"Let us pick up where we left off!"
"The story goes that ever since the God of Gamblers, Gao Jin, lost his memory."
"Whoa! Guess what happened?"
...
The Ninja World, year sixty-two.
Short Sand Street, Gui Lin Ju Tavern.
Dozens of wine tables were already filled with guests, numbering over a hundred in total.
Outside, the crowd was so dense that it was impossible to get through, and business was exceptionally booming.
Everyone was paying their utmost attention, ears perked, intently listening to the stories spun by Su Mu.
Meanwhile, Su Mu sat on a high stage, fanning himself with a paper fan as he recounted the tale of "The God of Gamblers."
At the gambling house next door.
Tsunade, along with her assistant Shizune, walked out with disappointment etched on their faces.
"Lady Tsunade, we've lost all our savings. Please don't sell Tonton!"
Shizune clutched the little pig in her arms, unable to withstand Tsunade's fierce gaze.
"What are you afraid of? Even if we sell Tonton, it's not the first time. It'll find its way back anyway."
Tsunade grinned slyly at the pig, causing it to tremble all over.
"But Lady Tsunade, you sold Tonton to a restaurant this time!"
"Don't say another word! Once I win some money, I'll buy Tonton back!"
As the two argued, they suddenly heard thunderous applause coming from the tavern next door.
Tsunade turned her head and saw a crowd of neighbors gathered at the entrance, as if the place was already packed.
Shizune, still reluctant to part with Tonton, tried to persuade Tsunade again, "Lady Tsunade, you..."
"Quiet!" Tsunade suddenly interrupted Shizune.
She tilted her head, and the voice emanating from within was remarkably captivating.
When Tsunade heard the words "God of Gamblers," she couldn't help but become intrigued.
"This is the first time I've heard the name God of Gamblers. Quite interesting."
Pushing through the throng at the entrance, Tsunade and Shizune finally entered the tavern.
"As the saying goes, life and death are fated, wealth and honor are determined by heaven."
"The moment you sit at that table, your victory or defeat is already sealed."
"The God of Gamblers, Gao Jin, had his wife and child murdered, then fell off a cliff and lost his memory. After enduring countless hardships, he finally sat at that fateful table."
"And the one who framed him sat right beside him – his own brother, Gao Yi!"
Su Mu on the high stage narrated his story with vivid detail and emotion.
Many in the audience, upon hearing about the murder of Gao Jin's wife and child, simultaneously displayed expressions of sorrow.
And when they learned that the perpetrator was Gao Jin's brother, Gao Yi, they wished they could tear Gao Yi to shreds.
"This Gao Yi is truly inhuman, betraying his own brother!"
"You're right, in the Ninja World, there are plenty of people like Gao Yi!"
"What a pity for Gao Jin's wife and their unborn child."
The patrons at the wine tables began to discuss animatedly, many so engrossed in the story that they raised their wine cups in a toast to the God of Gamblers, Gao Jin!
Su Mu shook his head slightly and sighed, "Behind the prosperity, the dark alleys, I'm acting opposite conscience, how can one God resist ten thousand kinds of greed."
"The God of Gamblers is also human."
"Did the God of Gamblers win in the end?"
Suddenly, a loud female voice echoed from the entrance.
The tavern fell silent for a moment, and everyone turned their heads.
Princess Tsunade, clad in a gambler's robe, was staring intently at Su Mu on the stage.
Su Mu smiled slightly, slowly closing his fan, "Does winning or losing really matter?"
Tsunade's brow furrowed instantly, and she repeated her question, "Did the God of Gamblers win in the end?"
She only wanted to know the outcome, unconcerned with the details in between.
Su Mu sighed helplessly, it seemed Tsunade's affliction was quite severe.
"He won."
The moment these two words left Su Mu's lips, Tsunade let out a disdainful cold laugh, "Your story is very engaging, but reality is cruel. A person like the God of Gamblers doesn't exist!"
Upon hearing Tsunade's words, the tavern patrons were first stunned, then began to murmur amongst themselves.
"She seems to have a point. After all, it's just a story, something to listen to."
