TDU Chapter 33: High Spirits

Chapter 33 High Spirits

Mortal Mouse, still engulfed in a state of panic, uncertainty, and confusion, gazed at Vermilion Bird as if seeking his approval.

"What? Do you require my assistance to rise?" Vermilion Bird inquired with a smile.

"N—No need..." Mortal Mouse replied, standing up unsteadily.

She hesitated for a long moment before finally saying to Qi Xia, "Thank you! Thank you!"

Qi Xia shook his head. "You don't have to thank me; I just—"

{Splat—}

Before he could complete his sentence, Qi Xia saw a hand emerging from Mortal Mouse's abdomen.

Her body convulsed, and her voice was abruptly silenced.

Warm, sticky blood splattered across Qi Xia.

Vermilion Bird, with an unsettling calm, embraced Mortal Mouse from behind, as if cradling a cherished lover.

"This child has good manners," Vermilion Bird murmured, closing his eyes and pressing his face against Mortal Mouse's, as if savoring her scent. "It's commendable to express gratitude, but you broke the rules and made a futile attempt to escape. He may have spared you, but I will not."

With that, Vermilion Bird extended his other hand, removed Mortal Mouse's mask, and cast it to the ground.

Without the mask obscuring her face, Qi Xia could now clearly see her features.

The Mortal Mouse was unmistakably a teenage girl. Her face still bore traces of baby fat, and her tear-filled eyes were brimming with fear and despair. Blood spilled from her mouth as she coughed violently.

"It—It hurts..." Mortal Mouse gasped, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Be at ease... the pain will soon fade..." Vermilion Bird whispered soothingly as he nuzzled the girl's hair with his nose. "You will die soon enough, don’t worry... it will all be over when you die..."

"What kind of monster are you?!" Qiao Jiajin could no longer contain his fury. "She's still a child! You motherfucker... let her go!"

Vermilion Bird sneered, withdrawing his bloodied hand and shoving Mortal Mouse forward.

Qi Xia instinctively caught the girl, his face replete with utter shock.

This was precisely what {staking lives} entailed.

In winning, the consequence was the death of the adversary.

Even though Qi Xia had no desire for her life, the fact remained that she would inevitably perish.

The girl known as Mortal Mouse was doomed to die as a consequence of Qi Xia’s gamble. He had believed he was only risking his own life, never anticipating that the other party would be required to pay the same price.

Yet, weren't they one of the organizers of the game?

Are the individuals behind these animal masks also {participants} in this game?

"Qi Xia, what are you doing here?" Vermilion Bird inquired coldly, shaking the blood off his hand.

"Wh—" Qi Xia hesitated, his gaze meeting Vermilion Bird's, "You know my name?"

The corners of Vermilion Bird’s mouth curved into a slight smile. He then pointed at the four individuals in turn and called out their names. "Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, Lin Qin, Zhang Lijuan. Why are all of you here?"

Tian Tian looked equally astonished. {Zhang Lijuan} was her real name, one she hadn’t used since she was fourteen.

"What do you mean, {Why are we all here}?" Lin Qin inquired, confusion etched on her face. "Where are we supposed to be?"

Vermilion Bird's face was perpetually adorned with a cryptic smile. He shook his head slowly and said, "It appears you are all genuinely unaware of why you are here. How lamentable."

"If you have something to say, then speak plainly," Qi Xia demanded, holding Mortal Mouse, who was barely clinging to life, in his arms. His expression was one of icy resolve. "Do you believe that maintaining an air of mystery will somehow lend you an aura of profundity?"

Upon hearing these words, Vermilion Bird’s expression slowly hardened, and the smile that had once lingered on his face faded completely.

"Qi Xia, I truly can't get along with you," Vermilion Bird said, his gaze filled with disdain. "You can never escape. Your fate is to rot here."

"Oh?" With the situation having reached such a critical juncture, Qi Xia felt unburdened by fear. He met Vermilion Bird’s gaze defiantly. "Let me rot here? Are you planning to kill me now?"

In an instant, Vermilion Bird moved, appearing directly in front of Qi Xia. The cloak of blood-red feathers billowed around him as if alive.

He seized Qi Xia by the collar, his expression fierce and eyes burning with rage. "If it weren't for the constraints of the rules, I would have torn you to shreds right here!"

"In other words... according to the {rules}, you can't kill me," Qi Xia said, his voice steady.

"Hehe..." Vermilion Bird's smile returned, albeit coldly. "Even if I don't kill you, you will still die here."

With that, Vermilion Bird slowly ascended, his form levitating as if he were a deity. The group watched in wary silence, their eyes tracking his every movement.

"Why do you think I will die here?" Qi Xia raised his head and asked.

"Because you are Qi Xia, so you are destined to die here," Vermilion Bird snorted coldly before vanishing into thin air.

He didn’t ascend like the immortals on TV, nor did he emit light like a magician—he simply vanished, leaving no trace behind.

This abrupt event made everyone baffled.

"Because I am Qi Xia... so I am destined to die here?" 

"Cough..." Mortal Mouse, lying in Qi Xia's arms, interrupted his thoughts with a weak cough.

Qi Xia lowered his head to look at her. The girl's face was strikingly clean, as though she didn’t belong to this harsh world.

A complex mix of emotions stirred within him. Had he not chosen to stake his life, she wouldn't have met such a tragic fate. 

Reflecting on the events, he realized that she had never done anything harmful to them from the start.

One {Dào}, in exchange for another {Dào}.

Perhaps it was as she had said—Qi Xia would never find such a simple and safe game again.

Mortal Mouse reached into her pocket, slowly extracting three {Dào}. With a pained expression, she said, "What a pity... I have been waiting here for so long. You are my first participants, and I thought I could finally earn some {Dào}..."

She handed the {Dào} to Qi Xia, continuing haltingly, "That one is your admission… and these three are my own {Dào}... now they all belong to you..."

The four individuals gazed at the girl before them, at a loss for words.

Despite their apparent roles as adversaries, the girl's helplessness and despair stirred something deep within them, evoking an inexplicable sympathy.

"Are you also a participant?" Qi Xia inquired, his tone cold.

Mortal Mouse laughed bitterly at the question, blood trickling from her mouth once more. "Who here isn't a {participant}?... To be honest, I’d rather be in your shoes, never having to wear the {mouse} mask... even if we never escape..."

Her head slumped to one side, and her arms fell limply to the ground.

The two women sighed deeply, and even Qiao Jiajin's face reflected a profound sadness.

Qi Xia’s expression remained as cold and unreadable as ever.

He gently laid the girl down on the ground and slowly rose to his feet. His thoughts were inscrutable.

"Qi Xia... are you alright?" Lin Qin inquired.

"Me?" Qi Xia was momentarily taken aback. "Does it seem like... something is wrong with me?"

"Your face is devoid of any expression... it’s not exactly normal."

"I—"

Before he could finish, a searing pain shot through Qi Xia's head. He let out a muffled scream and collapsed to his knees, clutching his skull in agony.

"Hey! Swindler Lad!" Qiao Jiajin exclaimed, noticing Qi Xia's distress. He recalled that Qi Xia had experienced a similar headache when Han Yimo died earlier that morning.

Qi Xia felt as though his head were being cleaved open. The pain was excruciating, as if something deep within his brain was throbbing violently.