Chapter 631: Be Back in a Jiffy
Qi Xia lowered his head and kneaded his own temples. The intense dizziness still refused to dissipate.
After passing through the corridor, he looked up and saw many familiar faces.
"You guys…?"
"Oi, Qi!"
"Liar boy!"
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin walked over with delighted expressions, looking Qi Xia up and down. They relaxed upon seeing he wasn't hurt, though his expression seemed somewhat tired.
"You're something, kid!" Chen Junnan said. "We both thought you had no chance of making it!"
Qi Xia didn't explain his encounter with Xu Liunian. Instead, he felt the current situation was suspicious.
He slowly furrowed his brow, trying to get his brain working as best he could: "Why are you all here…?"
Too many coincidences often meant they weren't coincidences at all. Qi Xia found it strange, but unlike before, he couldn't immediately pinpoint the problem.
"A big rat told us to come," Chen Junnan said in a low voice. "He said this monkey… might have some issues…"
Chen Junnan didn't want to say it too bluntly, so he conveyed the message indirectly.
Qi Xia nodded after hearing this and asked, "Does that rat start every sentence with 'As your leader'?"
"Right, right, right!" Qiao Jiajin nodded. "That rat brother talks really strangely! Do you know him?"
Qi Xia nodded. Of course, he remembered that groundhog.
He was a "needle" Qi Xia had planted in this round. Qi Xia had observed him carefully—the groundhog had some intelligence and wasn't an ordinary "Ground tier." If he could be recruited, it would likely be a great help. Besides, Qi Xia had probably already earned his loyalty.
So the groundhog's move was likely benevolent, or at least a decision that would benefit the larger situation.
"So what are you all gathered here for?" Qi Xia asked. "Don't you need to play games?"
"This game…"
The five of them exchanged glances. While having everyone together in one venue felt reassuring, the problem was that no matter how much "Dao" circulated, their numbers wouldn't increase. In fact, it made things harder since they needed to "buy back their freedom."
Six people from their group meant they needed sixty "Dao" total. Who could earn that much in a single Ground-tier game?
Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan both looked at Qi Xia.
Yes. Only he could.
The group briefly explained the game's mechanics. Qi Xia just held his head and nodded, looking like he wasn't in great shape.
As they talked, they glanced at the Ground-tier monkey nearby. He was already snoring behind the counter—clearly the nine-to-five lifestyle didn't suit a casino owner.
"I see," Qi Xia said. "It really is a pure 'intelligence' game. Since no one comes here with ten 'Dao,' the core of the game is finding ways to take others' 'Dao.' People will lose everything here every day, and the death toll won't be small."
Xiao Cheng watched this third stranger—after Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin—with some anxiety, sensing something was off.
His pockets looked empty, clearly without any "Dao." Was he supposed to cover all the "participants"' entry fees from his initial fifteen "Dao"?
Just then, Qi Xia looked up and met Xiao Cheng's eyes. "And this is?"
The group briefly introduced Xiao Cheng and also filled Qi Xia in on their current "financial difficulties."
"I see," Qi Xia acknowledged. "So what we need is 'capital.'"
"Yes," Xiao Cheng said grimly. "You're all familiar with each other, but I can't just hand over that many 'Dao' to strangers. I want to live too."
"I understand."
Qi Xia kept rubbing his forehead as he spoke, which worried Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan.
"Liar boy, headache again?"
"No…" Qi Xia replied. "This time it doesn't seem like a simple headache… Something's off about my whole state."
"Off…?"
"Never mind, let's not talk about that." Qi Xia turned to Xiao Cheng again. "You said you went to the 'Human Monkey's' game yesterday?"
"Yes, it's not far from here," Tian Tian said from the side. "When we passed by today, the 'Human Monkey' was still trying to gather 'participants.'"
"I understand." Qi Xia said to Tian Tian, "Tell me where the 'Human Monkey' is. I'll go and come back in a jiffy."
That "go and come back in a jiffy" left everyone in brief silence.
Xiao Cheng quickly spoke up: "Bro… you're going to earn some 'Dao' at the 'Human Monkey's' venue? I can tell you how to solve the game, it's—"
"No need." Qi Xia waved his hand while rubbing his forehead. "Just tell me the location and give me the pouch. I'll go get some 'Dao.'"
Xiao Cheng found this man's personality a bit odd but couldn't argue. He gave Qi Xia the location of the "Human Monkey."
After hearing it, Qi Xia walked out. Just as he was about to leave, he turned back and said, "Don't do anything until I get back. Wait for me. It won't be long."
"This…" Xiao Cheng stood frozen for a moment before saying, "The 'Human Monkey's' venue requires an entry fee… Do you have any 'Dao'?"
"Entry fee…? No need." Qi Xia turned his back and waved at them.
Watching his distant figure, Xiao Cheng's expression was completely different from the others'.
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin simply found nearby chairs and sat down, starting to chat within seconds. Tian Tian took Zheng Yingxiong's hand and began exploring the various facilities.
They didn't seem worried at all.
"W-Wait… Are you all that reassured?" Xiao Cheng asked. "That guy, he—"
"Don't worry about it," Qiao Jiajin waved dismissively. "Xiao Cheng, want to play some Dou Di Zhu? We don't have to bet 'Dao' since we're all on the same side. I just learned it—keep me company and let me practice!"
"D-Dou Di Zhu?" Xiao Cheng's eyes went wide. "Hang on… Your teammate just went to the 'Human Monkey's' venue without a single 'Dao'! Even if he's really skilled, even if he can win every round, he can't even get through the door!"
"If Liar boy says he can do it, he can do it. Come on, let's play." Qiao Jiajin held a deck of cards and waved cheerfully.
Xiao Cheng approached hesitantly and sat down beside Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was absurd, beyond anything he could imagine. Even if that man could directly crack the "Human Monkey's" game, the maximum reward per round was only two "Dao."
What made him so confident he could return empty-handed with enough "chips"?
But about an hour and a half later, something even more unexpected happened.
That man named Qi Xia returned as calm as could be. When he tossed a dozen "Dao" from his pouch onto the table in front of them, Xiao Cheng's jaw completely dropped.