Playing Cards

Li Shiyin didn't pay much attention to the practical benefits of the Heavenly Proud List. Those things were of concern to her master, who was always calculating and scheming. What she focused on was what she should focus on—playing cards!

"Master! Let's play cards! Come on, let's play! This time, I'm going to win all your money!" she exclaimed, then called out to Qiqi, "Qiqi, come, let's team up and challenge the champion! Only by joining forces can we defeat him!"

Qiqi walked over with a look of disdain and said, "I think I have a better chance of winning against him alone."

"Wow! Qiqi, what are you talking about? Without my assistance, your combat power will be halved!" Li Shiyin had absolutely no self-awareness.

"Do we really have to play cards?" Qin Ran hesitated. He had so many things to do.

The teleportation formation was not yet set up, the Longevity Pill was just starting to show some progress, the Phoenix Wing Blood-Headed Bees hadn't found their breeding location yet, and the "Nine Extreme Divine Soul Devouring Demon Technique" needed to be adjusted for practical use.

"Of course, it's a rare opportunity to rest!" Li Shiyin persuaded.

"A rare opportunity to rest?" Qin Ran stared at her and raised his voice, "We've been resting for over a month!"

During this month, whether out of courtesy, self-interest, or affection, they had been waiting outside the Daoist sect. During this time, it was not convenient to cultivate or practice, so when they saw that the three little ones were bored, Qin Ran drew playing cards on paper.

And then he taught them how to play poker... like Landlord.

The name "Landlord" didn't fit the specific circumstances of this world and was eventually replaced by the name "Champion's Duel" by the mischievous little girl. And in the end, "Champion's Duel," aimed at Qin Ran, received unanimous praise from the four, including Tian Wenjin.

Long Qiqi's learning ability went without saying, while Li Shiyin was a typical academically challenged genius. When it came to serious studying, she was not good at anything, but once it had nothing to do with studying, whether it was eating, drinking, playing, or wielding knives, guns, and swords, she was naturally talented. It didn't take long for her to become a master at playing poker.

So, with Li Shiyin and Long Qiqi, their winning rate against Qin Ran was three out of ten. They had three wins, while Qin Ran had seven losses. This record was already impressive in front of Qin Ran, who had a pure and calculating demeanor.

As for Tian Wenjin and Chasing the Wind, Tian Wenjin had an average level of skill, he could play, but his skill was not as good as Li Shiyin's. And as for Chasing the Wind? Chasing the Wind was a big idiot, whoever was his "disciple" would lose.

"Ah! Master, let's practice tomorrow!" Li Shiyin used her ultimate skill of acting spoiled.

Qin Ran suffered a critical hit and surrendered instantly, "Alright, alright, I'll play a few more rounds with you today, but we must start practicing tomorrow."

The sky was getting late, the sun had not yet set behind the western mountains; the tree shadows swayed gently in the evening breeze.

After tidying up the table, with the orange glow of the setting sun, Qin Ran and the little ones sat around, took out the playing cards, and prepared to dominate the game.

Li Shiyin sat across from him and took advantage of him shuffling the cards to assert herself, "Master, today I'm definitely going to win all your spirit stones!"

Behind her, there was a large cat with paws clasped, cheering her on.

"Great!" Qin Ran liked the baseless confidence of her silly disciple. She threw the cleaned cards onto the table and asked, "So, how much are you starting with?"

"A few pieces?" Li Shiyin shook her head, still arrogant. "I want ten..."

But she couldn't finish her arrogant words as Long Qiqi interrupted her in time. "One piece! Just start with one piece, and the maximum bet is ten pieces!"

"Hey! Qiqi, what are you afraid of?" Li Shiyin was not pleased.

"I'm different from you. My spirit stones are the result of my hard work and are very valuable," Long Qiqi said.

Her spirit stones were the reward Qin Ran gave her for helping him with chores and taking care of spiritual medicine.

