Qi Xia slowly stood up and looked at the wooden door.
*Creak—*
With the faint sound of the door opening, Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling slipped out.
“Dang it…?” Qiao Jiajin laughed carelessly. “What a coincidence, liar boy, and… what’s-her-name.”
Seeing Li Xiangling’s injury, Qi Xia’s expression darkened, and he quickly stepped forward. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine…” Li Xiangling smiled weakly. “I should be fine now.”
Qi Xia examined her wound—a wooden stick had pierced her arm but hadn’t hit the bone.
Logically, it wasn’t a life-threatening injury, but in this “Land of the End”… the next few days would likely be agonizing for her.
“I got stabbed like this before when I was practicing spear techniques. It’ll heal soon…” Li Xiangling forced a lighthearted smile.
Jiang Ruoxue crossed her arms and slowly stood up. After a brief pause, she touched her chin.
*Dong!*
A distant bell tolled, startling Qi Xia and the other two.
Qi Xia turned back, eyeing Jiang Ruoxue warily. “What are you planning?”
“None of your business?” Jiang Ruoxue smirked, stepping forward to grasp Li Xiangling’s arm. “Little girl, you need to understand the logic behind this.”
“Lo… logic?”
“This stick didn’t damage your bone, only your flesh. Plus, you’ve had similar injuries before, so this one will heal quickly too.” Jiang Ruoxue patted Li Xiangling’s head gently. “So don’t worry. Just rest and recover.”
“Huh?” Li Xiangling’s eyes widened slightly as she suddenly realized the pain in her right arm had lessened.
Seizing the moment, Jiang Ruoxue placed her hand on the wooden stick and swiftly pulled it out.
A trickle of blood ran down Li Xiangling’s arm, but the wound wasn’t deep—just a flesh injury that would likely heal within days.
“You… aren’t you from the ‘Extremists’?” Li Xiangling asked, confused.
“Yeah.” Jiang Ruoxue nodded.
“I don’t get it…” Li Xiangling glanced at Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin before turning back to Jiang Ruoxue. “Aren’t we enemies? Why did you help me?”
“No need for you to understand.” Jiang Ruoxue tossed the stick aside and chuckled. “Since when do we ‘Extremists’ need to explain ourselves to you?”
Qiao Jiajin checked Li Xiangling’s arm and confirmed the wound had mostly healed.
“Hey, what’s-her-name, you’re pretty sharp,” Qiao Jiajin said cheerfully.
Jiang Ruoxue sighed in exasperation. “Great. Now I’ve completely lost track of those three. Guess I’ll head out.”
She stretched lazily and turned to leave.
“Wait…” Qiao Jiajin called out. “The big woman and the leather jacket guy are probably a lost cause, but the stone guy quit midway. You might still find him.”
“Stone guy?” Jiang Ruoxue nodded. “Got it.”
She waved over her shoulder before disappearing into the street.
Qi Xia snapped back to reality and examined Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling. Both were covered in blood, likely bearing multiple minor injuries.
“So? Did we win?” Qi Xia asked.
“Ah!” Qiao Jiajin suddenly exclaimed. “I almost forgot! We haven’t won yet!”
He hurriedly pulled Li Xiangling toward the elevator. “The big guy’s still waiting like an idiot upstairs. Come on, let’s go!”
…
Zhang Shan sat beside the blue flag, looking visibly anxious.
“Big guy!” Qiao Jiajin shouted excitedly as he stepped out of the elevator. “I brought the kung fu girl!”
Zhang Shan immediately stood up. “Great!”
Qi Xia followed them out. With the game nearing its end, he still had questions for Earth Tiger.
Following the rules, Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling crossed the narrow bridge one after another before touching the flag alongside Zhang Shan.
Game over.
Earth Tiger, who had been standing motionless nearby, finally stirred.
“Red team has touched the blue team’s flag. Game concluded.” He pulled a cloth bag from his pocket and tossed it at them. “Take the one who didn’t pay the entry fee and get lost.”
“Such a charming attitude,” Zhang Shan muttered before turning to Li Xiangling. “Li, you’re hurt?”
“Yeah… but it’s not bad,” Li Xiangling replied with a smile. “Funny thing—an ‘Extremist’ actually helped us.”
“Oh?”
Li Xiangling recounted their encounter with Jiang Ruoxue in detail.
Meanwhile, Qi Xia approached Earth Tiger.
“What do you want?” Earth Tiger growled.
“How can I see her?”
“Who?”
“Sky Sheep.”
“How the hell should I know?!” Earth Tiger shoved Qi Xia aside and marched toward the elevator.
“Hey!” Qi Xia grabbed Earth Tiger’s thick arm—it felt like gripping solid stone. “This is really important to me… I’ll trade anything…”
Earth Tiger paused mid-step.
He studied Qi Xia’s eyes, wanting to curse, but the words Qi Xia had once spoken echoed in his mind:
*There are countless paths in this world, and everyone can find their own.*
After a long silence, Earth Tiger spoke. “They say ‘Celestial Zodiacs’ can freely traverse the ‘Land of the End.’ So I don’t know where Sky Sheep is.”
Qi Xia’s gaze dimmed.
“So that’s it… She really lied to me…?”
“Hmph.” Earth Tiger snorted. “Like I haven’t been fooled too?!”
His clawed hands clenched into fists as he muttered, “Promises made before… not a single one kept… I was an idiot to trust a ‘Sheep’…”
“What…?” Qi Xia frowned. “She deceived you too?”
“Hmph.” Earth Tiger glared. “That’s my problem. What’s it to you?”
Qi Xia narrowed his eyes—a plan forming in his mind.
“Look… since we’ve both been tricked, why not team up?” Qi Xia felt insane, attempting to ally with a tiger-headed being.
Earth Tiger seized Qi Xia by the collar.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” He glared down at Qi Xia. “A powerless nobody daring to suggest an alliance with an ‘Earth-level’?! What gives you the right?!”
A murderous aura erupted from Earth Tiger, his eyes burning with fury.
“Alright…” Qi Xia raised his hands slowly, trying to calm him. “Easy. I overstepped…”
Earth Tiger watched as the light in Qi Xia’s eyes faded. Releasing him, Earth Tiger turned away with a low growl.
“Get lost.”
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