Chapter 51: "Master Ma's Team" Assembles 4 Members Plus 1 Cook

Underworld Card Games: From Fight the Landlord to Six-Chong
Volume 3, Chapter 51: The "Master Ma Team" Is Complete: 4 Members + 1 Cook

Ah-Xiang's iron wok was still sizzling away on the stone stove, roasting melon seeds whose rich aroma filled the entire City God Temple. Even the little ghosts hanging from the rafters craned their necks to look down, their drool dripping right onto Old Zhou's blue cloth pouch. Old Zhou hurriedly clutched the pouch to his chest, looking like he wanted to hide, when Wang Er-Ma suddenly grabbed his arm. "Don't hide, Old Zhou! Today is a big day—our 'Master Ma Team' is officially complete!"

Wang Er-Ma stood right in the middle of the card table, patting his chest with total confidence. The small mountain of six stacked decks of cards behind him wobbled slightly, scaring Little Black into quickly reaching out to steady it. "Take it easy with the shouting, Master Ma! The card pile's gonna fall!" Little White nodded along. "Last time a gust of wind blew it all over the place. If it collapses again, we'll be picking them up for ages!"

"Even if we have to pick them up, we've gotta set our roster first!" Wang Er-Ma glared at the two impermanence ghosts before pointing at the people around him to assign roles. "Me, Wang Er-Ma, I'm the captain and commander—just like when I was the head of the neighborhood card games. Whether it's playing a straight sequence or setting off firecrackers for the New Year with a bomb, everyone listens to me!"

Old Zhou hurried over, asking in a hushed voice, "What about me? My melon seeds... oh no, what's my duty?" The blue cloth pouch in his arms was still bulging; the handful of seeds Ah-Xiang had stuffed into it earlier was still too precious for him to eat.

Wang Er-Ma tapped him right on the forehead. "You're the 'Card-Guarding General'! Watch over the cards in your hand. When it's time to drop a bomb, drop it—don't hoard them until the end like you did in Four-Chong, letting them rot in your hand!" He paused, then added, "If we win, you get an extra handful of Ah-Xiang's roasted seeds—but no more hiding cabbage leaves in your pouch! The leaves you hid last time were completely wilted!"

Old Zhou's eyes lit up. He hurriedly dug the cabbage leaf out of his pouch and tossed it into Ah-Xiang's bamboo basket. "I won't hide it anymore! I'll guard the cards well! Can I save the extra seeds to use as game chips?" Ah-Xiang let out a snort of laughter. "You really are a miser, Old Zhou! If we win, I'll roast you some special 'chip melon seeds' that are much sturdier than your seed shells!"

Next up was Little Li, who was busy scribbling away in a yellow paper booklet. Wang Er-Ma patted his shoulder. "Little Li, you're our 'Card-Counting Poet'! While helping Little Zhang keep score, compose a few card-counting poems. Don't be like last time, getting so caught up in rhyming that you forgot to play your turn!" Little Li immediately stood up, slung his brush behind his back, and chanted:
"Master Ma's division is clear in my mind,
Counting cards and writing poems are both combined,
Never missing a beat and never behind,
Winning Six-Chong and leaving worries behind!"
After finishing, he proudly shook his head. "How's that, Master Ma? This poem rolls off the tongue way better than Judge Cui's rulebook!"

"Smooth as silk!" Wang Er-Ma laughed and nodded, then pointed at Little Zhang who wore a pair of small glasses. "Little Zhang, you're our 'Card-Counting Deity'! Keeping track of all six decks rests entirely on your shoulders. If the count gets messy, just check your ledger—though you better not cry every time we lose, or Lady Meng's sweet soup won't be enough to console you!"

Little Zhang hurriedly pushed up his glasses, flipped open his ledger, and diligently wrote down: *Little Zhang: Card-Counting Deity, responsible for keeping track of all six decks, crying is strictly prohibited*. Next to it, he even drew a tiny smiley face. Lady Meng walked over holding a bowl of sweet soup and patted his head. "Don't be scared. If we lose, big sister will brew you some sweet soup that's even sweeter than Ah-Xiang's melon seeds!"

Finally, Wang Er-Ma pointed at Ah-Xiang, who was still busy stirring the seeds. "Ah-Xiang, you're our 'Logistics Cook'! You manage the table's food, roast melon seeds, and stew cabbage. If anyone tries to slack off or play tricks, you use your iron wok to whack them right on the head—just like you did to Old Zhao during Four-Chong!"

Ah-Xiang smacked the iron wok with a sharp *clack*, scaring Old Zhou into hugging his cloth pouch even tighter. "Don't you worry, Master Ma! If anyone dares to slack off, one smack from my iron wok will make sure they remember it forever!" She pulled a chipped iron wok out of her bamboo basket and slammed it onto the table. "This is my 'logistics weapon'—way more effective than Judge Cui's abacus!"

