Chapter 453: Righteousness
The fierce wind ceased, and the group steadied the cart once more, continuing onward.
As the cart gradually advanced, growing closer to the finish line, the "Wu Qu" kept rotating the entire time. Qiao Jiajin constantly shifted his steps, turning his body along with the "Wu Qu." Man and box seemed like true adversaries, each seeking the perfect moment to break the other's technique.
Qiao Jiajin knew that a high-speed iron ball was deadly to anyone. If he were the least bit careless, the people in the distance would surely be injured. And while this game appeared to be a "speed race," upon closer reflection, ensuring everyone survived required teamwork above all. Once deaths began, this team would start to crumble.
"Brother Qiao... watch out!" Ning Shiba called out. "We're almost there."
"Alright!" Qiao Jiajin flexed his severely aching left elbow, feeling like he might have injured the tendons. "Looks like just using my eyes really won't cut it."
This time, he improved his technique once more, reaching his hand forward, extending it beneath the opening of the box. This way, no matter which direction the iron ball would fly, the first thing it touched would definitely be his palm.
"My reflexes are faster than my brain..." Qiao Jiajin muttered to himself. "Instead of trying to figure out how to counter it, I'll just leave everything to my body. Let my body decide everything for me."
Qiao Jiajin slowly closed his eyes, bringing his fingertips closer and closer to the "Wu Qu."
"Everything in this world has its own heartbeat," Qiao Jiajin said, his fingertips twitching slightly as they pressed against the underside of the "Wu Qu's" opening. "A cleaver has its cleaver's heartbeat. An iron rod has its iron rod's heartbeat. Such a complex wooden mechanism must have its own heartbeat too."
Sure enough, the moment his fingers touched the mechanism, Qiao Jiajin clearly sensed the faint vibrations from within.
This was an extremely complex mechanism, its internal intricacy beyond imagination. As the slight trembling traveled through his fingertips, the opponent before him seemed to come alive.
"Your heartbeat is speeding up," Qiao Jiajin said, opening his eyes with a smile. "Wu Qu, are you going to make your move?"
The instant his words fell, the "Wu Qu" violently ejected a black iron ball. The moment it flew out, it touched Qiao Jiajin's palm. Qiao Jiajin completely abandoned conscious thought, relying purely on instinct as he twisted his palm one hundred and eighty degrees. A large portion of the iron ball's force was instantly neutralized. As its momentum sharply decreased, Qiao Jiajin immediately followed up with a downward chopping palm strike, slamming the iron ball almost directly onto the ground where it was.
*BANG!!*
A crisp, resounding boom echoed out. The ice surface was shattered, and the wooden planks beneath were cracked by the impact.
Standing at a higher vantage point, Ning Shiba had been shocked so many times her mouth could barely close.
What astonished her wasn't that this man could stop the iron ball, but that he seemed to be growing at an incredible speed. With each attempt, he got closer to the "Wu Qu" and dealt with the iron ball more swiftly.
"Wu Qu..." Qiao Jiajin took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I think I've adapted... I've adapted to your moves."
The others snapped back to reality and hurriedly turned the cart around. They had no idea how many more times Qiao Jiajin's strength could hold out, so they could only race against time as best they could.
"Hold on tight!"
The group reached the end of the track and began working together to rotate the cart. Finally, they turned it completely around. Ning Shiba was about to speak again: "Brother Qiao, we..."
"No need," Qiao Jiajin interrupted. "Astrologer girl, from now on, you just sit on the cart and don't say a single word. The rest of you just focus on pushing."
"What...?"
"Didn't I say it before?" Qiao Jiajin turned his head and gave the others a simple, honest smile. "Just pretend the 'Wu Qu' doesn't exist. I'll block everything on my own."
"R-Really, can you do it?" Ning Shiba asked, somewhat incredulously. "You're so close to the 'Wu Qu.' Even a single blink could get you severely injured."
"Even if I close my eyes, it's fine," Qiao Jiajin replied. "Lord Guan has shown me great respect. His 'Wu Qu' is just sparring with me; it won't take my life."
The others exchanged glances. Though they were still a hundred times worried, all they could squeeze out was one sentence: "Brother Qiao, be careful."
"Alright."
As the group slowly advanced, Qiao Jiajin once again placed his fingertips on the wooden mechanism. This time, the heartbeat he felt was even clearer than before.
He could sense the contours of everything inside this mechanism—the grooves, the rolling of the iron ball, the tension of the springs.
"Come on..." Qiao Jiajin said. "Please, make your move."
He slowly closed his eyes, placing his right hand palm-up beneath the opening.
"Qiao..." Seeing they were at the right distance, Ning Shiba was about to warn him when Bai Jiu pulled her back.
"Forget it, Shiba. Leave it to Brother Qiao."
Ning Shiba could only nod, a hint of worry still in her eyes.
When the fourth iron ball shot out, its angle was noticeably different from before. Qiao Jiajin instantly shifted his hand one centimeter to the side, catching it in his palm again. He then repeated his previous move, flipping his palm, but this time the action was slightly slower by a fraction of a second. The iron ball's force wasn't neutralized as much, and instead, it hurtled towards Qiao Jiajin's body at incredible speed.
Qiao Jiajin could only raise his left hand, guiding its trajectory once more before it slammed into his chest. Placing both hands one above the other, forming the pattern of Yin and Yang, he rolled the iron ball around in front of his chest a few times, finally stabilizing it securely. Then he released his grip again, letting it fall to the ground.
"You yield," Qiao Jiajin said.
As the dust settled, Qiao Jiajin once again reached out and placed his hand in front of the "Wu Qu." Witnessing this scene, even Di Ma felt a moment of hesitation.
Should she reconsider the rules?
For instance... "No one may approach the wooden box within one meter"?
But she quickly realized how absurd that was. Was this rule being created specifically for this tattooed man?
Under normal circumstances, would anyone actually get this close to these wooden boxes?
When you know those boxes can shoot out all kinds of "balls," shouldn't you stay farther away from them?
"Absurd... utterly absurd..." Di Ma gritted her teeth, suddenly recalling a time when she herself had been a "participant."
Many, many years ago, there had also been a "participant" who used his own body to resist the game's mechanisms.
Back then, a man had stood before the mechanism, assuming a Muay Thai stance.
Unfortunately, she had been too terrified back then, focused solely on fleeing and surviving. She hadn't remembered that man's voice or his face at all.
Why were there people like this in the "Land of the End"?
The next three iron balls, unsurprisingly, were all blocked at close range by Qiao Jiajin and landed right in front of him.
What should have been a round with an extremely high chance of death had been resolved by a single man without a scratch.
Qiao Jiajin lowered his head, counting the five iron balls at his feet. Then he looked into the distance at two more iron balls, realizing that the second round had already ended.
Meanwhile, the cart-pushing team had managed to return Ning Shiba to the starting point completely unharmed.
Seeing this, Qiao Jiajin turned back once more, pressed his palms together facing the "Wu Qu Star," and bowed respectfully.
"Second Brother is truly righteous."
At that moment, the "Wu Qu" seemed to respond, trembling once as if nodding its head. Then it retracted its body and quietly returned to its original state.