Chapter 660: Twenty-One
Qi Xia leaned down and slowly extended his finger. This time, rather than continuing to snap his own finger, he pressed it against his forehead.
His forehead had been cut open earlier by the wooden box, and the wound was still fresh.
Qi Xia reached up and kept picking at the wound. Perhaps because the wound was too close to his brain, or perhaps because he had temporarily regained control of his mind, he found that at this moment, the perfectly timed pain allowed him to briefly open up his train of thought.
Could this rule really be that complicated?
Was Ground Monkey really that smart?
Based on every performance in this game so far, Ground Monkey wasn't a very intelligent person at all—Qi Xia still held to his earlier opinion.
Even though Ground Monkey represented "intelligence," it was merely an "intelligence" that could surpass ordinary people. After all, being pushed to this point by a chaotic mind was enough to demonstrate his level.
Everything Zheng Yingxiong had just shown proved a bizarre problem: Ground Monkey carried some kind of "ability" on him.
Anyone who relied on an "ability" probably wouldn't go out of their way to train their mind, which was also why Ground Monkey—though clearly not very smart on the surface—could still be so confident.
He was still easily deceived. He hadn't become any smarter. But he was confident he wouldn't lose—precisely because he carried some kind of "ability" on him.
That was Ground Monkey's fatal weakness.
So, all things considered, Qi Xia had been overthinking the complexity of the rule.
"The rules didn't get 'harder'—they just 'changed'…" he murmured to himself.
After all, if the rule went beyond the scope of what a normal person could understand, Ground Monkey himself would have trouble controlling it, let alone "gambling." So he would first keep the rule within a range he could manage.
Plus, when Ground Monkey was confirming who had the second-largest hand in this round, his lips moved slightly and he muttered to himself—clearly doing some sort of calculation.
So the rule for this round needed an extra layer of "computation." The previous "Solar Terms" had already required calculation; now there would be one more step than before. That was what "change" meant.
" 'Synodic month'… the box that keeps getting brighter…"
Qi Xia turned to look at the wooden box, and his mind seemed a little clearer.
Whether from the appearance of the box or from the time period of the "fourth round," this "synodic month" was moving from the "new moon" toward the "full moon"—and now it was full.
During the "full moon," the rules changed, so the rules must be related to the "full moon."
Qi Xia suddenly turned to look at Qiao Jiajin.
"Wh-What?" Qiao Jiajin was startled. "You scared me, you trickster."
"Fist, you have three seconds to name a card game for gambling." Qi Xia said.
"Huh?"
"Three, two…"
"Texas Hold'em!" Qiao Jiajin quickly answered. "What are you doing, trickster? A surprise test? I really don't gamble…"
"Another three seconds. Name a second one."
"Huh?!"
"Three, two, one…"
"Blackjack!" Qiao Jiajin felt like his brain was about to burn out. "Trickster, don't quiz me all of a sudden! You know I'm a bit slow."
At the word "Blackjack," Qi Xia slowly narrowed his eyes.
That's it. This is it.
Although he didn't know the full rules, he knew a fair bit about Blackjack. The most common card games in casinos were Texas Hold'em and Blackjack.
And Ground Monkey, as a self-proclaimed smart casino owner, would definitely not be able to escape these two card games. That way, the "rules" could both stay within his control and appear mysterious.
As for "Blackjack" and the "Twenty-Four Solar Terms"…
"I see…" Qi Xia murmured to himself. "So that's how it is…"
All the puzzles that had been blocking his vision dispersed, and the true rules suddenly surfaced.
"What's 'I see'?" Chen Junnan was startled. "What is it now?"
Qi Xia was about to speak, but then he thought of something. After a few seconds of pause, he tilted his chin toward Xiao Cheng:
"Let that young man explain the rules."
"Oh…?" Chen Junnan turned to look at Xiao Cheng. "Hey, hey! He's pointing at you!"
"What…?" Xiao Cheng looked up in confusion.
"The prompt word is 'Blackjack.' You tell everyone the rules." Qi Xia held his bleeding forehead and slowly leaned back against his chair, as if he wasn't going to speak for the rest of the time.
"Me…?" Xiao Cheng's eyes widened slightly. "Blackjack…?"
"You're a college student, aren't you?" Chen Junnan gave a sly grin. "Quick, put that smart little brain of yours to work!"
Hearing Chen Junnan's words, Xiao Cheng quickly started his brain working. He did know the rules of Blackjack, but he had never thought those rules would apply to this game.
After all, in Blackjack, a hand could theoretically have many cards, and there were no "community cards."
"Old Qiao, how do you play Blackjack?" Chen Junnan asked quietly.
"Blackjack is also called '21.' In short, everyone adds up the points on the cards in their hand, and whoever is closest to 21 wins. If you think your points aren't enough, you can signal the dealer to give you another card." After saying that, Qiao Jiajin added, "But the total can't exceed 21, or you 'bust.'"
Xiao Cheng stood up and looked at Ground Monkey's cards, then turned to look at his own. Like Ground Monkey, his lips moved slightly as he tried various calculations.
His own hand… the second-largest hand?
"Could it be… I see… it's a very simple rule… just add up all the numbers…!"
At that moment, his brows shot up. Just as he was about to voice his thoughts, he suddenly caught sight of Qiao Jiajin's hand.
"Zhongyuan," "Chuxi," "Chunjie."
Xiao Cheng's initial thought was to add up all the numbers on the cards, and whoever was closest to 21 would win.
For example, "Qixi" (Seventh Evening) would be treated as "14" (since it's the seventh day of the seventh month), and so on. Anyone who exceeded 21 would be judged as losing.
But Qiao Jiajin's hand was too bizarre.
His "Zhongyuan" (7/15), "Chuxi" (12/30), "Chunjie" (1/1)—the total sum of all eight digits was exactly 21!
Yet strangely, Qiao Jiajin's hand didn't win this round—it wasn't even the second-largest.
If that was the case, what necessary connection did this game have to Blackjack…?