Chapter 1955: Gambling (Part 2)

"This..."

The two who had been smiling both fell silent at the same time. They exchanged a glance, unable to speak.

How did he win?

He was clearly about to lose—how could he have won?

"Qingyi knew he was inferior to his opponent in sword technique understanding, so he deliberately retreated at every move, making the other party complacent, and then struck decisively!"

"Yes, every sword duel is a life-and-death struggle. One slight misstep could lead to total defeat!"

Murmurs arose from the surroundings.

Everyone present was a disciple of the Sword Pavilion, and observing others' sword duels was also a learning process.

Qingyi's understanding of sword techniques was clearly inferior to that of the white-clad opponent, yet he ended up laughing last. Mindset sometimes matters greatly.

Otherwise, if the one with superior swordsmanship always won, betting would lose its meaning.

"This guy, he's really lucky..."

Soon realizing what had happened, the gray-robed youth's mouth twitched a few times.

This unfamiliar fellow was indeed quite lucky.

He won on his first bet!

How laughable—he had thought the other was a fool... but after all this, it turned out he himself was the fool!

"Come on, cash me out!"

Just as he was feeling frustrated, he saw the other approach and hand over the chips.

At a ratio of one to one point five, he gave the other thirty Sword Pavilion coins. Just as he finished handling it, another person stepped onto the platform.

"Want to keep betting?"

With a flicker in his eyes, the gray-robed youth snorted.

In gambling, winning once or twice means nothing. As long as you keep betting, eventually all the money ends up in the dealer's hands.

"Sure!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Having been here less than a minute, without even stepping onto the platform, he had already earned ten Sword Pavilion coins. With such a fast way to make money, of course he would continue.

"Good. This time, it's just the two of us betting. I won't be the dealer, so it's fairer. I bet... the man in blue wins!"

After a glance, the gray-robed youth smiled slightly and said.

"Then I'll bet on the man in white winning, thirty Sword Pavilion coins!" Zhang Xuan wagered all the money he had just earned.

"Fine, I'll match your thirty!"

The gray-robed youth snorted.

Because he frequently ran betting games, he knew the strength and true identities of the fighters on stage quite well.

The two who had just come up were Senior Brother Zhou of the inner sect in black, and Senior Brother Wang in white.

These two had met and sparred before. Senior Brother Zhou had a higher chance of winning, while Senior Brother Wang had more losses than wins.

Once the bet was placed, the match on stage had already begun.

As the gray-robed youth had guessed, Senior Brother Zhou was extremely sharp from the start. Every attack gave a strong sense of pressure, while Senior Brother Wang kept retreating, seemingly with no room to counter.

"Heh heh, get ready to lose!"

The gray-robed youth breathed a sigh of relief.

He had just lost ten Sword Pavilion coins, but it looked like he would win them back this time...

After retreating seven or eight steps, Senior Brother Wang in white, seeing that continuing to retreat might cause him to fall off the platform, suddenly shifted his body, agile as a leopard, and dodged to one side.

Senior Brother Zhou in black missed with his sword strike. Just as he was about to turn, he saw the other's sword slanting toward him, resting on his neck.

Senior Brother Zhou lost!

"Sorry about that."

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

Having lost two consecutive rounds, the gray-robed youth's face twitched. Though reluctant, he gritted his teeth and handed over thirty Sword Pavilion coins.

"Dare to continue?"

Within the Sword Pavilion, those wanting to spar were endless, happening almost every moment. No sooner had this match ended than another pair rushed onto the stage.

After a pause, the gray-robed youth looked over again.

He had always made a good profit running betting games here. This was the first time he had lost so badly.

"Of course. This time, I should choose first, right?" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

"Go ahead!"

The gray-robed youth nodded.

"This time, I'll still bet on the man in white winning! I wager sixty Sword Pavilion coins!" Zhang Xuan pointed.

The gray-robed youth looked over. After a moment, he nodded again: "Fine! I'll bet on the man in black!"

Of the two who had come up this time, he only recognized one—Senior Brother Du in black. As for who the man in white was, he wasn't sure.

However, Senior Brother Du was extremely strong. Within the entire inner sect, fewer than ten could surpass him in swordsmanship alone. Since the opponent was unrecognizable, he probably wasn't among those ten. The former should have no trouble winning!

The match began and ended quickly.

As the other had guessed, the man in white won, and Senior Brother Du lost!

"This... impossible..."

Having lost three times in a row, the gray-robed youth grew nervous.

Over the years, though he had made a good profit from his secret gambling, he couldn't afford to lose like this!

"Want to continue?"

Seeing his expression, Zhang Xuan looked over again.

"This..." Glancing at the two who had just come onto the stage, the gray-robed youth broke out in a cold sweat.

Losing three straight rounds—100 Sword Pavilion coins—even he was starting to get scared.

But if he didn't bet, that hundred Sword Pavilion coins would be gone for good. Gnashing his teeth, he made up his mind: "Bet, then... This time I choose first!"

