Techniques and Dao

Chapter 159 Voting Begins

Hanamori could feel the person being bound struggling against the ropes for a while, but eventually stopped struggling due to exhaustion.

He knew in his heart that this was a sign of panic. And the rope wasn't tightened too much, which meant that the bound person hadn't actually used much magic to try to break free.

In other words, that was the fifth sister, who was not good at immortal arts, and whom Mieying Xiaoqi called "stick".

Mieying Xiaoqi once told Huasheng that the reason why they used to call Xiaowu "Bangzi" was because she could only "stand there" and couldn't help with anything.

In terms of immortal arts and cultivation, Mieying Xiaowu is even inferior to many mortals in the Holy Peace Immortal Realm.

Therefore, Hua Sheng guessed that this Fifth Sister could at most light a torch or occasionally pass through walls. The immortal techniques she could use were at most in the lower-middle range of the Xuanming level.

In that sense, if Xiao Wu could just take care of himself, he would have already done a great service.

But what will Xiao Wu choose in this game? If she has absolutely no magic to rely on, Xiao Wu must be terrified.

What should I do?
Thinking of this, Hua Sheng realized that although he wasn't very familiar with Mie Ying Xiao Wu, having only had a brief encounter with him when facing Lei Zhenzi in Shengping Ningchizhou, Xiao Wu's face was still identical to Xiao Qi's.

The thought of that face stung Hua Sheng's heart like a needle.

He must protect Mieying, and for Xiaoqi's sake, he must also protect Mieying's sisters.

Although the white-robed man's eyes were covered by the brim of his hat, Hua Sheng knew that he was staring at her.

Hua Sheng never saw the other person's eyes, but she could feel the coldness in their gaze.

It was like a bottomless abyss.

Hanamori raised her head, as if gazing into an endless, cruel abyss.

It's like looking back at a desperate and distant memory.

The man in white robes broke the silence, saying, "Now that the three of you are awake, it's time to give an answer."

Hua Sheng suppressed his inner turmoil and asked, "If you want to kill us all, you can just do it directly. Why are you playing this game?"

"I'm not the one playing this game." The white-robed man deliberately leaned his face forward. "It's you."

"What do you mean?"

The man in white robes let out a hoarse laugh: "Don't you understand? Nine... no, don't bother thinking about those useless things. Just tell me, who are you going to kill?"

Hua Sheng countered, "Why give everyone a chance to survive?"

He understood that, according to the rules of the game the other party had mentioned, if the three of them happened to choose each other, then they would be free.

But if that's the case, what exactly is the white-robed man trying so hard for?
"Because the rules of the game must be the same."

The white-robed man's answer could hardly be considered an answer.

Hua Sheng asked, "You mean this isn't the first time you've played this game?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then asked three words:
"how about you?"

Hua Sheng was taken aback, but didn't know what the other person meant.

But before he could speak again, the man said, "I won't answer any more of your questions. Time is running out. If you don't give me a name when you speak again, I'll kill you all. Because..."

He paused for a moment and said, "Because Jane and another girl have already given me their names. Now only you haven't given me yours." These words made Hua Sheng's stomach clench with tension. Mie Ying and Jane had both given him a name.

Now all that's missing is myself!

His mind began to race.

Currently, the Golden Cudgel is in the hands of the other side. Moreover, Mieying and Jian, especially Mieying Xiaowu, are essentially hostages of the other side.

He couldn't act recklessly at this point, nor did he know what kind of magic circle they were caught in, so he had to follow the "rules of the game."

Just like... for some reason, he suddenly thought of the Heavenly Eye Trial from long ago, and his current situation was the same as back then. Back then, he also had a strange illusion, just like now. At that time, Tianjizi's explanation was that the "Clever Box Seizes the Game" immortal array had been corrupted.

He later thought that it might be because of the unforeseen rain, or the dark and mysterious.

Mingyou had been studying at the Dao of Arts Academy for a long time. Therefore, something uncontrollable from the future caused her to unknowingly corrupt the Xuanwu Immortal Array of the academy. That's why Huasheng had that strange dream in the corrupted "Clever Box Game".

In his dream, he saw Wei Yu sitting alone on the top of Xuanwu Mountain.

Wei Yu was surprised to see herself and asked why she was there. This indicates that their thoughts were connected by something at that time. Her surprise suggests that this pollution was likely not even felt by Wei Yu herself.

Now that Mingyou Weiyu is no longer here, why do I still have this similar feeling? Is it myself now and then...?

No, besides myself, Mieying was also present during the Heavenly Eye Trial.

Lan Caihe called him a monster, so if a monster could corrupt a celestial array, then perhaps it could also corrupt a magic array. The Eight Immortals just didn't know that.

Although he didn't think so, he couldn't completely rule out the possibility of it.

But for some reason, all of this reminded him of "The Clever Box Game." The two shouldn't have any connection; one is in the East, the other in the West. One is in the mortal realm, the other in the Holy Peace Wonderland. Why this sense of familiarity?

Hanamori was certain this was no illusion. It foreshadowed something... something he couldn't quite put his finger on. But whatever it was, his intuition told him it must be something similar to the "pollution" of that time.

Wait! Hua Sheng quickly brought his thoughts back.

Now is not the time to think about these things; the important thing is how to escape! He quickly sorted out the "rules" he had just learned.

Since all three of them either choose to kill themselves or not to choose, the result will be death. Therefore, Mieying and Jane will definitely not choose either of these two options; they will not intentionally let the "game" end with all three of them dead.

The fact that the game is still ongoing proves this point.

This means that Mieying and Jian chose different people; otherwise, if they had chosen the same person, the "two votes" requirement would have been met, and the game would have ended. It doesn't matter who Huasheng chooses anymore.

Regarding Mieying and Jian, who were the two chosen? This was crucial information of paramount importance to Huasheng.

Because initially, there were ten possible choices for the three individuals. Taking a vote as an example, these would be the following ten scenarios:

1. Three votes for the flower-filled peak;
2. Three votes for the extinction of the shadows;
3. Simplified three-stage ticket;

4. Hua Sheng received two votes, and Mie Ying received one vote;
5. Hua Sheng gets two votes, Jian gets one vote;
6. Two votes for Extinction Shadow, one vote for Flower Bloom;
7. Mieying received two votes, and Jian received one vote;
8. Two votes for Jian, one vote for Huasheng;
9. Jian received two votes, and Mieying received one vote;
10. Hua Sheng, Mie Ying, and Jian each received one vote.

Of these ten possibilities, the probability of each of the three people receiving two votes is the highest, while the probability of each person receiving one vote is the lowest. Furthermore, we've eliminated the possibility of everyone voting for themselves, because that would be the worst outcome, and presumably no one would choose that.

The dilemma facing Hanamori is not about what choices she should make.

Instead, he had to immediately deduce who each of them had chosen: Shadow Extinction and Jane.

(End of this chapter)