This is Probability, Not Statistics [Seeking Follow-up Reads]

The East Sea Food Street was not a particularly spacious thoroughfare, but it was lined with shop after shop, their signboards squeezed tightly together in a display of bustling activity.

No sooner had they reached the entrance than Xiao Mu and Na'er were greeted by a medley of aromas wafting from the street: the charred bitterness of caramelized sugar, the richness of rendered fat, and the sharp, fiery sting of Sichuan peppercorns all swirled together, drilling into their noses and whetting their appetites.

"Candied hawthorn—freshly made candied hawthorn!"

"Chicken cartilage! Buy a pound, get half a pound free! Buy a pound, get half a pound free!"

"Fried sausages, three yuan a skewer! Ten yuan for three!"

"Bo-bo chicken~ oh, bo-bo chicken~ one yuan a skewer for bo-bo chicken!"

The hawking cries rose and fell in a chaotic symphony. Na'er's footsteps faltered, her nose twitching slightly, and she found herself unable to pull away from the chicken cartilage stall.

A few half-grown children were crowded around the stall as the owner poured golden-fried cartilage into a paper bag, sending tiny sparks of hot oil dancing into the air like miniature golden flowers.

Without asking, Xiao Mu bought fifteen pounds for Na'er to whet her appetite.

Carrying the heavy paper bag, Na'er nibbled as she walked, her mouth glistening with oil. They hadn't gone far before her gaze was hooked by the heavy, savory scent of meat drifting from the end of the alley. Chewing the meat in her mouth, she tugged on Xiao Mu's sleeve.

"Brother, it's pot-stewed beef. It smells so good, let's go eat."

"Let's go, you lead the way."

Following the rich fragrance, the two stopped at a small pot-stewed beef shop.

The storefront was cramped, with the stove set up right by the street. Nearly a hundred small fire pits were lined up in a dense row, each holding a coarse clay pot simmering slowly. The boiling broth inside caused the lids to rattle rhythmically, and the mellow aroma of meat escaped through the gaps, wrapping itself around the passersby.

The shop only held five rectangular wooden tables, seating at most twenty people, and half the seats were already occupied.

It was late autumn, and the temperature outside was low, but as they stepped inside, they were met with a wave of warmth and the scent of beef, instantly making them feel relaxed from head to toe.

Na'er quickly picked an empty seat by the window and placed the remaining chicken cartilage on the edge of the table. "Brother, hurry and order, I'm hungry again."

She sat on the back of her chair, swinging her legs in excitement.

Xiao Mu pulled up a stool and sat down, waving to the owner. "Boss, two portions of pot-stewed beef to start, and a side of pickles."

The surrounding diners kept their heads down, slurping broth and gnawing on meat. The sounds of eating, mixed with the steam rising slowly from the clay pots, filled the small shop with a sense of grounded, warm, human comfort.

The food was served quickly. As the lids were lifted, a wave of piping-hot, meaty steam billowed out.

Na'er picked up a piece of beef and popped it into her mouth. The long-simmered meat was tender, soaked through with broth, and as she crushed the dense morsels against her tongue, the rich juices slid down her throat.

She swallowed quickly. "Brother, this is delicious."

"If it's good, eat more." Xiao Mu said, ordering ten more portions for her.

The clay pots were brought out one after another, and the empty ones stacked up into a small ceramic mountain at the corner of the table. Na'er buried her head in her food, her mouth never stopping.

A moment later, the shop door was pushed open, and a gust of cold wind whistled in from outside.

Two familiar figures walked in, accompanied by the late-autumn chill.

Tang Wulin was dressed in simple white clothes, his movements agile. His gaze swept the room and quickly locked onto the two at the table.

Xie Xie, standing beside him, was dressed in an eye-catching outfit: brown-orange short hair paired with a leopard-print beret, a brown scarf wrapped around his neck, a leopard-print vest over a green undershirt, and shorts layered over ripped trousers. His entire demeanor radiated a restless, sharp energy.

