Since Lin Si used the duel card, Xing Ye got to choose the game. He knew that this time, Shao Lin was using it to test his initial skill. In this match, Shao Lin would definitely use that ability that could alter luck, so all Xing Ye had to do was choose a luck-based game and lose.

However, he couldn’t lose too much—he just needed to keep his chips within the range of passenger chips.

The first round was just acting; the second round was the real battle.

Xing Ye glanced at Lin Si and smiled, "Since we’re old acquaintances, why bother choosing? Let’s continue with Go. Do you think I’ll lose again?"

Lin Si's face instantly turned pale. He had always considered himself quite skilled at Go, but in their last duel, he had been utterly crushed. Even thinking about it now sent shivers down his spine—there was no way he could win at Go.

But today, Lin Si had to win. He couldn’t let Xing Ye choose Go.

So, he looked at Shao Lin through the glass of the duel room.

Shao Lin had somehow produced a lollipop and was sucking on it.

At that moment, Xing Ye felt a sudden dizziness in his mind. A strong thought surfaced, accompanied by a gentle voice that resonated deep in his heart:

"Dear, you are the luckiest and most exceptional following Fate player. Of course, you should choose the game where you have the greatest advantage. Don’t pick Go—intelligence-based games are too risky. Instead, choose a game that relies on luck."

Two following Fate players competing in luck (as far as outsiders knew, Xing Ye was following Fate), and giving up a guaranteed victory in Go to choose a luck-based game—only a madman would do that. But somehow, Xing Ye felt that this voice made perfect sense, and he said, "Of course, it's Go. But this time, let’s change the rules—we’ll guess the number of pieces. The dealer will grab a random handful of Go pieces, and we’ll guess whether the number is odd or even."

As soon as he said that, he felt a weight lift from his mind, and the voice disappeared.

Xing Ye turned to look through the glass at Shao Lin.

Shao Lin had just put the lollipop in his mouth moments ago, but now, in just a few seconds, he had completely finished it.

A skill that could influence people's minds—but not too powerful. If one had enough rationality, they could resist it. The reason Xing Ye fell for it was that he had already intended to switch to a luck-based game, deliberately losing some passenger chips to Lin Si. However, he couldn’t reveal his intention too early—Go was the safest option, after all. And because of this, he managed to lure out one of Shao Lin's initial skills.

Using candy to alter people’s thoughts... That kind of initial skill...

Xing Ye understood its nature but was unsure of its duration, number of uses, and cooldown time.

He looked at Shao Lin, pointed at his mouth, then at his head, signaling that he had figured out Shao Lin’s initial skill.

Shao Lin narrowed his eyes. He knew this was a risk, but if the intel from Yan Hebi was accurate, exposing this skill was worth it.

"Sweet Talk"—one of Shao Lin’s initial skills.

As the name suggests, words as sweet as honey, spoken to deceive and charm others. It was especially effective when used between lovers.

Conditions for use:

1. The user's words must be sweet, constantly and consistently—the sweeter, the better the persuasive effect.

2. The words must be affectionate, spoken with the mindset of addressing the target as a lover. The more the target likes the user, the better the effect.

If the target becomes aware of the skill’s nature, its control weakens significantly.

Cost: 50 points. Usable three times within 24 hours.

This skill could be incredibly powerful—or nearly useless—depending on how much the target liked Shao Lin. If they had little affection for him, a high level of sweetness could still enhance its effect.

To deceive Xing Ye, Shao Lin had eaten so much candy that his tongue was nearly numb.

Hearing that Xing Ye had chosen a luck-based game, Lin Si let out a small sigh of relief. As expected, Shao Lin was reliable.

Seeing the dealer bring over the Go pieces, Xing Ye said, "Consider this round my mistake. There won’t be a next time. But even with Go pieces, we should make this more interesting—Dealer, please mix all the black and white pieces together."

The dealer did as instructed. Xing Ye then looked at Lin Si and said, "With the pieces mixed, you take a handful, and I take a handful. We write down our guesses for the number of pieces. We’ll then count the black and white pieces separately. Whoever guesses closer wins."

