“What do you mean…?” Qiao Jiajin felt somewhat puzzled.
At that moment, raindrops began plummeting rapidly from the sky. The groundhog, after smiling at the three of them, turned and closed the door behind him, followed by the sound of a lock clicking from inside.
A cold sweat broke out on Chen Junnan’s forehead. No matter where they went, that black dot would find them—could this be the “Heavenly Tier Moment”?
Though he had experienced the “Pegasus Moment” many times before, what kind of moment was this?
He lowered his head, quickly trying to recall the current time.
“Winter… what time do you think it is now?” Chen Junnan asked.
Qin Dingdong seemed to realize something too and did a quick calculation. “We set off at sunrise, and we’ve been delayed a bit on the way. It’s probably around nine in the morning… no later than ten.”
“Nine-ish… what hour is that…?” Chen Junnan froze again. This was knowledge he never used in daily life, and he couldn’t recall it now.
“It’s the Hour of the Snake,” Qiao Jiajin chimed in. “The old almanac always lists the hours—can’t even remember that, pretty boy?”
Chen Junnan didn’t have time to bicker with Qiao Jiajin and quickly ran through the thought again in his mind.
“What do you mean…” Qiao Jiajin felt somewhat puzzled.
At that moment, raindrops in the sky began to fall rapidly. The mole, after smiling at the three of them, turned around and closed the door, and from the sound of it, even locked it from the inside.
Chen Junnan’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat. No matter where they went, that black dot would find them. Could it be the “Heavenly Level Moment”?
Although he had experienced the “Pegasus Moment” multiple times, what was this moment about?
He lowered his head, quickly thinking about the current time.
“Sister Dong… what time do you think it is now?” Chen Junnan asked.
Qin Dongdong also seemed to have thought of something at that moment. After calculating, she said, “We set off as soon as the sun rose, and we were delayed a bit on the way. It’s probably around nine in the morning now… definitely not past ten.”
“Nine-something… what time period is nine-something…?” Chen Junnan was stunned again. This was knowledge he never used in daily life, and he couldn’t recall it now.
“It’s the Si hour,” Qiao Jiajin said from the side. “The old almanac often writes about the time periods. Handsome, you can’t even remember this?”
Chen Junnan had no time to bicker with Qiao Jiajin and quickly began recalculating in his mind.
“‘Si’ corresponds to ‘Snake’…” Chen Junnan suddenly thought of something. “It’s the ‘Heavenly Snake Moment’…”
“Ah?!”
Both Qiao Jiajin and Qin Dongdong were stunned at the same time.
Watching the heavy rain about to pour down, Chen Junnan asked again, “Sister Dong! You said you were killed by the ‘Heavenly Snake’ last time! Why did he kill you back then?”
“At that time…” Qin Dongdong hurriedly recalled and said, “Because I didn’t answer his question.”
“Question…?”
Before Chen Junnan could figure it out, black raindrops began to fall gently with the breeze.
Three of them were now suspended right above the trio’s heads, neither falling nor moving. With every step the three took, the black dots followed.
It was as if they had already locked onto their lives.
Just as Qin Dongdong and Qiao Jiajin were about to speak, Chen Junnan reached out to stop them.
He swallowed and said, “From now on, we must not ask any questions.”
“Handsome… you mean…”
“Although I don’t know the exact principle, it really does seem to be related to ‘questions,’” Chen Junnan said, staring at the black raindrop above his head. “The best way is to head to find Old Qi with this raindrop above us… otherwise, we’ll run into trouble sooner or later…”
“But where should we go to find…”
Before Qiao Jiajin could finish his sentence, Chen Junnan immediately stepped forward and covered his mouth.
“Old Qiao, watch your words and actions!” Chen Junnan said urgently. “Do you think my life is too long or something?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the black dot above Chen Junnan’s head moved, then slowly drifted to hover between Qiao Jiajin’s eyebrows.
“Huh?!”
Both Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin were stunned, not quite understanding what was happening.
“What’s going on?” Chen Junnan blinked.
Qin Dongdong took a few running steps and delivered a flying kick to Chen Junnan’s butt: “You fucking told Ah Jin not to ask questions, and then you go ahead and ask one yourself! Are you fucking stupid?!”
Before Chen Junnan could respond, the black dot above Qin Dongdong’s head drifted toward Chen Junnan and finally hovered between his eyebrows.
“Huh?!”
Qiao Jiajin was completely baffled: “I don’t get it… pretty lady, are you causing trouble?”
The black dot above Qiao Jiajin’s head finally moved as well. After trembling for a moment, it hovered between Qin Dongdong’s eyebrows.
Less than a minute after the “Heavenly Snake Moment” descended, the trio had barely taken a few steps before it felt as if three guns were pressed against their foreheads, leaving them unable to move.
“Wait a sec, wait a sec…” Chen Junnan stared at the three beads and reached out to stabilize the situation. “It’s a bit chaotic… let’s sort this out…”
“Sort it out, sort it out,” Qiao Jiajin echoed.
“It’s… indeed a bit chaotic…” Qin Dongdong also said. “Who the hell is to blame for this…”
Chen Junnan looked cross-eyed at the black particle suspended between his eyebrows, swallowed, and said, “It looks like the three of us are trapped by three questions… If we don’t answer properly, we’re probably done for…”
“So I said!” Qiao Jiajin also said urgently, “Handsome, what question did you just ask me?”
“Damn, I kinda forgot!” Chen Junnan said awkwardly. “Wasn’t I just talking normally? How did I suddenly ask a question?”
“Because you’re annoying, that’s why!” Qin Dongdong said. “Every time you talk to anyone, you’re always blabbering questions. It’s so irritating!”
“Stop arguing, stop arguing!” Chen Junnan said. “Let’s answer one by one… First, think about the questions…”
The other two didn’t dare to speak now, just staring intently at Chen Junnan.
Chen Junnan mustered his courage, stepped forward, and reached out to touch the black bead in front of Qiao Jiajin’s eyebrows. It felt scorching hot, almost burning his hand.
“What are you still researching now?!” Qin Dongdong said. “Hurry up and save Ah Jin!”
As they spoke, the black beads between their eyebrows began to tremble rapidly, as if they were about to reach a time limit.
“Stop arguing…” Chen Junnan reached out to interrupt Qin Dongdong. “I think I remember now. The question I asked was probably, ‘Do you think my life is too long or something?’ Old Qiao, answer that question first… quickly!”
Qiao Jiajin said “okay” and was about to open his mouth to answer when he suddenly hesitated, turned his head, and asked, “Handsome… should I answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’? Should I lie?”
“Say what you really think, damn it!!” Chen Junnan was nearly infuriated by Qiao Jiajin. “Do you really think my life is too long?!”
Qiao Jiajin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry upon hearing this. Then, he cleared his throat and said clearly and articulately, “I do not think Chen Junnan’s life is too long.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the bead between his eyebrows shook and instantly shattered into powder.
Seeing that telling the truth could make the bead in front of them shatter, the three of them visibly relaxed.
“Now it’s my turn…” Chen Junnan said. “Sister Dong, what did you ask me again?”
“Uh…” Qin Dongdong awkwardly turned her head away and said, “If I remember correctly… it was ‘Are you fucking stupid?’”
Chen Junnan pursed his lips upon hearing this and said, “I’ve heard this line countless times, and I never realized it was a question.”
“Stop wasting time and answer quickly.”
He imitated Qiao Jiajin by clearing his throat and said, “I, Chen Junnan, am not stupid.”
After receiving the answer, the bead in front of Chen Junnan also shattered with a sound, and both of their crises were resolved.
Now, both of their gazes focused on Qin Dongdong. It seemed this so-called “Heavenly Snake Moment” wasn’t scary at all, and its lethality was very low. If that was the case, what was the point of its existence?
“Pretty lady, it’s your turn,” Qiao Jiajin said with a simple smile. “The question I asked was probably, ‘Have you been causing trouble all along?’ Once you answer, we’ll be fine.”
Qin Dongdong nodded with a complicated expression, then looked up at the black bead and answered word by word:
“I have indeed been causing trouble all along.”
Upon hearing Qin Dongdong’s answer, the small bead shattered with a “pop.”
“Huh?!”
Qiao Jiajin and Qin Dingdong both froze in unison.
Watching the impending downpour above them, Chen Junnan asked again, “Winter! You said you were killed by the ‘Heavenly Snake’ last time—why did he kill you?”
“Back then…” Qin Dingdong hurriedly recalled. “Because I didn’t answer his question.”
“Question…?”
Before Chen Junnan could figure it out, black raindrops began falling lightly with the breeze.
Three of them now hovered right above the trio’s heads—neither falling nor moving. Every step the three took, the black dots followed.
It was as though they had locked onto their lives.
Just as Qin Dingdong and Qiao Jiajin were about to speak, Chen Junnan raised a hand to stop them.
He swallowed hard and said, “From now on, we don’t ask any questions.”
