Since the second round of selection, three factions have had the greatest influence: Qianmen, Chuma Xian, and Joe. Among them, the organization and mobilization of the Daoists were the strongest, seemingly on the verge of dominance. However, the situation had now been disrupted.
Chu Qianli was not searching for simulated infant stones; instead, she focused on revealing the Daoists’ number tags, forming a siege against Qianmen.
Upon hearing the news, Huang Jue even made a special trip over and suggested, “Shouldn’t we deal with the foreigners first and then concentrate on internal conflicts afterward?”
In Huang Jue’s view, they should first strike at the overseas teams, secure the honor, and then engage in internal struggles.
Chu Qianli smiled and said, “Then you guys can do that. To be fair, even though we’ve been revealing Qianmen’s number tags, they still have the highest stone count.”
“…That’s impossible.”
“They’ve learned their lesson after suffering twice. Now, they’re hoarding stones, planning to count them in their bottles near the end,” Chu Qianli shrugged innocently. “Instead of persuading us, you might as well go look for stones. There are only three of us, so our efficiency isn’t high to begin with.”
She knew she couldn’t take down Qianmen immediately. Winning against a larger force with fewer numbers wasn’t easy—she had to wait for the right moment to strike.
After hearing this, Huang Jue said nothing more and hurried back to catch up on progress.
Mei Rujing watched Huang Jue leave and said curiously, “That guy actually has a bit of plain patriotism.”
Huang Jue had always been at odds with Qianmen, yet now he saw them as comrades and even came over to persuade Chu Qianli and her team that they should deal with the overseas teams first.
“That’s why people are complicated. Those who talk about righteousness all the time aren’t necessarily righteous, and those who act worldly and shrewd aren’t necessarily selfish. You only know the truth when they’re forced into a dead-end. The rest of the time, it’s just nonsense,” Chu Qianli said. “But we’ve stepped outside the game now.”
She said leisurely, “They just want to watch us tear each other apart, so let’s put on a show for them. After all, we’re just suppressing opponents in a game. Once the game is over, it’s a whole different matter. That’s why I say—don’t take it too seriously.”
Lin didn’t want Qianmen to shine, which meant their interests clashed.
Chu Qianli simply went along with it. Right now, she could attack Qianmen, but what would happen later was still uncertain.
The badge wasn’t important—the real key was the ruins key.
Tan Muxing saw through her nature and whispered, “…But I still feel like your ‘performance match’ is turning into a real battle.”
No matter how much she claimed it was just a game, she certainly wasn’t holding back when making her moves.
“If I have to lose, I’d rather lose to myself,” Chu Qianli muttered. She scanned the situation and, not seeing A, added, “Besides, the real trouble now is the other outsiders.”
Lin and Qianmen had conflicts and didn’t want Qianmen to rise. Chu Qianli deliberately suppressed Qianmen to observe how others reacted.
Huang Jue and Joe probably didn’t know about the key, which was why they cared so much about the special selection results.
What was more puzzling was the roles that A and Lilith were playing. The two of them didn’t seem to care about the selection at all. Either they knew the inside story, or they had their own plans.
Fortunes could be told easily, but judging people was hard. Predicting events was simple, but defining people as good or bad was difficult—because people constantly changed, like flowing water that never truly stops.
On top of that, there were well-trained, unidentified teams in the villa district, making things even more complicated.
After pondering the current forces, Chu Qianli casually performed a divination and then started searching on her phone. “Let me check a number first.”
Tan Muxing was curious. “What number?”
“12399.” Chu Qianli stroked her chin. “It’s actually pretty easy to remember.”
Moments later, the three of them began searching for their respective number tags according to the hexagrams. Tan Muxing and Mei Rujing’s number tags were found, but Chu Qianli’s tag remained missing.
“It’s not here.” Tan Muxing moved a chair back to its original position, then continued searching the bookshelf. “Is it on this side?”
Chu Qianli calculated again, her expression changing slightly. She murmured, “It was taken.”
“It seems they know who did it.” Mei Rujing held two number tags between her fingers. “Luckily, we left some behind as well.”
The three of them had been searching for the Daoists’ number tags from Qianmen, but unexpectedly, Chu Qianli’s own number tag had been taken.
