Chapter 349: Do You Understand a Woman’s Intuition?

Upon entering the middle three floors of the Entertainment City, Lu Yibei adhered strictly to the principle of “observe first, participate later, and as long as you don’t lose, it’s a win.” She wandered around, holding her beloved Bai Xiaohua, observing everything.

After several minutes of research, speculation, contemplation, and analysis, Lu Yibei finally concluded that she had been deceived by Ah-Hua.

In this opulent hall, dozens of gambling tables were scattered around, each moment hosting gambling games that could be life-threatening!

This was the conclusion she reached after watching a poker gambling game.

Three people sat at the poker table.

A young man, dressed in a loose T-shirt and jeans, appeared malnourished with his sallow skin and lean muscles.

A mature woman in a black suit and pencil skirt, her hair a fiery red, with heterochromatic eyes hidden behind metal-framed glasses.

Lastly, a tall black man in loose sportswear, his long black hair meticulously braided into strands, each ending adorned with uniquely shaped bone pieces.

All three were psychics, and the faint psychic energy fluctuations emanating from them were not weak… After a simple observation of the trio, Lu Yibei and Ah-Hua retreated to a side, quietly observing.

The first to act was the young man. Just before the bunny girl dealer began dealing cards, he suddenly clasped his hands together, raised his head, and let out a long cry in a language Lu Yibei couldn’t understand.

Sounds like he’s Thai? Lu Yibei mused, her eyebrows slightly raised. Immediately, her eyes felt a burning sensation, her vision blurred, and the light before her dimmed.

Once the chaotic light and shadow dispersed like mist, she looked at the young man again, and her pupils contracted slightly.

A phantom of a skeletal Buddha statue rose from the young man’s Spirit Pattern, and the psychic energy fluctuation emanating from him split from one into two.

The skeletal Buddha statue unfurled dozens of arms, its mouth filled with sharp teeth opening and closing, as a wisp of pale breath drifted from the young man’s head, merging into the statue’s body.

As the pale breath merged into the skeletal Buddha statue, scarlet flames flickered in the deep, dark eye sockets of its massive head, and a strange psychic energy fluctuation pulsed, spreading in all directions.

Lu Yibei thought, “Goodness! A life-risking player?”

She had seen records of such Spirit Patterns in The Midnight Tome. This was a type of Spirit Pattern that had been eliminated in the development of Spirit Patterns.

Unlike the Spirit Patterns drawn with the core entity of hauntings used by most psychics today, this type of Spirit Pattern was typically drawn directly using a living haunting.

Rather than Spirit Pattern drawing, it was more like forcibly binding a person and a haunting together through the Spirit Pattern, forming a symbiotic relationship.

The advantage of this method was that it could retain the special abilities of the haunting to the greatest extent, but the downside was that the risk of the Spirit Pattern losing control was much higher than that of normal Spirit Patterns.

After the dealer finished dealing the cards, the young man looked at his cards, and Lu Yibei noticed a faint smile flicker across his weary face. Clearly, he had gotten the cards he wanted.

“Oh dear, it’s just a card game, no need to risk your life!” The mature woman at the table muttered sarcastically, seemingly aware of the young man’s actions.

As she spoke, she unbuttoned her blouse slightly, and the next moment, the psychic energy fluctuation intensified, with several sinister auras emanating from inside her blouse.

With her keen vision in the special state, Lu Yibei vaguely saw many palm-sized, faintly glowing golden pendants hanging inside her blouse.

However, before she could clearly see the shapes of those pendants, she saw several shadows swiftly fly out from inside the mature woman’s blouse, landing on the skeletal Buddha statue manifested by the young man’s Spirit Pattern. Upon closer inspection, they were five bloodied, incompletely formed infants.

The five infants of various colors landed on the skeletal Buddha statue, and without a moment’s pause, they began to bite, a series of teeth-grinding sounds echoing, like countless blades scraping back and forth on a smooth blackboard, yet the skeletal Buddha statue showed no signs of damage.

Lu Yibei frowned slightly, then used her psychic sense to probe again, only to realize that the psychic energy fluctuation of the skeletal Buddha statue had weakened under the gnawing of the small mouths, while the psychic energy fluctuation of the five infants grew stronger.

Plunder.

The word flashed through Lu Yibei’s mind, and she squinted slightly, pondering quietly.

It was very likely that they were not only plundering psychic energy fluctuations but also the luck the young man had sacrificed his lifespan to obtain.

This method was somewhat reminiscent of the Five Ghosts Fortune mentioned in the knowledge of the Great Serpent God…

“Bang-!”

