"What?! You... you switched the dealer's cards?!" Xiao Jingbai was greatly startled.
"Of course not." Li Wanming raised an eyebrow and gave him a slightly reproachful look. "Do you think I'm that stupid? Trying to switch cards from the dealer in a big gambling house like this? I'd be asking for trouble!"
She paused for a moment and then patiently explained, "The dealers in big gambling houses are usually specially trained and are quite skilled. It's extremely difficult, almost impossible, to switch their cards right in front of them. Moreover, there are many thugs in such places. If the card - switching fails, it would be hard to get away. So we usually..."
Just then, a man suddenly rushed out of a small alley nearby. Seeing Li Wanming, he immediately bowed and said, "Madam, I've done everything you asked me to do!"
Xiao Jingbai took a closer look and gasped. "You... aren't you the one..."
"Yes, yes, it's this old man! Young master has a really good memory!" The old man was thin and short, wearing a purple silk robe. He looked like a shriveled eggplant, except for a thick white jade thumb ring on his left thumb, which was particularly eye - catching.
Li Wanming took out a banknote from her purse. "As agreed, 500 taels."
The old man was overjoyed. He bowed to Li Wanming again and again. "Thank you, madam! Thank you, madam! If madam has such good business in the future, please do come to this old man!"
"Sure thing." Li Wanming waved her hand, and the thin old man left happily.
Watching his back disappear at the end of the street, Li Wanming slowly said, "The safest way to switch cards is to do it with your accomplice. And it's best to choose someone who seems to be at odds with you at first. That way, it's the most inconspicuous."
"So, yes, he was my accomplice I found from the start. He hid the cards and then switched them with mine."
"At that time, everyone's attention was focused on us and that rich merchant. No one would notice him... Oh, right, that rich merchant's outburst was also something I deliberately provoked."
By now, Xiao Jingbai was completely stunned. He stared blankly with his mouth wide open, unable to say a word.
"Now that I've talked about the person, let's talk about the dice..." Although Li Wanming was talking about the secrets of the gambling house, she did it so casually, as if an ordinary girl was chatting about embroidery. She spoke calmly and knowledgeably.
"Most of the dice in gambling houses are hollow. Some are filled with mercury, and some have mechanisms at the bottom of the dice cup. People with good hearing can easily tell the difference from the different rolling sounds. Coupled with wrist strength and special shaking techniques, they can roll the numbers they want at will."
As she spoke casually, the small stones in her hand were flipping between her fingers. Sometimes they disappeared, sometimes they reappeared. Sometimes there was one, and sometimes there were three. They were so vivid, as if they had a life of their own.
"This is what is meant by 'nine out of ten gambling games involve cheating'."
...
Xiao Jingbai stood there, his fingers unconsciously clutching the corner of his clothes until his knuckles turned white. "You... you mean... they all cheat?"
"Otherwise?" Li Wanming nodded indifferently. "Anyone who gambles cheats."
"But... isn't this cheating...?" Xiao Jingbai asked again.
"Yes, it is cheating." Li Wanming said nonchalantly. "How can you win without cheating? Do you think there are really so many gambling gods and saints? It's just that they have quicker hands and more sophisticated cheating techniques."
"So you mean this can be learned?" Xiao Jingbai's Adam's apple bobbed. Fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, but his eyes were filled with excitement.
Li Wanming glanced back at him, a half - smile on her lips. "Cheating is not some profound skill. Of course, it can be learned."
Before she even finished speaking, Xiao Jingbai grabbed her sleeve and pulled her into an inconspicuous corner. Then he knelt down with a thud. "Sister - in - law, I beg you to take me as your apprentice! Teach me!"
Li Wanming had brought him to the Mingyue Gambling House today specifically to show off her skills and try to subdue this little troublemaker. But she didn't expect that this kid would actually kneel down and ask to be her apprentice. It really caught her off - guard...
Li Wanming didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She scratched her ear and reached out to pull him up. "What silly thing are you saying? You're the second young master of the Ningwang Mansion. What do you need to learn these things for? Besides, I'm your sister - in - law. If you really want to learn, would I not teach you?"
"Really?" Xiao Jingbai's eyes immediately lit up.
"However—" Li Wanming dragged out the word, a glint of cunning in her eyes. "I won't teach you for free. I have a condition."
"Condition? What condition?"
Xiao Jingbai was stunned for a moment and then quickly patted his chest and promised, "Sister - in - law, don't worry. I'll study hard! Even if you ask me to train in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer, or grab chestnuts from a charcoal basin with my bare hands... I'll do it!"
Li Wanming burst out laughing and flicked his forehead. "What nonsense are you talking about? Why would you need to train for those things? My condition isn't that extreme."
"Then... what's the condition?" Xiao Jingbai covered his forehead and asked cautiously.
Li Wanming gave a meaningful smile. "I invited such a great champion to teach you. He can't teach you for free, right? I should at least see some results. So, if you can get into Chonglin Academy, I'll take you as my apprentice. How about it?"
"Chong... Chonglin?"
Xiao Jingbai's eyes widened instantly, and his voice even trembled.
There is only one academy for women in the world, which is Zangshan Academy. But there are thousands of ordinary academies for men, and the most famous one is Chonglin Academy.
Located in Yunzhou, Chonglin Academy has produced six chief councilors, three grand tutors, eleven champions, and countless scholars. It is regarded as a holy land by scholars all over the world.
Of course, for such a famous academy, the admission examination is extremely strict. How could a playboy like him, who couldn't even understand a single page of *Encyclopedia for Children*, even dream of getting in?
"Sister - in - law... you're not joking, are you?" Xiao Jingbai twitched the corner of his mouth, showing a smile that was uglier than crying.
Chonglin Academy...
With his level, he didn't even deserve to squat at the gate of Chonglin Academy!
"I'm not joking." Li Wanming stopped smiling and said seriously, "Mr. Pei told me that you're quite insightful and extremely talented. The reason you didn't do well in your studies before was that you didn't put your heart into it. If you're willing to study whole - heartedly, in the future—"
She deliberately paused for a moment and then emphasized each word, "In the future, even if you don't become a champion, your name will surely be on the list of first - rank Jinshi!"
"Really? Mr. Pei... did he really say that?" Xiao Jingbai suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with the flame of hope, like stars in the night sky.
"When have I ever lied to you?"
Li Wanming suppressed the smile on her lips, folded her hands behind her back, and pretended to be serious. "Mr. Pei also said that you're the most intelligent child he's ever seen. If you can study seriously, your future achievements may not be inferior to his."