"King does not meet king?"
Yun Yao found this saying rather interesting.
"Are you saying that this Qi Xia... is as formidable as you?"
"No, he is far more powerful than I am."
Chu Tianqiu put the chalk back and found a chair to sit down.
"But he has endured too few trials. If we want to borrow his strength, we must wait for an opportunity."
After Jin Yuanxun went out, he looked at Qi Xia waiting silently by the door, his expression a bit awkward.
"Is he going to see me now?"
Qi Xia asked.
"No..."
Jin Yuanxun shook his head.
"Brother Chu wants me to ask you a question."
"A question?"
Qi Xia pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"It's right to be cautious. What does he want to ask?"
"May I ask, what day did you arrive here?"
Qi Xia's brow furrowed, finding it rather strange. There were obviously so many questions he could have asked, yet Chu Tianqiu only asked about this?
"I arrived here three days ago."
"Three days ago..."
Jin Yuanxun nodded.
"Brother, please wait a moment. I'll go report back."
Qi Xia nodded with a solemn expression, but he was already having trouble standing. ...
"Three days ago?"
Chu Tianqiu chuckled.
"Is that what he said?"
"Yes," Jin Yuanxun nodded.
"Ah, Brother, we all came here three days ago too, so that's not strange... Do you need to ask anything else?"
"Don't bother with him anymore," Chu Tianqiu said.
"He answered incorrectly this time. We don't need to give him another chance."
"Huh?"
Jin Yuanxun was stunned.
"Brother... that person looks like he's badly injured. If we ignore him, it's very likely he'll..."
"Then let him die."
"Uh..."
Jin Yuanxun faltered.
"Brother... didn't you say..."
"It is not yet time."
Chu Tianqiu turned back to look at Yun Yao.
"Yun Yao, help me see him out."
"Alright, understood."
Yun Yao stretched, stood up, and walked towards the door.
"Aish... Brother, if we want to escape, shouldn't we rely on the strength of the powerful?"
Jin Yuanxun asked, confused.
"If that man is really that formidable, why not let him join?"
"He will definitely join us, just not now," Chu Tianqiu said with a smile.
"The Qi Xia of today is like a wounded snake. He detests everything here. He wants to live, and he wants to escape. In such a state, he cannot join 'Heaven's Gate', and we cannot see him as a teammate."
Jin Yuanxun was stunned for a long moment, then nodded as if he half-understood. Yun Yao had only taken a few steps out the door when she saw Qi Xia standing outside the courtyard. Half of his clothes were soaked in fresh blood, a rather terrifying sight.
"Qi Xia?"
Yun Yao asked.
"Yes," Qi Xia nodded.
"Let me ask you, if the first part of a six-character password is 'YMWDH', what should the last two characters be?"
"'MS'," Qi Xia answered without a second thought.
"Are all of you from 'Heaven's Gate' this bored?"
"For real?"
Yun Yao was taken aback.
"You figured it out in just one second?"
"The English words for 'Year, Month, Week, Day, Hour'. Ordered by length of time, the last two must be the first letters of 'Minute' and 'Second'," Qi Xia said.
"Is this considered the 'interview' for 'Heaven's Gate'?"
"Not really, it was just my personal test."
Yun Yao smiled sweetly.
"I have a fondness for smart people. We lost a teammate trying to crack that password."
"That just goes to show that 'Heaven's Gate' isn't all that much," Qi Xia replied.
"No, it's just that my own abilities are too poor."
Yun Yao shook her head, correcting him.
"If Chu Tianqiu had handled it, he probably would have solved it in one second too."
"So when can I see Chu Tianqiu?"
Qi Xia asked.
"He's already kept me waiting for twenty minutes."
"You won't be seeing him."
Yun Yao's smile was like a blooming flower, her eyes curving as she spoke.
"You didn't pass the 'interview', so 'Heaven's Gate' is not prepared to accept you."
Upon hearing this, Qi Xia's face showed a trace of disbelief.
"Which means the first question was the real interview."
He stared at Yun Yao.
"I answered that question incorrectly?"
"That, I don't know."
Yun Yao pouted a little.
"Chu Tianqiu said you were wrong, so you must be wrong."
"I understand."
Qi Xia nodded, turned around, and prepared to leave.
"Hey!"
Yun Yao called out.
"Even though 'Heaven's Gate' isn't going to accept you, I quite like you. I enjoy helping handsome men who have fallen on hard times. Do you want to stay on as my 'rumored boyfriend'? I'm sure Chu Tianqiu wouldn't refuse."
Qi Xia turned back to look at Yun Yao, a hint of mockery in his expression.
"I appreciate the sentiment."
"So cold."
Yun Yao scratched her head and pulled out a bottle of mineral water from behind her back.
"Here, take this. Let's be friends?"
Seeing the plastic bottle in Yun Yao's hand, Qi Xia swallowed hard. He hadn't had a drink of water in nearly a day.
"I'll consider this water a loan from you."
Qi Xia reached out and took it, twisted off the cap, closed his eyes, and downed the entire bottle in one go. In his current heavily injured state, even if the other party had poisoned it, there was nothing to fear.
"So sweet..."
Qi Xia let out a breath.
"It seems I've been dehydrated for too long."
"The reason it's so sweet is because I already took a sip."
Yun Yao revealed a meaningful smile.
"Doesn't that count as an 'indirect kiss' between us now?"
"Thank you for the water. I'll pay you back when I have the chance."
Qi Xia casually tossed the bottle onto the ground and turned to leave. Watching Qi Xia's receding figure, Yun Yao felt a little angry.
"How rude. A personal gesture from a popular idol was rejected just like that."
"He's gone?"
Chu Tianqiu appeared behind Yun Yao and asked.
"Gone."
"Did he give up?"
"From his expression, it didn't look like he gave up. It seemed more like he'd made some kind of resolution."
Yun Yao shook her head.
"This person is truly formidable. I think I'm starting to fall for him."
"Oh? Just two days ago you were saying you liked me. Have your affections shifted so quickly?"
Chu Tianqiu gave a wry smile.
"I really can't figure you out."
"Don't try to guess an idol's heart."
Yun Yao shrugged.
"I'll be looking forward to the next time I meet Qi Xia."
The two of them left through the main gate, and the dilapidated school grounds once again returned to silence. And the young man named Jin Yuanxun stood at the gate once more, cautiously surveying his surroundings again, as if nothing had happened at all.
Qi Xia found a crumbling wall and sat down to rest for half an hour before getting up again and walking forward along the road. After this indirect meeting with Chu Tianqiu, he had an increasingly clear understanding of the 'rules' of this damned place. The situation was likely far more complicated than he had imagined.
Now, only one last thought remained in his mind: to go to the edge of the city and take a look. If there was still any way to escape this place, it would surely be at the edge. Warm Reminder: The website will be updated soon, which may result in a loss of reading progress.
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