A yellow note was unfolded, with two lonely characters written on it: ` Chánchú.′

  (T/N: 蟾蜍; Chánchú means Toad.)

  A fsh of fire passed by, and the yellow note was instantly reduced to ashes.

  Jin San sat at the gambling table, stroking the intoxicating dice. The rickety wooden board was piled high with silver coins, and Jin San revealed a proud smile.

  He had never won before, often losing everything he had. The scars on his body, caused by debts, appeared now and then, but he didn′t care. He just had to gamble, and he wouldn′t stop until dawn.

  Now, the night was not over, but Jin San had won—and not just a little, but a whole pile of silver.

  Jin San was still not used to this feeling of success. He finally began to feel a bit restless.

  A stick rudely reached over and nded heavily on the pile of silver in front of Jin San. With a loud ctter, the silver scattered like a waterfall. Jin San's heart ached terribly, but he knew he couldn't pick it up now.

  Gambling dens always had their own rules. Those without silver or valuables to gamble would be ruthlessly tossed out like stray chickens by the enforcers. Those who won too much, like Jin San, would also get a good beating.

  “Jin San, you′ve learned to cheat, haven′t you?” The enforcer's face, full of menacing flesh, often made Jin San shudder. Luckily, he was used to this by now. He chose to stay silent, knowing one truth: if someone wanted to cause you trouble, nothing you said would matter—especially in a gambling den.

  “Not talking? Staying silent means you admit it!” The enforcer's stick was already lightly resting on Jin Sa's shoulder.

  Jin San remained silent. He had already won, and that was enough. As for how much of this silver would actually end up in his pocket, Jin San didn't think too much about it. All he knew was that tomorrow's meal was secured.

  “Since you′ve admitted it, I won′t make things difficult for you. Take these few pieces of silver; the rest stays with me!” The enforcer dispyed a rare moment of mercy, kicking a few broken pieces of silver toward Jin San.

  Jin San quickly scooped up the pitiful bits of silver and stuffed them into his pocket as fast as he could. Having something was better than nothing, and Jin San had always been good at taking things in stride.

  Suddenly, someone rudely kicked open the gambling den's rickety door. The loud crash of the broken door smming against the wall instantly shattered the noisy atmosphere of the den. A rge white oil-paper umbrel, dripping with dirty water, forced its way through the creaking doorway.

  “Who dares to make such a grand entrance?” Wu Laoqi put down his tobacco pipe, blowing a few white smoke rings into the air as he zily rubbed his nose. His rexed body was sunk deep into a fine redwood chair.

  The white oil-paper umbrel twirled once in the air before folding up like a withered flower.

  Jin San couldn't believe his eyes. Something had to be wrong, or how else could he be seeing a woman here?

  Women usually stayed at home. They typically busied themselves with embroidery, upheld their virtue, and certainly weren′t like men—roaming around outside, let alone at this ungodly hour.

  Wu Laoqi, however, didn't seem particurly surprised. He simply picked up his tobacco pipe again, lightly tapping it against the back of his chair. “Don’t tell me you’ve come here to gamble,” he said, his words squeezing out through his teeth.

  “I′ll only pce one bet,” the woman finally spoke. She casually leaned the umbrel against the broken door, carrying a bck box about a foot long and seven inches wide as she stepped into the gambling den.

  Jin San was convinced that the woman before him must be the ugliest woman in the world. He had never imagined a woman could be such a “masterpiece” of misfortune.

  Her elongated, horse-like face was paired with an almost sunken nose bridge. To be precise, her nostrils tilted slightly upward, making her appearance even more peculiar. Her eyes, no rger than mung beans, made it nearly impossible to discern where she was looking. And her tiny, cherry-like mouth had completely lost its original charm, repced with an unrelenting shade of ashen bck.

  Yet, she possessed one feature no other woman could match: her extraordinary height, surpassing that of most men. Jin San couldn't help but worry about the integrity of the gambling den's not-so-high, rickety beams.

  That such a woman could exist in this world left Wu Laoqi no choice but to wipe his face with his hand, trying to stay composed. Though he had run this gambling den for many years, dealt with countless kinds of people, and earned a certain level of status, he still couldn't help but feel astonished.

  The woman, however, paid no mind to the stares directed at her. Her attention was entirely focused on the box in her hands. As she took her seat, she clutched it tightly in her left hand, as if it were her lifeline.

  Jin San, on the other hand, began to worry about the sturdy wooden stool she sat on. He hoped she wouldn′t press down too hard. After all, that stool had accompanied him through countless long nights, and Jin San, sentimental at heart—or at least he liked to think so—couldn't bear to see it meet an untimely end.

  "What's your wager?" Wu Laoqi finally snapped out of his daze, picking up the dice on the table and tossing them into a cup. He began shaking it vigorously, the crisp sound of the dice rattling echoing through every corner of the gambling den.

  "This," the woman replied decisively, raising the bck box in her left hand.

  It was only at this moment that Jin San noticed her left hand was missing a finger—her thumb, to be exact.

  Wu Laoqi gave the box a brief gnce before setting down the dice cup. “The gambling den has its rules. Wagers must be inspected first. Otherwise…” Wu Laoqi knew there was no need to eborate. Instead, he took another deep drag from his tobacco pipe.

  “No need to inspect,” the woman said softly, stroking the bck box in her hand. “It′s definitely something valuable.”

  “Hmph!” Wu Laoqi let out a dismissive grunt, continuing to puff on his deadly tobacco pipe. The pipe quivered slightly with the twitching of his lips.

  “No matter whether I win or lose, this box will belong to the winner,” the woman said, her small mouth curving into a smile.

