It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

-

"In the world of the abyss, there's no such thing as stability. We'll never know how many planes exist within this world. Even high-ranking demons like us, who can be said to control the world, only have a limited understanding. All planes are extremely chaotic, subject to change at any moment. Anything can happen here; perhaps tomorrow, the city you've been to today will no longer exist."

Sitting in a comfortable leather chair, Small was carefully wiping her fingers with a towel placed on the cart next to her. While she was doing similar tidying movements, she patiently explained in a cool tone,

"But there is one thing we are completely clear about. That is, within this endless chaos, there is also an end to chaos."

"The end?" Bai Lin asked.

"Yes, the end. No matter how unstable the fluctuations of the material world are, no matter how drastically the world changes, the end always remains the same. Even if the world a millimeter away is full of endless clamor, there is a corresponding silence at the end. Like the eye of a storm, no matter how devastating the outside world is, the eye remains unchanged."

"This is the plane we, the Cinder Demons, currently inhabit. Outside, countless demons swarm, and chaos reigns. Yet, at the bottom of this chaos, no one can intrude, not even gods. In a sense, everyone here is equal. However, this statement isn't entirely accurate, as some aspects remain unverified."

Simo added this very carefully, then stopped what she was doing. She locked her captivating eyes on Bai Lin, letting her gaze focus on her. Then she continued,

"The reason I'm saying all this is to remind you, Holy Son, most magic, even some of the Desolate God's divine arts, cannot be used here. You don't have to worry about cheating in that way. As for the methods of us demons, the Desolate God and the poets can tell the difference. The little girl you brought with you is also extremely sensitive to this, so the fairness of this point is sufficient to confirm."

Oh, so that's what you were talking about. Bai Lin suddenly realized something and temporarily accepted the rationality of this statement. Does that mean that someone like me, simply because of my fast hand speed, can gain an advantage in cheating...?

Bai Lin thought so, but caught a glimpse of the inexplicably smiling God of Wilderness, and instantly dismissed the idea. After all, God of Wilderness is still a god. If he really uses this method to be clever, he will only die miserably. Don't let your opponent lead you astray.

The place that Si Mo brought Bai Lin to wasn't spacious or bright; it was even a bit dim. The dark-colored materials didn't look harsh, but they also felt oppressive. A faint, dim glow emanated from the surrounding walls, and the flickering dots of light, like shattered stars, made the world seem blurry, spiraling into a mysterious deep space, just like the "chaos" she had described.

Miyuki, holding the small cage holding Kronos, sat nearby, watching the scene as the sole spectator. Meanwhile, Bai Lin sat across from Jinmo at a dark mahjong table, their upper hand being the God of Wilderness, and their lower hand being the Poet.

In this way, the design of the situation has also taken shape. As soon as Bai Lin came up, her seat was already facing each other head-on with Smo, and the feeling of tension gradually spread to Bai Lin's shoulders. She shrugged, pretending to be relaxed, and then replied,

"Cheating or not, a god and a devil, I believe you will have your own corresponding patterns. Compared to that, I am more concerned about the specific rules and what methods are used. After all, there are many different types of mahjong."

Simo nodded, obviously agreeing with Bai Lin's statement. She explained,

"The model we use is based on Sakura Mahjong, a variation of Japanese Mahjong."

Japanese Mahjong, also known as Riichi Mahjong in modern society, has a few important additional rules in addition to the previously mentioned rules.

First, in Riichi Mahjong, winning requires a certain type of hand. This means your fourteen tiles must form a certain pattern. For example, a "pair-pair" winning hand is a winning hand made only with pung and shogun, without a straight. This winning hand is limited to a predetermined pattern; not all tiles can be used.

Secondly, Riichi Mahjong is not complete without the so-called "Riichi". This new word is actually very simple and easy to understand.

Chapter 831 How can it be called bullying?

When you're on a winning hand, meaning you're just one card away from a winning hand, and you achieve "monzen qing" (monzen qing) without any other obstacles like cho, peng, or kong, you can proceed to riichi. You'll throw a 1000-point riichi stick as a raise, then you can win regardless of the role you choose, automatically receiving the role called "riichi." However, you'll only be able to play the tile you just drew until a winning hand is reached or the game ends in some other way.

If someone else wins, the Riichi stick will be taken back by them. If you win, you can get back the 1000 points. If no one wins this round, the 1000 points will be kept until the next round, until someone wins.