Xie Xie spoke first. "What a coincidence, you're here too."

"You're finished? That's slower than I expected. Did it take you more than three minutes?" Xiao Mu glanced at the time and then looked at Gu Yue. "Gu Yue, were you slacking off?"

Hearing this, Tang Wulin asked in confusion, "Xiao Mu, how did you know if you didn't watch the match?"

"I calculated it." Xiao Mu explained. "Do you think we wouldn't know how long it would take? Meeting you here this late, and seeing you don't have any other snacks in your hands, it's almost certain you came straight to this shop."

Tang Wulin's gaze fell in front of Na'er and he froze.

There were over thirty empty clay pots piled on the table, the rims still stained with oily meat juices.

"You ate that much?" Tang Wulin's voice was filled with surprise.

He looked down at himself. Even with his massive appetite, he wouldn't dare eat like this. He didn't have enough money.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Mu noticed Tang Wulin's expression. "Aren't you a blacksmith? You're short on cash?"

"Isn't it because I need to save up to buy a spirit soul?" Tang Wulin said.

"Fair enough. But all the fast ways to make money are written in the criminal code." Xiao Mu thought for a moment and realized he actually did have a highly profitable way to make money that hadn't been outlawed yet.

"Can you say something we don't know?" Xie Xie smiled faintly. "No one dares to do that anyway. Can you suggest a practical way to make money?"

"Well, there is one, but it requires a bit of a mathematical foundation," Xiao Mu replied.

Hearing this, both of them had eyes that lit up. "Tell us, what is it?"

"Buy lottery tickets. Two yuan a ticket, with a top prize of a million. It's absolutely lucrative!" Xiao Mu said.

"You actually believe in that stuff..."

Both of them were instantly disappointed and stopped talking.

"The Federation's lottery is based on probability, not statistics. As long as it isn't statistics, it can be calculated," Xiao Mu explained. "If your math is decent, you won't lose."

He had calculated a few tickets back in the day and used the numbers Na'er had picked out; it was definitely a grand prize.

To this day, his success rate was one hundred percent, and it had yet to be shaken.

However, the two of them still looked at him with disbelief.

Xiao Mu offered no further explanation and stood up. Na'er had already finished her meal, a small smudge of grease still clinging to the corner of her mouth. She looked up at Xiao Mu, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Brother, let's go eat something else."

"Alright," Xiao Mu said, rising to his feet. "Let's head to the snack street and keep browsing."

Na'er hummed in agreement, slid off her chair, and followed Xiao Mu toward the door.

The two strolled from one end of the street to the other, buying all sorts of delicacies. Candied chestnuts, grilled cold noodles, stinky tofu—they ate their way along the entire path.

Na'er walked by his side, occasionally fishing a morsel of food from one of the bags and popping it into her mouth. Her cheeks bulged, making her look just like a hamster hoarding its winter stash.

When they arrived back at the Pot-Stewed Beef shop, they found it surrounded by a crowd.

They squeezed into the throng.

The stove in front of the Pot-Stewed Beef shop had been overturned, and the clay pots lay shattered on the ground. Beef broth flowed across the floor, the thick, steaming aroma of meat mingling with the chaotic mess.

"Guang Long, give me a little more time, I... I will definitely pay you."

The shop owner lay at the entrance, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and one eye swollen shut. His face was a mask of grief and fury.

Three burly men stood at the doorway. The leader was bald and, despite the late autumn chill, had his arms bare. A green dragon was tattooed on his left arm and a white tiger on his right; the design on his chest was indistinct, though it looked suspiciously like Pleasant Goat.

The other two men were equally hulking, their brows furrowed and eyes fierce. A wave of hostility radiated from them; they were clearly no good.

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie stood before the thugs, their bodies coiled tight. Both were barely at the one-ring cultivation level, and under the suppression of a two-ring Spirit Master, they were being pushed back step by step, already at a disadvantage.

"You two are two-on-one and still losing? Do you even know how to fight!"