Based on what's shown, I'm guessing the dealer's hole card is another Ace!
"I want more."
This stirred up the group of thugs. Xiao Liu said coldly, "You're not planning to take the rest of the cards back to buy time, are you?"
Getting this card back would be worth 20 points, which would normally be considered extremely generous and considerate. However, since I have a free insider and another chance, I'm not going to miss it. You could tell with the naked eye that the scoundrel was staring blankly at his hole cards, thinking: "Holy crap, is this even possible?"
I couldn't believe the next card was another Ace. I even suspected that this scoundrel knew someone could read his mind and was deliberately sabotaging me, but of course that was impossible.
This time, I took the initiative to reach out to the dealer and said, "Give me another one."
Xiao Liu warned me with a stern face: "If the cards are revealed and I find out you've already blown your winnings, don't blame me for being rude to you."
I took the last card and tossed it onto the table along with the rest of my hand, saying, "21." I then flipped over Xiao Liu's cards: 7, 8, 5, 20 points. No wonder he was smiling so broadly earlier. (Regarding blackjack, the rules vary from place to place, but there are very detailed regulations regarding the card-dealing process. Xiao Qiang's actions are unlikely in reality; don't delve into the details, and certainly don't imitate them!)
I picked up my bag, told Liu Bang and Black Widow I was leaving. How I wished I could just walk away peacefully like this, but as it turns out, fate rarely smiles upon us—
"Stop right there!" Xiao Liu grabbed my hand of cards with a sneer: "Six cards make 21 points. If you didn't cheat, I'll rip your head off!"
I turned around and said, "The cards and the people are all yours, what more do you want?"
Xiao Liu slammed his fist on the table: "Anyway, you can't get out of here!"
I laughed triumphantly, looking up at the sky: "Do you really want to fight me?"
Xiao Liu paused for a moment, then immediately said arrogantly, "So what if you're the Sanda King? I don't believe you can take down all of us number 20 by yourself."
I smiled faintly and confidently pointed behind me: "I have two brothers..." When I turned around, there was no one there!
Just then, I heard a voice at my feet say, "Did you say it's dead or not?"
Another voice: "Dead..."
I looked down and there was the most bizarre scene in the book so far!
Zhao Bailian squatted down, hugging his legs and resting his head on his knees, intently observing a dead bee on the ground. Jing Ke simply knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his hands, his eyes also fixed on the dead bee.
Not only was I stunned, but everyone present was stunned. It was truly bizarre! Two men, a combined 60, were bending over, observing bees, and Jing Ke looked so imposing—this feeling went beyond ridiculousness and comicality; it was downright chilling. This must have been how Linghu Chong and his companions felt when they saw Dongfang Bubai embroidering!
The two fools were completely unaware of the changes in the outside world. Zhao Bailian picked up two grass stalks, used them to pick up the dead bee, and said, "Put it next to the ant hole, and there will be a bunch of ants in a while."
Jing Ke: "Hmm..."
I broke down instantly. I couldn't take it anymore. I knew we were doomed, finished, and about to kick the bucket and die. I immediately changed my expression and said to Xiao Liu with a grin, "Actually, in this bag I have..."
Before I could finish speaking, one of the thugs laughed and kicked Jing Ke in the butt, cursing, "So you're just two idiots."
Jing Ke patted his butt, looked back, then lifted his face along the legs, his severely astigmatic eyes fixed on the thug, and asked, "Did you kick me?"
The thug was starting to feel uneasy under their gaze and said, "Yes...it's me."
Abruptly, Jing Ke sprang up and shoved the thug in the stomach with his shoulder, sending him flying. In the corner of the courtyard, a large pot of wonton soup was bubbling away; with a splash, the thug tumbled into it. He sat halfway in, flailed his arms and legs a couple of times, and then let out a heart-wrenching howl. Jing Ke stood to the side, tilting his head and hands on his hips, watching him with amusement.
Zhao Bailian looked up, chuckled twice, and continued watching the bees...
The scene continues to be bizarre...
In this situation, no one even thought to help the boy in the soup pot; they all just stood there dumbfounded. The boy screamed and tried to jump out, gripping the pot with both hands. Just as he was about to succeed, Jing Ke added a timely kick, clearly determined not to give up until he knew the boy well.
