At the last moment, Xu Liunian broke through the subconscious restraints, shed Chen Junnan’s appearance, and fully convinced herself that she was Chu Tianqiu.
Her speech, facial expressions, and even thought patterns perfectly replicated Chu Tianqiu’s.
Yet, she still lost.
The crushing defeat plunged her into unprecedented despair.
“To be honest, there wasn’t any fatal flaw this time,” Qi Xia said helplessly. “I couldn’t confirm you were Xu Liunian—I just had a hunch you might do this, so I bluffed you.”
The Chu Tianqiu before him instantly reverted to Xu Liunian, who merely lowered her head with a bitter smile.
*What a bluff.* The irony was that when Qi Xia said it, he didn’t seem like he was bluffing at all—it sounded as if he was absolutely certain of her identity.
Qi Xia studied Xu Liunian’s conflicted expression and added, “If you had deceived me with this level of perfection from the start, I would never have guessed you and Chu Tianqiu were two different people.”
Xu Liunian knew Qi Xia was trying to soften the blow.
“Losing to a bluff… doesn’t mean I didn’t lose, does it?”
Qi Xia sighed. “No need to be too upset. If there was any flaw at all, it was when I suggested that losing Kim Won-hoon’s ‘character’ didn’t matter—you immediately agreed.”
“What…?”
“That wasn’t a matter of ‘imitation’ anymore. It was about broader strategic awareness. You couldn’t have known, so don’t blame yourself.” Qi Xia explained, “Chu Tianqiu would know just how important ‘Pawn’ is—so do I. Your team losing ‘Pawn’ made it half as appealing to me. When I casually dismissed its importance, your reaction was even more indifferent than mine.”
“Qi Xia, the absurd thing about this is…” Xu Liunian sighed. “The game is about to end. I still don’t understand why ‘Pawn’ is so crucial.”
“It’s fine. Not everyone needs to know.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Go. Bring Chu Tianqiu to me.”
Xu Liunian gave a quiet acknowledgment and left the room, carrying a pile of ‘characters’ with her.
Above them, Qinglong shook his head repeatedly in disappointment. He had hoped Chu Tianqiu’s plan would succeed at the last moment, but Qi Xia had seen through Xu Liunian’s disguises multiple times. This time, even though Xu Liunian hadn’t slipped up at all, Qi Xia had dismantled her transformation with just one well-placed bluff.
“Pity,” Qinglong muttered. “Chu Tianqiu has no idea what’s waiting for him… what a shame.”
Before long, Qi Xia met Chu Tianqiu in the “Mǎo” character room. The door locked immediately after Chu Tianqiu entered, sealing them both inside.
Clearly, Chu Tianqiu had prepared for this—he hadn’t hesitated for even a second.
Without a word, Qi Xia took out all his ‘characters’ and let them drop to the ground, like placing a bet before the final gamble.
Chu Tianqiu frowned, then retrieved his own ‘characters.’ Just as he was about to drop them, something occurred to him.
He glanced down at the scattered ‘characters’ Qi Xia had discarded, and his expression shifted.
“Qi Xia… there’s no ‘Pawn’ here.”
Those were the first words Chu Tianqiu spoke upon entering. His sharp observation confirmed to Qi Xia that this was indeed the real Chu Tianqiu.
“Right. No ‘Pawn,'” Qi Xia replied. “‘Pawn’ isn’t with me.”
“So what exactly did you do to Kim Won-hoon?” Chu Tianqiu demanded. “Why did he—and his ‘character’—vanish? I still can’t figure it out.”
“I can’t tell you that,” Qi Xia answered. “Consider it part of my strategy—a little puzzle I’ve left for you in this game.”
Chu Tianqiu glared at Qi Xia, turning the bizarre situation over in his mind.
He had sent Kim Won-hoon to trap the opposing team’s members. In theory, Kim’s success rate wasn’t low—he should have been able to immobilize at least two or three of them. Those trapped would have been freed once Chu Tianqiu completed another ‘game.’
Even if something unexpected happened and Kim got stuck in a game with them, he should have reappeared once the game ended. There was no reason for him to just… disappear.
And if they had killed Kim—or if he had died in a ‘Land-level game’—Qi Xia would still have obtained his ‘character.’
So where was Kim Won-hoon now? Where was his ‘character’?
What method had they used to capture someone who had awakened ‘Leap’?
“It really is a difficult puzzle,” Chu Tianqiu admitted. “One I can’t make sense of.”
“So you’re scared?” Qi Xia asked. “Still willing to enter the game arena with me?”
Chu Tianqiu knew the situation was full of unknowns. The safest move would be to avoid stepping through that door. But the game had no timer, and both sides estimated they were nearing the end.
If he didn’t take the initiative now, once Tian Tian repaired the display and their score was restored, he’d lose anyway.
Now, Chu Tianqiu faced a bizarre gamble—betting on whether Tian Tian could actually succeed in repairing the screen.
If he was certain she’d fail, he could stall until the game ended. But what if she *could* fix it?
Chu Tianqiu studied Qi Xia, whose confident gaze remained unwavering, as if victory was already in his grasp.
“I *am* afraid,” Chu Tianqiu admitted. “Afraid you’ve had Tian Tian set up deadly traps inside—ones that could even destroy ‘characters.’ If I step in, I might be doomed, vanishing just like Kim Won-hoon.”
“You can rest easy,” Qi Xia said. “That’s not my style. I can guarantee there are no lethal traps in the arena. Besides, Tian Tian’s abilities aren’t advanced enough to create something that complex right now.”
“Not advanced enough…?” Chu Tianqiu frowned. “Are you trying to deceive me?”
“I’m not lying,” Qi Xia replied. “I swear—Tian Tian has only crafted very simple structures in this game. When I tell you the answer, you’ll probably just laugh.”
Chu Tianqiu found no flaws in Qi Xia’s words. Based on what he knew, Tian Tian wasn’t an experienced ‘Echo’ user.
Though the ‘Ingenuity’ Echo seemed limitless, for a ‘beginner’ like Tian Tian, it was still too challenging.
“In that case…” Chu Tianqiu asked, “which ‘character’ are you taking with you through the ‘door’?”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage