The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Chapter 2078 The Mad Tibetan Soldiers

Pang Shiwu arrived at the gambling table. There were five people gambling, but ten people were watching.

This time, the dealer who rolled the dice was a Tangut man with a bushy beard and a booming voice: "Young man, would you like to play a couple of rounds?"

Pang Shiwu laughed and said, "That's right, you're not welcome?"

The Tangut man laughed loudly, "Why wouldn't I welcome someone who's practically begging for money? Of course, I'll accept any offer! How much do you want to bet?"

Pang Shiwu said, "How much do I want to bet? Do you expect me to say how much you want to bet and you'll all bet the same amount?"

The Tangut man grinned, revealing a gleaming gold tooth. "Not bad, young man, you have an extraordinary air about you, clearly a wealthy person. We gamble a little here for fun, but if you're going to throw around a fortune, we can't afford it!"

Pang Shiwu laughed and said, "So that's what you meant. I thought you wanted me to go for something bigger!"

The Tangut man laughed and said, "We roughnecks don't earn money easily. We just meet up here and gamble a few rounds to have some fun."

Pang Shiwu said, "Don't underestimate yourself. If you're a rough man, then I'm even more of a rough man! Come on, how do we play?"

The Tangut people said, "It's simple, just compare the numbers! Whoever bets correctly wins!"

Pang Shiwu said, "Alright! How much did you bet just now?"

The Tangut people said, "We're betting one tael at a time, with a maximum of ten taels!"

Pang Shiwu said, "Alright! I'll bet one tael too!" He then took out a silver ingot, which weighed a full twenty taels. "This silver ingot weighs twenty taels. I'll bet one tael, and there are still nineteen taels left!"

The Tangut people said, "We've placed our bets, we're done! It's time to buy!"

Everyone placed their bets, some on big, some on small. The words "big" and "small" were carved into the table with a knife, and a circle was drawn around them. Placing a silver coin inside the circle was considered placing a bet.

At this moment, there were only gamblers at the gambling table, no merchants, no bodyguards, no followers, no companions! Everyone's competitive spirit was completely unleashed. Although the stakes of one or two taels of silver were not much, even if they won against everyone, it would only amount to a dozen or so taels. But—every little bit counts!

Sometimes, what some men really care about isn't money, but face! Even losing a single coin can make them feel utterly humiliated!

After everyone had placed their bets, they all stared at the large bowl on the table and the dice in the Tangut man's hand. Everyone was like a greedy beast, panting heavily, their eyes bloodshot!
"big!"

"big!"

"Small!"

Those who bet on the big bet shout "big," those who bet on the small bet shout "small!"
In that instant, everyone was screaming!

Their blood was boiling!

As if they were on a battlefield, about to decide the victor, their fists were clenched tightly, and the veins on their necks were bulging!

The Tangut man placed the dice in a bowl, then picked up a small bowl and placed it on top of the bowl, shaking it like a dice cup. The dice rattled and swayed inside the bowl. Then, the Tangut man slammed the bowl down on the table, his expression serious, his eyes scanning the crowd.
Pang Shiwu bet on "small"! Although he has excellent hearing, he still can't determine the exact number on the dice! Unless he rolls the dice dozens of times and listens to them dozens of times to verify the relationship between the changes in the numbers and the changes in the sound, he won't be able to tell the numbers by the different sounds!
But right now, we don't know whether it's big or small, so let's just bet on small!

The burly Tangut man grabbed the bowl, ready to lift it, but he deliberately created tension, saying, "Gentlemen, the moment to witness a miracle has arrived!"

A Tibetan man said impatiently, "Open it now!"

A Uyghur man chimed in in a deep voice, "Yes, let's get going!"

The Tangut man suddenly lifted the lid of the bowl, revealing three dice inside: four, five, and six—a big win!

This is similar to Pai Gow, it's also a game of one flip and two stares! It's just that the stakes are much lower, not as high as Pai Gow, so you won't stare until you die!

While some are excited, others are naturally disappointed and regretful!
"Damn, I'll just bet on big!"

"Hehe, I guessed right again this time!"