“Pretty boy… you mean…”
“I don’t know the exact mechanics, but it really seems tied to ‘questions,’” Chen Junnan said, staring at the black raindrop above his head. “The best way is to move under these raindrops to find Old Qi… otherwise, we’ll be in trouble sooner or later…”
“But where do we even go to find—”
Before Qiao Jiajin could finish, Chen Junnan rushed forward and covered his mouth.
“Old Qiao, watch your words!” Chen Junnan said urgently. “You trying to shorten my lifespan or what?”
The moment he spoke, the black dot above Chen Junnan’s head shifted, slowly floating to hover right between Qiao Jiajin’s eyebrows.
“Huh?!”
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin both froze, completely baffled by the situation.
“What the hell’s going on?” Chen Junnan blinked.
Qin Dingdong took a running start and delivered a flying kick to Chen Junnan’s backside. “You damn hypocrite! Telling Ah Jin not to ask questions while you’re out here yapping away! Are you fucking stupid?!”
Before Chen Junnan could respond, the black dot above Qin Dingdong’s head drifted toward him, settling right between his brows as well.
“Huh?!”
Qiao Jiajin was utterly lost. “I don’t get it… pretty girl, are you messing around?”
The black dot above Qiao Jiajin’s head finally moved too, trembling slightly before hovering in front of Qin Dingdong’s forehead.
Less than a minute into the “Heavenly Snake Moment,” the trio had barely taken a few steps before it felt like three guns were pressed to their foreheads—rendering them unable to move.
“Hold on, hold on…” Chen Junnan stared at the three dots, trying to steady the situation. “This is a bit chaotic… let’s sort it out…”
“Sort it out, sort it out,” Qiao Jiajin echoed.
“It’s… definitely a bit messy,” Qin Dingdong admitted. “And whose fault is that?!”
Chen Junnan crossed his eyes slightly to look at the black particle suspended between his brows, swallowing hard. “Looks like the three of us are trapped by three questions… if we don’t answer properly, we’re done for…”
“That’s what I’m saying!” Qiao Jiajin said, growing anxious. “Pretty boy, what question did you just ask me?”
“Damn it, I kinda forgot!” Chen Junnan said, embarrassed. “Wasn’t I just talking normally? How did I suddenly ask a question?”
“Because you’re annoying!” Qin Dingdong snapped. “You yap away asking questions in every conversation—so damn irritating!”
“Stop arguing!” Chen Junnan said. “Let’s answer them one by one… first, think about the questions…”
The other two didn’t dare speak further, just staring intently at Chen Junnan.
Summoning his courage, Chen Junnan stepped forward and reached out to touch the black bead in front of Qiao Jiajin’s forehead—only to recoil as it scalded his fingers.
“What the hell are you researching now?!” Qin Dingdong yelled. “Just save Ah Jin already!”
As they spoke, the black beads hovering between their brows began trembling violently, as if they were running out of time.
“Shut up, shut up…” Chen Junnan waved Qin Dingdong off. “I think I remember now—the question I asked was, ‘You trying to shorten my lifespan or what?’ Old Qiao, answer that first… quick!”
Qiao Jiajin said, “Got it,” but just as he was about to answer, he hesitated and turned to ask, “Pretty boy… do I say ‘yes’ or ‘no’? Do I lie?”
“Say what you really think, damn it!!” Chen Junnan nearly choked in frustration. “You really do want me dead?!”
Qiao Jiajin couldn’t help but laugh, then cleared his throat and enunciated carefully, “I do not wish for Chen Junnan’s life to be shortened.”
The moment he finished speaking, the bead in front of his forehead trembled—then shattered into dust.
Seeing that telling the truth could destroy the beads, the three visibly relaxed.
“My turn…” Chen Junnan said. “Winter, what did you ask me again?”
“Uh…” Qin Dingdong awkwardly turned her head away. “If I remember right… it was ‘Are you fucking stupid?’”
Chen Junnan pursed his lips. “I’ve heard that one a million times—never realized it was a question.”
“Stop wasting time. Just answer.”
Mimicking Qiao Jiajin, he cleared his throat and declared, “I, Chen Junnan, am not stupid.”
With that, the bead before him cracked apart as well, resolving both their crises.
Now, the two of them turned their gazes to Qin Dingdong. This so-called “Heavenly Snake Moment” didn’t seem scary at all—its lethality was practically zero. So what was the point of its existence?
“Pretty girl, your turn,” Qiao Jiajin said with a grin. “My question was probably something like, ‘Have you been messing around this whole time?’ Answer that, and we’re done.”
Qin Dingdong’s expression darkened slightly. She lifted her eyes to the black bead, then answered word by word:
“I have indeed been messing around this whole time.”
With a soft *pop*, the tiny bead shattered.
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