“You want me to kill you…?”
The Human-Snake felt that every word Qi Xia spoke was overturning his understanding, leaving him momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
“Am I not qualified?” Qi Xia asked. “Do you have any execution tools here—knives or guns?”
“I… uh, yes…”
“Then kill me,” Qi Xia said. “If you’re worried, I can leave my corpse here right now.”
The Human-Snake paused, studying Qi Xia with a contemplative expression.
Two paths now lay before him. The first was to believe Qi Xia’s claim—that no Zodiac would die in this game—and simply wait here until it concluded. Then, he could rally the other Zodiacs to remove their masks at the signal of the broken bell in the afternoon.
The second was to seize the opportunity and take Qi Xia’s head to the Azure Dragon as a trophy, securing his promotion to “Earth-level.”
The first path was too dangerous, riddled with uncertainty, while the second seemed too safe—almost like a trap.
But the Human-Snake had spent a long time with the White Sheep and could generally tell when someone was lying. Right now, Qi Xia’s gaze was utterly sincere, devoid of any deception.
An unsettling thought arose in the Human-Snake’s mind—was this man truly prepared to die here?
At this critical juncture, when the plan was about to unfold?
As if sensing his hesitation, Qi Xia spoke softly, “I can’t afford any mistakes today. So either path is fine. If you need absolute trust, I’m willing to die here.”
The Human-Snake stiffened. “But if you die… can the plan still proceed?”
“Yes,” Qi Xia replied. “At this final stage, whether it’s me or the White Sheep, we’re expendable.”
A brief silence settled between them.
Eventually, the Human-Snake slowly stood, his expression conflicted. “I understand. I believe you.”
Qi Xia frowned slightly at those words and rose as well. “Don’t force yourself. If you’re unsure, I can leave a hand here as collateral.”
“No need,” the Human-Snake said. “You’re not Sheep Brother, and Sheep Brother isn’t you. But you’re alike.”
“Oh?”
“The one who pulled me out of misery wore a cold sheep’s face,” the Human-Snake murmured. “That’s all I remember. So I can’t acknowledge you as Sheep Brother. But I’ll still carry out his plan—consider it my way of helping him by helping you.”
Hearing this, Qi Xia felt a complicated mix of emotions toward the Human-Snake.
Fragments of memories with him flickered in his mind, but he was no longer the White Sheep—how should he treat him now?
“If you trust me, then I’ll leave this task to you,” Qi Xia said. “I promise you—none of the Human-level Zodiacs involved in this will die.”
“What…? You promise?”
“That’s right,” Qi Xia affirmed. “If you say I’m like the White Sheep, then you should know neither of us would make empty promises to our own people.”
The Human-Snake lowered his gaze to the puzzle book on the table. The White Sheep had deceived him once—just once—but it had been the most fatal betrayal.
“Fine. Since I’ve decided to help you… I’ll believe you on this too,” the Human-Snake said. “Leave the Human-level Zodiacs to me. Even if I can’t rally a single other person this afternoon, I’ll tear off my own mask to disrupt the Vermilion Bird’s conviction.”
“Thank you,” Qi Xia said.
“And the second issue to address?” the Human-Snake asked.
“The second issue?” Qi Xia paused. “You mean… the second ear besides the Azure Dragon?”
“Right,” the Human-Snake nodded. “If I survive this game, he might still kill me. Everything I do is under his surveillance.”
“The Heavenly Dog might not have the guts,” Qi Xia replied, glancing up at the ceiling. “In this tide, he’ll have to pick a side. Soon, he’ll see which way the wind is blowing.”
The Human-Snake followed his gaze upward.
Qi Xia added calmly, “Even if he hears this, it doesn’t matter. He’s always known what I’m doing. I trust he’ll judge for himself.”
“Alright…” The Human-Snake exhaled. “Then it’s settled.”
“Mm.”
Qi Xia turned and walked to the door. Just as he was about to open it, a thought struck him, furrowing his brow.
He hesitated, then turned back slowly, sensing something strange.
“I… kill you…?”
The Serpent felt that every word Qi Xia spoke was overturning its understanding, leaving it momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
“Am I not qualified enough?” Qi Xia said. “Do you have any execution tools here? Knives or guns?”
“I… uh, yes…”
“Kill me,” Qi Xia said. “If you’re uneasy, I can leave my corpse here right now.”
