71: Chapter 71 Always Winning at Gambling

Niu Fei blocked Wu Xi with his body, glaring at the Black-Eyed Ghost, veins bulging on his neck, as he roared in a muffled voice: "What do you want? My big brother isn't going to gamble with you!"

Qiu Chuanxing kept his hand on the hilt of the blade at his waist.

Qiu Chuanxing turned his head and lowered his voice to a whisper: "Wu Xi, be careful, it's a trap."

Jiang Jiye gently tugged on Wu Xi's sleeve.

Wu Xi stepped forward and stood before the ebony gambling table. The edges of the table were polished smooth by countless hands, covered in scratches of varying depths, with dark brown stains remaining in some places.

"Fine."

The surrounding gamblers swarmed over, packing the area tightly. Some whistled, some jeered loudly, and others had already begun placing bets; copper coins and broken silver pieces hit the table with a clattering sound.

"Is this kid crazy? He dares to gamble with the Black-Eyed Ghost?"

"He looks so delicate; I'm afraid after he loses, the Kouqia Ghost will strangle him to death!"

The Black-Eyed Ghost's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward slightly, like a hungry wolf spotting its prey: "Your Excellency is indeed a straightforward person! Speak, how do you want to gamble? Best of how many rounds? Name your stakes; as long as I have it, I can play with you."

Wu Xi scanned the gambling table.

On the table sat a black dice cup made of dark, sunken wood, engraved with dense, intricate runes. He extended a finger and tapped the cup lightly, producing a dull thud.

"Best of three."

"First round, betting on Big or Small."

The Black-Eyed Ghost picked up the dice cup, weighed it in his hand, and laughed: "Betting on Big or Small? Good! It's the simplest and the fairest!"

He flipped his wrist.

The dice cup spun rapidly in his hand, making a "whooshing" sound. The surrounding noise vanished instantly; everyone held their breath, their eyes locked on the spinning cup.

The Black-Eyed Ghost's wrist turned faster and faster.

It became so fast that only a blur remained, and the sound of the dice colliding inside the cup became indistinct. A sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he quietly moved his left hand behind his back and quickly formed a seal with his fingers.

"Hum—"

A faint wisp of black Qi spilled from his fingertips and silently slipped into the dice cup.

Wu Xi narrowed his eyes slightly.

Just then, a cold, mechanical voice sounded in his mind: "Detection: Dark Sunken Wood Dice Cup, crafted from thousand-year-old dark sunken wood, infused with a trace of Greed power, dice result locked to 'Big'."

The Black-Eyed Ghost slammed the table. "Clap!"

The dice cup landed heavily on the table, the spinning stopped abruptly, and the entire gambling den fell silent, with only the heavy breathing of the crowd audible.

"Place your bets!" the Black-Eyed Ghost shouted, staring fixedly at Wu Xi, "Your Excellency, betting Big or Small?"

Niu Fei stomped his feet in anxiety: "Big brother! Don't bet! This old guy is definitely cheating!"

Qiu Chuanxing also frowned: "Wu Xi, think about it again."

Jiang Jiye was so nervous that her palms were sweating, and she gripped Wu Xi's sleeve even tighter.

Wu Xi looked up.

He looked into the Black-Eyed Ghost's pitch-black eyes and said calmly: "I bet Small."

"What?!"

The surrounding gamblers were in an uproar. "He's crazy! This kid is absolutely crazy!"

"The dice the Black-Eyed Ghost shakes are always whatever he wants them to be—Big or Small!"

"I think this kid is tired of living!"

The smile on the Black-Eyed Ghost's face became even brighter.

He shook his head with feigned regret: "Your Excellency, are you sure? There's still time to change."

"I am sure." Wu Xi's voice showed no fluctuation.

"Good!" the Black-Eyed Ghost shouted, "Since Your Excellency is so confident, I shall reveal it!"

He reached out to lift the dice cup.

Just then, Wu Xi suddenly spoke: "Wait."

The Black-Eyed Ghost's hand stopped in mid-air: "What? Cold feet?"

At this moment, Wu Xi had secretly absorbed the greed-desire on the dice cup and said: "Since you are so confident, you wouldn't mind if I open it, would you?"

The Black-Eyed Ghost paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Very well! Please!"

The surrounding gamblers became even more excited. "I bet on the Black-Eyed Ghost! Ten taels of silver!" "I also bet on the Black-Eyed Ghost! Twenty taels!"

Wu Xi slammed the dice cup open.

Everyone craned their necks, eyes locked on the dice inside the cup.

"One! Two! Three! Six points, Small!"

Someone shouted.

The entire gambling den instantly went quiet.

Everyone was stunned, the smiles on their faces frozen, their eyes wide, unable to believe what they were seeing.

The smile on the Black-Eyed Ghost's face also vanished instantly.

He stared fixedly at the three dice in the cup; they lay there neatly—one, two, and three—adding up to exactly six points, Small.

"Impossible!"

The Black-Eyed Ghost slammed the table and shouted sharply: "This is impossible! I clearly..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

He looked up sharply, staring intensely at Wu Xi, his eyes filled with shock and anger: "You are the one who played tricks!"

Wu Xi said calmly: "A bet is a bet."

The Black-Eyed Ghost's face turned from blue to white, and he said in a low voice: "Second round, betting on Odd or Even."

He picked up the dice cup and began shaking it again.

This time, he shook it harder and faster. Black Qi surged from his entire body like small black snakes, slipping into the dice cup.

"Detection: Dark Sunken Wood Dice Cup, crafted from thousand-year-old dark sunken wood, infused with a trace of Greed power, dice result locked to 'Even'."

Wu Xi remained expressionless; the Black-Eyed Ghost slammed the table again, and the cup fell.

