by RWX
Hu Kun narrowed his eyes. “Going all out.”
Fu Hongxue said, “Going all out?”
Hu Kun said, “Going all out, gambling-wise, alcohol-wise. I can only hope that he hasn’t yet lost everything, and that he hasn’t yet drunk himself to death.”
Not only was Du Shiqi winning, he was very sober as well.
Whenever a person is winning, he is always very sober. Only losers will be muddle-headed.
He was in the middle of shuffling the cards.
Thirty two wooden domino cards. Each and every one, he seemed to control. Even the dice seemed to be obeying his commands.
He wasn’t playing any tricks or using any sleight of hand. When a person’s gambling luck came upon him, there is no need at all to cheat.
Earlier, he had used a ‘long thirteen’ card and taken money from everyone at the table. By now, it seemed as though he had won twenty thousand taels. Originally, he definitely could have won some more.
Unfortunately, the people playing with him had gradually diminished, because everyone’s money-pouch was now empty.
He hoped that one or two fresh faces would enter. Just at this moment, he saw a stranger with an ashen face walk in.
Fu Hongxue was watching him shuffle the cards. His hands were enormous and very strong.
Du Shiqi took the part of the bank again. Out of four hands, he won everybody’s money on two of them, but only made a total of two hundred or so taels.
Everybody else at his table seemed to be without vitality already.
In a casino, money is blood. How could people without blood have vitality?
Did this stranger with such a pale face have a flourishing flow of blood in his veins?
Du Shiqi suddenly raised up his head and smiled at him. “Friend, would you like to play a few rounds as well?”
Fu Hongxue coldly stared at him. “Just one hand.”
Du Shiqi said, “Only one hand? Victory or defeat, to be determined in one hand, then?”
Fu Hongxue said, “Right!”
Du Shiqi laughed. “Great! Only this sort of gambling is really fun.”
He straightened his waist. All of the joints in his body immediately cracked, and all of the muscles underneath his robe moved hither and to without stopping.
This was the result of eighteen years of bitter training!
He was eight feet, two inches tall. He had large shoulders, but a slender waist. Supposedly, he could snap a cow’s head with one head. Everyone who saw him couldn’t help but gaze upon him with awe and veneration, as though they were officials gazing upon the emperor.
The eighty bank notes had already been taken out. Brand new bank notes, in a pale white hand.
Du Shiqi said, “How much do you have?”
Fu Hongxue said, “Eighty thousand.”
Du Shiqi let out a light breath. His eyes were so bright, it was as though two torches had been lit in them. “Eighty thousand taels on one hand?”
Fu Hongxue said, “Regardless of who wins, only one hand.”
Du Shiqi said, “Unfortunately, I don’t have that much.”
Fu Hongxue said, “No harm.”
Du Shiqi said, “By no harm, do you mean that isn’t a problem?”
Fu Hongxue nodded.
Du Shiqi laughed. “Did you steal this money? Is that why you don’t care?”
Fu Hongxue said, “They weren’t stolen. They were used to purchase a life!”
Du Shiqi said, “Whose life?”
Fu Hongxue said, “Yours!”
The smile on Du Shiqi’s face froze. Everybody nearby had clenched their fists. Some had clenched their sabres.
But Fu Hongxue didn’t even glance at him. “If I lose, these eighty thousand taels are yours. If you lose, you must leave with me.”
Du Shiqi said, “Why must I leave with you?”
Fu Hongxue said, “Because I don’t want to kill you here.”
Du Shiqi laughed again, but his laughter was very forced. “If you lose, are you still going to kill me?”
Fu Hongxue said, “No matter what, I must kill you.”
Du Shiqi said, “What you seem to be saying is that regardless of who wins, we’ll still stake our lives and fight each other. Only, there are too many people here, all of whom are my people, and so you want to fight elsewhere.”
Fu Hongxue coldly said, “I don’t want to kill too many people.”
Du Shiqi laughed. “You seem to be certain that you can kill me.”
Fu Hongxue said, “If I wasn’t certain, why would I come?”
Du Shiqi laughed loudly.
Fu Hongxue said, “Eighty thousand taels of silver can be used for many things. After you die, your friends and brothers can use them!”
