The Shell Game (II)

It is five peaceful years since TAM SING emerges as King Punter on the retirement of his two masters. Rivalries subsides for a time, but casinos remain the nosiest spot in town. One day, AH LOON and his partner OLD CAT huddle around a gambling table, and in the middle of the game, they start a brawl because OLD CAT is caught cheating. He is instantly 'killed'. AH LOON quickly disappear with all the money and later the 'dead body' is found to be a dummy. They are then chased after by gangsters and AH LOON flees to Shanghai. On his way, AH LOON meets TAM SING whom he tries to cheat with childish skills. When he finds that the man is the King Punter, he begs to serve him as master but in vain. In the funeral for the late King Punter of the North, the new successor, TO I SHOD challenges TAM SING and sparks off new rivalries.

It ends a drawn game. TAM flatly declines TO's second proposal of challenge and quietly leaves Shanghai. M LOON feels pretty disappointed and turns to TO for his new target. To raise money for the bet, the crook plays his tricks again at several gambling tables. On one occasion, he even swindles a lady reporter, FOK SZE LING, and gets her camera. When everything is ready, the lad wittily gets TO accept his challenge. And logically enough; he also gets himself beaten in the game and has to suffer several humiliation of strolling half-naked through the streets.

So AH LOON ends up as the cheap little crook he used to be and loaf about at::the back street gambling tables. In fact he is not always the winner and cheated by a man called Q-IAN YIM PARK. AH LOON begs the man to teach him cheating skills but again in vain. QHAN only let him work in the garden so the young man patiently waits, hoping that his patience would pay. On the other hand, FOK is assigned to do an interview with T0, who would enter the national mahjong game contest. The assignment fails because TO is reluctant to speak. FOK returns to the office and gets badly bawled out. l. furiously resigns.

FOK learns from the newspaper of a vacancy for the post of family tutor. When she arrives at the house, the master is out but she quickly gets herself acquainted with the little boy. Soon she determines to leave at once because the boy is wild arid plays nasty tricks on her. The father returns and it is T0. TO feels very embarrassed and convinces FOK to stay. To raise the hundred dollars application fee for the mahjong game contest, AH LOON performs his old tricks again. When he gets the money, he meets someone who wants bad and he gives it all away. Fortunately AH LOON still makes it with the help of GM, and starts off series of exciting mahjong matches with TO in the contest.

AH LOON beats T0. He is so happy that buzzes around grabbing people to celebrate with him. FOK rejects, so does Q-IAN. CI-IAN even scolds him and makes him aware of the whole truth. Until then does AH LOON discovers the secret of the events that is happening to him. His winning the contest, his relationship with CHAN ..... , are all part of the plan of T0. TO sees the potential in the young man and is ready to train him as king punter someday. When AH LOON learns this, he is so happy that he cannot sleep. And the next day, he goes over to visit TO and directs his apologies.

Ever since TO arrives at Shanghai, HUNG has been poorly beaten at the garbling table times after times. To retaliate for the humiliation, HUNG carries off TO's son, JUN and FOK as hostages and states that they will not be released unless TO manages to beat him again for 7 consecutive times. After some tense and thrilling battles of wit and skill, TO wins the gates, and with the dedicated effort of AH LOON, the hostages are recovered. TO is grateful and moves AH LOON into his own house. Meanwhile, HUNG is planning a second time revenge. He persuades his father's mistress, U LAN to help him by seducing T0. But it is in vain. ULAN desperately turns to FOK and offers her twice her salary to make her leave the house. Again the efforts fail. To make matters worse, TO's divorced wife, YOUNG suddenly returns from France to claim her child. Neither party give way and the issue is put before court.

YOUNG gets hold of all substantial testimony to charge TO's inability to take care of the child. The court is convinced and passes a verdict in favor of YOUNG. TO buries himself in misery. When JUN learns the news, he too locks himself in the bedroom and refuses to leave with his mother. That very night, JUN is carried away from the house by his father. TO has decided to give up his business in Shanghai and flee with the boy. But they get arrested before they can ever slip out of the city. YOUNG warns to press charges on the man of kidnapping, but withdraws it on the request of the child. Now JUN goes to live with his mother, but things are not as settled as it seems. The. boy remains hostile and constantly plays nasty tricks on his mother and step-father. At the end, he even runs away.

JUN goes back to join his father. When YOUNG sees their father and son intimacy, she is convinced that further efforts will not be worthwhile. She promises to give up her right to the child. As she leaves the house, she is assaulted and stabbed to death. YOUNG's husband lays severe pressure on the police through the French Consulate and demands tense investigations.

