Chapter 455: Thirty Years
"That's because your rules weren't clear!" Qiao Jiajin roared. "You said anyone who caught the 'ball' would get a reward. Who knew you'd set a burning coal ball for us to catch?!"
"Can't you catch a coal ball?" Di Ma raised an eyebrow. "If you weren't afraid of getting burned, you could very well have held that 'ball' in your arms."
"Damn..." Qiao Jiajin looked furious. He felt that this round, thank goodness he hadn't let those younglings deal with Lianzhen—otherwise, they'd be in a worse state than if they'd been hit by an iron ball.
"Brother Qiao, are you alright?" Bai Jiu asked as he pushed the cart, his face full of concern.
"I can't exactly say 'alright'... only that I'm 'not dead.'" Qiao Jiajin shook his head. "Don't worry about me. Keep going."
The others didn't know whether Qiao Jiajin was telling the truth or not, but since he had already decided to stand in front of Lianzhen, they had no choice but to trust that he could handle this trial.
"Everyone, be careful too," Bai Jiu said in a low voice. "We can't let Brother Qiao block every attack for us. Twenty, be ready with your 'Gale Force' at all times. Seventeen on the chair, protect yourself too. If it comes down to it, it's better to jump off the cart than to get hit by a ball."
"Jump off the cart?"
"Exactly." Bai Jiu nodded. "The rules just said that if a 'rider' is hit by a 'ball,' they're eliminated. But she never said anything about falling off the cart. I think the worst-case scenario is we go back to the start and begin again."
"Alright!" Feng Shiqi acknowledged. "Got it."
Everyone turned to face Qiao Jiajin with full vigilance. They saw him back up several paces, stopping only when he was about three or five meters away from Lianzhen.
He bent down, stretched his legs, then straightened up, bending one knee and raising both hands to the sides of his temples.
"Such an enthusiastic Lianzhen..." Qiao Jiajin muttered. "Watch me kick you to death..."
*Boom!*
Like a cannon firing, Lianzhen spat out a black coal ball with a plume of smoke. Qiao Jiajin determined the ball's trajectory, took a short run-up, then leaned forward, planting one hand on the ground as he swung his right leg in a wide arc, like a battle-axe cutting through the air toward the coal ball.
*Crrrrack!!*
Another crisp sound. The coal ball was shattered once again.
Qiao Jiajin rolled forward smoothly, dodging the scattered sparks, and crouched steadily off to the side.
"Big Horse Woman, oh Big Horse Woman..." Qiao Jiajin smiled faintly. "You really are testing my fighting skills... 'Wing Chun,' then 'Tai Chi,' now 'Muay Thai'... Are you sure this game wasn't tailor-made for me?"
In the distance, Di Ma watched the scene and slowly narrowed her eyes.
This figure... gradually overlapped with someone in her memory.
In that memory, that person had pushed her aside and said, "Gao Tou Mei, be careful—you might get hurt."
Then he had assumed a Muay Thai stance and kicked a flying spear.
How many years ago was that?
Over thirty years.
No, to be precise, thirty years had passed. She had become a Di Ma, and he was still a "participant."
What a tragic and absurd reunion this was.
In those thirty years, the "Zodiac" had never left, and the "participant" had never left, either.
It seemed like everyone was trying, but the "participant" who had no memories was far more passionate than the "Zodiac."
"So it really is you, after all?" Di Ma let out a bitter laugh and muttered under her breath. "Almost every trap here was designed with you as the inspiration... If you really can show off your skills, I wouldn't be surprised at all."
Di Ma slowly walked to the side, found a large abandoned rock, and sat down in the most comfortable position she could find.
All that was left was to watch this man's performance.
Thirty years had passed. Was he still the same as back then?
Was their leader, Wen Qiaoyun, still active?
Would he use his superb martial arts to solve every problem here?
As the third burning coal ball came flying, Qiao Jiajin leaped into the air once again, using a spinning kick to send it away. The exploding coal balls burst like clusters of fireworks in midair, not only illuminating this dark arena where countless had died but also driving away the biting cold from the thick ice.
The man before them was like a sun, radiating dazzling light amidst the flames.
Then came the fourth, the fifth, the sixth.
Whether from exhaustion or the heat, this tattooed man was drenched in sweat, but his stance never wavered. He remained poised and vigilant before Lianzhen.
Only after he leaped high and used a flying knee to shatter the last coal ball did he lift his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. At that moment, everyone saw the crisscrossing scars and the lean, powerful muscles on his body.
Where in this world were there any natural-born talents? For someone to block every single "ball" here today, this man must have worked harder than anyone else.
"Whew!" Qiao Jiajin took a deep breath. "Lianzhen! I yield to your skill!"
Lianzhen seemed to tremble in defeat, then lowered its posture and slid back into place.
Qiao Jiajin returned to the group. They looked him over—his clothes were riddled with black spots and small holes from the sparks, and both his arms were covered in red marks.
"Brother Qiao, you don't look too good..." Bai Jiu reached out and touched his arm, only to find the entire surface covered in blisters from the heat.
"Not too good?" Qiao Jiajin looked down at his own arm. "I can still run, jump, and even do a backflip. How is that 'not too good'? I've been hurt ten times worse than this. It's nothing."
Before anyone could respond, Di Ma spoke up from a distance: "Are you planning to keep everyone alive all by yourself?"
Qiao Jiajin turned his head slightly at that, looking at Di Ma's pure white face. He found it somewhat amusing. "What else? Are you going to guarantee we live?"
"I can't guarantee that." Di Ma shook her head. "Actually, I once thought about this problem."
"What?"
"I thought... if that man were to play this game, he would definitely shoulder everything until the end." Di Ma smiled as she spoke. "But I'm a 'Zodiac' now. I need to put a stop to that kind of individual heroism. So at the very end of this game, I added two stars: 'Jumen' and 'Tanlang.' My intention was that even if the strongest participant came, someone would still have to die."
Qiao Jiajin listened, obviously not understanding. "What? What 'that man'? What 'individual heroism'?"
"I just felt like sharing my idea with you." Di Ma shook her head. "Whether you understand or not, it doesn't matter. Just saying it out loud... after holding it in for so many years, I feel a lot better."
"Have you lost your mind?" Qiao Jiajin shot Di Ma a glance, then decided to ignore her. He turned back to the group and said, "Next round, we stick to the original plan. Earlier, the fortune-telling girl said 'Wenqu' might be an 'ice ball.' I suspect this round won't be much different from the first. I'll be the one on the cart."