the flyers next?”
“No need, no need.” Luxianbei quickly refused. “This is something Ahua and I can handle. You should go rest, you’ve worked hard.”
“You just wait for the opening and follow through with our agreed betting!”
Luxianbei knew Liu Banxian’s way with words was not suited for “salesmanship”; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been in such a poor state during their time on Mudan Street.
After sending Liu Banxian off, Luxianbei stood at the edge of the second floor corridor, resting her hands on the railing, looking down at the entire hall, a hint of joy creeping onto her brow.
At that moment, the casino seemed to transform into a giant wine barrel, with the rich scent of alcohol wafting around the resplendent hall, the enticing aroma filling the air like it was alive, constantly stimulating the nerves. Amidst the clinking of glasses, the faces of the guests gradually flushed, their eyes taking on a hint of daze.
“This wine recommended by Banxian is really impressive! No wonder it’s called ‘The Dragon That Strikes Down’.” Luxianbei couldn’t help but exclaim, “This time the boss’s wallet is going to suffer.”
Although most spiritual ability users and urban legends, given the limited choice of beverages in the entertainment city, could never get drunk, as long as the selections were proper, making them somewhat tipsy would be enough.
If they were fully sober, these sharp-minded folks wouldn’t possibly put all their eggs in one basket, betting everything on Jiang Li’s chances of winning.
But now, a significant portion of them would be under the influence of the spirit energy-infused alcohol, which would likely increase their betting ratio on Jiang Li significantly.
Although 99% of gambling games ultimately profit the house, I still want to win as much as I can.
Luxianbei thought, throwing the remaining dozen flyers into the hall and turning towards the private room Jiang Li had prepared.
————
Inside the luxurious private room.
Jiang Li held the flyers the bunny girl had helped find, her brow tightly knitted.
The headline read very prominently: [Legendary Gambler A Li VS Unknown Rookie Miss Wang], below which was a considerate line with the betting time and location.
On the back of the flyer was a detailed comparison of their past performances; one was a legendary figure who had challenged the casino’s Big Boss countless times, while the other was a rookie who had won millions on the mid-level floors. The contrast was clear.
Just a few million in chips? At least half of the guests on the upper three levels had won equivalent chips.
As for the reason behind this stark disparity in betting…
Jiang Li looked at the bolded paragraph on the back of the flyer, her mouth twitching slightly.
“Both fell in love with a man named Luxianbei? An endless romantic entanglement?”
Luxianbei, how could you dare say such things? You really are something!
Once I win this match, I’ll have to correct your ridiculous behavior!
Jiang Li thought fiercely, just then the door to the room opened, and Luxianbei, wrapped in a coat that looked like a mink, swaggered in. In her left hand, she held a figurine of [The Chaos Flower of Parallel Time and Space], and in her right, a lacquered box, her brown-tinted glasses perched on her nose, and half a spicy strip hanging from her mouth.
She sat down in a chair, fidgeting with the misplaced figurine, then frowned and waved to the bunny girl nearby, “Excuse me… could you please bring my wife a chair?”
Taking the figurine Luxianbei handed over, the bunny girl blinked in confusion. “Sure, right away, Miss. May I ask what you’d like to drink?”
Luxianbei thought for a moment and replied seriously, “Wahaha AD Calcium Milk, please!”
The bunny girl glanced at Luxianbei’s petite and cute appearance, nodding thoughtfully, feeling her request was quite reasonable.
Jiang Li silently watched Luxianbei as she seated herself directly opposite her and calmly stated, “Miss Wang, you’re quite late! Have you decided what you’d like to gamble on?”
“Dice, or Pai Gow? Mahjong or Chess? Any card game is fine; I’ve prepared everything for you.”
“Bang——!”
Luxianbei slammed the lacquered box onto the table, pouting, “Miss Jiang, don’t think so rigidly! Does gambling have to be about those things?”
“In ancient times, there were chicken fights, horse races, and cricket fights. Now there are football, basketball, and table tennis…”
“Uh, sorry, but we can’t bet on table tennis since Z Country is competing, so let’s change that to electronic sports. Don’t we have some rubbish games where nobody plays decently, can’t we do something fresh?”
“You want to play a game with me?” Jiang Li raised her brows slightly, her frown easing as she tilted her chin, giving Luxianbei a look of disdain mixed with pity.
“You can’t seriously think I haven’t practiced any games?”
“Just to let you know, when I challenged the Big Boss for the seventh and ninth times, I chose MOBA and shooting games respectively.”
“Whoa! You can play games?” Luxianbei completely ignored Jiang Li’s glare, astonished. “You never mentioned that before! We should definitely set a time to play once we’re back!”
“I’ll tell you, it’s so boring to game alone on my sofa at home. I’ve been wanting to find someone to play with! It’s fine if you want to stay over after we’re done playing; my bed is quite big!”
Who wouldn’t want a skilled team member to play games with? If that teammate were a pretty girl, it would be even better! Luxianbei thought.
“……” Jiang Li opened her mouth, struggling to suppress her impulse to agree, raising an eyebrow. “This is something we’ll need to consider further; we’ll talk about it after we go back.”
“So you’re planning to give up on trying to gamble against the Big Boss and go back with me?” Luxianbei said.
Looks like her determination has already wavered a bit!
“……”
After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Li looked at the lacquered box Luxianbei was holding and said seriously, “Shall we get back to business? Is what’s in that box what you want to gamble on?”
“Exactly!” Luxianbei affirmed, “Let’s bet on this, do we have a deal?”
Jiang Li examined the lacquered box in Luxianbei’s hands; the exquisite and splendid exterior revealed no clues, leaving her puzzled. “What is it?”
Luxianbei rolled her eyes, “Don’t worry about what it is, just tell me if you’ll bet or not!”
“I don’t even know what it is…”
“Tsk tsk tsk, my dear legendary gambler, the best operatives who have taken down countless urban legends, the strong and independent New Era woman, Miss Jiang Li, you’re not afraid, are you?” Luxianbei taunted with an air of mockery.
As she spoke, her brows wiggled provocatively, coupled with her expressionless face, she appeared very annoying.
“If you’re really scared, I can loosen the conditions a bit; just guess what’s in this box! If you guess right, it counts as your win!”
Jiang Li’s hands clenched the edge of the gambling table until her knuckles turned a little white, then she sighed silently. “Forget it, let’s just get started!”
Once I win, I’ll need to correct those eyebrows as well… Jiang Li thought bitterly.
She suddenly felt that who she was dealing with was not only a prince but also a monk from Tángzhōu, or a Tibetan monk; otherwise, why would her eyebrows be dancing?
“Since that’s the case…” Luxianbei lifted the lid of the lacquered box, “Clatter”—she spilled all the building blocks inside onto the table, instantly freezing Jiang Li and the bunny girl’s expressions.
What was she trying to gamble on?
“Let’s begin! We’ll bet on Jenga!”
Jiang Li and the bunny girl, “…”
Who would gamble on Jenga in Dream Come True Entertainment City?
It felt akin to a group of mobsters dressed in black sunglasses, trading in a deserted underground passage, with baby formula as their traded item—ridiculous.
The bunny girl dealer had never dealt with helping guests stack Jenga. As she followed the instructions Luxianbei provided, stacking the blocks piece by piece, the corners of her mouth would twitch occasionally. By the time she finished building the Jenga tower, it had already been three minutes.
“Both guests may begin now.”
With the bunny girl signaling the gambling match could commence, Luxianbei and Jiang Li rose from their seats and gathered next to the Jenga stack to begin their gamble.
“Please, Miss Jiang, you go first!” Luxianbei gestured politely.
Jiang Li shot a glance at Luxianbei, stepping forward wordlessly, leaning down to observe the pile of blocks arranged like a rectangular prism.
Although this game was not within Jiang Li’s realm of experience, for most people, even if they hadn’t played it themselves, they had surely seen others do so.
The rules of Jenga are quite simple: the number of pieces is determined by rolling a dice, and then the participating players take turns withdrawing a block from the stacked tower that corresponds to the number rolled until the tower collapses.
Jiang Li rolled the dice, getting a three, and then her eyes locked dead on the block tower. Her brain whirled rapidly as she deliberated for quite a while before extracting a block from three different spots: the top, middle, and bottom of the stack, her speed like lightning.
These three blocks should have a certain load-bearing effect, and if she pulled another load-bearing block from the same point of leverage, the stack should collapse quickly.
Luxianbei, you miscalculated this time; some games can be mastered quickly without practice!
Confidence surged within Jiang Li as she thought, only to find that Luxianbei had already rolled the dice. With one finger, she rhythmically flicked away five blocks from the Jenga stack, each flick spaced about five seconds apart.
[This block had no effect on the tower] [This block had no effect on the tower] [This block…]
The thoughts of prediction flickered through Luxianbei’s mind, each flick also spaced around five seconds apart.
Watching Luxianbei perfectly avoid the potentially collapse-inducing blocks, Jiang Li’s expression grew serious.
Oh no, it appeared Luxianbei had come prepared.
She seemed quite skilled at this game…
Jiang Li thought silently as she rolled the dice and began to extract blocks based on the number four. However, upon reaching for the fourth block, she suddenly paused.
This block… and this block… both carried some risk, I need to think again…
While she pondered, a sudden warm, damp breath with a hint of fragrance blew into her ear, causing her body to shudder slightly.
Instinctively turning her head, she found Luxianbei’s face almost pressed against hers.
In a daze, that youthful and fair face seemed to blur, and another delicate boyish face gradually appeared, the two faces overlapping, quickening Jiang Li’s heartbeat.
