After everyone managed to choke down a small portion of the bear meat, they eagerly drank the rest of the soup. It had to be said, the soup was surprisingly more palatable than the meat itself—perhaps it was because they were all so parched that any liquid tasted like nectar.
"Let's leave the rest of the bear meat here," Qi Xia suggested, stretching out his stiff limbs. "If we make it back by nightfall, we'll have another meal waiting."
Just as they began to settle, Xiao Xiao suddenly piped up, breaking the silence. "I want another bowl."
Without waiting for anyone’s approval, she grabbed her bowl and helped herself to more of the bear meat, her actions swift and deliberate.
"Do as you please," Qi Xia said, rising slowly and casting a glance at the sky. Judging by the light, it was already well into the afternoon.
"We need to move quickly," Qi Xia continued. "The four of us have only managed to gather ninety-five {Dào}, which isn't nearly enough given the pace we need to maintain. Today's target is 360."
"You're right," Qiao Jiajin agreed as he got to his feet. "Let's get going."
Tian Tian and Lin Qin began packing up their belongings, brushing the dust off their clothes. When they turned around, they noticed that Xiao Xiao was still seated, intently focused on finishing the meat in her bowl, seemingly oblivious to the conversation.
Xiao Xiao shoved another large piece of fatty meat into her mouth, licking her fingers as she ignored the question.
"Just leave her," Qi Xia said, his tone dismissive. He could sense that Xiao Xiao had her own hidden motives, and it was better for them to part ways sooner rather than later. "Let’s go."
Qiao Jiajin nodded and moved to join Qi Xia when a resounding bell rang out from the distance.
Everyone froze, their expressions perplexed.
Qi Xia was about to speak when, out of nowhere, he saw what seemed to be a {wall} hurtling toward him.
Before he could react, the force slammed him headfirst into the wall.
It took a few disorienting seconds for him to grasp the reality of what had just occurred.
It wasn’t a {wall flying towards him} at all—he had simply fallen face-first onto the floor.
He blinked in disbelief, trying to process the bizarre experience. His senses seemed utterly scrambled, leaving him with a feeling he had never encountered before—as if his entire perception had short-circuited.
Qi Xia struggled to turn his head, only to discover that Qiao Jiajin, Lin Qin, and Tian Tian were also sprawled out on the ground, their bodies limp, eyes closed, as if they had been knocked unconscious.
The situation felt utterly surreal—Qi Xia shook his head in disbelief, trying to regain control of his body. But when he attempted to extend his left hand, it was his right hand that moved instead. He tried to stand up, only to collapse back onto the ground.
The sensation was unnervingly similar to being drunk, yet his mind remained startlingly clear.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao continued eating, shoveling the bear meat into her mouth as though completely oblivious to what was happening around her.
"What did… you do?" Qi Xia glared at her, his voice strained. "Did you poison us?"
Even as he voiced the accusation, doubt gnawed at him. Xiao Xiao had consumed the most food out of anyone. If the food were poisoned, how could she remain unaffected?
"Qi Xia, listen carefully—the bell rang," Xiao Xiao stated nonchalantly.
"What do you mean... ‘the bell rang’?"
"It means... I want to negotiate terms with you." Xiao Xiao calmly set down her now-empty bowl and slowly stood up, her expression unreadable.
"Negotiate...?" Qi Xia repeated in disbelief, staring at the young woman before him. Until now, he had assumed she was merely cunning, someone with a few tricks up her sleeve. But now, he realized she was far more dangerous and calculating than he had originally thought.
She had seized control of the situation completely. He understood that, at this moment, he had no power to refuse her.
"What conditions do you want to negotiate?" he asked.
"Stop collecting {Dào}," Xiao Xiao replied, her tone unwavering. "Just live here, peacefully."
"What...?" The words stunned Qi Xia. He had considered countless scenarios, but this—this was completely unexpected.
She didn’t come for their {Dào}?
"You’re telling me to just live here peacefully?!" Qi Xia growled, straining to rise from the ground, only to find his limbs unresponsive. His body betrayed him, leaving him only able to lift his head slightly as he spat out his words in fury. "Why the f*ck would I want to live here?!"
Xiao Xiao casually wiped the grease from her hands onto her pants. She approached the group, methodically removing the bags containing their collected {Dào} from their waists.
Finally, she crouched next to Qi Xia. "Because you’re too strong," she said, her tone devoid of emotion. "You actually have a real chance of collecting enough {Dào}."
"Isn’t that just perfect?..." Qi Xia seethed through gritted teeth. "I’ll uncover the enigma of this cursed place and take everyone out of here!"
Xiao Xiao shook her head. "No. I can’t let that happen." Her voice was calm, but her words held a weight of finality. "I won’t allow anyone to gather all three thousand six hundred. I am here to protect this place. And if you stubbornly refuse to give up your pursuit, I will make you regret it."
"I see how it is..." Qi Xia’s voice was laced with cold contempt. "You seem like a normal person, but you’re actually a lunatic. You want me to stay here forever, like those walking corpses? Didn’t anyone tell you this place only has a ten-day lifespan? It’s going to be annihilated!"
"This place is going to be annihilated?" Xiao Xiao’s expression remained impassive, showing no surprise. "Then let me rephrase. I want you to wait quietly for the impending annihilation. You are not to collect any more {Dào}."
"You... lunatic..." Qi Xia’s teeth ground together in frustration. "What will you do if I refuse? Kill me?"
"Because if you intended to kill me, you would have done it already," Qi Xia said, his gaze steady. "You chose to {negotiate terms} instead. What does that tell me?"
Xiao Xiao’s brow furrowed at Qi Xia’s words. With a decisive motion, she removed the pot from the fire and tossed all the {Dào} into the flames.
"Hey!!" Qi Xia shouted, his voice laced with outrage. "What are you doing?!"
As the fire crackled and roared, the {Dào}—for which Qi Xia and the others had risked their lives—was reduced to smoldering ashes.
Xiao Xiao turned back to Qi Xia, her expression tinged with a sorrowful melancholy. "I’m not killing you because I hope that one day you might join us."
Knowing none of his words had gotten through to her, Qi Xia felt a profound sense of frustration. "Are you completely out of touch with reality? There are only ten days left! Everything will be gone after that! What do you mean by {join us one day in the future}?"
After a moment of reflection, he demanded, "And who exactly are {we}?"
"Qi Xia." Xiao Xiao said, "In ten days, you will understand everything about this place, and these people..."
She gestured toward the three unconscious figures sprawled on the ground. "Their lives hold no significance. Their deaths are inconsequential. But you are different. You must remain here."
"Stop spouting nonsense," Qi Xia retorted. "How could you possibly know whether they are of significance to me?"
Xiao Xiao paused, a flicker of realization crossing her face. "I can demonstrate to you that their deaths are truly inconsequential."
"Wha—What are you planning?"
Without answering, Xiao Xiao removed her top, revealing a sports bra underneath.
Qi Xia's eyes widened in surprise as he took in the sight before him. The woman who had seemed merely {slightly chubby} was, in fact, powerfully built. Her physique was more muscular than Qiao Jiajin's, with defined abdominal muscles and arms like granite pillars.
Upon their initial encounter, her large frame and broad shoulders made it easy to assume she carried extra weight.
The loose T-shirt she wore only reinforced this misconception.
Though her face appeared slim, it gave no hint of the powerful musculature concealed beneath.