# 194
Chapter 194 – The Way to Break the Game
“Touch it? Of course you can touch it.” Li Yifei grinned.
Suddenly his peripheral vision caught the doorway of the activity room; the instant he saw the white-coat figure, the smile froze on his face…
A Zhu followed Li Yifei’s gaze in bewilderment. The moment she spotted the expressionless Lin Qiye she yelped, scrambled to her feet and bowed her head like a child who’d done something wrong.
Only the Rubik’s Cube at the side kept whirling, as indifferent as an automatic card-shuffler.
“Qiye… uh, no, Director, I—I’m organizing recreational therapy for the patients, ahem ahem…” Li Yifei began awkwardly.
“Thanatos, my dear grandson is teaching us a game,” Nyx said cheerfully; she was clearly having fun.
Lin Qiye looked at the trembling A Zhu and the flustered Li Yifei and sighed helplessly.
“Why so nervous? Broadening the patients’ entertainment, lifting their spirits—that’s a good thing. I’m not some heartless boss who docks wages, am I?”
…Assuming you two had wages to dock.
At that, A Zhu and Li Yifei finally exhaled.
Lin Qiye had no time for trifles. He walked straight up to Nyx, his face grave.
“Mother, I may need your power later. When the time comes—”
Nyx smiled gently. “Thanatos, my child, whenever you need me, I will stand beside you.”
The answer warmed Lin Qiye; the stone in his chest settled. So this was what having backing felt like…
Merlin, nearby, raised an eyebrow and studied Lin Qiye carefully.
“Director, you appear to be in difficulty.”
Lin Qiye started. “Sir Merlin, you’re right…”
“Someone is hunting you, and all of them seem stronger than you at present—about two? No, three…”
Merlin’s deep eyes seemed to pierce Lin Qiye’s fate; in moments he had roughly read the situation.
Lin Qiye’s gaze brightened. “Sir Merlin, do you know a way to break the game?”
Merlin shook his head. “I’m merely a scholar locked in this asylum; I can’t help you directly…”
Just as disappointment flashed across Lin Qiye’s face, Merlin continued: “But I know brute force is often the best key to a prison.”
“But I can’t beat them,” Lin Qiye said helplessly.
“Realm isn’t the only measure of combat strength—there’s experience, wisdom, and… certain clever little tricks.” Merlin looked at him meaningfully.
“For instance, this miraculous asylum; for instance… them.”
He pointed toward Li Yifei and A Zhu in their attendant uniforms. The two blinked, glanced at each other in bewilderment, not understanding.
Lin Qiye was equally stunned. He stared at the two attendants and shook his head slightly. “But attendants can’t leave here—I’ve tried.”
“You can’t always follow set rules. To become strong, you must use your wits to break them.” Merlin pinched a mahjong tile from the table, smiled, and gently toppled the entire row.
“I can only hint this far; the rest is up to you.”
Unhurriedly he stood, scooped up the “Middle-Aged Health Manual” beside his chair, and left the activity room…
Lin Qiye stared at the long winning hand on the table, brows knitted tight.
“Break the rules… break the rules…” he murmured.
Moments later, as though struck by inspiration, he jerked his head toward Merlin’s retreating back, eyes gleaming.
“Could it be…”
He turned again to the utterly lost Li Yifei and A Zhu, and to the Rubik’s Cube silently shuffling in the corner, a smile tugging at his lips.
“D-director, what are you planning?” Li Yifei took two wary steps back, arms shielding his chest.
“Nothing much.” Lin Qiye smiled, a fingertip sketching a brilliant, intricate magic array in the air. “I just want to…
sign another contract with you.”
…
In a dark, deep subterranean cavern, Lin Qiye slowly opened his eyes, joy surfacing within them.
He crouched, patted the little mummy’s head and whispered, “Thanks for your hard work; go rest. Leave the rest to me…”
The mummy tilted its head, worried, but as the array unfolded it obediently returned to its own world, waving a tiny bandaged hand in farewell.
When the array faded, only Lin Qiye remained in the empty cave.
In the darkness his eyes shone brilliantly.
Remaining rainwater dripped from the hem of his black military coat. Eyes closed, hand on the hilt of the Straight Blade at his waist, he strode into the labyrinth of stone.
“Now it’s my turn to be the hunter…”
…
In the same cavern, a groan of pain rang out.
“Owowow…” Baili Pangpang twitched, every inch of him aching as he struggled upright.
When the mountain overturned he’d been carrying the unconscious Shen Qingzhu toward Village No. 1; during the fall he’d shielded Shen Qingzhu with his own body.
Luckily the Yaoguang protected him, and he was tough; even with two people’s weight he’d landed without serious injury.
“Where is this? Where’s Brother Drag?” Baili Pangpang looked around blankly, fished a monocle from his pocket and put it on, quickly discerning the darkness.
“A cave?”
Startled, he soon spotted Shen Qingzhu lying nearby. Though Baili Pangpang had taken the impact, the plunge had still torn many wounds. The Sealing Scroll could isolate but not heal.
Shen Qingzhu’s coat was almost entirely soaked in blood; his breathing grew weaker, blood-foam seeping from his lips…
Baili Pangpang clenched his teeth. After a moment’s hesitation he pulled out a cyan jade chip and tucked it into Shen Qingzhu’s robe.
“Damn, your lucky day… this young master is taking a huge loss!”
Muttering, he hoisted Shen Qingzhu onto his back and staggered forward into the dark.