Chapter 179: The Celestial Sheep?

Seeing the three of them like that, Qi Xia always felt a bit out of place.

After all, this was a "Di" level game, and their opponent was "Ji Dao."

Qi Xia's nerves were on edge, completely out of sync with the three in front of him.

After about an hour, Qi Xia followed his memory to the place where he had met Xiao Xiao the day before, then turned along the small path to the street corner, finally spotting that "Hu."

It had a white tiger head, with every single hair appearing as realistically grown on its face as could be.

Unlike the other "Sheng Xiao," this "Di Hu" wasn't standing at the door with hands behind its back; instead, it was listlessly sitting on the ground.

Behind Di Hu was an old-style residential building, at least five or six stories high.

Seeing four people approaching, it lazily lifted its eyelids for a glance, then continued bowing its head in silence.

"Hey," Zhang Shan called out, "we're here for the game."

Hearing this, Di Hu slowly raised its head and glanced at Zhang Shan again, but still said nothing.

"What's with you 'Sheng Xiao'?" Zhang Shan asked, puzzled, as he looked it over. "The other 'Sheng Xiao' we've met were eager for people to show up, but you seem like you don't welcome us at all."

"Get lost," Di Hu said.

"Huh?" Zhang Shan was stunned. "What do you mean by 'get lost'?"

Di Hu sighed, slowly standing up, and added, "My game can kill people. If you understand, then get lost."

It had thought saying this would make the group back off, but none of the four showed any sign of surprise.

"How much for the entry fee?" Zhang Shan asked calmly.

Di Hu looked at each of them in turn, still looking annoyed. "Are you not understanding my words? Participating in my game could mean death."

"Yes, we know," Zhang Shan nodded. "So, what's the entry fee?"

Di Hu's expression shifted slightly. He muttered to himself, then turned and shut the big iron gate, saying, "Sorry, not open today. Get lost."

Qi Xia stroked his chin and looked at Di Hu, finding the situation quite interesting.

While all the other "Sheng Xiao" were enthusiastically soliciting customers, this white tiger was giving the complete opposite attitude.

In their previous encounters, no matter the difficulty, "Di Ji" games always hoped participants would die in them. But Di Hu was trying to dissuade players by saying, "My game will kill people."

Qi Xia suddenly remembered Xiao Xiao mentioning yesterday that Di Hu's game venue was newly established, meaning Di Hu had only just been promoted.

So, it was different from the other "Di Ji Sheng Xiao"—it still retained some human side.

"Hey, hey... this game is really important to me," Qiao Jia Jin said. "It's my 'Brain Defense War,' so can you cooperate as the referee?"

"I don't get it," Di Hu shook his head. "There are so many 'Sheng Xiao' around here. Go to any of them. As long as you don't enter my territory, go wherever you want."

Qiao Jia Jin and Zhang Shan exchanged glances, feeling the situation was tricky.

Qi Xia stepped forward and asked, "Di Hu, why don't you want us to participate in your game?"

"I don't want to kill anyone," Di Hu thought for a moment and added, "not for now, anyway."

"Why?" Qi Xia asked.

"Do I have to explain it to you?"

Seeing the other wasn't going to answer, Qi Xia said, "What if we want to die ourselves?"

"You..." Di Hu looked irritated. "The roads here go everywhere. You have plenty of places to go, so why insist on dying?"

"Hmm," Qi Xia nodded. "There are many paths in this world, and everyone has their own road to follow. The one we've chosen leads to participating in your game."

Hearing Qi Xia's words, Di Hu suddenly trembled all over.

Its eyes changed.

Those brown tiger eyes showed a look of disbelief, and it stared at Qi Xia, sizing him up from head to toe.

"Sorry..." Di Hu said in a trembling voice, "what did you just say?"

"I said there are many paths in this world, and everyone has their own road to follow."

Di Hu was silent for a while, just swallowing hard.

"Five 'Dao' per person to join the game," Di Hu said quietly. "Three per group, and we need two groups."

Although confused, Zhang Shan pulled a handful of "Dao" from his pocket and tossed them to Di Hu.

"Then we're heading in," he said, waving his hand as he led the others through the door into the building.

Qi Xia didn't go in. He had a very bad premonition.

"Di Hu, have you ever heard that phrase before?" he asked.

Di Hu thought for a moment and nodded slightly.

That slight nod made Qi Xia's heart skip a beat.

He stepped forward and grabbed Di Hu's shoulder. "Where is she?!"

"What...?" Di Hu was taken aback.

"Where is the person who said that to you?! Where did you see her?!"

"Why are you getting so worked up?" Di Hu pushed Qi Xia away with a strong shove, which Qi Xia couldn't resist. "Do you know that sheep?"

"What...?" Qi Xia's eyes widened suddenly. "Are you saying... you heard that phrase from another 'Sheng Xiao'?!"

Di Hu realized he'd said too much and his face turned cold.

"I said, what's it to you?" He slowly moved closer to Qi Xia. "Are you asking too many questions?"

"I..."

Qi Xia wanted to ask more, but his mind spun, and all the self-assured clues he'd gathered about the "Dao" fell apart.

A sheep?

Was Yu Nian An the "sheep"?

The situation was getting too strange.

Was it Yu Nian An who brought him to the "End of All Things"? Was she originally part of this place?

But what was the purpose?

Qi Xia's eyes widened slowly.

Was the name "Yu Nian An" just the "sheep"'s lie?

This "Sheng Xiao"'s lies weren't limited to the game—they could even affect someone's memories.

No, not just memories...

She had really appeared in the real world... She had personally sewn that sheep head cartoon pattern for him.

That kind of power far exceeded "Di Ji."

So, was Yu Nian An...

"Hey..." Qi Xia asked in a trembling voice, "the sheep you mentioned... is it 'Tian Yang'?"

"Probably," Di Hu said, looking dazedly at the sky. "It wasn't before... but it should be now."

Qi Xia clutched his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

"She’s 'Tian Yang'... I’ve been tricked...?"

Qi Xia looked up slowly at that fluffy tiger face.

Soon, he broke into a pained smile.

Why was he believing what this strange tiger-headed creature said in this bizarre place?

He had known Yu Nian An since he was nineteen.

Now, he was twenty-six.

Even if she was "Tian Yang," why would she spend seven years deceiving an ordinary person?

Did tricking someone at the bottom of society require "Tian Yang" to invest so much time?!

"Either I've been tricked..." Qi Xia murmured to himself, "or I'm going crazy."