Chapter 159: Second Gamble

"It's possible," Lin Jian nodded. "In your first cycle, you shone brightly, not only attracting the attention of Tian Tang Kou, but also that of Ji Dao."

"Is that how it is...?" Qi Xia narrowed his eyes in thought. "So that means I've been here for a month already..."

What about Yu Nian An...? Has she been missing for a month?

"It's still not too late..." Qi Xia murmured to himself. "A month's time isn't long; I'll find you..."

"Qi Xia, there's another important reason why I want to be your teammate," Lin Jian said.

"What is it?"

"You're too smart, which makes you seem not smart at all. I want to stay by your side to keep an eye on you, because escaping this place successfully requires extreme caution in everything."

Qi Xia paused briefly, not quite understanding Lin Jian's meaning.

"You never hold back your brilliance and don't know how to hide your intelligence. Such behavior is as good as suicide," Lin Jian said after finishing the drink in his hand. "If I were you, I might pretend to be a fool and only reveal my smarts at the very last moment."

"There's no need," Qi Xia said. "If I encounter danger, it only means my 'wisdom' isn't strong enough yet. As long as I can crush my opponents strategically, there's no point in hiding."

"What a strange person," Lin Jian chuckled. "You never take Tian Tang Kou, Ji Dao, or Sheng Xiao seriously, do you?"

"It's not that I don't take them seriously; I just want to get out," Qi Xia said. "Anyone with the same goal as me is my ally."

"Then..." Lin Jian set down the bottle and wiped his lips with a finger. "I've already told you about my Hui Xiang army plan, so now I want to hear your thoughts. Do you have a plan?"

"A plan..." Qi Xia glanced far off at Chu Tian Qiu.

If he were to formulate a real plan, Chu Tian Qiu's position would be crucial.

What was this man scheming?

What was in his notes?

Thinking of this, Qi Xia slowly stood up. "Lin Jian, let's end our conversation for tonight. There's another game waiting for me below, and I'll tell you when I have a plan."

He grabbed a handful of peanuts from the table and slowly made his way over to Chu Tian Qiu.

At that moment, Chu Tian Qiu was sitting alone in the corner, smiling as he looked toward Yun Yao.

"Qi Xia...?" Chu Tian Qiu noticed the approaching person and raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"I want to ask you a few questions." Qi Xia scattered the peanuts on the table and picked one up to shell.

"Sure." Chu Tian Qiu smiled. "What do you want to ask?"

"A participant takes their Dao to join a game, but along the way, there's a group of strange lunatics who always rob half the Dao from passing participants and then return one. The participant walks this road for several days and encounters the lunatics multiple times, but their Dao is never lost. How is that possible?"

Chu Tian Qiu listened and was slightly stunned, furrowing his brow.

Qi Xia bowed his head and ate the peanut without saying a word.

"He bribed the lunatics."

Qi Xia remained expressionless and said nothing.

Seeing Qi Xia's reaction, Chu Tian Qiu knew his answer might be off, so he thought for a moment and said, "The participant killed them all."

Qi Xia nodded and asked another question: "Two people kill someone together; one gets blood splattered all over their face, but the other doesn't. After the killing, why does the one with a clean face immediately go to wash up?"

"Because he's allergic to blood," Chu Tian Qiu answered.

"Oh? Is that so?" Qi Xia's expression darkened. "The participant is a murderer, and the murderer is allergic to blood— is that it?"

"Ha!" Chu Tian Qiu laughed. "Qi Xia, are you testing me? These questions won't stump me. Do you want a drink? I'll get you a bottle."

He started to stand up, but Qi Xia suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Sit down," Qi Xia said coldly.

"What...?"

"I want to talk to the real Chu Tian Qiu. You can't make decisions for what's coming next."

"The 'real Chu Tian Qiu'?" Chu Tian Qiu looked puzzled. "Qi Xia, what are you talking about? Am I not the real Chu Tian Qiu?"

"What do you think?" Qi Xia slowly raised his eyes. "The two questions I asked you are clearly logic problems, but your answers completely ignore logical thinking and are just wild guesses based on imagination. I've heard from many people that 'Chu Tian Qiu' is extremely clever, but is this your idea of 'clever'?"

Chu Tian Qiu sighed quietly and said, "Qi Xia, I'm not as smart as you. I admit that, but I am indeed Chu Tian Qiu."

Hearing this, Qi Xia sensed something was wrong.

This person was just too strange.

And he wasn't lying.

Even the most skilled liar has flaws, but Chu Tian Qiu had none.

If he was Chu Tian Qiu and not smart, but Chu Tian Qiu was smart... could there be another possibility?

"You say you are Chu Tian Qiu..." Qi Xia asked quietly, "So, are there two of you in this world?"

"What...?"

"One of you out in the open taking the hits, and the other scheming in the shadows..." Qi Xia kept piecing together the situation, feeling he was getting closer to the truth. "Because of some Hui Xiang reason... there are two of you now?"

Chu Tian Qiu's eye twitched slightly, and Qi Xia caught the fatal flaw.

"So that's it... If Chu Tian Qiu's Hui Xiang is to create another version of himself... that doesn't make sense," Qi Xia continued. "He should create a 'perfect' version of himself, not a foolish one; otherwise, it's too easy to slip up."

Chu Tian Qiu's expression slowly changed.

"Let me guess..." Qi Xia tapped the table lightly. "So, the one who activated the Hui Xiang isn't Chu Tian Qiu, but someone else, right?"

Silence.

"Suppose this person's Hui Xiang is to become another person... the conditions are quite strict; they have to fully believe they are Chu Tian Qiu for it to work..." Qi Xia looked straight into Chu Tian Qiu's eyes. "In that case, everything fits. No matter how we question you... you are Chu Tian Qiu, with no flaws, because deep down, you truly believe it. But you just can't be as smart as the real Chu Tian Qiu."

"Qi Xia... you..." Chu Tian Qiu was starting to panic.

"But in Tian Tang Kou... who could convince themselves one hundred percent that they are Chu Tian Qiu?" Qi Xia smirked. "This person knows Chu Tian Qiu very well, has a Hui Xiang, and believes they can play the role..."

"Don't say any more..." Chu Tian Qiu reached out to stop Qi Xia.

"So, when did you return to Tian Tang Kou?" Qi Xia leaned in closer to the person in front of him and slowly said, "Lady Xu Liu Nian, the former actress?"