As Lu Yibei was contemplating, a loud thud interrupted the Five Ghosts Fortune and her thoughts simultaneously.

Following the direction of the sound, before she could take a closer look, Lu Yibei felt a wave of fear emanating from the black man.

That fear was not the oppressive feeling brought by a strong psychic energy fluctuation, but a primal human fear of beasts, darkness, and all dangerous things in nature.

The black man scanned the boy and the woman with a malicious gaze, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

Behind him, his long, thin braids swayed gently as if moved by an invisible breeze, the bone pieces at their ends clinking together with a sound reminiscent of wind chimes, carrying an ancient, haunting melody.

However, Lu Yibei heard a terrifying noise beneath the enchanting chime.

It was as if hundreds of lions were roaring, or a fierce typhoon was howling, occasionally accompanied by deafening thunder and the rumbling of floodwaters.

These disasters, which had claimed countless ancestors’ lives, were sounds imprinted in human genes, unbearable for most. Soon, the woman and the boy turned pale, sweat beading on their foreheads.

At that moment, a phantom appeared behind the black man, almost merging with his form, as if guiding his movements. His arms stretched forward, pushing all the chips in front of him onto the table.

“All in!”

After the black man pushed all his chips onto the table, the bunny girl dealer warmly asked the two gamblers at the table, “This gentleman is all in. Would you like to call?”

The woman and the boy kept their eyes lowered, not daring to look at the black man.

“Fold!”

“Fold!”

After responding, they both stood up dejectedly and left their seats.

Withdrawing her gaze from the table, Lu Yibei looked at Ah-Hua expressionlessly, “Ah-Hua, let me ask you again, are you sure playing cards here is safe?”

A life-risking gambler, a ghost-raising one, and another using some unknown method, likely a spirit-invoking technique, all gathered at one table.

Besides these three psychics, she saw someone invoking spirits, altering cards with Gu worms, and employing various other methods.

This wasn’t just playing cards; it was a battle of spells! It was a god-level game, Lu Yibei thought.

Facing Lu Yibei’s question, Ah-Hua seemed completely unaware of what had just transpired at the table, and replied blankly, “Of course not!”

“Otherwise, how could my miss have played so many times without any issues?”

“…”

Your miss winning a large number of chips is quite a feat… Lu Yibei thought, stopping herself from speaking further.

She initially wanted to question Ah-Hua about why she was being deceived.

But then she reconsidered, thinking that if Ah-Hua could detect the tricks those gamblers were using, the dark lamps of the Entertainment City would likely know as well.

Her ability to notice was probably due to her occasionally triggered passive ability.

I better not participate in the gambling games here. If it were a battle against these demons and ghosts, I might stand a chance, but gambling with them would probably leave me penniless.

However…

Lu Yibei glanced at the black man counting chips at the table, narrowing her eyes slightly.

I wonder if there’s a reward for reporting cheating in this Entertainment City?

As Lu Yibei secretly observed the black man, contemplating how to profit from him, a tall figure hurriedly passed by her.

Was it the dark lamp Liu Seer mentioned earlier?

Where is he rushing off to?

Could it be that he’s discovered a guest cheating?

Lu Yibei thought, her gaze sharpening as she followed Nan Hao’s footsteps towards a corner of the middle three floors’ hall.

Within the Dream Come True Entertainment City, extortion wouldn’t get you caught.

However, just like cheating isn’t considered cheating unless caught, extortion won’t get you caught unless the other party reports it to the Entertainment City.

This was the information Lu Yibei confirmed with Ah-Hua.

As for how to choose extortion targets without them turning the tables, Lu Yibei had a definite answer.

Thanks to Liu Seer for telling her that Nan Hao was likely a dark lamp.

As long as the Entertainment City’s dark lamp wanted to catch someone, she would extort them!

Those already suspected of cheating by the Entertainment City were unlikely to report, “Someone suspects me of cheating and is extorting me.”

With a target in mind, Lu Yibei followed the two men Nan Hao was watching and finally found an opportunity to sit at the same card table with them.

This table was playing Blackjack, the only game Lu Yibei had learned in a short time because the rules were simple: as long as the cards in hand didn’t exceed twenty-one points, it was fine.

If you felt your hand was too low, you could ask for more cards, but if the total exceeded twenty-one, you’d bust and automatically lose.

Overall, it was a game with more elements of luck and entertainment.

When Lu Yibei sat down at the table, four people were already seated, with a setup almost identical to before: two dark lamps and two suspected cheats.

