Chapter 416: Skilled Commanders

"What...?"

"I've been lying all along." Chen Jun Nan's expression showed complete relief. "I used to not understand this at all and kept blaming myself, but ever since I heard you became a 'Sheng Xiao,' everything clicked for me..."

"Are you saying... this was something I made you do?"

"Exactly." Chen Jun Nan nodded. "You gave me this instruction alone before you disappeared. You told me, 'Chen Jun Nan, if one day I fail in a life-or-death gamble with the Di Ji Sheng Xiao, no matter what it takes, you must trap the person in the room. The longer, the better—ideally long enough for all the Sheng Xiao to be completely renewed.'"

Hearing this, Qi Xia reached up and stroked his chin.

Now things were getting interesting.

The plan... wasn't it all coming together?

Qi Xia slowly lifted his head, as if seeing his former self right in front of him.

He was just like himself, stroking his chin and staring at the ground, silently pondering something.

"Thinking about it... you really went through a lot..." Qi Xia said to him.

Yu Nian An, the "needle" in "Sheng Xiao," the "Mao" team, the room hidden for seven years, and... "Sheng Sheng Bu Xi."

"What exactly did you want me to do...?" Qi Xia frowned at the phantom before him. "What kind of desperate situation were you in... to lay out such a long path? Did you realize that escaping in ten days was impossible... or even in ten years?"

"So..." Qian Wu looked at Qi Xia, "what's your next move? Are you going to take us to kill 'Xuan Wu'... or try to meet the 'Di Ji' Sheng Xiao?"

"First, we need to handle the 'Sheng Xiao' matter." Qi Xia said. "I'll go around the various game venues and try to unite all the 'Di Ji' ones."

"Will it go that smoothly?"

"It won't be too difficult." Qi Xia shook his head. "The 'needle' I planted should work with me. From what I know, all the 'Sheng Xiao' might meet at night, so I'll handle the daytime work, and the 'needle' can take care of the nights. The progress should be faster than I expected."

"But you've said yourself, the 'Di Ji Sheng Xiao' are all sharp characters. They've all killed people and have blood on their hands—these folks won't be convinced by just a few words from you."

"Yes." Qi Xia said gravely. "But don't forget, we're 'participants.' We have our own methods."

"What do you mean...?"

"I'll gamble my life with them." Qi Xia said. "As long as I trigger the 'Yang Qun Xiao Ying,' once one person dies for 'refusing to cooperate,' the rest of the 'Sheng Xiao' will steer clear of that path. When at least half of the Di Ji 'Sheng Xiao' join us, that wall will come down on its own."

"Gambling your life...?"

Qian Wu frowned slowly after hearing this.

This approach wasn't bad, but it was too risky.

"Have you ever gambled your life with a 'Di Ji' before?"

Qi Xia thought for a moment and said, "Half a time, I guess. I started a life-or-death gamble once, but the game didn't have a clear winner."

"Then you were lucky." Qian Wu said.

"Lucky...?" Qi Xia nodded. "Maybe."

"You know what happens if you fail a 'life-or-death gamble,' right?"

"I have an idea." Qi Xia nodded. "You lose your sanity."

"Yes, it seems the rulers here want to punish anyone who gets too clever..." Qian Wu said melancholically. "In other words... the more formidable someone is who can challenge the 'Sheng Xiao,' the more likely they are to become a native resident."

"Have you considered... that these so-called 'formidable figures' lose because they're not actually that strong?"

Qian Wu sighed helplessly and said, "Qi Xia, I believe you have the ability to gamble a 'Di Ji' to death, but have you thought about how fragile an army built on 'threats' can be?"

"Oh?"

"You can threaten them... but 'Tian Long' can too..." Qian Wu's face grew increasingly grim. "If we fight alongside these unstable elements, I can't imagine how we'll end up."

"You're overthinking it." Qi Xia said. "Even Sun Zi Bing Fa says, 'The skillful leader of soldiers does not require a second levy of conscripts, nor three provisions of supplies. He draws his supplies from the enemy, thus the army’s needs are met.'"

"I'm not well-read." Qian Wu shook his head. "What does that mean?"

"It means there's no need to keep using your own country's troops and supplies in war—even if you win, it drains your resources. Instead, you can get troops and supplies from the enemy."

Hearing this, Qian Wu realized his way of thinking was on a completely different level from the man in front of him.

"So... you've already framed this as a 'war'? You plan to rally troops from the locals?"

"Yes." Qi Xia said. "If the 'Di Ji Sheng Xiao' can go to war with 'Tian Long,' wouldn't that be a great thing?"

Before Qian Wu could say more, Shijiu suddenly frowned. He paused, then turned and said, "Wu Ge, Liu Jie has sent a message. There's a situation."

Qian Wu nodded after hearing this, then waved to the group, ending the "Jian Mo." The conversation came to a halt.

"What's going on...?"

"A 'big figure' has arrived." Shijiu said.

"A 'big figure'...?" Qian Wu nodded gravely. "Is it Tian Ma and Tian Hu?"

"Doesn't seem like it. It's a man." Shijiu said. "But I don't know exactly who... anyway, he's no ordinary person."

"I'll go check it out." Qian Wu said.

"I'm coming too." Qi Xia added.

As he started to stand, Qian Wu reached out and pressed his shoulder. In an instant, Qian Wu's form expanded, looking just like Qi Xia.

"Qi Xia... the one coming might be a 'Tian.'"

"I know, that's why I'm going." Qi Xia nodded. "I've never interacted with a 'Tian' before—this is a great opportunity."

Qian Wu kept his hand on Qi Xia's shoulder, feeling something wasn't quite right. "But Qi Xia... you've been a 'Sheng Xiao.' Aren't you afraid they'll recognize you?"

"If I can meet a 'Tian'... at least I'd be a 'Di.'" Qi Xia said. "But the heads of 'Di Ji' are animals—I don't think a 'Tian' could know my true appearance."

"Still, every 'Tian' has their own abilities... you're taking a big risk." Qian Wu said.

"Then let me go too." Qiao Jia Jin stood up and stretched. "You guys keep talking about 'Tian' this and 'Tian' that—I want to see for myself how I stack up against one of them."

Qi Xia turned to look at Qiao Jia Jin and thought for a moment.

If the "Shen Shou" ability is "Hui Xiang," then what is a "Tian Ji" ability?

If they all have "Hui Xiang," would "Po Wan Fa" work?

"Alright." Qi Xia nodded. "Then Quan Tou and I will go check it out. Chen Jun Nan, you know a lot of people, so stay out of sight for now to avoid unnecessary trouble. Officer Li, you all wait here. It could be dangerous, and if something happens, you'll have a chance to maneuver."