Chapter 62: A Deadly Question?

Qi Xia looked thoughtful, as if pondering something, in response to the words, "Walk out openly...?"

"I've already made my choice. Now it's your turn." Ren Zhu pushed the two bowls forward. "Choose the one that will let either you or me live."

Lin Geng and Lao Lv frowned as they watched the scene unfold.

Ren Zhu mixed up all the pieces evenly, with both black and white ones in each bowl.

From this point on, everything would truly depend on "luck."

Qi Xia didn't move. He tilted his head, as if trying to judge the color of the pieces by sound.

After a moment, Qi Xia spoke up: "Ren Zhu, you pick for me."

"What...?" Ren Zhu was stunned. "What did you say?"

"I said, you pick for me." Qi Xia said seriously. "Pick two for me, and then I'll choose one from those."

"Qi Xia, this is a 'life-or-death gamble.' Aren't you going to take control of your own fate?"

"It's fine." Qi Xia didn't seem to care. "You said you wanted to be part of this 'life-or-death gamble' to make yourself feel like you've truly 'lived,' but think about it—if you look closely, I've been playing this game from start to finish, and you haven't really been involved."

Ren Zhu fell silent, knowing it was true.

"So, I'm giving you a chance to get involved." Qi Xia pointed to the bowls in front of them. "This game is a contest between you and me, so I'm curious to see how you would choose."

Ren Zhu reached out and slowly stroked his chin.

His chin was covered in unkempt pig hair, and as he stroked it like a beard, it gave him an oddly wise but eerie appearance.

He thought for a long time, unable to figure out Qi Xia's motives.

This was originally a game where each side had a fifty-fifty chance of winning, but if he were the one to pick the pieces, the outcome for Qi Xia would become even more unpredictable.

In this tense moment of a 'life-or-death gamble,' the man in front of him was handing over his life and death to his enemy...

Had he given up? Or was he being clever?

"Don't hesitate, Ren Zhu. Once you've picked, it'll be easier for me to choose, right?" Qi Xia said.

"Once I've picked... it'll be easier for you to choose?"

After a while, Ren Zhu finally nodded. "I see. Then let me send you on your way."

Qi Xia nodded and said no more.

Ren Zhu reached out toward the bowls on the table and decisively picked up two white pieces.

For Qi Xia, these two white pieces were like tickets to hell— no matter what he asked later, white could never turn into black.

Just as he was about to hand the two white pieces to Qi Xia, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.

Ren Zhu looked up abruptly, thinking to himself, "Wait... something's wrong."

Surely Qi Xia hadn't anticipated that he would pick two white pieces for him?

This was a direct confrontation, a match where losing meant death—why was he so confident in letting his opponent choose?

"Ah..." Ren Zhu suddenly realized, slowly pulling his hand back. "He's tricking me..."

What did he mean by "once you've picked, it'll be easier for me to choose"?

Ren Zhu's thoughts cleared up.

Once he handed over the two white pieces, Qi Xia could immediately back out. He would set them aside and pick again from the remaining bowl.

That small action would upset the balance in the bowl, leaving forty-eight white pieces and fifty black ones.

Qi Xia's chances of winning would increase slightly.

After all, Qi Xia wasn't a "Sheng Xiao," so his words in the game weren't "rules"—they were just his own suggestions.

Since they weren't "rules," Qi Xia didn't have to follow them.

So, backing out was entirely possible.

"You're quite the schemer..." Ren Zhu felt a chill, realizing how close he'd come to falling for Qi Xia's trap. He thought it over and picked up two black pieces instead.

But then he hesitated again.

Handing over two black pieces directly would be even more dangerous.

What if Qi Xia had predicted his prediction? Wouldn't that lead straight to Qi Xia's victory?

Ren Zhu looked down at the pieces in his hands—one hand held two white pieces, the other two black.

He realized that either choice would actually increase Qi Xia's chances of winning. The situation was absurd.

Was all of this something Qi Xia had calculated in advance?

"Maybe I should give him two white pieces after all...?" He narrowed his eyes and thought again. At least with white, it would only slightly raise Qi Xia's chances, whereas black would raise them a lot...

No, that wasn't right.

Ren Zhu shook his head again.

Neither two black nor two white would work, since he didn't know what Qi Xia's strategy was.

Ren Zhu had no choice but to adjust his own strategy, abandoning the two-of-a-kind approach and picking one black and one white.

His only thought now was—if he couldn't lower Qi Xia's chances, he would keep things as they were.

Return everything to a fifty-fifty state, which should make it harder for Qi Xia.

"That's it..." Ren Zhu nodded and placed the one black and one white piece in Qi Xia's hand.

"Qi Xia, I've picked." Ren Zhu said. "This life-or-death puzzle is back in your hands."

"A life-or-death puzzle..." Qi Xia touched the two pieces in his hand, his face showing a complex expression.

Ren Zhu finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least for now, he'd made the best choice.

For Qi Xia, having one black and one white should be the hardest situation to handle. He had to pick one to ask those two people about the color.

He wouldn't know what color he was picking, or whether the person he asked would tell the truth or lie.

Under this double layer of uncertainty, Qi Xia's chances of winning would drop dramatically.

Lin Geng and Lao Lv saw the one black and one white in Qi Xia's hand and broke out in a cold sweat.

They weren't fools; they understood the stakes.

It looked like Qi Xia's earlier strategies had all fallen apart, and everything was back to square one.

The pieces were still one black and one white, and the two people were still one truthful and one lying.

Without incredibly good "luck," how could he survive?

Lao Lv pursed his lips, wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, and his hands were already tense and icy cold.

"Qi Xia, who are you going to ask?" Ren Zhu asked.

Qi Xia turned his head toward Lao Lv, then toward Lin Geng, his face heavy with thought.

Who was the one who told the truth?

After about thirty seconds, Qi Xia made his choice: "I'll pick Lin Geng."

Lin Geng trembled all over, as if startled.

"Good." Ren Zhu turned to Lin Geng and waved his hand. "Come on, young lady. Remember the rules—you can only answer 'black' or 'white.' If you say anything else or give any hints, you'll be killed on the spot."

Lin Geng nodded, her face pale.

Ren Zhu turned back to Qi Xia. "Go ahead, Qi Xia. You only get one question. Whether you live or die depends on this."