Mad Deju laughed heartily, then lifted the pot lid and waved his hand.
A tattered cloth bag appeared. He scooped it up with both arms, gathering the cards on the table into it.
This time, he won so much it was overwhelming.
He was grinning so wide his mouth looked like it would split, while those who had bet with him...
Each looked as if they had lost their parents, their faces pale, some even crying from anger!
What kind of situation was this? A single game of chess lasted over two hours?
All that time wasted, and they did nothing but watch!
Furthermore, not only was time wasted watching this game, but in the end, they lost.
So many of them, all captivated by the battles on the chessboard, hadn't noticed how quickly time had flown.
Chu Tian and Lin Yu walked over to Mad Deju.
The fellow was busy stuffing cards into the bag.
The two of them stared with wide eyes.
Mad Deju looked up and grinned, "How is it? Guaranteed to be in the top fifty now, right?"
Seeing so many cards, Chu Tian was also dumbfounded, thinking: This is more than enough to get first place!
Boom...
A burst of celebratory fireworks announced the end of this intellectual contest.
Mad Deju called out to Chu Tian and Lin Yu, and they headed straight for a secluded corner next to the entrance of the side courtyard.
Upon arriving and turning a corner, Chu Tian found two people already there.
He immediately recognized them as Qi Shushu and the Nameless Chess Player, who had been engaged in fierce battles on the chessboard earlier.
The two were chatting merrily.
Seeing Mad Deju approach, their actions in the next second shocked Chu Tian.
Qi Shushu, who had a look of arrogance and had even taken down a 'chess reviler,' rubbed his hands and smiled.
He even looked fawningly at Mad Deju and said,
"Boss, look... didn't we perform well?"
Beside him, the Nameless Chess Player, usually radiating a cold, murderous aura, now appeared servile. "Boss, how was our 'Illusionary Array' setup?"
Mad Deju chuckled wickedly and nodded, "It was exceptionally good. These people were so engrossed, they thought it was an instant even after two hours!"
"However, your acting was a bit stiff, especially yours, Xiao Qi. You took someone down, but then you added that line about the chess reviler deserving to die. It was a bit too much..."
Mad Deju was actually critiquing the two of them.
The Nameless Chess Player's spirit immediately rose upon hearing Mad Deju's words.
He said, "See... see, I told you! After you took me down, you shouldn't have said that."
"Uh..." Qi Shushu actually scratched his head.
At this moment, he had lost all his arrogance, appearing rather foolish.
Chu Tian finally understood. It turned out the person who had been taken down was also impersonated by the Nameless Chess Player.
"Alright, alright, let me introduce you. Qi Shushu, Song Zijing."
"This is Brother Tian! Our patron! This one... is called..."
Mad Deju still didn't know Lin Yu's name.
"Her name is Lin Yu!"
Chu Tian helped introduce her.
"Greetings, Brother Tian... Greetings, sister-in-law..."
"Greetings, Brother Tian... Greetings, sister-in-law..."
Qi Shushu and Song Zijing spoke in unison, bowing simultaneously towards Chu Tian.
This move completely stunned Chu Tian.
He quickly pulled them up.
And explained that Lin Yu was just his sister, asking them not to call her that.
Lin Yu pouted and shook her fist at the two of them.
"Let's go to the entrance, check the rankings, and then we'll divide the spoils!"
At this point, the first place had thirty-two cards.
The few of them exchanged glances. That's it?
Half of the spectators in the chess area had bet on their game.
Now, Mad Deju's bag was full of over seven hundred cards.
This was even though fewer people had gone to watch the chess matches.
If it were in another area, it would likely be even more!
After all, with only three hours, a game between evenly matched opponents could last for hours.
However, on most chess tables, after just a few moves, both sides would understand their own and their opponent's strength.
To avoid wasting time, they would automatically concede or ask the referee for a ruling.
Although not explicitly stated, if a game exceeded ten minutes, the referee would intervene.
They would make a judgment based on the formation on the board.
Therefore, everyone played their trump cards, engaging in rapid games. If a player didn't make a move within three seconds, they would be judged to have lost.
However, at their table, the referee had also been drawn into their 'Illusionary Array,' and hadn't stopped their game at the ten-minute mark.
Upon arriving here, they saw Lin Ran and Lin Chi looking disappointed, peering towards the entrance.
They were clearly looking for Chu Tian and the others.
Mad Deju enthusiastically went up and put his arm around Lin Ran, asking, "Brother, how did it go? Can you make it into the top fifty?"
"Make it in my ass! Don't even mention it!"
"We were originally going to the music area to watch the spectacle and admire the beautiful women."
"Who would have thought a bookie would show up... sigh!"
Mad Deju froze, and Chu Tian also looked strange, asking, "Were you completely wiped out in the end?"
"Wiped out my foot," Lin Chi said.
"As soon as we placed our bets, the bookie was apprehended and instantly killed with a palm strike."
"All the cards everyone had bet were confiscated, and it was announced that anyone opening a gambling den would be executed without mercy!"
"This..." Chu Tian glanced at Mad Deju, who wore an expression of "it's only natural."
It seemed someone had imitated Mad Deju, gone to the music area to open a book, and was summarily executed.
"Brother Tian... this money wasn't spent in vain, was it? I also needed to grease some palms!"
Chu Tian nodded without speaking. His perception of Mad Deju had deepened.
Seeing the subservient Lin brothers, Mad Deju said, "Don't worry, Brother Tian is treating. We'll get you into the top fifty."
While everyone else had finished their matches, they prepared to distribute the cards according to the rankings.
In the end, it turned out that even the first place had only dozens of cards, not even a hundred.
Mad Deju handed the bag to Chu Tian, who waved his hand.
He gave each of them a hundred cards and kept the rest for himself.
After submitting their cards at the entrance, the seven of them drew the attention of the card collection and statistical personnel.
However, they didn't say anything.
Moments later, everyone returned to the martial arts arena. The Lin family patriarch took the list compiled by the staff.
Without further ado, he announced the names of the top fifty qualifiers for the discussion.
"The top fifty qualifiers for the discussion, the fiftieth ranked is... He read names from back to front."
"Twelfth place, Zhang Cheng... won forty-seven cards!"
"Huh?" When he read this, he paused. Zhang Cheng from the Zhang family, with a whopping forty-seven cards, only managed twelfth place?
He quickly flipped to the last page, stared at the first name on the list, and was utterly stunned into silence.
"Eleventh place, Qi Shusheng... won fifty-one cards!"
Zhang Cheng and Qi Shusheng, whose names were called, were both stunned.
Qi Shusheng abruptly stood up and roared, "This is impossible!"
He couldn't believe that he wasn't among the top ten.