My hands were still covering my eyes as I shouted “I’m not interested!” when Pink Lotus-jie burst into peals of laughter, her voice so sweet and soft it could melt a man’s bones into syrup.

  “Well then, since Little Young Master says he’s not interested,” she purred, “this sister will just have to see—how long you can keep that up.”

  As she spoke, she lifted her slender hand, cupping the dice shaker with a graceful motion. Her eyes fixed on me, brimming with teasing challenge, clearly intent on driving me straight into a corner.

  The whole hall erupted instantly.

  Hua slapped the table, eyes narrowing to joyful slits: “Excellent! Now it gets good—Little Gong, don’t you dare chicken out! I’m waiting to see you turn the tables!”

  The Deputy Envoy was so red he looked ready to combust, hastily gulping down wine to cover his panic—only to choke and cough, muttering, “Amitabha… this scene… is outrageously improper…”

  Shangguan Fengliu lounged back in his chair—broad-shouldered, rough-looking, every inch a crude warrior—yet his smile held an oddly refined amusement.

  “Heh! This is getting better by the breath. Little Gong, if you really can’t hold on, I’ll flip the table for you. Guarantee your honorable retreat.”

  Lian remained silent behind me, cold as an iceberg, his gaze locked onto the gambling table with deadly focus.

  That chill alone made Pink Lotus-jie’s back stiffen for a heartbeat, though she quickly covered it with another coquettish smile.

  “Fourth round!” Pink Lotus-jie’s voice rang out as she set the dice shaker neatly on the table. “Rules unchanged. Big or small decides the winner. Little Young Master—do you dare continue?”

  My heart thumped like a trapped squirrel.

  Dare? Did I dare?!

  I’d lost the first two rounds like my soul had been knocked loose, and I only won the third because she intentionally bet wrong. If this went on another few rounds, I’d be sitting here stark naked, performing like a monkey for the crowd!

  The problem was…

  That purple jade, glittering right on her chest!

  I clenched my teeth, stomped my foot—fine, then!

  “Come on! You think I’m scared of you?!” I rolled up my ragged sleeves, puffed up my chest, and slammed myself back into my seat.

  But—

  Just as my momentum shot skyward, a cool breeze brushed over me. I looked down…

  And realized I was wearing nothing but a tragic assortment of tangled cloth strips, like a beggar freshly rolled down a hill.

  My aura collapsed instantly.

  The hall burst into laughter.

  Hua nearly folded in half, banging his fan on the table:

  “Little Gong, your outfit—now that is truly unparalleled elegance!”

  The Deputy Envoy hid his face, wishing he could crawl under the floorboards.

  “Here we go,” Pink Lotus-jie laughed softly. She flicked her wrist, sending the dice rattling musically in the shaker. Her movements were seductive, her waist swaying lightly, a faint fragrance drifting with every motion. The men around her were utterly entranced.

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  I’d barely inhaled—

  “A-CHOO!”

  A sneeze so violent it nearly overturned the table burst out of me. Eyes streaming, nose running, I scrubbed my face with what remained of my sleeve.

  “Aiyo—how much perfume did you use?! It’s burning stars into my eyes!”

  Hua instantly collapsed onto the table, laughing so hard he could hardly breathe:

  “Hahahaha! Little Gong! Others get bewitched by the scent, and you—you get asphyxiated!”

  Pink Lotus-jie’s seductive eyes twitched dangerously, her smile almost cracking. She finally managed to smooth it over:

  “Little brother… then why don’t you pick first again?”

  My stomach tightened.

  Was this a trap?

  But with dozens of eyes glued to me, I had nowhere to run. I forced my hand up, pointing:

  “Big! I bet big this time!”

  Her brows arched, lips curving.

  “Then I’ll bet small.”

  “Open!”

  Four, two, one—seven. Small.

  The hall erupted.

  Shangguan Fengliu gave me a look, half amusement, half disbelief:

  “This boy’s luck is truly extraordinary.”