Jiang Li took a deep breath, adjusting her emotions, and coldly stated, “What are you doing?”
“I’m just watching!” Luxianbei replied casually.
“I suspect you’re trying to interfere with me.”
Luxianbei frowned, looking innocent. “How am I interfering? Can’t I just look?”
Jiang Li remained silent, her expression impassive as she stared at Luxianbei until she finally got the hint and stepped aside; Jiang Li turned back to extract the final block.
“Whoosh—!”
Jiang Li summoned the power of spirit patterns, swiftly withdrawing a block from the stack. When she saw the stack wobble without collapsing, she silently sighed with relief, glancing at Luxianbei and calmly said, “It’s your turn!”
Luxianbei rolled the dice, leaned over the gambling table, and suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned to Jiang Li and patted an empty seat beside her, “Do you want to take a look? I won’t say you’re interfering.”
“……”
Jiang Li remained silent, hesitating for a few seconds. Seizing the moment Luxianbei refocused her attention on the Jenga tower, she quietly walked over to squat beside her.
But…
Out of the corner of her eye, she stole a glance at Luxianbei’s profile, and the blocks seemed to have evaporated, vanishing from her line of sight…
————
Meanwhile, in the hall.
At a gambling table, a bunny girl tasked with organizing external bets for Luxianbei waved her hands, announcing the final round of betting.
“Guests, there are five minutes left before we close the betting! Please, interested guests, hurry up and place your bets!”
“Although this bet is somewhat interesting, what exactly are we betting on? Jenga? I’ve never heard of it; only a fool would bet on that,” sneered a standard Jiang Yin clothing-wearing zombie.
“What do you know, you old monster? My favorite thing is to play this with ladies at Lan Guesthouse, losing a game means removing a piece of clothing—it’s so thrilling!” laughed a stout spirit energy user. “Two beautiful girls gambling on this fits their personas! I bet ten million on A Li to win!”
The zombie, apparently not on friendly terms with the stout spirit user, glared fiercely at him before placing two million in chips down. “I bet too, A Li to win!”
“Old monster, if you can’t stand me, shouldn’t you bet on that Miss Wang or something?”
“Pah! I’m not stupid! Have you ever seen Miss A Li lose?” the zombie cursed softly. “I can’t let you win all by yourself!”
……
As time went by, the chips on the table piled up, with most of the bets placed on Jiang Li, while those on Luxianbei were noticeably fewer.
During this, Liu Banxian sneaked up, placing all his chips on Luxianbei…
————
Beside the table, the bunny girl dealer, who had initially taken this match lightly, looked at the increasingly close expressions of the two girls at the table and felt her own emotions tighten nervously.
At that moment, out of forty-eight blocks, only twenty-one remained. The once square stack had transformed into a very distorted shape, teetering on the verge of collapse.
“Whoosh—!”
After Jiang Li pulled the last block of this round from the pile, she let out a long sigh and turned to Luxianbei, mischief flashing in her eyes.
Having calculated meticulously, among the remaining twenty blocks, only two blocks could be removed without causing a collapse.
Next, regardless of whether Luxianbei pulled incorrectly or rolled a number above two, she would lose the match.
Taking all these factors together, it was a very low probability event. Throughout the match, Luxianbei hadn’t shown any signs of using spirit energy. If she didn’t have any other means, it was almost certain that she would lose.
After all, if she had any special means, why not use them earlier?
Once I win this match, I will need to correct her behavior definitively. If this continues, she may very well end up on the wanted list of the Siye Society.
By the way, I also need to ask her why she became an urban legend and figure out a way to help her recover.
I remember that within the Siye Society, there are a few methods to reverse the core of the urban legend’s transformed essence back to spirit patterns.
As Jiang Li secretly planned how to handle Luxianbei, she was interrupted by the soft sound of a block hitting the gambling table.
She stared, glancing at the table and her heart suddenly tightened.
Luxianbei had rolled a two and successfully pulled a block. If she pulls the final unfallable block next, Jiang Li would undoubtedly lose.
However…
Jiang Li frowned, biting her finger, observing Luxianbei, holding her breath and silently wishing, “Pull incorrectly, pull incorrectly, pull incorrectly!”
She didn’t want to lose.
Yet…
After pulling one block, Luxianbei suddenly paused, remaining still for what felt like ages without any further action.
Jiang Li, “…” What is she waiting for? Could it be she can’t find the final block she can pull?
Luxianbei concentrated, staring at the stack, feeling the thoughts of prediction flash through her mind, the emotions a swirl of chaos.
She had already thought of the final block through her predictive thoughts, but…
[If you pull this block, you’ll be alone for your entire life]
Luxianbei averted her gaze from the last block to a right-hand block that would cause the Jenga to collapse.
[If you pull this block, you will find happiness]
Luxianbei, “…”
What the hell is this?!
Aren’t we just playing Jenga? How did this turn into a matter of lifelong importance?
Can we even continue?
