Chapter 266: A Little Over One Hundred

By the time Di Yang rushed over, Qi Xia had already finished speaking.

He reached out, intending to strike Qi Xia, but ultimately held back.

Now, there were only the two of them left in the entire area. If he killed Qi Xia, how would he get out himself?

Qi Xia tossed all the fans in his hand aside and then sat lazily on the table. He gave Di Yang a disdainful look and said:

"The 'Zhuo Pai Theory'... When you're at the gambling table and can't tell who is the most easily deceived, then the most easily deceived is yourself."

Di Yang didn't speak; he just stared at Qi Xia.

"It's such a hassle, swapping these worthless fans back and forth, completely pointless..." He lifted his head with a mocking tone, "Don't you think?"

Di Yang's lips were pressed tightly together, his mind racing like a stampede of wild horses.

"I originally planned to just give them the 'Ai' directly." Qi Xia shook his head, "But you know how humans are—they always suspect free gifts, so I had to go through auctions and exchanges. What a pain."

Di Yang gritted his teeth and spat out a few words: "What do you want?"

"What can I do? The term 'Du Ming' has us both tied together. I certainly wouldn't dare kill you." Qi Xia's eyes were full of contempt as he looked at Di Yang. Although they were like grasshoppers on the same rope, Qi Xia held all the advantage.

"Your deception skills are impressive..." Di Yang nodded, "You never wanted to monopolize the 'Ai'; you just wanted to control when everyone gets out, right?"

"Yes," Qi Xia replied.

"But I still don't understand." Di Yang asked like a humble student seeking knowledge, "What did you say to the others? Why are they all cooperating with you so well?"

"Isn't it simple?" Qi Xia laughed, "I told them that Di Yang would go on a killing spree at the last moment to minimize losses, so I was helping them think of ways to delay time and then find an opportunity to escape together as a group. But who knew that at the critical moment, they turned out to be even smarter than I expected and came up with this plan to collectively stir up conflict."

"I lost to something so straightforward..." Di Yang's face turned ugly.

"No." Qi Xia shook his head, "Di Yang, you didn't lose to that one line; you lost to every line I said."

"Ha..." Di Yang let out a pained and twisted smile. He shifted his body and sat next to Qi Xia, the two of them like friends, gazing ahead while chatting.

"What's your name?" Di Yang asked.

"Qi Xia."

Di Yang nodded and continued, "So, you came to me again at the final moment to confirm if I have the complete set of 'Xi Nu Ai Le'."

"Yes." Qi Xia nodded, "That's what we'll need when the two of us escape together. Don't lose it."

"Qi Xia..." Di Yang turned to look at him, "Why are you going to such lengths? With your brains, you could make a fortune here... Why tie my life to yours?"

"Because I want to negotiate terms with you."

"What makes you think you can negotiate with me?"

Qi Xia said: "Because while everyone else is thinking about how to trade their goods for money, I went straight and robbed the bank. That's my skill."

"Qi Xia, aren't you afraid I'll fight you to the death...?"

"No, no..." Qi Xia shook his head, "Di Yang, it's not 'fish die, net break.' If you want to fight, it'll be 'you die, you break.'"

Di Yang fell silent, the atmosphere heavy with tension.

"When I came here, I didn't have 'Hui Xiang,' and I didn't have a single 'Dao' on me." Qi Xia said, "If I lose in this life-or-death gamble, I'd just become an 'Yuan Zhu Min.' I've only preserved two memories, so even if I become an 'Yuan Zhu Min,' I'd accept it. But what about you?"

Di Yang hadn't expected this man to have thought even that far ahead. If he wasn't lying, he must have a strong plan in place.

He pursed his lips and sighed, then slowly said: "Alright... let's negotiate terms."

Qi Xia nodded: "Good. I don't want any of the fans on the ground. I want all the 'Dao' you have."

"Impossible," Di Yang said firmly.

"It is possible." Qi Xia replied, "Di Yang, this is my only demand. If you can't do it, we'll both wait here and die together."

After hearing that, Di Yang straightened his legs and stood on the ground. He turned back, his face full of anger, and asked: "Do you even know what negotiating terms means?! Who starts by demanding everything from the other side?!"

"That's negotiating terms." Qi Xia said, "I have only one condition. If you don't agree, I absolutely will die here with you."

Di Yang knew that the best outcome now would be for the two of them to pair up and leave the room together.

In that case, neither would have killed the other in the game, counting as a "Du Ming" failure.

"Don't be so greedy." Di Yang said angrily, "If I really give you all the 'Dao,' how will I exchange them for the fans when I get out?! I'd be breaking the rules too!"

"Oh?" Qi Xia raised an eyebrow, "Breaking the rules?"

"If their fans can't be exchanged for 'Dao,' my game loses its meaning! I'd be punished!" Di Yang roared, "If it's all the same to die, I won't let you off either!"

"Is that so hard?" Qi Xia said.

"What?"

"You just need to give them the 'Dao,' right?" Qi Xia stroked his chin and asked.

"Of course! Rewards in the game must be fulfilled!"

"Then write an IOU."

"An IOU...?!" Di Yang's jaw nearly dropped in shock.

"Have everyone come back tomorrow at this time to collect their 'Dao.' Just owe it to them until then."

"You're freaking crazy." Di Yang said, on the verge of collapsing, "I've been here so long, and I've never heard of 'writing an IOU'... Not to mention so many 'Dao'—even tomorrow, I might not..."

"Go borrow from Di Hu." Qi Xia said, "Daily interest at 10 percent. If you're willing, you can do it tonight."

"Di Hu...?" Di Yang stared wide-eyed, "You... are you sent by Di Hu to mess with me?!"

"Don't overthink it." Qi Xia shook his head, "Even without Di Hu, I'd still come for you."

"Why...?"

"Because you're the 'Yang'."

Hearing that, Di Yang finally deflated.

"Qi Xia, that's one thousand one hundred 'Dao.' Can you even handle that amount?"

"You're mistaken." Qi Xia shook his head, "It's not one thousand one hundred—it's one thousand four hundred and seventy-six."

"What?" Di Yang felt Qi Xia was pushing it too far, "I issued one hundred sixty fans the first time, fifty-two the second, four the third, and four the fourth, totaling two hundred twenty fans. Each fan is worth five 'Dao,' so I only prepared one thousand one hundred 'Dao.' Where did you get that extra three hundred plus from?!"

"It's for our fifty-one people's tickets." Qi Xia said, "Five per person, totaling two hundred fifty-five."

"That still makes one thousand three hundred fifty-five..."

"And don't forget the first time we replenished fans, spending three 'Dao' to buy fifty-two more, bringing the total to one thousand four hundred and seventy-six."

Di Yang realized he was completely cornered.

"Qi Xia...!" Di Yang said angrily, "Your appetite is way too big! No one in 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di' has ever won so many 'Dao' in a single game! Do you know what'll happen if you walk around with that many 'Dao' on the streets?!"

"That's not my problem." Qi Xia shook his head, "I'm just a gambler who's won big. If you don't pay up, I'll fight you to the death. That's it."

"You..." Di Yang felt his head spinning with rage, "What's your beef with me anyway?"

"None. I have no grudge against you, but I said it before—because you're the 'Yang,' I was bound to grab your weakness." Qi Xia said, "And this time, the opportunity arose, so I also want to ask you a few questions."

Di Yang slowly lowered his head: "What... do you want to know?"

"I want to know where 'Tian Yang' is."

Di Yang looked at Qi Xia suspiciously and then said: "Though I probably shouldn't tell you, the position of 'Tian Yang' is currently vacant."