With her top-level skills and sharp hearing, Aries quickly turned her initial two taels of silver into thirty after just a few rounds.
The thugs and dealer watching her closely didn't see any sign of cheating. They were just shocked at how lucky Aries seemed today.
The dealer looked up and asked, "Still playing?"
Aries raised her chin slightly. "Keep going."
Ha! That's how gamblers are—when they win, they don't want to leave because they want more. When they lose, they still don't leave, hoping for a comeback.
But in the end, the only winner is always the casino. No gambler gets rich from gambling.
The dealer thought, "Don't come crying when you lose everything!"
One of the thugs behind Aries ran to report to the manager after seeing her win a lot, but by the time they returned, she had already won even more.
Aries kept winning a few more rounds in a row, each time betting all her silver. Soon, thirty taels turned into over three hundred.
Seeing how she kept winning, the other gamblers caught on and began following her bets. As a result, the casino was losing big.
Naturally, someone went to inform the manager, who quickly came out.
Aries recognized the person—it was the one in charge of the casino.
She waved her hand, and the thugs immediately stepped forward and cleared the crowd around the table. "Move! Move! Nothing to see here. Go gamble somewhere else."
Some who had just won didn't want to leave and insisted on staying.
"Why should you decide where we gamble?"
"Yeah! We want to stay here!"
One thug sneered, grabbed the first man's collar, and snapped, "Stop talking nonsense. You think I'm blind? Refuse to move, and I'll take back your winnings."
The others surrounded them, and the gamblers, too scared to argue, backed off.
This scene made everyone in the casino stop and look in their direction.
Under everyone's gaze, Aries stayed calm and slowly gathered her silver from the table. Then she looked up at the tough-faced manager.
"Let's keep playing," she said.
She pushed twenty taels across the table. "This is what I owe you. Paid in full."
The manager's name was Liu Zhao. Her boss called her Zhaozi, and the others called her Sister Liu.
She knew Aries. After all, she had given the order to have her beaten before.
So she knew exactly what kind of person Aries was. But now, the woman sitting at the table looked completely different.
She still had Aries's face, with even the bruises from the beating a few days ago faintly visible. So, this was Aries.
But the change was shocking. Aside from her face and the old, rough clothes, her presence and attitude made her seem like a noblewoman.
Though surprised, Liu Zhao had to deal with the situation.
As the casino manager, she knew exactly how much money they made in a day, which was about what was on the table now.
This was just a small town, not a big city. There weren't many rich gamblers. Considering that, they were doing okay.
But now, Aries came in and won almost everything for the day. Even if she didn't cheat, how was Liu Zhao going to explain this to her boss?
So, Aries wasn't walking away with that silver!
Liu Zhao gave a nod, and a group of thugs surrounded Aries. "Miss Aries, can we talk in the back?"
It sounded like a question, but Liu Zhao wasn't really asking for her opinion.
The nearest thug, the one who spoke to her at the entrance, reached out to grab her.
But before his hand could touch her, Aries kicked his knee hard—crack!—and he fell to the ground yelling in pain.
She was so fast no one even saw her move. The thug was already down, groaning.
The others were stunned, exchanging confused looks and turning to Liu Zhao.
Even Liu Zhao was a little shocked but quickly regained her composure.
She sneered, "Miss Aries, what is this supposed to mean? You here to make trouble?"
Aries stayed seated, not at all bothered by the threat.
"Isn't this a casino? You run a business, I came to gamble. Can't take a loss?"
Her words made sense, but a casino isn't exactly a place where logic matters.
Clearly, Aries wasn't here just to play around!
Still, after seeing her skills, Liu Zhao wasn't sure what Aries's real goal was today.
"Miss Aries, how do you want to handle this? Let's talk calmly."
It wasn't that Liu Zhao was giving in—she was genuinely confused.
Not just because of Aries's dramatic change, but also her attitude. If this was about the money, Aries would've left already. But she was still here.
And besides, Aries used to lose nearly every bet. How could she be winning every round today?
Everything about her seemed off, but Liu Zhao couldn't figure out what it was.
Aries didn't expect Liu Zhao to be so reasonable. She actually asked her opinion? Aries thought a fight was coming.
She figured if the thugs attacked, she'd grab the bench she was sitting on and start swinging.
But it seemed they weren't giving her that chance.
Talk it out? Fine, let's talk!
"I just wanted to earn a little silver."
Aries said it lightly, like it was no big deal.
But to the people in the casino, it sounded like she was mocking them—like she really did come to cause trouble.
Liu Zhao felt played and got furious.
Then Aries finally used that bench under her.
After all the thugs were knocked to the ground and couldn't get up, Aries still felt like her hands were itching for more action.
She glanced at Liu Zhao with a slight smirk.
That look made Liu Zhao tremble, and she quickly shouted, "Miss Aries! Take the silver! It's yours!"
Aries lowered her raised foot and said calmly, "I'm not done winning yet."
Liu Zhao looked like she might cry, forcing a smile. "Miss Aries, big sis, that's all the silver we've got. There's really no more."
Aries frowned with clear annoyance. Such a big casino, and that's all the money they had?
Liu Zhao saw her expression and quickly explained, "It's true! We're just a small town. That's all the silver we have. It's all here!"