Suddenly, a knife chopped out from behind them, aimed at the back of his head.
Fu Hongxue didn’t leave, but Du Shiqi had already seized the hand wielding that knife.
With a clanging sound, the knife dropped to the floor. With a cracking sound, the blade of the knife split.
Du Shiqi’s face sunk. In a fierce voice, he said, “This affair has nothing to do with any of you. You are only allowed to watch, not to interfere.”
No one dared to move.
Du Shiqi laughed again. “You are all my good brothers. First watch me win these eighty thousand taels of silver.”
With one pull, he tugged open his jacket, revealing his copper-like chest. “How shall we gamble?”
Fu Hongxue said, “You choose!”
Du Shiqi said, “We’ll play Pai Gow. One flip of the cards, two eyes staring at it. This way is the best.”
Fu Hongxue said, “Fine.”
Du Shiqi said, “Shall we still use this set of cards?”
Fu Hongxue nodded.
Du Shiqi blinked his eyes. “Do you know how many matches I’ve won with this set of domino cards?”
Fu Hongxue shook his head.
Du Shiqi said, “I’ve won over sixty hands. My luck is extremely good with this set of domino cards.”
Fu Hongxue said, “Even the best of luck will have to turn at some point.”
Du Shiqi stared at him. “You are self-assured when it comes to killing. You are certain of winning in gambling as well?”
Fu Hongxue lightly said, “If I wasn’t certain, why would I gamble?”
Du Shiqi laughed loudly. “This time, you’re wrong. When it comes to gambling, not even divinities can be certain. In the past, I’ve also seen many people like you who were certain of winning. By now, they’ve all so lost so much that they’ve hung themselves.”
The thirty-two domino cards were divided into four rows, with eight cards in each row.
Du Shiqi pushed out one row. “There’s only the two of us gambling, and both of us are starting with a blank slate.”
Fu Hongxue said, “I understand.”
Du Shiqi said, “So we should gamble with four cards.”
Fu Hongxue said, “Fine.”
Du Shiqi pushed forwards four cards with two fingers. “If the dice roll is odd, the first set of cards is yours.”
Fu Hongxue said, “You shuffled the cards. I’ll roll the dice.”
Du Shiqi said, “Fine.”
Fu Hongxue picked up the dice. Casually, he tossed them out.
Seven. Odd.
Du Shiqi said, “I’ll take the second set.”
Two sets of wooden domino cards. With a cracking sound, they came together, then separated.
Light shone in Du Shiqi’s eyes. A smile appeared on his lips. His friends all let out a breath as well.
Everyone could tell that he had a very good set of cards.
Fu Hongxue only coldly said, “You lose.”
Du Shiqi said, “How do you know that I’ve lost? Do you know what cards I am holding?”
Fu Hongxue said, “You have a ‘heaven’ card, and a ‘human’ card, forming a ‘Heaven’s Bar’.”
Astonished, Du Shiqi stared at him. “Did you look at your own cards?”
&n
bsp; Fu Hongxue shook his head. “I don’t need to look. My cards form a ‘Mixed Five’.”
Du Shiqi couldn’t help but reveal his cards. He really did have a ‘Mixed Five’.
‘Mixed Five’ just so happened to defeat ‘Heaven’s Bar’.
Du Shiqi was stunned. Everyone was stunned.
And then, there was a commotion. “This brat must have cheated. He marked the cards.”
Fu Hongxue smirked. “Who do these cards belong to?”
Du Shiqi said, “Mine.”
Fu Hongxue said, “Have I touched the cards at all?”
Du Shiqi said, “No.”
Fu Hongxue said, “Then how could I have cheated?”
Du Shiqi let out a sigh. He smiled bitterly. “You didn’t cheat. I’ll go with you.”
Another commotion.
Those who gripped their daggers earlier wanted to use their sabres again. Those clenching their fists once more wanted to punch out.
Du Shiqi said in a fearsome voice, “Although I’ve lost at gambling money, I haven’t lost yet in gambling lives. What are you guys kicking up a racket about?”
The disturbance immediately calmed. No one dared to open their mouths.