Taking advantage of the moment, Little Li whipped out his brush and furiously scratched down the *Master Ma Team Division Poem*, reciting it at the top of his lungs:
"Master Ma commands and leads the crew,
Old Zhou guards cards without a thing to rue,
Little Li writes poems and counts brilliantly too,
Little Zhang is the master of counting cards anew,
Ah-Xiang the cook provides logistics true,
And on the Six-Chong field, we'll beat the enemy black and blue!"
With that, he pasted the poem manuscript right onto the card pile. "That's our team anthem! Everyone has to recite it before playing cards from now on!"

Little Black and Little White scurried over, looking at Wang Er-Ma with puppy-dog eyes. "Master Ma, what about us? We want to join too! We can help shuffle the cards, pick them up, and watch out for opponents hiding cards!" Little Black even patted his own hat. "This hat of mine can even help hide cards—oh wait, I mean help watch others hide cards!"

Wang Er-Ma laughed. "The two of you are the 'Errand-Running Hype Squad'! You'll help move cards, deliver melon seeds, and cheer us on. If we win, Ah-Xiang's roasted seeds will be all you can eat!" Little Black and Little White instantly cheered. Little Black even stealthily grabbed a handful of seeds and tried stuffing them into his hat, but he packed in so many that they spilled right out over the brim, landing squarely on the top of Old Zhou's foot.

"My foot!" Old Zhou jumped up, opening his mouth to curse, when Ah-Xiang handed him a handful of roasted seeds. "Don't get mad, have a melon seed to calm your nerves! If Little Black drops seeds again, I'll whack his hat with my iron wok!" Little Black hurriedly fished the remaining seeds out of his hat and shoved them into Old Zhou's hands. "My apologies! These seeds are super fragrant!"

While the commotion was at its peak, Judge Cui happened to stroll by carrying his *Detailed Rules of Six-Chong*, poking his head in to ask, "Is your team complete? Mind if you count me in? I can act as the referee and help count cards!" Wang Er-Ma waved his hands frantically. "No, no, no! At the speed you turn pages, by the time you finish counting, the opponents will have already won! You just stick to being the official referee. If we win, we'll send you some of Ah-Xiang's roasted seeds!"

Judge Cui curled his lip, clutched his manual, and walked away muttering, "My rulebook is way more useful than your team anthem..." Before he'd even taken two steps, he tripped over the hem of his long robe, sending his manual scattering all over the ground with a *rustle*. Little Zhang scurried over to help pick them up, not forgetting to note the scattered page numbers in his ledger: "Judge Cui's manual is scattered; pages 23, 45, and 78 are missing..."

King Yama sneaked over as well, carrying a cloth pouch filled with the card records he'd stayed up all night compiling. Ever since Lady Yama confiscated his pillows, he'd taken to hanging out at the City God Temple for excitement. "Do you guys really think this team can win Six-Chong?" he asked, edging closer and sneaking a sideways glance at Ah-Xiang's iron wok. "Ah-Xiang, save a handful of those roasted seeds for Yours Truly. I've been staying up late recording cards and need to nourish my brain!"

Ah-Xiang hurriedly grabbed a handful of seeds and stuffed them into his hands. "Don't worry, Your Majesty! If we win, I'll roast you a whole massive pot! But stop hiding cards—ever since you hid them in your crown and got caught by Lady Yama, the entire Underworld has known about it!" King Yama's face turned beet red as he hurriedly shoved the seeds into his cloth pouch. "I won't hide cards this time! Yours Truly will win on pure skill!"

Wang Er-Ma slammed his hand down on the table. "Alright, alright! Everyone's here, and the 'Master Ma Team' is officially established—Captain Wang Er-Ma, Card-Guarding General Old Zhou, Card-Counting Poet Little Li, Card-Counting Deity Little Zhang, Logistics Cook Ah-Xiang, and the Errand-Running Hype Squad Little Black and Little White!" He raised a handful of Ah-Xiang's roasted seeds high in the air. "Come on, everyone bottoms-up on these seeds! Here's to wishing us a victory in Six-Chong, winning reincarnation points, and securing Old Zhou a rebirth where his 'pile of melon seeds forms a mountain'!"

"Cheers!" everyone shouted in unison. Old Zhou grinned from ear to ear, Little Li started composing another poem, Little Zhang drew a massive "Master Ma Team" in his ledger, Ah-Xiang beat a steady *thump-thump* rhythm on her iron wok, and Little Black and Little White bounced around holding their seeds. Beside the card piles in the City God Temple, this eccentric crew of teammates had finally gathered. Even the breeze carried the fragrance of roasted melon seeds, as if warming up the venue in advance for the upcoming Six-Chong practice matches.

Sunlight filtered through the lattice windows, spilling warm rays across the card table. Little Li's poem manuscript was pasted to the card stack, Little Zhang's ledger lay open beside it, Ah-Xiang's iron wok was still venting wisps of heat, and Old Zhou's blue cloth pouch was finally filled with roasted melon seeds instead of cabbage leaves. The "Master Ma Team" was complete, and the lively chaos of Six-Chong was only just beginning.