The man was thrown out the door by two brawny men at the casino entrance, falling heavily onto the ground with a groan.
"I'm warning you, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't talk nonsense!"
"If you dare slander our casino again, it won't end this simply!"
After issuing the threat, the two casino staff exchanged glances, then turned around and swaggered back into the casino.
The commotion at the entrance immediately attracted a crowd of onlookers.
People gathered around the man lying on the ground, murmuring and eating melon seeds, treating it as free entertainment.
Tian Yu, however, didn't join the crowd.
It had nothing to do with him.
Besides... trying to get rich overnight by gambling was the man's own foolishness.
"Come on, let's head inside."
"Captain, that man..." Sunflower hesitated, glancing at the fallen gambler.
Tian Yu shook his head calmly. "Ignore him. He's just an ordinary gambler. There's no useful information we can get from him."
As a member of Anbu, someone trained to prioritize missions over sentiment, Sunflower naturally didn't intend to help the man out of kindness. She simply wondered if he might provide some intelligence.
However, Tian Yu's judgment was firm.
Though... it wasn't entirely without gain.
When the man was thrown out, Tian Yu had caught something noteworthy.
He had sensed a strong fluctuation of chakra from the two casino staff members.
Those two had at least the strength of a Chunin!
By contrast, the guards stationed at the casino entrance earlier had only minor chakra signatures, barely reaching Genin level.
In the chaotic shinobi world, especially in a major village like Konoha, any establishment daring to open a casino would naturally station strong shinobi as guards — both as deterrence and as a silent announcement of strength.
But this casino was different.
Instead of real strength on display, it showcased a false front of weakness.
There were only two possibilities:
Either the casino owner was an utter fool...
Or — more likely — the casino was intentionally pretending to be weak, luring guests into a trap where they would be devoured inside.
Coupled with earlier intelligence — that even a Konoha Jōnin-level spy had been captured alive without resistance — the first possibility was easily ruled out.
This casino was a black den!
A place where even seasoned shinobi would get eaten alive if careless!
Clearly, the waters here were very deep.
"Come, let's go in."
Without hesitation, Tian Yu led Sunflower through the door.
Inside, a wave of noise hit them.
Crowds pressed around gambling tables, faces flushed with excitement, all their hopes pinned on the spinning dice cups.
"Open! Open!"
"Big! It's going to be big!"
As each dice cup was revealed, shouts of joy and cries of despair echoed together, blending into a chaotic, feverish roar.
The thick, acrid smoke of cheap tobacco filled the air.
Sunflower coughed violently, unable to bear the stench.
"You okay?"
Tian Yu asked, fishing out a strip of white gauze from his pocket and handing it to her.
"Tie this around your nose and mouth. It'll help block out the worst of it."
"Cough, cough... Tian Yu, how come you're fine?"
Sunflower looked at Tian Yu in amazement as she accepted the gauze.
Even in the thick smoke, Tian Yu remained composed, breathing naturally.
In this crowd, of course, Sunflower addressed Tian Yu casually, not by his Anbu codename or title.
"I'm used to environments worse than this," Tian Yu said lightly.
After reminding Sunflower to stay close and not act rashly, he led her deeper into the casino.
Tian Yu quickly found a table that wasn't too crowded and headed straight for it.
"Come, come! Place your bets!"
Each table was a simple game of guessing the dice.
Three dice under a cup — guess whether the total would be big or small.
There were also higher-risk bets: guessing the exact total, or wagering on a triple — all three dice showing the same number.
The odds for the latter were, of course, extremely high.
Tian Yu stood silently with Sunflower, not placing any bets.
He merely observed, watching the play over several rounds.
"Captain, what are we..."
Sunflower couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Shh."
Tian Yu motioned for silence, keeping his eyes locked on the table.
After a few more rounds, the croupier at the table noticed the two standing there without betting and approached with a smile.
"Hey, little brother! You've been watching for a while — why not try your luck?"
"You must be new here, right?"
"You've been observing long enough. Surely you've realized — our casino plays fair! We're not like those crooked roadside dens. Everything here is open and aboveboard. You can bet with confidence!"
The dealer spoke enthusiastically, trying to lure Tian Yu in.
Tian Yu responded with a polite smile. "Alright, I'll give it a try."
He placed a two-thousand tael bill on the "Big" field.
"Alright, all bets are in! Here we go!"
The dice cup rattled in the dealer's hands.
"Open!"
The cup lifted.
Four, four, five — total of thirteen. Big!
"Congratulations, little brother! First time and already lucky!"
The dealer handed Tian Yu his winnings, grinning as if genuinely happy for him.
The losers grumbled but quickly turned their attention to the next round.
"Place your bets! Quick, quick!"
The dice rattled again.
Tian Yu calmly took his original two thousand and the two thousand he had just won, placing all four thousand taels back on "Big".
The dice cup opened again.
Three, five, six — total of fourteen. Big again!
Another win.
The dealer again congratulated Tian Yu enthusiastically while handing him the doubled payout.
"Good luck today, little brother! You're on a roll!"
Without showing any expression, Tian Yu calmly gathered his winnings.
Another round started.
This time, Tian Yu made a bold move.
Instead of betting on "Big" or "Small," he bet it all on the "Leopard" — the triple-dice pool.
Specifically, he placed his entire eight thousand taels on triple sixes — a "Six Leopard" bet.
The payout rate: two hundred times!
If he won, he would take home a staggering 1.6 million taels.
"Hehehe, little brother, feeling lucky today, huh? A bit impatient, maybe?" the dealer teased, as did some of the gamblers nearby.
"Hurry up and open! Quit stalling!"
"Betting on Big again, no way, it's gotta be Small this time!"
"Come on, let's see the dice!"
Urged on by the impatient gamblers, the dealer grinned and said, "Alright, alright, let's see!"
He spun the dice cup rapidly, blurring his hands.
With a flourish, he lifted the cup.
And then — the entire table fell silent.
Even the dealer's smiling face froze.
Six, six, six.
Triple sixes.
Leopard! Big!