Chu Qianli took the number tag from Mei Rujing and said, “This one should be used last. They will definitely wait until the last moment to put the stones into the bottle, probably dragging it out until the final countdown.”
Tan Muxing said, “But if your number tag was taken, they could swap it back at the last moment.”
Before the countdown ended, the Daoists would collectively deposit their accumulated stones into the bottle. Chu Qianli and her team planned to use the number tag at the critical moment to swap out their opponents’ simulated infant stones.
However, now that her number tag was lost, there was a chance it had been swapped back, which meant nothing would be left behind in the end.
“That’s not necessarily true.” Chu Qianli tilted her head and glanced at Tan Muxing. “Speaking of which, they actually stole Star’s badge.”
“…I wouldn’t exactly call it stealing.”
Chu Qianli gave Tan Muxing a once-over, then suddenly reached out and rummaged through his coat pockets.
Tan Muxing seemed used to this and stood still, letting her search.
Chu Qianli pulled out a hair tie and a pair of earphones from his left pocket. Realizing she had grabbed the wrong items, she reached into his right pocket instead. “Wrong one.”
Watching this scene, Mei Rujing commented dryly, “Why are your things in his pocket? Even Doraemon’s pocket only holds his own gadgets.”
She felt that some of the items clearly didn’t belong to Tan Muxing.
“But Doraemon holds the gadgets, while Nobita is the one who actually uses them more often.”
Mei Rujing was speechless. “…”
Chu Qianli pulled out a small empty bottle from his pocket, looking pleased. “Found it!”
Tan Muxing glanced at the bottle cap and hesitated. “This is…”
“This is the one.”
As the competition neared its end, the Daoists returned one after another to regroup. They gathered their stones together, waiting for the final moment to place them into the bottle.
Liu Jun said, “Even though our rhythm was disrupted earlier, we should still have more than the other two teams.”
Huang Jue and Joe’s teams were formed later and didn’t have the same level of coordination as Qianmen, making their collection speed slightly inferior.
Xu Zaiyuan took the stones from the others but didn’t put them into the bottle immediately. Instead, he stood still, waiting silently.
Liu Jun noticed his inaction and reminded him, “Zaiyuan, aren’t you going to put them in? Time is running out.”
Xu Zaiyuan glanced around and murmured, “They’re coming soon.”
Not far away, Chu Qianli hid in the shadows, observing Xu Zaiyuan’s prolonged inaction. She raised an eyebrow and muttered, “Well, well, we’re both waiting each other out.”
The three of them had planned to wait until the Daoists deposited their stones before using the number tag. However, Xu Zaiyuan and his team were also prepared, waiting for the three of them to bring the number tags over.
Tan Muxing glanced at his watch. “Only a few minutes left.”
Mei Rujing said, “They won’t keep stalling until the time runs out and let the other two teams win, will they?”
If Qianmen dragged the countdown too far, there was a chance Huang Jue or Joe’s team could win instead.
Chu Qianli stared at the Daoists and said decisively, “Impossible. Whether they want to win or not is uncertain, but he definitely wants to win.”
Xu Zaiyuan had drawn his sword to seize a badge, proving he had a strong competitive spirit. Even though he didn’t outwardly show it, he was holding back his determination.
Tan Muxing was puzzled. “Why?”
“Because he refuses to accept defeat.”
Tan Muxing was stunned, as if he didn’t quite understand.
Chu Qianli pondered for a few seconds, then lowered her gaze. “After all, so much has been sacrificed for this. The only thing left to hold onto is this. If he loses even in this, then there’s truly nothing left.”
Her talent came at the cost of a short lifespan, and Xu Zaiyuan must also have his own flaws.
Having such an ability was like making a deal with the devil, trading away everything precious in exchange for it. Sometimes, this deal was made at birth, without asking for consent or caring whether one was willing.
So, if he accepted defeat, it would mean total denial of everything.
Others might not understand this feeling, but she understood it very well.
Mei Rujing noticed Xu Zaiyuan’s movements and said, “He’s putting the stones into the bottle.”
Chu Qianli quickly poked her head out and took out Xu Zaiyuan’s number tag. “Is it number 21?”
Tan Muxing had good eyesight. After carefully confirming, he nodded. “It’s his bottle.”
