Qi Xia bent down and slowly extended his finger. This time, instead of twisting it again, he pressed it against his forehead.
His forehead had been split open by the wooden box earlier, and the wound was still fresh.
Qi Xia kept digging at the wound with his finger. Whether it was because the injury was so close to his brain or because he had momentarily regained control of his thoughts, the pain felt just right—sharp enough to briefly clear his mind.
Could the rules really be that complicated?
Was Earth Monkey truly that clever?
Judging by Earth Monkey’s performance throughout the game so far, Qi Xia still held his original opinion—he wasn’t particularly intelligent.
Even though Earth Monkey represented “intellect,” it was only the kind that barely surpassed ordinary people. After all, being pushed to the brink by a chaotic mind was proof enough of his limitations.
Zheng Yingxiong’s earlier actions had revealed something bizarre—Earth Monkey possessed an “ability.”
Those who relied on “abilities” rarely honed their minds to an extreme degree. That was why Earth Monkey appeared average in intelligence yet remained so confident.
He was still easily fooled. He hadn’t grown any smarter. Yet he was convinced he couldn’t lose—all because of that “ability” he carried.
And that was Earth Monkey’s fatal flaw.
Taking everything into account, Qi Xia had overcomplicated the rules.
*”The rules didn’t get ‘harder’—they just ‘changed’…”* he thought to himself.
After all, if the rules went beyond what an average person could comprehend, even Earth Monkey would struggle to control them, let alone use them for gambling. So naturally, he would keep the rules within his own grasp.
Moreover, when Earth Monkey was determining who held the “second-highest” hand this round, his lips moved slightly as if calculating something.
That meant this round’s rules required an extra layer of computation. Previous rounds already involved calculations based on the “solar terms,” but now there was an additional step—that was the “change.”
*”The ‘lunar cycle’… the box that grows brighter…”*
Qi Xia turned his head toward the wooden box, his thoughts sharpening.
Whether it was the box’s appearance or the fact that this was the “fourth round,” the “lunar cycle” was shifting from “new moon” to “full moon.” And now, it was full.
At the moment of the “full moon,” the rules had changed—so they must be related to it.
Qi Xia suddenly turned to Qiao Jiajin.
“Wh-what?” Qiao Jiajin startled. “You scared me, liar!”
“Fists, I’ll give you three seconds—name a poker-based gambling game,” Qi Xia said.
“Huh?”
“Three, two—”
“Texas Hold’em!” Qiao Jiajin blurted. “What’s this, liar? A pop quiz? I don’t even gamble—”
“Three seconds. Name another one.”
“Wait—”
“Three, two, one—”
“Blackjack!” Qiao Jiajin felt his brain overheating. “Liar, don’t spring this on me! You know I’m slow!”
Hearing the word “Blackjack,” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes.
That was it.
He wasn’t entirely familiar with the rules, but he knew enough about “Blackjack.” The most common poker games in casinos were “Texas Hold’em” and “Blackjack.”
And Earth Monkey, as a self-proclaimed clever casino boss, couldn’t escape these two games. That way, he could keep the “rules” under control while making them seem mysterious.
As for how “Blackjack” connected to the “24 Solar Terms”…
*”So that’s it…”* Qi Xia murmured. *”That’s how it is…”*
One by one, the veils of confusion lifted, and the true rules surfaced at last.
“What do you mean, ‘that’s how it is’?” Chen Junnan frowned. “What’s going on?”
Qi Xia was about to speak but hesitated. After a pause, he motioned toward Xiao Cheng with his chin.
“Let the kid explain the rules.”
“Huh?” Chen Junnan glanced at Xiao Cheng. “Hey! He’s calling on you!”
“Me?” Xiao Cheng looked up, puzzled.
“Prompt: ‘Blackjack.’ Tell everyone the rules.” Qi Xia pressed a hand to his bleeding forehead and leaned back in his chair, as if he had no intention of speaking further.
“Me?” Xiao Cheng’s eyes widened. “Blackjack?”
“You’re a college student, right?” Chen Junnan smirked. “Use that smart little brain of yours!”
Under the pressure, Xiao Cheng racked his mind. He *had* studied the rules of Blackjack, but he never imagined they’d apply to this game.
After all, in Blackjack, a player could theoretically hold many cards, and there were no “community cards.”
“Old Qiao, how *does* Blackjack work?” Chen Junnan whispered.
“Blackjack is also called ’21.’ Basically, whoever’s hand adds up closest to 21 wins. If you think your total’s too low, you can ask for more cards,” Qiao Jiajin explained. “But if you go over 21, you ‘bust’ and lose.”
Xiao Cheng stood up, studying Earth Monkey’s cards, then his own. Like Earth Monkey, his lips moved slightly as he ran calculations.
His own hand… second-highest?
*”Wait… so the rule is simple—just add all the numbers together!”*
Just as he was about to voice his thoughts, he caught sight of Qiao Jiajin’s hand:
*”Ghost Festival,” “New Year’s Eve,” “Spring Festival.”*
His initial idea was to sum all the numbers on the cards—whoever got closest to 21 won.
For example, “Qixi Festival” (7th day of the 7th month) would be “14,” and so on. Anything exceeding 21 would lose.
But Qiao Jiajin’s hand was bizarre.
“Ghost Festival” (7/15), “New Year’s Eve” (12/30), “Spring Festival” (1/1)—adding all eight digits together gave exactly **21**!
Yet Qiao Jiajin hadn’t won—he wasn’t even second-highest.
So… how *did* this game connect to Blackjack?
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage