Chapter 659: The Second Largest

Chen Junnan placed both hands on Qi Xia’s shoulders and said softly, “Old Qi, do you believe I’ve got a bit of brains too?”

Qi Xia froze for a moment before replying, “It’s hard to believe, but also hard not to.”

“You bastard…” Chen Junnan cursed under his breath. “I can’t tell if you’re complimenting me or mocking me…”

“Haha!” Qiao Jiajin stepped forward and patted Qi Xia on the back. “Don’t worry, Trickster, I can show you a thing or two as well!”

“But… but…” For the first time, Qi Xia found himself at a loss for words. “This is still Earth Monkey’s game. Logically, it should be up to me…”

“But my ass,” Chen Junnan interrupted, tapping his temple. “You know, Old Qi, once I start using my brain, ‘Earth Monkey’ will just become ‘Little Brother Monkey.'”

He then turned to glance at Earth Monkey and raised an eyebrow. “Right, Monkey Bro?”

Earth Monkey’s expression remained wary. He sensed that Qi Xia wasn’t that simple—every word spoken and every action taken could be part of a deception. So he stayed silent.

“Relax,” Qiao Jiajin reassured Qi Xia. “Did you forget I used to run a casino? Just give us a few pointers from the sidelines, Trickster. Leave the rest to us.”

Qi Xia nodded blankly, and Chen Junnan pulled up a chair, helping him sit down.

“Alright, time for me to put my brain to work.” He shot a glance at the others before stepping forward to check on Zheng Yingxiong. “Kid… you okay?”

“I’m fine…” Zheng Yingxiong pinched his nose, his voice thick with congestion. “But be careful… it smells so bad!! It’s really dangerous!!”

Having witnessed Zheng Yingxiong’s ability before, the trio knew exactly what he meant by “so bad.”

But wasn’t it odd for those words to come up in this setting?

Either there was an incredibly powerful **”Echo”** here, or a **”Celestial”** was present.

Yet the person sitting before them was Earth Monkey—**”Zodiacs”** never resonated with **”Echoes,”** and he certainly wasn’t a **”Celestial.”**

Everyone regrouped around the round table. Though this was purely a battle of wits with no bloodshed or violence, exhaustion was etched on every face.

“Qi Xia, have you hit your limit too?” Earth Monkey chuckled. “I just asked you to pose me one question, and you’re willing to sacrifice your hand? Is it worth it?”

Qi Xia stared expressionlessly at Earth Monkey and replied coolly, “If your superiors hadn’t resorted to every underhanded trick against me, why would I need to cripple my right hand just to deal with a mere Earth Monkey like you?”

Earth Monkey felt he had seen through Qi Xia completely. The man’s deception might seem masterful, but he kept revealing glaring flaws unintentionally.

“You’re joking, right?” Earth Monkey sneered. “Are you saying **’Celestial Monkey’** was afraid I couldn’t beat you on my own, so he fought you in advance?”

“**’Celestial Monkey’…?**” Qi Xia’s lips curled slightly. “My apologies, but I’ve never even noticed that name before.”

“Then why spout nonsense about ‘superiors’? Your lies are just too—” Earth Monkey cut himself off mid-sentence, his expression shifting. “…’superiors’?”

The phrase **”superiors”** visibly stunned Earth Monkey. He could hardly believe who Qi Xia might be referring to.

“Why won’t **’Heavenly Dragon’** come out to face me?” Qi Xia mused, as if speaking to Earth Monkey yet also addressing someone unseen. “Resorting to so many dirty tricks—are you afraid I’ll keep winning?”

Earth Monkey’s expression darkened. He leaned forward and hissed, “Qi Xia! Do you realize what you’re saying?! Shut your mouth!”

“Ha…” Qi Xia’s face relaxed as if he’d found clarity. “Earth Monkey, your reaction is truly amusing… If I survive this, I’d love to have a proper chat with you. Let’s continue the game.”

“Continue the game…?” Earth Monkey straightened slowly. “Qi Xia, you’re already losing. You’re even forfeiting the only chance I gave you.”

“I’m not forfeiting,” Qi Xia shook his head. “I’ve thought of the question.”

“Oh…?” Earth Monkey raised an eyebrow, his gaze mocking. “Have you now?”

“Correct.” Qi Xia nodded. Though the fog in his mind hadn’t cleared, given enough time, he could still figure things out.

“Go on then,” Earth Monkey said. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Qi Xia scanned the cards on the table before looking up. “Earth Monkey, in this round, aside from you, who had the second-highest hand?”

“Second-highest…?”

Earth Monkey frowned. The question wasn’t against the rules, but it was devastating.

It effectively allowed them to replay the same round, revealing the answer twice—skipping a whole turn.

Last time, Qi Xia had taken nearly two rounds to decipher the rules. Could he do it again now?

After a moment of thought, Earth Monkey conceded that Qi Xia deserved his respect just for asking this.

“I’ll tell you,” Earth Monkey said. “But I don’t think any of you will walk out alive, even if you win every remaining round.”

“Is that so?” Qi Xia nodded. “We’ll see.”

Earth Monkey examined the cards, his lips moving slightly as if performing a complex calculation. Finally, he pointed a furry finger at Xiao Cheng.

“Aside from me, he had the second-highest hand.”

“Oh-ho?” Chen Junnan grinned. “This kid’s second?”

Qi Xia immediately checked Xiao Cheng’s cards—**”Minor Snow,” “Winter Solstice,”** and the central **”Spring Festival.”**

Though these three cards formed **”Five of a Kind (1), Two Pairs (2 & 3),”** they still weren’t the strongest on the table. Instead, they only ranked second?

Did Earth Monkey have an even stronger combination?

“No…” Qi Xia strained his mind, desperate to help his team one last time before his thoughts completely unraveled.

If the key wasn’t **”Five of a Kind,”** then he needed another angle.

Xiao Cheng’s hand: **”Minor Snow,” “Winter Solstice,” “Spring Festival.”**

Earth Monkey’s hand: **”Qingming,” “Spring Equinox,” “Spring Festival.”**

Qi Xia’s brow furrowed. This was too bizarre—an absurd idea suddenly struck him.

Could it be… **temperature?**

But how could something as vague as **temperature** determine the hierarchy?!

“No… it can’t be that simple.”