Chapter 769: Idol

Qi Xia followed the directions on the two maps and arrived at this dark alley.

He found it hard to imagine that a Sheng Xiao would set up their game venue in such a secretive corner.

At that moment, in the shadowy corner, a Di Gou that looked extremely lazy was leaning against the wall, as if dozing off.

He was bare-chested in a suit, revealing the clear lines of his muscles.

Qi Xia slowly approached, blocking the only beam of light, and stood in front of Di Gou.

Di Gou lazily lifted his head, glanced indifferently at Qi Xia, and then lowered it again as if he hadn't seen him.

This behavior instantly piqued Qi Xia's curiosity.

No matter if the other was a former teammate or someone from Tian Long or Qing Long, they shouldn't have that expression.

It looked as if he didn't recognize Qi Xia at all.

"Hey," Qi Xia called out, "lift your head and look at me."

Di Gou slowly furrowed his brow, and his hound-like face lifted up with some irritation.

"You're pretty arrogant," Di Gou replied, "do you talk to other Sheng Xiao like that?"

"Interesting," Qi Xia said softly, "you don't know me?"

"Do I need to know you?" Di Gou asked again, "Are you one of my former underlings or a lost soul?"

The other's response made it seem like he really hadn't met Qi Xia before, which was a situation Qi Xia hadn't anticipated.

This Di Gou had appeared on the Qing Long map and in the rebellion room, and had even asked someone to pass a message to him. Yet, such a person claimed not to know him at all?

"Buddy," Di Gou continued, lifting his still-drowsy eyes, "you're not some old-timer, are you?"

"Hmm?"

"If you're an old-timer, don't waste my time slacking off," Di Gou waved his hand. "You know, I'm the Dog, and a Dog game can't be played alone. Go bother some other Sheng Xiao and leave me alone."

"So, I can leave?" Qi Xia asked.

"If you're not leaving, are you planning to stay here and chat with me?" Di Gou said.

"Yes, I'd like to chat with you," Qi Xia said, walking over to Di Gou and sitting down next to him.

Di Gou looked more and more puzzled by the man's actions, so he pulled a coin from his pocket and said, "How about we flip a coin? If you win, I'll give you a Dao, but you have to leave. What do you say?"

Qi Xia thought this Di Gou was quite amusing, so he nodded and said, "Okay."

Di Gou then flicked the coin into the air with his thumb, caught it on the back of his hand, covered it with his palm, and slowly moved it in front of Qi Xia.

"I won't lose at this game," Qi Xia said. "The coin started heads up and spun sixteen and a half times before you caught it."

"So?"

"So, you'll lose."

"I didn't want to win anyway," Di Gou replied. "I just hope you take the Dao and go."

"So, do you understand what I mean by 'lose'?" Qi Xia said. "I'm guessing heads."

Di Gou slowly uncovered his palm, and the coin was tails up.

"You said you saw it...?" Di Gou asked.

"Maybe I guessed wrong?" Qi Xia shrugged.

"I'll give you another chance."

Di Gou finished speaking, flicked the coin into the air again with his thumb, and caught it.

"Heads up, spinning nineteen times," Qi Xia said. "I'm guessing tails."

Di Gou felt there was something off about this person's reasoning and the final answer, but he just furrowed his brow and uncovered his hand.

The coin was heads up.

"Oh, I got it wrong again," Qi Xia said.

"You're doing it on purpose...?" Di Gou finally realized what was off and said, "You can clearly see the coin's trajectory, but you're deliberately choosing the wrong answer?"

"Yes, so I don't want the Dao," Qi Xia laughed. "I just want to chat with you. We could guess all day and night without wasting a single Dao."

"This is the first time I've seen such an interesting situation," Di Gou put the coin back in his pocket and asked, "So, who are you?"

"I'm Qi Xia, a life worth just a few small cakes and some fruits."

"Hmm...?" Di Gou gave Qi Xia a meaningful look, then slowly widened his eyes.

Only then did Qi Xia confirm that Di Gou's earlier indifference wasn't an act—he really had never seen him before.

In that case, everything needed to be reconsidered.

The Dog in front of him wasn't his former teammate... what about the others?

"Your expression is quite interesting," Qi Xia said. "We've never met before, have we?"

"No, I haven't seen you."

Qi Xia narrowed his eyes upon hearing this.

Di Gou realized his wording was off and quickly corrected himself: "But you're my idol!"

"Idol?" Qi Xia frowned at Di Gou. "Since when?"

"Of course, from when you were Bai Yang... wait," Di Gou said, sensing something wrong, and grabbed Qi Xia's arm. "Come with me!"

Qi Xia followed Di Gou into his game venue, where Di Gou turned and locked the door behind them.

Only then did Qi Xia realize the venue was a glass shop, filled with all sorts of glass items, all spotlessly clean.

Di Gou pulled Qi Xia all the way to the center of the venue, where there were five massive glass houses: four in the southeast, northwest, and one in the center.

The two entered the central glass house, and Di Gou closed the door. Qi Xia noticed that all the glass houses had soundproofing strips on the doors, so once closed, they were almost completely cut off from the outside.

After confirming the door was locked, Di Gou called out, "Bai Yang Ge?"

"Hold on," Qi Xia interrupted, raising his hand. "Have you really never seen me before?"

"Indeed, I rarely lie," Di Gou said. "If I were good at lying, I would have become the Sheep back then. But people are hard to deceive, and being the Sheep is tough."

"Then, who were you in the same room with before?" Qi Xia asked.

Di Gou thought for a moment and slowly said, "I can tell you, but it's dangerous for me, so I want to verify your identity here first."

"Oh?" Qi Xia responded curiously. "How do I verify it?"

"If you're really Bai Yang Ge, you should crack my game in one glance," Di Gou said. "I'll explain the rules to you now, and you tell me the solution."

Qi Xia nodded. "I'm all ears."

Di Gou took out a few sticks and carefully explained the rules of his Zai E Nian game to Qi Xia. Before he even finished, Qi Xia interrupted him.

"I know the solution," Qi Xia said. "The four rooms represent the four seasons, and the four seasons need to work together. This game only requires one smart person."