Even now, Qi Xia still felt something was off.
Why did Earth Monkey emphasize his tone every time he announced the start of a round?
Was it just a habit, or was there a deliberate reason behind it?
As soon as Earth Monkey’s voice faded, that unsettling feeling crept back into Qi Xia’s heart.
This time, he was absolutely certain—there was something strange about that wooden box.
Its color had changed again.
Judging by the pattern of its shifts, the alteration was incredibly subtle, almost imperceptible to most people. But Qi Xia remembered its original appearance vividly.
The box, initially a deep brownish-black, was no longer that color. Instead, it had shifted toward a yellowish-brown.
“It really is getting lighter…”
Though Qi Xia had pinpointed the box’s anomaly, he couldn’t immediately deduce its significance.
Was it possible that the box would continue to lighten over time, eventually becoming pure white?
“A box placed at the center of the table… gradually lightening…”
Qi Xia stroked his chin, trying to analyze the issue from every angle, but no answers came to him.
Since he couldn’t figure out the connection between the lightening box and the game, he switched to a trickier perspective:
What was the mechanism behind the box’s color change?
Wood wasn’t a material that naturally changed color. Even if exposed to heat or cold, it wouldn’t shift so drastically in such a short time.
Earlier, by sheer chance, Qi Xia had picked up the box and realized it was unusually light, suggesting it had been hollowed out.
Given that, he made a bold guess: the most straightforward and effective way to turn a dark brown box into a yellowish-brown one wasn’t heating or cooling—it was installing lights inside the hollowed-out space. As the rounds progressed, the brightness of the lights increased, making the box appear lighter.
“No wonder Earth Monkey places such importance on this box… Is it part of the ‘rules’ too?”
Qi Xia stepped back mentally, examining the game from a broader perspective.
The large round table, worn and pitch-black, resembled an endless expanse of the night sky. The scattered “Dao” chips shimmered faintly like stars.
And the square box at the very center, positioned precisely on the table’s midpoint, was shifting from the table’s deep brown to a pale yellow, akin to a moon gradually revealing itself.
“Could ‘the phases of the moon’ imply more than just this…?”
Every time Earth Monkey forcefully declared the start of a “round,” was it to trigger some mechanism inside the box, altering its color?
Yet Qi Xia had already deduced the game’s rules—even Earth Monkey had mentioned terms like “straight” and “pair.” Logically, the rules Earth Monkey was using shouldn’t differ much from what Qi Xia had imagined. At most, the only discrepancy might be whether a “straight” or “four of a kind” held more weight.
If the rules were already clear, then what did an increasingly brighter box signify?
Given the dirty, haphazard setup of the game, Qi Xia doubted Earth Monkey had the leisure to place a dynamically changing box just for ambiance. Combined with Earth Monkey’s earlier behavior, it was clear he had a hidden agenda.
And that hidden agenda was likely tied to the ever-changing box.
Though Qi Xia didn’t know exactly what Earth Monkey was planning, he remained vigilant. If this truly followed the principle of “waxing and waning,” the box brightening now meant it was transitioning from “new moon” to “full moon.”
When the box reached its brightest point, something unexpected would surely happen. If he didn’t anticipate it in advance, he’d be at a severe disadvantage.
Despite having amassed a sizable stack of chips early on, gambling was unpredictable. A single final round could wipe out all his winnings, so he couldn’t afford to let his guard down until the very last reveal.
Tian Tian gathered everyone’s cards, clumsily shuffling them a few times before holding them up and asking, “Do you… want to shuffle?”
Everyone shook their heads—even Earth Monkey showed no interest. Without needing a reminder, each player had already placed a “Dao” on the table.
“Then I’ll deal,” Tian Tian said before drawing a “community card” and placing it in the center:
“Double Ninth Festival.”
“The ninth day of the ninth month,” Qi Xia murmured.
At this point, the “community card” for each round was crucial. It determined what combinations would be stronger in players’ hands and served as the clearest indicator for deducing opponents’ cards.
Since this round’s revealed card was “Double Ninth,” it suggested a high likelihood of multiple “pairs,” “three of a kinds,” or even “four of a kinds” appearing.
“Whether you can draw a nine” became the focal point of this round.
Tian Tian flipped over a card in front of herself: “Minor Heat.” It was neither good nor bad—the sixth day of the sixth month.
Now she had two “nines” and two “sixes.” If her hidden card was strong, she still stood a fighting chance.
Though the deck was small—only 36 cards—each game required just 15 cards to be drawn (seven players plus community cards), leaving 11 cards hidden. Guessing Earth Monkey’s hand was nearly impossible.
Next to receive a card was Xiao Cheng.
He flipped over the card Tian Tian dealt him: “Cold Dew”—the eighth day of the ninth month.
Both Tian Tian and Xiao Cheng had drawn strong cards this round. Xiao Cheng now held “three nines,” an already formidable visible hand.
After them came Chen Junan and Qiao Jiajin.
They drew “Lantern Festival” and “Laba Festival,” respectively.
One was “1-1-5,” the other “1-2-8.” While decent as single cards, neither could form a combination with “Double Ninth.” Their chances of winning hinged entirely on their next draw.
Qi Xia himself drew “Mid-Autumn Festival”—”8-1-5,” putting him in the same boat as Chen Junan and Qiao Jiajin.
All eyes turned to Earth Monkey.
He took the card from Tian Tian, flipped it onto the table: “Autumn Equinox”—the 23rd day of the eighth month.
Like Qi Xia and the others, Earth Monkey had drawn a seemingly useless card for now.
The last to receive a card was Zheng Yingxiong.
He got “Spring Festival.”
“The first day of the first month,” Qi Xia noted. To win this round, they’d have to rely on Tian Tian, Xiao Cheng, or Zheng Yingxiong.
“I’ve got ‘Laba Festival,'” Qiao Jiajin grinned. “That’s the highest, right? I’ll raise two!”
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