Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo' Chapter 1219 593: All Stars Surrounding the Moon (Part 3)

The so-called Supreme means a six-point big monkey card plus a three-point small monkey card; together that makes nine points. This hand is called the Supreme Treasure. That's how Ding Liusan got his name—he once used a single Supreme to win a Seventh Layer Gambling Cultivator until he lost everything, and that's how he became famous.

Dou Jiyan was very worried; she was really afraid that Ding Liusan had the Supreme.

But when Ding Liusan revealed his hand, it was two Earth Cards of two points.

A pair of Earth Cards is also quite strong, but it's weaker than a pair of Heaven Cards. Winning this round, Dou Jiyan could be said to have taken one back.

"Senior Brother, thanks for letting me win." Dou Jiyan let out a breath.

The gambling hall was in an uproar, and no one knew who shouted "Shameless!" In an instant the hall fell quiet again.

Dou Jiyan's cheeks turned pale.

Ding Liusan swept his gaze over the crowd and said, "Everyone, don't talk nonsense. I'm the one who lent Junior Sister the chips, and I'm the one who placed the bet myself. You gamble, you accept the loss!"

The gambling hall started buzzing again.

"Wasn't she the one who said we weren't allowed to borrow or lend, and we weren't allowed to associate with Credit Cultivation Technique? Now she's got the nerve to borrow chips herself?"

"Look at our Senior Brother's bearing—he lets her throw a tantrum like this and doesn't even hold it against her."

The last event remaining: cockfighting.

This was Dou Jiyan's specialty. It was precisely because she was good at raising fighting cocks that she had the chance to enter the Gambling Cultivators' Taoist Sect.

She brought her carefully chosen fighting cock to the gambling hall. It was a black chicken; apart from its comb, beak, and feet, the rest of its body was pure black.

Dou Jiyan set the chicken on her forearm and fed it a bit. With a light lift of her arm, the fighting cock flew to the ground, tilted its head, and looked at Ding Liusan.

Just from appearance alone, Li Banfeng even thought it was a hawk.

Listening to the people around them talk, this fighting cock had beaten hawks before, and more than just one.

Even before the fight started, Ding Liusan said, "This chicken's sick."

Dou Jiyan glared at Ding Liusan. "Senior Brother, the fight hasn't even started and you're already making a move on my fighting cock. Isn't that a bit out of line?"

Ding Liusan shook his head and said, "No need to fight. Can that still be called a fighting cock? Look at its plumage, then look at the tips of its claws, then look at the spirit in its gait over those few steps—there's not a trace of a fighting cock's bearing left. What difference is there between this and a barnyard chicken raised for meat?"

Jin Jinliang, who had originally been in charge of checking tokens at the door, was also in the hall watching the match. He softly reminded Dou Jiyan, "This is the Skill of Identification."

One of the four great ultimate techniques of Taste Cultivation—the Skill of Identification.

Dou Jiyan had already picked up on it. "I know exactly what my fighting cock is like, Senior Brother. No need for you to worry. Let's hurry up and start the fight."

Ding Liusan's brows tightened slightly. "In the last match, Junior Sister, you said you wanted to borrow chips, and I lent them. Now I want to say a few words, and you won't let me?"

Regarding what had happened before, Dou Jiyan truly didn't have much ground to stand on, but she didn't want to let Ding Liusan display his Technique, so she could only divert the topic first: "Senior Brother says my fighting cock isn't good. Why don't you bring out your fighting cock and we'll compare them and see."

Ding Liusan looked disappointed. "No need to see it. Junior Sister was once a master of cockfighting; the fighting cocks under her hand have gone through countless battles—one cry, one step, and they could scare the opponent half to death.

But how long has it been since this chicken last saw a battlefield? On ordinary days it might still keep you company for a couple of practice rounds, but at most it earns a bit of bran and grain, barely enough to fill its belly.

Just like our fellow disciples here in Thousand Tael House, rubbing their fingers raw every day for a single Ocean Dollar. When it really comes to the battlefield, they might be even worse than this chicken. Let someone show a couple of tricks and we'll probably piss ourselves in fear."

Jin Jinliang reminded her again, "This is the Drawing Skill."

He had used the matter of the fighting cock to lead into the situation of the Gambling Cultivators.

A lot of Gambling Cultivators indeed felt resonance with his words.

Ding Liusan looked at Jin Jinliang and said, "Old Jin, you're a Disciple of my Taoist Sect. No need to hide and tuck yourself away—lift your head, stand up straight when you speak.

We Gambling Cultivators especially should stand up straight when we speak. We Gambling Cultivators are a proper Taoist Sect among All Sects Puluo! When a single person steps onto the battlefield, we dare to pit ourselves against the heroes of the world; when a hundred people step onto the battlefield, we dare to contend in victory and defeat against thousands of troops and horses!

When we first entered the Taoist Sect, it was to rely on this skill and this courage to fight out a livelihood, fight out a reputation, fight out a world that belongs to us—not to muddle through each day for a single Ocean Dollar, dazed and drifting!"

Starting with appraising the fighting cock, then extending it to the Gambling Cultivators present, and then carrying out a line of argument, it wouldn't take long to reach two conclusions.

First, with Dou Jiyan, the fighting cock had already turned into a barnyard chicken.

Second, with Dou Jiyan, the Gambling Cultivators would sooner or later turn into useless trash.

Identification, Drawing, Argument, Conclusion—the four ultimate techniques, executed in a single breath.

Dou Jiyan cut him off. "They're almost unable to survive out there, and you're here talking about conquering the world. Doesn't your waist hurt from all that boasting?"

Ding Liusan had been prepared, and continued speaking on, "You're right; our Taoist Sect has suffered no small amount of bullying outside. There are plenty of people still waiting to feast on our flesh and blood. These grudges—we'll have to repay them sooner or later.

A single thread doesn't make a cord, a lone tree doesn't make a forest. Our Ancestral Master of the Taoist Sect left us Thousand Tael House—for what? For us to gather together, to win back this breath, to reclaim our world.

Junior Sister, since you took over Thousand Tael House, what have our fellow disciples become? What has Thousand Tael House become? When I walked in the gate just now, I saw two Martial Cultivators dragging our people out. Is this Martial Cultivators' territory or Gambling Cultivators' territory?"

Dou Jiyan was a bit agitated; her speed of speech grew slightly faster. "No private gambling dens—that's the rule of Thousand Tael House. I've made that rule clear long ago. People are free to come and go from Thousand Tael House. If someone doesn't want to follow the rules, they can leave. I won't stop them…"

Ding Liusan was utterly calm, his pace of speech neither hurried nor slow, his attitude neither servile nor overbearing, his voice full and sonorous; every word was clear as crystal. "Why should we have to leave? This is the family fortune our Grandmaster left the Gambling Cultivators. Why should we let outsiders ruin it?"