Chapter 626: Direction

After hearing this, Di Ji's face darkened for half a second, then she slowly walked up to Hei Yang.

"Couldn't it be that he introduced himself to me?"

"But that's strange," Hei Yang said. "You've said yourself that your game is exceptionally simple, and the rules can be explained in just a few words. In that case, does Qi Xia need to introduce himself to you?"

Di Ji stared into Hei Yang's eyes for a long time, then suddenly burst out laughing with a "puchi" sound.

This unexpected smile left everyone stunned for a moment.

"Not bad for Bai Yang's disciple—you really talk like him," Di Ji said, covering her mouth. "Too bad you're not as handsome as he is."

Hei Yang frowned slightly after hearing this: "What...?"

"Our team needs someone like you," Di Ji said with a wink and a smile. "If you hadn't stopped me today and let me walk out that door, I probably never would have come back."

"You..."

At that moment, the many "Zodiac" members felt that Di Ji's identity was unusual, but they couldn't figure out her stance.

"Because Qi Xia told me I could act entirely according to my own preferences—if I think it's okay, then it's okay; if not, then it's not—and he'll handle all the consequences," Di Ji said, rubbing her feathered hand. "Do you have any objections?"

"So... you know why we're all gathered here?" Hei Yang asked tentatively.

"Of course," Di Ji replied. "I've known for many years that you'd all gather here."

"Ah... girl, that's not right," Di Hu quickly stood up. "You said you knew everything, and yet you still came here talking about us 'disturbing the peace' or whatever... Aren't we all on the same side?"

Di Ji didn't directly answer Di Hu's question and simply said lightly, "Everyone, do you know what 'Yang Qun Xiao Ying' is?"

Di Shu narrowed his eyes slowly after hearing this and began to size up Di Ji again.

"Yang Qun Xiao Ying...?" Hei Yang didn't understand what she meant and thought for a moment before asking, "What are you trying to say?"

"Qi Xia has always been my 'leader,'" Di Ji said with a smile. "I could die for him."

This brief statement left everyone silent.

"Qi Xia is best at calculating people's hearts, but the hardest thing in the world to calculate is still the human heart," Di Ji said, glancing meaningfully at the people in the room. "I've been willing to die for Qi Xia all these years, but I'm not sure about your intentions."

"What do you mean...?" Hei Yang's eyes flashed with anger. "Are you saying we wouldn't die for Sheep Bro?"

"You would, and Di Hu would too—that I believe," Di Ji nodded. "But what about the rest?"

The expressions of the other five "Zodiac" members in the room grew complicated.

They might have ended up here for all sorts of strange reasons, but it certainly wasn't to die for Bai Yang.

Di Shu slowly stepped forward at that point and asked, "So, is the only way for us to break the curse and escape this place by dying for him?"

"No, we don't necessarily have to die for him," Di Ji said. "But we need to have the resolve to die for him."

"What...?"

"Only then can Qi Xia's 'plan' proceed."

"So you know what we're supposed to do...?"

Di Ji smiled slightly and beckoned to the group.

...

When Di Hu arrived at the site for work carrying a bag of food that had long since gone cold, he found Qi Xia already waiting at the door.

He quickened his steps, composed his complicated expression, and said apologetically, "Sheep—Qi Xia, I'm really sorry... I came a bit late today."

"Um..." Qi Xia nodded absentmindedly. "It's fine."

"That is... Qi Xia, I saw her," Di Hu said. "The eighth person is a 'Di Ji,' and we've already met. You really predicted it all perfectly!"

"...Good."

Qi Xia seemed not to be listening at all, just reaching up to rub his forehead, looking unwell.

Seeing no reaction from Qi Xia, Di Hu paused for a few seconds, then quickly changed the subject and pulled out the plastic bag in his hand.

"Qi Xia! I brought you some food!" Di Hu said with a laugh. "You haven't had a proper meal in days, right? Let me tell you, there's a chicken leg in here that Lao Hei specifically asked me to bring for you! Can you believe how fussy that kid is?"

Qi Xia glanced at the bag in Di Hu's hand, his expression dazed.

"What's wrong... Qi Xia..." Di Hu looked puzzled at Qi Xia's bloodshot eyes. "You look like you haven't slept all night. What happened last night?"

"I'm fine. I don't want this— you eat it yourself."

Qi Xia waved his hand, shook his head, and walked past Di Hu.

Di Hu stood there in confusion, not understanding the situation.

The Sheep Bro he had seen yesterday had been perfectly fine, but overnight, he seemed like a completely different person. What on earth had happened last night?

He watched Qi Xia's retreating figure, like a child who had done something wrong and didn't dare say a word, just gripping the plastic bag tightly in his hand.

Meanwhile, Qi Xia felt waves of dizziness in his brain. He walked step by step along the street, each step feeling extraordinarily heavy.

Ever since waking up last night, the dizziness had been getting worse, as if Tian Long had truly affected his state of mind. The strangeness of his abilities was beyond anything Qi Xia had imagined.

Smashing the buildings in his dream had actually influenced his thinking?

Qi Xia kept rubbing his forehead, trying to clear his mind.

But his current state was like having a high fever—his head was throbbing, he was utterly exhausted, and he could clearly feel every pulsing vein in his skull, as if his entire brain was about to explode and churn to pieces.

"This isn't good..."

He pounded his head hard a few times, but all he felt was a slight numbness in his scalp, with no pain at all.

"You're something else, 'Tian Long'."

Qi Xia swallowed, pulling out the map that Qing Long had given him from his pocket.

He was extremely short on time—from today onward, he had to meet those four "Zodiac" members without delay. But at this critical moment, he had crossed paths with "Tian Long."

It was both good news and bad news. The good part was that he now had a way to fully guard against "Tian Long"; the bad part was that this encounter had left him wounded.

Qi Xia steadied himself and checked the nearest "Zodiac" on the map.

It was "Ji."

But then he thought again—Di Hu had just mentioned that this "Ji" had already entered the room, so it wasn't his target.

His targets were only the remaining four: Niu, Long, She, and Hou.

However, none of these four "Zodiac" were close to him, and the only one he could reach that morning was "Di Hou."