Chapter 68.1 Everyone, Come and Play (1/2)
Chapter 68.1 Everyone, Come and Play (1/2)
Wang Ke kept a clear mind throughout and knew his place. I’m just a fake!
Demon?No way I’m one! Although the demons were putting him on a pedestal, a single misstep would mean exposing his real identity. What would happen then? He would become milk tea to the demons, just like the righteous disciples kept in prison, waiting for their necks to be punctured by straw-like fangs that would suck out their blood.
Wang Ke was able to laugh along with the demons because of his rich conning experience… Cough, I mean, rich life experiences keeping him upright!
The demons dragged him to join in the gambling. How would he dare to reject the invitation? He would be leaving room for criticism. What if he accidentally exposed his identity?
As for the gambling itself, Wang Ke only needed one glance to see it was a fraud. Planning on emptying my pockets?Dream on! No one has ever cheated me off of my money!I’m always the one swindling others!
The only way to join in the fun without losing money or exposing himself was to bring out a familiar game from earth. Mahjong!
What was Mahjong? It was tantamount to the quintessence of Wang Ke’s culture back on earth; it flowed in one’s blood and genes. Wang Ke’s neighbors had already taught him the necessary skills since he was still a child. He learned more secret tricks once he grew up.
Wang Ke could not lose against a group of demons who had never touched Mahjong before!
Money flowed into his pockets as the Mahjong pieces clattered!
Soon enough, Wang Ke’s laughter resounded throughout the Divine Dragon Island’s prison complex.
The sound of that laughter was infectious. It only took a few hours for the crisp clattering of Mahjong to attract all the demons passing by the prison; they stood rooted on the spot the moment they arrived.
The demons lived an extremely boring life, especially those who stayed on the island. There was nothing else besides cultivation. Gambling? Everyone knew it was fake. Even if they didn’t use spells, they could know which side the dice would land on just by listening with their enhanced hearing. Why bet under such conditions? What was the fun in that? The other gambling tool had the same shortcomings. Such a transparent way of gambling wasn’t enough to garner their interest; it was more like daylight robbery.
They dragged Wang Ke to join in the gambling only because Tong An’an wanted to trap Wang Ke, thinking he was “ignorant” of the situation.
But now, Mahjong was something different! Was there a need to hear the sound of the dice landing? No; the dice were thrown in the open, for all to see. Drawing tiles required luck, while playing the tiles required planning, and choosing the winning tile required mind games! Now that’s what you could call fair and exciting!
A Mahjong table had instantly injected liveliness on the usually boring Divine Dragon Island.
The demons who had nothing to do showed up to observe the game; each of them pointed and voiced their opinions about the game. The entire prison complex was bustling with activity.
“This is a good game! You can’t cheat here!”
“Yeah, Old Eight, you lost all your money. Get off the table. It’s my turn!”
“Let me do it. It’s fair. I like it!”
……………………
…………
……
The demons fought for their turn to sit at the table. All of them believed that Mahjong was a game of boldness and intelligence; it was by far more exciting than betting on dice.
Of course, the demons knew not the viciousness of the human heart. Wang Ke would not reveal many secrets of the game; he wasn’t dumb after all.
He managed the situation in a way that each of them had their turn to lose and win. A few batches of demons had already tried their hands on the table of four.
Wang Ke could have stayed on the table forever, but he still went through the motions, getting off the table with a disappointed face a few times.
Did Wang Ke lose?
In the eyes of the demons, Wang Ke had neither lost nor won; he had only taken a few breaks.
But that was far from the truth. Wang Ke’s storage bangle was already full to the brim from all his winning; there was no room left to put in more money. He would be exposed if he won again. This of course was not coherent to the front Wang Ke was putting on. Leaving the table was only an excuse to change to an empty storage bangle so he could hold more money!
“Let me take a break. Carry on!” Wang Ke barely found a chance to leave the table one last time.
He went to find a place to rest. Naturally, he began arranging his newly gained plunder.
I’m rich! I’m rich!The Mahjong table is indeed a good way to earn big bucks!
Ahem. I mustn’t expose myself. I mustn’t expose myself!Keep it to yourself! Keep it low!
———–
In a great hall on the Divine Dragon Island—
Tong An’an glared coldly at the demon before him.
“Chapter Lord, I… I really didn’t stash away money for myself!” the demon begged bitterly.
“You didn’t? Then where did the money go? Where is the money I gave you?” Tong An’an questioned him with a threatening tone.
“Chapter Lord, you asked us to gamble with Wang Ke and let him win some to raise his ego. We did as requested, it’s just that the money you gave us was not enough. We lost everything!” that demon replied, warily.
“You lost it all? I asked you to let Wang Ke have fun and boost his ego, not to give him money! Just letting him have a taste of winning would do… But now you’re saying you lost all that money I gave you? You lost everything to Wang Ke?” Tong An’an raged with widened eyes.
“We didn’t lose everything to Wang Ke. Others joined the game too. They… they also took a fair bit of it!” the demon explained with a bitter look.
“Don’t you call yourself the Northern Gambling God? And your brother, the Southern Gambling Saint! If you lost money to Wang Ke, it would still be understandable because you’re unfamiliar with Wang Ke’s game! But the other demons are also new to Mahjong, and yet you the gambling god and the gambling saint lost to them?” Tong An’an glared at the demons present.
The demon said helplessly, “That… Mahjong is very different. All of us are demonic practitioners and know spells. Everyone is keeping watch over one another, so we can’t cheat! We can only rely on luck to get good tiles. I…!”
Tong An’an’s impatience grew as he continued asking, “Has Wang Ke’s ego been boosted?”
“No, Wang Ke neither won nor lost. I saw him looking disappointed and sighing as he left the table a few times. I think…!” That demon gave a bitter smile.
“Don’t let others join the game. Just the few of you play with Wang Ke and let him win!” Tong An’an instructed solemnly.
“But, we have no more money!”
“I will give you enough!” Tong An’an said.