Chapter 855: The Dilemma

Bai Yang used the remaining time to quickly brief us on the relevant matters.

He pulled out a "Shuo Huang Zhe" card and placed it in front of him, then quickly drew a simple map with a pen. He began speaking: "Zhang Qiang, I've hidden a Ren Yang mask on the second shelf of the wardrobe in this room. Once you find it, put it on right away, then stay put and rest. In the evening, someone will come to meet you and take you to the 'Lie Che' to sign the contract. When the next cycle begins, you will be the 'Mian Shi Guan'."

"Just like that...?" Zhang Qiang asked in disbelief as he took the card.

"That's right," Bai Yang said. "Your path will be smoother than anyone else's, but you'll also see the end too soon."

"But that doesn't seem right..." Zhang Qiang blinked. "I really want to settle down, but becoming a 'Sheng Xiao' feels too easy. Don't I need some kind of training?"

"No need," Bai Yang replied. "In the new room, you'll take on my role. Just announce the rules of 'Shuo Huang Zhe' directly. Whatever I said, you say the same."

"Ah...?" Zhang Qiang said with a look of surprise. "Are you saying... I'll be hosting a game identical to yours? And for the three rounds, I just have to remember the rules of 'Shuo Huang Zhe'?"

"Yes, you only need to memorize the rules of 'Shuo Huang Zhe', and I can guarantee you'll never break them," Bai Yang said as he slowly stepped forward and came to Zhang Qiang's side. "But there's one very important condition beyond that: if you lose, when you commit suicide, don't aim at your temple—instead, point the gun at your heart."

"Why...?" Zhang Qiang paused. "If my body has permanent 'Man Li'... then shooting myself in the heart with a gun might not kill me right away, right...?"

"You'll die eventually," Bai Yang said. "It's all the same in the end—death leads to life anyway, but only aiming at your heart will keep you from breaking the rules."

"But we've worked together," Zhang Qiang said. "If you don't tell me the truth... I'll feel uneasy. Why exactly can't I aim at the temple?"

"It's better if you don't know," Bai Yang said. "For example, if I told you, 'Because there's writing inside the mask, so you can't destroy it,' you might go crazy and want to check what's inside your mask, leading to a violation. So I can't explain the reason."

"This..." Zhang Qiang nodded slightly after hearing it. "So it's not because there's writing in my mask? Then what is it...?"

"Don't ask," Bai Yang said. "You just need to know this is the first point to remember."

"Alright, then what's the second one...?"

Bai Yang stepped closer to Zhang Qiang and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The second thing to watch out for is, if you encounter someone who looks a lot like me, put your hand on their shoulder," Bai Yang said. "If they respond, tell them everything I'm saying to you right now. If they don't respond, act like nothing happened."

"Someone who... looks a lot like you...?" Zhang Qiang seemed to never have expected that agreeing to Bai Yang's request would still leave things so confusing.

"That's right," Bai Yang said. "I can't go into the specifics."

Zhang Qiang lowered his head and thought for a long time before asking, "You mentioned earlier... this is a room where you can never 'Jin Sheng'."

"Um."

"What's the reason...?" Zhang Qiang looked up at Bai Yang. "Can you tell me?"

"That I can," Bai Yang nodded. "I'll set up a special room where everyone inside is a pawn, carefully selected, so you'll never be able to 'Jin Sheng'."

Zhang Qiang took a deep breath after hearing this, and more questions flooded his mind.

At that moment, Bai Yang glanced at the clock on the table and saw it was almost one o'clock. He added, "'Shuo Huang Zhe' is about to end. I'm going to die soon—give Yan Zhi Chun some time."

With that, he turned to me: "Do you have any questions?"

"I..." I hesitated for a second, then thought for a moment before saying, "Will I be in that room?"

"What?"

"I mean..." I organized my words. "Among the carefully selected teammates you mentioned... will I be one of them?"

"No," Bai Yang denied firmly. "As I said, before coming to this room, I knew nothing about it—it was all a gamble. So I can't include anyone from this room."

"Then how... how can I contact you?"

"I can only say it's not the time yet," Bai Yang sighed. "But don't worry; one day, I'll find a way to let you find me."

"But... what should I do until then?"

I was a bit confused. My goal was to get stronger, but if I couldn't contact Bai Yang, how could I achieve that?

"I'll give you a problem to solve," Bai Yang said. "When you see me again, tell me your answer."

"A problem...?"

"That's right." Bai Yang thought for a moment and continued, "First, I need a way to fill the people here with despair and greatly increase the chances of 'Hui Xiang'. The more capable the person, the more despair I want them to feel. Second, I need to stop anyone from collecting three thousand six hundred 'Dao'. If someone tries to achieve that, stop them at all costs. Third, I need powerful, trustworthy 'Hui Xiang Zhe' who can work for me."

"This isn't just 'one problem'..." My eyes flickered slightly. "That's three problems, isn't it?"

"That depends on how you solve it," Bai Yang said. "But don't worry too much. When we meet outside, even if you haven't solved any of them, our agreement still stands—I'll try to share information with you."

I understood what "try" meant in that sentence: it was like saying, "If you can't complete this problem, I can guarantee your safety, but that's all."

Fortunately, even though Bai Yang was cold, he phrased his words as smoothly as possible to make them sound pleasant. Smart people and foolish ones would hear different meanings in a single sentence and make different choices accordingly.

According to what he said, if I could complete this problem and do it brilliantly, I'd get more than just "information."

"I get it," I nodded. "I'll do my best."

Bai Yang gave us a few more instructions and then wrapped up the conversation.

The sheep with the Shar-Pei's body huddled in the corner, waiting for the harpoon, while Bai Yang stood quietly outside, awaiting his fate.

Little did I know, when I saw Bai Yang again after this parting, it would be five years later—which was seven years ago from now.