The next round, keep playing in the dark, check the cards.
Li Zhiyuan realized something was off because he got: AAA.
Then, after three rounds had gone by, everyone checked their cards, no one folded.
Li Zhiyuan "took a look" at their cards, and felt sure that everything was very much in order.
Out of the 9 players other than himself, there were 5 with three of a kind and 4 with straight flushes.
Li Zhiyuan suspected he had been cursed.
He touched the talisman paper he drew himself in his pocket, really wanting to stick one on his forehead to see if it had changed color.
Next, what was happening on the poker table was no longer just blood and gore, but a catastrophe in the Jianghu.
Everyone felt they had a mission, as they all had bled a bit in Li Zhiyuan’s hands in the previous rounds and now, with such cards in hand, they possessed a sense of "Destiny is mine."
No one held back, no one showed mercy, and no one kindly advised others to quit while ahead.
The highest stakes, unquestioningly thrown into the pot round after round.
Some players, short on cash, showed their hands to the onlookers behind them, asking them to buy in for a share of the winnings.
Li Zhiyuan felt his arm growing sour from placing money on the table, and finally, this round came to an end.
When several players were continuously checked by others and ended up folding, the atmosphere at the poker table grew somewhat oppressive.
In the end, when the three Aces were laid out, the last remaining player nearly collapsed trembling to the ground.
Some thought of murmuring accusations of cheating but couldn’t bring themselves to say it, for neither of these two men had shuffled the cards themselves; it had been done by the players before and after them, who had lost the most.
However, the reason the scene was still relatively quiet was because Run Sheng had stood up.
Run Sheng felt threatened, and winning so much money put him in an excited state; his eyes already reddening and emitting the same aura as when he dealt with those two thugs possessed by ghosts the day before.
Li Zhiyuan dared to win money here because he had Run Sheng by his side.
However, he hadn’t anticipated it turning out this way, since from hindsight, the measures he had prepared were completely useless.
Li Zhiyuan asked, "Are we still playing?"
He planned to intentionally lose some back; if it took too long, he would simply return half of it later.
"Keep playing, but the deck is old; let’s use a new one," a middle-aged man with a big beard gestured for everyone to sit down, then exchanged glances with the person seated before and after Li Zhiyuan.
They usually didn’t collude in games, only during the end-of-year period, but today, they had no choice.
A new deck was brought in; the person after the dealer shuffled, the one before cut the deck, and another dealt the cards.
Li Zhiyuan, following his routine, played dark and then checked: three Queens, a three of a kind.
The player across him, his expression told Li Zhiyuan that he held the highest cards.
What they didn’t realize was that their ostensibly flawless exchange of glances was as loud as shouting in Li Zhiyuan’s presence.
Li Zhiyuan covered his cards and directly buried them into the pile, scattering them in the process.
"What?" Big Beard abruptly stood up, pointing at Li Zhiyuan and exclaimed, "You’re the cheat!"
He had attempted to prove Li Zhiyuan was cheating by cheating himself; otherwise, who would just throw away a three of a kind?
"Brother Runsheng, take out the money for the table, tea cups, and cleaning fee."
"Huh?" Run Sheng was a bit confused but obediently took action, estimating the cost and then removing the money from the bag onto the table.
Li Zhiyuan stood up, left the table, and said:
A fist fell, and the table shattered.
This wasn’t just flipping a table in anger, nor was it a slap on the table in a fit of rage. The sight of the large round table being smashed to pieces shocked everyone present.
Li Zhiyuan calmly looked at the wrecked scene on the floor. Cheating wasn’t on him, but did he need to explain?
"Let’s go, Brother Runsheng."
Run Sheng showed a grim smile on his face and even stretched out his hand, pointing at everyone present.
This was something he learned from watching "God of Gamblers" on the county channel the night before. Too bad Xiao Yuan didn’t slick back his hair, otherwise, he’d be the Brother Fa in his heart.
Big Beard didn’t dare to approach, but stood shaking in his place, his voice quivering, "We’re going to call the cops!"
This was ludicrous, these types of gambling dens operated on the principle that if not reported by the people, the officials turn a blind eye. However, if investigated, it would undoubtedly be illegal, and all gambling funds would be confiscated.
Li Zhiyuan paused, turned back and looked at him:
"The local police chief Tan Yunlong, is my uncle."
Having said that, he continued to walk out.
Run Sheng hopped and skipped with a bag of money, his shoes dragging across the ground, presenting a posture befitting trendy young women.
Li Zhiyuan, however, appeared quite composed, even a bit solemn.
After getting into a tricycle, he immediately pulled out talisman papers, sticking them to his forehead, shoulders, arms, thighs, as if he was a corpse about to self-mummify.
After a while, having checked all the papers, none of them changed color.
Storing away the talisman papers, Li Zhiyuan sighed, knowing what had happened, he muttered:
"Turn of fortune ritual."