"First, every Deceitful Land has a different focus. As you can all guess, this one is centered on children’s games. However, we need to pay attention to two things. One: Corrupted games can turn into anything. In a Deceitful Land, any action, including playing a game, can be life-threatening. Two: Games may be the main theme, but there are bound to be hidden rules. We must do our best to find them."
"Second, be prepared to die. If any of you have last words, leave them now."
"Third, aside from us, no other examinees are trustworthy—or at least, they’re not as trustworthy as we are to each other." Li Qingxian stroked Fangfang’s head. Fangfang squinted her eyes, looking completely at ease.
"Fourth..."
Li Qingxian laid out a great many speculations, and the others nodded along, constantly taking notes.
Afterward, they held a brief discussion based on Li Qingxian’s points.
Finally, Li Qingxian said, "In a place like this, being too hasty is no good, but procrastinating on everything is also not an option. We’ve figured out the basics. Next, we need to engage with the Deceitful Land to make better judgments. Look, no one has gone in yet. The smart ones are either thinking, looking for people they know, or observing carefully. The less intelligent ones are either blaming the heavens or just want to follow the herd. If this were a normal place and we were ordinary people without Cultivation, going with the flow would be the best choice. But as Cultivators, to enter a Deceitful Land and remain clueless is to court death. Alright. My first order: observe the ’Locking the City Gate’ game, and then we enter the city! Who objects?"
Everyone shook their heads slightly.
Wang Buku said, "I was just observing those two giant children. The tempo of their chanting and the speed at which they lock the gate have increased slightly from when they started. Their movements will probably get faster and faster. I also estimated that a person could dash through at a full sprint. But no one here is a fool. They all know that even a child’s game isn’t simple in a Deceitful Land, so no one is making a rash attempt."
Li Qingxian nodded. "Correct. But we must understand that a game has to follow some kind of rules. For example, the rule of ’Locking the City Gate’ is to get through under the arms before they come down and trap you. That is the core. Since this is a corrupted game, there are bound to be new twists. But these new twists can’t possibly subvert the game’s core rule. They can only be added on top of it. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to play, and neither could the children. Earlier, a child sang a line, ’Eat congee, swallow a chili, trip and fall at the city gate.’ This implies some other force will try to make us fall. We must be careful of that as we pass through. And..."
Li Qingxian scanned the group. "I’m not underestimating the enemy. I just think that games themselves come in many varieties—some simple, some complex. ’Locking the City Gate’ is one of the simplest games there is. We don’t need to imagine it as something overly terrifying."
"First time I’ve heard someone sound so unafraid of a Deceitful Land," Songg Baige muttered under his breath.
"What I mean is, the truly terrifying part will come later."
Everyone’s expression grew grim.
"Follow me. Observe as we walk. If anyone sees anything strange, speak up. We need to memorize the frequency at which the giant children’s arms drop, and find the best starting point and timing to run."
The group observed as they walked.
Below the city wall, more than thirty thousand examinees were scattered about, each one holding a child by the hand.
Some stood alone, some were gathered in small teams, and others were in groups of dozens or even hundreds, discussing among themselves.
For a long time, no one made a move to enter the city.
Wang Buku said, "Next to the two giant children, there are some other kids singing and skipping around. Let’s go over and listen."
The group walked forward. Along the way, acquaintances would occasionally come over to greet them. The people in their party could only cup their fists and shake their heads in helpless refusal, and the acquaintances would sigh softly.
Seeing the dejected looks on the faces of people they knew, everyone’s expression turned grim.
Songg Baige said, "If this were a normal Cyan Cloud Examination, of course we couldn’t harm the harmony and fellowship between us. But this is a Deceitful Land. This isn’t about winning or losing; it’s about life and death. Many things are out of our hands. Don’t take it to heart, everyone. What we want is to leave this place alive."
Everyone nodded.
The party of twenty-four walked closer to the two translucent giant children. Nearby, a dozen or so other children ran around, singing the same nursery rhyme the group had heard before.
"City gate, city gate, how many feet high? Thirty-six feet high. Eat congee, swallow a chili, trip and fall at the city gate."
Just as they were about to speak, a group of people approached from not far away.
"Everyone, we meet again." A familiar voice rang out.
Li Qingxian’s heart skipped a beat. With a sense of resignation, he turned to face them.
It was Marquis Nanxiang Meng Huaichuan, Excellent Young Master Shen Xiaoyi, Eastern Peak Lin Zhenyuan, and Hao Yunsheng, along with the hundred or so people behind them.
Wang Buku’s and Hao Yunsheng’s eyes met. An awkward expression appeared on Wang Buku’s face, and he let out a soft sigh.
A sneer touched Hao Yunsheng’s lips. He gave Wang Buku a brief, dismissive salute before looking away.
Wang Buku knew that after a series of repeated misunderstandings, there was no room for reconciliation between them.
Li Qingxian said resignedly, "Young Master Meng, you must have seen that I was standing outside the examination grounds at first. I had no intention of participating, but I was dragged in against my will."
Meng Huaichuan gently caressed the jade thumb ring on his right hand with his left. He smiled. "Rest assured, I haven’t come to call you to account. None of that matters. What matters is how we get out of here alive. I wonder, would you all be willing to join our team now?"
Everyone was taken aback, lost in thought.
Li Qingxian remained silent.
Songg Baige took a step forward, bowed to Meng Huaichuan and his group, and said, "I hope Young Master Meng can forgive us. We just entered this place and were in a panic. To protect ourselves, we had no choice but to sign a contract and bind ourselves together. In the end, we were a step too late. If we had met Young Master Meng earlier, we might have had the chance to form one team."
The others in the group looked at him in surprise. They never expected that this kid, who was usually so flighty, would step up in a critical moment and risk offending Meng Huaichuan for the sake of the group.
Everyone understood. Meng Huaichuan’s team was large and powerful. If this were the Myriad Phenomena Cyan Cloud Examination, following someone like him would mean feasting on meat and soup.
But in a Deceitful Land, having so many people wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Besides, he was Marquis Nanxiang, the eldest legitimate grandson of King Dingnan. In his team, who could compete with him for the spoils? Who could compete with those close to him? And if something really went wrong, wouldn’t the Dingnan King Mansion seek retribution?
Meng Huaichuan gave Songg Baige a polite smile, then looked at Li Qingxian and said, "In this Cyan Cloud Examination, the only Fate Masters I know are you and Xiaoyi. You two are already friends. If you can cooperate, then whether in this Deceitful Land or anywhere else, you two will have free passage. As I’ve said, I only want the status of a Life-Separating Person. I want nothing else."
Li Qingxian said resignedly, "Just as Brother Songg said, we have already signed a contract, so it’s truly inconvenient for us to join your team. You should understand that it’s not that we have ulterior motives. We just can’t get a read on the situation right now and don’t dare to act rashly. I hope Young Master Meng can forgive us."
Meng Huaichuan nodded. "I understand. How about this: all twenty-four of you come over, and I, in my capacity as Prince Dingnan, will owe each of you a favor."
Everyone was stunned.
Meng Huaichuan continued, "Ye Han, I’ll add five Fate Master notebooks, a complete set of Small Sect Fate Skills that my family possesses, and a ’Southern Order’ from the Dingnan King Mansion. All this, if you join."