When it came to the final moment of the bowl, Hank placed his two large hands on the bowl lid, while the eight fingers below rested on the base. Then, he gently tapped the bowl three or four times before placing it lightly on the table.
Zhou Xuan's understanding of the betting limits Zhuang Zhixian mentioned was far less than Hank and Sato's. He didn't really understand the five million betting limit. He didn't know if it meant betting at least five million every time, like the bottom of a pot in a game, or if it meant the amount that increased each time the price was raised after betting.
After placing the bowl of marrow on the table, Hank smiled at Zuo Xi and Zhou Xuan, shrugging and saying, "You two, let's make it!"
Zhou Xuan was behind Sato. The order of play should have been Sato to make his bet first, so he watched how Sato played his chips and then played the same way.
At the table, Zhuang Zhixian had his men bring out chips worth 1 billion yuan. There were only two types of chips: small ones worth 5 million yuan each and large ones worth 100,000 yuan each. Each person had ten large chips worth 100,000 yuan each and fifty small chips worth 5 million yuan each.
When Sato was listening intently to Hank's thumb, Zhou Xuan had already been observing with his icy energy. He wasn't just focusing on the marrow points in the bowl; he was also secretly observing Sato and Hank's movements, as well as Zhuang Zhixian and Ma Shu. In fact, he was paying even more attention to Zhuang Zhixian and Ma Shu, as Niu Shenying and Wei Haihong's safety was still on their shoulders. Of course, he was also wary of Ma Shu's mind-reading ability, building a firewall in his mind with his icy energy.
Hank's thumbs-up was strange; it was five twos and one one, almost six twos.
Without hesitation, Sato threw down a five million bet, saying, "Little one, just throwing in five million for fun, Wu Wu Shui!"
Zhou Xuan was behind him, wondering if he was being deliberately cunning or just trying to bully someone. After thinking it over, he decided it was best to keep a low profile and keep it low-key. If he were being deliberately cunning, it would be too obvious.
Even if it means losing five million, it's still a small amount.
Zhou Xuan threw down a chip worth a million, then said, "Mr. Hank, you're acting as the dealer, right? If you reveal your hand, you'll take all the winnings, won't you?"
Zhou Xuan's statement stunned everyone present. Wasn't that a rather foolish question? It was the simplest of legal questions, yet he still asked it.
Hank gave a thumbs-up and replied, "Yang, let me clarify something. I'm not the dealer; I'm just saying you're not trading with me. But if you think I'm being unfair and don't want to be with you, then I'll trade with you. So, if I'm being unreasonable, it doesn't mean I'm taking advantage of you all. Only when we're all willing to trade can it be considered a true deal!"
Upon hearing Hank's testimony, Zhou Xuan felt a pang of guilt!
In Hank's words, this kind of handicap only goes well when the points they hear don't match their actual feeling. It's not like poker, where every round is a sure thing, and if you can't win, you at least lose the pot. If Hank and his friends were to play, and if all three of them thought the same way, then the round would be a sure thing. If they all thought the same way, there would be no sure thing, and they might not even win a whole day.
This aligned with Zhou Xuan's initial thoughts. However, since he wasn't confident he could remain unaffected by Zhuang Zhixian's control, he dared not advance or win. Allowing the situation to continue indefinitely was the best option for him.
Hank glanced at the two five-million-dollar chips on the table and said, "I'm not going to be presumptuous, but this group, I've got eleven points to offer, who among you is willing to be the best?"
Zuo Tai narrowed his eyes. In a situation where there was no possibility of cheating, he could only rely on his hearing, eyesight, memory, and experience to deal with it. He was a renowned cheating king. If a cheating king couldn't cheat, it would be like a tiger losing its teeth!
Sato listened to Hank's suggestion and thought about it. At first glance, the little guy was clueless. Hank was indeed a formidable opponent. However, Zhou Xuan, whom he had just attacked, hadn't yet shown anything unusual. It turned out that Zhou Xuan had followed his lead and placed the same bet, or rather, he was just following the trend. He didn't have his own opinions, but it's also possible that he had overheard it. In any case, it's impossible to tell anything from the little guy. It's a fifty percent coincidence, so it's not surprising that he would do anything.
Sato Chen paused for a moment and then said, "Mr. Hank, I won't go with your 11 o'clock order. I'll give you five 2-point orders and one 1-point order. Are you willing?"
The explanation of "Zuo Xi Jie" hasn't changed much; it's still eleven points. However, the difficulty has increased significantly. If we're talking about the sum of eleven points with six points, there are still many variations. The larger the sum, the more variables there are. The number of variations for eleven points isn't that many, only eight results. But to categorize it into five two-point combinations and one one-point combination in a very detailed way still requires some skill.
Hank chuckled, shrugged, and indicated he wasn't going to play this round.
Then the two of them looked at Zhou Xuan. Zhou Xuan smiled faintly and nodded, saying, "No!"
Hank smiled and opened the lid of the cup. The beads inside were arranged in a semi-circle. The first three were two dots, the fourth was one dot, and the last two were two dots. Sure enough, it was eleven dots, exactly the same as Sato's estimate of five two dots and one dot. This game made Zhuang Zhixian and Ma Shu realize that Hank and Sato were indeed well-deserved masters!
Zhou Xuan had only just begun to understand the Dao of the Muddy Wood, but he hadn't lost yet, which was considered a good result against Fu Ni. Seeing Zhou Xuan's current performance, Zhuang Zhixian still didn't show much dissatisfaction. After all, the game had only just begun, and Zhou Xuan hadn't yet learned to play. Any player, when playing against someone new, would observe for a period of time before rashly engaging in a life-or-death struggle with their opponent.
