MY HIDDEN TALENT IS FORBIDDEN BY THE HEAVENS-Chapter 80: PARTY TIME
Chapter 80 — THE NIGHT THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED
They were happy for the victory but, no one planned to celebrate.
After the match, after the adrenaline faded and the arena emptied, Azure Dragon Academy’s group simply... walked. No destination in mind. No schedule. Just following the glowing streets of Vermillion Phoenix Academy’s city-district, a place that felt less like a school and more like a living capital built on fire and indulgence.
The night air was warm, not oppressive, scented with spice, alcohol, and something faintly metallic. Crimson lanterns floated overhead, suspended by formations instead of strings, drifting lazily as crowds moved beneath them. Music spilled out of open buildings. Laughter echoed. Somewhere far away, something exploded, and no one even looked up.
Long Hao and Ling Yifan had decided to train.
Chen Wulian stretched his arms behind his head, grinning like a man freshly released from prison.
"Ahhh," he sighed. "Victory tastes like freedom."
Ouyang Xue’er glanced sideways at him. "Victory tastes like you not getting punched today."
"Same thing," Chen replied cheerfully.
Qin Shuo walked slightly ahead of the group, eyes darting left and right, not at people, but at structures. Signs. Symbols. Probability layouts hidden in architecture. His pace slowed.
Then stopped.
The others took three more steps before realizing he wasn’t beside them anymore.
Chen turned. "What. Did you see food?"
Qin Shuo adjusted his glasses slowly.
"...Statistically," he said, "this street has a seventy-eight percent chance of leading to a high-density recreational hub."
Zhao Ming frowned. "That sounds fake."
Qin pointed.
They followed his finger.
At the end of the street, half-hidden behind a cascade of crimson light and gold sigils, stood a building that did not scream for attention.
It didn’t need to.
Tall black stone pillars framed the entrance. Runes pulsed softly along the walls, elegant rather than aggressive. The doors were open, revealing warm golden light inside, along with the unmistakable sound of coins, chimes, and excited murmurs.
Above the entrance, written in flowing script that shimmered subtly:
EMBER VEIL
Chen squinted. "Is that...?"
"A casino," Jin Ruolan said immediately, eyes lighting up.
Ouyang Xue’er groaned. "Absolutely not."
Qin Shuo was already walking toward it.
"Wait," Bai Qianlan said calmly. "Where are you walking like that, want something?"
Qin stopped, turned, and pushed his glasses up with one finger.
"Because," he said, completely serious, "this is an opportunity."
Chen blinked. "For what?"
"Applied probability," Qin replied. "Behavioral economics. Risk analysis. Emotional variance under controlled chaos."
Zhao Ming stared at him. "You want to gamble."
"I want to observe," Qin corrected. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Ouyang crossed her arms. "You observe from outside."
Qin sighed, clearly disappointed by her lack of vision.
"Listen," he said, lowering his voice as if sharing a military secret. "We are in Vermillion territory. We are outsiders. Exploring their civilian sectors without supervision provides valuable cultural insight."
Chen nodded slowly. "He’s saying if we don’t go in now, we’re cowards."
"I did not say that," Qin replied.
"But you implied it," Chen said.
"I strongly suggested it."
Jin Ruolan was already halfway to the door. "If we’re going to lose money, I want it to be intentional."
Ouyang pinched the bridge of her nose.
"This is how people die."
They went in anyway.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the world changed.
Sound hit first. Not loud, but layered. The soft clatter of spirit-chips. The low murmur of conversation. The occasional sharp intake of breath followed by laughter or despair. Light followed next, warm and golden, reflecting off polished stone floors and glass-like tables etched with formation arrays.
The casino was vast.
Multiple levels spiraled upward, balconies overlooking the central floor. Dealers stood behind tables with relaxed confidence. None of them looked surprised by the arrival of a group of young cultivators dressed like trouble.
A hostess glanced at them briefly, smiled politely, and went back to her work.
Chen’s eyes widened. "They didn’t even stop us."
Ouyang muttered, "That’s worse."
Qin Shuo inhaled deeply.
"...Fascinating."
Within seconds, everything went wrong.
Chen made a beeline for the nearest table with spinning lights and flashing runes.
"THIS ONE LOOKS HONEST," he declared.
Zhao Ming glanced at the sign. "It’s literally called Flame Roulette."
"Honest name," Chen replied, already throwing down chips.
The wheel spun.
It stopped.
Chen blinked.
"...That was fast."
The dealer smiled. "Thank you for playing."
Chen looked down at the empty space where his chips had been.
"...Did I win?"
"No."
"...Ah."
Thirty seconds.
That was his entire gambling career.
He stared at the table like it had personally betrayed him.
"I demand a rematch."
"Sir," the dealer said calmly, "this is not a duel."
"Everything is a duel," Chen replied, offended.
Two casino attendants appeared out of nowhere and gently guided him away from the table.
"PLEASE," Chen protested, "I’M LEARNING."
"You learned." "Enough."one attendant said.
Chen was banned from roulette.
Qin Shuo, meanwhile, had found a card table.
He sat down, adjusted his glasses, and observed silently for three rounds.
Then he began to win.
Aggressively.
Suspiciously.
Just... consistently.
His pile of chips grew.
And grew.
And grew.
The dealer’s smile started to fade away.
By the eighth round, the pit boss appeared.
By the tenth, Qin was politely asked to stand up.
"You are not breaking any rules," the pit boss said carefully, "but we are invoking the right to... encourage diversification of entertainment."
Qin blinked. "I was not finished."
"You were," the pit boss replied.
Qin was banned from cards.
Jin Ruolan took this as a personal challenge.
She approached a dice-based game, rolled up her sleeves, and declared, "Luck is a blade. If you hesitate, it cuts you."
She lost three times in a row.
Declared the dice dishonorable.
And challenged the dealer to a spar.
She was escorted away before anyone could accept.
Zhao Ming laughed so hard she nearly fell over.
Ouyang Xue’er, meanwhile, wandered without intention.
She sat at a random table. Placed a single chip without looking. Won.
Did it again.
Won again.
Did it a third time.
Won again.
She frowned.
"...This seems inefficient."
Within fifteen minutes, she had accumulated an alarming amount of chips while maintaining the exact same bored expression.
A nearby gambler whispered, "She’s cursed."
Ouyang was not banned.
She was... not. Surprisingly.
At some point, everyone regrouped near a drink counter, except Chen, who was arguing with a decorative statue.
"I KNOW YOU’RE WATCHING ME."
Bai Qianlan sipped something warm and sweet, observing the chaos quietly.
"This was a mistake," she said calmly.
Qin Shuo nodded. "Empirically, yes."
"And yet," Zhao Ming added, "I would do it again."
They stayed longer than they should have.
Much longer.
By the time they finally stumbled back out into the Vermillion night, Chen was dramatically vowing revenge against abstract concepts, Qin was muttering about unfair house advantages, Jin was planning to design her own casino, and Ouyang Xue’er was carrying everyone’s remaining chips because no one trusted themselves with them anymore.
No Vermillion officials intervened.
No academy guards appeared.
The city simply absorbed them, amused and indifferent.
As they walked back toward their accommodations, Chen slung an arm around Qin’s shoulders.
"You know," he said, "this night taught me something."
Qin sighed. "If this is about probability—"
"No," Chen interrupted. "It taught me I should never let you convince us of anything again."
Qin adjusted his glasses.
"...Statistically, you will."
Somewhere behind them, the casino lights dimmed slightly.
And the house, undefeated, waited for the next fools brave enough to enter.
Or Maybe that’s simply what they thought had happened.
[Chapter ENDS]
