The extra "one" point, strictly speaking, couldn't actually be considered a real point.
Because it had been forcibly shaken off from one of the dice.
Each die has six sides, and while Li Heshan hadn't only shaken the six dice to the side with six points, he had also, through inscrutable means, forcibly shaken off the side with one point from one of the dice without damaging the whole die.
This made it lay flat in the bottom of the dice cup with the other six dice, creating an extra "one" point out of thin air.
This forced everyone to marvel at his technique.
No wonder he took three minutes to shake, at first, everyone thought he was just putting on an act.
It turned out that he was holding back a major move.
Seeing the astonished looks and the sounds of sharp intakes of breath from everyone, Li Heshan felt extremely proud, his lips unconsciously curling into a smile.
He actually wanted to shake off more points from several other dice, but it was too difficult, if he didn't control his strength well, the whole die would be destroyed.
Shaking off one face of a die to create an extra point was already his limit, and if he tried to force more, he feared that the whole die would break apart.
And if even one die broke, then he would definitely lose.
He dared not gamble, so he had to settle for this.
At any rate, he was certain to win.
Li Heshan believed, after many years in this field, that Mu Jinyu, this young man, could not possibly be stronger than him and shake out an additional point.
He probably hadn't even considered that possibility before, had he?
He must be very confused right now.
Li Heshan, looking at Mu Jinyu's thoughtful gaze, silently lamented that he was too young and naïve, not knowing there are always others stronger out there.
Shaking his head slightly, Li Heshan thought that this young man was now having his eyes opened by him and knew that if he didn't learn from him, he'd undoubtedly lose.
But he had never tried this before, so shaking the dice apart must be very difficult for him, right?
Li Heshan felt proud internally, but he did not completely underestimate Mu Jinyu.
After all, Mu Jinyu's ability to seemingly effortlessly reset the dice numbers inside the dice cup while standing still was still something that Li Heshan found quite daunting.
If not for that, he wouldn't have immediately uncovered the dice cup as soon as he was done shaking.
He was afraid that Mu Jinyu would do something similar while he was playing up to the crowd and stewing in his own emotions, secretly changing the numbers.
Then he wouldn't be able to shake the dice cup again right?
Therefore, Li Heshan's impression of this young man, Mu Jinyu, was a mix of wariness, admiration, and a bit of pity.
He thought that if Mu Jinyu had some time to slowly practice, he estimated he could shake out two or even three points from the dice.
But now, because Brother Biao was coming over to handle him, after this loss, he feared that he would no longer have a chance to practice slowly.
Mu Jinyu was unaware of just how much Li Heshan was playacting in his mind; he looked at the cracked dice and the coin-like "one" point lying in the bottom of the dice cup, his eyes full of contemplation.
"So it can be done like this too?" Mu Jinyu murmured softly.
After a moment.
Mu Jinyu snapped back to reality, listening to the surprised discussions of the people around him, and looked up at Li Heshan, asking, "Is this technique within the rules?"
"Of course!" Thinking Mu Jinyu was scared and trying to say this move didn't count, Li Heshan immediately nodded vigorously.
At the same time, his glance signaled his cronies to echo his statement loudly.
"Of course it's within the rules, haven't you seen? There are still only six dice," one chimed in.
"This is a Gambling King tactic, what do you know? If you could do the same, turning one die to show six sides, we'll acknowledge you as the Gambling God!" another added.
"Exactly, can't handle losing? If you can't take a loss, you better just leave!"
"..."
At first, it was just Li Heshan's cronies echoing and mocking, but soon, the uninformed gamblers who also thought Li Heshan's method was clever and reasonable began to chime in.
Seeing everyone on his side, Li Heshan's eyes gleamed with victorious delight, and he said, "Young man, if you can't do it, and can only shake out six sixes, I think you should just give up, keep some dignity for yourself, and leave!"
Mu Jinyu ignored the crowd's ridicule, and upon hearing Li Heshan's advice, his usually calm face suddenly broke into a happy smile.
"Since it's within the rules, then I..." Mu Jinyu spoke softly, looking at Li Heshan, and indifferently said, "Alright!"
At that moment, he felt both amused and annoyed. The fellow appeared fearful that he would declare the play invalid, adopting a stance as if everything was set in stone, which was quite comical.
He did not realize that he was merely playing the lute to a cow.
In front of a martial arts expert, playing such petty tricks, did he really think he couldn't handle it?
Could he not move the numbers inside the dice cup from a distance with his inner strength, or possibly not even dice chips?
Hah...
Since this fellow insisted on humiliating himself, Mu Jinyu decided he might as well oblige him.
Li Heshan, upon hearing Mu Jinyu's words, was slightly startled, suddenly feeling a bad premonition rising inside.
Then, he quickly comforted himself, thinking that Mu Jinyu was just putting on an act to scare him, trying to make him opt for another type of gambling game.
Yes... It must be so.
After Mu Jinyu finished speaking, he ignored Li Heshan, picked up the dice cup, discarded the dice that were under the lid, and then picked up six intact dice from the gambling table, placed them inside the cup, and closed it.
He then started to gently shake it.
"Clatter, clatter, clatter..."
Mu Jinyu's action of shaking the dice cup was very gentle, unlike Li Heshan's, which was like a sudden downpour, relying on brute force and skill to crack a face of the dice.
Li Heshan closed his eyes, listening to Mu Jinyu shaking the dice cup.
He, too, was an expert at discerning dice sounds.
At first, his expression was calm, even somewhat disdainful, but gradually, his face turned solemn.
Because initially, he was able to hear clearly the six dice gently shaking inside the dice cup in Mu Jinyu's hands.
But soon, it seemed as if another piece was mingling lightly with the six dice.
After that, the items shaking inside the dice cup seemed to increase...
So much so that he could no longer discern the clear sound of whole dice shaking.
Li Heshan's face grew pale, his heart suddenly clenched.
A bad premonition rose within him.
Could it be?
It can't be, can it?
Surely not?
He shouldn't be this perverse, should he?!
As Li Heshan gradually began to doubt everything,
"Clang!"
Mu Jinyu stopped shaking the dice cup and sharply slammed it down onto the gambling table.
Li Heshan's tightly closed eyes also opened at the same moment.
His gaze, skeptical and horrified, fixed on Mu Jinyu.
Mu Jinyu looked back at him, with a smile that was not quite a smile, and said, "Uncle, guess how many points I shook."
Li Heshan's followers, who originally wanted to mock loudly and incite the crowd, seeing Li Heshan's ugly expression, dared not speak recklessly.
Li Heshan felt very uneasy, the bad premonition intensifying. He looked at Mu Jinyu, and from his gaze, he saw full confidence.
This made him even more unsettled.
Swallowing hard, Li Heshan shook his head and said, "I can't guess..."
Upon hearing this, everyone also held their breath, their anticipation rising again for what they thought was a one-sided gambling match.
Upon hearing Li Heshan's words, Mu Jinyu smiled faintly, his hand moved, and he suddenly lifted the dice cup.