Reasonably enough, TO is taken custody of being the greatest suspect in the murder case. In jail, he is attacked several times, but manages to escape death. Then he begins to realize that HUNG has to be blamed for the whole plot against him. Meanwhile, AH LOON is having a tough time with the head of the police. He has to persuade him of TO's innocence and pleads him to release the man. His efforts are in vain. He then turns to the mayor for help. By some witty arrangement, he gets the mayor issue the order and TO is set free.

AH LOON's mother and brother AH FU arrive Shanghai to visit him but AH FU is beaten by the gangsters as he is caught playing tricks in a casino. AH LOON saves him and FOK looks after his recovery. TO revenges by instructing AH LOON to place some snakes in CHOU, HUNG's father's club which causes big disturb. In return, GHOU plans to blow up TO's new casino but is unsuccessful and gets humiliated.

CHOU swears to revenge against TO and designs numerous plots to do so but all in vain. TO is happy to see this old king punter fails in every plot. Accidentally, CHOU kills his own son instead. CHOU is so angry that he determined to break the rules and to arrange a game of showdown with TO. QIAN urges him not to but he wouldn't listen.

Finally, FOK agrees to marry AH LOON but his grand-mother disapproves the marriage and moves out of his house. She insists AH LOON should marry P0. Nonetheless, PO convinces her that FOK and AH LOON are a well-matched couple. On the day of the engagement, JUN holds up FOK but finally released by T0. TO receives an invitation from CHOU for a game at the gambling table.

In the game, TO loses his right palm to CHOU and everybody is regret and upset. AH LOON takes up the responsibility to look after TO's business whilst he is in hospital. TU TIN tries to set fire to TO's casino but caught by AH LOON and sent to police. After recovery, TO engages in another game with a punter from Japan and again loses; this time his whole fortune. From then on, he is so depressed and gets himself d- mk all the time. He discloses to AH LOON that FOK is the one he loves very much. AH LOON is deeply touched and decides to give up FOK to his master.

Everybody thinks that AH LOON is being unmanly to leave FOK but only AH LOON knows the reason. The Japanese punter sends his attorney to Shanghai to collect the debts from T0. TO sells all his properties and is surprised to find out that the man behind the curtain is CHOU. TO loses every- thing he has and prepared to leave Shanghai. FOK marries him and tries to help him to re-establish self-confidence. AH LOON determined to take revenge for his master and joins the CHOU's gang.

Due to CHOU's deadly chase, TO and FOK cannot manage to leave the city and hide in CHAN's house. CHOU takes YIM as prisoner and tortures him to make him speak. YIM shows his loyalty by committing suicide for stead of AH LOON's effort to rescue him. CHOU thinks it is AH LOON who kills YIM and is pleased with him. Gradually AH LOON takes up much responsibilities in CHOU's business.

Finally, TO and FOK manage to get away from CHOU's hunt and leave Shanghai. AH LOON gets very depressed. On arrival to Hangchow, TO looks for a job. He tries to get one as magician in the circus but his false-hand fails him and he feels humiliated. He then ends up to be a funeral house keeper.

Not to let his grandmother and PO suffer as he goes on with his plot, AH LOON deliberately drives them out of Shanghai and proceed with his plan for revenge. CHOU asks AH LOON to look after his new casino and TU TIN is jealous. He determines to get rid of both CHOU and AH LOON. Unfortunately, CHOU reveals his intention and sends somebody to kill him. On the other hand, AH LOON starts to search for TO and FOK.

One day in the casino, a stranger shows up and wins a lot of money. AH LOON asks CHOU to give him a try but CHOU refuses. Instead he finds out that the stranger is well- acquainted with his mistress U LAN and that they have unusual relationship. In anger, he proposes the challenge. They bet on their lives and CHOU loses. It bursts into a fight and CHOU flees. Later he discovers that the whole plot is designed by AH LOON.

TO and FOK accept AH LOON's explanations and return to Shanghai but their relationship is no more as intimate as before. After much persuasion, TO agrees to start his business again. Things do not go smooth and TO restores his depressions. This time, even FOK cannot help and she leaves TO in despair.

U LAN is so ambitious as trying to snatch AH LOON's business into her own hands. After massive killings and bloodshed, she fails. AH LOON is sorry to have AH FU killed in the fight. CHOU returns to Shanghai and search for AH LOON for revenge. He takes AH LOON to the Nine-heavens tower for a big game of cards which constitutes the final climax of the series.