I shook my head.

“Don’t say I’m not familiar with Old Wu.”

“Even if I were, I wouldn’t meddle in such trivial matters.”

“Moreover, based on what I know,”

“Old Wu, a man who plays life like a game, would never agree.”

Seeing that I didn’t agree,

Su Mei was clearly disappointed.

She drained the glass of wine in one gulp.

Then, standing up, she said:

“Then forget it, I’m going to rest. Oh, right. My birthday is next Wednesday. Let’s have dinner together…”

“Who will be there?”

“Not many, just some friends I get along well with…”

I nodded in agreement.

Actually, I don’t like gatherings with lots of people.

But I had no choice.

I owed Su Mei a favor.

I couldn’t refuse this invitation.

Besides, towards her,

I still harbored ulterior motives.

I saw her out.

Watching her graceful figure and smelling the faint elegant fragrance on her,

I suddenly spoke up:

“I regret it…”

Su Mei turned back, puzzled:

“Regret what?”

“Regret that night, I did nothing and just let you go!”

My expression was indifferent,

as if I was talking about someone else’s affairs.

Su Mei smiled enchantingly.

Tilting her head to look at me, she said softly:

“You had your chance, who told you not to seize it? Once this mountain is crossed, there will be no more temple. From now on, you can only think about it and slowly regret…”

With that, Su Mei giggled and walked out the door.

This Su Mei,

sometimes she’s calm and resilient,

like an invincible strong woman.

And sometimes, she’s charming and seductive like a demoness.

That night,

I hardly slept at all.

My mind was occupied with the gambling round two days later.

After a few hours,

I finally sketched out a way to break the game in my mind.

But this method was somewhat cruel.

In the morning, I had Old Hei pick me up for a bath.

The two of us went to the hospital together.

On the way, Old Hei said directly:

“Master Chu Liu, I called a few retired brothers from the Sanda team last night. I’m planning to have them come to Harbin North in the next couple of days. On the day of the gambling round, whether it’s Old Qian or Old Chef Zheng, if they dare to touch you, we’ll fight them…”

I lit a cigarette, looked out the window, and said lightly:

“No need for so many, just two new faces will do…”

“Two?”

Old Hei looked at me in surprise.

He felt that two people were clearly not enough.

I took a puff of the cigarette, looked at Old Hei, and said:

“Old Hei, you’re now half a member of The Swindler Sect. Remember, people from The Swindler Sect never rely on brute force to conquer the world. Leave these dirty deeds of fighting and killing to others…”

Old Hei grinned sheepishly.

“Right, we from The Swindler Sect rely on gambling skills. It’s a pity, I don’t have them…”

I shook my head slightly.

Pointing to Old Hei’s head, I said lightly:

“No, it’s this that we rely on!”

Many people think

that The Swindler Sect is just about cheating in gambling.

But in reality, it’s not like that.

Master Liu once said,

the true Swindler Sect is secretive and mystical.

Like the historically famous Su Qin and Zhang Yi,

they were from The Swindler Sect, disciples of Guiguzi.

Going further back, the founder of The Swindler Sect, Yu the Great,

used The Swindler techniques to establish the first hereditary dynasty in history, the Xia Dynasty.

Thus, there’s a saying in The Swindler Sect:

“Small swindles for wealth, great swindles for a nation.”

The true Swindler Sect is not about gambling or deceiving,

but a profound wisdom.

Of course, The Swindler Sect of today

has long become a vanity fair for gamblers.

At the hospital,

Little Duo told us that Old Niu had undergone surgery. The results were very good,

and it was benign.

It wouldn’t be long before Old Niu could be discharged.

But for now, he had just had an injection and was asleep.

The three of us then left the hospital.

Standing by the roadside, we chatted casually.

During this time, taking care of Old Niu,

Little Duo had obviously become thinner.

However, her spirit was very good.

Her eyes were bright and spirited.

That wild and unyielding nature was still there.

“Master Chu Liu, you’re looking for me for something, right?”

Little Duo was smart.

She knew that my visit this time was not to see Old Niu, but to find her specifically.

I didn’t answer, but instead asked her:

“How much of the skills Old Niu taught you have you learned?”

Upon mentioning this, Little Duo appeared confident and proud.

“Using Grandpa Niu’s words, if I learned ten parts, I can use twelve!”

This meant surpassing the master, just like how Master Liu once evaluated me.

But I showed no reaction.

Little Duo blinked her big eyes and asked me:

“Don’t believe me?”

I remained silent.

“Hmph, just wait!”

With that,

Little Duo went to a newsstand by the roadside, bought a book, and handed it to me, saying:

“This book has a total of 372 pages, just name a number…”

I understood Little Duo’s intention and casually said:

“Seven but not eight…”

Little Duo smirked contemptuously.

It seemed she felt I didn’t take her seriously.

I held the book.

Little Duo stepped forward lightly.

As she passed by me,

her right hand slightly lifted.

Two fingers gently brushed over the book.

Then, she looked at me with a smile.

I slowly opened the book,

flipping through it page by page.

With each page turned,

Old Hei beside me would widen his eyes and exclaim in amazement.

“Wow!”

After flipping through seven pages, Old Hei had exclaimed seven times.

The reason for his astonishment

was that from the first page to the seventh page,

there was a slit cut by a knife.

But the eighth page was intact,

without even a trace left.

I knew some of the techniques of the Honor Sect.

That’s why I said, “Seven but not eight.”

Little Duo asked with some pride:

“How about that?”

I shook my head.

“Not enough!”

“Then again, name a number!”

I turned to look at Old Hei.

Old Hei’s eyes spun around, deliberately making it difficult:

“276!”

Hearing this, Little Duo pouted.

She stepped forward,

and with two fingers, she brushed over the book again.

But this time, the speed was even faster.

Even to the eye,

it seemed like nothing but a shadow flashed by.

With one cut,

Old Hei hurriedly took the book and quickly flipped to page 276.

When he saw that everything before 276 was cut,

but 277 was still intact,

he stood there with his mouth agape,

stunned.

For a long while, he didn’t speak.

After a good while,

Old Hei finally came to his senses.

He looked at Little Duo with utmost admiration and said:

“Little Duo, your skill is too incredible, isn’t it? How is this possible? How did you do it?”

Little Duo laughed proudly,

somewhat showing off as she explained to Old Hei:

“It’s just child’s play, nothing to fuss about. When I was little, I practiced with newspapers, starting from ‘one but not two.’ Later on, I practiced with books…”

Old Hei was still confused and immediately asked:

“Whether it’s newspapers or books, the thickness of the paper is different, right?”

Little Duo nodded.

“Yeah, that’s why when I bought the book just now, I first understood the thickness of the paper. Then I decided on the force to use with the knife…”

“Amazing! Truly amazing! Lucky I didn’t make a move on you last time. Otherwise, I might have lost my hand. From now on, I’ll call you sister, Sister Little Duo!”

Little Duo said with a proud and coy expression:

“I have even more impressive things to show you another time. It’s not convenient to demonstrate now…”

“Alright!”

The two of them said, both laughing.

While I stood aside,

still expressionless, smoking my cigarette.

My face showed no surprise or admiration.