# Chapter 996: Cangjie Chess
"No need to beat around the bush," Qi Xia said. "Just say what you mean directly."
"Ha..." Qinglong chuckled after hearing this, then spoke. "What a straightforward person. When the sun rose today, I suddenly had a new thought—that fundamentally, there's no difference between 'humans' and 'pigs.'"
Qi Xia sneered after listening, as if he already knew what Qinglong was getting at.
Chen Junnan also quickly shook his head after hearing this. "That's not right, is it? None of us think that way, only you do. That just proves you're no different from a pig. We're still a bit different."
"...?"
Almost everyone inside the venue opened their mouths wide. They had never expected someone to verbally counterattack Qinglong like this.
Qinglong had never imagined anyone would approach it from this angle either, and for a moment he was at a loss for words.
"Well..." Qinglong paused, then continued, "Do you know how to write the character 'home'?"
"I know it!" Qiao Jiajin suddenly interjected. "My name has 'home' in it! Although I didn't study much, I can still write my own name."
Saying this, he eagerly walked forward, casually patted Qinglong's shoulder without any hesitation.
"Green-haired dude, if you want to ask how to write a character, just say so directly," Qiao Jiajin said with a smile. "Using all that buildup earlier, I thought you came to pick a fight. Come on, come on, hold out your hand, I'll write it for you."
The crowd in the venue once again opened their mouths wide. Only Qi Xia helplessly shook his head, completely unable to do anything about these two.
Qinglong slowly furrowed his brow after hearing this. Although he had always looked down on "participants," these two had undoubtedly left a deep impression on him. If it weren't for the fact that they were currently playing "Cangjie Chess," he would have crushed them into meat patties himself.
Seeing that Qinglong didn't react, Qiao Jiajin decisively grabbed his arm, flipped Qinglong's palm upward, and prepared to write.
But after a few seconds, he paused, turned his head back with a somewhat uncertain expression, and asked, "Liar... is there a simplified version of the character 'home'? I only know how to write the traditional form."
Qi Xia finally couldn't help it anymore. Staring at Qinglong, he revealed an extremely strange smile.
"Qinglong... with the three of us here, your theories won't shake anyone," Qi Xia said coldly. "None of the people standing here will be influenced by you. We know what 'home' is, and we know who we are. Instead of wasting your breath trying to undermine our convictions, you'd better watch out for us."
"Watch out...?"
"Don't you need to watch out? Qinglong..." Qi Xia said. "You actually used a 'door' to create a game... Should I call you too arrogant, or too careless about your enemy?"
After hearing this, Qinglong felt somewhat incredulous. "When did you find out...?"
"Earlier than you imagined," Qi Xia said. "Qinglong, I'll give you one chance. Kill me right now, or find a way to kill Tianlong. Otherwise, in this game, you'll be the first to fail."
Qinglong fell silent. He felt that today seemed unusual.
Whether it was those "Heavenly-ranked" or the "participants," none of them could make him smile.
What was this strange sense of dissonance?
Seeing Qinglong speechless, Qi Xia turned to look at Dilong. "Now that our visitors have arrived too, can we start?"
Dilong glanced at Qinglong, as if seeking his approval. Qinglong merely pondered for a moment before finally nodding.
At this point, he was no longer thinking about "Cangjie Chess," but rather mulling over what Qi Xia had said.
"Alright... now the 'Gambling Phase' officially begins," Dilong said. "Please follow me, both teams."
Everyone split into two lines and followed Dilong to a distant high wall.
On the wall were several doors painted with black lacquer, spaced about three or four meters apart from left to right, seven doors in total.
"Both sides, please remember the black doors," Dilong said. "When the game starts, you can only enter the red doors. The black doors in front of you lead outside the venue. Entering one counts as 'leaving the game venue,' which is equivalent to withdrawing from the game."
Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu nodded after hearing this, feeling that this rule was likely a trap.
From this, they figured that the game venue probably consisted of many rooms and many doors.
Although under normal circumstances no one would choose to escape, if it came to a life-or-death moment, a black door that could lead them out of the venue would stir up the last glimmer of hope in people's hearts. At that point, the only choice people would think of was "escape."
But if refusing during the "Appointment of Generals" would result in punishment, how could escaping on the battlefield possibly be forgiven?
Although the two of them had both thought of this layer, some timid members in the teams were already entertaining the idea.
"Now, please choose the first 'door' for each side," Dilong continued. "The far left and far right are the 'starting points' for your respective teams."
Qi Xia nodded after hearing this and said to Chu Tianqiu, "You choose first."
"Again...?" Chu Tianqiu chuckled lightly. "In the 'Appointment of Generals,' I chose first. Do I have to choose left or right first as well?"
"I don't want any advantage," Qi Xia said.
"Alright..." Chu Tianqiu turned to look at Dilong. "Is there any difference between left and right?"
"Yes, and it's significant," she said seriously. "Although it's impossible to say which side is easier to win, the winning strategies for the left and right sides will be slightly different."
"In that case..." Chu Tianqiu looked at the left side. "Normal people subconsciously think the left is safer, so you might have tampered with the left side. I choose the door on the far right."
"Alright," Dilong said. "Commander-in-Chief Chu Tianqiu, please lead your team to the door on the far right. Commander-in-Chief 'Qi Xia,' please lead your team to the door on the far left. The remaining rules will be conveyed to you via the broadcast in the rooms."
"Broadcast...?" Chu Tianqiu frowned upon hearing this, feeling that something was off. "Wait a moment..."
"What's wrong?" Dilong asked.
"In the time to come... we'll only be able to hear your voice through the broadcast?"
"Yes."
"We won't be able to talk to you either?" Chu Tianqiu asked further.
Wen Qiyun also thought of something at this point and quickly turned to look at Dilong.
This question was crucial. If Dilong couldn't hear her voice from now on, how was she supposed to "bet her life" with the other party?
Just as Dilong was about to answer "no," Qinglong, who was at the back of the line, suddenly spoke up. "You can talk."
"Wha—" Dilong paused and turned to look at him.
"I'll build a 'viewing platform' up high," Qinglong said. "Dilong and I will watch from the platform. If there are any issues, you can communicate with us in a timely manner."
Dilong's brow was tightly furrowed. She had no idea what Qinglong meant by this.
After all, before taking over this game, Qinglong had never mentioned any "viewing platform."
But Qinglong was Qinglong after all. At this point, Dilong simply couldn't resist and could only nod reluctantly.
"If you both understand, please lead your teams to your respective venues."
With that, she pulled out a walkie-talkie from her waist and added, "I will simultaneously announce the next matters of attention to both of you."