Chapter 56: Old Zhou Dares to Blow Things Up—And Makes It a Big One

Underworld Card Game: From Fighting the Landlord to Six-Deck Spades, Chapter 56: Old Zhou Dares to "Initiate a Bombing": And Drops a Massive One

The little ghost team lost the match, yet they lingered stubbornly around the card table, crowding around Ah-Xiang’s sweet soup pot to take turns sipping. The youngest little ghost tugged at the hem of Old Zhou’s tunic, swaying it back and forth: "Grandpa Old Zhou, when you throw out 'New Year firecrackers' (bombs) next time, I’ll come cheer for you again!" Flushed with praise, Old Zhou stealthily slipped a couple of melon seeds from his blue cloth pouch into the little ghost's hand, stubbornly arguing: "I... I might not throw one next time, depends on the situation!"

Wang Erma patted Old Zhou’s shoulder with a laugh: "You old Zhou, just a couple of compliments from the little ghosts and you're already floating! Later, when we face the 'Underworld Menial Team', if you still dare to hoard your bombs, Ah-Xiang’s cabbage leaf won’t just be used to smack the back of your hand!" Just then, Ah-Xiang walked over carrying a freshly stir-fried batch of "bomb melon seeds" (specially roasted to a fragrant, crispy perfection), and stuffed a handful into Old Zhou’s palm. "Maza is right! Old Zhou, if you dare to hoard them, I’ll dump your entire bag of seeds into the soup to boil! If you dare to initiate a bomb, I’ll fry up another huge handful just for you!"

Clutching the melon seeds, Old Zhou nodded in a hurry: "I'll bomb! I'll definitely bomb this time!" Despite saying so, doubts still lingered in his heart—after all, during the four-deck games he hadn't even dared to bomb with four 2s, and holding a massive bomb of six 5s in the six-deck format was a first for him.

Before long, the Underworld Menial Team arrived—four menial ghosts dressed in gray cloth tunics, holding unfinished brooms and buckets, clearly rushing over straight from cleaning the banks of the Bridge of Helplessness. "Master Maza's team, our menial team doesn't have any special skills, we just have a lot of cards," the lead menial ghost scratched his head, "We might play a bit slow later, please bear with us!"

The match began, and once the six decks of cards were dealt, Old Zhou’s eyes lit up the moment he touched his hand—he was actually clutching six 5s! One and a half of each: Hearts 5, Spades 5, Diamonds 5, and Clubs 5 (six decks naturally yielding six of each), forming the supreme bomb of the six-deck game. Old Zhou’s hands trembled; he hurriedly tried to hide these six cards at the very bottom of the stack, even attempting to stuff them into his blue cloth pouch, only to be caught by Ah-Xiang halfway through.

"Old Zhou! You're hiding them again!" Ah-Xiang raised her cabbage leaf as if to strike. "These are six 5s! Ten times more powerful than those four 2s you had last time! If you hide them again, I’m giving all your melon seeds to the little ghosts!" Terrified, Old Zhou scrambled to pull the cards out and lay them flat on top of the deck, stubbornly defending himself: "I wasn't hiding them! I was just... checking if the cards were all there!"

Wang Erma laughed heartily watching him: "You old Zhou, your card-hiding skills are even more practiced than your card-playing! When the menial team plays something big later, just fling these 'New Year firecrackers' out, and victory is guaranteed!" Seizing the opportunity, Little Li pulled out his book of poetry and chanted:
"Old Zhou holds the heavy gear, six 5s are truly peerless here,
If he dares keep the bomb concealed, Ah-Xiang's cabbage smacks his rear!"
The spectating ghosts burst into uproarious laughter, making Old Zhou’s face flush even redder.

In the first round, the menial team led with a sequence of "Hearts 4 through 8." The lead menial ghost shouted: "We're playing 'stringed candied haws', can anyone beat this?" Just as Wang Erma reached for his cards, Old Zhou suddenly called out: "Hold on! I'll take them!" Everyone was stunned—even Wang Erma hadn't expected Old Zhou to take the initiative and play.

