After Qi Xia finished speaking, the Earth Horse slowly furrowed her brow.
What a strange day it was—everyone she encountered today felt vaguely familiar.
This man before her… seemed even more familiar than the tattooed Muay Thai fighter.
“How odd…”
The Earth Horse had a nagging feeling that these people should have long since become natives of this place. So why were they active again now?
“Wen Qiaoyun… you just won’t give up…” The Earth Horse’s gaze turned icy. “How many times have we lost… and still, you refuse to accept it?”
Meanwhile, Bai Jiu, who was pushing the cart on the track, glanced back at Qi Xia, a thought flickering in his mind.
This man had just said they didn’t need to hit the balls anymore?
But he hadn’t even heard the rules—how could he have already figured out a way to break the game?
“You… what do you mean we don’t have to hit the balls anymore?”
“Can these balls actually hit you?” Qi Xia scanned the group expressionlessly. “Or is it possible that you’re the ones seeking to get hit?”
“Wha—?” Everyone in the arena froze at his words, their expressions darkening. “What do you mean we’re seeking to get hit? Aren’t the iron balls the ones targeting us?”
Qi Xia looked at the distant cart and pointed at the spherical base. “Has anyone ever stopped to wonder why the bottom of this thing is shaped like a ball?”
Bai Jiu pondered for a moment. “Replacing wooden wheels with a wooden ball is obviously to make pushing it across the ice harder… The cart is designed to slip.”
“Really?” Qi Xia shook his head slightly. “But this cart looks remarkably stable. Its construction must be far more refined than you imagine. Despite all the heavy attacks, none of you have tipped it over, have you?”
The group paused, realizing it was true.
No matter how much the cart slipped, it had never once shown signs of toppling.
“If the Earth Horse’s goal was to ‘reduce stability,’ why would she give you such a stable cart?”
With just a few words, Qi Xia had everyone frowning in thought.
Bai Jiu hesitated before asking, “Then… what do you think the ball at the bottom is for?”
Qi Xia stroked his chin and said slowly, “Could it be to ‘hide’ something?”
The moment he said it, not just the players but even the Earth Horse’s expression changed.
“So it really is you…” she murmured. “This is troublesome…”
The group hurriedly examined their carts. Upon reflection, several things did seem strange.
The cart, called “Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse,” was unusually heavy. Should a cart made purely of wood weigh this much?
It could barely be lifted off the ground—only the Earth Horse seemed capable of raising it.
Moreover… when they first pushed the cart onto the track, it had momentarily felt weightless… as if…
It had locked into some kind of track?
“Everyone, stand behind the cart and follow my lead,” Qi Xia instructed.
The group slowly moved into position. Qiao Jiajin, who had been preparing to intercept balls from a distance, abandoned his defensive stance at Qi Xia’s urging and joined the others at the back of the cart. They all turned to Qi Xia, curious about his plan.
“Ever seen ‘curling’?” Qi Xia asked.
Unsurprisingly, given their varied backgrounds, several shook their heads silently.
“Simply put, I need you to push the cart hard from here and let it slide to the finish line on its own.”
“Wait…?” Bai Jiu looked down at the cart and suddenly understood. “You mean… the ‘ball’ at the bottom is triggering mechanisms as it moves?”
“Exactly,” Qi Xia nodded. “You’ve probably noticed—all the mechanisms here are triggered by ‘distance,’ not ‘time.’ The cart activates traps when it passes certain points, so the iron balls are most likely ‘magnets.'”
With that, the group fully grasped the hidden mechanics of the game.
Yes, despite the cart’s stability, they had been too afraid of the flying balls to act decisively.
Why not just push it forward?
Why wait for the balls to come at them?
“But… wouldn’t the person on the cart be left vulnerable?” Bai Jiu asked, turning back. “Wouldn’t they be in even more danger?”
“The person on the cart doesn’t need to dodge,” Qi Xia said. “If the speed is high enough, they’ll reach the finish line before the balls can hit them. Then, you can push the cart back to the start in one go. A round trip should take about thirty seconds—with everyone safe.”
“Everyone safe…?” The group hesitated. “But the Earth Horse will throw a ball in the final round…”
“Final round?” Qi Xia glanced at the Earth Horse, who was watching him with an unreadable expression. “Hey, which round is the ‘final round’?”
Hearing his question, the Earth Horse knew her game had truly been cracked.
“The final round… is the seventh…”
Qi Xia nodded and turned to Bai Jiu. “What round is it now?”
“Should be the fifth,” Bai Jiu answered.
“Perfect,” Qi Xia smirked. “Like I said—no one will get hurt. Just push the cart.”
Once again, the group felt their thoughts stalling.
It was baffling. The game master had given everyone the same puzzle, yet only a select few could see through the layers of deception to the answer.
Standing behind the cart, they tested its balance—even when they loosened their grip slightly, it remained steady.
The “escape route” had been obvious from the start, yet they’d overlooked it.
Their focus had always been on the “balls,” never the “cart.”
But what was this game called?
It had nothing to do with “balls” or the “Big Dipper.” Its name was “Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse.”
It was meant to traverse obstacles, delivering its cargo safely and swiftly to the finish line.
That was the true nature of the “Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse.”
“So that’s how it is…” Qiao Jiajin nodded in understanding. “Alright then—on my count, everyone push at the same time. Keep the cart steady and moving forward. No twisting.”
Qi Xia sighed. “Since when did you become so cautious, Fist?”
“Huh?” Qiao Jiajin blinked. “What’s wrong, swindler? Did I say something off?”
“Actually, yes. The cart’s base is a ‘ball,’ and the track is lined with glass panels.” Qi Xia pointed at the ground. “Did you ever consider that even if the cart spins wildly, it’ll never leave the track?”
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