Gambling Freak

The local gangs aren't friendly at all...

They'd literally written "extortion" on their faces.

Tang Chuan closed the Brahma Cards on the table, shuffling them idly.

Meanwhile, Moxiu and An Bo on his left and right weren't afraid of him resisting at all; here, they were the uncrowned kings!

Before they could speak, Tang Chuan directly tossed the Exile Star crystal card, worth over ten thousand gold, into Moxiu's arms.

Moxiu looked at Tang Chuan in surprise, checked the bet he had won, and found no issues. Tang Chuan had even given him an extra two thousand gold.

Moxiu put away the crystal card and looked at Tang Chuan playfully, saying, "You really are a big spender. We locals aren't unreasonable, you know. Consider this ten thousand gold your tuition fee. Looking at you, still not convinced?"

Tang Chuan shuffled the cards and said, "As long as cheating isn't discovered, it's not cheating. Even if there's a fourth or fifth duplicate card on the table, I know. Just tell me about any other potential rules all at once."

An Bo, with a strong interest, grumbled, "Again? Are you sure?"

Moxiu chuckled, "Sure, we can play again. The rules won't increase, but after each round, the duplicate cards must be removed and the deck reformatted!

Lift your sleeves. Although the chance is slim, you'd best not try to cheat me.

Otherwise...

Heh heh heh, if you're caught, your limbs will be separated~"

Tang Chuan flipped over his deck and, in front of them, removed the extra "Queen" and "Gambler" cards, tossing them into the trash can.

Then he said, "The rules are the same for everyone, right? If I catch you cheating, the price is also one hand."

"Hahaha~"

A humanoid creature not far away burst into laughter, "That's right, the rules apply to everyone. We're all watching! Anyone caught cheating will have an extra arm wagered!

But kid, if you want to see Moxiu's tricks, you might as well go home and sleep!

I'll give you some advice: you've already paid your tuition. Moxiu and An Bo won't trouble you anymore. Why not drink with us instead? Playing cards... you have no chance of winning!"

Ignoring the crowd that chimed in with agreement, Tang Chuan chose to deal.

Moxiu picked up his cards, glanced at them, and then smiled, "I've already confirmed you're not cheating, brother. I advise you to never play cards again in your life. Your luck at gambling, pfft hahahaha..."

An Bo looked at his cards and also smiled, "Why don't we increase the stakes? If a triple straight appears, the bet triples, with no upper limit."

Tang Chuan closed his cards, then opened them again, seeing that his Fantasy Attribute had transformed his hand into a perfect set. He smiled and said, "Alright, I won't be excessive. If I win, you each just have to answer one question for me."

Moxiu raised an eyebrow and said, "Sure, but only if you win. Play your cards."

Tang Chuan grinned and threw a full nine-card straight onto the table, "I only have two three-card straights left. Hurry up if you want to block me."

An Bo frowned, looked at his cards, and muttered, "The straights have gone all the way to the top. I have two three-card straights, and you have at most one more straight. Trying to bluff me, huh. Heh, a magician's triple, I can play an extra card."

As he spoke, he threw three duplicate Magician cards onto the table.

While he was contemplating his next move, Tang Chuan raised his hand and said, "Wait, a Thief's triple, stealing your chance to play."

Three Thief cards were thrown onto the table, leaving Moxiu and An Bo stunned. They exchanged a look, knowing this guy had cheated right under their noses!

And he hadn't been caught!

Because Moxiu and An Bo each had one Thief card. By rights, Tang Chuan should have had at most one!

Yet he'd produced three!

Moxiu became serious. He pretended to ponder, rubbing his cards twice. When he opened his deck again, half the faces had changed.

He threw out three King cards, saying, "Blocking all your privileges for this round. It's my turn to play. A six-card straight, calling three cards."

He then smilingly placed the three cards face down on the table in front of him, saying, "Last chance~"

Tang Chuan said nothing more and directly threw his last three King cards onto the table, "That's it, you lost."

Bang!

Moxiu leaned to one side, supporting himself on the table with one hand, staring dumbfounded at the three King cards on the table. "I, I only played three King cards. Where did you pull three more from? That's too fake!"

Tang Chuan chuckled, "I wanted to ask you the same thing. My nine-card straight just went all the way to the top, and even King cards appeared. Where did you pull three more from? What, are your King cards the real ones, and mine aren't? I say your Kings are fake too!"

Slap...

Slap-slap-slap-slap!

The onlookers in the booth were dumbfounded and couldn't help but applaud.

"Moxiu, you've finally met your match."

"Got careless, didn't you? Honor your bets. We're all witnesses, don't make things difficult for everyone."

"When you're out here, it's all about honor. Cheating and getting cheated, it's all about skill!"

Moxiu's head was pounding from the crowd's taunts. He thought long and hard but couldn't figure out when Tang Chuan had swapped the cards.

Indeed, he had underestimated him. To be able to travel the starry sky alone and become a seasoned tourist, this guy truly had some skills!

But Moxiu wasn't unprepared. He raised his hand and said impatiently, "What's the rush? When have you ever seen me, Moxiu, lose? Even if I lose, it's voluntary! How could I not have a backup? Three Thief cards can exempt the bet for this round!"

Someone nearby gasped, "No way, there are already five Thief cards on the table! An entire deck only has three! Are you playing cards or doing magic?!"

"Don't tell me your last three cards were all Thief cards?"

Moxiu tossed his head back, saying with considerable pride, "That's right! Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on the number one gambling freak of Exile Star, the Three, Card, Thief!"

As he spoke, he flipped over his three cards.

The entire venue fell silent.

Moxiu, who had been full of confidence, revealed not three Thieves, but three Kings!

Clap, clap, clap...

Tang Chuan applauded with a look of shock. "Impressive, gambling freak! That's the tenth King card already, how did you manage that? But it's useless. Only three Thieves in a row grant immunity. Three Kings in a row are dead cards in your hand. Even if you play them last, there's no such rule!"

"I, I have three Judges..."

An Bo, taking advantage of everyone's attention being on Moxiu and Tang Chuan, had swapped three Judges into his hand with clumsy skill.

He said with little confidence, "The Judge's effect is to halve the lost bet... So, uh, you need to win against me one more time before you can answer your question!"

Who doesn't have any secrets? What if this guy asks me who my underground business's protection racket is? Should I answer or not?

Anyway, my body structure is special. If my arm is cut off, it can be reattached!

Yes, this is a loophole within the rules!

As he spoke, he threw the three Judges onto the table.

The crowd peered closer and erupted.

They had turned into three Kings again!

"When gods fight, mortals step aside..."

"How many Kings are in this deck? I'm dizzy!"

"Wonderful, amazing, my three big brothers."