After confirming the answer on the screen, Qinglong flicked his sleeve and slowly approached the group, appearing as if victory were already in his grasp.
“It’s your turn now,” Qinglong said.
Qi Xia’s face briefly showed hesitation. He knew he would never choose to surrender, so he lifted his leg and walked behind the massive wall.
“Cheater,” Chen Junnan muttered in annoyance.
“How is this cheating?” Qinglong asked. “Qi Xia also agreed earlier for me to create first. This was the result of mutual agreement.”
“Hmph,” Chen Junnan scoffed. “If we were fighting, would I stab you first, and then you stab me? Now every time it’s always you stabbing first?”
“Unfortunately, this is how life-or-death bets work,” Qinglong replied. “Once both parties agree, there’s no room for regret.”
Zheng Yingxiong now raised his nose and sniffed. He could clearly detect hesitation from Qi Xia, who stood not far away.
It seemed even Qi Xia himself had no confidence in this answer.
At the moment, no one could see Qi Xia’s face, so no one knew what he was thinking.
What other “character” contains “soldier” and is also important to humanity?
Han Yimo was staring blankly at the people within the arena, still somewhat confused about his own position.
Was he on Chu Tianqiu’s side or Qi Xia’s?
If Qi Xia failed in his life-or-death gamble… would he have to die alongside him?
Fortunately, Chu Tianqiu’s entire team had already left. Han Yimo considered himself to have completed his mission, so he wasn’t that worried anymore.
Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, Sweetie, and Zhang Chenzhe all felt anxious for Qi Xia.
Now the “rules” were becoming increasingly abstract; it was hard to say whether they could win the next round.
If Qi Xia could win the second round, the third round could be skipped.
But now… could he still find a “character” more important than “rice” from the remaining options?
Everyone quietly waited for about a minute, but Qi Xia still made no move.
He stood before the “Fenghuang Xianshu Platform,” stroking his chin, carefully considering this abstract rule.
Qinglong had obviously rehearsed beforehand. When he created “rice,” he didn’t even hesitate. Thinking from this angle, it meant that even if Qinglong had rehearsed, he still believed “rice” was the only answer, and by creating “rice,” he had already secured an unbeatable position in the game.
If that’s the case… was there any way to break through in this round of the game?
The rules were against him, the situation was against him, the order of moves was against him… then what was in his favor?
Qi Xia narrowed his eyes and looked up at Xuanwu, who stood on the other side of the massive wall.
Right, the most favorable thing to him in this game might be the “referee.”
Because this game involved “life-or-death bets,” it no longer used the display’s built-in scoring system. Instead, Xuanwu was judging the outcome.
So was there a “character” that could twist the concept and confuse Xuanwu’s thinking?
Qi Xia quietly closed his eyes, his mind racing quickly.
And countless “characters” unfolded in his mind like bamboo shoots after rain, then broke apart into countless radicals.
These radicals combined and then separated again, swirling like dancing butterflies, all rushing forward to rotate and recombine with “soldier.”
Qi Xia, like a creator, looked down from above, observing all possible combinations of “characters.”
Ninety degrees, then another ninety degrees. The radicals had already rotated two hundred and seventy degrees, yet Qi Xia still hadn’t found a suitable “character” to counter “rice.”
“Wait a second…”
Qi Xia furrowed his brows while keeping his eyes closed, sensing a strange inspiration in the darkness.
Just now, there seemed to be a “character” flashing by, but it was fleeting, disappearing instantly into the sea of characters.
If that “character” really existed… it might confuse Xuanwu’s thinking.
He visualized the radicals that made up this “character” separately, rotating them multiple times by ninety degrees, but soon realized something was off.
This “character” wouldn’t appear when rotating radicals by ninety degrees; it only appeared for a brief moment when rotated by forty-five degrees.
Therefore, to form this “character,” one of the radicals needed to be rotated forty-five degrees and created at an oblique angle.
Upon realizing this, Qi Xia couldn’t help but lift the corners of his mouth into a smile.
Was this the hidden mystery of “Chinese characters”?
He had just criticized Qinglong for having limited thinking, yet he himself had been equally constrained.
Who said radicals could only rotate ninety degrees each time? Why couldn’t they rotate forty-five degrees?
Qi Xia slowly opened his eyes, looking at the equipment in front of him.
Now the only problem remaining… was whether the “Fenghuang Xianshu Platform” could recognize such an unusual “character.”
“The strokes aren’t the same, only the shapes are similar,” Qi Xia whispered.
If it could be recognized… there might still be hope for this round.
After all, when ancient people created characters, they didn’t consider strokes, only shapes.
Qi Xia helplessly shook his head. Who could have imagined this “character” would appear in the game of “Cangjie Chess” at the beginning?
Everyone stood in front of the giant display, staring at the empty screen. Lawyer Zhang and Sweetie were sweating in their palms, yet Qi Xia still hadn’t made a move.
Qinglong’s face showed displeasure. He turned his head toward Xuanwu and said, “Isn’t it about time? Even ‘character creation’ should have a time limit. Are we going to wait here until nightfall?”
“Alright…” Xuanwu nodded. Just as he was about to speak, the giant screen suddenly flickered.
Everyone lifted their heads, watching Qi Xia’s answer this time.
A few seconds later, a “ba” (八) slowly lit up.
Everyone fell silent upon seeing it. Although it incorporated part of the character “兵” (bing), they all mentally calculated the possible combinations. Besides “米” (mi), what else could be more essential to humanity?
Qinglong sneered. After all, he had already considered all possible combinations involving “eight” in advance. Nothing could be more important than “rice.” Before he could speak, the screen flickered again, revealing a “character” that he never could have imagined.
“Fu” (father)!
Everyone’s eyes widened as they stared at the screen. The air instantly became extremely quiet.
A few seconds later, Chen Junnan slowly muttered three words: “This damn…”
“It’s a pity it can’t form the character ‘母’ (mǔ), but ‘父’ is enough to convey my meaning,” Qi Xia slowly stepped out from behind the massive wall, speaking in a calm tone. “Only parents can give humans life. This rule even predates ‘米.'”
Qinglong still felt somewhat incredulous…
Could those “characters”… really be combined into “father”?
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