Chapter 229: Comparison

"What is this...?"

Qi Xia was so shocked he couldn't speak.

"Hey! Come help out!" Qiao Jiajin said while moving his own body. "Don't just stand there!"

After hearing this, Li Jingguan, Han Yimo, and Zhao Yisheng snapped out of it and walked over.

Yu Nian'an felt a bit scared seeing all the corpses scattered around and turned her head to say, "Xia, are we going to live here?"

"This..."

Gazing at the mountain of bodies emitting a pervasive stench, Qi Xia felt a bit dazed. The previous "Tian Tang Kou" had only thirty people in total, but just the bodies of Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling added up to thirty. It was truly a scene of "corpses everywhere."

Zhang Lüshi kept backing away, feeling that this place was extremely strange. The people around her were acting very abnormally. Hadn't they noticed the problem? People had died here! Why were they casually moving the bodies one by one? Why didn't they find it terrifying? And those bodies lying on the ground... didn't they have the same faces as the two people standing there?!

"No... I... I can't take this..." Zhang Lüshi shook her head vigorously. "I-I can't go along with this anymore..."

Just as she was about to leave, Lin Geng pulled her back.

"Zhang Lüshi, if you wander around here on your own, you'll starve to death in a few days." Lin Geng frowned and said, "We may seem crazy, but you'll understand soon enough."

Meanwhile, Tian Tian stood silently behind the group, trembling, but she didn't say a word. Were these people really good people? She hugged herself lightly, feeling a bit cold. Whether it was from the chilling sight in front of her or because she was wearing so little, she couldn't stop shaking.

At that moment, a piece of clothing was gently draped over her shoulders.

Tian Tian jumped in fright and quickly turned to look, seeing a strikingly beautiful girl standing beside her, smiling at her.

"Hello, big sister," the girl said with a smile. "Aren't you cold wearing so little?"

Tian Tian swallowed hard and hurriedly took the clothing off her shoulders. "Don't-don't do that... I'm really dirty! If I ruin your clothes..."

"No, it's not dirty." The girl shook her head and wrapped the clothing firmly around her. "Big sister, I'm Yun Yao. What's your name?"

"I'm Zhang... I mean, I'm Tian Tian." Tian Tian lowered her head self-consciously, feeling that the girl in front of her was so radiant and put her in stark contrast.

"Tian Tian..." Yun Yao nodded with a smile. "What a nice name."

Hearing this, Tian Tian's face grew even more downcast. "No... it's not nice. Actually, this name... I got it from..."

"Before coming here, I was just at home unemployed!" Yun Yao reached out and put her arm around Tian Tian's shoulders, trying to warm her up. "What about you? Were you unemployed at home too?"

"I... ah, yes... unemployed, yes." Tian Tian nodded carefully, afraid of saying the wrong thing and being looked down on.

"Then we have to help each other out." Yun Yao smiled contentedly. "I'll take care of you from now on."

Tian Tian wondered what this girl's motives were. Who goes out of their way to be so nice to someone they've just met? Was she a con artist? But could there really be such a beautiful con artist in the world?

"Yun-Yun Yao jie, you don't have to go out of your way to take care of me." Tian Tian gave a bitter smile and said, "I'm just a worthless person; I don't deserve anyone being so kind to me."

"Stop that." Yun Yao said, "Don't call yourself worthless, and don't call me 'Yun Yao jie.' Call me 'Xiao Yao.'"

"Xiao Yao...?" Tian Tian was still a bit confused about what was going on with this girl.

"Come on, I'll take you to get something to eat." Yun Yao took Tian Tian's hand and led her around the others.

Yun Yao glanced at Qi Xia. "I won't bother with you; you're on your own."

Although her words were dismissive, Qi Xia could see that Yun Yao's eyes had changed. The once bright and sparkling eyes now held a hint of confusion.

Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. He knew he owed Tian Tian, so this time, he'd let Yun Yao protect her.

Before long, everyone except Zhang Lüshi went over to help Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling move the bodies.

"What's going on here?" Qi Xia asked while dragging one of Qiao Jiajin's bodies. "Why are there so many identical corpses?"

Chu Tianqiu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Qi Xia, this is all your doing."

"What...?" Qi Xia paused. "My doing?"

"Qi Xia, I think my decision back then was right." Chu Tianqiu gave a strange smile. "'I have to make sure Qi Xia gets the Hui Xiang'—that was absolutely correct. As long as you're here, we can pretty much do whatever we want."

Qi Xia set Qiao Jiajin's body down on the ground and frowned. "What exactly is my 'Hui Xiang'?"

"Qi Xia..." Chu Tianqiu excitedly grabbed his hand. "It's 'Sheng Sheng Bu Xi'! This is incredible! With you around, is there anything we can't accomplish? I want to be best friends with you for life!"

The person smiling in front of him was the one who had indirectly caused Qi Xia's death last time. Although Qi Xia didn't know what he and Xu Liunian had discussed, this was undoubtedly connected to him. It was ironic—in this "Zhong Yan Zhi Di" full of dangers, Qi Xia had died twice, but neither time was because of the "game," but because of "people." The "people" here were far more terrifying than the "Sheng Xiao." After all, everyone had their own motives, and even the most harmless-looking person could hide deadly intentions.

"Sheng Sheng Bu Xi..." Qi Xia murmured the four words, finally understanding everything. The reason there were bodies of Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling everywhere was because of his "Hui Xiang." Even though he had died, he had returned to the real world with the power of "Hui Xiang." Subconsciously, he had always hoped that Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling would survive, so they really did "survive"... But the result was enough to make anyone's skin crawl. No matter how many times the attackers killed them, they would keep appearing as if nothing happened, until the last enemy was eliminated. So, was Yu Nian'an created under the same premise?

Qi Xia turned to look at Yu Nian'an in the distance. But something still didn't add up... He cautiously shook his head, feeling that thinking about it further would make him break down.

At that moment, Chu Tianqiu spoke again. "Qi Xia, I swear I'll never do anything against you again. You're the biggest help on my path to 'Cheng Shen.'"

"Oh?" Qi Xia turned to him. "How can I help you?"

"Suppose I fail at 'Cheng Shen'... you can let me start over!" Chu Tianqiu's face lit up with a happy smile. "No matter how many times I die..."

"But is the 'you' I create still really you?" Qi Xia asked.

"Of course!" Chu Tianqiu nodded. "No matter which version, as long as it has my thoughts, it's the real me!"