Chapter 272: The One Who Ascended
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin had filled their sack with "Tao" to the brim, then slung the sack over their shoulders again.
"Conman..." Qiao Jiajin asked with some confusion, "We've gathered them all, haven't we?"
"Hmm..." Qi Xia let out a thoughtful sound, then said, "I didn't expect this to go so smoothly. But we still have a big problem. If we don't find 'Heavenly Goat,' Earth Tiger won't return those two thousand nine hundred 'Tao' to us."
Qi Xia sighed helplessly. If he hadn't managed to bluff Earth Goat this time, he would have most likely died here.
But why didn't Earth Goat just kill him in the end?
"Then..." Qiao Jiajin turned his head to look at the black goat-headed figure not far away, "Conman, you joined an 'Earth Goat' game. Did you find out where 'Heavenly Goat' is?"
"On the contrary..." Qi Xia shook his head. "I have absolutely no idea where 'Heavenly Goat' is now..."
The two walked out of Earth Goat's game venue with complicated feelings.
Because they needed to gather enough participants, Earth Goat's game didn't start until noon. After more than two hours of the game, it was now afternoon.
"Conman, where are we going to hide this batch of 'Tao'? Are we finding another 'Zodiac'?"
"Yeah, find a 'Zodiac.'" Qi Xia nodded. "But this time, it's still Earth Tiger."
"Huh?" Qiao Jiajin was stunned. "He already has two thousand nine hundred over there. You're giving him another thousand plus?"
"Yeah." Qi Xia nodded. "If he doesn't give us back those two thousand nine hundred, we still can't make three thousand six hundred. Might as well give him all the 'Tao.' It's safe and convenient."
"Oh... I guess that makes sense."
The two walked for about half an hour and arrived at Earth Tiger's game venue again.
Earth Tiger had just sent off a batch of "customers." The participants were covered in injuries, major and minor, and it looked like some people had died in the venue.
"Oh?" Earth Tiger turned his head and saw Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin. His second glance landed on the sack on their backs.
"I did it." Qi Xia said. "All of Earth Goat's Tao are here."
The two threw the sack in front of Earth Tiger.
Earth Tiger showed a clear look of surprise.
"All of them...?"
"Probably even more than all of them." Qi Xia said. "He brought a total of one thousand one hundred, but I won more than that for you."
"You..." Earth Tiger blinked. "Did you even win the admission fees the participants paid to him? You didn't just go steal it, did you?"
"No." Qi Xia shook his head. "I beat him using his own best game. And that's not the only thing you can humiliate him about."
"Oh?" Earth Tiger was clearly interested. He shook his huge head and asked, "Tell me about it! Did he cry after losing so much?"
"He didn't cry, but there's a chance he'll come borrow money from you tonight." Qi Xia said. "He owes the participants about a thousand 'Tao' in total. That means this operation cost Earth Goat about two thousand four hundred 'Tao' in total."
This statement stunned both Qiao Jiajin and Earth Tiger.
Earth Tiger knew about Earth Goat's game. He had heard that some lucky players with high skill could win dozens of Tao in one go. The most impressive was someone who once won a hundred Tao in a single session.
But their successes came with extremely high risks and a lot of casualties.
Yet this man went alone, came back unscathed, and not only won all of Earth Goat's Tao, but also made Earth Goat owe a debt.
Was this really happening?
Seeing Earth Tiger's hesitant expression, Qi Xia struck while the iron was hot: "Since I've fulfilled your condition and won all of Earth Goat's Tao for you, aren't you going to return the two thousand nine hundred to us?"
Earth Tiger snapped back to reality and nodded silently. "Alright, that two thousand nine hundred..."
Half a second later, he frowned. "Kid, something's not right."
"Hmm?"
"Since when did I say that if you won all of Earth Goat's Tao, I'd return yours to you?"
"Didn't I?" Qi Xia replied innocently. "Maybe I misremembered."
"Don't try to mess with my memory." Earth Tiger said coldly. "I said that if you won all of Earth Goat's Tao, I'd agree to help you keep them safe... wasn't that it?"
"Of course." Qi Xia nodded. "That's what we agreed on. I just misremembered."
"I also said... as long as you let me see that person... I'd return all the Tao to you, untouched."
"Yes, I remember now." Qi Xia nodded.
"Kid... so do you have any leads on that person?" Earth Tiger asked.
"That person..." Qi Xia slowly looked up and said, "Earth Tiger, are you sure the person you're looking for is 'Heavenly Goat'?"
"I told you." Earth Tiger shook his head. "I don't care if he's now 'Heaven, Earth, or Human' Goat. I want to see him. I want to ask him why he didn't keep a single promise he made to me..."
The more Qi Xia listened, the stranger it seemed.
"Wait a minute..." He interrupted softly, "You mean... you don't even know what rank she was?"
"His rank..." Earth Tiger slowly narrowed his eyes. "When I knew him, he was already 'Earth Goat.' And I saw him successfully ascend with my own eyes..."
"She ascended successfully...?" Qi Xia slowly opened his eyes. "So... there was no 'Heavenly Goat' before?"
"Did I not make myself clear enough...?" Earth Tiger said coldly. "Since he ascended, he is now 'Heavenly Goat.' I don't give a damn how many goats there were before. I just want to see him. Even if he turned into a Heavenly level and escaped, you need to find a way to catch him and bring him back."
Qi Xia gradually felt that Earth Tiger was being unreasonable.
"If the 'Heavenly Goat' you mentioned really escaped..." Qi Xia stepped forward and said seriously, "Then I won't help you find her anymore. She shouldn't be here. Escaping is better."
"What?!" Earth Tiger's face instantly showed anger. "Kid, all your 'Tao' are with me right now. Is that how you talk to me?"
"Yes. If the situation is really as you say, I can give up all the 'Tao.' I just want her to be safe."
"You..."
Earth Tiger never expected that this man would willingly give up over four thousand 'Tao.'
"But what exactly is your relationship with him?" Earth Tiger asked. "I've been with him for so long, how come I never knew there was someone like you?"
"Before I answer your question, I have one for you too." Qi Xia slowly raised his head, a glimmer of hope igniting in his eyes. "Did you see with your own eyes that she escaped after ascending?"
Earth Tiger listened, then slowly sat down to the side and nodded. "That's right. The four of us all saw it. That day, he ascended to 'Heaven' and disappeared from this world."