Chapter 179: Heavenly Sheep?
Seeing the three of them acting like this, Qi Xia felt like he was a bit superfluous.
This was, after all, an Earth-level game, and their opponent was the Jidao.
The strings in Qi Xia's heart were pulled tight, making him out of sync with the three before him.
About an hour later, relying on his memory, Qi Xia arrived at the spot where he had met Xiaoxiao the day before. Then he followed a small path to a street corner and finally saw that "Tiger."
He had a white tiger's head, every strand of fur looking as realistic as if it had grown on a real face.
Unlike the other "Zodiacs," the Earth Tiger was not standing at the door with his hands behind his back; instead, he sat slumped on the ground, listless.
Behind the Earth Tiger stood an old residential building, five or six stories high.
When he saw four people approaching, he lazily lifted his eyelids to glance at them, then lowered his head again and remained silent.
"Hey," Zhang Shan called out. "Got some work for you."
Hearing this, the Earth Tiger slowly raised his head and gave Zhang Shan another look, but still said nothing.
"What's your deal, 'Zodiac'?" Zhang Shan asked, sizing him up with confusion. "The 'Zodiacs' we've met before all wanted customers to come knocking, but you don't seem too welcoming."
"Scram," the Earth Tiger said.
"Huh?" Zhang Shan was taken aback. "What do you mean, 'scram'?"
The Earth Tiger sighed, slowly stood up, and added, "My game kills people. If you understand, get lost now."
He thought saying this would make the group back off, but none of the four people before him showed any sign of surprise.
"How do you collect the entry fee?" Zhang Shan asked calmly.
The Earth Tiger looked at each of them in turn, his expression still impatient. "Can't you understand me? Joining my game could get you killed."
"Yes, we know," Zhang Shan nodded. "So what's the entry fee?"
The Earth Tiger's expression shifted slightly. After a low grunt, he turned around and closed the heavy iron door behind him, saying, "Sorry, not open today. Get lost."
Qi Xia stroked his chin and studied the Earth Tiger before him, finding the situation quite interesting.
When every other "Zodiac" was enthusiastically drumming up customers, this white tiger gave the exact opposite attitude.
In their past encounters, regardless of the game's difficulty, the "Earth-level" ones all wanted participants to die in the game. But the Earth Tiger was specifically warning players away with "my game kills people."
Qi Xia suddenly remembered that Xiaoxiao had mentioned yesterday that this Earth Tiger's game venue had just been established. In other words, this Earth Tiger had just been promoted?
So he was different from the other Earth-level "Zodiacs," since he still retained a "human" side.
"Hey, hey, hey... this game is very important to me," Joe Jiading said. "This is my 'Battle for the Brain.' Can you cooperate a little, referee?"
"I don't understand," the Earth Tiger shook his head. "There are plenty of 'Zodiacs' around here. Go wherever you want, as long as you don't step into my territory. You can go anywhere else."
Joe Jiading and Zhang Shan exchanged a look, feeling the situation was tricky.
Qi Xia stepped forward and asked, "Earth Tiger, why don't you want us to participate in your game?"
"I don't want to kill anyone," the Earth Tiger thought for a moment, then added, "Not for now."
"Why?" Qi Xia asked.
"Do I have to explain myself to you?"
Seeing that the other party had no intention of answering, Qi Xia pressed on. "What if we want to die ourselves?"
"You..." The Earth Tiger seemed exasperated. "The roads around here go everywhere. You could go anywhere, yet you're set on dying?"
"Yeah," Qi Xia nodded. "There are many roads in this world, and everyone has their own path. The path we've chosen is to participate in your game."
Hearing Qi Xia's words, the Earth Tiger suddenly trembled all over.
His eyes changed.
Those brown tiger eyes showed an incredulous gleam as he stared at Qi Xia from head to toe, scrutinizing him repeatedly.
"Sorry..." the Earth Tiger said, his voice trembling. "What did you just say?"
"I said there are many roads in this world, and everyone has their own path."
The Earth Tiger was silent for a long time, just swallowing slightly.
"Five 'Dao' per person to join the game," the Earth Tiger said in a low voice. "Three per team, need two teams."
Though a bit puzzled, Zhang Shan still pulled a handful of 'Dao' from his pocket and casually tossed them to the Earth Tiger.
"We're going in then," he said, waving his hand as he led the others through the door into the building.
Qi Xia didn't enter. There was a very ominous feeling in his heart.
"Earth Tiger, have you heard that phrase before?" he asked.
The Earth Tiger thought for a moment and nodded.
That slight nod sent a shock through Qi Xia's heart.
He stepped forward and grabbed the Earth Tiger's shoulder. "Where is she?!"
"What...?" The Earth Tiger was startled.
"Where is the person who said that phrase to you?!" Qi Xia's expression suddenly became agitated. "Where did you meet her?!"
"Why are you so excited?" The Earth Tiger reached out and pushed Qi Xia away. He was very strong; Qi Xia had no chance to resist. "Do you know that sheep?"
"What...?" Qi Xia's eyes went wide. "You mean... you heard that phrase from another 'Zodiac'?!"
The Earth Tiger felt he had said too much and his expression turned cold.
"I said, what does that have to do with you?" He slowly approached Qi Xia. "Don't you think you're asking too many questions?"
"I..."
Qi Xia wanted to ask more, but he only felt the world spinning. All the self-satisfied clues he had gathered about the 'Dao' shattered.
A sheep?
Yu Nian'an is a 'Sheep'?
This situation was getting too bizarre.
Was the one who brought him to the 'Land of the End' Yu Nian'an? Had she always been a part of this place?
But what was the purpose of all this?
Qi Xia's eyes slowly widened.
Was the name 'Yu Nian'an' itself a lie told by the 'Sheep'?
The lies this 'Zodiac' told weren't limited to the game; they could even affect a person's memory.
No, not just memory...
She had actually appeared in the real world... She had sewn a cartoon sheep head for him with her own hands.
Such a powerful ability far surpassed the 'Earth-level.'
Could Yu Nian'an be...
"Hey..." Qi Xia asked, his voice trembling. "That sheep you mentioned... is it the 'Heavenly Sheep'?"
"Probably," the Earth Tiger said, looking at the sky with a dazed expression, then added, "Originally not... But now it should be."
Qi Xia reached up to cover his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
"She's the 'Heavenly Sheep'... I've been deceived...?"
Qi Xia raised his head and slowly looked at that furry tiger face.
Soon, a bitter smile appeared on his face.
Why would he believe the words of a monster with a tiger's head and a human's body in this bizarre place?
He had known Yu Nian'an since he was nineteen.
Now Qi Xia was twenty-six.
Even if she were the Heavenly Sheep, would she spend seven years tricking an ordinary person?
Would it take the 'Heavenly Sheep' that long to deceive someone at the very bottom of society?!
"Either I've been deceived..." Qi Xia muttered to himself, "or I've gone crazy."