Chapter 236: Acquired

"Just who are you...?" Chu Tianqiu frowned, looking at Chen Junnan.

"You little brat..." Chen Junnan's face was furious. "I should have killed you back then... Just seeing your smug face now pisses me off."

Hearing the man's tone, the several Huixiangzhe present began to show confusion.

"Hey... Liangzai..." Qiao Jiayin said.

"Call me Junnan."

"Junnan...?" Qiao Jiayin was a bit puzzled. "Is there a difference between 'Liangzai' and 'Junnan'?"

"Uh..." Chen Junnan paused for a moment. "Well, I guess there's a difference?"

"So, is 'Junnan' handsomer than 'Liangzai'?" Qiao Jiayin asked humbly.

"No... What are you talking about..." Chen Junnan frowned and said, "What does that have to do with 'Liangzai'? I'm originally 'Junnan'!"

Chen Junnan vaguely remembered that this conversation had happened many times before.

"Oh... Alright then..." Qiao Jiayin nodded. "This Junnan... Do you know Tianqiu?"

Qi Xia originally thought Chen Junnan was a profound and serious person, but now he seemed a bit foolish, oddly matching well with Qiao Jiayin.

"How could I not know him? And you all know him too." Chen Junnan squatted down, staring at Chu Tianqiu with a contemptuous smile. "Seven years ago, you were crying and begging to carry our shoes, and now here you are, putting on airs the moment we meet."

"Seven... seven years ago?" Chu Tianqiu was stunned. "What nonsense are you spouting... How can you retain memories from seven years?"

"Why?" Chen Junnan reached out and patted Chu Tianqiu's face again, emphasizing each word. "Be-cause I want to."

Qi Xia watched Chen Junnan's actions and found the man intriguing.

He was completely different from Qiao Jiayin.

Qiao Jiayin looked wicked but was upright at heart. Chen Junnan, on the other hand, appeared harmless but was wicked to the core.

He was exactly the kind of person Qi Xia needed.

Before long, Jin Yuanxun returned, carrying two huge burlap sacks on his back. He was out of breath as he pushed the door open.

"Hey, let him go. I've brought the stuff."

"Show me the stuff," Qi Xia said.

"You let him go first."

Qi Xia shook his head helplessly and looked down. "Chu Tianqiu, your guy is negotiating terms with me. What should I say?"

Chu Tianqiu thought for a moment and said, "Jin Yuanxun, give it to him."

"What? Bro! What if he kills you?"

"If he kills me, he'll be branded as 'killing to seize the Dao'," Chu Tianqiu replied. "If you don't give it to him, that's when I'm in real danger."

Jin Yuanxun pondered with a heavy expression for a while before finally placing the two sacks on the ground.

"Quan Tou, check it," Qi Xia said.

"Alright..." Qiao Jiayin nodded and turned to open one of the sacks.

In the next second, a foul odor rushed out from the sack, making everyone in the room step back.

"Ugh!"

Qiao Jiayin, who was closest to the sack, was hit hard, repeatedly making gagging sounds.

"What the heck... What is this... It smells so bad?!"

Qi Xia also frowned and glanced over. The sack was indeed emitting a glow—it was Dao.

But why did Dao smell so awful?

Qi Xia had previously handled at most around seventy pieces of Dao and had never noticed any odor. Was this stench just inherent to it?

Qiao Jiayin endured the smell and pulled out a few small balls from the sack.

The balls had a white outer layer and a yellow inner core, shaped like three-dimensional poached eggs, glowing faintly. They were definitely Dao.

Then, Qiao Jiayin opened the other sack, which was also packed full of Dao, like a bag of walnuts.

No one in the room had ever seen such a quantity of Dao, but there was no time to be amazed—the stench was overwhelming.

"Qi Xia..." Chu Tianqiu said with a smile, "Do you want to count them? No returns or exchanges once they're out of the cabinet."

"No need," Qi Xia replied with a cold smile. "If I find any short, I'll do everything in my power to kill you."

"Ha ha..." Chu Tianqiu gave a dry laugh. "Alright, then I'll... head out first?"

"Of course, of course." Qi Xia nodded, signaling Chen Junnan to remove the knife from the other's neck, then politely helped Chu Tianqiu to his feet. "We're partners, after all. How could I really kill you?"

"That's right." Chu Tianqiu slowly stood up. "Qi Xia, I look forward to our future cooperation."

Jin Yuanxun quickly stepped forward and stayed by Chu Tianqiu's side.

"Cooperation will be fruitful," Qi Xia replied.

After seeing the two leave the room, Qi Xia's expression darkened.

Qiao Jiayin sealed the sacks, and the room's smell improved a bit.

"Cheater... What do we do now?" Qiao Jiayin asked. "Want to count them together?"

"No need," Qi Xia shook his head. "No matter the amount, getting them is a win."

Chen Junnan thought for a moment and said, "So, what's next? Lao Qi, are you planning to move forward with these two thousand nine hundred pieces of Dao?"

"No..." Qi Xia slowly stood up and addressed everyone. "Everyone, do you trust me?"

The group exchanged glances. Compared to Chu Tianqiu, Qi Xia was naturally more trustworthy.

"What are you going to do?" Lin Geng asked. "You should know there are Jidao here, and some of them will do anything to sabotage your Dao."

"Of course I know." Qi Xia nodded. "If you all trust me, I'll hold onto these Dao for now. Until we gather three thousand six hundred pieces, no one else will see them."

Everyone fell silent.

After all, they knew Dao was the key to escaping this place, yet Qi Xia wanted to keep it all himself.

Seeing no one respond, Qi Xia added, "Of course, there's another option. Sweetie isn't here, so there are nine of us. We could divide the Dao right now. After that, we're on our own paths, no interference."

This option sounded more reasonable but made everyone even more uneasy.

"Let's vote by a show of hands," Li Jingguan suggested. "Minority yields to majority—keep it democratic."

"Agreed." Qi Xia nodded. "Raise your hand if you want to divide the Dao now."

After a moment of silence, Zhao Yisheng and Su Shan raised their hands.

Qi Xia glanced at them, not surprised by their choice.

"Now, raise your hand if you agree to let me hold onto them."

Qiao Jiayin, Chen Junnan, Li Jingguan, and Han Yimo raised their hands.

Qi Xia looked at Zhang Lüshi and Lin Geng, who hadn't raised their hands, and asked, "What about you two?"

"I'll pass." Zhang Lüshi shook his head. "I don't know enough about the situation, so I won't make a judgment."

Lin Geng said with a serious expression, "I just don't want you to die because of these Dao."

"I understand." Qi Xia turned to everyone and said, "Minority yields to majority, so I'll hold onto the Dao."

With that, he slung one sack over his shoulder and turned to Qiao Jiayin. "Quan Tou, grab the other one and come with me."

Before they left with the sacks, Qi Xia glanced back at Yu Nian'an's body.

He felt sad, but not entirely.

"Help me bury her."