This finally aroused public outrage, and a thug closest to Jing Ke punched him in the lower back. Without saying a word, Jing Ke turned around and punched the thug in the face. In an instant, the man's face was twisted, blood splattered everywhere, mixed with a few pieces of jade—about two-thirds of his teeth.
This was the first time I'd ever seen Jing Ke in action; his ruthlessness was absolutely unlike anything I'd ever witnessed. I'd always forgotten his true identity: he was an assassin.
I felt confident, and with a smile, I looked at Xiao Liu, holding up the bag in my hand and said, "You want this?"
Perhaps my laughter misled him; he thought I was going to pay up and said, "Give it to me."
"Here!" I swung the bag around in a wide arc. Looking back where my bag had passed, Xiao Liu's hands were already throbbing like two old ginseng roots. It proved that catching a flying brick with your hands was a irrational act, even if the brick was covered with a layer of skin.
This isn't your average bag; a regular bag would have broken its strap long ago if you swung it around like that. There's a poem about the secret of this bag: "A tough guy's brick-like bag, a bun in his hand's thread. Sewed tightly before departure, fearing a long and delayed return."
Chaos erupted immediately. Seven or eight of the thugs, regaining their composure, surrounded Jing Ke and began to beat him, raining punches down on him. But Ersha remained calm and collected, slowly returning the blows one by one. To accurately describe Ersha, one could only say he was somewhere between Hu Sanniang and Zhu Gui—ruthless and vicious. He dodged punches whenever possible, and if dodging wasn't convenient, he retaliated anyway. Judging by his physique, dealing with those people shouldn't be a problem.
My strategy was to catch the leader first, but Xiao Liu was slippery as a fish; he slithered away into the back of the crowd, hands trembling. I grabbed my bag and chased after him. Just then, two thugs came running at me, sleeves rolled up, ready to fight. I yelled, "Who dares?"
The title of "King of Sanda" wasn't just for show, and with my blustering shout (though my underlying weakness wasn't apparent), the two thugs quickly retreated. However, this created a burden for Jing Ke: nearly 20 people formed a circle, preferring to wait rather than challenge me, and I dared not easily go over; if I were surrounded, my title of "King of Sanda" would be exposed.
This made the situation even more critical. If Ersha couldn't hold on, we'd all be doomed here. Now we had no choice but to fight for our lives. I shouted to Liu Bang and Black Widow, "You two take Xiao Zhao and go first." After saying that, I checked the bricks and prepared to launch a suicidal attack.
Liu Bang first pushed the Black Widow out, then pulled Zhao Bailian, who was squatting on the ground, up and ran outside. After Zhao Bailian got up, he found that Jing Ke was gone. He exclaimed "Huh!" and realized that Jing Ke was trapped in the enemy's formation. Zhao Bailian broke free from Liu Bang, looked around, picked up a... fly swatter, and slowly walked over.
I yelled, "Xiao Zhao, come back!"
But it was all too late...
Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Man Closest to God
Zhao Bailian walked to the back of the crowd, first peeking at Jing Ke who was surrounded inside, then patted the shoulder of the thug on the outermost edge. The guy turned around, stunned, and said, "You…"
"Slap!" Before he could say anything, Zhao Bailian slapped him across the face with a fly swatter, leaving a mark like a Go board.
"Damn it!" the thug roared in fury and slapped me across the face. I gasped; if Zhao Bailian, with his small frame, were to take that slap, he'd be crippled.
However, if you look closely, you will find that the moment the thug swung his hand, Zhao Bailian had already started to bend down. By the time the thug swung his hand over, Zhao Bailian was already half-squatting on the ground. The hand just passed over his head and missed.
"Smack!" Zhao Bailian slapped the thug again with his backhand, leaving a slap on the other side of his face. After the two slaps, the thug seemed a little unsteady on his feet, swaying dazedly for a few moments. I seized the opportunity, stepped forward, and knocked him down...
Zhao Bai looked down at him, then up at me, looking somewhat flustered. Finally, he said to me very seriously, "Don't interfere."