# Chapter 638: The Secret in the Heart
Everyone turned to look at Zheng Yingxiong upon hearing these words. This child seemed deeper than they had imagined.
At this point, no one in the team would be holding them back anymore.
Earth Monkey also thought for a moment, then lowered his head to begin the second round of dealing cards.
This time, the cards dealt were "closed cards." He first dealt himself a card face down.
Then, in order, he dealt cards to Zheng Yingxiong, Tiantian, Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, and Qi Xia.
Qi Xia picked up his card and looked at it. The face of the card read "End of Heat."
Now that everyone had received their "closed cards," Earth Monkey spoke up, "Does anyone want to start 'raising the bet'?"
Tiantian looked at her card and chose not to raise.
Qi Xia felt that now might be the time to raise, but the bet this time would not be "Dao" or "items"; it should be something else. However, his mind...
"Uncle, I want to raise," Zheng Yingxiong suddenly said.
The childish voice came from the corner of the round table, clearly piercing everyone's ears.
Under the dim light, everyone saw that Zheng Yingxiong's expression was very serious, not at all like he was joking. His nose twitched slightly, then he turned and exchanged a glance with Qi Xia.
Qi Xia squinted, thought for a moment, and nodded at him.
"Oh?" Earth Monkey became interested. "What do you want to add? 'Dao,' or an 'item'?"
Zheng Yingxiong pondered for three seconds, then said firmly, "I want to bet a 'secret that must be answered and cannot be lied about.'"
As soon as these words were spoken, Qi Xia's eyes widened.
That's it!
This idea coincidentally matched the chaotic thoughts in his mind and instantly cleared away some of the fog in his head.
He had briefly considered this line of thinking before, but it was quickly blocked by layers of mist, making it impossible to articulate. Fortunately, Zheng Yingxiong had spoken up now.
But Qi Xia still found it strange. Was this kid really that smart? Or had he read Qi Xia's thoughts, allowing him to propose this bet at just the right moment?
Earth Monkey was slightly taken aback by this. "A secret that must be answered and cannot be lied about?"
"Uncle, I'm betting a 'secret,'" Zheng Yingxiong said. "You can ask me any question, and I will answer truthfully. Vice versa."
The others looked at Qi Xia, who was clutching his hair and nodding slightly.
"I'll follow," Tiantian immediately said. "I'll bet a 'secret' too. I'll answer everything."
"Young Master follows too," Chen Junnan quickly chimed in. "Young Master has plenty of secrets in his heart. Brother Monkey, you'd better dig deep."
"I'll follow too," Qiao Jiajin said. "Isn't it just a question?"
Qi Xia also nodded. "Same here."
Now it was Earth Monkey's turn to be speechless. He couldn't understand their thinking.
Had it come to this? Were they going to waste a precious round of "betting" time to go along with a child's nonsense?
Or did they have something more terrifying in mind?
"This 'bet' is not appropriate," Earth Monkey said. "We 'Zodiacs' have our rules. Some 'secrets' would cost us our lives if revealed."
"Then we'll accommodate you and avoid your 'core secrets,'" Qi Xia said, frowning. "I'll ask the questions, and I swear we'll avoid the core issues of the 'Zodiac.' Otherwise, you can declare us losers on the spot."
Earth Monkey hesitated for a moment, then spoke, "Alright. But don't forget what you said."
"I won't forget."
"And the questions I ask might make you regret it."
"I won't regret it."
Hearing Qi Xia's answer, Earth Monkey's face darkened. Then he turned to look at Zheng Yingxiong. Now everyone had a chance to be asked a question. Naturally, Qi Xia's teammates had nothing to ask Zheng Yingxiong, so that opportunity had to go to Earth Monkey.
The question Earth Monkey could ask was most likely "What is your hand?" Since lying was forbidden, everyone would have to truthfully reveal their cards to Earth Monkey, making victory in this round nearly impossible.
But that didn't matter. Out of eight rounds, they were bound to lose the first round, given they didn't fully understand the rules.
Earth Monkey thought for a moment and slowly spoke. To Qi Xia's complete surprise, he didn't ask about Zheng Yingxiong's "hand" at all. Instead, he said calmly:
"How many 'participants' are left in 'Yucheng'?"
Zheng Yingxiong's face turned pale upon hearing this. He swallowed slightly and said, "Twenty-two."
Earth Monkey nodded. "Twenty-two people. Have you finally given up?"
"I..."
Zheng Yingxiong lowered his head, looking heavy-hearted, as if he had something difficult to say.
"Sorry, but that counts as the second question, Brother Monkey," Chen Junnan interjected decisively. "You haven't 'raised the bet' yet, have you?"
"Heh." Earth Monkey let out a cold laugh. "You're quite arrogant, kid. Haven't you suffered any losses in 'Zhongyan Land'?"
"I have. Answer given," Chen Junnan said. "Next."
"You..." Earth Monkey gritted his teeth in anger. He felt that this person's mind was too erratic; if he wasn't careful, he would fall into his trap.
"Me what? I can see you're about to ask a second question, but let me be clear..." Chen Junnan grinned. "I'm not afraid of however many questions you ask. But that'll cost extra."
Earth Monkey could only shake his head helplessly and turned to look at Tiantian.
Tiantian was a bit nervous seeing Earth Monkey's old, strange face and simply clutched her card tighter.
Earth Monkey stared at her for a long time, then his expression shifted slightly. "Forget it. I have no questions for her."
"No questions...?" Tiantian was a bit confused. Even if he just asked what her card was, that would be fine. But he chose to give up at this moment.
After saying that, Earth Monkey also looked at Qiao Jiajin, then squinted.
Zheng Yingxiong, sitting nearby, reached out and tugged at Tiantian's sleeve. He seemed to want to say something, but after glancing at Earth Monkey, he fell silent again.
"Fat monkey, ask away," Qiao Jiajin said. "It's rare to get a question on the gambling table that doesn't allow boasting. What do you want to ask?"
"I..." Earth Monkey slowly raised the corner of his mouth. "You hot-headed young man. Have you ever been deceived by someone?"
"What...?"
Earth Monkey's question once again caught everyone off guard.
He didn't ask about the hand or identity; instead, he threw out a completely random question, leaving everyone staring at Qiao Jiajin.
"What business is that of yours..." Qiao Jiajin crossed his arms and frowned, looking displeased at Earth Monkey.
"I just want to give you a piece of advice," Earth Monkey said. "In this world, those who have been tricked will always be tricked again. Not everyone is as honorable as you think."
"What the hell do you mean?"
"For example..."
"Earth Monkey," Qi Xia cut him off decisively. "Isn't it my turn to be asked?"