Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

For gamblers, the odds of winning or losing are often the same.

Either you win, or you lose.

But in reality, you lose more than you win.
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The person who ends up with the money, will definitely be the house.

And this game against the Evil Spirit was malevolent, even one could say, filled with malice.

So even though Du Wei planned to join the game as a gambler, he didn't at all intend to play entirely by the rules.

In a normal casino, there are always those who cheat.

Facing an Evil Spirit, Du Wei might not know how to cheat, but he never thought of simply trusting his life to the ephemeral odds of winning.

Therefore, he gave Alex the Black Umbrella.

First and foremost, he needed to ensure his safety, and then figure out a way to deal with the Evil Spirit.

Du Wei, holding Alex by the hand, walked over to the poker table.

"Miss Alex, good to see you."

The others nodded slightly at Alex, their gazes filled with envy and respect, but devoid of any burning desire.

Or rather, no one dared harbor any improper thoughts towards her.

Alex responded with a light hum, nodding politely in return.

In her eyes, these high society folks were all cast from the same mold, whether in terms of demeanor, education, or their intentions.

Only Du Wei was to her liking.

It wasn't just love at first sight, but after learning about Du Wei's identity as an Exorcist, along with all that he had done, and thinking about the Holy Water and silver cross he had once given her, which had been shattered…

Alex's fondness for Du Wei grew much deeper.

Begun by looks, ensnared by talent, and loyal to character—although this phrase is cliché, at this moment, it was the most fitting.

Du Wei scanned the room briefly, not bothering with anyone else as he sat directly in front of the poker table, calmly facing the "man" across from him.

To his surprise, the man across began to speak.

"Texas Hold'em, the game begins."

The voice was very familiar, hoarse with an indescribable accent, as if it were a mashup of many familiar people from memory, with an eerie quality.

Du Wei shifted his gaze slightly away and felt the uncanny feeling fading, which compelled him to lock eyes again.

Once the gaze was averted, that eerie sensation would disappear.

It seemed that whenever someone gambled with the Evil Spirit, they would feel as if the opponent was someone they knew. But once they looked away, even upon realizing something was amiss, they would passively forget due to some influence.

This must be one of the Evil Spirit's strange qualities—to why it could speak…

Du Wei narrowed his eyes, suddenly considering a possibility…

Could it be Victor?

With visual and auditory perceptions skewed, viewing a thirty-something woman as an indeterminable man was not incomprehensible.

Evil Spirits are much more malevolent and strange than mere evil spirits.

However, as far as Du Wei knew, Evil Spirits could also possess people, although such situations were extremely rare and seldom occurred.

With this thought, he suddenly smiled and nodded at the man across, saying, "Whether it's Texas Hold'em or you're the dealer, either is fine. But I'd like to ask, how are the stakes determined? Can I only put up one stake as an individual?"

The man replied, "If other people believe you can win, then betting on you is also possible."

Du Wei responded noncommittally, "Is that the rule? How can I be sure you're not lying?"

The man answered, "It is indeed the rule, and when you take your seat at the table, the house cannot lie, because you are bound to lose."

Once more, Du Wei inquired, "I'm very curious about your identity, could you tell me who you are?"

But the man pressed, "The game should begin."

As he spoke, his voice dropped, a malevolence slowly rising from him, tightly locking on Du Wei.

It was as if the man would not utter a single word beyond those concerning the game.

Under the state of Spirit Vision, Du Wei discovered that the malice wasn't emanating solely from the man across, but from the entire hall.

To be precise, every single thing—the lighting, sounds, gazes, the environment—carried a dreadful malevolence.

Even the air inhaled felt oppressively dense.

This man, namely the dealer of this game, was likely just a vessel for the Evil Spirit, an outward manifestation.

Du Wei felt something odd, starting to form a vague notion about the Evil Spirit of the Goliath Winery.

Perhaps now, the entire winery had become a part of the Evil Spirit.

And these people were simply nourishment for the Evil Spirit to grow stronger.

The parties took place periodically, with each one presumably involving a gambling game.

The secrecy of the Victor family's legacy was enough to send shivers down one's spine upon careful thought.

"Deal the cards..."

After Du Wei finished speaking, he silently added a suggestion to himself in his heart.

"When I receive the first card, I will maintain an absolutely rational and calm state until I leave the Goliath Winery and walk out the door, at which point I will return to my former state."

The next second.

A card was dealt in front of him, and his face turned incredibly indifferent, his eyes void of any stray thoughts, filled only with absolute calmness and reason.

Behind him, Alex held the Black Umbrella, ready to open it at any moment.

The expressions of the others were very strange, each person staring at the gambling table with a thoughtful look, occasionally emitting sounds of admiration.

This gave Alex a spine-chilling feeling, as if what these people saw in the game was completely different from what she saw.

Remembering Du Wei's previous instructions, she bit her teeth and continued to remain silent.

...

At the gambling table.

Du Wei gently lifted the card, glanced at it, and then set it down again.

"Ace of spades... a good start..."

The rules of Texas Hold'em poker surfaced in his mind one after another.

First, the two Joker Cards are excluded, which are called jokers, or kings and queens in China.

Then, based on the remaining cards and depending on the number of players, two trump cards are dealt to each player, followed by five more cards, making a total of seven.

In this game, there were only Du Wei and the dealer.

That is to say, both needed to select the five best cards they held to form the most substantial hand and determine the winner by its size.

There was also talk of placing bets: one bet would be placed when the two trump cards were received, then a second bet after the fifth card was dealt, with further bets on the sixth and seventh cards.

That made four rounds of betting.

With each round, in addition to placing bets, the two parties would also use particular speech to make relative judgments about the size of the cards in each other's hands.

Of course...

In a normal game of Texas Hold'em poker, all of this would be fine.

But now, Du Wei was involved in a game with an Evil Spirit.

As a vessel for the Evil Spirit, the dealer couldn't possibly be unaware of the cards Du Wei held; the dealer's advantage was the greatest.

It was essentially a foregone conclusion that he would lose.

Although he was prepared to lose, he still intended to see the game through to the end, to find the Evil Spirit's weakness...

So when the second trump card arrived and he saw it was the Jack of spades, Du Wei spoke again, "I choose to continue the bet."

The man opposite nodded, "Place your bet..."

As his voice fell, Du Wei could see under the state of Spirit Vision that black filaments enveloping his body had suddenly increased in number.

And the appearance of the dealer opposite began to change.

His face was becoming increasingly blurred, his eyes growing more and more sinister and cold.

If earlier it had appeared somewhat human, now it was not at all.

It seemed that by the time the cards were laid out, it would completely reveal its Evil Spirit nature...

Watching the transforming Evil Spirit, Du Wei's mind remained cool as he tentatively asked according to the rules of Texas Hold'em, "Do you have a pair in your hand, or what?"

The other replied, "It's a pair, and larger than the cards you presently hold."

Du Wei thought for a moment; if the Evil Spirit's previous words were also part of the rules and it couldn't lie, then its cards should be two Aces.

But in reality, that statement was very vague.

Given that he held the Ace and Jack of spades, any pair would be larger than his own single cards.

Now he had only ascertained one thing: surely the dealer knew his trump cards.

So, Du Wei calmly said, "Please, continue."