This was, in fact, gambler's psychology.

The more you lose, the more you want to turn things around. It's like sinking into a swamp—the more you struggle, the deeper you sink!

"Go ahead!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"This time, I'll bet on the man in white..." After a pause, the gray-robed youth said.

Of the two on stage, as before, he only recognized one—Junior Brother Luo in white.

This junior brother was a prodigy. He had been at the sect for less than two years but had already made a name for himself in the inner sect. Even the gray-robed youth himself, if matched against him, would have to concede defeat.

If anyone was most likely to win between the two, it was undoubtedly him.

"Since you choose the man in white, then I..." Zhang Xuan paused: "Can I choose a draw?"

"A draw?"

The gray-robed youth was taken aback.

In real competitions, to avoid casualties, when opponents were evenly matched, they might choose a draw.

But here, if no one conceded, it almost always ended with one dead!

A draw... almost never happened.

This guy actually wanted to bet on a draw... Was he out of his mind?

His eyes lit up, barely suppressing his ecstasy: "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, but... draws are rare, so shouldn't the odds be higher?"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Right, normally draws pay five times." The gray-robed youth nodded.

"Then I'll bet 120 Divine Coins!" Zhang Xuan wagered all the Divine Coins he had on him.

"Fine!"

Chuckling inwardly, the gray-robed youth quickly agreed, afraid he might change his mind.

This guy betting on a draw basically meant the money he had just won from him would come back!

Once the bet was placed, the match on stage began.

Both were experts. Sword aura crisscrossed as they gave no quarter, displaying exquisite sword techniques that drew cheers from below.

Although Junior Brother Luo in white was strong and fierce in his attacks, his opponent was clearly no pushover. Though seemingly struggling, he managed to block every move.

After more than three hundred exchanges, no winner had emerged.

"Junior Brother Luo, come on..."

Sweat beaded on his forehead, the gray-robed youth grew nervous.

A match lasting this long was something you might see only once a month, and he had to witness it now.

They fought for another hundred exchanges, both nearly exhausted.

Junior Brother Luo in white leaped back: "Friend, your swordsmanship is extraordinary. I admire it. But if we continue, even if one of us wins by luck, it will be a miserable victory. How about we call it a draw and arrange another match another day?"

"Fine!" The man in blue nodded in agreement.

"..."

The gray-robed youth felt the world go dark before his eyes, nearly fainting on the spot.

A draw that didn't happen once in months had actually occurred... and he had bet on it...

"Sorry, I won..."

Zhang Xuan looked over.

The reason he could win was not only because of his keen eye for judging the swordsmanship of the combatants, but more importantly, the library allowed him to easily discern their identities, the sword techniques and martial skills they had mastered, and their mental states.

At the same level, with the same true qi and strength, the one with superior sword techniques, martial skills, and mental state naturally had a greater chance of winning!

Thus, he had succeeded easily in several consecutive bets.

"I bet on a draw, at five times, meaning... you owe me six hundred Sword Pavilion coins!"

Looking over calmly, Zhang Xuan said.

"Six hundred?"

His body stiffened, and the gray-robed youth felt like he was going mad.

Was this guy cheating?

He even guessed a draw correctly...

How could he still gamble like this?

Having always made money by running the betting game, he never dreamed that in just a few rounds he would lose everything, and he was about to go crazy.

He had been an inner disciple for nearly ten years, sneaking in to take bets during various trials... His total savings were less than a thousand. And now, in one go, he had lost almost all of it!

"I don't have that many Sword Pavilion coins..." His face darkened, and he clenched his teeth.

"Don't have? A bet is a bet. Are you planning to welch?"

Zhang Xuan smiled.

"So what if I welch?" The gray-robed youth snorted coldly: "Do you know who I am? Do you know my identity?"

Because the Lingyun Sword Pavilion forbade gambling, he would change his Divine Jade Talisman and enter with a new identity every few times he ran a betting game.

Except for a few who often ran betting games with him, no one else knew his identity.

"Heh..."

With a soft laugh, Zhang Xuan suddenly kicked out.

"What, you want to fight me?"

Seeing him suddenly attack, the gray-robed youth dodged the kick, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes: "Remember, this is the Divine Hall. Even if you kill me, you'll only lose a jade talisman... What can you do to me?"

"Of course, I can't do anything to you..."

Zhang Xuan stopped, showing a kind smile, harmless as a lamb: "But if I go to White Cloud Peak and tell Elder Han that an inner disciple under his jurisdiction has been using inner sect sword duels as bets, running gambling games everywhere... making huge profits... Do you think he would investigate who's behind it? And would he expel that person from the sect? What do you think, Senior Brother Zhu Yanzi?"

"You..."

His pupils contracted, the gray-robed youth Zhu Yanzi stumbled back several steps, cold sweat drenching his back. He nearly fainted on the spot: "You... how do you know who I am?"