Chapter 121 Killing Tai Sui (Part 9) The Spying One

The dice cup landed with a crisp sound.

"Is it big or small?"

That unspeakable nightmare has now become a guillotine hanging over Song Qiling's head, poised to fall.

Her throat felt like it was blocked, so dry that she couldn't make a sound. Her gaze involuntarily drifted back to the person across the gambling table.

The junior brother's tightly pursed lips and slightly furrowed brows revealed the turmoil churning within him as well. Only his fingers, hanging at his sides, twitched slightly, as if he were suppressing something.

I absolutely mustn't let my junior brother see this...

This thought burned through reason like a raging fire.

She pressed her lips together, her hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched into fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her flesh. With the help of that sharp pain, she barely managed to suppress the panic that was about to engulf her.

Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead and quietly slid down his temples.

Old Zhuang clearly enjoyed her struggle, not urging her at all. His narrow eyes, however, gleamed faintly in the dim light, filled with cruel patience.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke, his voice low but carrying an undeniable warning: "Distinguished guest, my patience is limited. If you are unwilling to speak, then it will be considered a forfeit... and you will have lost this bet."

A menacing spider leg slowly extended towards the dice cup. "I will accept your chips."

Just as the spider's tentacles were about to touch the lid of the cup, Song Qiling's mind went completely blank.

In desperation, almost instinctively, she forced out a few words through gritted teeth: "Small...I bet small!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the air around the gambling table seemed to freeze.

Old Zhuang paused, and on his inhuman face, the corners of his lips rose in an extremely slow yet remarkably clear arc.

"Oh?" He drawled, his gaze fixed on Song Qiling. "Are you sure? If you've made your choice, there's no going back..."

"Big!" Song Qiling interrupted him abruptly, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, almost leaping out of her chest.

Under the provocation of Old Zhuang's meaningful gaze and the upward curve of his lips, a strong sense of foreboding gripped her, causing her to change her mind without hesitation: "I'll change it to big! I'll bet big!"

Old Zhuang let out a low, ambiguous laugh and said no more.

Song Qiling held her breath, as if all the blood in her body rushed to her head at that moment. The thunderous sound of her own heart pounding made her dizzy, and her eyes were fixed on the dice cup that was about to be revealed.

Everything around him blurred and faded, leaving only that small lid that determined his fate.

Whether it was an illusion caused by excessive tension or not, just as Elder Zhuang's spider legs were about to exert force to lift the lid of the cup, a very slight, almost imperceptible breeze suddenly brushed past her ear.

Immediately afterwards, a fleeting, warm, soft touch came from the back of my hand, like something brushing past quickly, carrying a faint warmth.

The feeling came quickly and went even faster.

It was so fast that she almost thought it was her imagination.

"Click".

With a soft click, the lid of the cup was deftly lifted by the spider's legs, revealing three dice lying quietly at the bottom of the cup.

In an instant, all sounds seemed to disappear.

Song Qiling's pupils suddenly dilated as she stared intently at the three dice.

Six o'clock.

Six o'clock.

Six o'clock.

All three dice showed a bright red six facing up.

It is a "leopard".

A complete sweep!

A tremendous, surviving-like sense of exhaustion instantly swept over my entire body, and the taut string suddenly released.

Song Qiling almost collapsed on one side of her body. She breathed a sigh of relief and then realized that her clothes were soaked with cold sweat and clung to her skin.

She subconsciously raised her hand and touched the back of her hand where she had just felt the strange touch, but it was empty, there was nothing there.

Old Zhuang looked at the dice, then at the still-shaken Song Qiling. The eerie smile on his face faded slightly, replaced by an unfathomable depth.

He clicked his tongue lightly: "Leopards, kill them all."

He announced the results, his voice returning to its previous calm, "Young friend...you're lucky."

Song Qiling had no time to scrutinize the subtle changes in Zhuang Lao's tone; she was only immersed in the relief of escaping death and her doubts...

What exactly was that fleeting, warm, soft touch on the back of my hand?

