Chapter 0. 137. It’s over
“For example, the guy who just spoke was a cultivator named Qi Qing,” Qin Gou said with a smile.
Li Yuanzhen suddenly stuffed a small snack into Qin Gou’s mouth.
Qin Gou looked at her inexplicably, rubbed his chin, and continued, “Of course… although she is currently the most suspicious, I also mentioned before that she is not the only mole mixed into this place.”
The little gambler quickly seized the opportunity, and as soon as Qin Gou finished speaking, he stuffed another one into his mouth.
“Cough!” Qin Gou said with a bewildered expression, “Li Xiaogou, what are you doing? I’m not hungry.”
Li Yuanzhen pointed to the exquisite food box in her hand and said with a smile, “Chengying just sent us some delicious food from outside. If we don’t enjoy it, won’t we be wasting her good intentions?”
“Sent by Little Chair?” Qin Gou was stunned for a moment, “But why did she only give it to you?”
“Because I’m amazing,” the little gambler said gleefully.
Qin Gou’s expression immediately became suspicious, and he said without any self-awareness, “I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel a little worried. If you stay together for too long, Little Chair might also be corrupted by you.”
“What?”
“I am the chief disciple of the Sword Questioning Sect, and the pride of Das. And Chengying? She’s an out-and-out Saintess of a cult! I corrupted her? A’Qin, if you say that again…” the little gambler scratched his head sheepishly, “I might get too proud.”
“Unbelievable, too unbelievable,” Old Qin’s expression was so complicated that he didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.
Beside them, Qiu Lingyun, who had already seen the true face of the Righteous Valor Fairy due to their familiarity, no longer appeared as astonished as before. She could only silently wish that her demonic sister, now following her Esteemed Master and influenced by him, might one day turn back from her wicked ways under his careful guidance.
“Once the allotted time runs out, and most of you have done nothing, you will be eliminated due to the iron-clad laws of the Ancestral Land. But in the end, the reason for this situation is also this Qin’s oversight. I am willing to take responsibility, so I propose that the young ladies gather at the easternmost part of the trial ground now, and we will make a long-term plan.”
Qi Qing once again spoke using Qin Gou’s identity.
Upon hearing this, Qin Gou stood up thoughtfully and said, “Let’s go and take a look.”
The easternmost part of the trial ground.
Qin Gou walked over alone, his face calm, “Is no one here?”
To prevent outsiders from noticing their connection, Li Yuanzhen and the others did not arrive at the same time as Qin Gou.
In the distance, Qi Qing’s figure appeared. Dressed in a green shirt, with a face exactly like Qin Gou’s, she said, “Indeed, only you have come so far. Let’s wait a little longer.”
After a long while, Li Yuanzhen, Little Ball, and some other trial disciples also arrived one after another.
And, without exception, they all maintained the appearance of the so-called ‘Referee Qin’!
For a moment, although this was a situation he had caused himself, Qin Gou could not help but be deeply shocked to be surrounded by so many handsome and extraordinary descending immortals.
…
After a while longer, everyone maintained a safe distance from each other warily. However, despite waiting for so long, many disciples were still hesitant to show themselves due to caution.
“Anyway, as long as we gather as many people as possible, right?” Qin Gou suddenly asked Qi Qing.
Qi Qing asked with confusion, “Does Your Excellency have a good idea?”
Qin Gou shrugged and decisively amplified his voice with spiritual power, which echoed throughout the entire trial ground.
“So far, we have gathered more than a dozen people here, and we have been getting along peacefully. But for Referee Qin’s sake, we will give you all another incense stick’s duration. After one incense stick, we will join forces to sweep the entire trial ground, leaving no survivors. Those who believe they can defeat us outnumbered can continue to feign ignorance!”
As he spoke, Qin Gou’s gaze swept over all the trial participants present and said, “Make your stance clear?”
“Yes.”
“That’s right, the situation has come to this, what else do you have to hide?”
For a moment, even without Li Yuanzhen and the others taking the lead, the other trial participants, even with the malicious intent of dragging others down with them, all responded by shouting with Qin Gou, amplifying their voices with spiritual power.
As soon as the words fell.
Several people who were still hesitating nearby immediately appeared.
Seeing the obvious effect and Qi Qing’s surprised expression, Qin Gou smiled and said, “I heard that Referee Qin is a transcendent being who does not associate with the mundane, but in extraordinary times, it is natural to use extraordinary means.”
Seeing this, Qi Qing also smiled, and said insidiously, “I know you are doing this for the sake of the bigger picture, but your sentence just now, ‘for Qin’s sake’, doesn’t that indirectly admit that you are just an ordinary trial participant?”
“Of course, I admit it,” Qin Gou said with a nonchalant shrug. “But so what? Whoever wants to make a move on me right now can try! But don’t forget, there are more than a dozen other trial participants here watching covetously. Once you open this door and recklessly eliminate me, what will be your fate?”
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other, and Qi Qing’s gaze could no longer move away from Qin Gou.
“Learn from this.”
Qin Gou, instead, winked at Qi Qing with a smile.
Soon, more trial participants rushed over. After one by one expressing their stances with amplified voices and spiritual power, like a snowball rolling downhill, all the cultivators in the secret realm finally gathered together.
Almost everyone present appeared calm on the surface, but their hearts were already tense and on the verge of exploding.
“Everyone, since the situation has come to this, if we want to end this trial as soon as possible and properly, we can only change our approach.”
Qi Qing took out a spirit puppet from her Nas Ring and said solemnly, “Next, we will draw lots to decide the order, and then we will take turns attacking this spirit puppet. Whoever destroys it will be eliminated by us all together. Of course, for the sake of fairness, I will also participate.”
“That’s a good idea, but there’s a better way,” Qin Gou suddenly spoke.
“You again!” Qi Qing’s gaze turned cold.
Qin Gou said calmly, “After all, this spirit puppet was brought out by you, and not everyone trusts it. Since we have decided to leave it to fate, it might as well be more direct, by mutual voting. The one with the most votes will personally shatter the token and leave the secret realm.”
“This…” Qi Qing was silent for a moment, but she was powerless to refute, “It does make some sense.”
“I agree.”
“Since we’re here, it can only be this way.”
The crowd, having reached a consensus out of helplessness, never expected that the situation had developed to this point entirely because Qin Gou had intended it from the beginning, and he was already vaguely approaching his anticipated endgame.
The first round of voting ended, and the eliminated participant attempted to resist, but was expelled from the secret realm by the combined efforts of the crowd.
In the second round, the eliminated participant kept their word and voluntarily left the secret realm.
The third round, the fourth round…
“It’s over.”
Suddenly, Qin Gou’s lips curled into a smile as he looked at the little gambler beside him.
“Yes,” Li Yuanzhen blinked her clear eyes and also smiled knowingly.
“What’s over?” Qiu Lingyun asked in confusion.
Qin Gou said calmly, “Little Ball, tell me, why did you all choose the same person each time in these rounds, following your master?”
“That’s because we’re on the same side,”
Qiu Lingyun lowered her voice and said meticulously, “Earlier, we deliberately didn’t come together and had to pretend a little, but now it’s a matter of direct elimination. Of course, we have to be extra careful to ensure the safety of our own people first!”
“Then what about them?”
Qin Gou’s gaze, cold and dark, fell on the several people who had consistently chosen the same person as Qi Qing from beginning to end.
That’s right, the moment Qi Qing agreed to this cunning old fox Qin Gou’s voting proposal, everything was over.
