TDU Chapter 272
Chapter 272 The Ascended One
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin filled the sacks with {Dào}, then slung the heavy bags over their backs.
"Swindler lad..." Qiao Jiajin asked, his voice tinged with confusion, "Have we gathered enough?"
"Mm..." Qi Xia paused for a moment, then replied, "I didn’t expect things to go this smoothly. But the problem still remains. If we don’t find {Celestial Goat}, Terrestrial Tiger won’t return those two thousand nine hundred {Dào} to us."
Qi Xia sighed helplessly. If it weren’t for the bluff with Terrestrial Goat, he’d probably be dead by now.
But why didn’t Terrestrial Goat finish him off in the end?
"Then..." Qiao Jiajin turned to glance at the distant black sheep-headed figure, "Swindler lad, you participated in a {Terrestrial Goat} game—did you find out where {Celestial Goat} is?"
"Quite the opposite..." Qi Xia shook his head, "Right now, I have no idea where {Celestial Goat} is..."
The two of them, their minds clouded with complex emotions, slowly walked out of Terrestrial Goat’s game arena.
To gather enough participants, Terrestrial Goat's game didn’t start until noon. After more than two hours of gameplay, it was already afternoon.
"Swindler lad, where should we hide the {Dào} this time? Should we go look for another {Earthly Branch}?"
"Indeed, we need the aid of an {Earthly Branch}," Qi Xia nodded. "But this time, we still need to rely on Terrestrial Tiger."
"Huh?" Qiao Jiajin blinked in surprise. "He already has two thousand nine hundred! You’re going to give him over a thousand more?"
"Yes," Qi Xia nodded again. "If he doesn't return those two thousand nine hundred to us, we still won’t have enough to make 3,600. Might as well give him all the {Dào}, that way it’s both safer and more convenient."
"Oh... I see your point."
The two of them walked for about half an hour before arriving once more at Terrestrial Tiger’s game arena.
Terrestrial Tiger had just sent off a batch of {customers}. The participants were covered in numerous large and small injuries, and it seemed there were still some who had died in the arena.
"Well...?" Terrestrial Tiger turned his head and immediately saw Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin. His gaze quickly shifted to the sacks on their backs.
"I did it," Qi Xia said, "All of Terrestrial Goat’s {Dào} are right here."
The two men tossed the sacks in front of Terrestrial Tiger.
Terrestrial Tiger revealed a look of unmistakable astonishment. "All of them...?"
"Probably even more than all of them," Qi Xia replied. "He brought a total of 1,100, but what I won for you isn’t just that."
"You..." Terrestrial Tiger blinked. "Did you even win the admission the participants handed over to him? Punk, you didn’t just steal them, did you?"
"No," Qi Xia shook his head, "I bested him using the method Terrestrial Goat is most skilled at. And as it happens, that’s hardly the only thing you could shame him for."
"Oh?" Terrestrial Tiger's interest was clearly piqued. He shook his large head and asked, "Come on, tell me! Did he cry after losing so much?"
"He didn’t cry," Qi Xia remarked, "But he might be knocking on your door for a loan tonight. He owes the participants about a thousand {Dào}, so overall, this operation cost Terrestrial Goat close to twenty-four hundred {Dào}."
That statement left Qiao Jiajin and Terrestrial Tiger completely dumbfounded.
Terrestrial Tiger was familiar with Terrestrial Goat’s game. It was said that some opportunists, if lucky and skilled enough, could earn dozens of {Dào} in one game. The most impressive was someone who once managed to earn a hundred {Dào} in a single game.
However, their success always came with high risks and heavy casualties.
But this man had ventured alone, left unscathed, and not only won all of Terrestrial Goat’s {Dào}, but had also managed to put Terrestrial Goat into debt.
Was this really happening?
Seeing Terrestrial Tiger’s hesitant expression, Qi Xia seized the moment and asked, “Since I’ve fulfilled my part of the bargain by winning all of Terrestrial Goat’s {Dào} for you, shouldn’t you now return those two thousand nine hundred to us?”
Terrestrial Tiger snapped back to reality after hearing this, silently nodding. “Fine, those two thousand nine hundred…”
Half a second later, his expression changed as he furrowed his brows. “Punk…”
“Hm?”
“When did I say that if you win all of Terrestrial Goat’s {Dào}, I’ll return your {Dào} to you?”
“Isn’t that the deal?” Qi Xia replied innocently, “Perhaps I misremembered.”
"Don’t try to confuse my memory," Terrestrial Tiger said coldly. "I said I’d help you guard the {Dào} once you won all of Terrestrial Goat's {Dào}, didn’t I?"
"Of course," Qi Xia nodded, "That’s exactly how it was agreed, I just misremembered."
"I also said... that as long as you show me that person, all the {Dào} would be returned to you, intact."
"Right, I remember now," Qi Xia nodded.
"Punk..." Terrestrial Tiger leaned in slightly, "So, do you have a lead on that person?"
"That person..." Qi Xia slowly raised his head and replied, "Terrestrial Tiger, are you sure the person you’re looking for is {Celestial Goat}?"
"I’ve said it before," Terrestrial Tiger shook his head, "I don’t care if he’s a {Celestial, Terrestrial, Mortal} or any other kind of goat... I want to see him. I want to ask why he hasn't fulfilled a single promise he made to me..."
The more Qi Xia listened, the more puzzled he became.
"Wait a minute..." Qi Xia gently interrupted Terrestrial Tiger, "So you mean... you have no idea what rank she is?"
"His rank..." Terrestrial Tiger slowly narrowed his eyes, "When I first met him, he was already {Terrestrial Goat}. And I personally saw him ascend successfully..."
"She ascended successfully...?" Qi Xia slowly widened his eyes. "So, that means... there was no {Celestial Goat} previously?"
"Wasn’t I clear enough...?" Terrestrial Tiger coldly retorted, "Since he ascended, he’s now {Celestial Goat}. Laozi don't care how many goats there were before, I just want to see him. Even if he’s become Celestial-grade and fled, you better find a way to bring him back to me."
Qi Xia gradually came to the conclusion that Terrestrial Tiger was acting irrationally.
"If the {Celestial Goat} you’re talking about really escaped..." Qi Xia took a step closer, voice growing solemn, "then I won't assist you in tracking her down. She never should have been here in the first place. Her departure is likely for the best."
"What?!" Terrestrial Tiger’s face darkened with anger in an instant. "Punk, all of your {Dào} are in my hands, and still you dare talk to me like that?"
"Yes. If things are truly as you say, then I can forfeit all my {Dào}—I only care that she remains safe."
"You..." Terrestrial Tiger had never imagined that the man before him would willingly give up more than 4,000 {Dào}.
"But what exactly is your relationship with him?" Terrestrial Tiger asked, his voice tinged with curiosity. "I’ve been by his side for so long, and yet I never knew someone like you existed."
"Before I answer your question," Qi Xia slowly raised his head, a glimmer of hope slowly kindling in his eyes, "I’d like to ask you one thing. Did you personally see her ascend and then escape?"
Upon hearing this, Terrestrial Tiger slowly sat to one side and nodded. "Yes, all four of us saw it. That day, he ascended to become a {Celestial} and vanished from this world."
TL Note: Again, he and she are pronounced the same in Chinese. It was intentional that Terrestrial Tiger is using ‘he/him’ and Qi Xia is referring to Celestial Goat as ‘she/her’. Everything will be explained in the following chapters~
