Chapter 126 Cheater's Gambit
As per the {rules}, Mortal Monkey was the winner of the rock-paper-scissors game, granting him the power to decide who would take the {first move}.
"I’ll go first," Mortal Monkey said. "You can choose which box I draw from."
Qi Xia lowered his head in thought, then said, "The box with ten {Dào}."
Upon hearing this, Mortal Monkey’s expression darkened, and his pupils even flickered slightly. He sensed that someone formidable had entered his domain. Had this man already deciphered the game’s workings... or was it just a fluke?
After a brief moment of contemplation, Mortal Monkey moved to the box containing the ten {Dào} and retrieved one {Dào}.
Now, the two boxes contained twelve {Dào} and nine {Dào}, respectively.
Upon seeing Mortal Monkey only take one, Qi Xia’s expression also subtly shifted. ‘One...? You're not a fool after all.’
The mental battle between the two was already razor-sharp, yet their expressions remained calm.
"Do you think it’s easy?" Yun Yao crossed her arms and replied softly, "Every move Qi Xia makes is carefully calculated, including his deliberate defeat at rock-paper-scissors, all for the sake of {box designation}.
"Wait, Swindler lad did it on purpose?" Qiao Jiajin was stunned. "So losing rock-paper-scissors means he can win the actual game?"
"How about a little simulation?" Yun Yao proposed. "One box currently holds nine pieces, and the other twelve. Which box would you choose, and how many would you take?"
"Hmm…" Qiao Jiajin pondered, "I’d probably take all twelve {Dào} from the second box."
"Then I’d just take all nine from the other box and win," Yun Yao said with a smile.
"Then what if I leave one in the box and take eleven instead?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
"Then I’d leave one in my box as well, take eight, and in the next round, I still win."
"Ugh—" Qiao Jiajin inhaled sharply, realizing there was no way for him to win. "So, the second player is doomed to lose?"
"No, Qi Xia wouldn’t approach it the way you did," Yun Yao said. "The person I fancy would never be so stupid."
"That makes sense..." Qiao Jiajin was about to agree but then it hit him. "Wait, are you saying I’m stupid?"
At that moment, Qi Xia stepped up to the box with twelve {Dào}, thought for a moment, and then reached in to take three. Both boxes now held nine pieces each.
Mortal Monkey's eyes were like a pool of stagnant water, as if lost in deep thought.
"Monkey, is this good enough?" Qi Xia asked. "If you concede now, I'll leave you a few {Dào}." Following his last incident with Mortal Pig, Qi Xia exercised heightened caution, constantly on edge, fearing his opponent might stake his life after exhausting all {Dào}.
Mortal Monkey remained silent, simply reaching into the box in front of him and taking one {Dào}.
Qi Xia shook his head and took one as well.
It seemed the rules didn’t allow for {conceding}, or else Mortal Monkey wouldn’t need to persist any longer. Mortal Monkey then took two more {Dào} from the box, and Qi Xia mirrored his actions, taking two as well.
The remainder of the game devolved into garbage time. No matter how many pieces Mortal Monkey took from the box, Qi Xia would always take the exact same amount.
Such a strategy ensured that Qi Xia would always be the one to take the last {Dào}. Even if there were ten thousand {Dào} in the box, he would never lose.
A few simple opening gambits gradually secured his unassailable position.
"Damn... I think I get it," Qiao Jiajin exclaimed, his eyes wide. "He’s going to win no matter what now, right?"
"Mhm," Yun Yao nodded. "When both boxes have an equal number of {Dào} left, the player going second is guaranteed to win."
"You truly are a formidable individual..." Mortal Monkey muttered, "However, you’ve overlooked..."
‘Overlooked?’ Qi Xia furrowed his brow, feeling a pang of confusion. In this almost guaranteed-to-win game, did Mortal Monkey still have a trump card?
Qi Xia glanced at the {Dào} in front of both players. Mortal Monkey had five, and he himself had six; the numbers were already so clear. Could there still—
Wait a minute. Qi Xia’s entire frame tensed. Why were there five {Dào} in front of Mortal Monkey?
He had taken three turns from the boxes—one {Dào} the first time, one the second time, and two the third. Qi Xia had clearly seen this. How could there be five pieces in front of him now?
When did this happen?
On the surface, five {Dào} remained in Mortal Monkey’s box, and six in Qi Xia’s.
Now, it was Mortal Monkey’s turn to choose once more. With a measured step, he approached the box closest to Qi Xia and, without a hint of hesitation, took one {Dào} from the six that remained.
Qi Xia furrowed his brows, realizing with shock that in the blink of an eye, their positions had reversed.
At this point, it became clear that both boxes now contained five {Dào} each. No matter how many pieces Qi Xia took from either box, Mortal Monkey would always match his choice, ensuring that the last {Dào} would be taken by him.
As Yun Yao had said, when the number of {Dào} in both boxes is the same, the player going second is guaranteed to win.
"Hey, cheating gets your pinky cut off," Qiao Jiajin saw through the ruse and moved closer, his voice sharp. "You filthy monkey, did you sneak out those orbs?"
"Indeed," Mortal Monkey admitted bluntly. "I cheated. What are you going to do about it?"
"I..." Qiao Jiajin was taken aback by the immediate admission, his temper faltering for a moment.
Noticing the varying expressions on their faces, Mortal Monkey slowly reached for the {Dào} on the table. With two fingers, he delicately lifted one, and instantly, two {Dào} were missing from the table. Flipping his hand, he revealed another {Dào} hidden in his palm.
"This is called {Palming}, one of the most basic tricks in magic," Mortal Monkey said with a faint smile. "Shouldn’t you be thankful you didn’t stake your life against me."
A faint bitter smile appeared on Qi Xia’s face. Indeed, who said cheating wasn’t allowed?
Mortal Monkey, at a certain point, appeared to grab one {Dào}, but in truth, he had taken two instead.
"Missing such a crucial move—how careless of you," Mortal Monkey said, twirling the two small orbs between his fingers. "It seems you’ve taken me too lightly."
"Yes, I truly did," Qi Xia admitted with a resigned nod. "Let's end the game here."
With that, Qi Xia threw five {Dào} onto the table in one go, and Yun Yao, standing nearby, wore a complex expression. To think Qi Xia would recklessly throw in the towel—has he always been this kind of person?
Mortal Monkey gave a slight smile and then took five more {Dào} from the box.
Tian Tian and Qiao Jiajin exchanged helpless glances, their expressions complex.
What was the significance of ten {Dào} to them? It took four grueling rounds of deadly games to collect four {Dào}, and now ten had been lost in a heartbeat.
Mortal Monkey gathered all the {Dào} on the table and pulled them towards himself. "I didn't expect someone would deliver this many {Dào} so early today," he said with a smile. "I’m truly grateful."
"I also didn’t expect someone would neatly gather them for me beforehand. The feeling is mutual," Qi Xia replied.
"Yes, but you—" Mortal Monkey paused for a moment, a confused look crossing his face. "What?"