Ten Day Ultimatum
Chapter 209

Chapter 209 This Game of Chess

Zhang Shan was stunned for a long moment before finally asking, "An imposter? What do you mean?"

Yun Yao didn’t answer. She simply walked out of the room, and the others followed.

"Hey, Yun Yao, say something," Zhang Shan called after her.

Yun Yao took three steps, then stopped and turned back. "Zhang Shan, why did you join {Passage to Heaven} this time?"

"I…" Zhang Shan thought for a moment, then said, "Because Chu Tianqiu knows everything about me. He knows secrets that only I should know, so I believe he knew the old me."

Yun Yao’s expression grew even darker at his words.

What did this mean?

It meant that the imposter Chu Tianqiu likely knew the real Chu Tianqiu.

In Yun Yao’s memory, only one person could have done such a thing.

But why?

"Qi Xia, did you already know?" Yun Yao asked.

"I don’t know," Qi Xia shook his head.

"I haven’t even said what it is… and you’re already saying you don’t know?"

"You didn’t say it, but I can guess," Qi Xia replied without changing his expression. "So, I don’t know."

"Hmph… you liar," Yun Yao muttered, her tone more resigned than angry. "You people are terrifying. Even when things have become this absurd, you all act like nothing’s wrong."

"Absurd?" Qi Xia slowly raised his head and looked at the sky. "Yun Yao, do you think this sun is absurd?"

Everyone followed his gaze, looking up at the eerie, dirt-colored sun.

"What about this sky, these buildings, these residents… do you think they’re absurd?" Qi Xia let out a bitter laugh. "When the most impossible, absurd things have already become reality, how can anyone trapped here remain normal?"

Yun Yao stared at the sky in silence for a long time before speaking again. "Qi Xia, are you confident you can escape?"

"I don’t have the {confidence} to escape, only the {determination} to do so," Qi Xia replied.

"What’s your method?" Yun Yao asked.

"{Collecting Dào (集道; jí dào)}," Qi Xia said. "After everything I’ve been through, I’ve realized that {collecting Dào} is the only method."

"{Judgment’s Domain (极道; jí dào)}?" The four of them simultaneously gave Qi Xia a strange look.

"Don’t misunderstand," Qi Xia shook his head. "I’m talking about collecting three thousand six hundred {Dào}. I’m not one of those lunatics."

Yun Yao fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "I see."

…

By the time the five of them returned to Passage to Heaven, the sky had already begun to darken. Chu Tianqiu was still standing by the entrance, gazing outwards.

Upon seeing Yun Yao return, a smile instantly spread across his face. "Welcome back."

Yun Yao forced a smile and said, "Yes, I’m fine." She didn’t bother engaging with Chu Tianqiu further and instead walked straight toward the school building.

"What’s wrong?" Chu Tianqiu asked the others. "Was Yun Yao hurt?"

"N—No…" Zhang Shan’s expression was uneasy. He stared at Chu Tianqiu, scrutinizing him carefully, but couldn’t find any flaws.

"Then hurry back and rest."

The group nodded and dispersed, leaving only Qi Xia standing there.

"Qi Xia, did something happen?" Chu Tianqiu asked.

"Indeed," Qi Xia nodded. "They all know now that you left Yun Yao to die."

"What?" Chu Tianqiu frowned. "Left her to die…? Only you and I knew about that."

"Yeah, I told her," Qi Xia nodded. "You never asked me to keep it a secret."

"W—What?" Chu Tianqiu’s expression instantly turned uneasy. "Qi Xia, what is your intention?"

"My intention is simple," Qi Xia scratched his head. "I want them to turn against you."

"You…" The Chu Tianqiu before him had never imagined that Qi Xia would openly reveal his plan without hesitation. "You want them to turn against me?!"

"Keep your voice down," Qi Xia waved his hand. "It wouldn’t be good if others heard."

Chu Tianqiu lowered his voice, his face filled with anger. "Why are you doing this?!"

Qi Xia thought for a moment, then replied, "I don’t have any fixed plan. I just want to see what you’re capable of."

"But aren’t you supposed to be working with Chu Tianqiu?" Chu Tianqiu asked. "Is this how you two cooperate?"

"Xu Liunian, the person I’m cooperating with is {Chu Tianqiu}, but you are you," Qi Xia remarked. "We are three separate individuals."

"But if you really turn them against me, wouldn’t {Passage to Heaven} suffer a huge blow?" Chu Tianqiu asked. "What good does that do you? If you want to collect {Dào}, you’ll naturally need the strength of {Passage to Heaven}…"

"No no…" Qi Xia quickly waved his hand. "Xu Liunian, listen to me."

Chu Tianqiu paused, then said, "Alright, go on."

"As I said, you, me, and {Chu Tianqiu} are three separate individuals," Qi Xia stroked his chin. "I can cooperate with {Chu Tianqiu}, and naturally, I can also cooperate with {Xu Liunian}."

"What?"

"Xu Liunian, don’t you think it’s unfair?" Qi Xia said. "{Chu Tianqiu} is behind the scenes, while you’re on the front lines. No matter what you do, he’s always the one who benefits, and you’re always the one taking the fall. The people of {Passage to Heaven} will only resent you, and if {Judgment’s Domain} wants to kill someone, it’ll only be you. In the end, he might not succeed, but you’ll definitely be the one to sacrifice."

"You…" Chu Tianqiu slowly furrowed his brow. Although Qi Xia’s words sounded like blatant attempts to sow discord, there was a certain logic to them.

"Those choices that got our teammates killed… they were clearly {Chu Tianqiu}’s ideas, but everyone is blaming you. Tell me, if it were you, what would you choose?" Qi Xia said. "Right now, you’re the true leader of {Passage to Heaven}. Do you want your teammates to die?"

"Qi Xia," Chu Tianqiu commented, "you’re a very difficult person to trust. I’m nowhere near as intelligent as you, so it’s even harder for me to believe you. I’m afraid you’ll drag me into hell."

Qi Xia nodded. "It’s only natural that you don’t trust me. After all, I’m a swindler. You can only believe half of what I say."

"In that case, how am I supposed to cooperate with you?" Chu Tianqiu asked.

"We share a common goal," Qi Xia stated, his voice steady. "My objective is to {collect Dào}, and thus, I cannot afford to lose any teammates. The more {Reverberatees} that endure, the closer I am to escaping this place."

"{Collecting Dào}…" Chu Tianqiu murmured, his gaze falling to the ground. "Do you grasp the magnitude of this path? {Passage to Heaven} has yet to amass even three thousand six hundred Dào…"

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