Chapter 127: Seeking an Opportunity
Qi Xia reached out and gently shook the box in front of him. The unmistakable sound of a "Dao" rolling inside came through clearly.
"Monkey, it's my turn now, isn't it?" Qi Xia asked.
"You..." The Human Ape's Adam's apple moved slightly. He had planned out every step, yet he didn't know where things had gone wrong.
There was still one more inside the box?!
He quickly counted the "Dao" on the table—indeed, there were twenty-two. What was that one in the box?
"Your initial bet wasn't ten Dao at all..." The Human Ape's eyes slowly widened. "Bastard, you tricked me?!"
Qi Xia reached in and pulled out the last "Dao." "Yes. You can use your magic tricks, and I can use my own specialty."
With that, he placed the "Dao" on the table and spoke slowly. "Fortunately, I kept this box in front of me the whole time, so you never had a chance to check the 'Dao' inside it."
"Deception...?" The Human Ape said, a little dazed. "You knew I would cheat all along?"
"Not exactly. I just gave myself an extra layer of insurance," Qi Xia said. "My box always had one more 'Dao' than yours. It didn't affect my wins or losses. As long as I took out all the 'Dao' on my last turn, everything fell into place. You said your 'Dao' were 'no fewer than mine,' and I had eleven. I didn't break the rules."
"But I want to know when you pulled the trick," the Human Ape asked. "When that woman gave you the 'Dao,' I saw it clearly—there were exactly ten."
"I don't have your flashy techniques," Qi Xia said, picking up a "Dao" and trying to hide it in his palm like the Human Ape had, but he failed several times. "If I wanted to add an extra 'Dao' to my chips, I had to hold it in my hand from the very start."
The Human Ape suddenly understood.
When that woman had taken out the "Dao," this man had already been holding one in his hand.
He had cupped his hands like a bowl to receive the four "Dao" from the woman, but by then he already had five.
"I never expected to have lost so early." The Human Ape lost all his strength and slumped into a chair nearby. After a moment, he looked up at Qi Xia as if he had something to say.
Qi Xia noticed this but casually picked up the "Dao" and handed them to Yun Yao.
Finally, he left two on the table and pushed them toward the Human Ape.
"Monkey, I advise you not to do that," Qi Xia said slowly. "These two 'Dao' are for you to rebuild. You've come this far—there's no need to act on impulse."
"What... you..." The Human Ape hadn't expected Qi Xia to be so terrifying, seeing through his thoughts on the spot.
"If you really go all in, I'll show my trump card too," Qi Xia said. "I don't mind a fight to the death. I have nothing to lose, but you definitely can't beat me."
The Human Ape lowered his head completely, the word "give up" written all over his expression.
"Good. We'll meet again if fate allows." Qi Xia nodded and quickly left with the three people behind him.
Once they were outside, Qi Xia let out a long sigh of relief.
"Qi Xia, what's wrong?" Yun Yao asked. "Are you afraid the Human Ape will gamble for his life with you?"
"Exactly." Qi Xia kept looking back, fearful that the Human Ape might follow.
"But don't you have a 'trump card'?" Yun Yao found Qi Xia amusing. "You're far smarter than that Human Ape. If you really had to gamble for your life, I think your chances of winning would be high."
"I don't have a damn 'trump card.' Let's go." Qi Xia urged everyone to move quickly. "I was bluffing him just now. This Human Ape caught me off guard—he actually cheated. If we really had to gamble for our lives, I wouldn't know what cheating tricks he might pull."
"Huh? Bluffing? Ha ha ha ha!" Yun Yao burst out laughing. "You acted so convincingly. Are you a con man or something?"
"Let's go." Qi Xia said helplessly.
The three of them found a roadside spot to rest. Although it had only been an hour or two since dawn, it felt like a long time had passed.
"Let's divide the 'Dao,'" Qi Xia said. "We earned ten. Since both you and I contributed 'Dao,' you and I each get three. Qiao Jiajin and Tiantian get two each."
"Qi Xia, can I date you?" Yun Yao suddenly asked out of the blue.
"Wha—" Qi Xia was almost choked by the words. "What are you doing? Do you realize our situation right now?"
Next to them, Qiao Jiajin and Tiantian also gaped in shock. They felt like this girl really might have some issues.
After hearing that, Yun Yao blinked and then asked Qi Xia, "Do you like me?"
Qi Xia frowned deeply and shook his head. "I'm flattered, but I'm married."
"That's fine." Yun Yao said without hesitation. "I can just be your girlfriend here in the 'End Land.' We won't contact each other once we get out."
"Are you sick?" Qi Xia couldn't see through this woman. "I've made myself clear. Don't you understand? I have a wife!"
Yun Yao looked at Qi Xia with a blank expression, then scratched her head and mumbled quietly, "Still not enough?"
"Not enough?"
Yun Yao took a deep breath and said, "Qi Xia, forget about your wife. Am I uglier than her? Am I not as good as her? Instead of pining for someone far away, why not—"
"Yun Yao, don't waste the goodwill I have toward you." Qi Xia's eyes instantly turned icy cold, as if he might kill. "I won't allow anyone to speak about my wife in that tone. You should know I'm not a good person."
"What? Do you want to scold me?" Yun Yao said. "Or do you want to hit me? Go ahead, I'm right here waiting."
Qiao Jiajin was completely dumbfounded.
He never expected such a sudden burst of hostility.
"Hey, hey, hey... you two, talk it out properly," Qiao Jiajin hurriedly tried to mediate. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
An inexplicable tension hung in the air.
Seeing that Qi Xia seemed genuinely angry, Yun Yao let out a chuckle.
"Oh... alright, alright..." Yun Yao waved her hand. "That was just a joke. Sorry, Qi Xia. I shouldn't have talked about your wife like that. The woman who married you must be a really wonderful person."
Qi Xia furrowed his brow, also confused by Yun Yao's behavior.
"What are you up to?"
"I wanted to see if I could hear the 'Echo.' Looks like I failed." Yun Yao shook her head in frustration. "I don't know if it's because you didn't scold me hard enough, or if I don't actually like you that much... Anyway, maybe I was too hasty. Qi Xia, please don't be mad."
"See if you could hear the 'Echo'?" Qi Xia seemed to understand. "So the key to your 'Echo' is..."
" 'Seeking but not getting,' " Yun Yao said a little sheepishly. "Ever since I was a child, I've always gotten everything I liked. When I fall into a state of 'seeking but not getting,' that's when the bell rings."