In this round, it can be considered that all three players have given up, and the result is the same for everyone.
Hank put the loose wine in the cup, covered it, and smacked it a few more times. The first few smacks were quick, but the last two were slow and jerky. If you could hear the sound, it was still a bit chaotic. Sato frowned at this.
Hank's technique was indeed a bit too clever for Sato to notice, but it couldn't be hidden from Zhou Xuan. Under Zhou Xuan's icy aura, everything was under his watchful eye. No matter how secretive or elaborate the technique, how could it be kept from him?
Hank skillfully used his first few quick thumb strikes to prop one of his seeds against the side of the bowl. His subsequent two thumb strikes only caused the other five seeds to scatter, which then shifted in a pattern from one to five. The crucial seed, however, was leaning against the side at an angle – that's hard to say.
The top half of the screen is showing a six, but it's tilted halfway. If Hank were to lift the lid and move it inwards by even a tiny bit, an outsider wouldn't notice anything amiss. But even that tiny movement would cause the screen to tilt down to a five. If Hank didn't move the lid inwards by that tiny bit, and instead tilted it straight or outwards, the screen would be six.
So this point of deception has just changed. Under the probing of the icy air, Zhou Xuan's mind was now as clear as a mirror. He was calmly considering how to play his next move behind Sato. Was his navel a six or a five? (To be continued)
Volume 1, Chapter 309: Mishap
Er Teng was indeed unsure, and after some hesitation, he released a five-hundred-strong force, saying: "Five million."
This is the safest way to place the bet, because he could still hear the five dots of the bet, but he was not sure about this one. However, if it was a bet of three or more dots, then it was too big. Because he was not sure, the bet was more likely to be dangerous.
After Sato finished his turn, it was Zhou Xuan's turn. Zhou Xuan was calm and collected. He was well aware of the situation in the pot, but even he was not 100% safe. If Hank opened the pot and instead of moving the lid inwards, he moved it to the left, the number of points would be completely changed.
If you use a tiny trick to lift the lid of a cup covering the left side, the number of dots will be one. If it falls to the right, the number of dots will be two. If it falls to the left, the sum of the dots will be less than eighteen, which is small!
In other words, nothing is certain in this round. The key is how Sato and Zhou Xuan each bet. Sato has already bet big. If Zhou Xuan follows suit with a big bet, Hank will get a 1 or 2 point in this round, and the total points will be a small 1 or 2. However, if Zhou Xuan bets a small 1 or 2, Hank will have to think about it. Since the bets on both sides are the same, Hank has no need to cheat. It doesn't matter to him who wins!
It's really hard to say how Hank will play. No matter how he plays, there's no guarantee that the result he gets will be what he wants. The key to this round is that he can't get the same result as Sato. If he does, then the outcome is decided. If he gets a different result than Sato, then he still has a chance. And the outcome of the later rounds depends on which one Hank decides to let win.
Zhou Xuan couldn't win this round either. He originally wanted to draw again, but Hank's tactics broke the deadlock, and Gu Jiao was guaranteed to win this round. Hank would definitely not have the same result as Sato.
Ran Xuan hesitated for a moment before making a decision. This game was not to be taken lightly. If he offended Zhuang Zhixian now, it would not be a good thing. The first priority was to ensure the safety of Shen Ying and Wei Haihong. He had to win this game no matter what, and this was limited to a game where the outcome was not determined by a tie.
As Hank gazed at him with a smile, Zhou Xuan secretly channeled his icy energy, using it to transform and absorb a tiny bit of the bead on the inside of the lid, specifically the side closest to the inner wall. This transformation and absorption occurred from top to bottom, so that when the bead slid down, it made no sound at all until it completely fell to the ground.
In this way, the scattered points actually became six, and the whole process was known only to Zhou Xuan; Hank and Zuo Bao didn't notice a thing.
"I'll place six chips, each with a different number of points." Zhou Xuan finally announced his bet, then gently selected two chips worth ten million each. "I'll place twenty million chips."
Hank smiled slightly. This round was his doing, and he knew exactly what the outcome would be. No matter how Sato and Zhou Xuan played, it would be wrong. However, Hank naturally hoped that they would both play to the same result, so that he wouldn't have to waste too much effort and brainpower. It seems that Zhou Xuan didn't follow Sato's lead and play to the same result. It seems that Zhou Xuan is not the stubborn person they thought he was. In this round, the points should normally be between one and six, except for the point he changed at the last moment.
Hank's technique was the result of over a decade of rigorous training, a masterpiece that allowed him to create such a situation with one of the six targets. Moreover, he made sure to eliminate the sound the moment the target touched the wall, causing a hearing expert to be misled and not notice the slightest change at the end. In this one move, Hank was 100% certain, and to this day, he had never been able to do it again.
Generally speaking, Hank wouldn't be willing to use this ultimate move so early, but today's situation is obviously different from the past. Zuo Chun is a master of the same level as him, and as for the other Zhou Xuan, although I haven't seen him before and I can't see anything special about him for the time being, Zhou Xuan is definitely not as ordinary as he seems on the surface. Someone like Zhuang Wangxian would definitely not choose a weakling to place such a big bet!
To be honest, Hank suddenly felt at this moment that Ran Zhouxuan should be paid more attention, because what is not understood is the most dangerous.
Zhou Xuan didn't have a penchant for big bets, but even a small amount of 20 million well water was not bad; at least he could make a profit this time.
"I've taken both of Sato Mitsuo's and Mr. Zhou's bets in this round!" Hank smiled, then asked, "In the final moments, will you two still bet?"
When Zuo Xiong saw that Hank had actually taken the bet, he knew in his heart that something bad had happened. He knew what the outcome would be. Who was Hank?