Chapter 448: The Big Dipper

“Ning Shiba, did you find something?” Bai Jiu asked from the handcart.

“Ninth Sister, it’s hard to say,” Ning Shiba shook his head. “I just have a rough guess. We need to race against time now.”

“Race against time?” Qiao Jiajin didn’t quite understand. “Isn’t our time evenly distributed each round?”

“I wish it were,” Ning Shiba closed his eyes, murmuring to himself. “But this Earthly Horse is far more ruthless than we imagined.”

“Ruthless?” Bai Jiu frowned.

“She’s misleading us,” Ning Shiba replied. “Ninth Sister, her game isn’t just about Zhuge Liang’s ‘Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse.’ It also involves another of his specialties.”

“What is it?”

Ning Shiba took a deep breath. “Stargazing.”

Seeing the confusion on everyone’s faces, he continued, “‘Pojun Star,’ associated with water, is the seventh star of the Big Dipper. It governs destruction, representing the vanguard, the suicide squad in an army—charging ahead to secure victory, though at great personal risk. It’s fragile, just like the ‘ice balls’ that shatter on impact.”

Only then did the group recall that Ning Shiba had once mentioned studying ‘Zi Wei Dou Shu’ (a form of Chinese astrology). Yet, in the ‘Land of the End,’ whether day or night, no stars were ever visible in the sky.

Even Ning Shiba himself likely never expected that his casual study of stargazing would prove useful in an Earthly Horse’s game.

Qiao Jiajin steadied the cart again, pushing forward with the others before turning back seriously. “So, when you said ‘race against time,’ you meant…?”

Ning Shiba exhaled. “If we follow the Big Dipper’s sequence from seven to one, our next challenge will be the sixth star—’Wuqu Star.'”

“What’s wrong with ‘Wuqu Star’?” Chou Ershi asked from the other side.

“Everything. ‘Wuqu Star’ governs martial fortune and belongs to the ‘Yin Metal’ element in the Five Phases.”

“Yin Metal…?” Qiao Jiajin’s lips twitched. “Dang it! If ‘water’ means ‘ice balls,’ then ‘metal’ must mean—’iron balls’?!”

“Very likely!” Ning Shiba said. “That’s why we must hurry this round—because the next one might be our doom. Brother Qiao, you can shatter a fast-moving ice ball barehanded, but if it’s an iron ball…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll think of something…” Qiao Jiajin nodded grimly, bending down again to lead the group forward.

Pushing an extremely slippery cart on ice was far harder than expected.

With three people on each side, even a slight imbalance in strength would send the cart veering sideways, requiring extra effort from the others to correct.

After just a dozen meters, everyone was drenched in sweat, struggling to move.

*Whoosh!*

The ‘Pojun’ wooden box rumbled, launching another ice ball. Qiao Jiajin’s eyes remained fixed on the opening, his body reacting instinctively the moment the ball shot out.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the target was Bai Jiu again.

Releasing the cart, Qiao Jiajin lunged forward, leaping higher than before. The sudden shift in force sent the cart veering off course.

“Brother Qiao, you—”

Bai Jiu was stunned. From his perspective, Qiao Jiajin wasn’t just jumping—he was pouncing at the ice ball like a starving tiger.

Eyes locked on the speeding projectile, he stretched out mid-air and grabbed at it with full force.

*Crash!*

The ice ball shattered instantly, just like last time. Though his aim was true, the fragile sphere disintegrated upon contact.

Qiao Jiajin landed firmly this time, seemingly having mastered the art of jumping on ice in just two attempts.

“Damn it… still couldn’t catch it. Do I need to soften the impact…?”

He shook his stinging hands, realizing how difficult it was to intercept high-speed projectiles.

All of this happened in seconds, and Qiao Jiajin barely managed to steady the cart before it derailed completely.

Despite the smart minds assisting him, he realized a brutal truth: if he focused on catching the balls, he couldn’t push the cart—and vice versa.

The inconsistent force made the ‘Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse’ even harder to control.

“This isn’t working…” Qiao Jiajin scanned the group, his gaze settling on Chou Ershi. “Hey, Annoying Guy.”

“Huh? A-Anno—me?” Chou Ershi blinked.

“Yeah, you. Weren’t you the one who pissed off that horse woman earlier?” Qiao Jiajin waved him over. “Forget pushing the cart. Come here.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Chou Ershi let go, and Qiao Jiajin did the same.

Now, with only two men and two women pushing, the cart moved slower but stayed stable.

“Follow me.”

Qiao Jiajin motioned for Chou Ershi to join him near the ‘Pojun’ box.

“Annoying Guy, our job here is to block the ice balls—so the cart can advance safely.”

“But…” Chou Ershi hesitated. “I’m not as skilled as you. What if—”

“Relax.” Qiao Jiajin shook his head. “Ever played badminton with a partner?”

“Badminton?”

“Yeah.” Qiao Jiajin smirked. “I used to play with my best buddy. If I missed a shot, he’d cover me—and vice versa. Simple as that.”

Hearing his casual confidence, Chou Ershi felt slightly reassured—but the memory of the near-invisible ice ball still unsettled him.

*Whoosh!*

Before Chou Ershi could steady himself, another ice ball shot toward them. Qiao Jiajin’s eyes narrowed—it was heading straight for Chou Ershi.

“Annoying Guy—”

Three words in, the ball was already in his face.

Chou Ershi’s eyes hardened. He crossed his arms defensively, and the ice ball exploded against his forearms.

Though the impact wasn’t overwhelming, his unstable footing sent him stumbling backward—straight toward the cart.