Chu Qianli grinned. “Just as expected, he wants to win too badly.”
If Xu Zaiyuan weren’t so eager to win, they might have had a harder time dealing with him.
Xu Zaiyuan placed the stones into the bottle while keeping a close eye on the time. Then, he called out loudly, “I know you’re over there.”
Since they had been exposed, the three of them stopped hiding and walked out openly.
One minute remained.
Liu Jun saw Chu Qianli and the others, then recognized Mei Rujing as the keyholder. He hesitated. “I don’t think our goals conflict.”
Liu Jun and his team still needed the key in Mei Rujing’s hands, yet he hadn’t expected them to relentlessly target Qianmen.
Chu Qianli said sweetly, “There’s no conflict. You just need to lose once, and then there’s no conflict.”
Liu Jun: “?” What kind of logic was that?
Xu Zaiyuan said calmly, “I thought you had already divined it. Today, you are not the selection’s first-place winner.”
Xu Zaiyuan had planned ahead. He had taken Chu Qianli’s number tag 115 beforehand, so as soon as she used her number tag, he could use his to swap the simulated infant stone back.
Chu Qianli took out Xu Zaiyuan’s number tag and waved the number 21 tag slowly. “Is that so? Then did you divine that you’d be the first?”
Xu Zaiyuan was silent for a moment before answering, “If I remain calm, then I will be first.”
His divination result showed a 50-50 chance of victory or defeat. The key to winning was to stay composed and act wisely—only then could he achieve final victory.
So he chose to drag it out until the last moment.
30 seconds remaining.
Chu Qianli held the small bottle’s cap with her left hand, covering the number on top, while her right hand took out the number tag 16 and swiped it against the electronic device. A beep sound echoed.
She mused, “I see… You really trust your hexagram reading.”
The number tag was used, and the stones inside Xu Zaiyuan’s No. 21 bottle were swapped out.
15 seconds remaining.
“Don’t you trust it?” Xu Zaiyuan asked confidently. “You’ve never been wrong either, have you?”
Xu Zaiyuan took out Chu Qianli’s No. 115 tag, placed it at the bottle’s opening, and completed the swipe. Another beep sounded.
The stones inside their bottles were exchanged.
Chu Qianli smiled. “Sorry, but we’re a little different. I actually hope to be wrong sometimes.”
Xu Zaiyuan was momentarily stunned.
Time’s up!
Near Tingfeng Xiyu Tower, a bell rang, announcing that the counting bottles had stopped functioning!
Xu Zaiyuan: “You lost.”
Chu Qianli shook her head. “No, you lost.”
Xu Zaiyuan was confused.
Just then, Shi Zhuoqu announced over the broadcast, “The selection round is officially over. Everyone, please return to the first-floor hall. As of now, the candidate ranked first in the count is… Examinee No. 116…”
Liu Jun was shocked. “Zaiyuan, it’s not you!”
“But it’s not her either,” Xu Zaiyuan suddenly realized. His gaze instinctively turned to Tan Muxing, hesitating. “No. 116 is…?”
Chu Qianli revealed the number 116 printed on the bottle’s cap. Her assigned tag was No. 115—this was Tan Muxing’s bottle!
The No. 115 bottle was empty. When Xu Zaiyuan used the No. 115 tag, he didn’t swap for anything at all!
“This is Star’s badge, so of course, it should go back to Star.” Chu Qianli said calmly. “You just misunderstood one thing. I truly have never miscalculated, but our calculations are different—you calculate hexagrams, I calculate people. Compared to divination, I trust people more.”
Rather than relying on hexagrams, she was better at reading people, grasping human nature.
Xu Zaiyuan’s hexagram was not wrong. If he remained calm, he would win. But humans don’t just follow advice and instantly overcome their weaknesses—otherwise, what would be the need for spiritual cultivation?
Xu Zaiyuan’s expression changed drastically. He fell silent, unable to describe his emotions at that moment.
He hadn’t lost to her. He had lost to himself—which was even more frustrating!
Liu Jun quickly tried to console him. “Zaiyuan…”
Chu Qianli immediately lightened the mood. “Alright, alright, game first, friendship second! Now we can talk about friendship, right?”
I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.
