Chapter 1100: Not Human
"I still think something's off."
Qinglong frowned. He had rehearsed these "characters" many times in advance, but he could never recall that this set of "components" could form "father."
"Qi Xia, what trick did you pull?" Qinglong asked coldly.
"A trick?" Qi Xia paused after hearing this. "Do I need to take Xuanwu to see how I pieced it together this time as well?"
"It's hard for me to believe that you actually formed this character using the existing radicals," Qinglong said. "So this time, I still want to inspect it."
"No," Xuanwu said. "No one inspected you when you were creating your 'character' either."
"Is your rationality fading too much?" Qinglong frowned. "Can't you see that he's cheating?"
"Don't go throwing accusations around," Qi Xia said. "Xuanwu can inspect it. I have no problem with that. But you can't."
As Qinglong's face twisted in displeasure, Qi Xia led Xuanwu behind the massive wall. Just a few seconds later, Xuanwu came out and said in a deep voice, "No rules broken."
Qinglong's expression instantly became a spectacle of disbelief. He had always suspected that Xuanwu didn't know what trick Qi Xia had used—that maybe she had been fooled by some illusion.
But unfortunately, Xuanwu was now the referee for this game, and he had to follow her judgment.
Then again, even if Qi Xia hadn't broken the rules, with Xuanwu as the referee, could "father" really win?
"Fine..." Qinglong said grimly. "Even if he correctly pieced together this 'character'... Xuanwu, how do you intend to judge it?"
"I..." Xuanwu looked up at the screen, paused for a few seconds, and then asked, "What character is this?"
"Father," Han Yimo said.
"Hey," Chen Junnan replied.
"...?"
Hearing this answer, Xuanwu hesitated for a moment, as if she didn't understand the meaning of the character.
"Father... what does it mean...?"
The group was momentarily stunned, then all turned their eyes to Xuanwu.
"Your dad," Chen Junnan explained. "Usually pairs up with your mom."
"Dad...? Why is this 'character'... important to humans?" Xuanwu asked again.
"Huh?"
The others present showed confused expressions.
Chen Junnan paused and said, "Sis, usually... only if your mom and dad meet and get together, then you come into this world."
"Nonsense," Xuanwu snapped. "I never remember having any 'father.' I only remember needing 'rice.'"
Qi Xia also slowly furrowed his brow, realizing that a referee like Xuanwu was a double-edged sword.
Her judgment of these two "characters" all came from her own life experience. If she were an orphan, then the argument for "father" wouldn't hold.
After all, from her perspective, humans don't need a "father" to appear in this world.
"Whether you admit it or not, you were born from humans," Chen Junnan said. "You look pretty impressive now, but what about before you came here? Think about it."
Xuanwu still remained silent, her expression wooden.
"I have no 'father,'" Xuanwu said after a few seconds. "I have no 'mother' either. 'Rice' is the most important thing. I only remember needing 'rice.'"
The group's minds were racing. The outcome of this game seemed to have shifted from "character formation" to "convincing Xuanwu."
"Sis, could it be that you're the 'referee'?" Chen Junnan tried a different approach. "You need to be fair, just, and open. Think about it—even if you don't admit to having a 'father,' others do."
"Precisely because I'm the referee," Xuanwu said. "I have to judge by my rules. I don't need 'father,' but I need 'rice.'"
At that point, Chen Junnan didn't know how to continue. Xuanwu seemed to have her own logic, and she was impervious to persuasion.
He usually couldn't deal with such stubborn people, but there seemed to be someone here who could talk to her.
If that person stepped in, there might be a chance.
"Old Qiao! Go!" Chen Junnan said.
"Alright!" Qiao Jiajin nodded. "Leave it to me, Jun Nan Zai. I'm great at talking."
With that, he stepped forward and said, "Straw lady, hi there."
"...How dare you," Xuanwu snapped.
"Don't be mad, hear me out first," Qiao Jiajin said. "See, our topic this time is 'what is more important to humans,' right?"
"Yes," Xuanwu nodded.
"But are you human?"
"I..."
"Straw lady, you're not human," Qiao Jiajin said. "We've been discussing this for a while, but it's not about you—it's about 'humans.' How can you judge based on your own experience?"
"This..." Xuanwu paused, feeling that was indeed a valid point.
"But we are human!" Qiao Jiajin pointed to himself and the others around him. "This question should be asked to us. We'll all tell you what's most important to us, right?"
Xuanwu's train of thought jammed slightly.
Was she really "human"?
Unable to live, unable to die, walking in this dark, sunless place with an "indestructible" body.
Could such a body be considered "human"?
"I'm like a 'ghost,'" Xuanwu said. "I'm not like a 'human.'"
"Right! Whether god or ghost, you're definitely not human," Qiao Jiajin laughed. "So what you think is important doesn't matter to us."
Xuanwu paused for a long time, then somehow nodded.
"And that long-haired guy over there—don't ask him either. He says he's a 'god.' What a 'god' lists definitely isn't important to humans, only to 'gods,' so asking him is useless."
Xuanwu mused thoughtfully, "That makes sense."
Chen Junnan patted Qiao Jiajin on the shoulder: "Old Qiao, you're the man."
"That's not the logic," Qinglong cut in coldly. "Xuanwu, don't be confused anymore. Whatever they say, they just want you to rule 'father' as the winner. Can you believe that?"
"This..." Xuanwu seemed completely confused by both sides' arguments. She just stood there dumbly in silence.
"Besides, 'rice' is also important to 'father,'" Qinglong said. "Even if all humans are born of parents, don't parents themselves need to eat? If the food supply is cut off, the parents will die, and where will the children come from?"
Chen Junnan glared at Qinglong. "You're really twisting things."
"You're both right," Xuanwu said. "Though 'father' isn't important to me, it might be important to 'humans.' But they also need 'rice.'"
(The next chapter may be after midnight. For those who can't wait, go ahead and sleep. Sorry.)