Chapter 638: The Secret in My Heart

Everyone heard this and looked at Zheng Yingxiong; this child seemed deeper than they had imagined.

Now, the team truly had no one holding them back.

Di Hou thought for a moment, then lowered his head and began dealing the second round of cards.

This time, the cards were "dark cards." He first dealt one to himself, face down.

Then, in order, he dealt to Zheng Yingxiong, Tian Tian, Chen Jun Nan, Qiao Jia Jin, and Qi Xia.

Qi Xia picked up his card and saw that it read "Chu Shu."

At this point, everyone had received their dark cards, and Di Hou spoke up: "Does anyone want to raise the bet?"

Tian Tian glanced at her card and chose not to raise.

Qi Xia felt that he should raise now, but the bet this time wasn't "Dao" or "items"—it had to be something else. However, his mind was...

"Uncle, I'll raise," Zheng Yingxiong suddenly said.

The childish voice came from the corner of the round table, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

In the dim light, everyone looked over and saw that Zheng Yingxiong's expression was very serious, not like he was joking. His nose twitched slightly, and then he turned his face to exchange a glance with Qi Xia.

Qi Xia narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment, then nodded at him.

"Oh?" Di Hou became interested. "What are you raising? 'Dao,' or 'items'?"

Zheng Yingxiong pondered for three seconds and said firmly: "I'm betting a 'secret that must be answered truthfully and without lying.'"

As soon as these words were spoken, Qi Xia's eyes widened instantly.

That was it!

This idea aligned perfectly with the vague thoughts in his mind and instantly cleared some of the fog in his head.

He had once fleetingly thought of this approach, but it was quickly obscured by layers of confusion, making it impossible to articulate. Fortunately, Zheng Yingxiong had spoken up now.

Yet, Qi Xia still found it strange—was this child really that clever? Or had he somehow read Qi Xia's thoughts and proposed this bet at just the right moment?

Di Hou was slightly taken aback by this. "A 'secret that must be answered truthfully and without lying'?"

"Uncle, I'm betting a 'secret,'" Zheng Yingxiong said. "You can ask me any question, and I'll answer honestly. And vice versa."

The others looked toward Qi Xia, who scratched his hair and nodded slightly.

"I'll call," Tian Tian said immediately. "I'll match with a 'secret'—I'll answer everything."

"Young master will call too," Chen Jun Nan quickly added. "Young master has plenty of secrets in his heart—Monkey bro, you might want to dig into them."

"I'll call too," Qiao Jia Jin said. "It's just a question, right?"

"Me too," Qi Xia nodded.

Now, it was Di Hou's turn to be at a loss. He hadn't expected their line of thinking.

Had they reached this point just to waste a valuable round on betting and follow a child's whims?

Or... did they have a more dangerous plan?

"This bet isn't appropriate," Di Hou said. "We 'Sheng Xiao' have our own rules. Some 'secrets' could cost us our lives if revealed."

"Then we'll make concessions for you and avoid your 'core secrets,'" Qi Xia said, frowning. "I'll ask the questions, and I guarantee we'll steer clear of 'Sheng Xiao' core issues. Otherwise, you can declare us losers."

Di Hou paused, then said: "Fine, but don't forget what you've said."

"I won't forget."

"And my questions might make you regret it."

"I won't regret it."

Hearing Qi Xia's response, Di Hou's face darkened. He turned to look at Zheng Yingxiong. Now, everyone had a chance to ask a question, and Qi Xia's teammates naturally had nothing to ask Zheng Yingxiong, so this opportunity went to Di Hou.

Di Hou could ask something like "What is your bottom card," and since no lying was allowed, everyone would reveal their cards truthfully, making victory in this round highly unlikely.

But that didn't matter much—there were eight rounds total, and they had a good chance of losing the first one without understanding the rules.

Di Hou thought for a while, then slowly spoke. To Qi Xia's complete surprise, he didn't ask about Zheng Yingxiong's "bottom card." Instead, he calmly asked:

"'Yu Cheng'—how many participants are left?"

Zheng Yingxiong's face turned pale, and he swallowed slightly before saying: "Twenty-two."

Di Hou nodded: "Twenty-two people, and you ultimately gave up?"

"I..."

Zheng Yingxiong lowered his head heavily, looking as if he had some unspoken burden.

"Sorry, that's a second question, Monkey bro," Chen Jun Nan interjected firmly. "You haven't raised yet."

"Hah." Di Hou let out a cold laugh. "You're quite arrogant, kid. Haven't you suffered in the 'Place of Doom'?"

"I have, and that's the answer done," Chen Jun Nan said. "Next."

"You..." Di Hou gritted his teeth in annoyance, feeling that this person's thinking was too erratic and he might fall into a trap if not careful.

"What about me? I see you're gearing up for a second question, but I have to say..." Chen Jun Nan laughed, "I don't mind how many questions come, but that's extra cost."

Di Hou could only shake his head helplessly and turn to Tian Tian.

Tian Tian felt a bit nervous looking at Di Hou's aged and strange face, and she clutched her card tightly.

Di Hou stared at her for a long time, his expression shifting slightly, before saying: "Forget it, I have no questions for her."

"No questions...?" Tian Tian was a little confused. Even asking about her card would have been fine, yet he chose to pass.

After that, Di Hou glanced at Qiao Jia Jin and narrowed his eyes.

Zheng Yingxiong, nearby, reached out and tugged at Tian Tian's sleeve, as if he wanted to say something, but after looking at Di Hou, he fell silent.

"Fat Monkey, ask away," Qiao Jia Jin said. "It's rare to have non-boastful questions at the table—what are you going to ask?"

"I..." Di Hou slowly raised the corner of his mouth. "You hot-headed young one, have you ever been deceived?"

"Huh...?"

Di Hou's question surprised everyone again.

He wasn't asking about the cards or identities, but threw out this unrelated query, leaving everyone to turn their eyes to Qiao Jia Jin.

"What's that got to do with you..." Qiao Jia Jin crossed his arms, furrowed his brow, and looked displeased at Di Hou.

"I'm just giving you some advice," Di Hou said. "People who get fooled once often get fooled again. Not everyone is as upright as you think."

"What do you mean by that?"

"For example..."

"Di Hou." Qi Xia cut him off firmly. "It's my turn now, right?"