Beyond this, Riichi also offers other benefits. I won't go into detail here, as they will be explained in subsequent games. In short, it's a strategy that combines risk and reward, and it's one of the core elements of Riichi Mahjong.

It may seem a bit confusing, but in fact, anyone who knows how to play mahjong can understand it quickly. Bai Lin, like now, naturally couldn't not understand it. She raised her eyebrows and asked,

"What kind of variant?"

"This was also brought about by that god. However, since we are the ones engaging in direct confrontation this time, it would be better if I were to explain it."

Si Mo sighed and began to explain carefully to Bai Lin.

Mahjong is essentially a game where winning or losing is determined by winning special chips called "points," and a similar approach is used here. However, in addition to points, this game also features a special chip called "soul points."

Soul points equal 1/5 of a soul. Each player starts with 2 points, plus their own soul, for a total of 7 points. Everyone can use their souls as soul points, but the method must be followed within the game and cannot be converted arbitrarily. Once all souls are used up, the game ends prematurely. After all, everyone is dead, so of course they lose.

Once Bai Lin's soul is exhausted, it will naturally be confiscated directly, and the same will be the price agreed upon in their original agreement.

In the settlement method of the game, the number of soul points > the number of points, that is, the number of soul points is prioritized. At that time, unconverted souls will not be counted as soul points.

In a Mahjong set, each tile type always has four identical tiles. In this set, each tile type has three "open" tiles and one "dark" tile. The dark tile is allowed to be played face-up, concealing its identity from others.

If you want to reveal someone else's hidden card, you must pay one soul point. You can't win the hidden card without revealing it. At this point, someone can also hold the hidden card for two soul points. After that, the hidden card will not be revealed for the entire hand.

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If you're already waiting for a hand, you can designate the hidden card you've played as your waiting hand, placing all your Soul Points on the bet. If the hidden card you've revealed is indeed your waiting hand, you double your Soul Points and take the corresponding Soul Points from your opponent. If you fail, you lose all your Soul Points and die instantly.

Seat bonuses are calculated every four games, based on points: first place gets four points, second place gets two points, and third and fourth place get one soul point. There will be two half-banker games in total, meaning four seat bonuses.

Winning by self-drawing still earns one soul point, but does not deduct the soul points of others.

After revealing the hidden card, you can choose to pay 1/5 of your soul. Similarly, you can also use this rule when you hold the hidden card. The soul points used in this way will not be lost, but will be owned by the next person who wins the hand, just like the riichi stick.

Each person needs to donate two soul points for every four games, which will be distributed as a seat reward.

"...Simply put, it's about putting as much soul as possible on the table and winning it. At the same time, you also have to plunder it from others. A game that strongly encourages offense, but also defense."

"This is the form of confrontation brought about by the God of Wilderness. A decisive battle between dawn and dusk, a fight for life between light and darkness."

Smoo's calm voice explained Bai Lin's confusion. Her tone did not seem to be the slightest bit fierce, but she poured out all the heavy rules, giving Bai Lin a heavy sense of oppression. After that, Smoo raised a hand, towards the poet beside him,

"After all, this is a bet between the two of us, so as long as one of us can defeat the other, it will be considered the winner. If you want to be with the poet, then of course you will be his companion. I can only reluctantly join the God of Desolation..."

After hearing what Smo said, Huang Shen did not show any special reaction such as dissatisfaction. She just smiled slightly and added,

"Since we're a team, you can pay the tax every four games on behalf of your teammates. However, you can't pay the fee for losing a hand."

To put it simply, it is just a guaranteed mechanism that can concentrate the soul points in one person's hands, while also preventing teammates from failing due to insufficient soul points submitted.

With this, the idea became clear. Bai Lin looked at the poet next to him. Although the poet was wearing a mask, he still gave Bai Lin a firm, affirmative look. Obviously, he was preparing to concentrate the soul points on Bai Lin's hands.

After figuring out the conditions for victory and the general strategy, Bai Lin breathed a sigh of relief and said,

"It wasn't a long game, just two and a half. And there weren't many opportunities for us to make mistakes. It seemed like we were walking on the edge of a knife. The factors of luck and first encounter would also be greatly increased. Could it be that you were bullying them in this way, God of Wilderness?"

"How can you call it bullying? The rules of the game were clearly agreed upon by both parties."

The God of Wilderness looked at Bai Lin with a smile, as if there was some other deep meaning. Simo then replied,

"It's certainly not bullying, but I did suffer a few setbacks at her hands. The battle of dawn and dusk is far more complex than it appears."

