Chapter 107: The Old Man
"I..." Qi Xia suddenly stepped back, but found this scene strangely familiar.
"What the hell!"
Qiao Jiajin was also startled. The two of them had only just arrived here less than a minute ago—where had this old man come from?
How had he silently appeared behind Qi Xia?
"Young man, you really can't mess with Tianlong!" The old man revealed his single remaining tooth and stretched out a withered arm toward Qi Xia. "Betting your life... even betting your life might not work..."
Qiao Jiajin was about to step forward to intervene, but Qi Xia pulled him back.
"Wait, I want to talk to him."
He pulled Qiao Jiajin aside and reached out to grab the old man.
The two of them held each other's arms like old friends who hadn't seen each other in ages.
"Old man, do you know me?" Qi Xia asked.
The old man was momentarily stunned, on the verge of tears.
He tightened his grip on Qi Xia's hand, squeezing until it hurt.
"You're willing to talk to me... that's great... I can wait..." the old man said shakily. "Even if everything has to start over, I can wait... You'll destroy this damn place soon and liberate all of us..."
The old man seemed quite insane, so Qi Xia could only go along with his words.
"Liberate everyone?" Qi Xia asked. "What does 'liberate' mean?"
"We're trapped here!!" the old man wailed. "Someone lied... someone told a huge lie!! He tricked everyone!!"
"Old man, calm down first." Qi Xia released the old man's hand and grabbed his shoulders, trying to steady his emotions. "Who tricked us? What lie did he tell?"
"It's—"
Just as the old man was about to speak, a sudden thunderclap rumbled in the sky.
Qi Xia heard thunder here for the first time. He looked up sharply, only to find not a single cloud in the sky.
Since there were no clouds, where did the thunder come from?
"I can't say..." The old man lowered his head in terror, his voice becoming very small. "If I say it, I'll die..."
Die?
"Alright, let's change the question." Qi Xia continued. "You said we're trapped here. What does that mean?"
The old man raised his head, his face fearful but his tone serious. "Young man, no one can get out... Even death can't get you out... Born and die, die and born..."
"Why can't anyone get out?" Qi Xia asked. "Even if we collect enough 'Dao,' can we still not get out?"
"'Dao'?" The old man froze, then looked up at Qi Xia in confusion and asked, "What the hell is 'Dao'?"
What the hell is "Dao"?
Qi Xia had never expected the old man to ask this question.
He was shouting at Qi Xia to "bet his life," yet he didn't even know what "Dao" was?
"'Dao' is..." Qi Xia reached into his pocket and found he had no Dao on him. The four that Man-Long had given him were all with Officer Li.
So he could only describe the appearance of Dao. "It's a small yellowish-white ball, the size of a walnut, shining. It's the 'token' we use in the games. I heard that if you collect three thousand six hundred of them, you can get out."
"Three... thousand six hundred Dao?" The old man's expression gradually became puzzled. "I see... Even though this place has become this wretched state, he still remembers what the master said..."
"'Master'?" Qi Xia was taken aback. "Who is 'Master'?"
"I can't say." The old man replied firmly. "The questions you ask me here will get me killed."
Qi Xia felt that the old man before him was no ordinary person.
He absolutely retained memories from before.
His memories might be longer than anyone else's, and could come in handy at a crucial moment.
"Old man, do you want to come with us?" Qi Xia asked again. "We have food there. Are you hungry?"
The old man was skin and bones, his face like withered bark covered in cracked wrinkles. He must not have eaten for a long time.
"Food... don't be foolish. I don't need to eat at all." The old man's expression darkened, and he looked deeply disappointed. "You're inviting me to eat... what a joke..."
"Don't need to eat?"
Qi Xia thought for a moment and realized the old man wasn't wrong. Even if they starved to death in the "Land of the End," it wouldn't matter, so naturally there was no need to eat.
Qiao Jiajin had been watching the old man for a while and sighed helplessly.
"Scammer boy, he's clearly crazy. How can you talk to him for so long?"
Before Qi Xia could reply, the old man turned to look at Qiao Jiajin.
He approached Qiao Jiajin step by step, forcing him to retreat.
"Hey, hey, hey..." Qiao Jiajin was clearly flustered. "I don't hit the old, the young, or women, so don't mess around..."
The old man ignored Qiao Jiajin and grabbed his wrist firmly.
"You..." Qiao Jiajin tried to pull his hand back but couldn't move it at all. "Damn... what kind of strength is this? Are you a martial artist?"
"Qiao Jiajin..." The old man said slowly, holding his hand. "Why don't you remember me? Qi Xia remembers, but you don't recognize me?"
Qi Xia narrowed his eyes slightly. This old man indeed knew them.
"Huh?" Qiao Jiajin was stunned. He had never dealt with a madman before and looked very nervous. "Why would I know you? Who the hell are you?"
The old man didn't speak. He held Qiao Jiajin's wrist in silence for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. "I see... Last time you died before your 'Echo'..."
"Echo this, Echo that..." Qiao Jiajin said rudely. "Right now you're making my head buzz. If you don't let go, I'll really hit you!"
The old man suddenly released his grip, causing Qiao Jiajin to lose his balance and step back.
"You need to protect Qi Xia." The old man said slowly. "To liberate everyone, we still need your strength."
After speaking, the old man fell silent, slowly lowering his head in thought.
Qi Xia stepped forward and said, "Old man, are you sure you won't come back with us? There are many things I want to ask you."
"No." The old man nodded. "You don't need to find me. Just wait for me to come to you."
"This..." Qi Xia looked at him with some difficulty. The old man seemed to be hiding some great secret, one that tormented him greatly. "Alright, can I know your name?"
The old man took a few steps back and said, "I have no name, but here, they call me 'White Tiger.'"
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man's body suddenly floated up, and then vanished in midair.
He didn't fly away like in a martial arts movie, nor did he cast a spell like in a fantasy film. He simply vanished in midair.