Chapter 245: The Freed Person

When dawn broke, Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin stepped outside.

Di Hu was not there, probably because he hadn't started work yet.

The ant wasn't there either, likely because it had already finished for the day.

The earth-yellow sun rose into the sky, carrying the stench of early morning, signaling the official start of the first day in this cycle.

Qiao Jiajin stretched lazily and turned to ask,"Swindler, are we just going to wait here the whole time?"

"Yeah, let's wait a bit."

The two didn't know what time it was, only that after waiting for about an hour, Qiao Jiajin was so bored he was squatting on the ground digging in the sand. That's when Di Hu lazily appeared from a nearby portal.

He spotted them right away.

"Hey, you're up early." Di Hu walked over casually and slowly sat down on a step.

"Not early at all—we've been waiting an hour," Qi Xia said.

"Hmm." Di Hu nodded, then lifted his eyelids and asked, "Did you deliver the stuff?"

After hearing that, Qi Xia pulled the bag of snacks from his pocket and tossed it to Di Hu."We couldn't deliver it."

This made Qiao Jiajin swallow hard—he hadn't expected Qi Xia to tell the truth straight out.He felt a bit afraid that the tiger-headed man in front of them might suddenly get angry, and then the two of them would be in real trouble.

"Why couldn't you deliver it?" Di Hu asked.

"The child is dead."

"Oh...?" Di Hu's expression turned strange. "You mean she's dead?"

"Yeah." Qi Xia nodded.

"Heh..." Di Hu slowly stood up and said meaningfully, "Kid, you're smart. If you'd told me you delivered it, I'd have made you regret it big time."

Qi Xia let out a slow breath of relief. "You already knew she was dead?"

A hint of sorrow flashed across Di Hu's face.

"It's been almost a month... Every day after work, she wouldn't come to meet me..."

The two didn't know what kind of relationship Di Hu had with the rat person, so they had no idea what to say and just quietly watched him grieve.

"I really miss her..." Di Hu slowly looked up and asked, "She's been dead for a while, right?"

"Yeah, about twenty days?" Qiao Jiajin nodded, but Qi Xia felt something wasn't quite right.

Di Hu's face darkened instantly.

"So... how could you be so sure that a corpse that's been rotting for over twenty days is a 'child'?" Di Hu asked Qi Xia coldly.

Qi Xia knew he couldn't hide it anymore.

"I killed her," Qi Xia said. "I gambled her to death."

"Gambled her to death...?" Di Hu was slightly stunned.

"Yeah... I made a life-or-death bet with her..."

"You mother—"

Di Hu slowly got to his feet, looking furious, which made Qiao Jiajin tense up.

But just a few seconds later, Di Hu deflated like a punctured ball, his expression gradually falling.

"When you say 'gambled to death'... she didn't suffer, right?" Di Hu's eyes seemed to well up with tears.

Qi Xia thought for a moment and nodded. "No, she committed suicide. One shot from the gun, and it was over."

"Then... that's good..." Di Hu nodded repeatedly, fiddling with the crumpled bag of snacks in his hands. "Little rat, you're free now."

Hearing the words "you're free," Qi Xia felt a sudden jolt in his head, like an electric shock, and an unexplained pain.

He quickly snapped out of it and asked Di Hu, "So, what about our 'deal'?"

"I'll keep your 'Dao' safe for you. If you can ever let me see that person... I'll return all the 'Dao' to you, every single one." Di Hu paused, then added, "But if you try to deceive me..."

"I won't." Qi Xia shook his head. "Those 'Dao' are everything to me. I have no reason to lie about them."

Di Hu nodded lightly.

"So, next... I just need to help you find 'Tian Yang,' right?"

"What are you thinking?" Di Hu chuckled angrily. "I asked you to deliver the snacks, but you didn't, so logically, I should change the terms."

Qi Xia wasn't surprised and just nodded. "You're right. Go ahead, I'm listening."

Di Hu slowly extended his hand and pointed in a direction. "Walk half an hour from here, and you'll see a bar. Below the bar is a casino—it's 'Di Yang's' playground. I want his life."

"What...?" Qi Xia was stunned. "His life?"

"Go kill him for me, and I'll agree to whatever you want next."

Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin exchanged glances—the condition was too harsh.

"Di Hu, you should know... as a 'participant,' the only way I can kill a 'Zodiac' is through a bet."

"Yes, I know."

"How can I risk my life against 'Di Yang' without knowing anything? If I die, everything ends, and how would you ever see 'Tian Yang'?"

Di Hu slowly pursed his lips, seeming to realize his demand was excessive.

"Then, I want to teach him a lesson... what do you think I should do?"

Qi Xia thought for a moment and asked, "Di Hu, although 'Dao' doesn't mean much to you, if I win all of 'Di Yang's' 'Dao,' would that count as teaching him a lesson?"

"You want to win all of 'Di Yang's' 'Dao'...?" Di Hu found the idea ridiculous. "Do you even know what 'Sheep' represents?"

"Of course I do." Qi Xia nodded. "When it comes to that specialty, I probably don't fall short of him."

Di Hu began to re-assess Qi Xia—the man gave him a different vibe.

"In that case... I'll revise my demand." Di Hu said, "I want you to go alone to 'Di Yang's' game and win all the 'Dao' he has. That way, I can go mock him tonight."

Qi Xia pondered for a moment and said, "It has to be me going alone...?"

"That's right." Di Hu grinned slyly. "I want to make sure you're a reliable partner."

"Deal." Qi Xia glanced at the sky. "Before you 'clock out' today, I'll come back and report the results."

Di Hu nodded, then pretended to be polite and asked, "It's rare to have repeat customers—would you two like to try my game again?"

The two shook their heads and waved their hands.

Di Hu seemed in better spirits now; the one who had just refused to kill was now actively inviting players.

Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin bid farewell to Di Hu and headed back with the rising sun.

"Fist..." Qi Xia said, "You go back and tell them about this. I'll head to 'Di Yang's' spot to check it out."

"But do you have money for the entry fee?" Qiao Jiajin asked, surprised.

"I... didn't think of that." Qi Xia realized—he had just handed over all his 'Dao' to Di Hu.

"Look!" Qiao Jiajin suddenly pulled five 'Dao' from his pants pocket. "I snuck these out last night!"

Qi Xia gave him a helpless look.

"I mean... 'sneaking' something means I shouldn't know about it... How am I supposed to advise you on this? You should have kept these five 'Dao' for yourself. Pulling them out now to help me doesn't count as 'stealing' anymore..."

"Swindler, I only took them because I was worried Di Hu might go back on his word and leave us with nothing!" Qiao Jiajin said righteously.

"Fine..." Qi Xia nodded and took the five 'Dao'.