She quietly raised her eyes and looked at her junior brother who remained silent across the table.

Noticing her gaze, Gu Lianzhou slightly raised his eyelashes, his eyes meeting hers, and then a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Although the smile was faint, it acted like a reassuring pill, instantly suppressing the panic in her heart.

There was no surprise in his eyes, but rather a hint of reassurance, and even his previously furrowed brows quietly relaxed.

Song Qiling's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that the touch that brushed against the back of her hand just now was her junior brother secretly manipulating the dodder... to help her cheat?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, her gaze involuntarily drifted downwards. Gu Lianzhou, as if anticipating her reaction, turned his gaze to Elder Zhuang, subtly cutting off her investigation.

Meanwhile, Old Master Zhuang was slowly twirling the jade thumb ring, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two men without making a sound, his eyes growing even more profound.

He suddenly chuckled softly: "Your luck is truly rare, but I wonder if this 'leopard' is ordained by fate, or if there's some other secret behind it?"

Having said that, the spider gently tapped the dice cup, the cup making a dull sound, as if applying pressure silently.

Gu Lianzhou's expression remained unchanged, and he simply said, "Since the game has begun, the outcome should be determined solely by the dice. Now that the result is in, why dwell on the process?"

Old Zhuang stared at him for a moment, his eyes dark and unreadable, but in the end he just smiled and didn't ask any more questions: "Indeed, since we've already won, then this game is over. But next time you gamble, please remember that luck won't always be this good."

As he spoke, he pushed the dice cup to the center of the table. When he retracted his spider legs, they brushed against Gu Lianzhou's sleeve intentionally or unintentionally, but he did not make any further movements.

Gu Lianzhou nodded slightly, said nothing more, and only glanced at Song Qiling.

It's not a good time to say much.

Song Qiling nodded knowingly, suppressing all her surging questions, and turned her gaze back to the dice cup that stood quietly on the table, yet held everything in its hands.

Old Master Zhuang reached out and caught the bone-white dice cup; the jade thumb ring gleamed with a faint chill in the dim light.

He suddenly exerted force in his wrist.

The dice cup was lifted off the table with a thud, and the three dice inside spun and collided rapidly, producing a series of rapid and chaotic crisp sounds.

Song Qiling slightly raised her eyebrows.

It's quite strange that this time the monster is the one rolling the dice.

The dice cup fell heavily to the ground.

"Distinguished guest," Old Zhuang's gaze was like a hook, piercing straight at Gu Lianzhou, "would you bet big or small?"

Gu Lianzhou's gaze swept over the overturned dice cup, and he said without hesitation, "Big."

A glint of light flashed deep in Old Zhuang's eyes, and he deliberately delayed his question: "Are you sure?"

Gu Lianzhou's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded slightly. "Confirmed."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tip of his long, withered spider leg lightly touched the lid of the cup and slowly lifted it.

Song Qiling licked her dry lips and leaned forward.

At the bottom of the cup, three bone dice were clearly visible.

a little,

Two points.

Three points.

The scattered dots, when put together, form a glaringly small number.

The air suddenly froze.

Old Zhuang twirled the ring on his finger, remaining silent, but slowly shifted his meaningful gaze from the dice to Gu Lianzhou's face. "You lost."

Gu Lianzhou was not surprised by the result, and did not even raise an eyebrow, as if everything had been expected.

Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Elder Zhuang felt no joy whatsoever. Instead, he seemed to be held back by something invisible. He simply announced in a deep voice, "Since you have lost, according to the rules, I will take away your 'bet'. However, before that, I must fulfill my previous promise."

After saying that, he turned to Song Qiling and tapped the table lightly with his spider legs: "You can ask me a question, but of course, the question can only be about yourself."

Song Qiling frowned.

She had hoped to use this opportunity to save her junior brother from punishment, but she didn't expect that the old fox would set a trap here and shut her up.

After thinking it over, she couldn't help but find it absurd: "If it's a question about me, why should I ask you? Even if you could answer it, why should I believe you? Do you know divination or something?"

