Qi Xia kept his head lowered, reaching up to clutch at his head as the intense dizziness still refused to dissipate.

After passing through the corridor, he looked up to find many familiar faces before him.

“You all…?”

“Old Qi!”

“Liar Boy!”

Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin walked over with delighted expressions on their faces. They looked Qi Xia up and down, then relaxed. Although Qi Xia’s expression appeared somewhat weary, there wasn’t a scratch on him.

“You can really pull it off, kid!” Chen Junnan said. “The two of us figured you were eighty percent dead for sure!”

Qi Xia didn’t explain his encounter with Xu Liunian. Instead, he felt that the current situation was rather suspicious.

He slowly furrowed his brow, doing his best to get his brain working. “Why are you all here…?”

Things that were too coincidental were very likely not coincidences at all. Although Qi Xia sensed something strange, what was different from before was that he surprisingly hadn’t immediately deduced what the problem was.

“A big rat told us to come here,” Chen Junnan said in a low voice. “He said this monkey… has some issues…”

Chen Junnan couldn’t speak too bluntly, so he could only try to convey the message to Qi Xia in a roundabout way.

After hearing this, Qi Xia nodded and asked, “Does that rat start his sentences with ‘Leader’?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “That rat brother speaks quite strangely! Do you know him?”

Qi Xia nodded. Of course he remembered that Earth-Mouse.

So the Earth-Mouse’s actions this time were likely well-intentioned, or at least a decision that would help the overall situation.

“So what are you all gathered here for?” Qi Xia asked. “Don’t you need to participate in a game?”

“This game…”

The five people exchanged glances. While having this venue filled with their own people would make them feel secure, this way, no matter how the “Dao” circulated, their numbers wouldn’t increase. Instead, it would become even harder because they needed to “ransom” themselves.

Six of their own people would require a total of sixty “Dao.” Who could earn that many “Dao” in a single Earth-level game?

Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan simultaneously looked toward Qi Xia.

Yes, only he could do it.

The group briefly explained the principles of this game to Qi Xia. After hearing them out, Qi Xia simply supported his head and nodded, looking like he wasn’t in good condition.

While speaking, several people turned to look at the Earth-Monkey in the distance. He was already sitting behind the counter snoring away. It seemed that his nine-to-five lifestyle didn’t match his identity as a gambling house owner.

“I understand,” Qi Xia said. “It truly is a genuine ‘intelligence’ game. Because everyone who comes here couldn’t possibly bring ten ‘Dao’ with them, how to earn other people’s ‘Dao’ becomes the core of this game. Every day people lose everything here, and the death toll won’t be small either.”

Xiao Cheng looked somewhat anxiously at this third stranger after Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan, feeling that something wasn’t right.

His pockets were flat, clearly showing he also had no “Dao.” Could it be that all the Participants’ entry fees would have to come from his initial fifteen “Dao”?

Just then, Qi Xia looked up and made eye contact with Xiao Cheng. “And this person is?”

The group gave Qi Xia a brief introduction to Xiao Cheng, and also told him about their current “financial predicament.”

“I see,” Qi Xia acknowledged. “So what’s needed now is ‘capital.'”

“That’s right.” Xiao Cheng nodded with a grave expression. “Although you’re all acquaintances, I really can’t give out so much ‘Dao’ to strangers all at once. I also want to stay alive.”

“I understand.”

While speaking, Qi Xia had been continuously rubbing his forehead. Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan couldn’t help but worry.

“Liar Boy, is your head hurting again?”

“No…” Qi Xia answered. “This time it doesn’t seem to be as simple as a headache… My entire condition feels somewhat strange.”

“Strange…?”

“It’s nothing, let’s not talk about that.” Qi Xia turned to look at Xiao Cheng again. “You just said you went to participate in the ‘Man-Monkey’s’ game yesterday?”

“Yes, it’s not very far from here,” Tiantian said from the side. “When we passed by there today, we saw the ‘Man-Monkey’ still trying to gather ‘Participants.'”

“I understand.” Qi Xia said to Tiantian, “Tell me the ‘Man-Monkey’s’ location. I’ll be right back.”

The phrase “I’ll be right back” plunged everyone into a brief silence.

After hearing this, Xiao Cheng hurriedly said, “Brother… are you going to the ‘Man-Monkey’s’ venue to earn some ‘Dao’? I can tell you the solution to that game, it…”

“No need.” Qi Xia waved his hand while rubbing his forehead. “Just tell me the location. Give me the cloth bag, I’m going to fetch some ‘Dao.'”

Xiao Cheng felt that this person’s personality was somewhat strange, but he couldn’t dissuade him. He could only tell him the location of the “Man-Monkey.”

After hearing this, Qi Xia walked out the door. Just as he was about to leave, he turned back and said, “Don’t do anything before I return. Wait for me, it won’t take long.”

“This…” Xiao Cheng froze for a moment after hearing this, then said, “The ‘Man-Monkey’s’ venue requires an entry fee… Do you have ‘Dao’?”

“Entry fee…? No need.” Qi Xia turned his back and waved to everyone.

Watching his departing figure, Xiao Cheng’s expression was completely different from the remaining few.

Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin directly found nearby chairs to sit down, and within a few seconds started chatting idly. Tiantian also took Zheng Yingxiong’s hand and began touring the various facilities here.

They seemed to have no worries whatsoever.

“Wait, wait a minute… Are you all this confident?” Xiao Cheng asked. “That person he…”

“Relax.” Qiao Jiajin also waved his hand. “Xiao Cheng, want to come play some Landlord? We can play without betting ‘Dao’ among ourselves. I just learned it, come practice with me.”

“Land-Landlord?” Xiao Cheng’s eyes widened instantly. “Wait… Your teammate just went to the ‘Man-Monkey’s’ venue without a single ‘Dao.’ Even if he really is a very capable person, even if he can win every time, he can’t even get through the door right now!”

“If Liar Boy says he can do it, then he can do it. Come play.” Qiao Jiajin held a deck of cards in his hand and beckoned to him with a smile.

Xiao Cheng walked over skeptically and sat down beside Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan, feeling that this whole thing was utterly absurd and simply beyond his imagination. Even if this man could directly crack the “Man-Monkey’s” game, at most he could only earn two “Dao” as a reward each time.

What confidence did he have to bring back enough “chips” empty-handed?

But about an hour and a half later, something even more unexpected appeared before Xiao Cheng’s eyes.

That man called Qi Xia returned calm and composed. When he dumped more than a dozen “Dao” from the cloth bag before everyone, Xiao Cheng’s mouth could no longer close.