Chapter 441: Ah Kin's Great Adventure

The bell sound gradually faded, and the people standing outside were left speechless.

Luo Shiyi, Zhou Liu, Qiu Shiliu, and Wang Ba, who had been chattering excitedly before entering the game, were now completely silent.

After a long pause, Luo Shiyi finally spoke up: "Was... was all that part of your plan?"

"No," Qi Xia replied coolly. "I thought of it on the spot."

But this time, none of the four believed Qi Xia.

Qi Xia had mentioned four goals before entering the game, and it seemed every single one had been achieved.

Not only had they won the game, obtained the fruit, achieved full "Hui Xiang" for everyone, and revealed Qi Xia's capabilities, but even the Di Shu had been intimidated by him.

"You, you're..." Wang Ba said with a hint of awe. "Were you a 'Mao' before?"

"I don't know," Qi Xia said. "If I remember correctly, I've never been a 'Mao'."

"Tsk!" Zhou Liu suddenly chimed in. "Then why does Qian Wu trust you so much? It looks like he knew all along that you had some tricks up your sleeve..."

"Perhaps in this world, everyone hopes to find something to rely on," Qi Xia answered. "You found your reliance in Qian Wu, and Qian Wu's reliance is in me."

Without this experience, the group would have thought the man in front of them was just bluffing, but now no one contradicted him.

Unconsciously, the same thought arose in all their minds—

Following this person, perhaps they really could destroy this place?

Or... maybe even escape?

Qi Xia ignored the others and continued walking forward.

"Tsk, where are we going now?" Zhou Liu called out from the side.

"I need to know the locations of Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan," Qi Xia said. "I need their whereabouts; I'm not sure if they can pull it through, so I have to check."

Qiu Shiliu frowned and asked, "Don't we need to participate in any more games?"

"No need," Qi Xia said. "We're not here to earn 'Dao.' Now that all our objectives are achieved, let's head back."

...

Qiao Jiajin led six people down the road, constantly scratching his head.

Team leader?

What a joke.

If he had the skills to be a team leader, why would he have teamed up with Qi Xia?

"But that's just how the big boss is..." Qiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly. "Even if he feels he's not up to it, he still has a group of followers..."

"Qiao Ge, what are you saying?" Shijiu, who had used "Jian Mo" before, asked quietly from the side.

"Ah, nothing..." Qiao Jiajin waved his hand and turned back to look at his team.

Three men and three women, all skinny to the bone.

But that wasn't the worst part. The worst was that Qian Wu had said he would lead this team into games focused on physical strength, combat, and slaughter.

Was he serious?

"Ah... um..." Qiao Jiajin turned around, wanting to say something, and the young people in front of him immediately stood up straight with respect.

Seeing their expressions made Qiao Jiajin nervous again.

"No, don't be so serious... We're all friends here." He smiled bitterly and said, "I just wanted to ask if there are any games around here?"

A girl with pigtails slowly raised her hand after hearing this: "Ge, there's a 'Tu' nearby. Want to check it out?"

"'Tu'?" Qiao Jiajin blinked. "What does 'Tu' involve?"

"Escape," a boy answered.

"Escape?" Qiao Jiajin scratched his head, wondering if that counted as a physical, combat, or slaughter-type game.

"Should we go over there, Qiao Ge?" someone asked.

"Go, I guess?" Qiao Jiajin forced a smile. "I mean, 'escape'—is it about who runs the fastest?"

"You could say that..."

"Then it should be fine, right? Do you all exercise regularly?"

"Well..." The three men and three women exchanged glances, and finally, a tall girl laughed and said, "Qiao Ge, we do exercise, but our roles in the 'Mao' team have always been as strategists and supporters, so we rarely take on combat or physical tasks..."

"That... that doesn't matter," Qiao Jiajin said, trying to encourage them, though everyone could see he wasn't confident. "Let's go check out that 'Tu' first. If it doesn't work, we'll switch to another one."

The seven of them set off toward the 'Tu' location.

Halfway there, Qiao Jiajin suddenly realized he didn't know any of the people in his team at all. He pulled out the list Qian Wu had given him ahead of time and glanced at it, immediately feeling that things were getting complicated.

He had heard that in the 'Mao' team, the higher the ranking, the stronger the person, but these six didn't even make the top ten—heck, not even the top fifteen.

"Shape-shifter... why do you think so highly of me?"

Luo Shiwu, male, "Chu Neng," stores food in his body long-term, "Hui Xiang" trigger is "hunger."

Feng Shishi, female, "Bao Shan," causes the whole body to erupt in bright light instantly, "Hui Xiang" trigger is "fear of darkness."

Ning Shiba, female, "Feng Chang," accelerates the growth of plants she touches, "Hui Xiang" trigger is "extreme pain."

Yun Shijiu, male, "Jian Mo," blocks sound in a space for a set time, already "Hui Xiang."

Qiu Ershi, male, "Jing Feng," generates strong winds in a certain area, already "Hui Xiang."

What caught Qiao Jiajin's attention most was the last name, Bai Jiu.

Bai Jiu, female, "Ye Hua," liquefies objects, "Hui Xiang" trigger is "physical and mental exhaustion."

Qiao Jiajin held up the paper and politely raised his hand: "Um... sorry to bother you."

"Ah, yes!"

The group stood respectfully, waiting for him to speak.

"Don't be so formal, everyone... I just want to ask, which one of you is Bai Jiu?"

The girl with pigtails blinked at the question and raised her hand: "I'm Bai Jiu!"

"Oh?" Qiao Jiajin nodded with interest. "You're ranked ninth?"

"Ah... hehe." Bai Jiu scratched her head. "Maybe because I joined early? Qian Wu gave me the ninth spot as a favor."

"So, is 'Ye Hua' pretty powerful?" Qiao Jiajin asked. "What kind of effects can it have?"

"I'm not sure if it's really powerful..." Bai Jiu shook her head. "I can make any item I touch melt into liquid."

"Oh?" Qiao Jiajin thought for a moment but couldn't figure out where that ability might be useful, so he nodded vaguely. "That's pretty impressive..."

After quickly reviewing the others' abilities, which he could mostly guess from a glance, Qiao Jiajin confirmed everyone's names and continued walking.

Before long, the group spotted the 'Tu' at the end of the road.

Contrary to what Qiao Jiajin expected, the 'Tu' was an exceptionally tall man with a gray rabbit face.

"Oh...?" The Di Tu nodded slightly upon seeing them. "Coming to play? Di Tu game?"

Qiao Jiajin took a deep breath and scratched his head: "I-I'm not sure. Why don't you explain the rules first?"