Ninth In the World

Panda Novel

“Great! I have finally met a young hero today,” Feng Qi said dramatically as he gave Di Jiu the thumbs-up.

Di Jiu’s voice seemed much flatter in comparison. “No, you have not. You will meet him later.”

“I’ll keep my eyes peeled then.” Feng Qi started shaking the dice cup in his hand. The three dice in the cup started twirling, as if controlled by a mysterious force.

The sound of the dice within the cup was sometimes crisp, sometimes muffled.

A few minutes later, the cup landed on the table with a thud.

“You may place your bet, my friend.” Feng Qi extended his palm towards Di Jiu with a smile.

Di Jiu, who had had a vague feeling while Feng Qi had been shaking the dice, now saw it very clearly. The numbers on the dice were 2, 4 and 6. His mental strength was as strong as ever, so he could see through the cup and look at the numbers on the dice with his own eyes.

It seemed like his initial feeling had been right, even though his mental strength had definitely not picked that up. He could see the numbers on the three dice under the cup, which was about a meter away from him.

Di Jiu breathed in sharply. The dice cup was black, so there was no way he could see through it with naked eyes. However, he could still see the three dice and the numbers on them.

When he activated his mental strength, he was surprised to discover that he was able to see clearly the anxious expressions of the people behind him.

He could use his mental strength like an extra pair of eyes. This was definitely a new dharma spell derived from the cultivation of the Major Conduit Internal Records, just like the fireball and wind blade spells. Judging by his enhanced mental strength, he would be better at using the fireball and wind blade spells, as they were more accurate and powerful.

Di Jiu took a deep breath. Such a huge discovery was worth losing all his money.

“Looks like you are quite confident about winning, my friend. Please place your bet. You could bet 5 billion in one go, or 100 million 50 times,” Feng Qi said calmly.

Di Jiu urged a ray of Quintessential Essence that he controlled into the dice cup. When it touched the dice, he realized the numbers on them were exactly what he had predicted earlier. He could move and roll the dice over easily by combining his Quintessential Essence with the mental strength he had been able to cast earlier.

Di Jiu did not touch the dice in the cup. He had initially planned on using his Quintessential Essence to flip the cup after Feng Qi shook it. However, now that he had activated his mental strength, he was able to see the numbers on the dice clearly, combine his mental strength with his Quintessential Essence and roll the dice at will. As a result, he would not have to resort to the lowly method of flipping the cup.

Di Jiu let out a hearty laugh. “You are right. Betting small amounts would take too long. I will just bet it all at once.”

He then piled all his chips on 666. “I bet 666 five-of-a-kind.”

Everyone around held their breath. They were witnessing the greatest, most unrestrained gamble they would probably witness in their lives. A 5-billion bet was unheard of in the casino’s entire history. That aside, if Di Jiu did win, the money he would win would be a lot more than the money he had bet. Betting on five-of-a-kind would yield him 50 times his original bet.

His winnings would be 250 billion. The casino may not even be able to afford to pay him.

Feng Qi was just as stunned as everyone else. He had not expected that Di Jiu would have the guts to bet 5 billion on 666 five-of-a-kind. He had never seen anyone gamble like that. He had personally made an unrestrained bet worth 5 billion before, but he had never seen someone bet all 5 billion on five-of-a-kind.

Had he not known the numbers on the dice, he would also have been really nervous.

“Alright, I will reveal the dice!” Feng Qi calmed down, as he knew that Di Jiu would win. He did not even understand why he had been surprised earlier.

“Wait!” Di Jiu stopped Feng Qi as the latter was about to uncover the cup.

“If I won, would the casino afford to pay me 250 billion alliance dollars?” Di Jiu asked quietly as everyone looked at him in confusion.

No one thought that his question was out of place. If Di Jiu lost the bet, nothing would happen, but if he were to win, it was uncertain whether the casino would be able to pay him.

“Ha ha ha… You are indeed a young hero. I never expected that anyone would question whether our casino can afford to pay them their winnings. I, Qian Qijiang, can guarantee that my casino can pay any amount of money you can bet.”