Old Zhuang chuckled softly and said slowly, "Although I am not good at divination, I am born with the ability to see cause and effect. As long as it concerns you, I can trace the origin and reveal the truth of everything you ask about."

Song Qiling was speechless.

Observe the cause and trace the effect?

This ability is far too bizarre, almost defying the heavens.

The evil spirits and monsters she had encountered in the past, even if they developed intelligence and understood human nature, ultimately acted according to instinct, unlike him, who could so casually utter the words "tracing back to the origin".

Looking at this old man Zhuang before me, his form resembled a spider, his aura was strange, yet he possessed such an ability to discern cause and effect and to see directly into people's hearts...

What exactly is he?

A chill ran down her spine, and she hesitated before speaking, "I can't think of anything to ask right now, so... I'll leave this question for later."

Old Master Zhuang was not surprised. He simply twirled the jade ring on his finger and chuckled, “It’s alright. You can ask after you’ve thought it through. But I must remind you that the question you haven’t asked can also be used as leverage. If you ever encounter another gambling game in the future, or if you need my help, asking this question will be much more useful than gold, silver, or jade.”

After saying that, he turned his gaze to Gu Lianzhou, his tone becoming a bit somber, "As for you, since you've lost, you should keep your promise."

Song Qiling's heart tightened suddenly, and she subconsciously looked at Gu Lianzhou.

What exactly are these so-called chips?

Could it really be some kind of unspeakable contract, where as long as the contracting party nods, Elder Zhuang can forcibly extract a sealed memory from the depths of his soul?

Gu Lianzhou remained calm.

From an angle she couldn't see, his eyelashes drooped slightly, and the thick shadows quietly concealed the turbulent emotions surging in his eyes, leaving only a bottomless pool that no one could fathom.

What makes his thoughts at this moment even more unfathomable.

Old Master Zhuang slowly turned the jade thumb ring between his fingers, and a faint light flowed quietly on the inside of the ring.

In an instant, a cold, fishy wind seemed to choke Song Qiling's breath, and the scene before her eyes began to distort and melt.

The red velvet-covered gambling table melted and faded like wax, and the surrounding light suddenly dimmed, replaced by a thick, nauseating blood-red color that seemed impossible to dissolve.

A strong, foul odor instantly filled my nostrils, carrying a sweet, cloying scent of rust and decay.

The muddy, filthy ground was littered with countless bird feathers stained with blood, and among these feathers lay... the carcasses of chickens.

Some necks were twisted at unnatural angles, revealing stark white bone fragments; some had their chests and abdomens completely ripped open, their internal organs spilling out in a mess; and others were still twitching slightly, their claws unconsciously leaving intermittent marks in the pool of blood.

Warm blood splattered, splashing onto the withered grass and staining the coarse cloth clothes of the thin figure in the center of the field of vision.

A pair of pale, childlike hands were trembling slightly, uncontrollably.

Thick, still-warm blood seeped from between his slender fingers, drop by drop, falling into the pool of blood beneath him, slowly spreading out in eerie ripples.

He gripped a dagger tightly in his hand.

At this moment, the once sharp blade was completely rolled up, and the blunt metal was covered with dark red flesh and blood fragments. Fine beads of blood were gathering along the blade, struggling for a moment at the tip before finally falling heavily to the ground.

The spy's gaze slowly moved upwards, tinged with hesitation, before finally settling on a fixed point.

As if suddenly sensing the invisible gaze from the distant future, the head that had been hanging low abruptly rose.

A young face was exposed to the view, its skin pale as if it had never seen the sun.

Those clear, black and white eyes reflected this bloody inferno.

There was no childlike panic in his eyes, nor the fear of a massacre, only a deathly silence, an almost nihilistic coldness, as if all emotions had been burned away in the killing just now.

Song Qiling's taut heart suddenly stopped beating at that moment, then began to pound wildly again, making her chest ache.

That look in his eyes...

She recognized it; it was...

Junior brother?