Lin Si said, "Since we each take a turn, this round should be best-of-three. I’ll place my bet first... 2,000 passenger chips."

Shao Lin had instructed Lin Si to make a big bet in the first round because Xing Ye had confidence in his own luck. He wouldn’t use his skill in the first round since losing too many chips could trigger a backlash. If he lost too much in the first round, he would be forced to use his initial skill, "Love Money Like Life," in the second round. That would give Lin Si a chance to place a smaller bet and test whether Xing Ye really had that skill.

As expected, Xing Ye didn’t even blink and matched the 2,000 passenger chips.

The two each grabbed a handful of Go pieces. In the first round, Xing Ye confidently wrote down his guesses for the number of black and white pieces. However, when the dealer finished counting, his numbers were completely off. Xing Ye slammed the table in anger and said, "How is this possible?! What did you do to me? Dealer, I suspect they cheated!"

"How did I cheat?" Lin Si, seeing that Xing Ye’s luck had indeed turned bad just as Shao Lin had predicted, immediately became confident. He puffed out his chest and confronted Xing Ye.

"They tampered with my luck value," Xing Ye said darkly as he looked at Shao Lin. "I know—you used this trick before when dealing with Liu Yi."

Shao Lin smiled faintly. "Luck is such an intangible thing. Can it really be considered cheating?"

The dealer, who had been observing the game, responded after hearing Shao Lin’s words: "Of course not."

Since the dealer said it wasn’t cheating, it wasn’t cheating—end of discussion. Xing Ye had no choice but to suppress his frustration and return to his seat, glaring at Lin Si as he watched his chips being handed over to him.

Lin Si laughed heartily and said, "I’m going to bet even more in the second round!"

Xing Ye replied, "You’ll regret it."

Lin Si said, "For the second round, I’ll bet fou—"

He deliberately stretched out the syllable and noticed Xing Ye’s dark expression slowly change into a mocking "Go on, I dare you" look. The moment he saw this, Lin Si immediately said, "I’ll bet four passenger chips."

"What?! Only four?!" Xing Ye shouted angrily. "You did that on purpose!"

Lin Si grinned. "I’ve already won a lot in the first round. What if I lose this one? Let’s count the pieces."

Naturally, Lin Si won the second round as well. With two wins in a best-of-three match, there was no need for a third round.

The moment the dealer moved Lin Si’s four passenger chips over to him, Xing Ye activated his initial skill, "Kua Fu Chasing the Sun."

"Kua Fu Chasing the Sun" could stop time for one minute. During this minute, Xing Ye could act freely, and no one else would notice anything he did.

In that time, he used his spiritual energy to recreate a QR code he had obtained in the mental world: "Scars of the Heart." This rare-type QR code was actually an offensive one and had the potential to unleash immense power.

"Scars of the Heart" allowed him to select a target and apply their "most painful life experience" as a physical wound. Even though the damage from a recreated QR code was only half of the original’s strength, it was still more than enough to deal serious harm to an opponent. However, this time, Xing Ye wasn’t aiming to kill. Instead of targeting Lin Si’s deepest trauma, he smirked and chose "an embarrassing memory from school."

The moment he activated the QR code, a long scratch appeared on Lin Si’s face.

It must have been a truly humiliating injury.

Xing Ye had deliberately chosen to use the “Repainting Brush” instead of physically attacking Lin Si, as the casino strictly prohibited violence. Even though time was frozen, Xing Ye remained cautious and left no evidence that could be used against him.

Moreover, "Scars of the Heart" essentially caused self-inflicted wounds, meaning it wasn’t technically an act of violence.

When the minute ended and the skill wore off, time resumed as normal. Everyone was still seated in their original positions—except now, Lin Si, who had just won four chips, suddenly had a fresh wound on his face.

"It hurts…" Lin Si clutched his face and exclaimed, "What did you do to me?!"

Xing Ye snorted and said coldly, "That’s the price you pay for winning my money. Too bad you only bet four passenger chips—if you had bet 4,000… heh."

With this act, Shao Lin and the others would now fully believe the fake skill that Xing Ye had fabricated.

 

Translator : DarNan