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"This... this is impossible!"

Looking at the Ace in front of Qin Fang, Ye Ming's face, originally flushed with excitement, turned instantly pale with disbelief, his eyes filled with incredulity. He couldn't believe what was happening before him and murmured to himself.

The appearance of this Ace was too abrupt, it seemed to take Ye Ming's breath away in an instant, his body trembling slightly, his face deathly pale.

He couldn't understand, couldn't figure out at all, why Qin Fang would win this round.

He shuffled the cards, Qin Fang didn't even touch them, he clearly remembered that this position shouldn't have produced an Ace, but it did anyway.

Could I have remembered it wrong?

Is it just that his luck was too good?

Unfortunately, it was destined to be an unsolvable mystery unless Qin Fang chose to reveal it himself, otherwise Ye Ming wouldn't have a clue about the real reason.

...

It wasn't only Ye Ming who was thoroughly baffled, the casino staff were similarly perplexed, such as those currently in the surveillance room.

"How's it going? Found anything?"

A young man about the same age as Li Yang stood in front of the monitors, questioning the detection staff.

Although he wasn't on-site, he had been watching the entire process through the monitors, and thanks to the camera angle, he could see even more clearly than the audience there.

He himself was a cheating expert, and given such rules, it was rather restricting for cheaters except for the most skilled masters; anyone else would truly have to rely on luck.

How skilled was Ye Ming? This young man had a rough idea—entry-level Qianmen Illusion Technique, stronger than the average person by a fair bit, but much weaker compared to real experts. At least he thought that he could definitely beat Ye Ming, it would just take a bit more effort.

But Qin Fang…

He had no clue about him at all.

To say Qin Fang knew cheating, he acknowledged that. He had vaguely caught a glimpse of Qin Fang's cheating shadow, but it didn't seem too strong, seemingly just a beginner.

In the previous four rounds, it looked as if the two were evenly matched, giving the impression that they were evenly matched, but then in the final round, when Ye Ming almost had certain victory, he still lost, and not just lost, but was utterly defeated.

"Could it be that this Qin Fang is playing dumb to snare the tiger?"

This thought popped up in the young man's mind, startling him significantly.

If that were really the case, it would be truly terrifying. At least he didn't believe he had the capability to use narrow victories as bait with such deep calculation.

"Young Master, we've checked, there are no signs of cheating…"

Soon, the casino personnel responsible for surveillance reported back.

What's the biggest concern for a casino business?

The police?

Of course not! In such venues, the police wouldn't intervene at all, to the point where even the sons of provincial leaders come to play a few rounds here, winning hundreds of thousands and walking away.

What casinos fear the most are cheaters, true cheaters, especially those who are incredibly skilled.

For casinos, a cheating expert is like a disaster; the same is true for major international casinos like Macau and Las Vegas. They welcome gamblers from all over the world but particularly detest cheaters.

Those who are caught cheating aren't really cheaters; their fate upon being caught is usually quite grim, not infrequently involving dismemberment, and among them are those once labeled as "Gambling Kings" or "Cheating Kings."

But with cheating experts, it's different. Although the casinos realize they're cheating, they can never capture any evidence.

In the end, having no alternative, they have to spend a lot of money to courteously ask the person to leave, then add them to a blacklist and even publicly announce it in an international casino alliance; such individuals become universally unwelcomed by the whole coalition.

Jin Cheng Salon naturally hadn't reached that level, but they used a similar approach.

The appearance of Qin Fang's Ace was very sudden; almost at the moment it appeared, the young man instantly felt that Qin Fang had cheated, which is why he hoped to find evidence through the recent surveillance.

Unfortunately, just like those cheating experts, there was no evidence whatsoever. Either Qin Fang hadn't cheated at all, or his cheating skills were too formidable, fooling everyone's eyes, including the advanced surveillance equipment.

"I understand…"

The young man nodded slightly, seeing this as an ominous sign. He vaguely began to worry, fearing that Qin Fang might take action in Jin Cheng Salon, in which case they would have to suffer a heavy loss.

"I hope the situation isn't too bad..."

All he could do was sigh with such sentiment.

...

"Jiang Li, come here..."

Qin Fang, however, had no regard for Ye Ming's reaction; he had won this round and immediately gestured to Jiang Li. Now that he had won, it was time for him to collect on the bet.

