Chapter 261: Setting Up a Stall
Di Yang pondered for a long time before releasing his grip on Qi Xia's collar.
He straightened his suit and asked, "Then tell me… what exactly counts as a 'fair and square' duel?"
Qi Xia pointed at his own temple. "Spare my life, and let us duel with this."
Di Yang studied Qi Xia for a moment, then spoke in a low voice. "You should have figured it out by now. The rules allow killing. I don't need to use my brains to make you lose at any moment."
Qi Xia nodded. "Yes, but would that be interesting?"
"Interesting…?"
"You could have killed everyone here the moment you arrived… yet you chose to participate in the game honestly." Qi Xia said quietly. "Are you afraid of getting too bored… or afraid you'll go mad?"
"I…"
"So don't you want to spar with me?"
Di Yang felt as if he had fallen into a trap.
That earlier "betting your life" was clearly just this man's bluff. This was exactly what he had been aiming for.
"Kid… I am a 'Sheep,' and yet you dare to try and deceive me?"
"Oh?" Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm bluffing?"
Di Yang's face turned cold, and his pitch-black fur actually bristled. "What makes you think that after betting your life, I won't kill you on the spot?"
Qi Xia's expression also turned cold, and instead of backing down, he stepped forward. "Then what makes you think I really wouldn't gamble with you…"
Di Yang shot out his hand again and clamped down on Qi Xia's chin.
He slowly swallowed his saliva, feeling as if he could not see through this man at all.
Could it be that "betting your life" wasn't his scheme, but his true intention?
How could anyone in this godforsaken place actually risk their life against a "Ground-level" fighter?!
Did this man have some kind of "trump card"?
Or… perhaps a "backer"?
A lingering fear crept into Di Yang as he looked at Qi Xia. It had taken him a full thirteen years to reach his current position! Thirteen whole years!
He could not allow any mishap.
"Fine, kid. I'll do as you say." Di Yang gritted his teeth. "I'll spare your life, but you're not to speak those two words again."
Qi Xia curled the corner of his mouth and even began fanning himself with the "Grief" fan in his hand.
Di Yang wished he could tear this arrogant man's head off right then and there, but that look in his eyes always gave him pause.
He had no choice but to cut off his train of thought and turn back to the long table.
He had intended to modify the writing on the blackboard, but if it truly ended up as a "one-for-one" like Qi Xia had said, he would gain nothing.
From his perspective, he had no idea what Qi Xia was thinking.
Seeing Di Yang walk away, the others gradually drew closer to Qi Xia's stall.
Since this man had been able to negotiate directly with the "judge," everyone's tone toward him had become much more polite.
One after another, people pulled out their fans and exchanged them with Qi Xia.
Every time Qi Xia received a fan, he simply set it down untouched, waiting for his next "customer."
Rather than saying Qi Xia had set up a stall to exchange fans, it was more accurate to say that he had become a completely fair and open "fan trading platform." Anyone could come to him to swap for the fan they wanted, and under the watchful eyes of the crowd and the supervision of a sharp knife, there was no need to fear being cheated.
"Young man…" An old man tottered over and pulled a "Grief" fan from his pocket. "I'd like to trade for a 'Joy' fan…"
"No problem!" Qi Xia nodded, took the "Grief" fan, and handed the old man a "Joy" fan.
Many people's expressions shifted when they saw the "Grief" fan. They also pulled out their own fans, but before anyone could speak, Qi Xia tucked the "Grief" fan into his pocket.
Only three fans remained available for exchange.
After countless reshuffles, the current selection was "Happiness," "Happiness," and "Joy."
"Eh…?" A young man asked in confusion, "Can't we trade for that 'Grief' fan just now?"
"Sorry," Qi Xia said with a smile. "I happened to need that one. Take a look at the others."
Many people's faces fell when they heard this, but they didn't leave, as if waiting for the next opportunity.
After all, the stall owner had obtained the "Grief" fan he was missing, which meant that the next "Grief" fan would still be unclaimed. That would be their chance.
The frequency of exchanges slowed noticeably.
And Qi Xia's goal had almost been achieved.
Judging by the three fans left on the stall, the most abundant type on the field right now was "Happiness," followed by "Joy." "Anger" and "Grief" were likely very scarce.
After all, "Happiness" and "Joy" had been sitting out for so long without being traded away, while everyone was waiting for "Anger" and "Grief."
From this, he deduced that those who had left must have inadvertently taken away large numbers of "Anger" and "Grief" fans.
Since all the fan faces were hidden, no one knew exactly how many of each there were.
So… was someone monopolizing "Anger"?
Qi Xia gave a faint smile, completely unconcerned.
Whoever was hoarding them didn't matter. In this game, "monopolizing" was undoubtedly the stupidest move.
After another moment, a gaunt man walked over, holding a broken fan, and asked cautiously, "Brother… do you remember me?"
Qi Xia glanced up. This was the man who had had two fans stolen from him and one torn to pieces.
Qi Xia nodded. "I remember. What about it?"
"Can—can I trade this fan of mine with you?"
Qi Xia naturally understood the man's intention. He took a careful look at the man's pocket and saw that besides the one in his hand, he actually had another fan.
It seemed that in the last round, he had also spent three "Dao" to buy one.
"Brother, this fan of yours has a problem." Qi Xia said flatly. "I may be running a stall, but I'm not going to do a losing business."
The onlookers naturally remembered this gaunt man. The fan in his hand was clearly a broken one.
"Brother…" The gaunt man said with a troubled expression. "Just trade with me… You have so many fans, one more or less won't matter… I don't even know if I can take this fan out of here…"
Qi Xia felt as if the man had told a joke—inexplicably funny.
"Yeah, young man!" A middle-aged woman suddenly spoke up. "You've got so many fans, why not do a good deed and help this kid out? He's had his fans stolen, it's really hard for him."
"That's right, that's right! We have to help each other if we want to get out."
Quite a few people in the crowd began to chime in.
One person telling a joke was already funny enough, but now it seemed to be a group performance.
In no time, the people present were all clamoring.
Among them were not only the "Apocalypse Madonna" but also a bunch of petty troublemakers.
"Alright!" Qi Xia suddenly shouted, instantly silencing the noisy crowd. "Everyone's right! We really should help each other."
"Exactly, exactly!" The gaunt man broke into a grin, thrusting his fan forward. "Brother, just trade with me!"
"Of course." Qi Xia nodded. "Not only will I trade this one with you, but I'll also trade the one in your pocket."
With that, he picked up two "Happiness" fans from the ground and said flatly, "Either we trade both, or we trade none."