Chapter 125 Mortal Monkey
Ultimately, Yun Yao chose a {monkey}-category game.
The mask worn by the {Earthly Branch} at the entrance wasn't a monkey at all, but rather the decayed head of a large baboon.
"Well, Qi Xia, are you brave enough to give it a try?" Yun Yao asked.
"Give it a try?" Qi Xia glanced at the baboon and then at Yun Yao. "I'm curious about {Potent Luck}. Why don't you give us a demonstration?"
"Have you misunderstood?" Yun Yao shook her head helplessly. "I already told you, the purpose of this team-up is to assess your strength, to help with the upcoming game type assignments. How did it turn into you testing me?"
The three of them were unsure how to deal with her; it seemed this idol was a bit willful.
"Are you saying you won’t intervene at all?" Qi Xia asked.
"{Mortal Monkey} games are mostly about intelligence or dexterity. Is it really so difficult for you?" Yun Yao smiled and asked. "If you’re willing, you can even stake your life against them."
Qi Xia understood that now was not the time to stake his life; he wasn’t well-versed in the standards of {Monkey} games. Furthermore, he hadn't activated his {Reverberation}, so risking his life could cost him all the information he had accumulated. With that thought, he sighed and approached the large baboon, asking, "{Mortal Monkey}, correct?"
"Correct." Mortal Monkey nodded. "Would you like to partake in my game?"
"What are the rules?" Qi Xia inquired.
"We take turns drawing {Dào} from the box, and the person who draws the last {Dào} wins. The winner gets all the {Dào} on the table." Mortal Monkey sounded young, almost like a teenager, and explained the rules with clarity.
Qi Xia gently stroked his chin and asked, "What about the {admission}?"
"{Admission} will be the amount of {Dào you put in the box}. You can put forward as many as you wish, and I’ll be sure to match or exceed that number."
"Wow… this is an {arbitrary admission} game," Yun Yao said, clearly pleased. "If we win, we’re going to make a fortune!"
"Heavens, it's a big gamble!" Qiao Jiajin exclaimed, turning around with excitement and calling to Yun Yao, "Leng-mui! Hurry and bring out one thousand eight hundred {Dào}! If Swindler Lad wins, we can go straight home!"
"I don’t have that many," Yun Yao replied, exasperated. "I only have a small purse on me—where am I supposed to pull one thousand eight hundred {Dào} from?"
"This cursed place would never allow someone to carry 1,800 {Dào} without being detected by {Judgment’s Domain}…" Qi Xia muttered, then looked up at the Mortal Monkey, "Monkey, how many do you have left?"
"I…" The Mortal Monkey hesitated for a moment, "I can’t tell you that."
"Afraid I’ll bet your entire fortune?" Qi Xia said.
"No matter your intentions, I won’t reveal how many {Dào} I own."
"Interesting." Qi Xia nodded, "Let’s begin."
The four entered the room, but after all, this was a {Mortal}-grade game, and only Qi Xia himself would be participating. The moment he stepped inside, he realized he had been deceived. A table in the room held two boxes clearly in place.
"The name of my game is {Boxed Dào}; we shall each deposit our {Dào} into one of these two boxes." Mortal Monkey tapped the two boxes on the table and continued, "The number of {Dào} I place in will always be greater than yours. Once the game begins, we’ll take turns drawing {Dào} from either box, in any amount we choose. But remember, the player who takes the last {Dào}, emptying both boxes, wins. To put it simply, the one who claims the final {Dào} wins."
Qi Xia fell into deep thought after hearing this. He surveyed the two sealed boxes, noting that their openings were small, just large enough for a single hand to fit through. If he were to formulate a strategy, it was clear that the game would revolve around the question of who would be the {first player} or the {second player}.
"So, who takes the first turn?" Qi Xia inquired.
"We’ll decide with a game of rock-paper-scissors," the Mortal Monkey explained patiently. "The winner gets to choose who takes the first turn to draw {Dào} while the loser can choose which box to draw from, but they cannot specify how many {Dào} to take."
"I see…" Qi Xia nodded.
Yun Yao stood by and watched for a while before asking, "Qi Xia, how many do you want to bet?"
"Ten," Qi Xia answered.
"Ten?!" Yun Yao was momentarily shocked. "Are you sure you can pull it off?"
Had it been from a single box, Qi Xia would have been sure of his chances of winning. But with Mortal Monkey now using two boxes, the unpredictability has increased. The task of taking any number of {Dào} from either box makes this game different from the {Mortal Pig}'s logical challenge, as success relies entirely on the participants' strategies."
"Yun Yao, the initial rock-paper-scissors is crucial," Qi Xia said quietly to Yun Yao. "Can you use your {Potent Luck} to aid me?"
"That…" Yun Yao lowered her head, troubled. "Sorry, I’m not sure if I can do it."
"Alright." Qi Xia had already expected this answer, so he said, "Then I’ll do it myself."
Yun Yao nodded apologetically, then began to take out {Dào} from her bag. "Qi Xia, help me out."
She pulled out four pieces and handed them to Qi Xia. He couldn’t hold them all with one hand, so he cupped them in both hands like a bowl.
Not long after, Yun Yao took out two more and kept rummaging through her bag. It seemed like her bag was full of things—old cosmetics, wrapping paper, used tissues, and even discarded makeup remover pads.
"You really should organize your purse," Qi Xia remarked.
"Don’t mind an idol’s purse," Yun Yao snapped back, then pulled out three more. "How many do we have?"
"Nine," Qi Xia responded, his voice tinged with helplessness.
"Okay! Okay, I’ve found it." Yun Yao pulled out the last {Dào} and placed it in Qi Xia’s hands.
Qi Xia cradled the pile of {Dào} and walked over to Mortal Monkey. He raised both hands and shook them, saying, "Ten pieces, I’ll put them in now."
Mortal Monkey nodded, then pulled out twelve {Dào}. After counting them in front of everyone, he dropped them into the other box.
"Monkey, let’s start with the rock-paper-scissors," Qi Xia said. He was a bit apprehensive about this one-shot, high-stakes game of rock-paper-scissors. In a series of rounds, he could gauge the opponent’s character and their logic in choosing their moves, but if it was only one round to decide everything, it would just come down to luck.
"Monkey, what will you choose?" Qi Xia asked.
"That trick won’t work on me, I won’t answer," Mortal Monkey remarked. "Let’s begin."
Qi Xia sighed in resignation, knowing he had no choice but to leave it to luck.
The two of them played a decisive round, both selecting {Paper}. During the rematch, they both picked {Rock}. Seeing this, Qi Xia realized that this was no ordinary game of rock-paper-scissors. The opponent was using exactly the same strategy as him.
In the third round, Qi Xia played {Rock} while Mortal Monkey chose {Paper} once again.
"You really put some thought into it, refusing to play scissors from start to finish..." Qi Xia murmured to himself.
"The honor is mine," Mortal Monkey remarked, "I’ve always been quite adept at rock-paper-scissors."
"Is that so?" Qi Xia’s pupils moved, his face betraying nothing, yet his thoughts hinted at profound insight.