Chapter 21: Pulling Out Hair

"Enough. Tell me how you want to play—I’m listening." Shen Shi interrupted Qian Shengju. He already understood the real reason; it was all class conflict. Unless one side was utterly crushed, this matter would never end.

Qian Shengju found himself less and less able to recognize Shen Shi. In the past, if he’d known someone wanted to trample his family, he would have fought desperately. No, in fact, he would never have even figured out the reason—he was a man of action, not given to much thought.

Shen Shi cared nothing for what the Qian brothers were thinking. He glanced over at their table and noticed quite a few strands of hair.

“Wait—are you competing to see whose hair is longest?”

Recalling his own hair, Shen Shi realized his wasn’t the longest among them.

“Of course not. Who would be that stupid? You can see whose hair is longer at a glance,” Qian Shengwen replied when his older brother remained silent.

Though Shen Shi had punched him earlier, and he hadn’t struck back, if he could defeat Shen Shi in a wager, he would be quite satisfied.

But as for the length being obvious at a glance, Shen Shi disagreed. He remembered a scene from a Stephen Chow film where a woman bullied Stephen Chow with her long hair, only for him to pull out a nose hair longer than hers.

“We each take a hair from ourselves, then play tug-of-war with the other’s hair. Whoever snaps the other’s hair wins,” Qian Shengwen explained the rules.

“You really know how to play. So if I lose, my hair is yours; if I win, your hair is mine?” Shen Shi chuckled, mocking him deliberately.

“Don’t be ridiculous—who wants your hair? It’s worthless,” Qian Shengwen snapped.

“Who says it’s worthless? Hair and skin are gifts from our parents... Are you saying the words of the sages are without value?”

“Hold on—this is a casino. Let's bet money. One million cash,” Qian Shengju interjected, unwilling to dwell on Shen Shi’s oddities.

He was in no mood for jokes. To disparage the sages was unthinkable for the Qian brothers. If such a reputation stuck, they’d be shunned by the scholarly world.

Shen Shi shot him a glance.

“Clever—I've heard hair is nourished by a person’s vital essence. If you eat well, your hair is healthy. You two feast on rich foods every day, so betting on hair, you’re sure to win,” Shen Shi mocked.

Once again, the Qian brothers’ scheming was laid bare. They’d chosen this contest precisely for that reason.

Just as they thought Shen Shi wouldn’t agree, he said, “Fine. Let’s do it.”

“Brother, how could you agree to that?” Kong Xueli and his companion shouted. No matter how you looked at it, betting on hair was a losing proposition, just as Shen Shi said—only those who ate well had strong hair.

But Qian Shengwen was delighted and quickly said, “It’s settled then.”

Shen Shi nodded. “Settled. How much are we wagering?”

Qian Shengwen smugly pulled out a Song dynasty banknote. “I've got 250 strings here. Let’s bet 250.”

Shen Shi grinned. “Two hundred fifty—an appropriate number for you.”

A trace of annoyance flashed across Qian Shengwen’s face.

But Shen Shi remained nonchalant; he cared nothing for their feelings. In fact, if he could anger them to death, all the better—less trouble for him. Of course, that was unlikely, but worth trying.

At this moment, Gongsun Ce tugged at Shen Shi and quietly slipped him his own hair. “Brother Shen, my hair is pretty good.”

There you have it—help from a true friend, offering a strand for the cause.

But Shen Shi’s earlier remarks about hair were pure nonsense. The toughness of hair varied from person to person, and as someone who had cultivated himself, his hair was far stronger than an ordinary person’s.

Moreover, he had an ace up his sleeve: speed times mass. As long as he pulled fast enough, even if his own hair broke, he could snap the other’s. As a child, he’d often played similar games with friends—not with hair, but with blades of grass.

While Gongsun Ce and the others were busy advising Shen Shi, Qian Shengwen wore the sly grin of a schemer who believed himself victorious. He looked at Shen Shi and said to his brother and friends, “Brother, he’s just an arrogant fool. Why worry? Everyone in this casino knows I’m the king of winning. He thinks he can beat me? Today, I’ll have him lose face in front of everyone.”

“He’s never mattered to me. It’s just that, with Di Qing’s rise, the military families are getting cocky. Today, I’ll step on him and remind everyone—this is the Song dynasty. Brutes like him should stand aside.”

“We support you, Second Young Master—crush him!” someone jeered.

But at the mention of Di Qing, someone else frowned in concern. “Second Young Master, Di Qing is famous in the northwest. If we plot against him like this, won’t there be trouble?”

Di Qing was no simple warrior. Court officials like Yin Shu, Han Qi, and Fan Zhongyan were all well connected to him. And those were all influential scholars—if they spoke out, these young students would be in serious trouble.

Qian Shengju smiled. “There’s no need to worry. If the Shen family had such connections, why would Shen Shi’s father be looking for a patron?”

The Qian family were merchants, dealing in timber, so they were well informed about such matters.

The terms set, both sides prepared for the wager.

The contest was simple. Each cut a strand of hair, held both ends, and crisscrossed them. At the count of three, both pulled. Whoever’s hair snapped the other’s won.

The match was straightforward, the struggle fierce, but the outcome swift. After the count, they pulled. The hair that broke was Qian Shengwen’s.

“This—this is impossible!”

Staring at the broken hair, Qian Shengwen couldn’t believe it. His hair was thick and black. Among everyone here, none had ever bested him. But now…

“I’ll collect. Two hundred fifty strings are mine,” said Shen Shi, pocketing the winnings at once.

“Wait—that round doesn’t count. Let’s go again!”

Just as expected, Qian Shengwen reneged. Two hundred fifty strings was not a small sum. How could he accept losing after just one pull?

“A bet’s a bet. If you’re not satisfied, put more money up!” Shen Shi didn’t consider him a friend and had no intention of letting him back out. With a twist, he pried open Qian Shengwen’s hand and took the banknotes.

Of course, if Qian Shengwen wanted to keep donating money, Shen Shi wouldn’t refuse. That’s why he only pried open his hand, rather than break it.

“Fine! Let’s go again!” Qian Shengwen was like a gambler blinded by loss, unwilling to admit defeat, and cut another strand of hair.

“Wait a moment,” Qian Shengju suddenly called out.

“Don’t worry, brother—I won’t lose this time!” Qian Shengwen, still unwilling to stop, insisted.