“If you had simply used ‘gambling techniques’ against me, perhaps I wouldn’t have exposed you so easily. But why did you have to add ‘deception techniques’ into the mix?” Qi Xia asked.

“My… deception techniques?”

“The logic is so simple—anyone who thinks it through carefully will understand.” Qi Xia said. “You’re very bold, but not careful enough. Take a closer look at the card with the blood spots. Do you see the problem?”

After hearing this, Earth Monkey picked up his “Grain Buds” card to examine it.

He had used his fingernail under the table to break the skin of his finger, flicking several barely visible blood spots onto the card. Earth Monkey had deliberately controlled the distance and force so these blood spots wouldn’t differ in shape or angle from those the child had sprayed earlier.

How could Qi Xia possibly see through his scheme because of these few blood spots?

Seeing that Earth Monkey still didn’t understand, Qi Xia shook his head helplessly and asked, “When Zheng Hero had his nosebleed… had that round of the game ended or not?”

This brief question made Earth Monkey’s eyes widen suddenly.

That’s right…

What an absurd mistake…?

How could “blood spots” appear on the “back” of the card?

That round had already ended at that time. Everyone had revealed their cards.

But wasn’t the even more ridiculous thing the man named Qi Xia before him?

He could barely even stand, yet he was the first to think of this detail… No, not only did he think of this, he even directed and acted out a deception even more exquisite than before.

“But I still don’t understand…” Earth Monkey said with furrowed brows. “Even if you could know that my card was forged, how did you know what my actual hand was…? Weren’t you afraid I would actually win this round by blindly following my bets?”

“I was afraid.” Qi Xia replied. “But that’s precisely why I had to do it this way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Earth Monkey, have you ever heard this saying—’There are no fathers and sons at the gambling table’?” Qi Xia asked.

“Of course I’ve heard it.” Earth Monkey nodded. “Because everyone is equal at the gambling table, no one will give face to anyone else.”

“But I think this saying is wrong.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Because I will give face to my teammates. As long as I confirm that my opponent is bluffing, I will unconditionally trust my teammates’ cards and bet without hesitation.”

Earth Monkey was silent for a few seconds before speaking again, “So you knew from the start that Qiao Jiajin’s hand wouldn’t lose to mine…?”

“I didn’t know.” Qi Xia shook his head. “But I was willing to believe. I believed that no matter what card he held, as long as he didn’t bust, he would definitely beat you. Because you forged your card, which means your points can’t be too high. And Qiao Jiajin’s two revealed cards totaled twelve points—there was no reason for him to draw another card.”

“I truly don’t understand.” Earth Monkey gave a bitter laugh. “I only know that there are no fathers and sons at the gambling table… but there can be brothers?”

“To you, what happens at this round table is a ‘gambling match,’ but to the rest of us, it’s a battlefield with no retreat.” Qi Xia said. “At a gambling table you can distrust your brothers, but on a battlefield you cannot.”

“I feel I’ve truly underestimated you…” Earth Monkey shook his head. “You really are a liar… Now that I think about it carefully, every time I thought I’d seen through your lies, I’d actually fallen into your trap.”

“I’m glad you’ve come to that realization in time.” Qi Xia replied. “However, there’s one thing I didn’t lie about—my brain truly has become muddled and chaotic. If we continue gambling, the only one who will lose is me.”

“Yet you still deceived me with just one sentence this round… Is this your ‘chaotic’ state?”

“No…” Qi Xia shook his head. “Earth Monkey, you didn’t lose because of this one sentence, but because of every single sentence I’ve said.”

Upon hearing Qi Xia’s answer, Earth Monkey blinked in disappointment, then sat back in his chair. After a long silence, he hung that ugly smile back on his face.

“It doesn’t matter… Even if you won eight ‘Dao’ from me this round, so what…” Earth Monkey said hoarsely. “Next is the sixth round… You won’t have time to win sixty ‘Dao’… You’re all going to die…”

“Yes.” Qi Xia nodded. “Earth Monkey, you’re a bit smarter than I imagined, since you conceded this round after all.”

“What…?”

“I originally wanted to gamble everything in this round and obtain sixty ‘Dao’ all at once.” Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. “Unfortunately, an old gambler is still an old gambler. Even though you didn’t know what went wrong, you still possessed the ‘instinct’ to avoid danger. You withdrew from this round, allowing yourself to avoid a ‘major defeat.'”

“So… you’re not planning to gamble anymore?” Earth Monkey looked at the chips in front of Qi Xia, then raised his chin. “You still have enough capital and seem relatively clearheaded. Don’t you want to take one more shot?”

“No matter how much capital I have, I still need you to keep calling.” Qi Xia gave a bitter laugh. “But in this round, I used all my killing moves, yet I couldn’t get you to call to the end. From now on, you’ll definitely be on guard against me. No matter how much I raise, you won’t call again. So I’ve already lost.”

“Oh…?” After hearing this, Earth Monkey slowly curved up the corners of his mouth. “Qi Xia, you’re underestimating me a bit too much. In the next round… why wouldn’t I call?”

“You’ll call?” Qi Xia asked in return.

“Of course.” Earth Monkey licked his lips with a confident expression, revealing a look as if the battle was at its height. “Qi Xia, I still have two ‘trump cards’ I haven’t revealed to you. It’s too early for you to concede. Can’t you let me win more satisfyingly?”

“Two trump cards…” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze looking at Earth Monkey as if viewing a child. He slowly raised his hand to support his forehead. “Earth Monkey, what if I told you I already know both of your ‘trump cards’?”

Upon hearing this, Earth Monkey narrowed his eyes again, cautiously staring at Qi Xia’s eyes.

The blood that had flowed down Qi Xia’s forehead had already dried, making him look somewhat fierce at this moment. “Qi Xia, you’ve always given me a very strange feeling…” Earth Monkey said. “Because every sentence you say is too outrageous—it’s hard for me to believe.”

“Oh?”

Earth Monkey suddenly changed his tone and continued, “But every time I choose not to believe, the outcome that awaits me isn’t too good.”

“So do you believe now?” Qi Xia asked expressionlessly. “Do you believe that I already know your ‘trump cards’?”

“No… It’s just like the story of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf.'” Earth Monkey thought for a moment and said. “I think I’ve finally figured out the pattern to breaking through your lies…”

“Such as?”

“I thought I’d successfully broken through your lies twice in a row, but unfortunately I was deceived both times.” Earth Monkey slowly revealed a smile as if he had everything under control. “So this time I still choose to break through your lie. I still don’t believe you. I don’t believe you can see through my two ‘trump cards,’ and I don’t believe you would use the same ‘deception technique’ three times in a row.”

Qi Xia’s brows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

“So do you still dare to continue ‘gambling’ with me?” Earth Monkey asked. “Fight for your teammates’ chance to survive.”

After hearing this, Qi Xia slowly closed his eyes. After pondering for a few seconds, he said, “Fine, but this time I want one round to decide the outcome.”