Chapter Sixty-Nine: Murong Lanyue

About thirty taels of silver—if it’s gone, it’s gone. I’ll just come back tomorrow.

Li Yunjie thought to himself.

“Open it,” he said, though he no longer held much hope.

The dealer smiled, then slowly lifted the dice cup.

“Four, five, six—big!”

An eagle-eyed gambler shouted loudly.

Li Yunjie’s heart gave a jolt. The girl had guessed right!

With an incredulous look, he turned to Su Xiyan and gave her a thumbs-up.

“You’re amazing, little sister!”

Su Xiyan lifted her chin, her face full of pride.

Of course!

The dealer’s mouth twisted in displeasure. He pushed out several large silver ingots, weighed them in his hand, and handed them to Li Yunjie.

“Sir, you have remarkable luck.”

Li Yunjie received the silver with a cheerful smile and replied politely, “Just luck, nothing more.”

Without much hesitation, the dealer shook the dice again.

Everyone placed their bets.

This round was much like the last, with an equal number betting on big and small.

Li Yunjie placed a few pieces of broken silver on the “small” side, glancing tentatively at Su Xiyan.

She shook her head emphatically.

Then, without a word, she pushed all the silver toward “big.”

Li Yunjie drew in a sharp breath.

All in—again?!

The dealer frowned, remembering Su Xiyan’s luck in the previous round.

He felt uneasy.

Moreover, Li Yunjie’s wager alone made up nearly half the total bets at the table.

With a forced smile, he asked, “Sir, are you sure?”

Li Yunjie said nothing, but Su Xiyan nodded vigorously.

“Hurry up and open it!”

As both sides hesitated, some gamblers grew impatient.

“That’s right! What’s with the delays?!”

The dealer took a deep breath and revealed the dice.

“Five, five, six—big!”

Another win?

Li Yunjie stared at Su Xiyan in disbelief.

Was she possessed by the God of Gambling?

By now, the crowd had begun to murmur.

“This young lady is blessed with luck today!”

“I’ll follow her bet next round.”

“That’s right, that’s right…”

The dealer gritted his teeth, reluctantly pushing out the silver.

Li Yunjie accepted it with satisfaction.

“What are you waiting for? Shake the dice!”

After two consecutive wins, Li Yunjie spoke with newfound confidence.

The dealer forced a smile and nodded, then shook the dice.

Unlike before, no one rushed to bet this round; instead, all eyes were locked on Su Xiyan.

Li Yunjie wisely handed over control to her, waiting for her to place the bet.

Without much hesitation, Su Xiyan went all in again.

She pushed a pile of silver toward “small.”

But halfway through, she suddenly paused, her gaze fixed intently on the dice cup, her brows furrowed.

The dealer’s face darkened, anxiety flickering in his eyes.

“So, young lady, will you bet big or small?”

Su Xiyan glanced at the dealer, her lips curling into a sly smile, then shoved the silver toward “big.”

“I’ll bet big!”

“I’ll bet big too!”

The crowd followed eagerly.

Yet some, unwilling to believe, chose to bet small instead.

“Open it!”

“Open it!”

The dealer hesitated, swallowing nervously, then opened the cup with deep unease.

“Five, six, six—big again!”

The crowd erupted in cheers.

The dealer’s expression turned grim, disbelief written across his face.

If he paid out this round, not only would his previous winnings vanish, he’d be left in the red!

Clearly, such a huge loss was beyond his authority.

After a moment’s hesitation, the dealer pressed his hands together and forced a smile. “Please remain calm, everyone. I’ll send someone to fetch more silver from the vault.”

With that, he signaled to the attendant beside him.

...

Upstairs.

The dealer’s attendant hurried in to report.

“Master, there’s a new gambler downstairs with extraordinary skill.”

“Oh?” The woman in purple on the grand chair spoke leisurely. “Tell me more.”

“Three consecutive bets, three consecutive wins,” the attendant replied truthfully.

“What’s so unusual about that?” The woman in purple didn’t seem concerned. “Just lucky, I suppose.”

“Let him taste a bit of sweetness. Find an opportunity to cut him off.”

“That’s what Dealer Zhou thought too.” The attendant hesitated for a moment. “But this person is rather clever.”

The woman in purple sensed something amiss and rose slowly, moving closer.

“What do you mean?”

The attendant paused, lowering his voice. “The gambler bets big each round, going all in. By the third round, his stake had reached one hundred twenty taels.”

“Dealer Zhou, fearing something might go wrong, secretly manipulated the dice in the third round, changing the points.”

“But the young woman seemed to see through the cup. Just before placing her bet, she changed her mind— and won again…”

The woman in purple pondered quietly for a while. “Is that so?”

With that, she strode toward the door.

Beneath the purple gauze dress, snow-white thighs flashed in and out of sight.

“I’ll meet her myself.”

Downstairs at the gambling table.

Dealer Zhou greeted the woman in purple respectfully, stepping aside.

“This humble woman is named Murong Lanyue, owner of this establishment,” the woman said gracefully.

Murong Lanyue’s arrival sent a ripple through the gambling hall.

Gamblers crowded around, chattering excitedly.

“I’ve long heard the owner of the Thousand Gold Casino is a rare beauty—today I see it’s no exaggeration!”

“We come here daily just for a glimpse of Miss Murong; at last, our wish is fulfilled!”

“That’s right, Miss Murong, if you showed yourself every day, business would surely flourish!”

“...”

Murong Lanyue smiled at the flattery, but her gaze focused on Li Yunjie.

The two locked eyes for a long moment before Murong Lanyue finally spoke with a smile, “Sir, your luck is remarkable. In just a few rounds, you’ve won several days’ profits from my humble casino.”

“Just luck.” Li Yunjie glanced around, grinning. “With a place this big, surely you won’t begrudge a little loss?”

“You jest, sir.” Murong replied, waving a hand.

The attendant came forward, presenting two silver notes.

“We do business openly—such a small sum won’t break our rules,” she said, handing the notes to Li Yunjie. “They’re yours, as deserved.”

“Thank you.” Li Yunjie took the notes and examined them closely, his brow furrowing slightly.

“I wonder if I might have the honor of playing a round with you, sir?” Murong Lanyue asked, locking eyes with him. The atmosphere grew tense.

“Why not?” Li Yunjie responded calmly.

As he spoke, Murong Lanyue’s lips curved in a subtle smile. She elegantly placed the dice cup over three dice, her hands leaving the table.

“Sir, will you bet big or small?” Murong Lanyue asked playfully, her expression mischievous.

“She didn’t even shake the dice—won’t it just be five, six, six again?” someone in the crowd wondered aloud.

“What do you know? Miss Murong is famed as the Ghost Hand—when she covered the dice a moment ago, she subtly changed the points.”

“So that’s how it works…”

Hearing the whispers, Li Yunjie remained unmoved.

After all, the money was won—he didn’t mind losing it.

Besides, he hadn’t come here to gamble.

He reached into his sleeve, and after a moment, pulled out the Yongzhou tax silver.

“All of this, plus this piece, I’ll bet big.”

Murong Lanyue remained silent, staring at the silver ingots on the table, her brows tightly furrowed...