Chapter 58: Luck Game
"I don't really understand psychology," Qi Xia shook his head and replied softly. "I'm just used to being the villain."
Seeing Qi Xia agree to his request, Old Lyu's attitude toward him softened somewhat.
"Listen, kid, let's get this straight first—all the 'Dao' we win belong to me."
"I need to keep one," Qi Xia said.
"Impossible." Old Lyu shook his head without hesitation. "Are you trying to negotiate with me? You already took nineteen 'Dao' from me earlier, and now you want more? If that's your attitude, I'm leaving right now."
Qi Xia nodded. "Fine, I won't take any 'Dao,' but you have to cover my 'entry fee.'"
Old Lyu's eyes darted around again as he leaned in. "Kid, let me warn you—those two people aren't in this area. If you dare to mess with me, I absolutely won't tell you where they are."
"Don't worry. Messing with you would just be a waste of my time."
Now feeling more confident, Old Lyu grabbed Qi Xia to head into the room.
"Wait," Qi Xia said. "Just to be safe, tell me about this game first."
"Oh, right!" Old Lyu slapped his forehead. "Damn, I almost forgot. Kid, you've never played a 'Pig Game' before?"
"What do you think?" Qi Xia asked, frowning.
"Heh, Pig Games—just treat yourself like a pig. That's the whole point."
"Treat myself like a pig?" Qi Xia didn't understand. "Why would I do that?"
"Because you don't need to think!" Old Lyu laughed. "All Pig Games are 'Luck Games,' like rock-paper-scissors or guessing high or low."
"What?" Qi Xia paused. "You mean... games where winning or losing depends entirely on fate?"
"That's right!" Old Lyu nodded, then glanced at Qi Xia. "You're not backing out now, are you?"
"I..." Qi Xia wasn't exactly backing out, but he really couldn't grasp the connection between "pig" and "luck."
"What's there to be afraid of in a Pig Game?" Old Lyu said impatiently. "You seemed pretty smart before, but now that it's time to rely on luck, you're scared?"
Rely on luck?
Qi Xia knew that "pigs" were far from low-intelligence animals.
Among all species on the planet, pigs ranked in the top ten for intelligence, with mental abilities comparable to a five-year-old child.
Besides, what Old Lyu called "rock-paper-scissors" or "guessing high or low" weren't purely luck-based games either.
With the right tactics, you could definitely lose less and win more.
"I still want to ask—what exactly is this game about?" Qi Xia looked at the building in front of him. It was clearly a Go club. Why would anyone play a luck game here?
"Simple enough. Two piles of pieces, the same number in each—one black, one white. You close your eyes and pick one at random. If you draw a black piece, you win."
"That's it?"
"Yeah!" Old Lyu said. "I told you! It's a luck game!"
With that, he pulled a white piece from his pocket and threw it hard to the ground.
"I pulled white pieces twice in a row! My luck's been awful!"
Qi Xia could hardly believe his ears. If that was really the case, he couldn't guarantee he'd beat the Pig Head at all.
He picked up the white piece from the floor and examined it. It was indeed a very ordinary piece, with no hidden tricks.
"Kid, can you do this or not?" Old Lyu was growing anxious. "Don't you want to know where those two are?"
Qi Xia knew he had no other choice. He was completely broke now, and his only hope was to pin everything on Officer Li.
And to find out about Officer Li's whereabouts, he had to get Old Lyu to talk.
Besides, he had nothing left to lose anyway.
Even if he lost this luck game, he wouldn't be out anything. At the very least, he could use this chance to learn more about "Pig."
"No, I'm just thinking about a strategy," Qi Xia said. "Let's go in."
Old Lyu nodded excitedly and pulled Qi Xia into the room.
Lin Qin thought the situation was a bit ridiculous, but she didn't say anything to stop it. She silently followed them.
As soon as they entered, the Pig Head jumped up and down in joy. "Hee hee! You're here! Someone's come to play with me again!"
His voice was very deep, but his tone was childish.
Qi Xia couldn't help covering his nose and mouth. The stench from the Pig Head's mask was unbearable.
"You dead pig head!" Old Lyu barked. "Today I'm going to make you lose your shirt!"
"Hahahaha! Good, good!" The Pig Head clapped his hands. "Who's going to play with me?"
Qi Xia slowly sat down across from the Pig Man. "I will. How's the entry fee?"
"Entry fee can be anything, up to five 'Dao.' Winner takes double!" the Pig Head said. "Hand it over, hand it over!"
"Anything..." Qi Xia shook his head. "You're 'Human Pig,' right?"
"Yes! I'm Human Pig! I'm Human Pig!" Then he pointed at Qi Xia. "You're a stupid pig! You're a stupid pig!"
No one paid him any attention. Who wanted to argue with a madman?
Old Lyu gritted his teeth, pulled five 'Dao' from his pocket, and reluctantly handed them over to Human Pig.
Qi Xia noticed that Old Lyu's eyes really looked like a gambler's.
This was clearly a luck game, yet he was willing to keep betting.
"Old Lyu, five?" Qi Xia looked at him with some doubt. "Isn't that a bit too much?"
"Kid!" Old Lyu stared seriously at Qi Xia. "I just played two rounds. First round I bet one 'Dao,' second round two 'Dao,' and that dead pig won them all. If you win this round, I'll not only break even but come out ahead."
Qi Xia thought for a moment, then turned back to Human Pig. "What are the rules?"
"Very simple..."
Human Pig pushed the pile of black and white pieces forward. "Fifty black pieces and fifty white pieces. I want you to put them all into these two bowls."
He pushed two identical large porcelain bowls forward.
"As for how you distribute the two colors... that's up to you." The Pig Head gave a silly grin. "Once you're done, you'll be blindfolded. I'll shuffle the positions of the two bowls and shake the pieces inside. Then you pick one bowl at random and pick one piece from it. If you draw a black piece, you win. Of course, if anyone tries to interfere with the game or give you any hints, I'll punish everyone here."
Qi Xia listened expressionlessly. He looked down at the bowls and pieces on the table and let out a cold snort.
"Heh, what are you laughing at?" Human Pig said with a smile. "If you're lucky enough, you might just win."
Qi Xia found it somewhat laughable.
He got to decide how many pieces went into each bowl, and then he picked the piece?
A luck game?
A Pig Game?
This game, which seemed to have a fifty-fifty chance of winning, was clearly a trap, luring countless participants right into it.
"Human Pig, I underestimated you," Qi Xia said. "You're much smarter than I thought."