The Serpent paused, gazing thoughtfully at Qi Xia.
Two paths now lay before it. The first was to believe Qi Xia’s claim that no Zodiac would die in this game, to wait quietly until the game ended, and then rally the other Zodiacs to remove their masks that afternoon, using the broken bell as a signal.
The second was to seize the opportunity, take Qi Xia’s head, and claim credit with Qinglong, thereby ascending to “Earth Level.”
The first path was far too dangerous, fraught with extreme uncertainty. The second path seemed almost too safe, like a trap.
But the Serpent had spent a long time with Bai Yang and could generally tell when someone was lying. At this moment, Qi Xia’s eyes were utterly sincere, showing no sign of deception.
An idea involuntarily arose in the Serpent’s mind… Was this man truly prepared to sacrifice his life here?
At this critical juncture, just as the plan was about to unfold?
As if reading the Serpent’s thoughts again, Qi Xia said softly, “I cannot allow any mishaps in today’s events. So either path is acceptable. As long as you fully trust me, even if I die here, it’s fine.”
The Serpent was taken aback and asked, “If you die… can the plan still proceed?”
“Yes,” Qi Xia replied. “Whether it’s me or Bai Yang, at this final moment, we are both expendable.”
The two fell into another brief silence.
After a while, the Serpent slowly stood up, its expression complex. “I understand. I believe you.”
Hearing this, Qi Xia frowned slightly and also stood. “There’s no need to force yourself. If you don’t believe me, I can leave one of my hands here.”
“No need,” the Serpent said. “Although you are not Brother Goat, and Brother Goat is not you, you are very much alike.”
“Is that so?”
“The one who reached out and pulled me from days of suffering wore the cold face of a goat,” the Serpent said. “That’s the only thing I remember, so I cannot acknowledge you as Brother Goat. But I will still carry out Brother Goat’s plan. Consider it my way of helping you for his sake.”
Hearing this, Qi Xia felt his own emotions toward the Serpent grow complicated.
Scenes of his interactions with the Serpent swirled in his mind, but he was no longer Bai Yang. How should he treat it now?
“Since you trust me, I’ll entrust this matter to you,” Qi Xia said. “I promise you… none of the ‘Human Level’ Zodiacs involved in this will die.”
“What…? You promise?”
“Exactly,” Qi Xia replied. “Since you said I’m like Bai Yang, you should also know that neither of us would spout empty boasts to our own people.”
The Serpent lowered its head and glanced at the puzzle book on the table. Bai Yang had deceived it once—only once, but it was the most致命的一次.
“Alright. Since I’ve decided to help you… I’ll trust you on this too,” the Serpent said. “Leave the matter of the ‘Human Level’ Zodiacs to me. Even if I can’t rally a second person this afternoon, I will remove my mask myself to disrupt ‘Zhuque’s’ conviction.”
“Thank you,” Qi Xia said.
“What about the second issue that needs handling?” the Serpent asked.
“The second issue?” Qi Xia paused. “You mean… the second ear, aside from ‘Qinglong’?”
“Yes,” the Serpent nodded. “If I survive this game, I might still be killed by him. After all, everything I do is under his surveillance.”
“Tiāngǒu may not have the courage for that,” Qi Xia replied, looking up at the ceiling. “In this tidal wave of events, he too will have to choose a side. He’ll soon realize which way the tide is turning.”
The Serpent followed Qi Xia’s gaze upward.
After a moment, Qi Xia added, “Even if he hears this, it doesn’t matter. He’s always known what I’m doing. I believe he’ll make his own judgment.”
“Alright…” the Serpent nodded. “In that case… it’s settled.”
“Agreed.”
Qi Xia turned and walked to the “door.” Just as he was about to open it, a thought struck him, and his brow furrowed tightly.
He paused, slowly turned back, feeling as though he had stumbled upon a bizarre question.
“Chen Junan carries ‘包’ and ‘巾’…” Qi Xia murmured. “How did he manage to meet you?”
“What?”
“Theoretically, neither of the characters he holds can ‘cross the river.’ Once they ‘cross the river,’ opening the ‘door’ should lead to an ‘Earth Level’ Zodiac,” Qi Xia said, frowning. “Did I overlook something? Why did he end up meeting you?”
“Have you also fallen into a fixed mindset?” the Serpent gave a bitter smile. “He indeed shouldn’t have been able to meet me by opening the ‘door,’ but I was the one who opened it.”