Pang Shiwu pointed to his silver ingot and said, "There are nineteen taels left in here. Now I'll bet one tael, and there will be eighteen taels left!"

Seeing that Pang Shiwu was having a lot of fun, Wang Sheng smiled and said, "Brother Shiwu is quite a character!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "A man is a boy until he dies! Who doesn't like to play?"

Wang Sheng asked, "I wonder what Young Master Feng likes to play?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "I like spinning ice monkeys! I like sledding! I like—I like so many things!"

Wang Sheng was taken aback. "What is 'ice monkey'?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Choosing means whipping. Ice monkey is a toy, which is actually a cone-shaped spinning top with steel balls embedded in the bottom. When whipped, the top spins continuously. Because the ice surface is relatively smooth, children like to whip ice monkeys on frozen river or water surfaces."

Wang Sheng asked, "Is this really that fun?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Of course! It's especially fun when a bunch of kids are playing together! Some people can draw all sorts of fancy tricks, while others can't even turn the ball. It's so interesting!"

Duanmu Yan said, "They say that wherever there are people, there is a world of martial arts. I never thought that there would be a world of martial arts wherever there are children."

Wang Sheng asked, "Could you explain how to whip it?" Feng Jiuxiao replied, "Let me explain. There's a technique to whipping the ice monkey on the ice. 'Starting the monkey' means starting with a vertical whip flick. As long as the ice monkey gets spinning, it won't fall over. But if it fails, it's called 'falling over'! 'Feeding the whip' refers to intermittently applying force. That is, once you see the ice monkey spinning slowly and about to fall over, you need to whip it again to make it spin faster."

Wang Sheng frowned. "I understand that. The faster a top spins, the more stable it stands! Once it slows down, it loses power and will fall over quickly!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "That's right! Also, whipping the Ice Monkey to make it glide in a straight line is called 'Chasing the Wind'!"

Wang Sheng said, "Chasing the Wind? What a great name!" In his mind, an image automatically appeared: a boy wielding a whip, cracking it against a spinning top, sending it flying far away!
Feng Jiuxiao said, "If you strike the Ice Monkey with great force, making it spin at high speed without shifting its position, this technique is called 'Stabilizing the Sea'! This requires a lot of dexterity in your hand strength. The angle and force must be gripped with extreme precision so that the Ice Monkey can spin fast without being whipped around!"

Wang Sheng said, "That's right, this move 'Stabilizing the Sea' really requires skillful application of force. If the force is too weak, it won't turn, and if the force is too strong, it will shift. Anyone who can achieve 'Stabilizing the Sea' is definitely a master!"

Feng Jiuxiao's gaze deepened: "That year I was eight years old, and only one twelve-year-old boy could achieve the same Dinghai as me! The others..." He hesitated, seemingly unwilling to mention it!
Wang Sheng asked, "Do you guys have any competitions or anything?"

Yes, there is monkey fighting! Anyone who dislikes another can challenge them to a competition to determine the winner. That's called monkey fighting! The two sides not only compete to see who can chase the wind the longest, but also to see who can finish the "Sea-Stabilizing" maneuver in the shortest time. Finally, the two monkeys will collide until one is completely destroyed before the competition ends!

Wow! A fight to the death! Are all the kids from your hometown this tough?

"After all, it's very close to the Khitan and belongs to the north. The cold season there is relatively long, so children there have to face the cruel test of nature from birth. Those with weak bodies simply can't survive more than a few days and will freeze to death!"

"Born into a struggle against nature? That's too cruel!"

"So the children there have a fighting spirit from a young age, always ready to fight against the heavens, the earth, and other people!"

"By the way, Young Master Feng, what was that ice monkey made of? Wood?"

"Excellent! Wood is a readily available material, so it's naturally the first choice! Of course, many enthusiasts have come up with creative ideas and made ice monkeys using all sorts of materials. Some do it for fun, while others collect it. For example, ice monkeys made of cast iron are purely for training arm strength; ordinary people simply can't lift them! There are also ice monkeys made of ivory, with all sorts of carved patterns, such as intaglio, relief, openwork, flowers, birds, insects, fish, landscapes, and Buddha statues—you name it, they're all there. These are naturally for collecting!"

