Underworld Chronicles: Qiao Si's Strategist, Xiao Ke, and Wang Weifan

As the saying goes, "Only when you're down on your luck do you realize how fickle the world is," and "It's hard to borrow even a liter of grain." After Xiao Ke's father returned to the village, he had to borrow from one neighbor after another. Relatives and neighbors who were usually all smiles would change their expressions the moment they heard that Xiao Ke's father had come to borrow money. They would either pretend they didn't have any or they really wouldn't lend him any. In the end, Xiao Ke's father struggled for a long time before he managed to scrape together 500 yuan.

Even a hero can be brought down by a penny. Xiao Ke's father, having run out of money, went to his cousin's house with a worried look on his face, hoping to go with his cousin to discuss with Li Baobao again and see if they could get a few more days' grace.

When Xiao Ke's uncle heard this, he knew that Li Baobao was a scoundrel and he definitely couldn't agree to it. In the end, Xiao Ke's uncle took out his own savings and secretly stole some money from his wife, making up 500 yuan, which he then put into Xiao Ke's father's hands.

True friendship is revealed in times of trouble. Xiao Ke's uncle proved to be a helpful friend in the end. As a result, Xiao Ke's father and uncle gave Li Baobao 1000 yuan. Li Baobao promised not to pursue the matter further. With the help of Xiao Ke's uncle's powerful backer, Xiao Sun, Xiao Ke was spared criminal punishment and did not have to go to jail.

Xiao Ke's father, uncle, and cousin were waiting for him outside the police station. As soon as Xiao Ke came out, his father wanted to rush up and slap him twice.

Xiao Ke's uncle and cousin quickly stopped him, while Xiao Ke's father kept rushing towards Xiao Ke, saying, "You good-for-nothing, you've ruined the family, I'll beat you to death!"

"Dad, he hit me first. I was so angry that I stabbed him," Xiao Ke explained.

"You still dare to argue? If I hit you, won't you run away? If I hit you, I'll beat you to death, you worthless piece of trash!" Xiao Ke's father glared, his hands reaching out to teach Xiao Ke a lesson.

"Cousin, what are you doing? The child is already out. Look at his face, he's been beaten. His eyes are swollen like a young woman's steamed bun. You still want to hit him?" Xiao Ke's uncle said, trying to stop him.

Only then did Xiao Ke's father notice the injury on Xiao Ke's face. No matter how angry he was, Xiao Ke was still his child. So he lowered his raised hand, sighed helplessly, and walked back.

On the way home, Xiao Ke learned from Wang Zhi that his father had licked up the phlegm that Li Baobao had spat out for him, and Li Baobao had asked for 1000 yuan. Xiao Ke's father and his cousin had borrowed money from one neighbor to another with great difficulty to raise the money.

Xiao Ke clenched his fists immediately. Although he didn't say anything, he was determined to avenge this grudge.

When Xiao Ke came back, he lost his job scrubbing people's backs. Who would dare to let him scrub their backs? You're the kind of person who's quick to stab people with scissors at the drop of a hat. You might end up stabbing people's backs instead of scrubbing them. Wouldn't that be scary?

Old Guan subtly told Xiao Ke's cousin about the situation, and Xiao Ke lost his job. Well, he lost it anyway. Xiao Ke wasn't planning on doing it anymore. It was so tiring and didn't even make any money. What was the point of doing it?

The day after he got out, Xiao Ke called out his cousin Wang Zhi and asked, "Cousin, do you know where there are any gambling games out there? The kind where the stakes are high."

"What, you want to gamble?" Wang Zhi asked.

"I can't let my dad and your dad still owe money to others. I have to find a way to win it back," Xiao Ke said.

"I know a place in Daowai. It's run by my friend's dad. It's quite big, and they play all sorts of games, including mahjong, dominoes, and poker. Are you confident you can win?" Wang Zhi asked.

"Come on, let's go for it. I still have 50 yuan left. Cousin, do you have any more money? If so, lend me some more. I'll pay you back double if we win," Xiao Ke said.

"I only have 50 left, that's all." Wang Zhi took out 50 yuan and handed it to Xiao Ke.

Okay, one hundred yuan is enough. Let's go get it done now. Xiao Ke pulled Wang Zhi out.

Some people might ask, since Xiao Ke's uncle has a police station, why doesn't Xiao Ke just go to his uncle's place and win some money instead of traveling all that way?

Firstly, the stakes at his uncle's place are low, making it too difficult to win over 1000 yuan in a single day. Secondly, Xiao Ke had previously used underhanded tactics here and even stabbed Li Baobao; if he went to play again, people probably wouldn't want to play with him, and he didn't want to ruin the place his uncle had worked so hard to set up.

So Xiao Ke went to a bigger place, a higher-end establishment, where he could win money quickly and no one knew him, making it easier to make money.

On the way there, Xiao Ke took a nail clipper and cut a small groove on the nail of his index finger.

"Xiao Ke, what are you doing? Why are you cutting a small notch in your fingernail?" Wang Zhi asked, puzzled.

"Cousin, you'll see when you get there." Little Ke didn't tell his cousin that this was for cheating, to prevent his cousin from giving himself away.

After a long drive, Wang Zhi led Xiao Ke to the gambling den in Daowai that he had mentioned. The den was located in an abandoned warehouse, a rather secluded place, with two people keeping watch at the entrance.

Upon seeing Xiao Ke and Wang Zhi, the two men at the door approached and asked, "Hey, what are you doing? Do you have someone to introduce you?"

It turns out that for safety reasons, this gambling den does not accept strangers; those who come to gamble must be acquaintances or introduced by acquaintances.

"Ah, I'm Liu Zi's friend. I brought a friend over to play a couple of rounds," Wang Zhi said.

Liu Zi was the son of the gambling den owner. Wang Zhi said that Liu Zi had introduced them, so the two people at the door let Xiao Ke and Wang Zhi in.

Upon entering the casino, it was indeed quite large. Inside, people were playing mahjong, dominoes, poker, and Texas Hold'em. It was much bigger than Uncle Xiao Ke's place, and there were many more different games.

Xiao Ke and his cousin didn't start playing right away. They wandered around the casino for a while, and finally, Xiao Ke stopped at the Texas Hold'em game. He thought it was the fastest way to make money and that it was worth playing.

After observing for a while, Xiao Ke took his money and sat down at the table. He didn't follow the lead in the first few hands because he was waiting for an opportunity. When he got his cards, he used his neatly trimmed fingernails to make marks without anyone noticing.

Back then, things weren't as advanced as they are now. Cards were dealt by machines, and you'd get a new deck after each round.

Back then, cards were generally not changed unless someone made a request. The fact that no new cards were given Xiao Ke the opportunity to succeed. After playing more than ten rounds, Xiao Ke had marked the cards almost completely and was ready to start his scheme.

Xiao Ke didn't even need to look at the three cards in his hand to know what cards he had. He could also clearly see the other players' three cards, as if he were wearing X-ray vision. Those other people were still being stupid, some covering their cards with their hands to see them, and some using cards to block their view. Little did they know that Xiao Ke could see everything at a glance just by looking at the markings he had made.

眼见着小克桌子上的钱从100变成200，从200变成1000，再从1000变成2000。

When he had won 2000 yuan, Xiao Ke felt that it was about time. If he continued to win, it would inevitably arouse suspicion, so he should stop.

Then Xiao Ke deliberately lost a few hands. "Damn it, my luck's gone. Cousin, let's try again tomorrow. We've used up most of our luck today." After saying that, Xiao Ke stood up and walked out of the casino with his cousin.

What will Xiao Ke do next after winning so much money? Stay tuned for the next episode.