It Must Be Fortune Weighing Me Down

Cicero seemed to truly believe that his luck had improved. He placed twenty chips on the table in one go.

Tull first reached out to take the chips, then suddenly let out a howl and unconsciously placed his hand over his knee.

"What's wrong?" Cicero asked, twisting his eyes.

"My legs are getting a little sore from sitting."

Tull rose slightly, thumped his thigh, and gave Zhou Yun and Cicero an apologetic smile.

"I'm getting old. My knees aren't so good anymore. You two should take care of your knees too."

"I'm better at maintaining my luck." Zhou Yun smiled and nodded at Tull as he casually shuffled the cards in his hand.

Tull smiled faintly. A gambler who placed too much faith in luck was good prey. He placed thirty chips before Zhou Yun in one go.

Especially an inexperienced player like Zhou Yun—he was even better prey... Ow, damn it, why did his knee suddenly hurt so badly...

Not just his knee. Tull felt his stomach beginning to ache as well...

Zhou Yun swiftly dealt himself two cards, one face-up and one face-down, according to the rules.

"Whew—" Tull whistled. Zhou Yun's face-up card was a Q, an extremely dangerous card that could easily push his total past twenty-one and make him bust.

Zhou Yun's fingers moved slightly as he dealt Cicero his cards as well.

Cicero rubbed his hands together and nervously flipped over his first card.

J... Cicero could not help smiling as he flipped over his second card... Q!

Cicero stretched out both hands and applauded in the air.

His hand totaled twenty points. He did not even need to draw another card.

If Zhou Yun's hole card was a 7, 8, or 9, he could not draw again under the rules and would lose outright to Cicero. If it was a 10, Q, K, or J, it would be a tie. Only an A would let him win.

If Zhou Yun's hole card was a 2, 3, 5, or 6, then he would have to keep drawing. With so many high cards remaining, Zhou Yun's chances of busting were very high.

"Your method really worked. My luck really has improved." Cicero beamed at Zhou Yun.

To Cicero, Zhou Yun's chances of winning were already negligible... Could his remaining card really happen to be an A?

"J." Tull also flipped over the first card Zhou Yun had dealt him.

Then his second card... "K!"

"My brother!" Tull copied Cicero and clapped in the air, the delight at the corners of his mouth nearly impossible to contain.

His hand was now twenty points as well. He was beginning to believe Zhou Yun's method for getting rid of bad luck.

Inwardly, he could not help cursing that Yellow Skin, Lame Khorne, Stuttering Tzeentch, Clean Nurgle, and Chef Slaanesh all over again.

Oddly enough, after cursing them, Tull really did feel different.

Somehow, he felt as if his body had become heavier.

Tull could not help rolling his shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Yun looked at Tull, his gaze becoming slightly strange.

"I suddenly feel weighed down." Tull said as he thumped his back a few times.

"...It must be fortune. Fortune must be weighing you down." Zhou Yun fell silent for two seconds, then nodded firmly.

"Oh! Hahaha, good, good, good! Fortune weighing me down—what a phrase." Tull burst out laughing.

Zhou Yun used the Qi Observation Technique to glance at the bad luck on Tull's back, which had suddenly grown much larger.

That clump of viscous, tar-like black bad luck had swelled to the size of half a person. It sprawled over Tull's body like a pustule attached to him.

Worst of all, eyes and mouths had begun growing from that pustule of bad luck, hissing and whispering...

Ugh... disgusting...

Zhou Yun shifted his gaze away from that bad luck, which was nearly developing into some kind of Warp entity, and looked at his cards.

This game held no excitement for him at all. His Doom Technique had greatly reduced Tull and Cicero's luck, while the Strange Luck he had cast on himself had increased his own.

And his precognitive ability had already told him what his card was...

Zhou Yun flipped over the card. It was a 2.

His total was now twelve.

Seeing that it was not an A, Cicero and Tull both heaved heavy sighs of relief. Zhou Yun's bizarre luck just now had already put pressure on them.

Then, seeing it was a two, the two exchanged glances and smiled at the same time.

Now, Zhou Yun had to draw again.

If he wanted to win, he could only draw a 9, 2, or 3.

Drawing a 9 would give him an immediate win. Drawing a 2 meant he would then need a 7, while drawing a 3 meant he would need a 6.

The latter two were almost impossibly difficult, and as for a 9... only one 9 remained in the deck.

Zhou Yun's chances of winning were already extremely slim.

The two were already rubbing their hands together, eager to celebrate their victory.

Tull had suffered terribly from losing so much today, while Cicero... the debts weighing on Cicero now were considerable even for him.

Win!! Cicero clenched his fists, and then—

Zhou Yun drew a card. Zhou Yun drew a 9. Zhou Yun reached twenty-one points. Zhou Yun took the chips in front of Cicero and Tull.

"Looks like my luck still can't compare to yours." Tull laughed as he rubbed his head a few times.

Cicero, meanwhile, was nearly frozen in place. He no longer wanted to calculate how much money he had lost.

No, this would not do... He could not keep going like this.

Cicero gritted his teeth. He needed outside help.

"It's your turn to be the dealer." Zhou Yun smiled and handed the remaining twenty-five cards to Cicero.

"Wait." Cicero hastily raised both hands and said to Zhou Yun, "I need to use the restroom."

Without giving Zhou Yun time to react, Cicero darted out of the private room.

He quickly made his way into the depths of the bathhouse and knocked on the narrow door inlaid with gold and gemstones.

"Come in." The witch's voice sounded.

Cicero pushed open the door and entered. He saw the blind witch and Libo, priest of the Semuneta Temple, seemingly discussing something in low voices.

After Cicero entered, neither the blind witch nor Libo immediately looked up at him. Instead, they continued their hushed conversation.

"I'll tell you again: without the holy remains of the beautiful Semuneta, the moans of the God of First Cry cannot descend upon Macragge. You must find a way to bring out the remains," the blind witch said in a shrill voice.

"You think I don't want to? That old bastard Tatius occupies the position of high priest. After the Time of First Cry, only the high priest knows the location of the holy tomb. And that old man is on excellent terms with the War King and the high priest of the Broken Lighthouse Temple. With my seniority, I simply can't push him aside."

"We still need Cicero to get close to Conor Roboute Guilliman, spread our influence to him, and use his hand and authority..."

"Then give me sixty-six sacrifices, and I can curse that Zhou Yun to death directly," the blind witch whispered.

"If you could curse Tatius to death directly, forget sixty-six—I'd scrape together a hundred," Libo said impatiently.

"Impossible. Semuneta has yet to submit to the God of First Cry. That bitch still has power and can still protect Tatius... I don't dare provoke a god, even a crippled, dying Semuneta."

The blind witch lowered her voice, hissing like a venomous snake.

"Libo, aside from Tatius; Jarlan and Conor, who are protected by the War King; the high priests of the War King, Shattered Lighthouse, Talassa Gods, Lax Clean Garden, and Flying Spaghetti Monster; as well as that bishop from Catholicism—give me sixty-six sacrifices, and I can curse any of the others to death."

"It hasn't come to that yet." Libo snorted and looked at Cicero. "Cicero, my friend, I heard from the attendant that the Scholar called Zhou Yun has arrived at the casino. So? Have you come to report good news?"

"Actually..." Cicero weighed his words, just about to speak, and then—

"AAAAAH!!!"

A shrill wail rang out. The blind witch suddenly pulled off her red leather shoe and hurled it at Cicero's face.

"Harbinger of disaster!!!"