Li Shiyin didn't like Long Qiqi's conservative approach, but considering that Long Qiqi's spirit stones were indeed hard-earned, she nodded and said, "Let's start with one piece then!"

"Are you sure?" Qin Ran asked with a smile.

"Sure!" Li Shiyin nodded firmly.

"Let's shuffle the cards!"

Li Shiyin, this person, was the type who was both inexperienced and loved to play. She was the kind of person who made bold claims at the beginning, rambled in the middle, and fell silent in the end.

After a few rounds, the spirit stones in front of her and Long Qiqi gradually shifted to Qin Ran's side... She gritted her teeth, her eyes fixed on Qin Ran with deep resentment, and her spiritual sense had long been activated.

Unfortunately, Qin Ran showed no flaws under her gaze.

Qin Ran looked at Li Shiyin through his cards, his eyes filled with a smile, and said, "You're playing your cards too well!"

"Hmph!" Li Shiyin averted her gaze and suddenly saw Chasing the Wind swaying around. Feeling annoyed, she scolded Chasing the Wind, "Ah, Chasing the Wind, you're so annoying! It's because you've been behind me all the time that my cards are so bad! Get lost!!"

Chasing the Wind was inexplicably scolded and felt very wronged, so it ran to Qin Ran's side.

It seemed that Chasing the Wind really had a kind of special bad luck. When it was behind Li Shiyin, she always lost, and when it ran behind Qin Ran, the spirit stones in front of Qin Ran slipped away.

Li Shiyin was ecstatic and occasionally made strange faces at Qin Ran.

At first, Qin Ran really thought that Chasing the Wind had too much bad luck and was affecting him, but after playing for a while, he realized that something was off. Especially when his perfectly timed stealing card was accurately blocked by Li Shiyin, he confirmed that something was wrong.

Qin Ran looked at Li Shiyin, who was winking at him, pondered for a moment, held the cards in his hand, and asked Chasing the Wind, "Chasing the Wind, how does Dad treat you?"

Chasing the Wind sat up straight and replied, "Very well."

Qin Ran turned to look at Chasing the Wind, his gaze profound as he scrutinized it from top to bottom. Chasing the Wind shrank back in fear, and only then did Qin Ran say, "Dad is a bit tired. Why don't you help me with this round?"

As he spoke, he closed his cards and gave his seat directly to Chasing the Wind.

"No! Chasing the Wind can't play!" Seeing this, Li Shiyin strongly objected before Chasing the Wind could say anything.

"Why?" Qin Ran looked at Li Shiyin with a smile.

"Because... because..." Faced with Qin Ran's smiling gaze, Li Shiyin couldn't hold back and resorted to being childish. "Just can't let Chasing the Wind win!"

Qin Ran ignored her and signaled to Chasing the Wind, "Chasing the Wind, it's your turn!"

Chasing the Wind had no choice but to reluctantly come forward and touch the tiles. Its two furry paws were still quite agile, so playing a tile was no problem.

"Dad, keep an eye on me," it politely requested.

Seeing that Chasing the Wind was really taking part, Li Shiyin knew that the jig was up. She stopped pretending to be a good person and reached into her embrace, pulling out a small pure black tiger. She angrily threw it at Qin Ran, saying, "You lousy master!"

Qin Ran caught the small tiger and exclaimed in protest, "You cheat and then insult me?"

"Hmph!"

Qin Ran patted the big cat in his hand and then threw it back to Chasing the Wind, warning, "If you do this again, I'll eat tiger meat."

Chasing the Wind was big but cowardly. It cowered and tucked its head, summoning its clone back and forming a black ring on its tail.

The Demon King left the table, leaving the remaining three to play more joyfully... Long Qiqi won more, Li Shiyin won less, and Chasing the Wind was a big idiot who not only returned all the winnings Qin Ran had previously won, but also lost even more.

The card game lasted from the afternoon until late at night, until Li Shiyin's craving for playing cards was satisfied, and they all went back to their rooms to sleep.

And then, the next day, they played cards again...

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