Chapter Thirty-Five: Gada...

"Four o'clock..."
"Double."
"I'm double as well."
"Ha, what a coincidence, so am I."
"Seven o'clock!"
"I'm nine o'clock."
"I'm also nine o'clock."
"Why am I always the same as you guys?"

...

In the desert of the Lost Secret Realm, something occurred that was perhaps the strangest event to happen in a hundred years, maybe even since the realm first opened. In the final circle, when the coveted Ancient Dragon Soul was within reach, the last four survivors were found sitting atop a flat stone, playing Pai Gow together—while the glowing Dragon Soul sat in the center of the stone table, serving as a lamp.

Perhaps even the Dragon Soul itself had never imagined it would be so utterly humiliated...

But after three rounds, Jiang Lin began to regret it!

He was playing Pai Gow with the protagonists?

Good heavens! What was he thinking?

Of the three people around the stone, each was someone who could stumble into a cave and obtain a peerless martial arts manual, or enter an auction house and win a once-in-a-century treasure. Why would he wager his luck against theirs? Worse yet, he was acting as the banker?

Well, to be honest, Jiang Lin had harbored some small hope—after all, he had a system, and having a system meant he was a protagonist too, right? Even a villain protagonist is still a protagonist, isn’t he? Why should a villain protagonist be any less than anyone else?

But seeing the spirit stones in his pocket dwindle by half, Jiang Lin wiped his face deeply, wishing he could slap his naive self.

Heaven help me! What was I thinking?!

A villain protagonist exists only to deliver experience points and equipment to the main characters—how could he ever compete? Had he not learned enough from all those novels and dramas?

"Um... maybe we should stop playing..."

Ten rounds in, Jiang Lin’s eyes were moist, his heart bleeding. He had always been poor, and only recently had he managed to partner with that house-flipper to make a little capital...

Now... the night was still young, and he’d returned to square one.

"That’s not possible! I’m just getting into it. Who knew Pai Gow could be so fun?"

Chen Jia, who had just learned the rules from Jiang Lin—and even needed him to help read some of the tiles—said happily.

Lin Qingwan looked at Jiang Lin’s pleading eyes, like a demon pup (demon pups, for survival, are extremely cute and love to act adorable to deceive their enemies), and couldn’t help but cover her mouth, laughing softly with a touch of mischief: "That won’t do. Brother Jiang, you said yourself, you must play until you lose everything before leaving the table."

"My master taught me since childhood: whatever you do, you must give it your all and never quit halfway," Xiao Xueli said gently, casting a shy glance at Jiang Lin, her cheeks flushed. "If you run out of spirit stones, Jiang Lin, I... I can lend you some..."

She’d wanted to say she could give them all to him, but the sword spirit within her kept advising her that such behavior wasn’t dignified, so she could only offer to lend.

"Oh... so Jiang the beast is broke? If you’re out, just say so. Here, take mine—as long as you keep playing with me."

Chen Jia pushed her spirit stones to Jiang Lin as well.

"No spirit stones? How could I not have spirit stones?! To be honest, apart from being handsome and standing at six feet, my only other virtue is being rich. Come, let’s keep playing! I’ll be the banker!"

Xiao Xueli’s stammering, sympathetic tone stabbed deeply at Jiang Lin’s fragile pride.

Especially Chen Jia’s innocent remarks.

A man can be anything! But he must never admit to being powerless!

And so... after another ten rounds...

Sitting in the sand, Jiang Lin’s hand trembled as he picked up the tiles, carefully unfolding them. In that instant, his expression was as jubilant as a Shiba Inu meme.

"Double Heaven!"

He slapped the tiles onto the stone—Double Heaven, made from two Heaven tiles, the second highest in Pai Gow.

"Eh? What’s this? Jiang Lin, help me check."

Chen Jia, oblivious to Jiang Lin’s excitement, spread her tiles on the stone.

"Hey, Chen Jia, our tiles are the same."
"Mine too."

When three pairs of Supreme Treasures—the highest hand in Pai Gow—appeared before Jiang Lin, he was speechless. He swore never to touch Pai Gow again in this lifetime.

"I lose..."

Ready to accept defeat, Jiang Lin reached for his last spirit stones tucked in his underwear, when suddenly, a chime sounded in his mind, and the system spoke.

[Ding... System detects host is with three protagonists, all of whom are off guard. System triggered.]

[Options: 1. Please seize the Dragon Soul and anger the three protagonists. 2. In this deserted, moonless night, please covet their bodies and act upon it.]

[Host must choose within three seconds... 3... 2... 1...]

"I choose your damn option! What time is it now?! Besides, they’re all willing to give me the Dragon Soul—what’s the point of seizing it? Why would they be angry?!"

Jiang Lin was on the verge of collapse, staring at the countdown in his mind. At the last second, he silently wiped away a tear, then smashed the stone to pieces with a punch, grabbing the spirit orb containing the Dragon Soul.

...

Sand and dust swirled.

"Jiang Lin, what’s wrong?"
"Jiang the beast, have you lost your mind? Are you looking for a fight?"
"Brother Jiang?"

The three girls quickly rose, avoiding the dust.

"Sister Lin! As one of the Demon Sect, I live as a demon, die as a demon—I will never return with you to the Dragon Gate Sect! And Miss Xiao, I know what you want (though I haven’t a clue), but I refuse! Also, the Map of Mountains and Rivers is still with you. One day, I will retrieve it myself—keep it safe!"

"So Jiang the beast, you’ve chosen me? Will you come back with me?"

"Oh, and you, Chen Jia! Sorry, your chest is small, I forgot. Though I belong to the Sun and Moon Sect, I won’t be taking the Dragon Soul back to them. I intend to gift it to a lady from the south! Yes, to the courtesan of Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the Great Xia Dynasty! Once I give her the Dragon Soul, she’ll agree to spend a night with me!"

Jiang Lin proclaimed, leaning on his sword, his expression stern, as if spending a night with that courtesan mattered more than his life.

In truth, Jiang Lin only knew that the Great Xia was a flourishing dynasty.

If it was thriving, surely it had places of romance.

Where there is romance, surely there are courtesans.

As for who it was—who cares? Was it important? As long as he projected himself as a man who spurned their goodwill and was consumed by lust, that was enough.

Sure enough, as soon as Jiang Lin finished, three murderous auras surged forth, their infamy toward him rising rapidly...

"Brother Jiang? What is a courtesan? What did you just say?"
"Jiang Lin, you saved me twice. I thought your flirtatiousness was only surface deep, but to think you’d trade it all for a single night..."
"Jiang Lin! Explain yourself! What’s wrong with my chest!"

The three closed in, step by step, like the infamous scene when Cheng Ge was about to be attacked with a cleaver.

"Beast! Animal! Pervert! Jiang Lin! Die!"

Chen Jia squared up, took a step forward, and her tiny fist, imbued with peak martial intent, punched straight for Jiang Lin’s chest.

Reflexively, Jiang Lin raised the spirit orb to block—

"Crack..."

The sound of something shattering slowly echoed from Jiang Lin’s chest.