Stretching languidly, Jun Xie stood up, letting out a reckless laugh. "Got any more silver? If not, I'm heading back to bed! Winning just a few taels after gambling for this long is truly disappointing! Wouldn't you agree, Miss Dugu?!" Jun Xie knew he had just successfully dismantled one of their schemes, and now was the time for them to reveal their true intentions!

"You can't leave!" Li Zhen and the others immediately panicked. At this moment, everyone, including Meng Haizhou, felt as though their minds were a complete mess, utterly baffled as to how they had lost, and lost so confusingly at that!

Every single one of them possessed superior gambling skills compared to Jun Mo Xie, yet the four of them, joining forces, had still lost everything! Furthermore, Jun Mo Xie had clearly ingested the hallucinogen earlier, and they had tampered with the dice themselves. Meng Haizhou had even deliberately sprinkled a specific spice on himself, one known to aggravate the confusion in those who had taken hallucinogens, thus subtly leading them to his control!

Yet, even with all these advantages, the four of them had been stripped bare. How could this be explained?

Could it be that Jun Mo Xie’s luck was just too astronomical?! But the difference in every roll was only minuscule—such consistent coincidence was impossible. If he were cheating, how could he have done it? For someone who had taken a hallucinogen and possessed utterly abysmal gambling skills to cheat would truly be witnessing a devilish spectacle!

Their meticulously prepared plan had proceeded smoothly since Tang Yuan had first joined the dice game. Unexpectedly, after waiting endlessly for the main target, Jun Mo Xie, all their plans had been aborted before they could even be implemented—all six of them were left destitute, so what was left to plan?

However, the moment they considered the consequences of failing their mission and returning, they all shuddered, an unmistakable look of terror flashing in their eyes.

Li Youran’s gentle and refined countenance was, in the minds of these men, far more terrifying than the sneer of a demon! This was because even when Li Youran issued an order for mass slaughter, his expression remained gentle, refined, warm, and amicable! He was a being more demonic than the devil himself!

"I want to gamble with you again! I still have stakes!" Meng Haizhou slapped the jade pendant hanging from his waist and tossed it onto the table!

"Hahahaha, do you truly think I'm a rag picker?" Jun Xie scoffed disdainfully. "Trying to gamble with me using a bunch of junk? I’d rather go home and take a long nap!" He shook his head and turned to leave!

"Wait!" Meng Haizhou shouted, glaring malevolently at Li Zhen and the others. "Bring out everything you have that has value!"

Li Zhen and the others also knew that returning empty-handed would likely lead to a terrible fate. They quickly began removing every valuable item they carried—gems, pearls, jade ornaments—and placing them all on the table.

"I will also stake Tang Yuan Gongzi's treasured sword and jade pendant! Originally worth one million five hundred thousand taels, I’ll stake one million taels now!" Meng Haizhou fixed his gaze intensely on Jun Xie. "Jun Mo Xie, you must desperately wish to win these back for him, right?"

Dugu Xiaoyi was slightly stunned. She knew the provenance of Fat Tang's sword and jade pendant. Being as sharp-witted as she was, she instantly realized the gambling match was far from simple, but she felt no fear, nor did she intend to stand aside. Such an interesting show was unfolding!

"He is him, and I am me! His possessions—what do they have to do with the gamble between us?" Jun Xie looked at him as if he were an idiot. "If I win, they become my spoils of war. What belongs to me, I can leave soaking in a gutter if I wish, or give away to whomever I please! What has it got to do with Tang Yuan? To win them back for him? You really have a lively imagination! Tang Yuan using these to put up silver against you is his business, it has nothing to do with me. When Tang Yuan takes the silver to redeem them later, that will be between you and him—what does it matter to me!"

Saying this, Jun Xie couldn't help but glance at the jade pendants and the sword, a mischievous chuckle bubbling up inside: These are definitely not ordinary items.

A wicked smile touched the corner of Jun Xie’s mouth. "Young Master Meng, wouldn't you agree that’s the logic?"

Hearing Jun Xie’s words, everyone present was struck dumbfounded. Even Tang Yuan and Dugu Xiaoyi were completely taken aback! Tang Yuan, who had just shown an expression of delighted relief, instantly crumpled into despair.

Meng Haizhou’s face turned instantly pale. He understood Jun Xie’s meaning perfectly, and precisely because he understood, he was thrown completely off balance! If the sword and jade pendant were lost to Jun Xie today, what was he to do when Tang Yuan came tomorrow with silver to redeem them? Jun Mo Xie’s argument seemed somewhat dishonorable, but logically speaking, a game must have rules. Collateral can only be sold after the redemption period expires; selling it now was unjustifiable!

Tang Yuan had suffered such an inexplicable, massive loss today; how could he let it go? Given his vengeful nature, if he came to redeem them and they were unavailable, it would certainly lead to another huge disaster! If they used that as a pretext to cause trouble, it would be their fault.

But then, steeling his resolve: He needed to survive this immediate crisis; why worry about the future? Besides, it wasn't guaranteed he would lose!

"We naturally have other ways to account for Young Master Tang's situation! Young Master Jun needn't trouble himself over that! Moreover, Young Master Jun may not necessarily have the capability to win these items!" Meng Haizhou shoved all the jade pendants, pearls, and the sword forward on the table, gritting his teeth, and cutting straight to the chase: "Young Master Third, this is an Imperial Ruyi Jade bestowed by our Emperor. This is my uncle’s most prized sword. This is the Luminous Pearl that Grand Tutor Li gave to Li Feng... These are things that money cannot buy! I estimate their value to be at least ten million taels! With Young Master Third's current silver reserves, you might not be able to meet that; if you agree to gamble but your funds are inconvenient, I can authorize you to use other stakes!"

"And what do you propose I use as collateral? Are you suggesting payment through servitude? Do you have an unmarried sister at home that you wish to marry off to me as your brother-in-law? But I’ve never heard you mention having a sister," Jun Xie drawled, picking at his ear with a sidelong glance.

Dugu Xiaoyi couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter, but she quickly composed herself and delivered a sharp kick under the table. Jun Xie immediately winced.

Veins pulsed visibly on Meng Haizhou’s face; he was so enraged he nearly spewed blood, but he forcibly suppressed it. "Young Master is joking. The stake is simple: if I lose, everything here naturally belongs to Young Master Third. Conversely, if I miraculously win, Young Master Third must agree to one request from me—to do one thing for me. How about that?"

"Joking, how can that be allowed!" Jun Xie thought to himself that the real show was starting now. They must have been holding this in for quite a while. He chuckled inwardly but shook his head in refusal. "If you asked me to commit suicide, should I do it? If you demanded I hand over all my Jun family wealth to you, should I comply? Your condition—tsk tsk—do you take me for a fool?"

"I guarantee that none of the things Young Master Third mentioned will happen; this matter will not cost Young Master Third a single piece of silver, nor will it cause him any harm! Furthermore, Young Master Third will absolutely be able to accomplish it! If Young Master Third later feels he cannot do it, then we simply treat it as if it never happened, no harm done!" Meng Haizhou could barely restrain the urge to beat the detestable fellow in front of him and stomp on him.

"That easy?! Then what's the harm in gambling!" Jun Xie agreed immediately. "How shall we gamble?"

"We gamble with dice!" Meng Haizhou showed an expression of throwing caution to the wind, displaying the unmistakable look of a classic gambler, his face slightly contorted. "Just you and me, head-to-head! Compare high or low, no banker! Whoever rolls higher wins! Jun Mo Xie, do you dare?"

"Hahahaha! Am I supposed to be afraid of a defeated opponent like you? Dice? You think you can beat me?! What a joke!" Jun Xie put on the air of an arrogant fool whose head was soaring into the heavens. Judging by his demeanor, if something substantial weren't tethering him down, he would probably float away entirely.