Chapter 62: A Life-or-Death Question?
"Walk out openly?" Qi Xia wore a contemplative expression, as if pondering something.
"I've already distributed them. It's your turn." The Man Pig pushed both bowls forward. "Choose. Choose which one of us lives."
Lin Qin and Old Lyu frowned at this scene.
The Man Pig had evenly mixed all the pieces, so each bowl held an equal number of black and white pieces.
Now, everything really depended on "luck."
Qi Xia didn't move at all. He tilted his ear, as if trying to discern the color of the pieces by sound.
After a moment, Qi Xia spoke. "Man Pig, you pick for me."
"Wha—" The Man Pig was taken aback. "What did you say?"
"I said you pick for me," Qi Xia said earnestly. "Pick two pieces, and then I'll choose one from them."
"Qi Xia, this is a 'life-or-death bet.' Are you not going to take control of your own fate yourself?"
"It doesn't matter." Qi Xia didn't seem concerned. "You said you wanted to take part in this 'life-or-death bet' to feel like you once truly 'lived.' But think about it—this entire game has been me playing it. You haven't participated at all."
The Man Pig remained silent. It was true.
"So I'm giving you a chance to 'get involved,'" Qi Xia said, pointing at the bowl in front of him. "This game is a contest between you and me. So I'm very curious to know how you would choose."
The Man Pig reached out and slowly stroked his chin.
There were bits of bristle that hadn't been cleaned off at his chin, so he stroked the pig bristles as if they were a beard, giving him a strangely cunning look of intellect.
He thought for a long time, unable to figure out Qi Xia's motive.
This was originally a game with a fifty-fifty chance of winning or losing. But if he himself chose the pieces, the outcome would become even more unpredictable for Qi Xia.
At such a tense "life-or-death" moment, this man was placing his life and death entirely in the hands of his enemy...
Was he giving up? Or was he trying to play a clever trick?
"Don't hesitate, Man Pig. Once you've chosen, it'll be easier for me to choose, won't it?" Qi Xia said.
"Once I've chosen... it'll be easier for you to choose?"
After a moment, the Man Pig finally nodded. "I understand. Then let me send you on your way."
Qi Xia nodded and said nothing more.
The Man Pig reached toward the bowls on the table and decisively picked up two white pieces.
For Qi Xia, these two white pieces were tickets to hell. No matter what he asked at the end, white could never turn black.
Just as he was about to hand these two white pieces to Qi Xia, something suddenly flashed through his mind.
The Man Pig lifted his head abruptly, thinking to himself: "Wait... no."
Was it possible that Qi Xia hadn't anticipated he would pick two white pieces for him?
This was a "bet," after all—a match where if the opponent won, he himself would die. Why would he be so confident in letting him choose?
"Ah..." The Man Pig suddenly realized and slowly withdrew his hand. "He's bluffing..."
What did he mean by "once you've chosen, it'll be easier for me to choose"?
The Man Pig's thoughts suddenly cleared.
If these two white pieces were handed to Qi Xia, Qi Xia would immediately back out. He would set those two pieces aside and then pick again from the remaining bowl.
This small action would break the balance in the bowl, leaving forty-eight white pieces and fifty black pieces.
Qi Xia's chances of winning would be directly increased.
After all, Qi Xia wasn't a "Zodiac." His words in the game weren't "rules"—they were just his own suggestions.
Since they weren't "rules," Qi Xia himself didn't need to follow them.
So "backing out" was highly likely.
"You're quite the schemer..." The Man Pig felt a chill of fear. He had almost fallen into Qi Xia's trap. He thought for a moment, then picked out two black pieces.
But then he hesitated again.
Giving the two black pieces directly to the other side—that would actually be more dangerous.
What if the other side had predicted his own prediction? Wouldn't that mean direct victory for him?
The Man Pig lowered his head and looked at the pieces in his hands. In his left hand were two white pieces, in his right two black pieces.
He realized that no matter which choice he made, it would increase Qi Xia's chances of winning. The situation was ridiculous.
Had Qi Xia calculated all of this in advance?
"Should I just give him two white pieces after all...?" He squinted and thought again. At least white would only slightly increase Qi Xia's win rate, but black would greatly increase it...
No, that's not right.
The Man Pig shook his head again.
Neither two blacks nor two whites would work, because he didn't know what Qi Xia's strategy would be.
The Man Pig was forced to adjust his strategy. He abandoned the idea of two blacks or two whites and picked up one black and one white instead.
At this moment, he had only one thought—since he couldn't reduce Qi Xia's chance of winning, he would keep it the same.
Let everything return to the state of one-half. This situation should be more troublesome for Qi Xia.
"Yes... that's it..." The Man Pig nodded and placed one black and one white piece in Qi Xia's hand.
"Qi Xia, I've made my choice," the Man Pig said. "This life-or-death question is back in your hands."
"A life-or-death question..." Qi Xia felt the two pieces in his hand, his expression rather complicated.
The Man Pig finally breathed a sigh of relief. At this stage, at least, he had made the optimal choice.
For Qi Xia, the situation of one black and one white should be the hardest to handle. He had to pick one of them and ask that person the color of the two pieces.
He didn't know what color the piece he chose was, nor did he know whether the person he asked would tell the truth or lie.
Under this double fog, Qi Xia's chances of winning would drop infinitely.
Old Lyu and Lin Qin saw the one black and one white in Qi Xia's hand and broke out in cold sweat.
These two weren't fools; they naturally understood the stakes.
It seemed that all of Qi Xia's earlier tactics had failed, and everything had returned to square one.
Now, the pieces were still one black and one white, and the two people were still one truth-teller and one liar.
Without extremely strong "luck," how could anyone possibly survive?
Old Lyu pursed his lips and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. His hands had already gone cold with tension.
"Qi Xia, who are you going to ask?" the Man Pig asked.
Qi Xia turned his head toward Old Lyu, then toward Lin Qin, his expression heavy as he thought.
Who was the truth-teller?
After about thirty seconds, Qi Xia made his choice: "I choose Lin Qin..."
Lin Qin trembled all over upon hearing this, as if frightened.
"Good." The Man Pig turned to Lin Qin and waved his hand. "Come here, little girl. Remember the rules: you can only answer 'black' or 'white.' If you dare say anything else or give any hint, you'll die instantly."
Lin Qin nodded, her face pale.
The Man Pig turned back to Qi Xia. "Begin, Qi Xia. You only have one chance to ask. Whether you can save your life depends on this one question."