Chapter 1220: A Pie in the Sky
Chu Tianqiu snapped back to reality and looked down at the ground beneath his feet.
Though he had no idea what had just happened, at least his mind was gradually stabilizing.
"Boss..." Groundhog glanced at him with a puzzled expression, then flashed a meaningful smile. "If you two are really that scared, there's no need to put on such a terrifying act. Just yell 'How terrifying!' and make your dramatic exit."
"Scared...?" Chu Tianqiu shook his head. "Groundhog, I got on this train to deal with Tianlong. What reason do you think I have to be scared right now?"
Groundhog frowned slightly after hearing this. "Boss... you want to take on Tianlong? Well, then I've truly been looking down on you."
"Then open your doggy eyes and watch closely. I need to reach the 'head of the train' as soon as possible," Chu Tianqiu said.
"This road isn't easy. Hold tight, Boss," Groundhog said. "If you slip and fall in a place like this, there won't be a complete corpse left."
"Makes sense," Chu Tianqiu replied. "I might not have been able to keep a whole corpse anyway, so I just have to try not to fall."
"Then may your fortune be as vast as the heavens."
Groundhog turned to Qin Dingdong. "And you, ma'am... what business do you have here?"
"Excellent question." Qin Dingdong said sourly. "Does big sister have to tell the whole truth to a mouse I've barely met a few times?"
"Ma'am." Groundhog sighed. "Right now, I'm clearing the path for you. If I don't know your ultimate goal, it's hard for a 'fence-sitter' like me to make a choice."
"You're a 'fence-sitter,' so why bother choosing at all?" Qin Dingdong said. "Just lead the way properly. Big sister isn't paraquat—I'm not here to kill you."
As they were talking, heavy footsteps sounded from the other direction.
Groundhog furrowed his brow and slowly turned around to see a Ground Ox striding toward them step by step.
It was an exceptionally strong water buffalo.
"Ladies and gentlemen... I might have to betray you now." Groundhog said, staring at the water buffalo.
"Betray us already?" Zhang Shan chuckled. "Not going to think it over a bit longer?"
"Boss..." Groundhog turned to look at Zhang Shan. "That guy's not coming in peace... Do you think the two of us can handle him? Right now, betraying all of you is the best option."
Zhang Shan said nothing, just rolled his neck. A series of cracking sounds rang out, and the injuries on his body began to slowly heal.
Chu Tianqiu felt that this strange space was indeed similar to the "Cangjie Chess." The "Echo" seemed to have lost its connection temporarily, but as long as they used the right method, they could re-establish it immediately.
Seeing Zhang Shan's wounds start to recover, Groundhog's expression gradually changed.
"Oh, I take that back. I spoke too soon. I won't betray you for now."
The Ground Ox trudged over with heavy steps, his massive frame nearly half a head taller than Zhang Shan.
"Oh..." The Ground Ox immediately spotted Zhang Shan. "It's you again."
"What the hell, 'you again'?" Zhang Shan didn't seem to remember this Ground Ox at all. "Don't act familiar. What do you want?"
"Fine." The Ground Ox nodded. "I don't really want anything... I just want everyone to follow the rules obediently. If you all get off the train now, I'll pretend nothing happened."
Chu Tianqiu looked up at the towering water buffalo. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why won't you attack us? And why do you want to protect the rules here?"
The Water Buffalo shook his head. "The 'Zodiacs' and the 'Participants' are merely cooperative partners at best. I take your lives, you take our 'Dao.' We keep to our own affairs. If we lose our 'Dao,' we can claim another; if you lose your lives, you can live again. But smashing someone else's rice bowl—that's not quite appropriate."
"What a 'rice bowl' argument." Chu Tianqiu said. "Do you really believe that killing three thousand six hundred people will let you become a 'Heaven'?"
"Becoming a 'Heaven-grade' allows free access to 'Peach Blossom Spring.' That's the goal of every 'Zodiac.'" The Ground Ox said. "In our eyes, what you're doing is cutting off the path of all 'Zodiacs.' I have no choice but to stop you."
Qin Dingdong sneered and pointed into the distance. "Brother Ox, haven't you noticed? There are so many 'Zodiacs' out there, but only you came over. Are you sure you can represent the entire 'Zodiac'?"
"I don't care about them." The Ground Ox sighed. "I've always worked diligently, only doing my own job. If you won't leave, I'll have to escort you off right here."
Groundhog stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and leaned close to the Ground Ox. "Boss, as the 'Number One Tamer of Peach Blossom Spring,' why are you talking like a bear?"
"Groundhog..." The Ground Ox glared at him unhappily. "It's one thing if the 'Participants' rebel—there's still a chance they'll come back if they die. But why are you following them on this madness? None of us got where we are today by 'luck.' Why are you so careless with your life?"
"Careless with my life?" Groundhog's face lost its smile, turning serious. "You, a 'Zodiac' without a collar around your neck—how can you tell I'm careless? Every day in 'Peach Blossom Spring,' I walk on the edge of a blade. I can't even sleep peacefully. Now I want to fight back once, and you accuse me of being careless?"
"Don't you not have a collar now?" The Ground Ox said. "That said, the reason you were collared in the first place was that you believed Sky Rat's so-called 'pie in the sky' back then. You wanted to rise to the top overnight, and you have no one to blame for this tragedy. But leading a 'rebellion' genuinely interferes with my interests. I have no choice but to step in. If you had realized earlier that 'pie' and 'trap' are only one character apart in writing, you would have woken up long ago."
"Yeah..." Groundhog nodded. "Just like when people are desperate, they believe in 'gods'... When I saw no hope at all, Sky Rat appeared before me with a collar, telling me I could become an 'Earth-grade' faster and see my family... If it were you... wouldn't you be tempted?"
"Maybe I would have put it on too." The Ground Ox said. "But we're not discussing hypotheticals. We're discussing reality. I never ended up on your miserable path, and you are now threatening all 'Zodiacs.' So I have to stop you from the standpoint of the actual situation."
"What an inhuman wild ox." Groundhog's eyes grew cold. "Boss, it sounds like we each have our own reasons, and neither can convince the other. So we'll have to settle it with our fists."
"I heard your game is 'Fruit.'" The Ground Ox slowly took off his suit jacket and tossed it to the ground. "My game is 'Hunting.' What chances do you have?"
"Wrong, isn't it?" Groundhog chuckled lightly. "I heard my game is called 'Cat and Mouse,' and yours is called 'Eagle Catching Chicks.' Doesn't seem much different."