The two left the rooftop and slowly walked downstairs.

The instant Qinglong disappeared, Zheng Yingxiong suddenly raised his head. He felt that scent suddenly vanish.

“This is really strange…” he said. “Why did that scent suddenly disappear?”

Chen Junnan beside him replied: “Everyone here comes and goes like the fucking wind. I thought you’d already seen plenty of that.”

“No… even if they ‘come and go like the wind,’ they can’t do it like this.”

“What’s so strange about it? The scent just disappeared, didn’t it?”

“What’s so strange…?” Zheng Yingxiong turned his head around, saying with a puzzled expression, “Isn’t this strange enough? That’s a ‘scent’! It’s not a ‘shadow’ on a person! When a person leaves and their shadow disappears, that’s normal. But when a person disappears, the scent on them shouldn’t disappear! It should linger here!”

After Zheng Yingxiong put it this way, Chen Junnan suddenly felt there was some logic to it. But after all, he couldn’t smell the “scent” Zheng Yingxiong was talking about, nor could he really understand what it meant for a scent to suddenly disappear.

“You mean… when that person left, they took the scent on their body away with them?”

“That’s exactly what I mean… Isn’t this person very strange?” Zheng Yingxiong said. “When that person came, they suddenly brought an enormous scent that made me smell it instantly even though I was downstairs. But when they left, the scent suddenly disappeared, not even leaving a trace. What kind of strange situation is this?”

“Now that you put it that way…” Chen Junnan nodded. “I think I can sort of understand. You’re saying that scent came quickly and dispersed quickly.”

“Right!” Zheng Yingxiong said. “Scents are all ’emitted,’ they can’t suddenly permeate everywhere all at once…”

“Tsk…” After hearing this, Chen Junnan imitated Qi Xia’s manner and stroked his chin, but had no clue whatsoever. “You’re right about that. Could that person be a fucking range hood? Not leaving any residue when they leave…”

Not far away, Qiao Jiajin, hearing the two conversing, also reached up to stroke his chin and said in a deep voice: “I think I have an idea.”

After hearing this, Chen Junnan turned to glance at Qiao Jiajin, then laughed: “Old Qiao, Old Qiao! Among us few people, you have the most unconventional thinking. Tell us your idea quickly!”

Qiao Jiajin pondered carefully for a while longer, then said: “Don’t laugh at me when I say this idea.”

“We won’t.” Chen Junnan shook his head. “Speak up!”

After hearing this, Qiao Jiajin said with a serious expression: “What if those scents are ‘growing’ on the other person’s body?”

“Ah…?”

Qiao Jiajin’s thinking was so unconventional that even Chen Junnan was stunned for a moment. But he quickly felt that what Qiao Jiajin said made some sense.

The scent came with the other person and left with them, neither “emitting” nor “lingering.” Thinking about it this way, that scent really seemed like it was “growing” on the other person’s body.

It was just that this “flesh” covered a large area and was completely invisible.

If Zheng Yingxiong hadn’t been present, probably no one would have noticed this small detail.

“That makes so much sense!” Chen Junnan said. “Old Qiao, when it comes to thinking, it has to be you! Old Qi and I both have to step aside! Thinking about it this way, doesn’t that scent grow on the other person’s body? It’s a type of ‘shadow’!”

“The scent ‘grows’ on the other person’s body…?” Looking at the two happily conversing, Zheng Yingxiong slowly curled his lips.

He felt he had been somewhat hasty, actually believing them so easily.

“If the scent can grow on the other person’s body… then when I absorb it, wouldn’t the other person lose a chunk of flesh?” Zheng Yingxiong said.

“Uh…” Chen Junnan could only explain following this line of thinking: “Maybe it’s not flesh growing on the other person’s body, but something like hair? Losing one strand is just losing one strand.”

Zheng Yingxiong shook his head and decided not to bother with these two anymore.

……

The people standing on the playground saw Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia emerge from the teaching building and gathered around them one after another.

Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin were just about to speak when they saw Qi Xia raise an index finger toward them, seemingly stopping them from speaking.

The two exchanged knowing glances and swallowed the words in their mouths.

“Yun Yao, you’re here too?” Qi Xia called out.

“Ah… Qi, Qi Xia?”

The first sentence.

The expressions of Yun Yao, Zhang Chenze, and Li Xiangling all showed some surprise. Before coming to “Heaven’s Mouth,” they had heard that Qi Xia had already gone to “Cat,” so they planned to come to “Heaven’s Mouth” first to look for Tiantian before going to “Cat.”

But they didn’t expect to meet Qi Xia directly here. However, Qi Xia’s appearance was somewhat different from what they remembered. It seemed some subtle changes had occurred.

Chu Tianqiu on the side gradually frowned. He turned to look at Qi Xia, not knowing what he was plotting.

Could he really expect the other party to mention “Wen Qiaoyun” within three sentences?

Even though he knew Qi Xia was a gambler, he had never seen such a bizarre wager.

Qi Xia smiled slightly and said again to Yun Yao and Zhang Chenze: “Your expressions look like you’re looking for me for something. What’s the matter?”

“I… we…” Reminded by Qi Xia, Yun Yao remembered their purpose, so she came to her senses and said: “We’re actually looking for you because of a person…”

The second sentence.

After hearing this sentence, Chu Tianqiu’s expression changed directly. He couldn’t imagine how this matter could develop according to Qi Xia’s prediction.

Who had leaked this information to them?

“Oh?” Qi Xia nodded. “What’s that person’s name?”

“Her name is… Wen Qiaoyun.”

The third sentence.

After hearing the other party’s statement, Qi Xia directly turned around to look at Chu Tianqiu and said: “Do you concede defeat?”

Chu Tianqiu nodded heavily: “I concede defeat.”

After hearing this, Yun Yao and Zhang Chenze looked at each other, not quite understanding what the two meant.

“What do you mean ‘concede defeat’…?” Yun Yao asked. “What are you two talking about?”

“It’s nothing.” Qi Xia turned back and said. “What about that person named Wen Qiaoyun you mentioned?”

After hearing this, Yun Yao organized her thoughts and recounted to Qi Xia the story they had prepared in advance.

Qi Xia also listened with interest to the lies they fabricated.

They said they had participated in several extremely complex games, and even concocted several sets of game rules that seemed fine on the surface but were full of holes upon careful thought.

Later they described how they encountered an extremely formidable woman in the games, whose name was Wen Qiaoyun.

That woman led them through one obstacle after another, almost gambling an “Earth-Level” being to death. Only then did they discover that this woman had excellent leadership abilities, was intelligent, and treated people kindly.

Finally, Yun Yao said with an air of nonchalance: “Having such a woman active in the ‘Land of the End,’ no matter how you think about it, it’s a good thing, right, Qi Xia?”

“Oh?” Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. “Good in what way?”

“We can recruit her to join us!” Yun Yao said. “If we had such a powerful ally, wouldn’t everything we do become easier? Whether we’re gambling against ‘Zodiacs’ or formulating other tactics, she would be an invaluable strength!”