"I never imagined there were so many interesting things in children's games. I even suspect that adult men in your hometown play them too!"

"You're right! This game is so addictive that they've set up an ice monkey drawing competition specifically for adults! In addition to the main sport of drawing ice monkeys, there's also an ice monkey exhibition to select the top ten ice monkeys! The competition is mainly based on the design, materials, and craftsmanship."

Duanmu Yan said, "I really envy you. You had so much fun when you were a child."

Feng Jiuxiao asked, "Weren't you happy when you were a child?"

Duanmu Yan sighed and said self-deprecatingly, "When I was a child, all I did was practice martial arts. I didn't have time to play. I trained day and night... all so that I could one day compete with my godfather and the Demon Lord!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Your childhood must have been quite boring."

Xiong Mengyan said, "So, it turns out that I was actually happiest and most carefree when I was a child!"

Wang Sheng asked, "What do you mean?"

Xiong Mengyan said, "My grandfather has never forced me to do anything I don't like."

Wang Sheng said, "Then what if your grandfather wants you to do something, but you don't like it?"

Tears welled up in Xiong Mengyan's eyes: "He would do everything he could to make me like this first, to make me do it willingly! He is the best grandfather in the world!"

Chang Zijing suddenly leaned closer to Feng Jiuxiao and whispered, "Where are her parents? How come she was raised by her grandfather?"

Feng Jiuxiao also whispered, "It's hard to say. Something might have happened. Otherwise, what biological parents would abandon their own child?"

Xiong Mengyan was in low spirits, and Duanmu Yan was also not in high spirits, so the atmosphere immediately became oppressive. Bigwolf immediately raised his glass and said, "Young Master Duanmu, this is a toast to you! If I can remember, this is the first time we've ever drunk together, isn't it?"

Duanmu Yan picked up her wine glass. "Not bad! Although we've known each other for a long time, this seems to be the first time we've actually sat down and drunk together!"

Bigwolf said, "Come on, Young Master Duanmu, bottoms up!"

Duanmu Yan also drank it, "Aren't you... afraid of what others will say about you?"

"What did you say about me?"

"You can't distinguish between good and evil, and you're colluding with members of a demonic cult!"

"Heh, you're a member of the demonic sect, and I'm a bloodthirsty demon beast! Who hasn't made mistakes? I don't care! You Central Plains people are the most unprincipled, saying one thing to your face and another behind your back! On one hand, you say your crimes are unforgivable, on the other hand, you say you'll lay down your butcher's knife and become a Buddha! So, whether it's righteous or evil, it doesn't matter to me! What I consider righteous is righteous, and what I consider evil is evil!"

Duanmu Yan raised her glass, her eyes revealing a hint of regret for not having met sooner, and her voice held a barely perceptible excitement, "Brother Wolf, I toast to you!"

Suddenly the curtain was lifted, and a group of Tibetan soldiers entered, all looking fierce and menacing. As soon as they entered, they shouted, "Boss, give us some beef, quick!"

Pang Shiwu frowned. The seven or eight soldiers who came in making a ruckus disgusted him.

Seeing that the room was full, the seven or eight soldiers yelled at a table of merchants, "Get up! Can't you see we're here?"

Those merchants were Han Chinese, far from home, how could they dare to disobey in the slightest? They were immediately frightened and got up to leave their seats! Even having two bodyguards would have been useless!

To fight against Tibetan soldiers within Tibetan territory? Isn't that suicide?
The Tibetan soldier at the front, looking rather slovenly, immediately spotted Feng Jiuxiao's table!
There are four beauties!
Ha ha!

His eyes gleamed with a lewd light as he walked straight over. "Young lady, are you Han Chinese?" He was naturally looking at Xiong Mengyan!
Xiong Mengyan remained calm and said, "Get out!"

The Tibetan soldier was taken aback, then flew into a rage: "What the hell did you say?"

Xiong Mengyan suddenly glanced at him!
The Tibetan soldier suddenly froze, then his expression changed drastically as if he had encountered something extremely terrifying. He turned and ran, rushing out of the house!
He's crazy!
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