“You opened the ‘door’主动?”
“Yes,” the Serpent said. “It was a巧合 as if destined. I intended to open the ‘door’ secretly to see what was on the other side, and the moment I opened it, Chen Junan was standing there.”
“So that’s how it was…” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, feeling he had gained another crucial piece of information.
If Zodiacs could open doors主动… then this “Cangjie Game” could achieve even more.
For instance… what if he didn’t open the “door” but knocked on it instead?
Or… if a “Human Level” Zodiac and an “Earth Level” Zodiac opened the same “door” simultaneously, whose “door” would lead to the “Cangjie Game”?
“Interesting,” Qi Xia said. “It seems the ‘door’ is even more intriguing than I imagined.”
“Don’t just find it ‘interesting,'” the Serpent said. “Since I’ve agreed to help you, make sure you don’t die in the ‘Cangjie Game’ in the time ahead.”
“Alright. Another ‘Earth Snake’ said the same to me earlier,” Qi Xia chuckled. “I won’t die. Even if I die here… I won’t die.”
Qi Xia’s words once again left the Serpent bewildered, yet the feeling was strikingly similar to that with Brother Goat.
“Farewell.”
Qi Xia turned, opened the “door,” and stepped out of the room. Unexpectedly, the three characters he had discarded minutes ago were still on the ground. As he bent to pick them up, the room’s “door” swung open.
Dr. Zhao stood on the other side, staring at him in horror.
Had Dr. Zhao opened the “door” a few seconds earlier, the characters on the ground would have found a new owner. Had he opened it a few seconds later, he wouldn’t have encountered Qi Xia.
But偏偏, he opened it at this very moment.
Qi Xia calmly bent down, gathered all the characters, and pocketed them before coldly meeting Dr. Zhao’s gaze.
“You… you…” Though Dr. Zhao had opened the “door,” he dared not step inside, his words stumbling out incoherently.
“What did you see?” Qi Xia asked.
“I-I saw nothing…” Dr. Zhao hurriedly replied.
“No, you did,” Qi Xia said. “Go tell Chu Tianqiu.”
“What?”
“Theoretically, neither of his characters can ‘cross the river.’ Once they do, opening the ‘door’ would lead to an Earth-level Zodiac,” Qi Xia mused, frowning. “Did I overlook something? Why did he encounter you?”
“Are you trapped in conventional thinking too?” The Human-Snake gave a bitter smile. “He couldn’t have met me by opening the door—because *I* was the one who opened it.”
“You opened it proactively?”
“Yes,” the Human-Snake confirmed. “Like a twist of fate. I wanted to peek at the other side, and the moment I opened it, Chen Junan was standing there.”
“I see…” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, filing away another crucial piece of information.
If Zodiacs could actively open doors… then the possibilities of the “Cangjie Game” expanded even further.
For instance—what if he didn’t open the door himself but knocked instead?
Or—if a Human-level and Earth-level Zodiac opened the same door simultaneously, whose door would lead to the game?
“Fascinating,” Qi Xia murmured. “The ‘door’ is even more interesting than I thought.”
“Save the fascination,” the Human-Snake said dryly. “Now that I’ve agreed to help, don’t go dying in the ‘Cangjie Game’ before this afternoon.”
“Don’t worry. An ‘Earth-Snake’ told me the same thing earlier,” Qi Xia chuckled. “I won’t die. Even if I die here… I won’t die.”
His cryptic words left the Human-Snake bewildered yet again—but that, too, felt just like Sheep Brother.
“Until next time.”
Qi Xia turned and stepped through the door. To his surprise, the three character tiles he’d discarded earlier still lay on the ground. As he bent to pick them up, the door creaked open again.
Standing on the other side was Dr. Zhao, his face pale with shock.
Had he opened the door a few seconds earlier, the tiles would have found a new owner. A few seconds later, and he wouldn’t have seen Qi Xia at all.
But fate had timed it precisely this way.
Qi Xia calmly gathered the tiles and pocketed them before fixing Dr. Zhao with a cold stare.
“You… you…” Dr. Zhao stuttered, too afraid to step inside despite having opened the door.
“What did you see?” Qi Xia asked.
“N-Nothing! I saw nothing!” Dr. Zhao hastily denied.
“No,” Qi Xia corrected softly. “You did. Go tell Chu Tianqiu.”
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