Chapter 41: Deviants Have Always Come From Barren Mountains And Wild Rivers
Chapter 41: Deviants Have Always Come From Barren Mountains And Wild Rivers
Zhang Yongjin truly wanted to tell Zhang Deqin that he was bullied. But after his face changed a few times for quite a while, he didn’t say it.
It was because he felt that this matter was too shameful, and he really couldn’t speak about it. Zhang Yongjin didn’t want to rely on his Big Sister’s strength to solve the problem, as he wanted to wash the shame and have his revenge by himself.
“Big Sis, it’s nothing really. The thing is, I was speeding and almost hit someone. I hit the brake pedal and hit the glass.” Zhang Yongjin spoke with a thoroughly reddened expression.
“You are lying, how could your hands be bruised huh? How come your knees are covered with dust? How come you’re afraid to say that you have lost against somebody in a fight?” Seeing as how Zhang Yongjin’s vision tried to avoid hers, Zhang Deqin’s expression turned cold as she scolded him with a stern voice.
“I-I-I… I-I-I…” Zhang Yongjin might be tall, strong and brawny, but he had exceptional fear toward his Big Sister. The fear was deeply imprinted in his bones. He had tried to give his all to get rid of it, and was still unable to break himself from this cage.
When Zhang Yongjin was about to tell the truth, the door was pushed open as the Long brothers and Tang Xiu entered.
Upon seeing Long Zhengyu and his people arrived, Zhang Deqin walked back to her seat, as her elegant appearance was also restored. Thus, Zhang Yongjin also fortunately escaped the tribulation.
“Chief Long, you bring us here and then you neglect us. Is this your Long’s Dining Hall’s hospitality to entertain guests?” Zhang Deqin didn’t wait for Long Zhengyu to speak as she took the first stance to seize the momentum and showed her imposing manner.
“Chief Zhang has always spoken frankly. However, aside from your esteemed self, the Long’s Dining Hall also has more important guests. This Long is naturally unable to always stay in the room to accompany you.” Long Zhengyu smile as he replied in a casual manner. He then continued,” Besides, the Long’s Dining Hall’s service has and will always be first class. Regardless of any needs Chief Zhang wants, you only need to press the call bell on the table, and our attendants will quickly come over to satisfy all of them.”
Compared to Zhang Deqin’s overbearing style, Long Zhengyu’s words and style was just like a paragon demeanor, as he could make people like feeling a spring breeze, making people ashamed of their own conduct.
“You…” Zhang Deqin obviously did not expect that Long Zhengyu would take the tit for tat approach. She subconsciously wanted to curse loudly, but then recalled Long Zhengyu’s peerless eloquence in debate. She didn’t dare to continue talking with Long Zhengyu and instead shifted her sight to Tang Xiu.
However, Zhang Deqin only swept a glance at Tang Xiu, and was too lazy to gaze at him a second time.
It was because Tang Xiu’s appearance was really too ordinary and shabby. His colored plaid shirt, that could be found on a street stall everywhere, a washed-out pair of blanched jeans, and a canvas shoe that was about to be pierced open with his toe. All in all, from top to bottom, his whole body was not even worth more than 100 yuan.
Zhang Deqin had always been pampered and spoiled since birth. She had been used to be the daughter of heaven with an extravagant lifestyle. She believed that outstanding people would never come from the poor and humble families, this was her truth. Thus, a superiority complex against people with poor background had become her nature, as well as having disdain from the depths of her bones toward them.
“Chief Long, I don’t know which honored guest you have said, can you recommend that person to me?” With a doubting expression, Zhang Deqin looked behind the Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin brothers and asked while smiling.
“Ah, Chief Zhang has become humorous from the time I haven’t seen you. Honorable people are naturally far away in the vast horizon. You have invited Jia Ruidao to help you out, while we invited Brother Tang to help us. If Chief Zhang doesn’t mind, we can begin this gamble.” Seeing clearly the contempt-filled look on Zhang Deqin’s face, Long Zhengyu couldn’t help but sneer at her in his heart.
