Another room.
“Let’s run too! I’m about to die!!”
Chen Junnan grabbed Jin Yuanxun and rushed toward the door.
But the door was locked.
Seeing this, the Earth Dragon shook her head, took a few steps back, then leaped onto the wall before vaulting upward. The Azure Dragon caught her midair and placed her beside him like a plastic bag.
Once back on the “spectator stand,” the Earth Dragon dusted herself off and sat down next to the Azure Dragon.
“Jin Yuanxun! Run! Find Tian Qiu!” Chen Junnan B shouted.
“Bro… have you noticed we’re locked in?” Jin Yuanxun asked.
“Why lock me up?!” Chen Junnan banged on the door in panic. “I’m Xu Liunian, damn it!”
“Stop acting.”
“Let me out! I really am Xu Liunian! The genuine article, no fakes!”
“Stop acting.”
“Ahhh! Help! I’m gonna die! AHHH!”
“Seriously, bro, stop. It’s kinda cringe.”
“Fine.”
…
The Earth Dragon couldn’t suppress her laughter as she turned to the Azure Dragon. “Interesting guy, huh?”
The Azure Dragon had been lost in thought and only snapped back to reality after being called several times.
“What?” he asked.
“I said that guy pretending to be a ‘shapeshifter,'” the Earth Dragon chuckled. “When did ‘Taoyuan’ get someone this amusing?”
“That personality isn’t my type,” the Azure Dragon replied.
“Oh?” The Earth Dragon pondered for a few seconds. “You mean… he’s not the kind your ‘rulers’ like because he’s too rebellious, right?”
“Not just him,” the Azure Dragon said. “I don’t like most of the people here.”
“That’s even more interesting.” The Earth Dragon giggled again, her gaze shifting toward Qi Xia’s direction. “How did he do it? Gather all the people you dislike in one place?”
Her words triggered the Azure Dragon’s vigilance.
What a strange feeling this was.
Was it really just a coincidence that these people had gathered here at this moment?
A sense of unease spread through the Azure Dragon’s mind. Though he hadn’t participated in the first half of the game… hadn’t he set up a “drafting” phase?
Both sides could not only recruit opponents but also kill those who refused.
Given that kind of game theory, how had they ended up with twelve teammates who all annoyed him at first glance?
The Azure Dragon couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some kind of conspiracy at play, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was off.
“Cangjie Chess” was a game he had conceived and designed on a whim one day. Its rules and mechanics had never been disclosed to anyone except the Earth Dragon.
But even she had only known the game’s name and partial rules before presiding over it.
How could she have possibly leaked the game’s details in advance?
Weird… this was really weird… Was it all just a coincidence?
The Harbinger of Disaster, the Scapegoat, the Leaper, the Divider, the Shapeshifter.
The Spirit Sniffer, the Energy Vault, the Artificer, the Soul Leaper.
The Unyielding, the Lawbreaker.
The Madman, the Everlasting.
Something felt off to the Azure Dragon… but his mind was too muddled to grasp any clear thread.
“Why aren’t they betting their lives against me yet?” the Earth Dragon suddenly asked.
Hearing this, the Azure Dragon turned to her with suspicion.
Right… How could Qi Xia have anticipated this?
There were even people below who wanted to wager their lives against the Earth Dragon. The moment those words were spoken, one of their teammates would inevitably be lost.
“Azure Dragon.”
“Hm?”
“You made a bet with me. Now I’ll make one with you.” The Earth Dragon grinned.
Earlier, the Azure Dragon had asked her who would win this game, and she had confidently replied, “All participants.” Now, she was ready to make another wager.
“Go on.”
“Bet on how I’ll die,” the Earth Dragon said. “Guess whether I’ll be killed by you… or by their wager?”
The Azure Dragon’s expression darkened, and he remained silent.
“If you guess wrong, you’ll grant me one request,” she added.
The Azure Dragon replied, “Tell me the request first.”
“I haven’t decided yet. Just asking if you dare to bet.”
After some thought, the Azure Dragon found himself growing even more irritated by the situation.
This game had been steeped in an eerie atmosphere from the start, and the uncertainty of it all unsettled him.
“I have no reason to be afraid,” the Azure Dragon said. “I’ll take your bet. I say you’ll die by their wager.”
“Deal!” The Earth Dragon laughed.
…
Chen Junnan and Jin Yuanxun stood in the room, staring at each other.
“Aish…” Jin Yuanxun cursed, hands on his hips. “Bro, what the hell are you doing? Huh?”
“One arrow through the heart,” Chen Junnan grinned. “Your boy here single-handedly stalled three of you for three minutes each—nine minutes total. Admit it, you’re impressed.”
“What good does that do?!” Jin Yuanxun was at his wit’s end. “Aren’t you just screwing around?”
“When have I *not* screwed around?”
Chen Junnan stepped forward, slung an arm around Jin Yuanxun’s shoulder, and pulled him toward the door.
“Little Jin, stop wasting time. Let’s hurry up and consummate this marriage.”
“…?”
“I mean, let’s enter the game room.”
“Hey, bro,” Jin Yuanxun said. “Going in is fine, but there’s one thing I need to confirm.”
“Shoot.”
“Where’s your ‘character’?” Jin Yuanxun asked. “I searched you earlier—really thoroughly—and you weren’t hiding one. What did you do with it?”
“I don’t have one,” Chen Junnan said. “Didn’t I tell you to hurry? Know why?”
“Huh?”
“If you don’t hurry, that little dragon girl’s gonna notice and come down to kill me again,” Chen Junnan said. “I just need to outlast Xu Liunian, so cut me some slack and come inside.”
“Wha—?!” Jin Yuanxun’s jaw dropped.
Entering the opponent’s territory without a “character,” triggering a game… Wasn’t that against the rules?!
“Ref! Referee!!” Jin Yuanxun yelled, looking up. “This guy… he doesn’t have a—”
Chen Junnan immediately clamped a hand over his mouth. “Little Jin! That’s rude! Grown-ups are talking—kids shouldn’t shout nonsense…”
Half-dragging, half-pulling, he hauled Jin Yuanxun through the door.
Inside was a bare-bones setup—just a table and a “zodiac,” with no game props in sight.
The “zodiac” was the Snake.
The moment they entered, Chen Junnan rushed forward. “Quick, quick! Am I still on time? Give me back my ‘character’!”
“Eh…?” Jin Yuanxun froze.
The next second, the Human Snake pulled two “characters” from his pocket and handed them to Chen Junnan.
So he *had* brought them—he’d just entered the room early and given them to the referee.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage