The Earth Goat pondered for a long while before releasing his grip on Qi Xia’s collar.
He straightened his suit and asked, “Then tell me… what do you mean by a ‘fair and honorable’ duel?”
Qi Xia pointed to his temple. “Spare my life, and let’s duel with this.”
The Earth Goat studied Qi Xia for a moment before murmuring, “You should’ve guessed by now—the rules allow killing. I don’t need brains to make you lose at any time.”
Qi Xia nodded. “True, but where’s the fun in that?”
“Fun…?”
“You could’ve killed everyone here the moment the game started… yet you’ve been playing along obediently.” Qi Xia lowered his voice. “Are you afraid of boredom… or of losing your mind?”
“I…”
“So, don’t you want to test your mettle against me?”
The Earth Goat felt as though he’d walked into a trap.
That earlier declaration of “betting his life” was clearly this man’s bluff—all to lead to this very moment.
“Kid… I’m a ‘Goat,’ and you think you can trick me?”
“Oh?” Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m bluffing?”
The Earth Goat’s expression darkened, his pitch-black fur bristling slightly. “What makes you think I won’t kill you the moment you bet your life?”
Qi Xia mirrored his cold expression, stepping forward instead of retreating. “And what makes you so sure I won’t actually go through with it…?”
The Earth Goat swiftly seized Qi Xia’s chin again.
He swallowed hard, feeling utterly unable to read the man before him.
Was “betting his life” not a ploy… but his real goal?
How could anyone in this damned place genuinely challenge an “Earth-level” to a fight to the death?!
Did this man have some kind of trump card?
Or… powerful backing?
The Earth Goat glanced at Qi Xia with a flicker of unease. It had taken him thirteen long years to reach his current position—thirteen years!
He couldn’t afford any mishaps now.
“Fine, kid. As you wish,” the Earth Goat said through gritted teeth. “I’ll spare your life, but you’re forbidden from uttering those two words again.”
Qi Xia smirked, casually fanning himself with the “Sorrow” fan in his hand.
The Earth Goat itched to tear the arrogant man’s head off right then, but something in his gaze gave him pause.
Forcing himself to snap out of it, he turned and walked back to the long table.
He had intended to amend the words on the blackboard, but if he followed Qi Xia’s “one-for-one” logic, he’d gain nothing.
From his perspective, he couldn’t fathom what Qi Xia was truly scheming.
As the Earth Goat retreated, the crowd gradually gathered around Qi Xia’s stall.
Since this man could negotiate directly with the “referee,” their tone toward him grew noticeably more respectful.
Soon, more people took out their fans to exchange with Qi Xia.
Each time he received a fan, Qi Xia set it aside untouched, awaiting the next “customer.”
Rather than running a stall for personal trades, Qi Xia had effectively become a fair and transparent “fan exchange platform.” Under the watchful eyes of the crowd—and the supervision of a sharp blade—no one had to worry about being cheated.
“Young man…” An elderly man shuffled forward, trembling as he pulled out a “Sorrow” fan. “I’d like to trade for a ‘Joy’…”
“No problem!” Qi Xia nodded, accepting the “Sorrow” and handing over a “Joy.”
Many in the crowd seemed to react upon seeing the “Sorrow.” They eagerly produced their own fans, but before anyone could speak, Qi Xia slipped the “Sorrow” into his pocket.
Only three fans remained on the stall now: “Pleasure,” “Pleasure,” and “Joy.”
“Huh…?” A young boy asked, puzzled. “Why can’t we trade for that ‘Sorrow’ just now?”
“Apologies,” Qi Xia said with a smile. “I happen to need that one myself. Feel free to check the others.”
Disappointment flickered across many faces, but no one left. They lingered, as if waiting for another opportunity.
After all, the stall owner had just acquired his missing “Sorrow,” meaning the next one would still be up for grabs. That would be their chance.
The pace of exchanges noticeably slowed.
And Qi Xia’s goal was nearly achieved.
Judging by the three remaining fans, “Pleasure” was now the most abundant on the field, followed by “Joy.” “Rage” and “Sorrow” were likely scarce.
After all, the “Pleasure” and “Joy” fans had been sitting untouched for so long—everyone was holding out for “Rage” and “Sorrow.”
From this, it could be inferred that those who had left had unwittingly taken a large number of “Rage” and “Sorrow” with them.
Since the fan designs were concealed, no one knew the exact quantities.
So… was someone monopolizing “Rage”?
Qi Xia’s lips curled slightly. It didn’t matter.
Whoever was hoarding them was irrelevant—in this game, monopolizing was the dumbest move possible.
After a while, a gaunt man approached, clutching a tattered fan. “Brother… remember me?”
Qi Xia glanced up. It was the man who’d had two fans stolen and one torn to shreds earlier.
He nodded. “I do. What’s up?”
“C-Can I trade this fan with you?”
Qi Xia knew exactly what the man was after. He scrutinized his pockets and noticed he still had another fan tucked away.
Seemed he’d spent three “Dao” to buy another in the previous round.
“Brother, your fan’s damaged,” Qi Xia said flatly. “I may be running a stall, but I’m not here to take losses.”
The onlookers recognized the gaunt man too—his fan was clearly ruined.
“Come on, brother…” The man pleaded, desperation in his voice. “Just trade with me… you’ve got so many fans, one less won’t hurt… I don’t even know if this one’ll last till the end…”
Qi Xia couldn’t help but find the man’s reasoning laughable—absurd, even.
“That’s right, young man!” A middle-aged woman chimed in. “You’ve got plenty. Why not help this poor fellow out? He’s had it rough, losing his fans like that.”
“Yeah, we’ve got to stick together if we want to get out of here.”
Others in the crowd began echoing the sentiment.
One person telling jokes was amusing enough, but now there was a whole ensemble performance.
Before long, the gathered crowd buzzed with noise.
Among them were self-righteous do-gooders and troublemakers seizing the chance to stir the pot.
“Alright!” Qi Xia suddenly boomed, silencing the chatter. “You’re all absolutely right! We *should* help each other.”
“Exactly!” The gaunt man beamed, eagerly thrusting his fan forward. “So you’ll trade with me?”
“Of course.” Qi Xia nodded. “Not just this one—I’ll take the one in your pocket too.”
With that, he picked up the two “Pleasure” fans from the stall and said coolly, “Either trade both, or neither.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage