Chapter 665: We Fold First
The "community card" from the previous round had been "Chinese New Year" on the first day of the first lunar month.
This had led Zheng Yingxiong to believe that his own hand—composed of "Beginning of Autumn" on the eighth day of the seventh lunar month and "Major Heat" on the twenty-first day of the sixth lunar month—couldn't possibly form a playable combination with it, so he had folded in the first round.
Chen Junnan quickly calculated that Earth Monkey still had "Chinese New Year" again this time, but with the rule change, those two cards might form an incredibly large hand with "Chinese New Year."
"Beginning of Autumn" was a no-go.
The "seven" and "eight" from "Beginning of Autumn" added up to fifteen, meaning Earth Monkey would instantly bust if he drew that card.
If Earth Monkey was wearing that smug expression, it could only mean he was holding "Major Heat."
The "six," "two," and "one" from "Major Heat," plus the "one" and "one" from "Chinese New Year," plus the "two" and "two" from "Community Day"—the total sum of these numbers was fifteen!
If that was really the case, it was the worst possible scenario they could have imagined.
After all the trouble they'd gone through to finally have an accurate guess at Earth Monkey's hand, it turned out to be outrageously large.
Even bigger than the total of fourteen that Qiao Jiajin was holding!
What were they supposed to do now?
Qiao Jiajin had also spent some time calculating Earth Monkey's hand, and his expression turned extremely grim.
Earth Monkey, on the other hand, had a look of utter contempt on his face, as if he'd already declared victory.
Was there anything left on the table... that could turn the tide?
Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan both arrived at the same thought and turned their heads to look at Qi Xia's hidden card.
That's right—there was still one more card.
Qi Xia hadn't looked at his card since he'd drawn it. What exactly was his hidden card? Did he have some kind of backup plan?
"Con man..." Qiao Jiajin called out softly.
Upon hearing this, Qi Xia slowly reached out and picked up his hidden card. He raised it to eye level, holding the back of the card facing Earth Monkey.
Earth Monkey glanced at Qi Xia with interest but said nothing.
Qi Xia took a moment to steady his breathing before speaking. "Earth Monkey, I'll give you one chance to fold. You can't win."
Because of the angle, Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan still couldn't see what card Qi Xia was holding. Their hearts were racing, but there was nothing they could say.
"Me... fold...?" Earth Monkey's lips slowly curled upward, then gradually stretched into a grin, revealing his yellowed teeth. "Hahahahaha! How ridiculous, Qi Xia. Absolutely ridiculous!"
Qi Xia's brow was furrowed tight, his teeth clenched hard together. After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out a few words: "What's so ridiculous?"
"I can't see that card, but can't you see it either?" Earth Monkey let out a loud laugh. "What kind of shoddy trick is this?"
"Shoddy... trick...?"
Earth Monkey crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his bulky body to make himself more comfortable in his seat.
"Qi Xia, I think you're really losing it. Run out of brainpower, have you?" He asked with a grin. "If that card of yours really could beat mine, why would you threaten me to fold? Shouldn't you be trying to trick me into raising the stakes instead?"
"I..." Beads of sweat covered Qi Xia's forehead. The situation really didn't look good.
"It's absolutely pathetic." Earth Monkey kept shaking his head. "You keep going on about how 'I'm a con man,' but I see right through you every single time. Is this the cheap trick you rely on to get by in the Land of the End?"
Hearing these words, the light seemed to die in Qi Xia's eyes. The hand holding his card lost its strength and slowly dropped.
He looked exhausted—not only was his face pale, but his cold sweat had already soaked through his clothes.
As Qi Xia lowered his hand, Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan, who were sitting to the side, happened to catch a glimpse of the hidden card.
It was "Cold Dew."
The eighth day of the ninth lunar month.
This card was essentially no different from "Double Ninth Festival."
The moment you drew it, your point total would instantly reach seventeen, declaring you bust.
Just now, Qi Xia had been holding this "Cold Dew" card while making his final threat to Earth Monkey, but it had failed in the end.
"My hand... is very big..." Qi Xia muttered to himself, almost in a daze. "Earth Monkey... you're going to lose..."
"Yeah, your hand is definitely very big." Earth Monkey nodded slightly. "Big enough to blow you to pieces."
Qi Xia seemed lost in thought. He slowly pulled a "Tao" from his pocket and placed it on the table, then said in a low voice: "I want to raise."
"Wha—"
This time, not only Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin, but even Earth Monkey was a bit stunned.
No matter how you looked at it, Qi Xia's hand had already busted. In other words, he would lose the moment he showed his cards. Yet here he was, raising the stakes?
"Earth Monkey... do you dare to call..." Qi Xia's voice was so quiet that even Earth Monkey could barely hear him. "There's no way I'm losing to you..."
"You're one crazy bastard..." Earth Monkey gritted his teeth. "What's there to be afraid of?!"
Without any hesitation, Earth Monkey immediately placed a "Tao" on the table.
The two had placed their bets. Qi Xia turned his head to look at Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin, his eyes completely hollow.
"Con... con man... you..."
"Don't bother with him anymore," Earth Monkey said. "Can't you tell he's completely lost his mind? He's probably gambling with a busted hand. If the two of you fold now, you can at least keep some of your principal. You might still have a chance to turn things around later."
The two of them knew that Earth Monkey was right—folding now was the best option. But they didn't have a single "Tao" left between them.
"Chen Junnan, you call." Qi Xia said coldly.
"La, Lao Qi... I don't have any 'Tao' left..."
Qi Xia blinked slowly after hearing that, then looked over at Qiao Jiajin. "Fists, you call."
"I... I don't have any either..." Qiao Jiajin said. "Con man, are you tired? Maybe we should..."
"I'll give it to you." Qi Xia's face was deathly pale. "You call. I'll give you the 'Tao'."
Qiao Jiajin stared at Qi Xia's unusual behavior, momentarily at a loss.
Earth Monkey let out a snort of disdain. "What did I tell you? If you give up now, you can at least hold on to some of your money."
Qi Xia ignored Earth Monkey. He reached out and shoved a "Tao" directly into Qiao Jiajin's hand.
Qiao Jiajin felt that Qi Xia's fingertips were ice cold, even trembling slightly.
"Fists... are we brothers or not...? Why won't you call...?" Qi Xia asked in a daze.
"I... I..."
Qiao Jiajin stood frozen in place, not knowing what to do. Of course he considered Qi Xia a brother, but why would you jump into a fire when you know it's going to burn you?
He quickly shot a pleading look at Chen Junnan.
"Well..." Chen Junnan gave a bitter smile and slowly turned his cards face down on the table, signaling his withdrawal from this round. "Old Qiao, I hate to say it, but we might be done for first."