"Alas, I was too deeply engrossed. I almost believed a mere story."
"If such a person truly existed in this world, wouldn't all the gambling houses in the Ninja World go bankrupt?"
Listening to the patrons' discussions, Tsunade's lips curved upwards involuntarily. Her eyes were fixed on Su Mu, eager to see what he would say next.
Su Mu stood up from the high stage, looking at Tsunade with a half-smile, and said calmly, "You say the God of Gamblers doesn't exist. Then how about we have a match?"
Tsunade chuckled contemptuously, "What do you have to gamble against me?"
Su Mu casually pointed to the necklace around Tsunade's neck, "If I lose, this tavern is yours. If you lose, you give me that necklace. How about it?"
Tsunade hesitated and touched her necklace.
Shizune, standing beside her, immediately cried out anxiously, "Lady Tsunade, this item is a relic of Lord Hashirama! You absolutely must not use it as a stake!"
"Fine! It's settled as you said!" No sooner had Shizune finished speaking than Tsunade had already made her decision.
The two sat down at a wine table. Tsunade casually picked up a bottle of sake and drank it down in large gulps, the spilled alcohol from the corner of her mouth slowly tracing down her collarbone.
The onlookers' noses began to bleed.
"Come on, let's start!"
"Let's just play high and low!"
The beautiful waitress brought out a deck of playing cards and shuffled them several times in front of everyone.
Then, each drew one card and handed it to Su Mu and Tsunade.
Tsunade carefully picked up her card, pressed down on the edge with her finger, and looked at it nervously.
On the other side, Su Mu casually picked up his card and glanced at it. It was an eight. The onlookers behind him also saw the number.
As for Tsunade, upon seeing her card was a thirteen, she burst into laughter, "Admit defeat! You have no chance of winning. Perhaps I should start thinking about what new name to give this tavern?"
Patron A: "This storyteller has really lost big! His entire tavern is gone just like that!"
Patron B: "Where will I go to hear him tell stories from now on? What a shame!"
Patron C: "Unless he can draw an Ace, but he's no God of Gamblers."
Su Mu remained silent at this moment, simply closing his eyes slightly.
"First storytelling achievement completed, reward: Beginner's Gift Pack!"
"Would you like to open the Beginner's Gift Pack?"
"Open!"
"Ding, reward: The entire gambling skill set of Gao Jin from the story 'The God of Gamblers'!"
"Ding, host has obtained a Jade Ring of 'The God of Gamblers'!"
"Ding, host has obtained 'The God of Gamblers' exclusive chocolate, with unlimited consumption!"
When Su Mu opened his eyes again, a hint of an amused smile suddenly appeared on his face.
Tsunade looked at him with disdain, "Stop hesitating. Quickly reveal your card!"
"No need to rush. I suspect you might not have a higher card than me."
Su Mu suddenly took out a piece of chocolate and slowly put it into his mouth.
This action alone sent chills down the spines of the onlookers!
"Holy crap, wait! This way of eating chocolate... it's so familiar!"
"Didn't the tavern owner just tell the story of the God of Gamblers? Gao Jin used to eat chocolate like this!"
"Damn, is there a possibility that the tavern owner is Gao Jin?"
The surrounding guests' emotions suddenly became agitated.
A crisp mechanical sound echoed in Su Mu's ears.
"Ding, shock value +1!"
"Ding, shock value +5!"
"Ding, shock value +10!"
...
Tsunade suddenly felt a pang of unease. From the beginning until now, Su Mu had shown no trace of tension or worry.
Could it be that the God of Gamblers was real?
Tsunade shook her head vigorously, "It can't be. This guy in front of me must be faking it!"
So, Tsunade slammed her fist heavily on the table, "If you don't reveal your card soon, I'll smash your tavern!"
Unexpectedly, Su Mu yawned lazily, and the jade ring on his little finger was suddenly exposed to the customers.
At this, the customers were completely dumbfounded!
"Truly an eye-opener!"
"If he's not the God of Gamblers, I'll eat two pounds of feces!"