"Place your bets!" He panted, his eyes bloodshot, "This time, what do you bet on?"

Wu Xi said: "I bet on Odd," then repeated his previous trick.

A sinister smile appeared on the Black-Eyed Ghost's face: "Good! Let's see how you win this time!" He slammed the dice cup open.

"One! Three! Five! Nine points, Odd!"

Another gasp erupted. The Black-Eyed Ghost looked at the dice in the cup, his body swaying, nearly falling over.

"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible..." he muttered to himself, his eyes unfocused, "Why... Why is it like this..."

The Shusha Ghost and the Kouqia Ghost behind him also turned pale, instinctively stepping back.

The surrounding gamblers were in a complete frenzy. "He won! He won again!" "Too amazing! Is this kid the God of Gamblers?" "The Black-Eyed Ghost is finished today!"

The Black-Eyed Ghost looked up sharply.

His eyes turned blood-red, like an injured beast. He stared intensely at Wu Xi, gritting his teeth as he said: "Third round! Betting on life! If you win, my life is yours! If you lose, I want your soul!"

Wu Xi looked at him for a long time, then shook his head.

"I am not betting on your life."

The Black-Eyed Ghost paused: "Then what do you want to bet?"

Wu Xi looked at the Black-Eyed Ghost's left eye. He said word for word: "I bet on your left eye."

The Black-Eyed Ghost paused at first, then burst into laughter.

He laughed until he was leaning back and forth, tears almost coming out, pointing at Wu Xi: "My left eye? Hahaha! Did someone tell you that this is my weakness?"

The Bowl-Playing Ghost and the Begging Ghost behind him exchanged glances, embarrassment on their faces, and they lowered their heads involuntarily.

His gaze became extremely sinister, staring at Wu Xi like a viper: "Do you think I would be afraid? Good! I'll bet with you! If you win, my left eye is yours! If you lose, I want your soul!"

"It's a deal," Wu Xi said calmly.

The Black-Eyed Ghost took a deep breath and picked up the dice cup again.

This time, he didn't shake it; instead, he clutched the dice cup tightly to his chest, closed his eyes, and muttered incantations.

Black mist surged wildly from his body, shrouding the entire gambling table. The surrounding temperature dropped by several degrees instantly, and the gamblers couldn't help but shiver.

"Detection: Dark Sunken Wood Dice Cup, crafted from thousand-year-old dark sunken wood, infused with a trace of Greed power, dice result locked to 'Triple Six', will erupt the moment it is opened, consuming the sanity of everyone nearby."

Wu Xi narrowed his eyes slightly; so that was it.

"Go to hell!"

The Black-Eyed Ghost roared and slammed the dice cup open.

"Hum—" A terrifying black shockwave erupted from the dice cup, instantly sweeping through the entire gambling den.

The surrounding gamblers smelled this aura, and their eyes instantly turned blood-red.

They lunged at those around them like madmen, tearing, beating, and robbing each other.

"Mine! It's all mine!" "Kill him! His money is mine!" "Woman! I want a woman!"

The scene instantly became chaotic. Qiu Chuanxing drew his blade, stood in front of Jiang Jiye and Jiang Yuehong, and shouted sharply: "Get lost!"

Niu Fei also roared and slammed his fist into the ground.

"Boom!"

The immense force smashed a large crater into the ground; the gamblers who had lunged forward were sent flying, crashing to the ground, groaning and unable to get up.

The Black-Eyed Ghost lunged at Wu Xi with a sinister grin; his left hand had turned into a sharp claw, wreathed in black mist, striking towards Wu Xi's heart.

"Kid! You've been tricked! My left eye is not a weakness at all! It is my source of power! Once I kill you, your soul will be a great tonic for me!"

Wu Xi stood where he was, motionless.

Just as the Black-Eyed Ghost's sharp claw was about to grab him.

He suddenly reached out his hand.

He precisely grabbed the Black-Eyed Ghost's left wrist.

Then applied a little force.

"Snap!"

The sound of bones shattering rang out.

The Black-Eyed Ghost let out a shrill, miserable scream.

Wu Xi extended his other hand, his fingers plunging into the Black-Eyed Ghost's left eye socket.

"Ah—!"

The Black-Eyed Ghost's scream became even shriller.

He struggled desperately, but Wu Xi's hand was like an iron clamp, not moving an inch.

"Squish!"

A bloody eyeball was ripped out by Wu Xi and tossed onto the gambling table.

The eyeball landed on the table and did not stop rolling.

Instead, it spun around and around, emitting an eerie black light. An indescribable aura of greed emanated from the eyeball, more intense than before.

The Black-Eyed Ghost clutched his bleeding eye socket, fell to the ground, and rolled about in pain.

"No... My power... My power is gone..."

Just then.

"Wow! ...So rich... Greed-desire... Like!"

"Detection: Detected Greed Wheel Profound Pearl, perfectly round like a wheel, black as ink, turns into a pupil upon entering the eye, stirs greed as it rotates."

"Warning: Detected large amount of Greed-desire... has been devoured..."

"Warning: Detected Origin Greed-desire... has been devoured..."

Tentacle Lady: "Hiccup... So full... So happy..."

As Tentacle Lady devoured it, the black light on the eyeball quickly dimmed, finally turning into an ordinary, lifeless eyeball.

And the Black-Eyed Ghost, the moment Tentacle Lady devoured the Origin Greed-power, let out a heart-wrenching scream.

His body began to tremble violently, as if countless worms were wriggling beneath his skin. His originally pitch-black left eye was now a hollow void, with blood continuously flowing from the socket.

"No... Impossible... How could you possibly devour the Origin Greed..."