Chapter 180: Meeting on a Narrow Road

“Hey, chatting away?”

A familiar voice came from behind, pulling Qi Xia back from his thoughts.

Xiao Xiao had already led her team to the game area, with two men following her.

One was Lao Sun, whom they had met yesterday and who could produce stones, while the other was a tall young man they had never seen before. He wore a black leather jacket and gold earrings, looking quite laid-back.

Qi Xia’s expression turned stern in an instant.

There were more pressing issues at hand, so he ignored the three outside and headed straight into the building.

Inside, it was a small space that you could see through at a glance, with only an elevator and a wooden door in sight.

“A five- or six-story building actually has an elevator?”

Though puzzled, Qi Xia checked the wooden door and found it locked, so he had no choice but to enter the elevator.

The elevator panel had only two buttons: first floor and sixth floor.

After thinking for a moment, Qi Xia pressed the sixth floor button.

The elevator was fast, whisking him up to the rooftop in just a few seconds.

This was Qi Xia’s first time seeing an elevator go straight to the rooftop, and also his first time encountering such a flat rooftop.

Zhang Shan and the other two were already standing there, discussing something together.

Qi Xia stepped out of the elevator and slowly approached the trio, asking, “How’s it going?”

“You’re here?” Li Xiang Ling said. “We’ve got a rough idea of the game. It’s ‘Du Mu Qiao’.”

Qi Xia nodded and looked at the game area.

The rooftop of this building was perfectly flat, but the center was completely hollowed out.

Standing at the edge of the hollow, Qi Xia peered down and saw a tangle of hemp ropes crisscrossing below, filling his field of vision and extending endlessly.

A gust of chilling wind blew up from below, carrying a rusty metallic scent.

Falling down would mean either instant death or being entangled to death by the ropes.

In the middle of the entire hollow, a long steel beam stretched across, about one meter in diameter and at least twenty meters long.

Based on the setup, this really did look like a “Du Mu Qiao” game.

With Di Hu and the “Ji Dao” people not yet upstairs, Qi Xia decisively stepped onto the steel beam.

He tested the beam’s hardness and the difficulty of walking on it.

“If this is really ‘Du Mu Qiao,’ it’s way too simple.” Qi Xia stood on the beam, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

He figured that a one-meter diameter wasn’t wide, but it was more than enough for a person to walk on, and the beam was made of solid material and securely installed.

So, how would elements like “si sha,” “teamwork,” and “physical endurance” come into play?

“I get it…” Qi Xia murmured to himself. “There’s a rule that could satisfy all these conditions.”

“Hey, cheat kid, get down from there. It’s dangerous.” Qiao Jia Jin said.

Qi Xia nodded and stepped off the beam, then said to the three, “I’ve roughly figured out the game rules. Let me explain the strategy to you now.”

“The game rules?” Zhang Shan blinked. “Isn’t it just ‘Du Mu Qiao’? What’s there to figure out?”

“No, calling it ‘Du Mu Qiao’ isn’t quite right. It should be ‘Xian Lu Xiang Feng’.”

…

After Qi Xia briefed the group, Di Hu arrived with three “Ji Dao” members.

Strangely, the six participants all seemed completely relaxed, with expressions more casual than the next.

Di Hu stepped out of the elevator, glanced at Qi Xia, and showed a displeased look. “Weren’t you only three? Who let you in?”

“I want to observe the match.” Qi Xia said.

“No such rule. Get out.” Di Hu snapped coldly.

“I…” Qi Xia started to say something but sensed a faint killing intent from Di Hu.

“It’s fine, Lao Qi. Just wait downstairs for us.” Zhang Shan said. “I’ve got everything you said memorized.”

“Yeah, cheat kid, don’t worry.” Qiao Jia Jin smiled slightly. “You can take the big guy and the kung fu girl down too. I can handle this alone.”

“What are you talking about, kid?” Zhang Shan retorted irritably. “Why don’t you go down?”

Qiao Jia Jin stretched his arms and said, “Because I’ve got a special skill.”

“I’ve got natural strength too.” Zhang Shan replied.

Qi Xia looked at the three seriously and said, “My part ends here. The rest is up to you.”

“Mm.” Qiao Jia Jin nodded.

“Stay safe, got it?” Qi Xia said.

“I know.”

With a complicated expression, Qi Xia entered the elevator. As the doors closed, he took one last look at his three teammates.

Now, everything was in their hands.

Qi Xia returned to the first-floor lobby, sat on a wooden crate, and leaned against the wall to rest with his eyes closed.

Though he wasn’t playing, he felt more tense than those in the game.

Upstairs, Di Hu had begun explaining the game rules to everyone.

He walked to one end of the steel beam and planted a red flag there, then went to the other end and planted a blue flag.

“My game is called ‘Xian Lu Xiang Feng’,” Di Hu said. “At the start, both teams must stand on the steel beam according to their sides, divided into left and right. The win condition is for all surviving members of one team to reach the other side and touch the opponent’s flag.”

Zhang Shan glanced nervously at Qiao Jia Jin.

This rule was almost exactly as Qi Xia had described.

The only difference was that Qi Xia had added, “Though the rules are roughly like that, there should be hidden rules that we’ll only discover during the game.”

Seeing no questions, Di Hu continued, “Now, some precautions. First, to reach the other side, you must go via the steel beam. Any route outside it is considered a ‘violation,’ and you’ll face ‘penalties’.”

Li Xiang Ling looked at the area and realized this rule was probably to prevent anyone from circling around the rooftop to the opponent’s back.

“Second, participants can exit the steel beam to rest if needed, and it won’t count as forfeiting. To re-enter, you must start again from your own side.”

The six remained silent, just staring at the area and pondering their strategies.

“Finally, no one is allowed to damage the playing field.” Di Hu said. “Are the rules clear?”

“Clear.” Zhang Shan replied.

“Any other questions?” Di Hu asked.

Li Xiang Ling spoke up, “Is there a time limit for this game?”

“No.” Di Hu shook his head. “The game ends when all surviving members of one team simultaneously touch the opponent’s flag. The winners each get eight ‘Dao,’ plus all the spoils from the losing team.”

Everyone nodded.

“Since there are no issues, the game will start in three minutes.” Di Hu finished and stepped aside. “Please have both teams take their positions on the steel beam sides.”

Qiao Jia Jin, Zhang Shan, and Li Xiang Ling slowly moved to the red flag side, while the three opponents stood far away on the other side.

Both sides exchanged cold, intense glares, not wanting to say another word.