Chapter 463: Rule Change

“This…” Qiao Jiajin surveyed the field and realized the situation was indeed as Qi Xia had described.

Even if the cart deviated slightly, the upright glass panels on either side would guide it back on track. Unless it was driven straight into the glass, derailment seemed highly unlikely.

“Impressive as always.”

Qiao Jiajin nodded to the others around him. Everyone took a few steps back before pushing the cart forward with a collective heave.

By now, all the mechanisms along the runway had begun rapidly adjusting their trajectories. Just as Qi Xia had predicted, these contraptions weren’t aimed at *people*—they were targeting the *cart*.

The magnets beneath the cart must have been triggering the mechanisms as it moved.

And, as Qi Xia had earlier pointed out, slowly pushing the cart forward while dodging incoming “balls” was nothing short of *asking for trouble*.

After releasing the cart, the group stepped back and turned their attention to Luo Shiwu, who was now seated atop it.

“Holy sh—!”

Luo Shiwu had clearly never anticipated the cart would accelerate so rapidly when pushed with force. Riding this “Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse” was nothing like sitting in any ordinary vehicle—there were no handholds, no restraints, no safety measures whatsoever.

Before he could even scream, the whistling of projectiles filled his ears.

Several stone balls whizzed past his scalp, forcing him to duck and bury his head between his knees.

From their distant vantage point, the others witnessed something far more terrifying.

The straight runway had transformed into a battlefield of flying debris the moment the “Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse” passed through. Fist-sized stone balls soared haphazardly through the air—some colliding mid-flight, others ricocheting off mechanisms along the edges—creating absolute chaos.

For Luo Shiwu aboard the cart, it felt like a brush with death—an experience more harrowing than actually being struck by the projectiles.

“Sweet mother of—” He turned back, still shaken, to survey the wreckage behind him. “That was *terrifying*…”

Before anyone could react, Qi Xia immediately issued orders: “One person stays to clear the runway. Everyone else, go push the cart.”

Bai Jiu volunteered and stepped onto the runway, shoving scattered debris and stone balls aside. As she worked, she spotted words engraved on one of the iron balls: *”Spiked Shoes.”*

What a laughable—yet painfully literal—reward.

“Even now, you’re still misleading the ‘participants’…” Bai Jiu couldn’t help but marvel at the depth of the Earth Horse’s scheming. After risking life and limb to obtain “Spiked Shoes,” participants wouldn’t think to speed up—they’d tread *more cautiously* on the ice, sealing their doom.

Exactly as Qi Xia had said: if the path to victory was clear, there was no need for reckless gambles.

After roughly clearing the runway, Bai Jiu rejoined the group at the finish line. They turned the cart around and positioned themselves behind it.

“Jiu-jie, ready?” someone called from a distance.

“Ready!” Bai Jiu clapped her hands and stepped off the runway.

With another collective breath, the team shoved the cart forward before swiftly retreating from the track.

Compared to their earlier ordeal of dodging deadly projectiles, this was child’s play.

The credit went not only to Qi Xia’s strategic mind but also to the “Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse’s” remarkable stability. No matter how fast or far it traveled across the icy runway, it maintained perfect balance—occasionally rotating slightly but never tipping over.

With its modified spherical wheels, the “Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse” could no longer be called an ordinary handcart.

“Hey!” Qi Xia called out to Bai Jiu. “For safety, go receive it at the starting line.”

“You’re worried it might fly off the track?” Bai Jiu asked.

“No,” Qi Xia replied. “I’m worried it *won’t* fly off.”

“Huh? O-okay!” Though confused, Bai Jiu hurried to the runway’s end.

The cart sped down the track amid a storm of flying debris. Most of the projectiles targeted Luo Shiwu’s back, leaving him too petrified to even glance behind him as the cacophony of impacts echoed around him.

The cart reached the starting line in under eight seconds, but its momentum had dwindled—it was on the verge of stopping just short.

Bai Jiu lunged forward. She remembered all too well that the final barrage would strike just before the cart returned to the starting line. If it stopped now, Luo Shiwu was done for.

“What a terrifying man…” Bai Jiu muttered, gripping the cart and stealing a glance at Qi Xia. “*‘Worried it won’t fly off’*—did you foresee even this?”

With a sharp tug, she yanked the cart back several steps, leveraging its remaining momentum to carry it past the line. The last wave of projectiles rained down harmlessly behind Luo Shiwu.

From a distance, Qiao Jiajin cheered: “Damn sharp, Scammer Boy!”

Qi Xia nodded and called to the others, “Return to the starting line. The next round is critical.”

The group moved cautiously across the ice, quickly regrouping at the starting point. Along the way, Qiao Jiajin helped Ning Shiba to her feet and handed her off to Zhou Liu.

“Scammer Boy, same plan for the next round?” Qiao Jiajin asked as he approached.

“Yes,” Qi Xia replied. “But with a slight adjustment…”

He glanced at the remaining teammates and asked, “Who hasn’t ridden the cart yet?”

Yun Shijiu and Chou Ershi raised their hands.

Qi Xia frowned slightly.

The team had adopted a flawed strategy—prioritizing the easiest members early on, leaving them with two large men to transport now.

“Unavoidable…” Qi Xia quickly realized that, in his absence, Qiao Jiajin had been their sole pillar of support.

And Qiao Jiajin *had* protected everyone with his unorthodox tactics. But now that Qi Xia was here, the approach needed to change.

“It’s the sixth round,” Qi Xia declared. “I need both of you on the cart at once. If we get you across in this round, we skip the seventh and win outright.”

Before anyone could react, the Earth Horse slowly rose from her seat nearby.

“What a headache…” she sneered, her lips twisting into a humorless smile as she glared at Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin. “The two people I *least* wanted to face showed up together. Are you *trying* to drive me insane?”

Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin returned her stare, neither recalling any prior encounters with this peculiar Zodiac.

“And?” Qi Xia countered. “What if you don’t want to face us? Just minutes ago, you said you’d act in the *seventh round*. Going back on your word now?”

The Earth Horse’s expression darkened. Her thick lips twitched before she finally spat out, “No. I *will* act in the seventh round.”

“Then step aside,” Qi Xia said coolly. “Don’t interfere with the game.”

“But I *will* announce a previously unmentioned rule…” The Earth Horse smirked. “This ‘Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse’ can only carry *one person at a time*.”