Chapter 88: An Idol
"Kings never meet?" Yun Yao found this statement somewhat interesting. "Are you saying that this Qi Xia... is even as powerful as you?"
"No, he is much stronger than me." Chu Tianqiu put the chalk back and found a chair to sit down. "It's just that he has endured too few trials. If we want to use his strength, we still need to wait for an opportunity."
After Jin Yuanxun went out, he looked at Qi Xia, who was silently waiting at the door, his expression somewhat awkward.
"Is he going to see me?" Qi Xia asked.
"No..." Jin Yuanxun shook his head. "Brother Chu told me to ask you a question."
"A question?" Qi Xia thought for a moment, then nodded. "Caution is correct. What does he want to ask?"
"May I ask which day you arrived here?"
Qi Xia frowned, finding it quite strange.
There were so many questions he could have asked, yet Chu Tianqiu chose this one alone?
"I arrived here three days ago."
"Three days ago..." Jin Yuanxun nodded. "Brother, please wait a moment. I'll go report back."
Qi Xia nodded solemnly, but he was already starting to feel unsteady.
...
"Three days ago?" Chu Tianqiu laughed. "That's what he said?"
"Yes." Jin Yuanxun nodded. "Ah, brother, we all came here three days ago, so it's not strange, right? Do we need to ask anything else?"
"No need to bother with him anymore." Chu Tianqiu said. "He answered incorrectly this time. We don't need to give him another chance."
"Ah?" Jin Yuanxun was stunned. "Brother... that person looks seriously injured. If we ignore him, it's very likely..."
"Then let him die."
"Uh..." Jin Yuanxun was taken aback. "Brother... didn't you say..."
"It's not time yet." Chu Tianqiu turned to look at Yun Yao. "Yun Yao, please see him out for me."
"Okay, understood."
Yun Yao stretched, stood up, and walked toward the door.
"Aish... Brother, if we want to escape, shouldn't we rely on the strength of the powerful?" Jin Yuanxun looked confused. "If that man is really that powerful, why not let him join?"
"He must join us, but not now." Chu Tianqiu said with a smile. "Right now, Qi Xia is like a wounded snake. He hates everything here. He wants to live and he wants to escape. In this state, he cannot join 'Heaven's Gate,' and we cannot view him as a teammate."
Jin Yuanxun was dazed for a long time, then nodded as if half-understanding.
Yun Yao had only taken a few steps out the door when she saw Qi Xia standing outside the courtyard. Half of his clothes were soaked in blood, looking quite horrifying.
"Qi Xia?" Yun Yao asked.
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded.
"Let me ask you, if the first five digits of a seven-digit password are 'YMWDH,' what should the last two digits be?"
"'MS.'" Qi Xia answered without hesitation. "Are all the people at 'Heaven's Gate' this boring?"
"Really?" Yun Yao was surprised. "You figured it out in just one second?"
"The English words for 'year, month, week, day, hour'—sorted by time length, the last two must be the initials of 'minute' and 'second.'" Qi Xia said. "Is this the 'Heaven's Gate' interview?"
"No, it's just my personal test." Yun Yao smiled charmingly. "I really like smart people. It took the death of one of our teammates to crack this password."
"Then that means 'Heaven's Gate' is nothing special." Qi Xia replied.
"No, it's just that my level is too low." Yun Yao shook her head and corrected him. "If Chu Tianqiu had handled it, he probably would have cracked it in a second as well."
"So when can I see Chu Tianqiu?" Qi Xia asked. "He's already kept me waiting for twenty minutes."
"You won't see him." Yun Yao's smile was like a flower, her eyes curving as she replied. "You didn't pass the 'interview,' so 'Heaven's Gate' is not prepared to accept you."
After hearing this, Qi Xia showed a look of disbelief.
"So the first question was the real interview." He stared at Yun Yao. "Did I answer that question wrong?"
"I don't know about that." Yun Yao pouted. "If Chu Tianqiu says you're wrong, then you're wrong."
"I understand." Qi Xia nodded, turned around, and prepared to leave.
"Hey!" Yun Yao called out. "Even though 'Heaven's Gate' isn't ready to accept you, I really like you. I enjoy helping handsome down-and-out guys. Would you like to stay as my 'rumored boyfriend'? I believe Chu Tianqiu won't refuse either."
Qi Xia turned his head and glanced at Yun Yao, a hint of mockery in his expression. "I appreciate the offer."
"So cold." Yun Yao scratched her head, then pulled out a bottle of mineral water from behind her. "Here, take this. Let's be friends?"
Seeing the plastic bottle in Yun Yao's hand, Qi Xia swallowed.
He hadn't had any water for nearly a day.
"Consider this water as something I owe you." Qi Xia reached out and took it, twisted off the cap, closed his eyes, and gulped it all down.
He was severely injured now, so even if she had poisoned it, there was nothing to fear.
"So sweet..." Qi Xia exhaled. "I guess I've been dehydrated for too long."
"The reason it's so sweet is because I took a sip from this bottle." Yun Yao revealed a meaningful smile. "Now we've had an 'indirect kiss,' right?"
"Thank you for the water. I'll repay you when I get the chance." Qi Xia casually threw the bottle on the ground and turned to leave.
Watching Qi Xia's receding figure, Yun Yao felt a bit annoyed. "So rude. Even a popular idol personally extending goodwill gets rejected."
"He left?" Chu Tianqiu appeared behind Yun Yao and asked.
"He left."
"Did he give up?"
"Judging by his expression, he didn't seem to have given up. Instead, it looked like he had made some kind of decision." Yun Yao shook her head. "This guy is really impressive. I'm starting to like him."
"Oh? Just a couple of days ago you said you liked me, and now you've changed your affections so quickly?" Chu Tianqiu gave a wry smile. "I really can't figure you out."
"Don't try to guess an idol's thoughts." Yun Yao shrugged. "Looking forward to the day I meet Qi Xia again."
The two left from the main gate, and the dilapidated campus fell silent again.
And the young man named Jin Yuanxun once again stood at the door, cautiously looking around as if nothing had happened.
Qi Xia found a cracked wall, sat down to rest for half an hour, then stood up again and walked forward along the road.
After this indirect meeting with Chu Tianqiu, he became increasingly clear about the 'rules' of this damned place.
The situation was probably much more complicated than he had imagined.
Now he had only one last thought: to go see the edge of the city.
If there was any way to escape this place, it would surely be at the edge.