When Long Zhengyu first saw Tang Xiu, he indeed felt slightly disappointed. However, for his younger brother, Long Zhenglin’s sake, Long Zhengyu didn’t judge Tang Xiu solely on his appearance, but carefully observed Tang Xiu, and not even the little details were missed from his observation. The following scenes before also had shown that Tang Xiu must be intelligent, far beyond their imagination.
Although Long Zhengyu did not know what had happened between Tang Xiu and Zhang Yongjin, but Long Zhengyu was absolutely sure that it was not because Zhang Yongjin had mistaken Tang Xiu with someone else, as he was losing his manner out of fear.
Long Zhengyu also personally saw Hu Wanjun and Xue Renfei’s expressions when they saw Tang Xiu. Fearful expressions flashed from their eyes. Although it quickly fleeted, but as keen as Long Zhengyu’s senses had always been, he was able to see it.
One person might say that he was mistaken someone for another person. But could it be even possible if 3 people were mistaken at the same time?
“What, he’s the one you asked for help?” Upon hearing Long Zhengyu’s words, Zhang Deqin’s beautiful eyes instantly turned wide as she let out in a sharp voice.
“If this old man’s memory doesn’t fail me, never once such a person has been seen in the Shuangqing province’s gambling society.” Jia Ruidao scrutinized Tang Xiu as he then spoke in a deep tone, “Chief Long, are you joking with this old man?”
“Chief Zhang, Grandmaster Jia, I’m not joking with you. Brother Tang is indeed not someone from our society. To tell you the truth, after Grandmaster Jia had announced that he would help the Zhangs, nobody from our society dared to come forward and become the champion for the Longs. The Long Family has been forced into this situation, and could only ask for help from people outside our circle.” Long Zhengyu seemed to be very satisfied with the effect brought and created by Tang Xiu to the stage as he patiently explained it to them.
Upon listening to Long Zhengyu’s slightly helpless and distressed words, a proud expression flashed on Zhang Deqin’s and Jia Ruidao’s face. They finally believed Long Zhengyu’s statement.
“Chief Long really has always been very powerful and was even able to find a hidden master amongst ordinary folks. I am so ashamed of my own inferiority.” Zhang Deqin and Jia Ruidao had yet to speak but Zhang Yongjin’s voice had reverberated in the suite as he burst into loud laughter.
Previously, when Zhang Yongjin saw Tang Xiu being together with Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin at the same place, he panicked and didn’t think thoroughly. But now, since he knew that Tang Xiu was someone who was invited by Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin to deal with Jia Ruidao, he thought that it was ridiculous and absurd as he looked at Long Zhengyu with a touch of ridiculing in his eyes.
Although he didn’t know about Tang Xiu’s true identity, but Zhang Yongjin was almost certain that Tang Xiu was a farmer’s disciple, and even most likely a villager from the Walled Hill Village.
How such a bumpkin could be compared to Jia Ruidao, the Grandmaster of gambling techniques. Wasn’t this same as a great joke for the world?
“Interesting, this is way too interesting! We thought that after the Grandmaster Jia had acted, no gambling master would dare to show up in this Shuangqing Province. Never once have I ever thought that the Long Family would take a tortuous and winding path, and even invited a Grandmaster from out of nowhere!”
“Chief Long, if you wanted to give Walled Hill Village to us, just straightly give it to us. Why must you deliberately insult Grandmaster Jia?”
Along with Zhang Yongjin’s loud laughter, Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun also couldn’t help but follow the wind.
If they had to compare their combined fighting strength against Tang Xiu, Zhang Yongjin, Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun were really a bit afraid of Tang Xiu. But as for gambling techniques, Tang Xiu was not even worth a dime to compare himself with them. Much less the one who will be pitted against Tang Xiu was not them, but the King of Gamble of the Shuangqing Province —Jia Ruidao.
Whey they recalled their miserable defeats under Tang Xiu again and again, the Zhang Yongjin trio gnashed their teeth in anger. And now, since they finally caught the hard-to-come-by opportunity, they naturally couldn’t help but mock and ridicule Tang Xiu.
“How the lot of you know Master Tang?” Looking at the unusual reaction of the trio, Zhang Deqin asked with a puzzled expression.
Only at this moment did the Zhang Yongjin trio realize that their reaction was really losing their own composure.
