After she finished speaking, I suddenly had a jolt and immediately understood what was about to happen next. I suddenly recalled some strange stories I had heard in the past, where my grandfather mentioned this concept.

The term “点天灯” (diǎn tiān dēng), literally meaning “lighting the sky lantern,” is an old saying from gambling houses. It should actually be called “点灯” (diǎn dēng), which refers to a gambling technique. It means that if you notice someone at the gambling table is having very bad luck, you should bet against them. If they bet high, you bet low; if they bet on the player, you bet on the banker. You are not betting on your own luck but rather on their bad luck. This person with bad luck becomes your “lamp.” Some people are simply born unlucky and lose every time they gamble, and they are often specifically invited to “light the lamp,” losing a little to win big.

From the perspective of probability theory, this concept does not hold up; probability theory does not recognize the notion of luck. However, “lighting the sky lantern” is absolutely effective. Any gambler knows that once they lose the first round, they are likely to continue losing. The world is indeed so wondrous.

During the Qing Dynasty, in the circles of wealthy gamblers in Jiangnan, the stakes were enormous and often unchecked. A person with bad luck could lose everything in a single night, so in such settings, the term “点灯” (diǎn dēng) seemed insufficiently grand. Moreover, those young aristocrats often liked to get into disputes with others. If you looked at me with disdain, I would look at you unfavorably in return, and even before the gambling started, they would try to gain the upper hand verbally. One would say, “Wang’s second son, don’t get too cocky; today I’ll light you as my lamp.” The response would typically include a retort, “You want to use me as your lamp? I’ll light you as my sky lantern!”

Over time, this evolved into the term “点天灯” (diǎn tiān dēng). It’s quite fitting, as lighting a sky lantern is like setting oneself ablaze, much like how they would gamble away their fortunes in a single night.

Later, this term spread beyond gambling circles and was used in other contexts, such as auctions. I remember my grandfather telling a story about the leader of the “Old Nine Gates,” who made a name for himself in Beijing while pursuing his wife, and he achieved this by lighting a sky lantern during an auction. I had almost forgotten this story until the old lady’s hint jogged my memory.

In the context of auctions, “点天灯” seems to imply booking a private room. In a private box, there are two main seats on either side, with the right seat being the “lamp seat.” If someone sits in the right seat of any box, it signifies that regardless of what is being sold in that round and regardless of how much it ultimately sells for, they automatically add one bid. This means that no matter how the others play, they are determined to win that item.

This was generally a tactic used by nobles to woo women, and it was quite common during the Qing Dynasty. Political marriages were often pursued regardless of cost, as those in power viewed money as a minor issue. Therefore, young nobles would frequent such places to court county princesses. Sometimes, if two princesses happened to be at odds, the suitors would have to compete in “lighting the lamp.” This wasn’t about who could offer the highest bid, but rather about whose boyfriend could withstand the pressure. There was no time limit during the competition, but one could withdraw their “lamp.” However, if one side withdrew, it would be a significant loss of face, which was more painful for those second-generation aristocrats than death in that era.

When it comes to lighting the lantern, it’s incredibly cruel. Once you light it, you have to bear the burden all the way until the auction ends. No one knows what price it will reach, and the only chance for other bidders to acquire the item is to blow up the lantern, desperately bidding to drive the price up to a level that the person who lit the lantern cannot afford. If that happens, the item will go to the last bidder, and the person who lit the lantern must pay some price for their action—sometimes it’s money, and other times it could be a finger or some other organ. In any case, the cost is extremely painful, as the boss behind the scenes must make it clear that this is not a game. Therefore, the person lighting the lantern must weigh their options; it’s not something that can be played with just a bit of money.

Fortunately, there are rules about lighting the lantern that prevent you from making outrageous bids. Those in business know that a deal only stands if the price is within a reasonable range. If a pair of sandals costs a hundred million, then the whole thing is ridiculous, and others won’t want to play along. Moreover, if you bid too high, even if you successfully blow up the lantern and the item goes to you, you might not be able to afford the price you just bid, which would mean you’ve blown yourself up too, and you won’t have a good outcome. Thus, their bids generally stay within a rational range, and completely ludicrous prices are unlikely to occur. There is also a limit to how much can be bid each time, and the auction has a time limit, so most auctions end when the “sucker” is in extreme pain but can still afford it. This is also a safety measure; if you dare to take down the son of a prince, the prince will directly send troops to raid the shop.

In this round of auction, lighting a lantern is the only item for sale. Back in the day, the leader of the old Nine Gates lit three lanterns and burned through half a year’s earnings. In the end, it’s estimated that the person who was pursuing him thought about it and realized that lighting three lanterns was already quite a reputation in the city. If he continued to light more, and ended up burning all his family’s money, how could he still get married? So, he stopped lighting more, and unsurprisingly, the next day he successfully proposed. My grandfather said that the greatest trait of a wise woman is knowing how far to go in a situation.

In this auction, I’m only aiming for one top-tier item. Old Lady Huo is determined to win it, and I fear she won’t rest until she does. If I light this lantern, I might truly end up bankrupt.

In an instant, I felt dazed, entering a state of confusion; cold sweat poured out like rain, and my stomach churned, burning all the way to my lungs. I quickly took a sip of tea to suppress the cold sweat, thinking this time I was in deep trouble. What to do? Should I withdraw? What risks would come from playing dirty later? Would they send my little finger back home to demand money? What were the chances of success for the three of us—Fatty, me, and the Silent Oil Bottle—getting out? Surely we could escape temporarily, right? Damn, was I going to be hunted by the underworld after being wanted?