  Jin San had been secretly observing her the whole time, hoping to catch a glimpse of a tooth through her tiny mouth—whether a white one or even a decayed yellow one. But there was nothing. Now he understood why her mouth was so small—because she had no teeth at all. Perhaps she had once, but for some unknown reason, they were all gone.

  Wu Laoqi picked up the dice cup again, his tone zy as he asked, “What kind of wager is this?”

  The woman kept smiling as she struck a graceful pose and said softly, “This will definitely be an interesting wager. You won’t lose anything!”

  Wu Laoqi felt an urge to gag. If the person sitting in front of him were a goddess-like beauty, he would have been all politeness and warmth, ensuring she felt as welcome as a summer breeze. But, as... Still, he had already decided to accept the wager.

  “How does it work?” Wu Laoqi asked, and for the first time, the woman's smile showed genuine satisfaction. She shook out her sleeve, pced her right hand firmly on the dice cup, and said, “The rules are simple, but it requires three people. With you and me, I′ll need to find one more.”

  "Alright." Wu Laoqi didn't know what trick the woman was pnning, but this was his territory, and no one could pull any stunts under his watchful eye.

  The woman scanned the room. Everyone was silent, watching her closely. Not a single person dared speak up, nor did anyone seem eager to get involved.

  "You." She pointed lightly, her finger nding squarely on Jin San, who was huddled in the corner.

  "Me?" Jin San flinched, his body jerking slightly. He hesitated, instinctively shrinking back a little.

  "You." The woman's voice was firm, as if she had made up her mind and wouldn't let Jin San off. She pointed at him again.

  Jin San, now noticing that the woman's right index finger was missing a segment, reluctantly stepped forward. Today had started off well; he had won, after all, but now he realized his luck might not be as good as he thought. He wasn't sure what kind of gamble this was, but all he could hope for was that the few pieces of silver tucked in his pocket would remain safe. They were the only money he had for tomorrow's meals.

  "Now, let me expin the rules," the woman said, sitting up straight. The bck box in her hands gave off a dusty, worn glow, unadorned and somewhat eerie. "We′ll py for size, but the dice won′t be thrown by the pyers themselves. Someone else will throw for them."

  "What do you mean? Expin it more clearly!" Wu Laoqi growled impatiently.

  "That means you'll throw for me, I'll throw for Jin San, and Jin San will throw for you. The winner gets to take this box," she expined.

  "What about the loser?" Jin San quickly asked. This was directly tied to the safety of the few pieces of silver in his pocket.

  "The loser loses," the woman replied. "My wager is simple: whoever wins gets to take the box."

  Wu Laoqi found it ughable. A person suddenly appearing, proposing a bet, with the winner taking the box and the loser walking away with nothing to lose—this kind of wager didn't exist in any casino in the world. It seemed like only this foolish woman could come up with such a ridiculous idea.

  "Fine, then I, Jin San, will take a gamble!" Jin San stretched his arm, feeling an inexplicable sense of ease with such a bet. He picked up the dice cup, shook it a few times, and then smmed it down onto the table with force. "Master Qi, I'll start by throwing for you!"

  Wu Laoqi didn't bother responding, still focused on puffing away at his lethal tobacco pipe. He couldn't care less about the outcome of this bet. For someone like him, an old hand in the game, this kind of gamble was utterly boring.

  Perhaps Jin San's luck was unusually good today. He casually threw the dice and rolled a "leopard" (a winning combination). A broad smile spread across his face as he leaned in to ftter Wu Laoqi, saying, "Master Qi, you're truly blessed! With my lousy luck, I rolled a leopard for you—seems like this box is meant to be yours."

  Wu Laoqi didn't even bother lifting his eyelids. He had seen plenty of people like Jin San, and he wasn't interested in hearing any more fttery.

  "Your turn," the woman said, handing the dice cup to Wu Laoqi.

  Wu Laoqi gave it a quick shake, then smmed the cup down onto the table. He continued puffing on his tobacco pipe without a care. He never bothered to check the dice he threw—he was confident in himself, knowing exactly what he had rolled.

  "Another leopard!" Jin San shouted, his voice loud enough to be heard in every corner of the room.

  The woman smiled, and Wu Laoqi had rolled another leopard for her. She reached out and took the dice cup. She was the st to throw, and Jin San already knew the box would be Wu Laoqi's, so he had no intention of continuing to watch. "Are you going to roll too?" he asked bluntly, knowing full well that the woman couldn't possibly win.

  The woman simply smiled again. She shook the dice cup a few times, then smmed it down onto the table.

  Wu Laoqi sneered, a disdainful smile pying on his lips.

  Jin San couldn't help but ugh.

  The crowd all lowered their heads, mocking her.

  No one believed that a miracle could happen in this world.

  And indeed, there was no miracle. Everyone saw the result.

  The three dice showed five, one, and two.

  The entire room erupted in ughter.

  But the woman did not ugh.

  "You won. The box is yours," the woman suddenly said, holding out the box to Jin San.

  Jin San was stunned. Won? He wondered if he had heard wrong.

  "That's right, you won. The dice I threw for you were the smallest, so you won," the woman confirmed.

  "Smallest?" Jin San was confused. His mouth hung open, his eyes wide, unsure of whether to accept the box or not.

  "I was betting on the smallest, not the rgest," the woman expined, forcing the box into Jin San's arms. "What's yours is yours." With that, she turned and walked out of the casino.

  The door of the casino remained open, and everyone stayed in their usual spots. Business continued as usual, and no one paid any more attention to what had just happened.

  Jin San had left, taking the bck box with him. No one noticed when he had gone, nor did anyone care about what might be inside the box.

  It was as if nothing had ever happened.