Du Shiqi laughed again, and his laughter was still very cheerful. “Actually, you should all know that I definitely won’t lose when it comes to gambling lives.”
Fu Hongxue said, “You are certain of yourself?”
Du Shiqi smiled. “Even if I’m not certain, I have nine lives. At most, you can only take one away.”
No stars. No moon. No lanterns.
Du Shiqi suddenly let out a sigh. “Actually, I don’t have nine lives. I don’t have a single life at all.”
Fu Hongxue said, “Oh?”
Du Shiqi said, “My life is already Yan Nanfei’s.”
Fu Hongxue said, “You know who I am?”
Du Shiqi nodded. “I owe him a life, and he owes you a life. I’m willing to pay you back for him.”
He stopped for a moment. His face was still carrying a smile. “I only hope you’ll let me know one thing.”
Fu Hongxue said, “What is it?”
Du Shiqi said, “How did you recognize the cards?”
Fu Hongxue didn’t directly respond. Instead, he asked, “Do you know that every person has a fingerprint on their fingers?”
Du Shiqi said, “Yes, I do. Some have ‘circle’ fingerprints, other have ‘whorl’ fingerprints.”
Fu Hongxue said, “Do you know that no two fingerprints are alike in all the world?”
Du Shiqi did not know that.
At that time, nobody knew things like that.
He bitterly laughed, “I rarely look at people’s hands, especially men’s hands.”
Fu Hongxue said, “Even if you often look at other’s hands, you wouldn’t be able to tell. The differences are very minute.”
Du Shiqi said, “But you can tell?”
Fu Hongxue said, “Even if two biscuits were made using the very exact same mould, I would be able to tell them apart.”
Du Shiqi sighed. “That must be a natural talent.”
Fu Hongxue dully said, “Right. It is a natural talent. Only, this is a natural talent that was practiced in a secret room without the slightest hint of light.”
Du Shiqi said, “How long did you train for?”
Fu Hongxue said, “I only practiced for seventeen years, for only six to ten hours a day.”
Du Shiqi said, “Did you train your sabre skills in the same way?”
Fu Hongxue said, “When you are training your eyesight, you must always grip your sabre. Otherwise, you will fall asleep.”
Du Shiqi forced out a laugh. “Only now do I realize the true meaning of the words ‘natural talent’.”
The real meaning of ‘natural talent’ is ‘bitter training’. Bitter training without pause.
Fu Hongxue said, “That set of dominoes was made using wood, and the wood had its own grainy patterns. Every single pattern was different. I watched you shuffle the cards twice. There isn’t a single one of those thirty-two cards which I don’t recognize.”
Du Shiqi said, “But if that set of dice came out odd, wouldn’t you have lost?”
Fu Hongxue said, “That set of dice definitely wouldn’t have come out odd.”
Du Shiqi said, “Why?”
Fu Hongxue dully said, “Because I am a natural talent at casting dice as well.”
They had already arrived at the end of the long alleyway. The streets outside were even darker.
The night was now very deep.
Fu Hongxue suddenly jumped onto a roof, the highest roof. Every dark nook and cranny was within his eyesight.
He didn’t kill people for others to watch. This couldn’t be seen by others either.
Du Shiqi finally caught up with him. “What, exactly, do you want me to do?”
Fu Hongxue said, “I want you to die!”
Du Shiqi said, “You really want me to die?”
Fu Hongxue said, “You are already a dead man.”
Du Shiqi didn’t understand.
Fu Hongxue said, “Starting now, you need to be dead for at least a year.”
Du Shiqi thought for a while. It seemed as though he somewhat understood, but still didn’t fully understand.
Fu Hongxue said, “I’ve even prepared the coffin for you. It’s at the graveyard just outside of the city.”
Du Shiqi blinked. “Are there some other things in the coffin?”
Fu Hongxue said, “There’s three other people.”
Du Shiqi said, “Three people?”
Fu Hongxue said, “But many people don’t want for them to continue on living.”
Du Shiqi said, “Are you going to make sure that they continue to live?”
Fu Hongxue nodded. “So I must help them find a safe, secret place. I cannot let anyone find them.”
