Chapter 247: Four Emotions Fan

At the end of the stairs was a vast underground casino.

Looking around, rows of identical machines resembling slot machines lined the walls, their screens flickering as they displayed unknown content.

Almost all the tables and chairs in the casino had been removed, leaving only a single long table in the center.

Di Yang slowly walked to the center of the room and stood in front of the table. In a calm tone, he said:

"Please come over and stand properly."

The group slowly gathered in front of the table, the atmosphere tense and oppressive.

"Next, I will explain the rules," Di Yang said after scanning the crowd. "My game is called 'Si Qing Shan,' and it's an extremely simple game."

Qi Xia almost burst out laughing.

Fifty people participating in an extremely simple deception game?

Di Yang pulled out a large backpack from under the table, stuffed full of items.

He tossed the backpack onto the table, and everyone peered inside to see it filled with identical folding fans.

Di Yang took out four folding fans and opened them one by one in front of the group.

Each fan was inscribed with a different character in standard script: "Xi," "Nu," "Ai," and "Le."

"This is what I call 'Si Qing Shan,'" Di Yang said. "In my bag, there are four types of fans, all in equal numbers. At the start of the game, each person will randomly receive three folding fans, and their contents will also be random. The rules for winning are equally straightforward…"

He held the fans in his hand and walked over to one of the machines against the wall, with the crowd following.

"This machine is called 'Pei Dui Ji,'" he explained.

Everyone examined the "Pei Dui Ji" closely. It had a button on each side and four slots in the middle.

"For 'pei dui,' you need to find a partner," Di Yang continued. "The two of you press the buttons on either side to initiate the pairing."

He reached out and pressed the button on the right side.

The screen displayed Di Yang’s photo, with three smiling faces below it and the text: "Waiting for a partner."

"The three smiling faces represent the three pairing opportunities I have left. Next…" Di Yang glanced at the crowd, his eyes settling on a tall woman. "Hello, please come demonstrate with me."

The woman nodded and walked over.

"Please press the button on the other side," Di Yang said.

Hesitantly, the woman extended her hand and pressed it. The screen lit up with her photo.

The text changed to: "Both parties ready, beginning pairing."

Di Yang handed her two folding fans and said:

"'Pei dui' means each of you inserts two folding fans into the slots. As long as the two of you together make up the four emotions—'Xi,' 'Nu,' 'Ai,' and 'Le'—you both succeed and can leave."

After speaking, Di Yang inserted his two fans into the machine’s slots. The tall woman followed suit, placing her two fans in as well.

Once the machine swallowed the fans, the screen showed "Identifying…"

A moment later, it changed to "Pairing successful."

Di Yang nodded and turned back to the group, saying:

"If the game has already started, the two people who pair successfully can leave."

Qi Xia frowned slightly after hearing this.

The rules were indeed simple. If you could find a trustworthy partner, everyone could leave safely. But then, what was the point of a deception game?

"Let me make this clear upfront," Di Yang said, looking at the crowd again. "Each person only has three pairing opportunities. Moreover, regardless of success or failure, the folding fans used in pairing will be consumed. If you fail all three times, you'll be left here to die. In two hours, I'll carry out punishment on anyone still here."

"Three times…?" the square-faced man next to Qi Xia felt something was off. "We only have three folding fans total, and each pairing uses two. How can we do three pairings?!"

"Good question," Di Yang nodded. "Half an hour from now, I'll start distributing new folding fans to everyone. Each person here will get a chance to receive more, and this will happen once every half hour for a total of three times over two hours."

"So that's how it is…?" the square-faced man seemed to understand. "That means the folding fans in our hands will increase?"

"Exactly," Di Yang replied. "Does anyone else have questions?"

"What about the rewards?" Qi Xia asked.

"Rewards…" Di Yang looked at Qi Xia and continued, "Anyone who successfully 'escapes' should wait quietly on the upper level until the game ends. Once it's over, every survivor can exchange for rewards—at five 'Dao' for each extra folding fan you have left."

Qi Xia thought for a moment.

Each extra folding fan left in hand could be exchanged for five "Dao"…

That meant if you paired up right at the start and succeeded, each person would only have one fan left.

Exchanging that one fan for five "Dao" would just cover the entry fee.

It was a break-even deal, not worth it.

To truly "win" the game and gain something, you'd need to accumulate a lot of folding fans. But with new fans being distributed every half hour, it would force everyone to delay pairing until closer to the end.

"You… you mean…" a middle-aged woman raised her hand and asked, "If we don't find a partner by the end, we'll die here?!"

"That's right," Di Yang nodded. "I'm offering you returns beyond the other 'Sheng Xiao,' so you naturally face the corresponding risks."

This statement made some people's faces change. The game was essentially trading lives for "Dao," but at least the rules sounded straightforward—anyone could leave if they wanted.

Qi Xia still looked serious; something felt off to him.

As the host of a "deception game," the rules didn’t seem deceptive at all. It felt more like a game encouraging cooperation.

"If everyone understands the rules, the game will start in ten minutes," Di Yang said. "Please line up in front of me to draw your initial three folding fans."

Qi Xia stayed at the back of the line as the group slowly moved forward. He watched as each person received their fans and stepped aside, deliberately keeping distance from others. A few couldn't wait and opened their fans to check.

These people were too naive.

Since the fans were double-sided, anyone nearby could see what was written when they opened them.

Exposing your hand was dangerous no matter the situation, and this was no exception.

Just as it was almost Qi Xia’s turn, the square-faced man who had already gotten his fans came back to the line and said to Qi Xia:

"Buddy, remember me? We agreed to team up!"

Qi Xia didn't respond, just gave a fake smile, then took his three fans from the bag.

He moved away from the crowd to a corner, turned his back for privacy, and made sure no one was around before opening his fans.

All three were inscribed with "Ai."