Chapter 261: Setting up a stall

Di Yang pondered for a long time and released his grip on Qi Xia's collar.

He straightened his suit and asked, "Then tell me... what is a 'fair and square' confrontation?"

Qi Xia pointed to his temple. "You spare my life, and we'll duel with our minds."

Di Yang sized up Qi Xia and said in a low voice, "You must have guessed it already—the rules allow killing, so I could make you lose anytime without using my brain."

Qi Xia nodded. "That's true, but is that any fun?"

"Fun...?"

"You could have killed everyone here right away... but instead, you're honestly participating in the game." Qi Xia whispered, "Are you afraid of getting too bored... or afraid of going insane?"

"I..."

"So you don't want to spar with me?"

Di Yang felt like he had fallen into a trap.

That earlier mention of "gambling lives" was clearly this man's bluff—he was aiming for this very moment.

"Kid... I'm 'Yang', and you're trying to trick me?"

"Oh?" Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm tricking you?"

Di Yang's face turned cold, and his pure black fur actually trembled. "What makes you think I won't kill you the moment after we gamble our lives?"

Qi Xia's face also turned cold, and he pressed forward instead of retreating. "Then what makes you think I wouldn't really dare to gamble with you..."

Di Yang quickly reached out again and gripped Qi Xia's chin.

He swallowed slowly, feeling completely unable to see through the man in front of him.

Was "gambling lives" not his scheme? Was it his true intention?

How could anyone in this godforsaken place really risk their life against a "Di Ji" level opponent?!

Did this person have some "hidden card"?

Or... some "backer"?

Di Yang looked at Qi Xia with a hint of fear—he had spent a full thirteen years climbing to his current position! A whole thirteen years!

He absolutely couldn't allow any accidents.

"Kid, we'll do it your way." Di Yang gritted his teeth and said, "I'll spare your life, but you can't say those two words again."

A smile tugged at Qi Xia's lips, and he actually waved the "Ai" fan in his hand to fan himself.

Di Yang was itching to decapitate this arrogant man right then, but when he looked into his eyes, he always held back.

He had no choice but to shake off the thought and turn back to the long table.

He had originally planned to alter the writing on the blackboard, but if he really did a "one-for-one" exchange like Qi Xia suggested, he would gain nothing.

From his perspective, he still couldn't figure out what Qi Xia was thinking.

As the crowd saw Di Yang walk away, they gradually approached Qi Xia's stall.

Since this man could negotiate directly with the "referee," everyone spoke to him more politely.

Then, many people pulled out their own fans and exchanged them with Qi Xia.

Each time Qi Xia received a fan, he set it down untouched, waiting for the next "customer."

Rather than saying he was running a stall to exchange fans, it was more like Qi Xia had become a completely fair and open "fan trading platform," where everyone could get the fan they wanted under the watchful eyes of the crowd and the supervision of a sharp knife, with no fear of being cheated.

"Young man..." An old man approached shakily, pulling out an "Ai" from his pocket. "I want to exchange it for a 'Xi'..."

"No problem!" Qi Xia nodded, took the "Ai," and handed the old man a "Xi."

Many people saw the "Ai" and their expressions changed; they quickly pulled out their own fans. But before anyone could speak, Qi Xia tucked that "Ai" into his pocket.

Now, only three fans were left for exchange on the stall: "Le," "Le," and "Xi."

"Huh...?" A young boy asked puzzled, "Couldn't that 'Ai' just now be exchanged?"

"Sorry about that." Qi Xia smiled. "I happen to need that one. Take a look at the others."

Many people looked disappointed after hearing this, but they didn't leave, as if waiting for the next opportunity.

After all, the stall owner had gotten the "Ai" he lacked, which meant the next "Ai" would still be available. That would be their chance.

The frequency of exchanges among the crowd slowed down noticeably.

And Qi Xia's goal was almost achieved.

Based on the three fans left on the stall, the most common in the room now was probably "Le," followed by "Xi." "Nu" and "Ai" should be quite rare.

After all, "Le" and "Xi" had been sitting there for so long without anyone taking them—everyone was waiting for "Nu" and "Ai."

From this, it could be inferred that the people who left had accidentally taken a lot of "Nu" and "Ai" with them.

Since these fan faces were hidden, no one knew exactly how many there were.

So... was someone monopolizing "Nu"?

A slight smile played on Qi Xia's lips—it didn't matter.

No matter who was monopolizing, in this game, "monopolizing" was undoubtedly the stupidest move.

After waiting a while longer, a skinny man walked over, holding a broken fan, and asked cautiously, "Brother... do you remember me?"

Qi Xia looked up—the man was the one who had two fans taken from him and another torn up.

Qi Xia nodded. "I remember. What about it?"

"I—I want to exchange my fan with you. Is that okay?"

Qi Xia knew exactly what the man was thinking. He carefully checked the man's pocket and saw that besides the one in his hand, he had another fan.

It seemed he had spent three "Dao" to buy one in the previous round.

"Brother, there's something wrong with your fan." Qi Xia said flatly, "I'm running a stall to do business, but I won't make a losing deal."

The onlookers naturally remembered this skinny man—his fan was clearly broken.

"Brother..." The skinny man said with a troubled expression, "Just exchange with me... You have so many fans; you won't miss this one... I don't even know if I can take this fan out with me..."

Qi Xia found the man's words hilariously absurd.

"Yeah, young man!" A middle-aged woman suddenly spoke up. "You have so many fans; why not do a good deed and help this kid out? He got his fans robbed; it's been tough for him."

"That's right, that's right. We need to help each other to get out of here."

Unexpectedly, many in the crowd echoed her.

One person telling a joke was funny enough, but now there was a group performance.

Before long, the whole room was buzzing with noise.

Among them were not only the "Zhong Yan Sheng Mu," but also a bunch of troublemakers stirring things up.

"Alright!" Qi Xia suddenly shouted, silencing the noisy crowd. "You're all right! We really should help each other."

"Exactly!" The skinny man grinned widely and kept pushing his fan forward. "Brother, just exchange with me!"

"Of course." Qi Xia nodded. "Not only will I exchange this one, but I'll also take the one in your pocket."

With that, he picked up the two "Le" fans from the ground and said calmly, "Either exchange both, or none at all."