A legendary academic genius finds his soul transported to the Tang Dynasty, where he becomes the martial god Li Xuanba. He is strong and powerful, capable of holding off a million soldiers single-handedly. His wisdom is as vast as the sea, making him worth ten million men. Throughout my life, Li Xuanba, my fists are my law! Otherwise, I, Li Xuanba, would not be Li Xuanba!
Chapter 11: Sparks Fly, Feelings Stir
“Are you really betting on the leopard?” Seeing Li Xuanba place his 100 taels of silver on top of Liu Liuliu’s bet on the “leopard,” Mr. Chang showed no surprise. He looked at Li Xuanba and asked the question, his voice laced with a deep chill. “Heh! I dare to bet! I wonder if you dare to pay out?” Li Xuanba gave Mr. Chang a faint smile, then cast a glance at Hong Dangtou, whose face had turned ashen. The corner of his mouth twitched, revealing a sneer. “Hmph!” Hearing Li Xuanba’s words, Hong Dangtou snorted coldly and kept giving Mr. Chang meaningful glances. The words that came out of his mouth made Li Xuanba cringe on his behalf: “We at Hongyun Casino dare to open our doors for business because we uphold the two words ‘integrity.’ If you win your bet, we’ll certainly pay you. But if you lose, where on earth does this talk of us paying you come from?” “Fine! As long as you’re willing to pay up, let’s do it!” Li Xuanba gave a faint smile, ignoring Hong Dangtou as he looked at Mr. Chang with a cheerful expression. Noticing Mr. Chang’s furrowed brow and the slight curve of his right pinky finger, Li Xuanba’s smile vanished, his expression instantly darkening as he coldly ordered, “Wait!” “What? You don’t want to bet anymore?” Hearing Li Xuanba’s words, Hong Dangtou’s beady eyes widened, and he flashed a savage grin, saying smugly, “That’s not up to you! Once you’ve placed your bet, there’s no turning back—that’s the house rule!” “Get lost! I’m not talking to you,” Li Xuanba shot a sidelong glance at the smug Hong Dangtou, waved him off, and paid no heed to his livid face or the venom in his eyes. “You!” Li Xuanba raised his right hand, pointing at Master Chang. His eyes were cold and merciless as he said indifferently, “What’s the total? You know it, and I know it. Don’t even think about using your right pinky to flick the dice cup and change the numbers on the dice inside. Otherwise, this young master won’t hesitate to add another nameless soul to the list of those my fists have claimed!” “Uh-oh!” Faced with Li Xuanba’s gaze—which, beneath its indifference, radiated a murderous aura reminiscent of mountains of corpses and seas of blood—Mr. Chang pulled back his hand just as it was about to touch the dice cup. He stumbled backward seven steps, his body trembling as he gasped for breath, his face pale, and it took him three full minutes to regain his composure. “Y-you can rest assured, we’ll… we’ll pay you back! Shopkeeper…” Mr. Chang stared at Li Xuanba in horror, not daring to touch the colored bowl. He looked at Hong Dangtou hesitantly—compensation was one thing, but the ward master had the final say. “You… Hmph! Give him the money!” Hong Dangtou glared viciously at Li Xuanba for a long moment before finally, gritting his teeth, motioning to the bookkeeper to hand over two-thirds of the gambling house’s funds—yet it felt as though his heart had been savagely sliced open; the pain was excruciating! If it weren’t for the gamblers present, he would have long since ordered his men to hack this boy with the childish face to pieces, but at that moment, it wasn’t the right time to act. But still? Hmph! Kid! Just wait and see what I’ll do to you later! Daring to win money from me? You must be tired of living! No matter how Hong Dangtou seethed or seethed, Li Xuanba paid him no mind. With a faint smile, he accepted the stack of silver notes handed to him by the bookkeeper, pulled out five 100-tael notes, and—amid the gamblers’ looks of envy, jealousy, and resentment—slammed them down on the gambling table. “Smack!” The sound of Li Xuanba slapping down the silver notes wasn’t loud, but it startled both the Head Clerk and Hong Dangtou, who feared this boyish-looking young master might still want to gamble. Watching Mr. Chang and Hong Dangtou tremble, Li Xuanba curled his lips in disdain and said coldly to Hong Dangtou, “That’s fifty taels of silver! Losing a single tael might just mean getting beaten up, but winning a thousand taels could cost you your life!” “He’s just not satisfied! He doesn’t even understand that contentment brings happiness—that kid probably won’t live to see tomorrow’s sunrise.” Amid the gamblers’ remarks—a mix of regret and schadenfreude—and Hong Dangtou’s venomous glare, Li Xuanba was escorting Mei Hanxue back to her family’s Plum Blossom Restaurant.