Du Shiqi’s gaze slowly brightened. “And so I’ll take the coffin back and arrange a glorious funeral for myself.”
Fu Hongxue said, “You must die, because no one will think to ask a dead man about their whereabouts.”
Du Shiqi said, “In addition, you’re the one who killed me. Everyone will believe that you made an arrangement with Hu Kun, that you will kill me in exchange for him protecting them.”
By now, he finally understood. This was actually a simple matter. Only, Fu Hongxue was executing it in a very complicated way.
Fu Hongxue said, “I must be extremely cautious. They are simply too sinister and evil.”
Du Shiqi said, “Who, exactly, are ‘they’?”
Fu Hongxue said, “Yang Wuji, Xiao Siwu, Gongsun Tu, and a ‘Demon Decapitating Sabre of Heaven’s Monarch’.”
He didn’t say Gongzi Yu’s name. He didn’t want to shock Du Shiqi too much.
But the names of these four men was already more than enough to shock even someone with eight times as much courage as an ordinary ma.
Du Shiqi gazed fixedly at him. “They want to deal with you. Naturally, you won’t let them off easy either.”
Fu Hongxue didn’t deny that either.
Du Shiqi suddenly let out a sigh. “I’m not afraid of them, because I’m already a dead man. A dead man need fear no one. But you…”
Fu Hongxue didn’t deny it.
Du Shiqi said, “After you handle the affairs here, are you going to go find them?”
He looked at Fu Hongxue, then looked at that black sabre. He suddenly chuckled. “Perhaps the one who should be afraid isn’t you, but them. One year from today, perhaps they will all be dead men as well.”
Fu Hongxue’s gaze was distant. His person seemed to be distant as well.
All around them was darkness, far off into the distance.
After a long time, he slowly said, “Sometimes, I wish I had nine lives as well. To deal with people like them, one life really is too few.”
A bleak and desolate mountain valley. Barren and infertile soil.
There were only ten or so households i
n the mountain village. At the base of the mountain there was a small house, with a bamboo and chrysanthemum garden.
From far away, Du Shiqi looked at the chrysanthemums beneath the bamboo stand. His eyes seemed to be filled with tenderness.
Once he arrived here, it seemed as though he had turned into one of the honest, unsophisticated farmers.
It seemed as though Fu Hongxue’s heart was sighing with emotion as well.
He just left the small house. Zhuo Yuzhen and the children were sleeping.
Sleep peacefully. There’s definitely no one who will find you here.
What about you? Are you leaving?
I’m not leaving. I’ll be staying here a few days as well.
He very rarely lied, but this time he really did lie.
He couldn’t not lie, because he couldn’t not leave. Since he must leave, why cause unnecessary pain?
Fu Hongxue lightly sighed. “This is a good place. A person who is able to peacefully live out his life here must be a person of great bliss indeed.”
Du Shiqi squeezed out a smile. “I grew up here. Originally, I could have been a very blissful person as well.”
Fu Hongxue said, “Then, why did you leave?”
Du Shiqi was silent. After a long time, he suddenly asked, “Did you see those chrysanthemums beneath that patch of bamboo?”
Fu Hongxue nodded.
Du Shiqi said, “A little girl planted it. A little girl with big eyes and long hair.”
Fu Hongxue said, “Where is she now?”
Du Shiqi did not reply. He did not need to reply. The tears in his eyes spoke everything on his behalf.
The chrysanthemums were still there, but the one who had planted them was gone.
After another long period of time, he slowly said, “Actually, I should have come here to keep her company long ago. She must have been very lonely these past few years.”
When people died, would they still be as lonely as before?
Fu Hongxue took out that stack of bank notes. He gave them to Du Shiqi. “Hu Kun wanted to use these to purchase your life. No matter how you all use it, you need have no regrets.”
Du Shiqi said, “Why don’t you give them to her personally? Are you leaving now?”
Fu Hongxue nodded.
Du Shiqi said, “Aren’t you going to bid her farewell?”
Fu Hongxue dully said, “Since I am going to leave, why say farewell?”
Du Shiqi said, “For you to have done so much for her, she must be very dear to you. At least, you should…”
