Chapter 178: Nervous?

After arranging the group's tactics, the sky gradually darkened.

It turned out that Zhang Shan, Qiao Jiajin, and Li Xiangling hadn't really "discussed tactics" at all. They just did some physical exercises and chatted about trivial things.

Once Zhang Shan and Li Xiangling had left, Qi Xia looked around at the people still in the room, feeling a sense of irony in the scene.

Now, aside from himself, only Qiao Jiajin, Lin Geng, Han Yimo, and Zhao Yisheng remained.

In just two short days, only these few were left.

Apart from Qiao Jiajin, none of them were normal people.

Perhaps, as Xiaoxiao had said, in Zhongyan Zhidi, only the Hui Xiang Zhe had the right to survive.

"Qiao Jiajin." Qi Xia said softly from his corner.

Qiao Jiajin came over and sat down next to him. "What's up, liar boy?"

"Tomorrow, your opponents are the Ji Dao, so I have a few things I want to tell you privately."

"What is it?"

"Do you still remember Aunt Tong's lessons?"

"Uh..." Qiao Jiajin scratched his head. "I remember parts of it."

"Hmm." Qi Xia thought for a moment and said, "Hui Xiang can only be activated successfully with 'belief.' If you're backed into a corner, try to make your opponent doubt themselves."

"Oh?" Qiao Jiajin pondered this slightly. "But how exactly do I do that?"

"I'm not sure myself." Qi Xia rubbed his forehead. "After all, we don't know the specific rules of tomorrow's game."

"That doesn't matter. You'll be going tomorrow, right?" Qiao Jiajin asked. "Not competing, just advising from the sidelines."

"Of course I want to advise, but the Di Ji zodiac holders are especially cunning. I don't know if they'll give me a chance to speak."

"Relax, tomorrow I'll show you what I've got." Qiao Jiajin patted Qi Xia's shoulder casually. "Don't worry."

"I don't care how many tricks you show, remember this: whether it's the Ji Dao or Tianguang Kou, don't treat them as complete allies." Qi Xia said quietly. "The Di Ji games are dangerous, but not necessarily fatal. Your ultimate goal is to survive, even if you lose the game. Understand?"

Qiao Jiajin seemed to see the shadow of Jiu Zi in Qi Xia.

Jiu Zi had once said: "A Jin, if you can't win, run away. As long as you're alive, that's what matters, got it?"

"Don't worry." Qiao Jiajin snapped back and said, "Liar boy, even if the opponent is the terminator, I can still twist off one of his arms."

Even so, how could Qi Xia not worry?

Without extremely deep scheming, how could anyone survive in Zhongyan Zhidi?

The kinder the person, the more miserably they died here.

Qiao Jiajin wasn't suited to live in this place.

After nightfall, the group had a simple meal and then pushed the tables together to lie down.

Qi Xia picked up a lighter and used it to light a fire for Han Yimo, hoping it would ease his claustrophobia a bit. He then gently placed the lighter on the door handle and finally sat down in a corner far from the door.

Another day was ending.

The good news for today was that they hadn't lost any teammates, but the bad news was that Qi Xia had been targeted by the Ji Dao.

Who knew what the coming days would bring.

In the evening, Chu Tianqiu stood in the hallway and knocked on the window.

Qi Xia opened the window with a blank expression.

"What's wrong?" Qi Xia asked.

"Qi Xia, he said, 'I have never left.'" Chu Tianqiu whispered.

This answer made Qi Xia's face stiffen for a moment, but he quickly recovered and said, "I see."

Chu Tianqiu said no more and turned to leave.

Qi Xia sat in his chair and slowly closed his eyes.

He was exhausted, with many strings in his mind pulled tight, never able to relax.

"Xia, do you know? There are many paths in this world, and everyone has their own."

"Yes, I know." Qi Xia nodded in his dream, tears in his eyes. "I've always known."

That night, the black shadow didn't appear. The lighter on the door handle stayed there the whole time, until a low knocking sound knocked it off at dawn.

"Time to get up!" Zhang Shan shouted from outside the door.

Qi Xia immediately opened his eyes, and the others in the classroom slowly sat up.

Although staying in Tianguang Kou was safe, the hard tabletops still left them with sore backs and waists.

"I can't believe..." Qiao Jiajin stretched his limbs, feeling uncomfortable all over. "What time is it?"

"Don't sleep anymore!" Zhang Shan pushed the door open, and the lighter fell behind the door. "Because it's a Di Ji game, we need to pay the entry fee to know the rules, so let's go pay early and see what it's about."

Qiao Jiajin yawned slowly. "Okay, you guys go first... in three hours, I'll..."

Zhang Shan sighed, reached out, and grabbed Qiao Jiajin's neck, lifting him off the table like a pet.

"Hey, hey, hey?" Qiao Jiajin was stunned and instantly woke up a bit. "Big guy, that's a bit too much..."

"It's urgent, let's head out early!" Zhang Shan tossed a pack of biscuits to Qiao Jiajin. "Old Qi, are you coming too?"

"Yes." Qi Xia nodded. "I'll go and help you with some ideas."

Han Yimo perked up at this. "Can I go?"

Qi Xia paused. "No, you stay with Lin Geng and Zhao Yisheng today."

"Ah?" Lin Geng raised an eyebrow. "Let him go with Zhao Yisheng."

Zhao Yisheng was startled. "Ah?"

"Uh..." Han Yimo hadn't expected to be rejected by so many people and looked a bit embarrassed.

"That's settled then. The four of us will go." Zhang Shan said.

After saying that, Qiao Jiajin slowly walked to the door, but when he turned back, he saw that none of the other three had followed.

He was a little confused.

"What's up? Aren't we leaving?" Qiao Jiajin yawned.

"We can leave... but are you going out like that, kid?" Zhang Shan nodded. "Without any clothes?"

"Uh..." Qiao Jiajin looked down and realized he was bare-chested, then quickly slipped away to put on his clothes.

After saying goodbye to the others, Qi Xia and the three participants set off toward the earthy yellow dawn.

The morning in Zhongyan Zhidi was strange—it wasn't cold, and there was no morning mist, but everything felt somewhat dim.

They walked for about half an hour until the sky brightened, and occasionally they saw Yuan Zhu Min moving in the alleys.

The atmosphere along the way was odd, and Qi Xia felt like something was off.

He looked at the three people in front of him; their expressions didn't seem like they were heading to a Di Ji game at all—more like they were going on a trip.

They were too relaxed.

Zhang Shan seemed to realize something too, so he scratched his head and turned to ask Qiao Jiajin, "Kid, are you nervous?"

"Uh... what?" Qiao Jiajin paused.

"I'm asking if you're nervous?"

"I... should I be nervous?" Qiao Jiajin was a bit puzzled.

"Darn... what do we do now." Zhang Shan looked troubled. "Chu Tianqiu specifically told me to be extra careful in this game, but I just can't get tense. I was hoping you'd help set the mood."

Qiao Jiajin yawned slowly and said, "Oh, is that it? Yeah, actually, I'm pretty nervous."

His yawn made even Zhang Shan feel sleepy.

"What about you, Li Xiangling?" Zhang Shan snapped out of it and turned to the girl beside him.

"Me?" Li Xiangling gave a crisp smile. "Ever since I was little, my grandfather taught me that for martial artists, the most important thing is composure—even if Mount Tai collapses in front, your heart shouldn't waver. So, I don't really know what 'nervous' means."