“Big Sister Chief, I, Yongjin, and Wanjun took a trip to Walled Hill Village yesterday. We ran into this guy on the hilltop. We wanted to buy the games from this guy’s hands, but he refused, so we had a fierce discord. Therefore, we were so angry when we saw this punk again!” Xue Renfei knew that he had to deceive Zhang Deqin, and simply confessed some of the facts.
“Big Sister Chief, how could this punk be worthy to be called Master? As the saying goes, ‘Savages have always been coming out from barren mountains and wild rivers’. This punk has neither a worthy culture or personal quality. The only thing he has is brute force.” Recalling his car’s front cover that had been smashed, Hu Wanjun added the fuel to the fire with clenching teeth.
At first, Zhang Yongjin also had the thought to follow ridiculing Tang Xiu. However, when he saw from the corner of his eyes Tang Xiu’s faint teasing smile, a sudden chill struck him as his body unknowingly shivered, and he didn’t dare to speak anything.
“Fine, since people from both sides have come, let’s start the gamble. This old man still has to fly to Macau.” Jia Ruidao stared at Long Zhengyu and spoke with a discontented expression.
It was very obvious that after having heard the words from the Zhang Yongjin trio, Jia Ruidao felt that today’s gambling was a complete farce. Long Zhengyu asking Tang Xiu to come was completely to humiliate him, and not to win the gamble. Therefore, Jia Ruidao had borne a grudge towards Long Zhengyu.
Clearly perceiving the expression in Jia Ruidao’s eyes, Long Zhengyu’s heart slightly thumped. He was aware that Jia Ruidao had misunderstood him, and he also knew that he had offended this King of Gamble and its consequences.
But when he recalled that Jia Ruidao had long chosen to stand as his opponent, Long Zhengyu quickly turned calm and took it lightly.
“If Brother Tang has no objection, then let’s start the gamble.” Long Zhengyu didn’t explain more, but his eyes looked at Tang Xiu with an inquiring expression.
At first, Tang Xiu wanted to ask about the gambling type and rules, but he took the words that were about to speak out and swallowed them back.
Tang Xiu was well aware that if he asked, he would be laughed at, and this would also implicate Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin as they would be looked down by those people. So, he decided not to ask.
“It’s fine with me, we can start at any time.” Tang Xiu swept a glance at Zhang Yongjin and the others with a calm and tranquil expression. Not even the slightest bit of shame or anger could be seen on his face, but rather apathy in his tone.
Upon seeing Tang Xiu’s profound and unpredictable demeanor, Jia Ruidao snorted coldly, as he then rang the bell on the table.
“Little Bastard, do you want to have to compare the numbers, or do you want odd or even rules? Or do you want to play other games?” While waiting for the attendant, Jia Ruidao spoke to Tang Xiu with a condescending tone.
When he heard this “Little Bastard” words, a trace of anger flashed from Tang Xiu’s eyes. This remark was too harsh and rude.
“Old Bastard, choose one that you think you’re good at. So you won’t find any excuses when you have lost!” Tang Xiu found that he would be constantly bullied if he continued giving them any concessions. This time, he no longer flinched and stepped back, but began his fierce counterattack instead.
“YOU…!! Since you’ve readied yourself to your own disgrace. then let’s play Dice[1]. It’s simple, and won’t take too much time.” Jia Ruidao spoke in anger.
“I’m fine with it, I won’t ask more.” After hearing Jia Ruidao’s answer, Tang Xiu was overjoyed as he blurted out his agreement.
Tang Xiu was afraid that Jia Ruidao would propose a complex gambling play because it meant that he must spend more time to figure out the game’s rules and adapt to them. He was afraid that if it takes too much time in learning and adapting to the rules, he would lose the gamble.
Chinese Dice was another case all in all. Although Tang Xiu had never played this dice gamble, but he has seen it on TV, while he also had played it to pass the time when he and his classmates were visiting KTV to sing[2], so he was no stranger to this kind of gambling. For fear that Jia Ruidao would take his words back, Tang Xiu hurriedly complied when Jia Ruidao had just finished speaking.
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[1] Dice of Daisiu or Daxiao or Sic Bo, Big or Small number dice, the raws wrote it, but i think its just only a simple dice game.
[2] KTV or Karaoke Tay Vin