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

As soon as Xiao Ke and Wang Zhi entered the house, Zhang Guangyue and his parents looked up and saw that Xiao Ke was holding their family's property certificate. Well, they'd come to take back the house.

Zhang Guangyue looked at Xiao Ke with a blank expression. His mother was sobbing and wiping her tears with her sleeve. His father threw his cigarette butt on the ground, stood up and shouted at Zhang Guangyue, "What are you still squatting for? Get up and tidy up, make room for others."

Seeing the honest and kind faces of Zhang Guangyue's parents, Xiao Ke suddenly saw the shadow of his own parents in them. Being a parent in China is not easy. They work hard to earn money, all for the sake of raising their children and hoping to give them a better life.

If someone raises a good child, that's fine; at least there's hope for the future. But if someone raises a good-for-nothing, that's the worst luck imaginable; it's better not to have one at all.

Xiao Ke took another look at Zhang Guangyue. He was a tall man, over 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. He also had a fierce look on his face. He must be a good fighter.

Suddenly, Xiao Ke changed his mind. If he really kicked Zhang Guangyue's whole family out, Zhang Guangyue, who was so desperate that he would cut off his own fingers, might stab him in the back one day.

Why not do him a favor? You might need him in the future. It's like leaving him a way out, and also leaving yourself a way out.

Xiao Ke threw the property certificate onto the kang (a heated brick bed) with a thud, saying, "No need to clean it up, I don't want this house anymore."

"A bet is a bet. Our Zhang family has always valued integrity. If we lose, we lose. Young man, the house is yours," said Zhang Guangyue's father.

"Uncle, I'm here today to return your property deed. Yesterday, your son acted impulsively in front of so many people, and I had no choice but to play along. Here's 1000 yuan, which you probably saved up with great difficulty, and I'm returning it to you as well." Xiao Ke said, taking out 1000 yuan from his pocket and placing it on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Xiao Ke's actions left Zhang Guangyue and his parents completely bewildered. What was going on? Why was a gambler being so enthusiastic? What was he up to?

Xiao Ke didn't have any other thoughts. He just felt sorry for Zhang Guangyue's parents when he saw them like that, which reminded him of his own parents.

After putting the money away, Xiao Ke led Wang Zhi, who was equally bewildered, out. As they walked out, Wang Zhi wondered what was wrong with Xiao Ke today. They came here but didn't get the money, and even lost the money they had won. What kind of operation was this?

Xiao Ke and Wang Zhigang hadn't gone far when Zhang Guangyue caught up from behind, panting heavily. "Brother, I want to follow you. Take me in."

"Um... I don't even have a job myself. Why would I hire you?" Xiao Ke said.

"Brother, I'll do whatever you ask, I'll be your slave. I've never seen anyone as particular as you in my life. If you don't take me in today, I'll cut off my own finger." Zhang Guangyue said, pulling out a dagger again, intending to cut his own finger.

"Alright, alright, don't cut yourself. Why are you so quick to cut your finger? What's wrong with you? Fine, you'll stay with us from now on. Stay home today, and we'll call you when we need you," Xiao Ke said to Zhang Guangyue.

Okay, brother, I'll be waiting at home. You can call me anytime. After saying that, Zhang Guangyue turned around and ran home.

Wait a minute—Little Ke called out to him.

"What's wrong, brother? What do you need?" Zhang Guangyue turned around abruptly and asked.

"Don't gamble anymore. With your skills, you'd lose every single bet you had. Others aren't as kind as me," Xiao Ke cautioned.

Brother, I'll listen to you. If you gamble again, you can chop off my finger.

"Go away, get lost! You're just cutting off chicken feathers and fingers for no reason." Xiao Ke said, walking back with his cousin.

In this way, Xiao Ke gained a loyal follower without much effort. This Zhang Guangyue later became Xiao Ke's number one warrior, daring to fight and charging forward, and made many military achievements.

After a day of rest, Xiao Ke's hands were itching to get back to work. He called on Wang Zhi and Zhang Guangyue to go and show off their skills again.

This time, they didn't go to the police station in Daowai. They couldn't keep trying to fleece the same sheep. Xiao Ke was worried that if they kept using the same tricks in the same police station, they would eventually be exposed. So this time, they decided to go to a different station.

They inquired with several gamblers and heard that there was a guy named Yuan Laosan in Daoli District who ran a large and safe gambling den that was never investigated by the authorities.

Xiao Ke brought Wang Zhi and Zhang Guangyue to Yuan Laosan's gambling den, which they had heard so much about. When they entered, they found the 100-square-meter house packed with people playing mahjong, dominoes, poker, and even dice games. There were quite a few games, and the stakes were all quite high.

Take these mahjong tables for example, the minimum bet is ten yuan, with no upper limit. Sometimes you can win big in one hand, and the wins or losses can reach several hundred yuan. It's fucking exciting.

When Xiao Ke and his friends got to the mahjong area, a guy who had lost all his underwear got off the table. Xiao Ke plopped down on the table, ready to play a few rounds with them.

"Hey, brother, you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time here?" said a burly man with a thick beard. This man was none other than the owner of this place, Yuan Laosan.

"Ah, this is my first time here. I came because I've heard it's safe here, so I thought I'd give it a try," Xiao Ke replied.

"Haha, unlike other places where you have to hide and guard, and they won't let you in unless you're introduced by an acquaintance, here, strangers and acquaintances alike are welcome. As long as you have money, you can come and have fun." Old Yuan said, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he exhaled a puff of white smoke.

"Come on, brother, this is the boss here. He's got deep pockets. How much should we bet?" asked the man next to Yuan Laosan.

In fact, Yuan Laosan's mahjong table was specially set up for killing people. The three of them were the ones who would take the winnings. They would kill any fool or rich person they saw without leaving them with a single piece of armor. They could even win the rubber band from their underwear.

Originally, Yuan Laosan wanted to rest after slaughtering the runaway guy today, but Xiao Ke sat down and delivered himself to his doorstep, so he decided to fleece him thoroughly.

"You decide the stakes, I'm easygoing," Xiao Ke said calmly.

"Damn, this guy's got a tough tongue. You dare to hit me for 50 yuan?" one of the men at the table said.

"What's there to be afraid of? I'm willing to lose this much money today." Xiao Ke took out 2000 yuan from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"Dude, if you really want to pay 50, you probably don't have enough money." Yuan Laosan said dismissively.

"Can I borrow some from you if it's not enough?" Xiao Ke asked.

"Sure, of course, okay, let's go big then, let's go for 50." Old Yuan shoved his cigarette butt into the ashtray and started playing mahjong.

Xiao Ke joined in the mahjong game. Now that Xiao Ke can remember all 144 mahjong tiles, how will he deal with the wealthy and powerful Yuan Laosan and his gang? Stay tuned for the next episode.