After letting those three people go, Qi Xia’s expression remained somewhat grave.
He didn’t know whether he or Qiao Jiajin was right, but no matter what, he couldn’t let Sweet take a life for him.
“So, where do we go next?” Qi Xia asked.
Yun Yao reached into her coat and pulled out a map—the one Chu Tianqiu had given her before they set out.
After studying it for a moment, she said, “Not far from here—there’s a ‘Tiger.’ Want to check it out?”
“A ‘Human Tiger’?” Qi Xia asked.
“Yes.” Yun Yao nodded. “In the first few days after arriving in the Land of the End, Chu Tianqiu rarely sends people into ‘Earth’-level games. After all, we need to conserve strength—the real challenges come later.”
“Oh?” Qi Xia paused. “Why?”
“Because after the initial trials, the ‘Echoers’ gradually awaken. By then, ‘Earth’-level games become much easier.”
“I see.” Qi Xia nodded.
“But there are exceptions,” Yun Yao added. “Though Chu Tianqiu doesn’t care much about ‘Dao,’ in order to recruit capable people into ‘Paradise Port,’ he always has strong leaders take charge early on to secure ‘Dao’ in games.”
Qi Xia recalled the first time he met Zhang Shan—he had led Old Lü and Little Glasses into the Earth Ox’s game.
“In that case, let’s go check out that ‘Tiger,'” Qi Xia agreed. “I’ve never experienced a Tiger’s game before.”
Qiao Jiajin, having shaken off his gloom, became cheerful again. “Oi, Scammer, a Tiger—sounds like my kind of game, yeah?”
“Yeah, sure.” Qi Xia nodded, giving him a helpless glance. “You’re amazing, alright? But could you at least put your shirt on first?”
Only then did Qiao Jiajin realize he was still shirtless. During his fight with the bald man, he had thrown his shirt to the ground and never picked it back up.
“Oops.” He laughed awkwardly, walking over to retrieve and put on his shirt.
……
After walking for about ten minutes, following the map into a very secluded alley, they finally spotted a Zodiac.
But it wasn’t a “Tiger” at all.
It was something far more terrifying.
“It’s a Dragon…” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, murmuring to himself. “What’s going on?”
Yun Yao was equally puzzled.
“Huh? A ‘Human Dragon’?” She looked down to confirm the map, which clearly read “Human Tiger.”
Qi Xia took the map and examined it. Though the drawing was simple, the key details—including which turns to take—were clearly marked.
Yet, according to the map, they had arrived at a Human Dragon’s game room.
“Care to join my game? No admission fee,” said the man wearing a stitched mask.
“No. Let’s go.” Qi Xia spoke coldly, turning to leave.
“Wait a sec, Scammer…” Qiao Jiajin grabbed his arm. “What’s wrong with a ‘Dragon’? How’s it different from a ‘Tiger’?”
“I don’t know.” Qi Xia shook his head. “All I know is someone warned me—first, never face ‘Heaven,’ and second, never provoke ‘Dragon.'”
Though Qiao Jiajin didn’t fully understand, he knew to trust the “brain.” “Alright, fine. Let’s forget it.”
Just as the two were about to leave, they noticed Yun Yao standing still, unmoving.
“Idol, you not coming?” Qiao Jiajin asked.
“I think this is a rare opportunity,” Yun Yao said. “We’ve only encountered ‘Dragon’ once in the city center. I want to find out what kind of game it is.”
“But I feel like ‘Dragon’ is dangerous,” Qi Xia countered. “I suggest you reconsider.”
“For us, what even *is* ‘dangerous’?” Yun Yao gave a bitter laugh. “Even if this game kills us, would you call that ‘dangerous’?”
“…”
Qi Xia frowned, realizing she had a point.
No matter how difficult the games here were, the worst they could do was kill you.
And now that he knew death was nothing to fear, there was no real danger—so long as no lives were wagered. All participants were completely safe. Besides, the Human Dragon’s game required no admission fee. In other words, they had nothing to lose.
Qi Xia lowered his head in thought, realizing the only oddity here was Chu Tianqiu.
Why had he given them a wrong map?
Was he even more careless and foolish than Qi Xia had imagined?
“Yun Yao, you said you’ve seen ‘Dragon’ once before. What was the game like?” Qi Xia asked.
“It wasn’t me who saw it—it was Chu Tianqiu,” she replied softly. “He said ‘Dragon’ asked him some quiz questions. He didn’t answer all of them correctly, so he failed.”
“Quiz… questions?” Qi Xia’s pupils flickered. “Yun Yao, are you joking with me?”
“Why would I lie? That’s what Chu Tianqiu told me.”
Qi Xia fell into thought again.
This was all too bizarre.
Among the twelve Zodiacs, the Dragon was born divine, wielding immense power.
According to the “Human Pig,” the Dragon was absolutely not to be provoked.
Yet his game was… a quiz?
“Qi Xia, you all wait here,” Yun Yao said. “I’ll go check it out myself.”
Sweet and Qiao Jiajin both turned to Qi Xia, waiting for his decision.
But as far as Qi Xia was concerned, he had no other path to take.
If he wanted to uncover Chu Tianqiu’s true intentions, he had to step into the Human Dragon’s game.
Was Chu Tianqiu trying to use the Dragon to eliminate him?
But Yun Yao was with him—if things turned dangerous, what would happen to her?
Qi Xia slowly closed his eyes, clearing his mind as he carefully considered everything.
“Chu Tianqiu… what are you scheming?”
Meanwhile, on the other side, Chu Tianqiu hummed a classical tune, tapping his fingers to the rhythm.
“Qi Xia… what will you choose?”
Separated by distance, their thoughts clashed like blades.
Before long, Qi Xia opened his eyes. “Yun Yao, I’ve decided to go with you.”
“Huh?” She turned to him. “No need. I can handle it alone.”
“No, I’m going with you,” Qi Xia insisted. “Let Qiao Jiajin and Sweet wait here.”
Unable to sway him, Yun Yao shrugged helplessly and approached the Human Dragon.
Qiao Jiajin and Sweet exchanged exasperated looks.
“The two of us want to join the game,” Yun Yao told the Dragon.
“Not allowed,” the Dragon replied. “Minimum of four participants.”
“Four?”
Hearing this, Qiao Jiajin stepped forward.
“Oi, Scammer, where d’you think you’re going without your ‘Fists’?”
“Qiao Jiajin, don’t be reckless—something feels off here,” Qi Xia said, frowning. “You and Sweet wait here. We’ll find two more passersby.”
“No way. Sweet can wait here alone,” Qiao Jiajin shook his head. “If we go, we go together.”
“Stop messing around!” Qi Xia’s frown deepened. “I can’t let anything happen to you again!”
“*Again*?” Qiao Jiajin blinked. “I don’t get it, but same here—I can’t lose my ‘Brain’ again either.”
“What the hell are you talking about…?” Qi Xia was equally confused. “Didn’t we agree you’d listen to me? Stay here. Don’t push your luck.”
Qiao Jiajin ignored him, stepping forward. “Scammer, y’know what? A man can live without ‘Fists,’ but without a ‘Brain’—he’s done for.”
“You—”
Sweet also stepped up. “Take me too. There’ll be a use for me.”
Qi Xia hesitated.
He didn’t want to see Qiao Jiajin or Sweet hurt—the memories of the last cycle were still fresh.
But if the game truly was just a quiz, then bringing them along didn’t matter. There was no real danger.
After another moment of thought, Qi Xia looked up and asked, “Human Dragon, what kind of game is this?”
“Teamwork,” the Dragon answered without hesitation.
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