Chapter 127 In Search of a Turning Point
Qi Xia extended his hand and lightly shook the box in front of him. The distinct sound of {Dào} rolling inside could be heard clearly. "Monkey, it's my turn now, right?" he asked.
"You..." Mortal Monkey's throat subtly moved as he froze. He had accounted for every detail, yet something had inexplicably gone off course.
There was still one more inside the box?! He anxiously counted the {Dào} on the table, confirming the total of twenty-two. How could there be more in the box?
"Your original wager wasn’t ten..." Mortal Monkey’s eyes widened with realization. "You damn bastard, you tricked me?!"
Qi Xia calmly reached into the box and pulled out the last {Dào}. "Yes, you have your magic, and I, too, have my own unique specialties." He placed the {Dào} on the table and slowly continued, "Fortunately, I kept this box right in front of me all along, ensuring you never had the chance to inspect the {Dào} inside."
"Was it a trick...?" Mortal Monkey murmured, slightly disoriented. "You knew I would cheat all along?"
"Not exactly," Qi Xia replied. "It was just a precaution I added for myself. My box always had one more {Dào} than yours. It didn't affect the outcome. As long as I took all the {Dào} on the final round, everything would fall into place. You said your {Dào} would {match or exceed} that of mine; I had eleven so no rules have been breached."
"But I want to know, when did you pull this off?" Mortal Monkey asked. "When that woman handed you the {Dào}, I saw it clearly—there were exactly ten."
Mortal Monkey suddenly understood. When that woman handed over the {Dào}, Qi Xia's hand had already held one. He cupped his hands like a bowl, and when he received the four {Dào} from the woman, there were already five in the pile.
"I never expected I’d lose so early," Mortal Monkey said, gradually losing his energy. He slumped into a chair. After a moment, he looked up at Qi Xia, as if wanting to say something.
Qi Xia noticed but didn’t rush, slowly picking up the {Dào} and handing it over to Yun Yao. In the end, he left two {Dào} on the table, pushing them toward Mortal Monkey. "Monkey, I advise you not to do it," Qi Xia said slowly. "These two {Dào} will give you a chance for a comeback. You've worked hard to get this far, there's no need to act out of impulse."
"What—you..." Mortal Monkey never imagined that the other person could be so formidable, immediately discerning his intentions.
"If you’re truly risking it all, I’ll in turn reveal my trump card," Qi Xia said. "I have no qualms about a high-stakes situation. I have nothing to lose, but you can’t possibly defeat me."
Mortal Monkey lowered his head completely, his gaze filled with nothing but {resignation}.
"Very well, we’ll meet again if fate allows," Qi Xia nodded, quickly leading the others out the door.
Once outside, he let out a long sigh of relief.
"Qi Xia, what's wrong?" Yun Yao asked, "Were you afraid that Mortal Monkey might challenge you to a life-staking gamble?"
"Yes," Qi Xia kept glancing back, worried Mortal Monkey might follow them.
"But don’t you have a {trump card}?" Yun Yao remarked, finding Qi Xia amusing, "Your intelligence far surpasses that of Mortal Monkey’s. If it really came down to a life-staking gamble, I think your chances would be great."
"Like hell I have a {trump card}, make haste and let's go," Qi Xia said, urging everyone ahead. "I was just bluffing earlier. Mortal Monkey caught me off guard by cheating. If it came to a life-staking gamble, I wouldn’t know what kind of methods he’d use."
"Huh? You were bluffing? Hahaha!" Yun Yao burst out laughing, "You acted so convincingly! You’re not a swindler, are you?"
"Let's go," Qi Xia said helplessly.
The three of them found a spot by the roadside to rest. Despite only a couple of hours having passed since dawn, it felt as if much more time had gone by.
"Let’s divide the {Dào}," Qi Xia suggested. "We earned ten, and since both you and I contributed {Dào}, we’ll split it—three each for you and me, and two each for Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian."
"Qi Xia, can we date?" Yun Yao suddenly asked without warning.
"Wh—" Qi Xia nearly choked on his words. "What are you saying? Do you even realize what situation we’re in right now?"
Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian stood by, their mouths agape, also sensing that there was something definitely off about this girl.
Yun Yao blinked, then asked Qi Xia, "Don’t you like me?"
Qi Xia furrowed his brow, then shook his head. "I’m honored by your feelings, but I’m married."
"It’s fine," Yun Yao said without hesitation. "I can be your {End Point} girlfriend, and we won’t contact each other after we make our way out of here."
"Are you out of your mind?" Qi Xia couldn't quite make sense of the woman in front of him. "I’ve already told you—do you not get it? I have a wife!"
Yun Yao looked at Qi Xia with a blank expression, then scratched her head and muttered softly, "Is it still not enough?"
Yun Yao took a deep breath and said, "Qi Xia, forget about your wife. Am I uglier than her? Am I not as good as her? Instead of obsessing over someone so far out of reach, why not..."
"Yun Yao, don’t ruin the goodwill I have for you," Qi Xia’s gaze turned icy in an instant, as if he wanted to kill, "I won’t allow anyone to speak of my wife in such a tone. You should know I’m not a good person."
"So what? Do you want to scold me?" Yun Yao said, "Or do you want to strike me? Come on, I’m right here."
Qiao Jiajin was completely stunned. The sudden tension was something he never saw coming. "Hey, hey, hey... you two, talk it out," he hurriedly interjected, trying to mediate. "What’s going on all of a sudden?"
The air seemed thick with an inexplicable pressure.
Seeing that Qi Xia truly seemed upset, Yun Yao couldn’t help but laugh with a soft {pfft}.
"Aiya… alright, alright…" Yun Yao waved her hand, "It was all just a joke. I’m sorry, Qi Xia. I shouldn’t have spoken about your wife like that. The woman who married you must be an amazing person."
Qi Xia furrowed his brows, just as bewildered by Yun Yao’s words. "What are you trying to pull?"
"I wanted to test if I could hear my {Reverberation}, but it seems I failed." Yun Yao shook her head in frustration. "I don't know if you didn't scold me enough, or if I don't like you that much... I probably rushed it. Qi Xia, please don’t be angry."
"Test if you could hear your {Reverberation}?" Qi Xia appeared to grasp her meaning. "Could it be that the trigger for your {Reverberation} is..."
"{Unattainable desires}." Yun Yao said somewhat sheepishly. "From childhood, I’ve always gotten what I wanted… but when I find myself consumed by {unattainable desires}, that’s when the bell tolls."