Li Xi and her group were invited to the VIP room, where they faced the casino manager.
The person in charge was a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and a sly smile on his face. "You guys had a great time."
"Who are you?" A tall, burly man emerged from the darkness.
His eyes were deeply sunken in their sockets, and he exuded a fierce aura.
“We’re just here to play a few rounds,” Li Xi replied calmly.
Li Xi and Chen Quan exchanged a glance, knowing that this was part of their plan.
The person in charge sized up Li Xi and her group of four, his eyes full of suspicion. "Are you new here? I've never seen you before," he asked Li Xi, his gaze sharp.
Li Xi remained calm and replied in a steady tone, "We did come here for sightseeing. We heard that the casinos here are quite famous, so we wanted to try our luck. As for what you said about winning tens of thousands of taels of silver, we relied entirely on luck and skill, and had no intention of cheating."
The casino manager's tone was cold and threatening: "If you don't tell us how you cheated, don't even think about leaving here."
The tall man behind him stared intently at Li Xi and the others, his eyes piercing, as if he were ready to pounce at any moment. The atmosphere in the entire casino instantly became tense, as if a storm was about to break.
However, Li Xi did not show the slightest panic in the face of such threats and pressure. She remained calm and composed, her gaze firmly meeting that of the casino manager.
“Cheating?” Li Xi smiled slightly, his tone revealing a hint of disdain. “We have never done so. If you really think we won so much money because of cheating, then please investigate thoroughly before making a decision.”
Her tone conveyed a strength that was neither humble nor arrogant, as if she could remain calm and steadfast no matter what difficulties she faced.
The casino manager frowned, his gaze shifting back and forth between Li Xi and her companions. He seemed to be trying to find evidence of their cheating, but to no avail.
"Do you dare to make a bet with me?" The person in charge wanted to see for himself how he cheated.
Li Xi remained calm, seemingly unmoved by the challenge from the person in charge. She smiled gently and replied, "Since you want to verify it yourself, let's have a fair bet. However, I won't hold back."
A glint of ruthlessness flashed in the manager's eyes. He nodded: "Very good, I like people with guts. Let's take a gamble. If you win, I'll personally escort you out."
Li Xi smiled slightly, a hint of confidence flashing in her eyes: "This bet isn't much, but I accept it."
Li Xi wore a dark blue silk robe with dark floral patterns, his hair was tied up in a high bun, and his handsome face exuded an undeniable air of heroism.
The game began, and the two men sat facing each other, their dominoes becoming their weapons in the contest.
Li Xi remained calm, each card played with careful consideration, while the person in charge handled the situation with ease, seemingly having every hand under his control.
The atmosphere inside the gambling den was tense; the group held their breath, afraid of missing any detail.
As the game progressed, Li Xi gradually realized that the person in charge of the game had extraordinary card skills; every move he made was unpredictable to her.
However, Li Xi did not panic. With her extraordinary wisdom and rich experience, she gradually figured out the bookmaker's tricks and found a way to break them.
Finally, in the crucial round, Li Xi defeated the person in charge with a superb hand of cards and won the competition.
"You flatter me." Li Xi politely bowed with her hands clasped.
The people at the casino were incredulous; they never expected that Master Liu would actually lose.
Master Liu hadn't expected Li Xi to be so capable, and for a moment he didn't know what to do. He gave a wink to the thugs behind him.
Just as they were about to rush forward, Uncle Zhao stepped in front of them, his drawn sword gleaming coldly. He was clearly prepared for any unexpected situation.
"Master Liu, we're not here to cause trouble, we're just looking for someone." Li Xi's tone was calm yet firm.
Old Liu chuckled sarcastically and said, "Looking for someone? People come and go here every day, how could I possibly know who you're looking for?"
Chen Quan remained unmoved, took out a hand-drawn portrait from his pocket, and handed it to Master Liu.
Master Liu took the painting, examined it closely, and a look of surprise flashed across his face. Wasn't this the person he had bet against a few days ago? He had won, but he didn't want Li Xi to know.
"What? Do you remember?" Li Xi keenly caught Liu Ye's momentary hesitation and thought to herself, it seems that the offer was not enough.
"You can leave now, I've never seen this person before." With that, he tried to kick them out.
"Hey, hey, don't rush me. I have something I'd like to talk to you about alone." Li Xi leisurely played with the silver notes she had just won, her eyes revealing confidence and composure.
Master Liu glanced at the silver notes in Li Xi's hand, a flicker of greed crossing his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. He coughed twice, trying to mask his lapse in composure, and then asked, "What do you want to talk about?"
Li Xi smiled slightly, stood up, and extended her hand to Master Liu. "Let's talk in private."
Mr. Liu hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded and followed Li Xi to a relatively secluded corner.
"Mr. Liu, I bet you're just an employee, right? Or rather, the one in charge of managing this casino. Watching the money roll in every day, while you only get such a meager monthly salary, I doubt you feel any resentment." Li Xi's words carried a hint of mockery, yet were not without truth.
Master Liu's expression changed slightly; Li Xi had hit the nail on the head. He was indeed just an employee; although the casino business was booming, his share of the profits was pitifully small. Watching those banknotes flow in and out like water every day, he truly felt resentful.
"You... what do you want to say?" Master Liu's tone was somewhat stiff, clearly moved by Li Xi's words.
Li Xi smiled slightly, took out a few silver notes from his pocket, and gently placed them on the table.
"What I'm trying to say is, if you're willing to help me find that person, these silver notes are yours. And this is just the beginning; if I need your help again in the future, I'll give you more."
Master Liu stared at the silver notes on the table, the amount of which left him speechless—a full three thousand taels!
This sum of money was astronomical for him, enough for two lifetimes to spend. A glint of greed flashed in his eyes, as if he could already see his future life of wealth and luxury.
He began to imagine what it would be like if he could continue to help Li Xi. A house full of wives and concubines, surrounded by children, living a life of extravagance and debauchery. Such a temptation was simply too great for him.
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