Clutching his six 5s, Old Zhou’s hands still shook slightly, but looking at the cabbage leaf in Ah-Xiang’s hand and the expectant gazes of the little ghosts, he hardened his resolve, and slapped his cards onto the table with a resounding *thwack*: "I play six 5s! Time to set off the New Year firecrackers!"

This explosive play caught the entire crowd completely off guard—the massive bomb from six decks hit the table and instantly triggered netherworld special effects, sending a wispy layer of ghost qi drifting across the tabletop and causing even Lady Meng’s sweet soup pot to wobble, splashing a few drops of broth right onto the menial team’s cards.

"This... this is a bomb of six 5s?" The lead menial ghost was dumbfounded, dropping his broom to the floor. "Our sequence was only five cards, your bomb is way too big!" Akimbo, Old Zhou puffed out his chest for the first time with such unyielding pride: "So what if it's big? Back in our residential compound, when you've got a bomb, you drop it! Only a fool hoards them!"

Wang Erma was even more excited than Old Zhou, slapping the table as he roared: "Well played, lad! Old Zhou, you've finally grown a spine! That explosion was more satisfying than Old Zhang head's playing in my district!" Little Li hurriedly pulled out his brush, *swish-swished* out a poem, and bellowed at the top of his lungs:
"Old Zhou today is fierce and strong, six 5s blast the whole court along,
He used to hoard like a miserly ghost, now bombing proud is his proudest boast!"

Little Zhang pushed up his glasses and meticulously recorded it in the ledger: "Old Zhou played a bomb of six 5s, the menial team has no cards to beat it, this round goes to Master Maza's team!" He even sketched a massive bomb pattern beside the entry, taking it far more seriously than recording the opponents' cards.

The menial team stood dazed for a long time before realizing they had lost the round. The lead menial ghost scratched his head: "We lose! Grandpa Old Zhou, your bomb is way too vicious, even harsher than Judge Lu's rulebook!" Flushed with even greater triumph, Old Zhou actually mimicked Wang Erma’s posture, standing akimbo and shouting: "That's right! From now on, whenever I see a bomb, I'm dropping it. No more hiding!"

Ah-Xiang’s eyes crinkled into crescents of delight as she hurriedly brought Old Zhou a bowl of sweet soup and stuffed another large handful of roasted melon seeds into his blue pouch: "You were amazing, Old Zhou! This sweet soup and these seeds are all yours! Bomb again next time, and I’ll stew you some cabbage meatballs!" Clutching his melon seeds, Old Zhou grinned from ear to ear, completely forgetting his recent urge to hide the cards.

During the subsequent rounds, Old Zhou seemed to have unlocked the "mystical meridians of bombing"—when he drew a small bomb of four 3s, he bombed without waiting for Wang Erma’s command; when he drew a bomb of five 10s, he slammed the table and shouted "Time to set off the New Year firecrackers!", blasting the menial team into a dizzy spin. In the final round, Old Zhou even dared to split a bomb—breaking five 7s into "777 + 77" and playing them in two separate turns to successfully counter the menial team's sequence, leaving the menial ghosts slapping their thighs in exasperation: "Grandpa Old Zhou, your card-playing skills are more formidable than sweeping the Bridge of Helplessness for ten years!"

As the match concluded, Master Maza’s team secured a resounding victory. Clutching the melon seeds rewarded by Ah-Xiang, Old Zhou felt like he was walking on air, muttering to himself: "Bombing is so much fun! Way better than hoarding! Next time I'm gonna drop an even bigger one!" Wang Erma patted his shoulder with a laugh: "You old Zhou, you should've done this long ago! From now on, Master Maza team's bombing duties are all on you!"

Under the setting sun, a small mound of melon seed shells had piled up by the table. Old Zhou’s blue cloth pouch was overflowing with Ah-Xiang’s roasted melon seed rewards, Little Li’s poetry manuscript boasted several new verses praising Old Zhou, and Little Zhang’s ledger was filled to the brim with records of Old Zhou’s explosive plays—the miser who once dared not even bomb with four 2s had finally become Master Maza team’s designated "bomb specialist", infusing the six-deck arena with an extra dose of joyous, lively mortal warmth because of his transformation.