Qi Xia extended his hand and lightly shook the box in front of him. The distinct sound of {Dào} rolling inside echoed clearly. "Monkey, it’s my turn now, right?" he asked.

"You..." Mortal Monkey’s throat moved slightly as he froze. He had accounted for every detail, yet something had inexplicably gone awry.

There was still one more inside the box?! He anxiously counted the {Dào} on the table, confirming a total of twenty-two. How could there be more left?

"Your original wager wasn’t ten..." Mortal Monkey’s eyes widened with realization. "You bastard, you tricked me?!"

Qi Xia calmly reached into the box and drew out the last {Dào}. "Yes, you have your magic, and I have my own specialties." He placed the {Dào} on the table and continued slowly, "Fortunately, I kept this box right in front of me the whole time, ensuring you never had a chance to inspect what was inside."

"Was it a trick...?" Mortal Monkey murmured, disoriented. "You knew I would cheat all along?"

"Not exactly," Qi Xia replied. "It was just a precaution I built in for myself. My box always had one more {Dào} than yours. It didn’t affect the game’s flow. As long as I took the last of them in the final round, everything would fall into place. You said your {Dào} would {match or exceed} mine; I had eleven, so no rules were broken."

"But when did you pull this off?" Mortal Monkey asked. "When that woman handed you the {Dào}, I saw it clearly—there were exactly ten."

"I don’t have the same elegant sleight of hand as you," Qi Xia said, picking up a {Dào} and clumsily trying to mimic Mortal Monkey’s palming trick. After a few failed attempts, he continued, "If I wanted to add an extra {Dào}, I had no choice but to keep it in my hand from the very beginning."

Mortal Monkey suddenly understood. When Yun Yao handed over the {Dào}, Qi Xia had already been holding one. He cupped his hands like a bowl, and when he received the four pieces, the pile already totaled five.

"I never thought I’d lose so soon," Mortal Monkey admitted, his energy draining as he slumped into a chair. After a moment, he looked up at Qi Xia, as if wanting to say something.

Qi Xia noticed but didn’t rush. He slowly gathered the {Dào} and handed them to Yun Yao. In the end, he left two on the table, pushing them toward Mortal Monkey. "Monkey, don’t do it," Qi Xia said evenly. "These two {Dào} will give you another chance. You’ve worked hard to get this far; there’s no need to act on impulse."

"What—you..." Mortal Monkey was stunned. He hadn’t expected the other man to see through his intent so easily.

"If you truly risk everything, I’ll reveal my own trump card," Qi Xia said. "I don’t shy away from high stakes. I have nothing to lose, but you can’t possibly defeat me."

Mortal Monkey lowered his head, his gaze filled with nothing but {resignation}.

"Very well. We’ll meet again if fate allows," Qi Xia nodded, quickly leading the others out.

Once outside, he let out a long breath of relief.

"Qi Xia, what’s wrong?" Yun Yao asked. "Were you afraid Mortal Monkey might force you into a life-staking gamble?"

"Yes," Qi Xia admitted, glancing back nervously as though worried the monkey might follow.

"But don’t you have a {trump card}?" Yun Yao teased, finding his caution amusing. "Your intelligence far surpasses his. If it came down to a life-staking gamble, I think your odds would be excellent."

"Like hell I have a {trump card}. Hurry up, let’s move," Qi Xia urged. "I was bluffing earlier. Mortal Monkey’s cheating caught me off guard. If it really came to staking lives, I wouldn’t know what kind of methods he’d use."

"Huh? You were bluffing? Hahaha!" Yun Yao burst into laughter. "You were so convincing! You’re not a swindler yourself, are you?"

"Let’s go," Qi Xia said helplessly.

The three of them found a spot by the roadside to rest. Though only a couple of hours had passed since dawn, it felt much longer.

"Let’s divide the {Dào}," Qi Xia suggested. "We earned ten. Since both you and I contributed, we’ll split them—three each for you and me, two each for Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian."

"Qi Xia, can we date?" Yun Yao suddenly blurted out.

"Wh—" Qi Xia nearly choked. "What are you talking about? Do you even realize the situation we’re in right now?"

Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian stood frozen, mouths agape, both sensing something very off about this girl.

Yun Yao blinked at Qi Xia. "Don’t you like me?"

Qi Xia frowned, then shook his head. "I’m honored, but I’m married."

"It’s fine," Yun Yao replied without hesitation. "I can be your {End Point} girlfriend, and once we get out, we won’t contact each other again."

"Are you insane?" Qi Xia stared at her, bewildered. "I’ve already told you—I have a wife!"

Yun Yao gazed at him blankly, then scratched her head and muttered softly, "Is it still not enough?"

"Not enough?"

Yun Yao drew in a deep breath. "Qi Xia, forget your wife. Am I uglier than her? Am I not as good as her? Instead of clinging to someone you can’t reach, why not..."

"Yun Yao, don’t ruin the goodwill I have toward you." Qi Xia’s gaze turned icy in an instant, murderous intent flickering. "I won’t allow anyone to speak of my wife like that. You should know I’m not a good person."

"So what? Do you want to scold me?" Yun ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Yao challenged. "Or do you want to hit me? Go on then, I’m right here."

Qiao Jiajin was completely stunned. The sudden spike in tension left him reeling. "Hey, hey, hey... you two, calm down," he interjected, trying to mediate. "What’s with this all of a sudden?"

The air grew thick with an inexplicable pressure.

Seeing that Qi Xia truly seemed enraged, Yun Yao suddenly let out a soft laugh, almost a {pfft}.

"Aiya... alright, alright." Yun Yao waved her hand dismissively. "It was just a joke. I’m sorry, Qi Xia. I shouldn’t have spoken of your wife like that. The woman who married you must be amazing."

Qi Xia furrowed his brows, unsettled by her words. "What are you trying to pull?"

"I wanted to test if I could hear my {Reverberation}, but I failed." Yun Yao shook her head in frustration. "I don’t know if it’s because you didn’t scold me enough, or because I don’t like you that much... I probably rushed it. Qi Xia, don’t be angry."

"Test your {Reverberation}?" Qi Xia seemed to catch on. "Could it be that the trigger for yours is..."

"{Unattainable desires}." Yun Yao admitted somewhat sheepishly. "Since childhood, I’ve always gotten what I wanted. But when I’m consumed by {unattainable desires}... that’s when the bell tolls."