"I've lost before." Xie Chuncan said lazily, "But I'm not some silly, delicate kid who'd lie flat for a whole day and night if he stabbed me. If Xue Yang fell on me, wouldn't I know to tremble?"
Luo Jiujiang: “…”
"Mu Daidai, you delicate kid, you will lie down for a whole day and a whole night if you are stabbed by a knife." She smiled bitterly, ignored his aggressive threats, and brushed off the snow on her body and legs.
It was not until this time that Luo Jiujiang began to carefully observe the environment he was in.
This was a cave beneath the snow, similar to the ones people used to ambush passing prey. Xie Chuncan, sitting across from him, looked relaxed and weary, his face paler than usual, evidently still recovering from his injuries. Thinking back to the end of their gambling game, how Luo Jiujiang had fainted after confirming his victory, leaving the rest of the work to Xie Chuncan to clean up, it was no wonder he felt a bit of resentment towards Luo Jiujiang.
God knows how he dragged his injured body, pulled Luo Jiujiang along, and walked through the ambush of others to find a relatively hidden hiding place.
After figuring out the key points, Luo Jiujiang smiled awkwardly and touched the tip of his nose: "Thank you for your hard work, brother."
"I'm not tired, you're the one who's tired." Xie Chuncan said with a playful smile, "Since you beat me, why don't you use the chips for other things? Why did you have to exchange them for asking me to go out to see the sea? If that's the case, then you better think about how to get me out."
"Of course." Luo Jiujiang actually agreed without hesitation. "We have to find a way to get out of this damn place, otherwise we'll have to marry, have children, settle down, and become someone else's dog. I've wanted to invite Brother Xie to join me on this matter for a long time, but I didn't expect Brother Xie to be so enthusiastic and sincere. He actually asked to join us. It really comforted Jiujiang."
Xie Chuncan hadn't anticipated that his words wouldn't stop him, but that Luo Jiujiang had instead outmaneuvered him. He was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Alright. The end of this deadly place is pretty much certain, and you're determined to stir up this mess. It's a gamble of epic proportions. It's such an exciting bet, Xie, I'll take it. But I wonder if you have a plan in mind for what's next?"
"A little bit. Actually, I was unconscious for a whole day, wasn't I?" After receiving a positive answer, Luo Jiujiang said truthfully, "Miss Feng Xue and I have an appointment to meet tomorrow."
He had just finished speaking, and before Luo Jiujiang could properly stretch his stiff joints, he saw Xie Chuncan raise his eyebrows.
Thinking about it carefully, Xie Chuncan and Feng Xue should be more familiar with each other than he is. Apart from anything else, the stone tablet that reads "No one and Xie Chuncan are allowed to enter" and Xiao Ren's immediate murderous reaction at the mere mention of Xie Chuncan are enough to explain a lot.
"Miss Feng Xue, did you have any grudge against Brother Xie?"
Xie Chuncan remained silent for a moment, then after a moment's pause he murmured, "If Feng Xue hadn't personally blocked that arrow for Feng Ren, I would have nearly killed him... Do you think this counts as a grudge?"
Luo Jiujiang: "...Well, I asked wrongly. It's you who have a grudge with Miss Feng Xue." It seems that Feng Xue really has the demeanor of a gentleman. She had such a big grudge with Xie Chuncan in the past, but when she evaluated Xie Chuncan, she was accurate and neutral and never belittled him.
It took him a moment to realize that Feng Ren was the name of the young lady Xiao Ren. However, this was precisely why Luo Jiujiang was particularly puzzled. "I see that although Miss Xiao Ren is decisive and quick in her actions, she has her own rules. How did Brother Xie come into conflict with her?"
"You haven't experienced that time." Xie Chuncan glanced at Luo Jiujiang calmly, as if recalling something unpleasant. "Back then, this deadly land wasn't covered by heavy snow. The forests were lush, there was no shortage of food, and there were four seasons in a year... And Xiao Ren, she was the target of all of our pursuit."
Luo Jiujiang almost doubted his own ears: "Miss Xiaoren? All of you? Did Brother Xie also follow suit and become accomplices to the evil?"
Xie Chuncan pressed his palm downward, signaling Luo Jiujiang to listen to him. "When Feng Xue first arrived, we had a ban regarding her. Now it's not as strict. Perhaps the higher-ups have forgotten about her, or more likely because she hasn't been seen in public for a long time. The original ban read, 'Anyone who dares to get even close to the young lady will die. Anyone who breaks even a hair of her will suffer a fate worse than death.'"
"I heard about it." Luo Jiujiang murmured.
"Then you might know what happened to the man who stole her rations, but judging by your reaction just now, you might not be aware of the story involved in the previous sentence... Xiao Ren is the one who 'got close to the young lady.'"
To Xie Chuncan, this "young lady" who had been so respectfully sent down by the monks from the upper realms seemed more like an exile. She walked alone in this deadly place, under a cruel ban. No one would harm her, but no one wanted to get close to her either.
This may sound lonely, but her life is already superior to nine out of ten people in the dead zone. At least she doesn't have to worry about her head changing position while she sleeps, and she doesn't have to worry about a knife suddenly reaching out from behind and slicing her neck.
...Xie Chuncan didn’t have a good impression of her.
"A gambler like me, broke as hell, unable to borrow money to make up for my losses, and holding a bad hand, of course feels bad when I see someone like her who has a good hand but manages to lose by playing recklessly. Gloating? No, I want to make up for my losses, not drag others down with me."
Luo Jiujiang: "I wonder what kind of story Brother Xie wants to tell?"
"Avenge the loss of my family and wipe out the hatred of my clan." Xie Chuncan said word by word.
At that time, Xie Chuncan had already survived in this deadly place for seven years. The story was difficult to describe in detail, but he had indeed been tempered by the environment here into a sufficiently cold and cruel young man.
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