At this moment, Rainie Bai had already stepped forward to help Simon Bai up. Together with Shawn Young, the three were about to leave the New Orient Grand Hotel. Just as they reached the entrance, a group of burly men wielding AK-47s suddenly blocked their way. These men had dark, rugged faces and their guns were pointed at the ground, not at the trio, but the fierce look in their eyes made it clear they meant no good. Simon Bai and Rainie Bai had never seen a scene like this before—they instantly turned pale and were so nervous they didn’t know what to do.
Shawn Young’s eyes narrowed. He secretly activated the celestial energy within him, ready to strike first if these armed men made any hostile moves. Just then, a sharp-looking young man in a black suit appeared at the side of the entrance and walked straight toward Shawn.
"Hello, sir! My boss, Mr. Yang, would like to invite you inside. I hope you don’t mind taking a moment to meet with him. If we’re holding up your valuable time, please forgive us!" The young man in the black suit greeted Shawn Young politely.
"Mr. Yang? Who’s that?" Shawn Young asked, a little confused.
"Oh, that’s Mr. Martin Yang, the owner of this casino!" The young man in the black suit replied respectfully.
"Hmm? Martin Yang? I don’t know him. What does he want with me?" Shawn Young said, puzzled.
"Oh, I’m not sure about that either. All I know is that Mr. Yang would like to meet you. I hope you’ll do us the honor and come inside with me!" The young man in the black suit said.
Shawn Young glanced at the frightened faces of Simon Bai and Rainie Bai beside him, then said to the young man in the black suit, "I’ll go see Martin Yang with you, but they’re with me. I want to bring them in too."
"Uh—" The young man in the black suit hesitated, then quickly took out his phone to check with someone. After receiving confirmation, he politely nodded to Shawn Young and the Bai family, gesturing for them to follow. "Mr. Yang wants to see all three of you. Please, come inside with me!"
With that, the young man in the black suit led Shawn Young and the Bai family through a side door of the New Orient Grand Hotel. They walked deep into the hotel and stopped outside a luxurious private suite. The young man nodded to Shawn Young. "Please wait here for a moment—I’ll go announce your arrival."
Before he finished speaking, the door to the room suddenly swung open, and the tall figure of Zach Chow appeared in front of everyone. He turned to the young man in the black suit and said, "Lin, this isn’t your business anymore. You can go now!"
"Yes, Mr. Chow—" the young man replied respectfully, then quickly turned and left.
As soon as Lin left, Zach Chow’s hawk-like eyes locked onto Shawn Young, staring straight at him like razor-sharp blades. His gaze was electric, as if trying to weigh Shawn’s strength and background.
Shawn Young immediately felt the force of that piercing stare. He didn’t bother being polite—instead, he snorted coldly and instantly activated his energy, unleashing the Soul Seizure Technique in retaliation. Zach Chow was hit by a surging, domineering aura that swept toward him. He tried to muster his spirit to fight back, but still couldn’t withstand the attack. Forced to retreat several steps, he lowered his head and shielded his eyes, finally breaking Shawn’s gaze.
"Wow—impressive moves, my friend! Let’s have a little gamble—how about we play big or small?" Zach Chow regained his cocky expression and stared at Shawn Young.
"No problem!" Shawn Young replied coldly.
Zach Chow didn’t say another word. His eyes flashed, and with a lightning-fast flick of his right hand, a brand-new deck of cards appeared. With a few skillful shakes—swish, swish, swish—the cards stretched out like a paper dragon, fluttering and flipping in the air. He riffled through them several times with the grace of flowing water, then with a quick motion, tossed the entire deck into the air—whoosh! The cards scattered and danced everywhere.
Next, he and Shawn Young moved almost at the same time, lightning-quick, grabbing for cards in midair. Zach Chow caught five cards in his hand, flashed a confident smile at Shawn Young, and said, "Sorry, kid—these are the best cards—Ace, 2, 4, 5 of spades! You lose!"
"Really? You might want to take a closer look before you talk. The five cards you just mentioned are actually in my hand!" Shawn Young smirked and waved his five cards in front of Zach Chow—they were indeed Ace, 2, 4, 5 of spades, a straight flush, the highest hand!
"What?! How—how is that possible!?" Zach Chow was stunned. He looked down at his own cards—they’d somehow turned into 9, Jack, Queen, King of spades, a straight flush, but still smaller than Shawn Young’s hand.
"Heh heh—maybe you should ask yourself! If you want to play again, we can give it another shot," Shawn Young said with a mysterious grin.
Zach Chow blinked and thought for a moment. Suddenly, his mind lit up with the only possible explanation. He waved his hand for Shawn Young to stop, then said, "Uh—no more. If we keep going, I won’t get anything out of it!"
Seeing Zach Chow admit defeat, Shawn Young withdrew his secretly activated energy and watched him warily. He could sense that this middle-aged man was quite powerful, and he’d had to push his own strength to the limit just to force him back. If this guy were an enemy, he’d be a real handful.
"Such impressive energy! I’m truly impressed! Young man, you’re so talented at such a young age—extraordinary! May I ask which sect or famous school you come from?" Zach Chow said, shaking his big head in admiration as he asked.
"Oh! I’m self-taught, not from any sect or famous family. Haha—" Shawn Young replied cheerfully.
"Uh—not from any? Self-taught? If your skills are all self-taught, what does that say about those big-name sects? You’re way too modest, young man!" Zach Chow couldn’t believe Shawn’s answer.
"Believe it or not, that’s up to you. By the way, I’ve met Martin Yang before, and you’re not him. So who exactly are you?" Shawn Young asked directly.
"Oh, I’m Zach Chow, known in the gambling world as the Ghost-Hand Gambling Sage. I’m a good friend of Martin Yang, haha—" Zach Chow said casually, introducing himself with a smile.