Bai Lin had already felt this, just by hearing the rules. However, she didn't have any particular objections to the rule. Even though she'd only just learned it today, she should have played a few more games to get used to it before winning. But the longer the games, the less room her relatively good luck would have to play. This rule still had more advantages than disadvantages for her.

Chapter 832: High-spirited and full of fighting spirit

After thinking it over, Bai Lin nodded and replied.

"I have no doubts about this rule. So, without further ado, let's get started now."

Thus, this seemingly absurd and comical match, which nonetheless made everyone present take it with the utmost caution, was about to begin. A long spike shaped like a cross needle was inserted into the side of each person's neck. If one wished to pay with their soul, they could simply pull it out.

Soul points, like chips, looked like round coins. Each player placed two of them on the edge of the mahjong table in front of them, along with the point sticks. As for the mahjong tiles to be used, Si Mo took them out, presented one to Bai Lin, and then placed them on the table, where they were automatically shuffled and cut.

After all, it was a different era now, and hand-washing mahjong was becoming less common. Humans had mahjong machines, and demons were no exception. Seeing that neither the poet nor Miyu questioned the mahjong machine, Bai Lin didn't think they were cheating and agreed to this format.

As for the dice roll method for determining the order, it was the most primitive method. The process was also very fast, with Small taking the initial position of dealer. Then, everyone began to draw cards according to the corresponding points on the dice.

After wandering in this other world for so long, even in such a high-pressure environment, Bai Lin still felt a sense of nostalgia and emotion when she saw these mahjong tiles. When she took the first thirteen cards and placed them on the table, the familiar words on each card came into her sight. A subtle feeling, along with the adrenaline, spread throughout Bai Lin's body.

Her starting hand was a solid one. It already had two straights and a pair, requiring only two more cards to reach a winning hand, known as a "two-way draw." Furthermore, once she had a winning hand, she had the potential to break the odds and even a draw. While the odds were low, they held considerable potential.

A "Dan Yao" (a card game) is one of the most common types of riichi mahjong. A "Dan Yao Jiu" (a card game) can be achieved by not having 1- and 9-point cards like "1 Bing, 9 Suo" (a card game) or character cards like "Dong Nan Xi Bei Fa Bai Zhong" (a card game). A "Ping He" (a card game) requires both sides of a straight to be drawn, and all cards except the "Jiao Tou" (a card game) must be straights. This is also a common type of "Ping He" (a card game).

With this kind of power, Bai Lin could freely play "chi peng" and quickly reach the "ting" position. This greatly increased Bai Lin's chances of winning. Furthermore, since he was already in a two-way "ting" position from the start, he could also directly kick his direct opponent, Smo, off the dealer's position.

As expected, my previous good fortune hasn't left me. I must fully demonstrate my strengths in my areas of expertise. Gods? Demons? Within these constraints, how far can you truly lag behind me?

Bai Lin, brimming with confidence, drew her first card. It was an identical card to her own, so it would count as a valid entry. But Bai Lin only glanced at it and quickly played it without much thought.

The reason was simple: if she took it, she would lose a point. She trusted the initial pattern she saw in this deck and had no intention of leaving any safe cards for defense. This was Bai Lin's confident style at the mahjong table.

Sure enough, within three rounds, she had reached the point of a draw, and moved forward again. The cards on Bai Lin's river were three yaojius and a four-sou, hardly a sign of a draw. At that moment, the poet's hand quietly moved the card to her right, as if signaling to Bai Lin that she had the card he needed.

That card was even a hidden card. This meant that if Bai Lin took that card, he would have the opportunity to convert his soul into soul points and then make a winning hand. It was a rare opportunity. After taking that card, Bai Lin could directly enter the draw. This was only the fourth round, which was equivalent to killing the game from the beginning.

But Bai Lin, at this moment, made another somewhat surprising decision. She shook her head resolutely, signaling the poet to hold still. The reason was simple. As the old saying goes, a long night brings many dreams, and delays can lead to unexpected events. But Bai Lin didn't think so at the mahjong table.

"While winning this game quickly is important, now that I have an advantage, I need to expand it rather than rest on my laurels. Mahjong isn't just about winning quickly and ultimately winning. Your opponent isn't just a person with points, but a person."

"I believe my luck will allow me to quickly draw the tiles I want. At the same time, I also want to use this round to see my opponent's mahjong style."

