"Let's go for small this time!"
The result was indeed small, and as Gu Yongping watched from behind, his eyes turned red with envy, cursing inwardly,
"Damn it, I've never won a single hand here. How come he wins every time he plays? Could he be in cahoots with the banker?"
Gu Shi Yi then won another three hands in a row, laughing heartily as he collected the silver, looking around, and when he saw Gu Yongping, he casually tossed ten taels of silver to him,
"Thanks, brother, for letting this seat to me. Today my luck is through the roof, so this is for your tea!"
Now that Gu Yongping had silver in hand, and seeing Gu Shi Yi win several more hands, how could he not be tempted?
Without any reservation, he took the ten taels of silver and asked Gu Shi Yi,
"Um... buddy... are you... betting on big or small?"
Gu Shi Yi had been waiting just for this moment, and burst into laughter, slinging an arm over his shoulder and pulling him close,
"You say big, we'll bet big; you say small, we'll bet small!"
Hearing this, Gu Yongping hesitated,
"Brother, my gambling luck isn't so great today; I've lost all the silver I had on me!"
Gu Shi Yi laughed heartily,
"Don't worry, don't worry. If you win, it's yours; if you lose, it's on me!"
Gu Yongping was a thorough gambler. With Gu Shi Yi's words, he didn't care whether he knew the man or if the man had ulterior motives. His eyes gleamed as he threw the silver to the left,
"Small!"
Gu Shi Yi laughed loudly and also bet one hundred taels of silver,
"Small!"
Gu Yongping watched the croupier lift the cover with flushed face and burning ears. It was indeed small. Clutching the won silver, he then turned to Gu Shi Yi and said,
"Brother, can I... can I bet big this round?"
"Sure, why couldn't you?"
Gu Shi Yi smiled and nodded, and just like that, he kept betting with Gu Yongping until the fourth watch. Eventually, they even startled the owner of the Gambling House, who personally came out to offer them tea and presented them with a silver note of a thousand taels, escorting them out with great respect. Gu Yongping had lost at least ten thousand taels of silver in that Gambling House, this was the first time he felt so elated, leaving arm in arm with Gu Shi Yi, his face beaming with joy, all smiles,
"Brother, I owe it all to you today. This is the first time I've ever won so freely. Come on... let me treat you to a drink!"
Gu Shi Yi replied with a smile,
"Sure!"
At this hour, the only boisterous tavern on the street welcomed the two of them. Upon entering, a waiter who recognized Gu Yongping came to greet them, leading them to the second floor into a private room. Gu Yongping, feeling generous, waved grandly,
"Bring up your finest wine and dishes!"
The waiter obliged and went to fulfill the order. Only then did Gu Yongping strike up a conversation with Gu Shi Yi,
"We've been playing together for quite a while, yet I still don't know your honorable name, brother?"
Gu Shi Yi smiled and said,
"No need for formalities. My surname is Li. Since I rank eleventh in my family, I have no distinguished name; everyone just calls me Li Shiyi. You can call me Mr. Shiyi as well!"
Hearing this, Gu Yongping laughed,
"What a coincidence! I am the tenth in my family, so I'll take the liberty of referring to you as Mr. Shiyi!"
Gu Shi Yi smiled slightly and said,
"That's appropriate!"
Gu Yongping then asked about his background, to which Gu Shi Yi explained that he came from a noble family, but because the struggle for power and endless scheming at home was too much, and he disliked the daily calculations, he decided to leave and seek his own path in the world,
"... I've been wandering aimlessly, and I happened to come to Blue Moon City. Hearing of Blue Moon Lake, I wanted to see it, which brought me to your esteemed locale, where I had the fortune to meet Brother Ten!"
Gu Yongping laughed heartily upon hearing this,
"What esteemed locale? Our place only produces some useless stones, barely enough to make a living!"
As they were talking, the wine and dishes arrived. Gu Yongping invited Gu Shi Yi to eat and drink. Having gambled most of the night, they were both starving, and without any pretense, they set to eating heartily. As they ate and drank, Gu Yongping's complexion grew even rosier and his eyes began to glaze over, and he started chuckling foolishly. Seeing the timing was right, Gu Shi Yi broached a question,
"Brother Ten, with the surname Gu... you must be from the famed Gu Family of Blue Moon City, right?"
Gu Yongping chuckled and self-deprecatingly said,
"What 'from the Gu Family'? I'm merely a useless freeloader in the clan, good neither for Great Cultivation nor for managing affairs..."
As the wine took effect, Gu Shi Yi only had to nudge the conversation, and Gu Yongping began talking without reservation. Gu Shi Yi smiled and said,
"Brother Ten, what modesty! With your distinguished bearing and extraordinary demeanor, how can you be a mere freeloader? You're much too humble!"
"Modesty? Ha!"