Qin Fang naturally took the money without courtesy.

But at the same time, Qin Fang had won something else, something that should have been his long ago—an apology to Jiang Li.

Watching Jiang Li approach, Ye Ming's complexion turned from pale to blood red, then gradually to the color of soy sauce; he understood what Qin Fang was about to do. Not only had he won his money, but he was also going to lose face.

There was no way to welsh on the debt; when they had made the bet, each had already transferred one million US dollars into the Jin Cheng Salon's special account. Whoever won would own that money, and the whole process had been carried out under the supervision of many witnesses at the scene—no one could change the outcome.

Moreover, the bet had caused a big commotion, and many had come to see what was happening, including some top young masters from Xishu Province who had witnessed the entire process.

Ye Ming had connections, and indeed, there were quite a few influential figures in the young masters' circles of Xishu Province. For example, his cousin was one of the top young masters, but the issue was that his cousin was not here and thus had no say in the matter.

Even if he were present, it would make no difference. These young masters belonged to various factions, much like their fathers. They were not united and would never hesitate to kick someone when they were down.

Therefore, the money was lost, and Ye Ming had no choice but to swallow the bitter pill and take this humiliating loss in stride.

"I... I'm sorry!"

Facing Qin Fang, Jiang Li still seemed a bit uneasy. Ye Ming had lost the frivolity he had earlier, replaced by a deep sense of humiliation and unwillingness.

Certainly, the money was gone, and this additional bet was inescapable. In the end, Ye Ming still shook his head and apologized to Jiang Li, though anyone could hear that Ye Ming wasn't the least bit sincere.

"I... I want to gamble with you again!"

Ye Ming, having nearly lost his entire fortune, suddenly rushed up to Qin Fang, clenching his fists tightly. His eyes were bloodshot as if he were trying desperately to suppress his emotions, and he shouted at Qin Fang.

"Do you have the stakes?"

Qin Fang just glanced at him lightly and spoke with unsurpassed calmness.

Since

Ye Ming was instantly stunned. His rage had peaked, and his loss had completely eroded his usual composure—all he wanted was to win back the money he had lost.

But Qin Fang's words brought him back to reality. Ye Ming had lost all his capital to Qin Fang. The funds in his account that he could actually use were now quite limited, probably only around two to three hundred thousand at most.

This amount might be enough to play a few rounds in a casino, but when gambling with Qin Fang and trying to win back the one million he had lost, the difference was too great.

"I... I bet my life!"

Perhaps truly driven to fury, Ye Ming actually uttered such a challenge.

The moment he spoke those words, everyone present was dumbfounded, looking at Ye Ming with an incredibly incredulous gaze, then at Qin Fang, who appeared equally shocked.

To bet one's life!

This kind of insane wager might have been quite common in ancient times, but in the modern era, it's different. Now, it's an era of the rule of law—murder is a crime, even if the person in question is exceedingly evil.

Yet, at this moment, Ye Ming actually laid down such a wager, and everyone's first reaction was—the guy can't accept losing; he has gone mad!

Even Qin Fang thought the same. He hadn't expected Ye Ming's psychological quality to be so poor.

"You can't refuse. I know you are aware of my techniques, and you know where I come from. You are the same. These ancient rules that have lasted for thousands of years, you understand!"

Ye Ming's madness far exceeded Qin Fang's expectations, to the point of uttering these words.

Qin Fang's face darkened. Ye Ming was laying all his cards on the table, forcing Qin Fang to agree to his terms.

Indeed, as Ye Ming had said, Qin Fang knew he came from the Thousand Gate, and Qin Fang, after all, was also associated with Thousand Gate. Once a part of Thousand Gate, one must follow its rules, especially those that have been handed down for hundreds of thousands of years.

Although Thousand Gate's heritage was ancient, it had many branches that were incompatible with each other. Consequently, internal strife was common, and it was not rare for them to engage in life-and-death struggles.

The most famous historical example was that of Su Qin and Zhang Yi. Though both disciples of Guiguzi, their actions were entirely opposed.

If even fellow disciples could be so opposed, other branches were invariably more so.

Therefore, some very old rules had been left within Thousand Gate, some of which precisely fitted the current situation—the bet of one's life, a challenge that cannot be refused. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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