Bai Lin was thinking this in her mind. Indeed, she was no longer solely focused on the current game; she was already intent on her opponent, intent on gaining an advantage in analyzing him. Her gaze was sharp, and she showed no fear at all, even though she faced a creature considered the most cunning and sinister in the eyes of the world.

High-spirited and full of fighting spirit! Sure enough, in the next round, Shiro Rin quickly grabbed the tiles she needed. This way, as soon as she declared Riichi, the poet sitting next to her could immediately win her a draw. Her total points would be Riichi, a tan-yi, a tie, and a ichi-boku (a winning hand within a round after Riichi), reaching a grand slam of 8000 points.

On the other hand, it seemed that Smona was still a long way from winning. So, without hesitation, Bai Lin threw the cards in front of him horizontally into his own river, and casually threw a stick at the table, loudly declaring,

"Richichi."

Generally speaking, an early patrol riichi isn't very intimidating, as it doesn't reach a high score. However, Bai Lin's patrol wasn't exactly that early, and her hand certainly wasn't small. Furthermore, based on her river hand, it was difficult to discern what hand she was actually drawing for, so this move was, by definition, a powerful one.

But judging by the expressions of the other two, Bai Lin's standing still didn't seem to put enough pressure on them. After all, how could gods and demons be so easily swayed? Bai Lin didn't pay much attention to it. She simply rejected the poet's offer once again and then stared at Smo, who sat across from her at the table.

What would you do in front of a Riichi like me?

Chapter 833: A Bit Arrogant

Riichi Mahjong has a "vibrate and listen" rule, which is absent from most other Mahjong games. For example, if Shirō Rin is waiting for "36" with "45," if she has already played a 3 or 6 on the river, she will be vibrated and unable to win from others, only able to draw from herself. Therefore, when you want to defend and avoid losing, it is best to play the tiles already on the river.

Unfortunately, Bai Lin's hand was nearly perfect. The few cards in her river were like a fog, making it impossible to discern what she was waiting for. This also greatly increased the difficulty of defense.

So, how will the other party choose?

In this situation, even with the advantage of being the dealer, if the cards in hand are not good, they probably won't attack. But you can't say for sure, if, like the poet, you know exactly what cards you will get in the future, you might still attack.

As Bai Lin analyzed, he watched as his opponent, Smoo, collected a card and played a three-pie hand, which Bai Lin didn't need. Clearly, this meant he wasn't defending, but rather gradually building his own hand.

It seems like a good card, right?

Bai Lin speculated and looked at the other party while playing the useless card he had touched. In contrast, Smo was not panicked at all. She looked at the card Bai Lin played and said in a deep voice,

"eat."

If there's a consecutive hand that's just one card away from a straight, you can choose to capture the tiles played by others. However, doing so would render many of the limited-edition characters unusable, and it also presents numerous disadvantages. After all, Japanese Mahjong is also known as Riichi Mahjong, and while Furoro increases the chances of making a move, it also negates other opportunities.

345 million to eat. This way, the hand type is limited to a certain range. Bai Lin looked at the center of the river. It seemed unlikely that Smo was a dyed hand (a hand made of only one type of card, such as a pie, a solitaire, or a jack). Or a hand made of one type of card, such as a pie, a solitaire, or a jack, collectively known as a dyed hand).

Then, the opponent's winning hand is likely to be a small one like Duan Yi. After all, Pinghe is limited to Menqing, and the possibility of three colors in a straight and a qi is also likely to be eliminated. The only unstable factor is just the treasure card. So Bai Lin quickly turned to other judgment intentions,

Could it be that the opponent is trying to end the game quickly by cutting off the one hand and blocking her own possibility? But she gives me the feeling that she is still a long way from reaching the winning hand. Does she not care about the possibility of a missed shot?

Bai Lin was slightly bewildered. She certainly didn't believe the opponent was playing this way because he was bad at it, so she held her temper and continued to trust her decision. However, in the following rounds, the opponent still occasionally gained a few cards. Meanwhile, the poet, through his subtle movements, gave Bai Lin new information.

That is, the treasure cards are almost all in the poet's hands. As an astrologer who knows fate, how could her luck be so bad? In this case, no matter how big the cards are, they can't be that big.