Countless thoughts raced chaotically in my mind. Before I could sort through even a thread of logic, a worker began to ring a gong around the venue, and instantly, the entire place fell silent. Clearly, the auction had officially begun.

I didn’t hear what the woman in the qipao said at all; in my daze, I only caught that the minimum bid was one hundred thousand and the maximum was one million. My head buzzed, and I could no longer hear anything clearly after that.

I was completely oblivious throughout the entire process, my mind in a state of chaos. For a full hour, I had no idea how the time passed. It was the sudden touch of the “dull oil bottle” (a nickname) that jolted me awake; he abruptly placed his hand on my shoulder, startling me.

I turned to look at him, but he wasn’t looking at me. Instead, he stared expressionlessly down below, as if everything here had nothing to do with him, resembling a cold-blooded bodyguard. I suddenly wondered if the fat guy had overdone it with his teachings, but his hand was gripping my shoulder tightly, clearly indicating he had some intention.

I didn’t understand what he meant. Was he trying to reassure me by showing he was there? However, that grip might have been a reflex, and I suddenly felt truly calm.

The scene was quiet, as if the bidding had stopped. I turned to look at the fat guy, who didn’t understand what “lighting a lantern” meant and was completely immersed in the atmosphere, wiping sweat with a towel, clearly excited.

I steadied myself and asked him what was going on. He said, “Damn it, it’s almost a hundred million!” I immediately spat out a mouthful of tea all over him.

He didn’t mind at all, simply wiped it off and continued, “It’s break time now. The second half will start soon, and the bidding will increase by two million each time. Damn it, I’m really seeing the world today.” He pointed at the woman in the qipao who was in the middle of the stage counting the previous bids. “This girl is amazing; when the bidding starts, she rings the bell. At first, all the bells rang, and everyone was raising the bids, making the scene chaotic. But she never got it wrong, less than half a second after a bell rang, she knew which one it was. Her ears must be divine; if she gets married, her husband definitely wouldn’t dare to call a mistress.”

He then pointed at a guy in a pink shirt. “This kid is impressive too; he’s been playing on his phone the whole time, not even looking up. The last bell before the break was rung by him. It looks like he’s determined to win; he doesn’t even want to exert himself to bid.”

He pointed at Old Lady Huo. “The old lady hasn’t bid once. It seems she’s preparing to raise the stakes and play big.”

I cursed inwardly; there’s really no sense of chivalry here, and they wouldn’t take it easy on me. They don’t care about spending money, but it’s meaningless anyway. No matter how little I could contribute, it wouldn’t make a difference—one billion or ten billion is the same for me. Not to mention the shame of losing; even if they showed mercy and didn’t cut off my hands or feet, I wouldn’t be able to pay even a million.

So there’s no point in thinking about it. Since I can’t come up with the money, I’m stuck in a corner. The safest way seems to be to run away later.

I whispered the meaning of “lighting a lantern” to the fat guy, who still found it hard to believe and got nervous, saying, “What do we do now? Damn it, I thought the old lady was so composed; turns out we’re the ones footing the bill.”

I replied softly, “What else can we do? This time, the old lady is determined to make us look bad. This trouble is getting serious; I think we should forget about any clues and focus on saving our lives. Think about it; we should find an opportunity to slip away.”

“Running away?” The胖子 (fat guy) was taken aback for a moment, a bit reluctant. “Is it really that serious? Under the emperor’s feet, what can we do? We were tricked by that old woman, and besides, we’ve only seen the first half. There might be a good show later; it would be a huge loss not to watch it all for such a big price.”

“Good show, my foot! If we don’t leave, that’s when the real show starts,” I said angrily. “If it’s not serious, then we can just escape; there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. But if it is serious, damn it!”

“Alright, I’ll go take a look around and see if there’s a way to slip out,” he nodded, glancing at the woman in the qipao. “If it really doesn’t work, we can jump down and take that woman and the goods as hostages. That girl has such sharp ears; she should be quite valuable.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the woman in the qipao suddenly froze for a moment, then looked up in our direction, her brows furrowing.

I locked eyes with her, my heart dropped, thinking, “No way, can she really hear us?” I hurriedly made a quiet gesture to胖子 and secretly pointed at the woman in the qipao.

胖子 chuckled in disbelief, “You really think so? No matter how sharp her ears are, it can’t be that good. She must be admiring you and secretly glancing at you.”

Saying that, he pinched his throat and whispered, “Hey, miss, we’re going to run away soon. Can you hear us? If you can hear us, come catch us; it’ll be too late later.”

As soon as he finished, I noticed that the woman in the qipao was looking at us, her expression becoming even stranger. I felt something was wrong; damn it, it seemed like she really could hear us. I hurriedly signaled for胖子 to shut up, but it was too late. I saw her suddenly shout, pointing at us, and the staff nearby immediately looked over and rushed towards the stairs.

This is bad, I cursed inwardly; she really heard us! 胖子 was also stunned, watching the people rushing up, completely at a loss. In a moment of panic, the gloomy oil bottle (闷油瓶) shot past me like lightning, jumping straight down from the second-floor corridor.

I was stunned, and gasps filled the air as I watched him land and flip up. Another round of gasps followed, and when I turned to look, the guy in the pink shirt was also flipping down, one hand supporting the railing of the corridor while the other was in his pocket. He landed right in front of the gloomy oil bottle. Meanwhile, 胖子 let out a loud shout, grabbed a stool, kicked over a screen, and charged at the hotel staff rushing in.

The scene descended into chaos.