Against the Fate

Chapter 32: Figure

In the second game, Cui Ming showed four two’s, a four-of-a-kind.

In the end, because Li Qing had not won even once. After Cui Ming rounded up, Li Qing needed to do 2,000 push-ups. Then, Cui Ming was shocked. Li Qing took ten minutes to do two thousand push-ups as quick as lightning, and each action was extremely standard. The most awesome point was that he didn’t gasp for breath after that.

In the third game, Li Qing said: “Junior brother, we play so boringly.”

“It’s because you can’t cheat better than me, isn’t it?”

Li Qing was silent for a few seconds, and nodded: “Yes.” Li Qing was aware of his own cards and Cui Ming’s cards, but could not stand Cui Ming, who would change cards.

So the two started the game in a fair and open manner. Li Qing played cards very slowly. After Cui Ming became serious, he thought carefully before making a move.  Not counting the aura and cheating, the card itself was an intellectual game.

This was the point where Cui Ming liked Li Qing the most. Ding Ze, although he had the brains, was too lazy to use it. For him, it did not matter what the outcome was, as long as there was no need to use his brain to play. Playing cards with him would become very boring. However, Li Qing was very serious. He calculated the cards as much as possible. Although Cui Ming was the king of Poker, he did not dare to relax. The gamer must have a desire for victory; otherwise, the game would become uninteresting. Just as playing mahjong, although you could play without thinking, but everyone still focus because they hoped that they could win.

When Evelyn and North Luna arrived, Li Qing was playing cards with Cui Ming…

“20 push-ups.”

“Bet, Raise 30.”

“Bet, Raise 30.”

“Junior brother, you are bluffing.”

“Senior brother, give up.”

Evelyn looked at the North Luna. When  North Luna looked puzzled, the seven cultivators at Dawn City knew of course. North Luna needed manpower to participate in Aura Alliance’s assessment and Evelyn needed cultivators to help maintain the city’s law and order in the beginning of the month. They had both sought Li Qing, but he told them he was a hermit and had no interest. At the time of speaking, the attitude was very peaceful, so Evelyn and North Luna always thought that Li Qing was a monk and rarely bothered Li Qing.

Today, at the very first glance, Li Qing’s image of a monk was completely destroyed, as not only did he gamble, but he was very serious about it. He and Cui Ming were both in the realm of forgetting the outside world. Six cards had been dealt, and each card had already come out with two bets. Li Qing’s revealed card was a pair of aces, and Cui Ming’s revealed cards were the three of hearts and the ten of hearts.

Cui Ming said: “Senior brother, you aim for a full house. But the ace of spades has been discarded, so you have a lower chance than me.”

Li Qing said: “Junior brother, a full house is better than a flush. Do you dare to follow?”

“If you really had a full house, you wouldn’t say I’m bluffing. So, I’m sure you didn’t. As for whether or not I have a flush, it’s hard to tell. Raise, 1000 push-ups.” If Li Qing lost, he had to do ten times of that number of push-ups.

Li Qing did not speak, as he was quietly thinking, thinking about each game beforehand, thinking about Cui Ming’s cards. After a long time, Li Qing threw his cards: “Fold. Can you show me your cards?”

“No.” Cui Ming skillfully mixed his three cards with other cards.

Li Qing cracked a wry smile: “You’re not kind, younger brother.” Of course he wanted to know what Cui Ming’s card was, but Cui Ming wouldn’t tell him what the card was. Otherwise, Li Qing would guess his own tricks and methods of playing and raise his own chance of winning.

Li Qing then felt someone at the entrance, stood up, and performed a one-handed prayer: “Please sit down. ”

Cui Ming stood up and said: “Good afternoon, Boss. Good afternoon, Sergeant.” Then whispered: “My brother, 28,000 push-ups, do not be reckless.”

Even if Li Qing was strong, he couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat. He took a look at the record. Yes, he lost 2,800 push-ups. According to the ten-fold agreement, he needed to do 28,000 push-ups if he lost. Li Qing believed that Cui Ming did not cheat, as he was too experienced to cheat. At this time, when Li Qing was thinking of Cui Ming’s words before playing, the game was not only about courage and calculation, but also contains more things.

For example, at the beginning of this game, he said one sentence: “Junior brother, you are bluffing.” This had exposed his cards, because if he had really had three aces, why would he worry about Cui Ming bluffing? Just concentrate on baiting. Cui Ming did not expose and kept following the bet. At the end, he repeated this sentence, crippled his confidence, and made himself think that everything was in Cui Ming’s calculations. Because of this, Li Qing also wanted to know whether Cui Ming had taken a trash hand, or whether he had taken a flush and was baiting.

……

Evelyn and North Luna took a seat on the futon. Li Qing poured tea and the cup was placed on the ground. After a few words of conversation, it could be seen from the courtesy that the familiarity of North Luna and Evelyn with Li Qing was not as good as that of Cui Ming, who had known him for not even two hours.

“Eva, nicknamed the Black Widow, is an infamous assassin in the Middle Continent.” Evelyn said: “She makes many assassinations in cities which are not under Aura Alliance’s authority. The uncle cowboy should be Rayfrost. He once participated in the Aura Alliance’s assessment, but because his team was a temporary team, he failed to pass. Rayfrost is a typical villain; when he was fifteen, he became the famous criminal leader of the Noon City. A very arrogant person, people gave him nickname of “the madman outside the law”. He was arrested and jailed at the age of fifteen. No one knew how he became a cultivator in jail. At the age of eighteen, he was released. Over the next ten years, Rayfrost seemed to be reformed, and there is no information say that he’s involved in any crime. It is not yet clear why would he come to the city together with Eva. Cui Ming, did they say they would assassinate The Professor?”

“To tell the truth, no, it is my guess.” Cui Ming explained his experience in detail, as well as  his judgement of Eva as wanting to kill him. So, he had calculated that he would not have been intercepted by Rayfrost. Luckily, Li Qing saved his life.

North Luna said: “The Professor certainly has no daughter.”

Evelyn said: “We have no physical evidence, only a witness. Even if established, posing as a daughter is not a crime. I can’t provide proof of criminal guilt to  Aura Alliance. As for attacking Cui Ming, you also have no material evidence, only a witness. What is the reason that you had a fight? I can trust you, but that does not mean the law will believe it. It is necessary to have strong evidence to sue a cultivator. Otherwise, the Aura Alliance will not accept it.”