A frail old man with a protruding forehead walked out, holding a pipe that emitted wisps of smoke. The edges of the pipe were dark, indicating that the old man smoked for long periods of time.

Thanks to his mental strength, Di Jiu could tell that the opium pipe was a secret weapon. The gears of the opium pipe were very close to each other, and there was also a piece of black wire inside the pipe. Di Jiu realized that this old man was a sinister fellow.

“How much is your guarantee worth?” he rebutted mockingly without hesitation. “I won’t believe you unless I see the money with my own eyes.”

Qian Qijiang’s face instantly darkened. “Did you come here to cause trouble, my friend? I meant what I said. We can afford to pay you. Do you really expect me to show you 250 billion in cold, hard cash?”

The Heavenly Immortal Casino earned up to 100 billion dollars a day, so Qian Qijiang would never allow anyone to cause trouble there.

Di Jiu took out his bank card. “I have some loose change of about two billion dollars in here. Transfer the money to this card and leave the card on the table. If I lose, you can take the card and all the money in it. You will get to keep the change. If I win though, the card belongs to me.”

“I wish I could say yes, but unfortunately, I cannot transfer the money out of your card once I put it in,” Qian Qijiang said calmly.

Then, he turned to the girl beside him without waiting for Di Jiu’s reply. “Minnie, bring me a blank card from the Starry Sky Bank. We will transfer 250 billion to a Starry Sky Bank account. How about you keep this card if you win, my friend? Everyone knows that the Heavenly Immortal Casino is a no-nonsense place.”

His last words had been directed at Di Jiu.

Di Jiu realized that the casino would have a huge problem if they transferred the money to his account. Although the casino did not expect to lose this sum of money, they would still not be able to get the money back after transferring it. Thus, they were not interested in Di Jiu’s bank card.

“Agreed.” Di Jiu nodded. If only he had a Starry Sky Bank account…

Minnie rushed off to bring the bank card and a laptop, even though she was extremely surprised that Qian Qijiang was really going to transfer the money.

Di Jiu’s suspicions had been right. The Heavenly Immortal Casino could not afford to pay him 250 billion dollars in cash. The money Qian Qijiang had were the funds various people had pooled together to attend the Fairy Planet Treasure Auction. Qian Qijiang was merely an errand runner who was supposed to help others buy specific items at the auction.

As this money was not solely owned by the Heavenly Immortal Casino, Minnie found Qian Qijiang’s words unbelievable.

However, she still reappeared in less than a minute with a laptop and a Starry Sky Bank card.

Under the watchful eyes of Di Jiu and everyone else, Minnie transferred 250 billion dollars into the Starry Sky Bank account.

“Feel reassured now?” Qian Qijiang asked Di Jiu once the card had been placed in the middle of the table.

Di Jiu gave him a faint smile. “Not really. Could you do us another favor, Miss Minnie? Transfer the 250 billion to my card, but don’t confirm the transaction. If I lose, you may cancel the transaction. You will only have to confirm it if I win. How’s that?”

Di Jiu knew that Qian Qijiang would have to enter a one-time password to authorize the fund transfer. The last step was pressing a confirmation button.

250 billion dollars was not a small sum, so if Qian Qijiang was not willing to cooperate, then there was no point in winning.

Qian Qijiang felt both enraged and amused at the same time. He turned towards Minnie, who had been looking at him expectantly. “Do as he says.”

“Yes, sir!” Minnie followed Di Jiu’s instructions and took all the necessary steps.

Everyone else thought that Di Jiu was ignorant. If the Heavenly Immortal Casino was not willing to part with the money, he would not be able to leave in one piece even if they had transferred the money to his account.

“Can we reveal the dice now? Or shall we get someone else to uncover the cup?” Qian Qijiang said with a hint of disdain.

Di Jiu laughed. “Not bad. Yes, we can reveal it now. You will reveal the dice, since I was the one who placed the bet. Show me!”