  Lian’s expression was pitch-black, frost radiating from him.

  And me?

  Cold sweat dripped down my forehead. My hand trembled as I tore off another strip of cloth from myself and tossed it onto the floor. The crowd roared again.

  “Fifth round!” Pink Lotus-jie called sweetly, eyes gleaming with playful cruelty.

  My heart sank—

  At this rate, I’d be stark naked in no time!

  The dice clattered again, each rattle pounding my nerves. Sweat slid down my neck; my whole back was soaked.

  “Big or small?” she asked, voice dripping with challenge.

  My mind was a swirling mess. My eyes darted everywhere. My lips trembled. I was just about to shout some random nonsense when—

  A voice, cold and sharp as steel, sliced into my skull:

  【Big.】

  I jolted, nearly jumping out of my skin.

  What?! Was that the system?

  The voice came again, icy as winter frost:

  【Big. Ten or above.】

  Lian?!

  Was this… the legendary Sound Transmission Secret Technique?!

  My eyes widened. I almost kicked the chair again, barely holding myself together. I wiped my sweat with exaggerated panic and shouted:

  “B—Big! I bet big!”

  Pink Lotus-jie narrowed her eyes, lips curling.

  “Then I’ll bet small.”

  The dice revealed—five, six, four. Fifteen. Big.

  A collective gasp swept the room.

  “What—he actually guessed right?!”

  “Hahaha, after three losses, he finally got pure dumb luck!”

  “Even the heavens pity him—another loss and he’d be naked!”

  Hua’s fan slipped from his hand as he stared at me:

  “This… he guessed THAT?!”

  The Deputy Envoy gaped:

  “A miracle… a miracle!”

  Shangguan Fengliu narrowed his eyes, smiling like he’d discovered a secret:

  “Heh… interesting.”

  Lianstood in the corner, gaze cool, but in his eyes—just a flicker of hidden light.

  Pink Lotus-jie, meanwhile, froze for half a heartbeat, then laughed melodiously:

  “Oh my, seems even me misjudged this time.”

  She reached up and pulled off another sheer layer, revealing more pale, shimmering skin beneath.

  “Waaah—!”

  Another explosion rippled through the hall.

  But before I could even breathe, the dice rattled again behind me—

  And that cold voice whispered:

  【Big.】

  I shouted right after:

  “Big!”

  Win.

  Then again—the voice said “Small,” “Big,” and every time I shouted after him—

  We won.

  The entire hall was staring, stupefied.

  This useless, trembling little young master…

  Suddenly gambling as if blessed by the gods?!

  And as for Pink Lotus-jie—she had already been forced to peel off veil after veil, until there was practically nothing left to shed.

  She lifted her gaze at me, anger and astonishment mixed in those sultry eyes, but in the end she gritted her teeth and yielded.

  Just as the entire room held its breath—

  I suddenly let out a shriek, “Waaah—wait, wait, wait!”

  I yanked off a huge strip of cloth still hanging on me and frantically shoved it toward her.

  “Aiyo—put this on! Quickly! I—I have no interest in that! Don’t you dare accuse me of freezing you to death later!”

  And the very next second, I panicked and scrambled to wrap whatever tatters remained around myself, face flushing red and green by turns, looking utterly pathetic—but still forcing out a stiff, proud shout:

  “I won! All of you saw it! I won! The jade—give me that jade!”

  Laughter, whistles, catcalls, praises, gasps—everything erupted at once.

  The entire underground gambling den of Yuelai Inn was roaring so loud it nearly blew the roof off.

  And me? I was drenched in cold sweat, eyes glazed, but my gaze never once left the purple jade lying against Pink Lotus-jie’s chest.

  Finally—finally, a real chance!

  My heart leapt; I nearly lunged across the table. One hand was already out, almost touching that piece of purple jade—

  When—

  in that very sliver of lightning—

  “Wait.”