Chapter 1094: The Weak

Yan Zhichun had just stepped out of the venue and was standing on the sticky, foul-smelling street when a familiar voice reached his ear.

"Tsk."

"Oh?" Yan Zhichun replied softly.

"Tsk, oh what? You finally have a signal." Zhou Liu said, "I thought you were dead."

Yan Zhichun glanced at the people around him and saw that no one was paying attention, so he stepped back a few paces to the side.

Zhao Yisheng noticed and quietly retreated a step as well, whispering as he came up beside Yan Zhichun.

Yan Zhichun was clearly still a bit wary of Zhao Yisheng suddenly approaching, but after a few seconds, he remembered that Zhao Yisheng was now essentially on their side, so he decided not to bother with it.

She sighed and continued, "Is everything going smoothly?"

"Tsk, it's going smoothly enough." Zhou Liu replied, "So, are we doing this or not? How did your probing go?"

"Everything's ready; just wait for me to arrive." Yan Zhichun said.

"Got it." Zhou Liu answered, and then the line went silent.

After finishing the call, Yan Zhichun turned to look at Zhao Yisheng. After a pause of a few seconds, he asked, "Are you coming with me?"

"I..." Zhao Yisheng's expression showed some hesitation as he glanced behind Yan Zhichun. "I do want to go with you, but my brother..."

Yan Zhichun looked back at the empty street behind them, the spot where the group had just emerged from thin air.

"Zhao Zai?" Yan Zhichun said, "What if your brother can't get out?"

"If he can't get out..." Zhao Yisheng hesitated, seemingly unsure how to respond. "But we agreed to go together... If he doesn't make it, then I..."

"I understand that feeling." Yan Zhichun said, "On this land, it's rare to meet someone without malice who can keep you company. Even if he doesn't have many other good qualities, at least he's someone you can talk to. But now that things have come to this, you need to choose your own path in life."

Zhao Yisheng struggled to grasp this feeling and didn't even know why he was so insistent on bringing Han Yimo along.

Was Han Yimo his brother? His friend?

Logically, neither really applied.

He only knew that Han Yimo was someone from Zhongyan Zhidi who, like him, was weak and insignificant. They shared the same circumstances—tainted backgrounds, disliked by others, yet desperately wanting to survive.

Here, he couldn't bring himself to dive alone into a plan full of monsters. He knew he wasn't capable of achieving anything grand, but having someone like Han Yimo, another ordinary person, by his side actually made him feel strangely at ease.

"I don't know how to choose my own path in life." Zhao Yisheng replied, "I still want to wait for Han Yimo to go together. Honestly... I'm too scared."

"Scared?" Yan Zhichun was a bit puzzled. "You weren't scared when you agreed yesterday, but you are now?"

"I..." Zhao Yisheng shook his head. "After seeing the looks in Xuanwu and Qinglong's eyes today... I realized I'm not on the same level as them at all. They're wielding cannons, while I'm just holding a scalpel. I don't kill people, but they do."

"A scalpel has its own advantages." Yan Zhichun replied, "As long as you strike at the right moment and hit the vital point, you can win even against a cannon. My suggestion is that you come with me first. There's still some time on the road, and then I'll send someone to pick up Han Yimo."

Yan Zhichun paused after saying that and added, "Assuming he really can make it out, of course."

"You..." Zhao Yisheng sighed. "...Alright."

Although neither of them said it outright, it was hard to be sure if Han Yimo would actually emerge from Cangjie Qi.

In this game, the "referee" was ultimately Dilong, and she was dead. She had traded her life for the survival of Chu Tianqiu's entire team.

Without any rules or constraints, the referees in that venue had become Qinglong and Xuanwu.

What kind of madness would make anyone believe those two would follow the rules?

...

Qinglong leaped down from the air, landing silently on the ground.

The game area now consisted only of the surrounding walls and a massive central structure with a huge display screen mounted on top.

The people inside the area began to slowly gather toward the screen, all wearing expressions of hesitation as they looked at the enormous device.

Since this was a "life-or-death" game based on Cangjie Qi, it naturally meant the rules would be a variant of Cangjie Qi.

But this massive display screen didn't seem suitable for writing characters, and there was no Feng Huang Xian Shu Tai. So, how could it count as Cangjie Qi?

Qi Xia stood in front of the screen and looked up, then turned toward Qinglong.

"What's the plan?" Qi Xia asked.

"Quick and straightforward." Qinglong replied, "We'll compete with three 'characters.' Whoever wins after three will decide it right then and there."

"Only three 'characters'?" Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. "You seem pretty confident."

"Well..." Qinglong shook his head. "I've seen a lot of Bai Yang's game designs and think I've picked up a few things."

"Ha, learned from Bai Yang?"

Qi Xia let out a laugh, though it was unclear if it was from anger or excitement.

"What's so funny?" Qinglong asked with a smile. "Even though many games are designed with Bai Yang's input, Cangjie Qi isn't one of them."

"You're no fool." Qi Xia said, "Think back carefully—is there really nothing?"

Qinglong paused slightly, his expression gradually cooling as he said in a low voice, "Even if Cangjie Qi was influenced by Bai Yang's ideas, this 'life-or-death' variant isn't."

"Oh?" Qi Xia nodded. "Qinglong, in that case, there's one more thing I don't understand."

"What?"

"Some people create the problems, others solve them." Qi Xia reached up and gently stroked his chin before asking, "Do you think the problem creators are stronger, or the solvers?"

Qinglong thought for a few seconds before smiling. "If I heard that right, you're basically saying, 'I'm stronger than Bai Yang.'"

"You heard right." Qi Xia said.

"That's an interesting question." Qinglong replied, "If you can solve every problem, it just means you've figured out the creator's thinking—it doesn't mean you're stronger than them."

"But I can solve 'variant problems.'" Qi Xia said, "Learning from Bai Yang is one thing, but you'd be better off learning from me. I'll solve the variant you came up with next."

"I hope so." Qinglong said, "This is a 'life-or-death' game, after all. If you can't solve it this time, you won't get another chance."