Chapter 1220: The Pie

Chu Tianqiu returned to his senses and looked down at the ground beneath his feet.

Although he didn't know what had just happened, at least his rationality was gradually stabilizing.

Di Shu glanced at him with confusion, wearing a smile that was hard to interpret. "Leader... If you two are really that scared, there's no need to put on such a terrifying act. You could just shout 'How scary!' and make your exit."

"Scared...?" Chu Tianqiu shook his head. "Di Shu, I got on this train to deal with Tianlong. Do you think I have any reason to be afraid right now?"

After hearing that, Di Shu furrowed his brow slightly. "Leader... You're planning to take on Tianlong? I must have underestimated you big time."

"Then open your eyes wide and see clearly. Now, I need to get to the Che Tou as quickly as possible," Chu Tianqiu said.

"This path is tough to navigate, Leader. Hold on tight," Di Shu replied. "In a place like this, one wrong step and you're done for—no body left to bury."

"That makes sense," Chu Tianqiu said. "I might not have a whole body to leave behind anyway, so I'll just try not to fall."

"Then I wish you all the best luck in the world."

Di Shu turned to Qin Dingdong. "And you, Leader... What's your purpose for coming here?"

"You ask a great question." Qin Dingdong said irritably, "Does big sister have to spill everything to a rat acquaintance I've barely met?"

"Leader," Di Shu sighed, "I'm the one paving the way for you right now. If I don't know your ultimate goal, it's hard for me, as a 'wall grass,' to make a choice."

"You're already a 'wall grass'—what's there to choose?" Qin Dingdong said. "Just lead the way properly. Big sister isn't poison—I'm not going to kill you."

As they were talking, heavy footsteps echoed from the other end.

Di Shu's brows furrowed as he slowly turned around and saw a Di Niu approaching step by step.

It was an extraordinarily muscular water buffalo.

"Everyone, Leaders... I might have to betray you all next," Di Shu said, looking at the water buffalo.

"Betray us already?" Zhang Shan chuckled lightly. "Not going to think it over some more?"

"Leader..." Di Shu turned to Zhang Shan, "That one's coming with bad intentions... Do you think the two of us can hold it off? Right now, betraying you all is the best option."

Zhang Shan didn't say anything; he just rolled his neck, and with a series of cracking sounds, the wounds on his body began to heal slowly.

Chu Tianqiu felt that this strange space was indeed similar to Cangjie Qi, where Huixiang seemed to have temporarily lost its connection, but with the right method, it could still be reactivated quickly.

Seeing Zhang Shan's injuries healing, Di Shu's expression gradually changed.

"Oh, my bad—I didn't think it through. Leaders, forget I said that. I won't betray you for now."

The Di Niu lumbered up to the group, its massive frame towering half a head taller than Zhang Shan.

"Oh..." The Di Niu spotted Zhang Shan at once. "It's you again."

"The hell, what do you mean 'it's you again'?" Zhang Shan seemed to have forgotten the Di Niu's name. "Don't act all familiar. What do you want?"

"Alright." The Di Niu nodded. "I don't really want anything... I just want you all to quietly follow the rules. If you get off the train now, I'll pretend nothing happened."

Chu Tianqiu looked up at the towering water buffalo. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why won't you make a move against us, and why do you want to protect the rules here?"

The Di Niu shook its head. "Shengxiao and participants are just a cooperative relationship at best. We take your lives, and you take our Dao. We stay in our lanes—you lose your Dao and can get more, we lose our lives and can live again, but messing with each other's livelihoods isn't right."

"What a way to put it—'livelihoods.'" Chu Tianqiu said. "Do you really think killing three thousand six hundred people will let you become Tian?"

"Once you reach Tian level, you can freely enter and exit Taoyuan—that's every Shengxiao's goal," the Di Niu said. "In our eyes, what you're doing is basically cutting off the path for all Shengxiao, so I have to step in and stop it."

Qin Dingdong sneered and pointed into the distance. "Cow classmate, haven't you noticed? There are so many Shengxiao out there, but only you came over. Are you sure you speak for all of them?"

"I don't care about them," the Di Niu sighed. "I've always been diligent and only do what's in my job. If you won't leave, I'll have to escort you out right here."

Di Shu stepped forward, craning his neck up toward the Di Niu. "Leader, as the 'first beast tamer of Taoyuan,' why do your words sound so bear-like?"

"Di Shu..." The Di Niu stared at him unhappily. "Participants rebelling is one thing—they might still have a chance to live... But why are you joining in the madness? None of us got here by luck, so why are you throwing your life away like this?"

"Throwing my life away?" Di Shu's face lost its smile, and he said seriously, "You Shengxiao without collars around your necks—how can you tell I'm throwing my life away? Every day in Taoyuan for me is like walking on a knife's edge, even sleep isn't peaceful. Now I want to fight back, and you're accusing me of not valuing my life?"

"Aren't you without a collar now?" the Di Niu said. "But to get back to it, the reason you all got collared was because you believed in Tian Shu's so-called 'pie from the sky,' thinking you could rise straight to the top and ending up in this mess. It's no one's fault but your own. But you're leading a rebellion and messing with my interests, so I have to stop you. If you'd realized earlier that a 'pie' and a 'trap' are just a stroke apart, you should've woken up by now."

"Yeah..." Di Shu nodded. "It's like how people in despair believe in the existence of 'gods'... When I saw no hope, Tian Shu showed up with that collar, telling me I could quickly become Di level and see my family... If it were you... Wouldn't you be tempted?"

"Maybe I'd put it on too," the Di Niu said. "But we're not talking about hypotheticals—we're dealing with reality. I didn't end up on your tragic path, and you're actually threatening all Shengxiao, so I have to take a stand based on the facts and restrain you."

"What an unfeeling wild bull," Di Shu's eyes grew colder. "Leader, it seems we all have our own reasons, and neither can convince the other, so we'll have to settle this with our fists."

"I hear your game is 'Fruit,'" the Di Niu said slowly as he took off his suit and tossed it to the ground. "And mine is 'Hunting.' What's your chance of winning?"

"Wrong," Di Shu laughed lightly. "I heard my game is called 'Cat and Mouse,' and yours is 'Eagle and Chick.' Doesn't seem all that different."