Chapter 294: The Unfortunates

"Chen Jun Nan," Qi Xia called out, then walked over and sat down between him and Qin Ding Dong.

Qin Ding Dong didn't seem very happy, though it was unclear what the two had discussed earlier.

"Old Qi... do you have something to ask me?" Chen Jun Nan asked. "Young Master is in a good mood today, so I'll answer any question."

Qi Xia didn't hold back and nodded. "Chen Jun Nan, have you ever seen 'Tian Ji'?"

"Of course." Chen Jun Nan nodded. "Not just me—you, Qin Ding Dong next to you, and Lao Qiao—we've all seen it."

The moment the words "Tian Ji" were spoken, Qin Ding Dong seemed to recall something extremely terrifying, her face turning instantly cold.

"But I don't remember it," Qi Xia said. "If I could, at least I'd know how to deal with them."

Qin Ding Dong sighed. "Qi Xia, of course you don't remember."

"Hmm...?" Qi Xia furrowed his brow and looked at the woman.

"The thing I look forward to most every time... is teasing you whenever I show up." Qin Ding Dong gave a bitter smile. "Qi Xia, we've met dozens of times, and you're always so adorable in your reactions."

Qi Xia felt that Qin Ding Dong's words were somewhat chilling upon deeper thought.

"Met dozens of times...?" Qi Xia turned to look at Chen Jun Nan. "What does that mean?"

Chen Jun Nan sighed softly. "Old Qi, originally, you were always the 'Unfortunate One.' Every time, we had to introduce ourselves to you all over again."

"Hmm...?" Qi Xia was startled. "'Unfortunate One'...?"

Qin Ding Dong explained from the side: "It means someone who can never 'Hui Xiang.' There are quite a few such people in 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di.'"

"It's just that this time, your behavior seems a bit strange..." Chen Jun Nan and Qin Ding Dong both looked at him. "I really want to ask you... Old Qi, have you had a 'Hui Xiang' before?"

"Yes." Qi Xia replied.

That single word made both of them furrow their brows.

"You really 'Hui Xiang'-ed?!" Chen Jun Nan stood up, incredulous. "No wonder I've been feeling something off... Old Qi, what is your 'Hui Xiang'?"

"It might be called 'Sheng Sheng Bu Xi.'" Qi Xia nodded.

Chen Jun Nan and Qin Ding Dong exchanged glances, their faces turning ashen.

"What did you say?" Chen Jun Nan scratched his ear with his pinky finger. "I think I had some earwax blocking it—say that again."

"'Sheng Sheng Bu Xi.'" Qi Xia repeated.

"Are you kidding me?" Chen Jun Nan sighed and sat back down. "Sheng Sheng Bu Xi... You can't even make up a decent lie?"

"How so?" Qi Xia looked at them in confusion. "What's wrong with 'Sheng Sheng Bu Xi'?"

"It's impossible for anyone's 'Hui Xiang' to be an idiom." Chen Jun Nan shook his head. "That's ridiculous. Four words? That kind of thing could probably shatter glass..."

Before he could finish, both their expressions changed.

Tian Ma and Tian Hu's target... had been found.

"Old Qi... you're that 'Huge Hui Xiang'..." Chen Jun Nan looked at him in disbelief. "You said you're... 'Sheng Sheng Bu Xi'... What does this four-word ability do?"

Qi Xia recalled Chu Tian Qiu's words and said, "I don't fully understand it, since I lost consciousness during the 'Hui Xiang,' but from what Chu Tian Qiu said... it probably means I can make people 'alive.'"

"Make people... alive?" Chen Jun Nan thought for a moment. "Do you mean turn them into immortals?"

"No..." Qi Xia shook his head. "From what I can tell, it's literal. Even if they're dead, they have to stay alive."

After hearing this, Chen Jun Nan and Qin Ding Dong both looked toward the playground.

There was a dark mound of corpses, including over thirty bodies of Qiao Jia Jin and Li Xiang Ling.

"Even if they're dead... they have to stay alive..." Chen Jun Nan swallowed hard, then gave a bitter smile. "Old Qi, with this ability, it seems you don't need me anymore."

Before Qi Xia could respond, he felt a sharp pain in his head. After a few seconds, he gradually adapted.

"Chen Jun Nan... I have a question for you." Qi Xia held his forehead and said, "What exactly is your divine power? And what is your 'Substitution'?"

Chen Jun Nan smiled slightly. "That's simple, Old Qi. Within my line of sight, if I want it, then the unlucky one is me, Young Master."

"That doesn't sound like a useful 'Hui Xiang.'" Qi Xia said. "Is that how you've gotten to where you are today?"

"Mine... isn't useful?" A flash of disappointment crossed Chen Jun Nan's face. "If you're really 'Sheng Sheng Bu Xi,' then I guess I'm pretty useless..."

"Qi Xia..." Qin Ding Dong interjected. "Even though this jerk Chen Jun Nan is a real scumbag, you're the last person who can say he's useless."

"Hmm?" Qi Xia turned to Qin Ding Dong. "So you know a lot about what happened before?"

"That's right." Qin Ding Dong said. "This fool has been dying in your and A Jin's place all along, so anyone in this world can call him useless—except you two."

"Is that so..." Qi Xia nodded slightly, as if realizing why his head hurt, but he quickly shifted his thoughts and turned back. "Chen Jun Nan, I want to know what you're capable of."

"Capable...?" Chen Jun Nan was taken aback.

"I want to know how you perform in the games." Qi Xia added. "And how much I can trust you going forward."

This question seemed to stump Chen Jun Nan.

Qin Ding Dong smiled faintly. "To put it bluntly, Qi Xia, this jerk isn't as smart as you, and not as tough as A Jin."

At that, Chen Jun Nan clearly wasn't happy.

"Dong Jie, that's a bit harsh," he said.

"Am I wrong?" she replied.

"Let me rephrase that for you." Chen Jun Nan turned to Qi Xia and said, "Old Qi, let's just say, I'm tougher than you and smarter than Lao Qiao."

Qin Ding Dong rolled her eyes so hard it felt like they might pop out of her head.

"Oh...?" Qi Xia smiled slightly. "Is that true?"

"Yeah, Young Master has some skills." Chen Jun Nan nodded. "Don't you believe me?"

"I do." Qi Xia said. "But I need you to prove it."

"Alright, how should I prove it?" Chen Jun Nan nodded.

Qi Xia recalled what Di Hu had said earlier and slowly replied, "Chen Jun Nan, come with me on a mission tomorrow. I need you to join me in a game."

"Join a game together?" Chen Jun Nan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Old Qi, no need—I'll go alone."

"You... alone?"

Qin Ding Dong sensed something was off. "Hey! You idiot, don't forget the 'main business.' Those two Tian..."

"Dong Jie, not now." Chen Jun Nan interrupted with a smile. "I'm in the middle of letting Old Qi get to know me better. Whatever else, we'll talk after I get back from Di She's territory."

"Di She...?" Qin Ding Dong was stunned. "I told you... there's no need to deal with Di She..."

"No, he messed with you, so he picked the wrong fight."

Qi Xia nodded. "Chen Jun Nan, are you really going without a teammate?"

"Old Qi, let me reintroduce myself." Chen Jun Nan thought for a bit and gave a bitter laugh. "For me, teaming up with others is extremely dangerous. Young Master has too much sympathy—I could get killed by idiots at any time. If I don't want others to die, then I die instead."

Qi Xia nodded after hearing this. "So... you're sure you want to go alone?"

"That's right." Chen Jun Nan nodded. "Old Qi, try not to move around on your own tomorrow. In the morning, I'll go alone to find Di She."

With that, he looked at Qi Xia meaningfully.

Chen Jun Nan never imagined that in this godforsaken place, there would be someone with "Sheng Sheng Bu Xi." From the looks of it... the entire "Zhong Yan Zhi Di" was about to change.