As soon as she sat down, the four of them glanced at her. The dark lamps had a hint of pity in their eyes, while the suspected cheats looked pleased, as if she had replaced the poor soul who had lost so much they were questioning their life.

Lu Yibei didn’t really care about their strange looks. After all, she wasn’t here to gamble with them for real; she just wanted to apply a bit of psychological pressure during the game.

Most importantly, she needed to fully understand the methods of those two suspected cheaters, making it easier to blackmail them later.

To appear as a bystander, as soon as Lu Yibei sat down, she casually chatted with the dark lamp beside her, “How’s it going? Winning or losing?”

The young man called Le Er was momentarily stunned, then smiled, “It’s okay! Won a little, but it’s that gentleman who’s been losing.”

That’s exactly what’s dangerous! Every time there’s a small win, once you start betting heavily, a big loss is sure to follow… Le Er thought to himself.

The middle-aged man with messy eyebrows glanced at the silent Le Er and rolled his eyes.

“Wow! Just in time, huh!” Lu Yibei exclaimed with delight, turning to the bunny girl dealer and raising an eyebrow, “Miss, deal the cards, please!”

“Alright, what about the other guests?” The bunny girl slightly bowed, and after consulting the opinions of the others at the table, she smiled and began to deal the cards.

Once the cards were dealt, everyone silently looked at their hands. After Lu Yibei saw her cards, she couldn’t help but twitch her eyebrow.

A 2 and a 3, totaling five points, almost the smallest hand possible in this game.

Lu Yibei, “…”

Is it just my bad luck, or have those two suspected cheaters already made their move?

If they’ve acted, why haven’t I detected any psychic energy fluctuation?

Or are they the kind of experts who can cheat without using psychic ability?

Thinking this, she placed her two cards on the table, glanced at the bunny girl dealer, and said expressionlessly, “Please deal me another card.”

While waiting for the bunny girl dealer to deal, Lu Yibei discreetly observed the expressions of the two suspected cheaters, noticing their gloomy faces and furrowed brows, as if they were in some trouble.

At that moment, a strange and barely detectable psychic energy fluctuation flashed within her psychic sense range, and her eyes felt a warm sensation.

She then saw a very thin strand of pale golden thread drift from the middle-aged man’s fingertip, landing on her fingers and winding tightly.

The next moment, a playing card landed in front of her.

What the heck is this? Lu Yibei thought to herself, secretly activating her innate skill to blow away the golden thread. She picked up the card and glanced at it, her eyebrows slightly raised.

Wow, a 7? Am I getting lucky now?

Next, as long as I get a card that doesn’t exceed ten, I’ll have a full hand and win, right?

However, there’s no such thing as luck; as long as there’s a chance to bust, there’s a risk. So, to prevent losing more chips…

“Fold!”

With twelve points, it’s almost guaranteed that any card drawn would form a winning hand. In such a situation, few would choose not to follow.

When Lu Yibei said she wouldn’t follow, the other four people at the table were momentarily stunned, casting surprised glances at her.

Even Ah-Hua couldn’t help but whisper in Lu Yibei’s ear, “You should try following; your hand is very likely to win.”

Lu Yibei pouted, “Shallow!”

Ah-Hua, “…”

Looking again at the two suspected cheaters, a cold glint flashed in their eyes.

Lu Yibei, “…”

How strange, I lose money to them, and they’re still not happy?

Could they be masochists?

Moments later, when the cards were revealed and compared, a dark lamp’s hand of nineteen points won the first round, and Lu Yibei, having folded early, only lost two hundred chips.

In the second round, Lu Yibei folded again with thirteen points, and another dark lamp won the game with eighteen points.

Third round, fourth round…

For eight or nine consecutive rounds, Lu Yibei folded each time despite holding twelve or thirteen points, which had a very low probability of busting and were easy to win with. Her behavior was baffling.

At first, Ah-Hua kindly reminded Lu Yibei to follow, but then she fell silent. She knew Lu Yibei’s purpose, but watching her lose so much money made her feel oddly distressed, worried that speaking might lead to saying something inappropriate, so she chose to remain silent.

Gradually, the middle-aged man’s face grew darker, and finally, the young man accompanying him couldn’t help but slap the table, pointing at Lu Yibei and mocking, “Are you crazy? Folding with such good hands every time, are you even playing? Are you here to give away money?”

“I do what I want, none of your business!” Lu Yibei nonchalantly rolled her eyes, “Who says you have to follow with a good hand? It’s not a guaranteed win, there’s a small chance of losing too, so why can’t I fold? Folding early means losing less!”