As Bai Lin's river cards gradually increased, the possibility of her being exposed gradually increased. However, Simo showed no intention of playing according to Bai Lin's river cards. Instead, he cut some raw cards from his hand, making a very bold move. This scene became increasingly difficult for Bai Lin to understand. It was unbelievable. Was she really a novice? It was impossible.

Smoo's eyes were never focused on her opponent. Aside from ignoring them, she was focused solely on her own cards. It wasn't so much that she ignored her opponent, but rather that she was overly focused on her own cards. Finally, with her tireless efforts, she completed a three-hand reveal. At this point, even a fool should have been able to draw.

When all this was done, she raised her head and looked directly at Bai Lin for the first time in this game. Then, Si Mo said quietly,

"Finally, I caught up."

Such words sounded quite unintentional, but in fact, they were definitely not unintentional. Bai Lin's pupils contracted, and the whispered words echoed in her ears, causing some ripples in her heart.

Why did she tell me this? This must be a ploy. Was she actually using the same idiotic hand pattern I'd always heard? No, no, no, that's impossible. If her brain were truly that weak, she wouldn't be such a feared demon in the heart of the abyss. I can't fall for her tricks. She wants me to let my guard down, to continue with my previous strategy, and thus lose this round, allowing her to win the championship for the second time.

Thinking of this, Bai Lin's eyes immediately locked onto Huang Shen. Since the poet could give up the next round at Bai Lin's suggestion, Huang Shen was naturally the only chance for Smo to win. And Huang Shen, of course, could not ignore Bai Lin's extremely passionate gaze. She smiled slightly, scratched her cheek and said,

"I'd be embarrassed if you looked at me like that. Don't be so nervous, just relax and play mahjong, Holy Son."

As she spoke, the God of Wilderness casually played a card, and Smoo didn't move at all. Obviously, she didn't play Smoo's winning hand. Bai Lin also breathed a sigh of relief. She also took a safe card that had been played. But at this moment, Smoo suddenly moved. She pushed the card in front of her and said in a deep voice,

"eat."

At this sound, Bai Lin's eyes widened again. What?! Eat?! Does this mean that Si Mo hadn't even drawn a hand before? Was she really playing three hands that showed a consistent draw? What kind of play was this?

Si Mo leaned forward, she looked at Bai Lin, and said in a low voice,

"Holy Son, Holy Son, as a human being, even until the very last moment, you should never let your guard down. After gaining the advantage, you actually want to try to figure out a demon like me by giving me a chance to win? Isn't that a bit too arrogant?"

The truth might be just as Smoo had said. Bai Lin had already reached a tie, yet he was still trying to expand his advantage, perhaps a bit too arrogant. But rather than being completely shaken by Smoo's actions, Bai Lin's heart was now filled with a tangled web of suspicions. Looking at Smoo's lone card standing before him was like looking into an indescribable black hole.

Chapter 834 Cheating

Her eyes were drawn to the back of the card, and pressure continued to flow from her mind. When she came to her senses, she was already sweating profusely. She only heard the voice of the God of Wilderness, who was gently reminding her,

"It's your turn, Seiko. After you become Riichi, you can only draw cards anyway. There's no point in thinking about it for so long."

What? Didn't the God of Wilderness give up the game again?

Bai Lin, who had thought she was doomed, suddenly realized something. She shook her head, then, in disbelief, pulled the next card from the pile of cards before her. It was still a safe card, which gave her a sense of peace of mind amidst the turmoil. She quickly played it, and the poet quickly completed the tie.

"Riichi, Danyi, Heihe... Libao 1, Grand Slam."

Bai Lin announced the number, and the moment her hands let the pile of cards fall, the pressure on her shoulders was suddenly relieved a lot.

The "Inner Treasure" card is another benefit of Riichi Mahjong. After the Riichi player wins, they can turn over the card under the Treasure card to act as an Inner Treasure card, which has the same effect as the Treasure card.

Although she missed out on a point, she still managed to complete a grand slam thanks to Libao's compensation, which was a good ending. After receiving the soul points and points from the poet, Bai Lin took out the ice water bottle from behind her and took a sip, as if trying to wash away the confusion brought by the previous round. But Simo was noisy again at this time, and she said,

"What a stupid choice! I took points and souls from my teammates. It was a complete waste of this game."

Simo shook his head, lamenting the opponent's incompetence. Naturally, he couldn't let Bai Lin, who had a bad temper, be convinced. Even though she had just gotten rid of some of the pressure, she immediately became tough, tilted her head, looked at Simo, and said with a little contempt,