85: Turn the tables

A few days later, in the evening, the atmosphere inside the "Thousand Gold Workshop" was heavy. Around the largest "Heaven Number One" gambling table, two distinct groups of people stood—Manager Qian of the Cao Gang and the black-robed deacon of the Green Robe Tower. Both possessed Late-stage Grand Martial Master cultivation and stared coldly at the gambling table.

At one end of the gambling table sat "Ghost Hand" Liu the Fourth, his face tense. Relying on his extraordinary cheating skills, a pile of chips worth nearly a hundred thousand gold coins had accumulated before him. However, this was almost his limit, and it was also the current bottom line of liquid capital that the Hundred Flowers Palace's "Thousand Gold Workshop" could withstand. If he continued to win, the workshop's foundation would be severely damaged.

At the other end, Qin Feng sat with a calm expression. He didn't have many chips in front of him, but his presence there was a statement in itself.

Liu the Fourth felt bitter in his heart. His sister was still in the other party's hands, so he had to win. But on the Hundred Flowers Palace's side... Deacon Qin, who had saved his life, was sitting right across from him, making it difficult for him to give his all. He was suffering internally.

"Mr. Liu, you're on a winning streak," Qin Feng suddenly spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "Why don't we play a big one and settle the victory in a single round? I'll put up two hundred thousand gold coins and go all-in with you."

Two hundred thousand! This number made everyone present gasp. It was almost the sum of all the liquid chips on the table and the limit that the Hundred Flowers Palace could urgently mobilize!

Manager Qian of the Cao Gang and the black-robed deacon of the Green Robe Tower exchanged glances, a hint of greed and calculation flashing in their eyes. This was exactly what they wanted! Liu the Fourth had already won nearly a hundred thousand. If they could swallow these two million from the Hundred Flowers Palace in one go, that would be a massive profit of three hundred thousand! It would be enough to make the "Thousand Gold Workshop" never recover!

Liu the Fourth's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Qin Feng and saw the other man's deep gaze, filled with an unquestionable calmness. He understood instantly: Qin Feng was forcing his hand, but also creating an opportunity for him to settle things once and for all!

"Fine! Deacon Qin is a man of his word! I'm in!" Liu the Fourth pushed forward all the nearly one million chips in front of him; the capital provided by the Cao Gang and the Green Robe Tower had already been mixed in. In this single round, the stakes from both sides totaled four million gold coins! If he won, he might temporarily save his sister; if he lost... he didn't dare to think about it.

The dealer's hands trembled slightly as they brought out a brand-new set of Jade Tiles. It was a simple game of comparing points—pure luck, ruling out all cheating techniques.

The atmosphere froze as everyone's eyes focused on the set of tiles that was about to decide their fates.

At the critical moment just as the dealer was about to deal the tiles—

"Brother—!"

A familiar, tearful voice exploded like a clap of thunder!

Liu the Fourth's entire body shook violently as he whipped his head around! The crowd parted, and Xiao Chun walked over quickly, leading his sister, Liu Xiaowan, whom he had thought was imprisoned!

"Xiaowan! You... how did you..." Liu the Fourth was so agitated he became incoherent. He stood up abruptly, hardly able to believe his eyes.

Xiao Chun said loudly, "Mr. Liu, your sister was kidnapped by the Cao Gang a few days ago. Big Brother Qin risked his life to rescue her from the dock warehouse last night! They've been lying to you this whole time!"

The truth was like sunlight piercing through dark clouds!

Liu the Fourth understood everything in an instant! Why Qin Feng dared to suggest going all-in, why he was so calm! It turned out he had already rescued Xiaowan. His previous struggles and pain were a joke! A wave of anger at being deceived and gratitude toward Qin Feng intertwined, making his eyes sting.

He turned his head sharply, staring intently at the pale-faced Manager Qian and the black-robed deacon, his eyes nearly spitting fire.

Then, he took a deep breath, sat back down, looked at the dealer, and then at the tiles before him that would decide the "victory." At this moment, winning or losing was meaningless to him.

The dealer dealt the tiles. Qin Feng revealed his—a Nine of Hearts, not a very high score.

It was Liu the Fourth's turn. He slowly flipped over his tile—a Two of Spades! The lowest possible score!

He had lost! Despite having absolute control (he could have used cheating techniques like swapping tiles, but he couldn't do so under everyone's watchful eyes), he had drawn a tile that was almost guaranteed to lose—or rather, he "chose" to lose.

"Deacon Qin's skills are superior. I... am impressed," Liu the Fourth said in a raspy voice, carrying a hint of relieved exhaustion as he pushed all the chips in front of him toward Qin Feng. This meant he had not only "spit out" the hundred thousand he won tonight but also lost the hundred thousand gold coins of capital provided by the Cao Gang and the Green Robe Tower to the Hundred Flowers Palace!

Manager Qian of the Cao Gang was so furious his eyes nearly split. He pointed at Liu the Fourth and roared, "Liu the Fourth! What the hell are you doing?! That capital belongs to us!"

The black-robed deacon of the Green Robe Tower also had a sinister gaze that could kill.

Liu the Fourth looked at them coldly, his tone filled with mockery and anger. "In a casino, winning and losing are common occurrences! My luck was bad, I drew a Bie Shi, and a loss is a loss! Who can guarantee a win? As for the capital? The contract clearly states in black and white that it was 'operational funds,' not a loan to me! Do you want to go back on your word, or do you want to admit in front of the Hundred Flowers Palace and all these guests that you kidnapped my sister and coerced me into cheating?"

He dropped all pretenses and publicly exposed their dirty tactics.

Manager Qian and the black-robed deacon were left speechless, their faces turning pale and then flushed. The surrounding gamblers broke into a commotion, their eyes filled with disdain as they looked at the Cao Gang and the Green Robe Tower.

Qin Feng stood up at the right moment, collected the chips he had won (including the nearly one million in profit Liu the Fourth had won and the other party's capital), and said indifferently, "Gentlemen, the game is over. Please leave. If you're not satisfied, feel free to challenge us anytime according to the rules of the Jianghu. But if you want to cause trouble for no reason..." His gaze swept over the workshop's guards, his meaning self-evident.

Manager Qian and the black-robed deacon looked at the disdainful gazes around them and the clearly prepared personnel of the Hundred Flowers Palace. They knew they had been utterly defeated today, losing both their people and their money. Continuing to linger would only make them more of a laughingstock.

"Hmph! Let's go!" They didn't even bother with parting threats. Filled with frustration and anger, they left the Thousand Gold Workshop in disgrace.

Enthusiastic cheers and applause erupted inside the casino. The Hundred Flowers Palace had not only resolved the crisis and protected its business but also won a hundred thousand gold coins from the opponents, and completely exposed the despicable actions of the Cao Gang and the Green Robe Tower, gaining the absolute moral high ground.

Liu the Fourth took his sister's hand, walked up to Qin Feng, and gave a deep bow. His voice choked with emotion. "Deacon Qin, I will never forget your life-saving grace! From now on, I, Liu the Fourth, am at your disposal!"

Qin Feng helped him up and said sincerely, "There's no need for such formality, Mr. Liu. It's enough that your sister is safe. From now on, you're one of us. I'll need you to put in a lot of effort regarding the security of the Thousand Gold Workshop."

After this battle, Qin Feng completely established his core position in the West Lake City branch through his decisive methods, precise intelligence, and ability to resolve crises. Meanwhile, the Alliance between the Cao Gang and the Green Robe Tower developed unbridgeable cracks because of this incident. The coming storms no longer seemed so terrifying.