Besides, there are you two suspected cheaters at this table! Want me to bust? Not happening! Lu Yibei thought.

“I think you’re the one who’s crazy. It’s not your money being lost, so why are you so tense?”

“Are you picking on me because I’m a young girl? I’m telling you, that’s gender discrimination!”

“…” Ah-Hua glanced sideways at Lu Yibei, hesitating to speak.

“I…” The young man opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the middle-aged man glared at him fiercely, and he obediently sat back in his original seat.

Seeing the young man sit back, Lu Yibei rolled her eyes and began to ponder silently.

In the past eight or nine rounds, it was almost always those two dark lamps winning. What was going on?

Could it be that these two guys noticed they were being watched and decided to stop?

That can’t be right; they were clearly still up to their tricks.

As she thought, Lu Yibei looked at the hands of the two dark lamps, frowning slightly.

At this moment, their hands were already wrapped in dozens of fine golden threads that ordinary people couldn’t detect.

Lu Yibei should have had them on her hands too, but every time the threads wrapped around her fingers, she would use her innate skill to blow them up immediately.

These mysterious things were trouble waiting to happen if left unchecked!

Soon, the tenth round began.

As soon as the cards were dealt, Lu Yibei’s ears suddenly picked up a faint rustling sound.

Following the sound, she saw the fine golden threads wrapped around the two dark lamps’ hands suddenly come alive, writhing and flying towards the young man.

Thus, a series of intense betting began.

“20,000, please give me another card,” the middle-aged man said calmly, placing down 2 chips.

Although the bet was several times higher than before, he showed no emotional fluctuation, as if this round was just like the previous nine.

“Call! Deal!” the young man said.

“Call!” one dark lamp said, “Deal!”

The other dark lamp seemed to sense something was wrong, glanced at his companion, then at his cards, hesitated for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and called, “Deal!”

After the bunny girl dealer dealt cards to the four, it was Lu Yibei’s turn to speak. She looked at her cards and frowned.

A pair of fives, 10 points, a hand that wouldn’t bust, a hand that could potentially reach the highest score with good luck.

But thinking about the fine golden threads flying towards the young man earlier, she decided against taking a risk.

“Tsk, a pair of fives, I fold!”

The dark lamp sitting next to Lu Yibei was stunned, looked at her in confusion, and whispered, “Miss, may I ask why you’re folding with such good cards?”

Lu Yibei pondered briefly, pointed to her head, and said, “Intuition, women’s intuition, you know? My intuition tells me that if I call, I’ll definitely lose.”

“I’ve won my way up from the lower three floors relying on intuition, you understand?”

As she spoke, Lu Yibei’s gaze drifted to the middle-aged man, who seemed to sense it and met her eyes.

Upon hearing this, the dark lamp frowned, pondered for a moment, gradually calmed down, and then placed his cards face down on the table, saying solemnly, “I fold.”

His hand was nineteen points, and based on his years of experience as a dark lamp, the probability of winning was at least ninety percent, but…

Only ninety percent.

At the moment he folded, a series of sounds like snapping ropes echoed, and Lu Yibei looked over to see that most of the fine golden threads wrapped around the young man’s hands had snapped.

Looking at the middle-aged man again, his eyes had gained a fierce glint.

Although there wasn’t the kind of scene where murderous intent surged, Lu Yibei could already feel that he was on the verge of acting, barely restraining himself.

Seeing his companion fold, the other dark lamp quickly came to his senses, though he seemed a bit unwilling, he placed two chips on the table, “20,000, show the cards!”

As soon as he spoke, the sound of snapping fine golden threads reached Lu Yibei’s ears again. Following the sound, she saw that the threads on the young man’s hands had completely snapped, and his expression was as dark as if someone had stolen his five kills and taunted him with emotes.

“Now, please reveal your cards.”

At the bunny girl dealer’s prompt, the four revealed their cards: nineteen points, eighteen points, nineteen points, and… Blackjack.

The one holding the Blackjack was the young man.

“Hmph-! Bad luck, change tables!”

After taking the chips from the bunny girl, the young man snorted coldly and walked towards another table with his chips.

The middle-aged man immediately stood up, his gaze sweeping over Lu Yibei before leaving.

Squinting slightly as she watched them leave, Lu Yibei waited for a moment, then stood up and pulled Ah-Hua along to follow.

Trying to run? Not so easy. I’ve figured out your tricks, and the real show is just beginning! Lu Yibei thought.