"To walk out openly...?" Qi Xia showed a pensive expression, seemingly contemplating something.
"I've made the distribution, it's your turn now." The Pig-Man pushed both bowls forward, "Choose, select who will survive between you and me."
Lin Qin and Old Lu both furrowed their brows at the sight.
The Pig-Man had evenly mixed all the pieces, with black and white pieces interspersed in each bowl.
Everything that followed would truly rely on 'luck.'
Qi Xia didn't make a move; he turned his ear as if trying to determine the color of the pieces by hearing.
After a while, Qi Xia said, "Pig-Man, you choose for me."
"What..." The Pig-Man was taken aback. "What did you say?"
"I said, choose for me," Qi Xia said earnestly, "Pick two for me, and then I'll choose one from them."
"Qi Xia, this is a 'bet your life' situation. Aren't you going to take control of your own fate?"
"It doesn't matter," Qi Xia seemed indifferent, "You said you wanted to participate in 'bet your life' to make yourself feel like you've 'lived', but think about it, I've been the one playing this game from start to finish, you haven't really participated."
The Pig-Man was silent, as the truth was indeed so.
"So, I'm giving you the opportunity to 'get involved.'" Qi Xia pointed to the bowls in front of them, "This game is a race between you and me, so I'm very curious about how you would choose."
The Pig-Man reached out and slowly stroked his chin.
There were untrimmed pig bristles on his chin, so he stroked them as if they were a beard, giving off an eerie kind of wisdom.
He pondered for a long time, unable to guess Qi Xia's motives.
This was originally a game with a fifty-fifty chance of winning, but if he were the one to choose the pieces, the outcome for Qi Xia would become even more unpredictable.
At such a tense 'bet your life' moment, the man in front of him was entrusting life and death to the enemy...
Had he given up? Or was he playing a clever trick?
"Don't hesitate, Pig-Man, it's easier for me to choose after you've chosen, isn't it?" Qi Xia said.
"After I've chosen... it's easier for you to choose?"
After a moment, the Pig-Man finally nodded, "I understand. Then let me send you on your way."
Qi Xia nodded and said no more.
The Pig-Man then reached out towards the bowls on the table and decisively picked up two white pieces.
For Qi Xia, these two white pieces were like tickets to hell; no matter what he asked in the end, white would never turn into black.
A flash of realization crossed the Pig-Man's mind.
He suddenly lifted his head, thinking to himself, "Wait... that's not right."
Could it be that Qi Xia didn't anticipate that he would choose two white pieces for him?
This was a 'betting match', a competition where, if the opponent won, one would lose their life. Why would he confidently let the other party choose?
"Ah..." The Pig-Man suddenly had an epiphany and slowly retracted his hand, "He's trying to deceive..."
What does 'it's easier for me to choose after you've chosen' mean?
The Pig-Man's thoughts suddenly became clear.
Once these two white pieces were handed over to Qi Xia, Qi Xia would immediately go back on his word. He would set aside these two white pieces and then pick the pieces from the remaining bowl again.
This small action would disrupt the balance in the bowl, leaving forty-eight white pieces and fifty black pieces.
Qi Xia's chances of winning would directly increase.
After all, Qi Xia was not a 'Zodiac', and his words in the game were not 'rules', just his own suggestions.
Since they were not 'rules', then Qi Xia himself did not need to abide by them.
So 'going back on his word' was very possible.
"You've really calculated well..." The Pig-Man felt a chill in his heart, realizing he had almost fallen into Qi Xia's trap. He pondered for a moment, then took out two black pieces.
But now he hesitated again.
Handing over two black pieces directly to the opponent was even more dangerous.
If the opponent anticipated his own anticipation, wouldn't they win directly?
The Pig-Man lowered his head and looked at the pieces in his hand. He had two white pieces in his left hand and two black pieces in his right.
He realized that no matter which choice he made, it would actually increase Qi Xia's chances of winning. The situation was somewhat absurd.
Could all of this have been calculated by Qi Xia in advance?
"Indeed, I should have given him two white pieces after all...?" He squinted his eyes and pondered again. At least the white pieces would slightly increase Qi Xia's chances of winning, but the black pieces would greatly increase them...
No, that's not right.
The Pig-Man shook his head again.
Neither two black nor two white pieces would work, as he didn't know what Qi Xia's strategy would be.
The Pig-Man could only be forced to adjust his strategy, abandoning the tactic of two black and two white pieces, and held one black and one white in his hand.
At this moment, he had only one thought - since he couldn't reduce the chances of the other party winning, then maintain the status quo.
Returning everything to a fifty-fifty state, such a situation would be more troublesome for Qi Xia.
"That's right... That's exactly it..." The Pig-Man nodded, placing one black and one white piece into Qi Xia's hand.
"Qi Xia, I've made my choice," the Pig-Man said, "This is a question of life and death, and I'm giving it to you."
"A question of life and death..." Qi Xia touched the two pieces in his hand, his expression quite complex.
The Pig-Man finally let out a sigh of relief, at least for the time being, he had made the best choice.
For Qi Xia, a situation of one black and one white should be the most difficult to handle. He would have to pick one of them to ask those two people about the color of the piece.
He didn't know what color the piece he picked was, nor did he know whether the person he asked would tell the truth or a lie.
Under this double layer of confusion, Qi Xia's chances of winning would be infinitely reduced.
Old Lu and Lin Qin, seeing the black and white pieces in Qi Xia's hand, both broke into a cold sweat.
These two were not fools, naturally understanding the stakes involved.
It seemed that all of Qi Xia's earlier strategies had failed, and everything had returned to square one.
Now the pieces were still one black and one white, and the two people were still one truth-teller and one liar.
Without the good luck, how could one survive?
Old Lu pursed his lips, wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, and his hands were so tense that they were cold.
"Qi Xia, who will you ask?" the Pig-Man asked.
Qi Xia turned his head towards the direction of Old Lu, then towards Lin, pondering with a heavy expression.
Who is the one telling the truth?
After about thirty seconds, Qi Xia made his choice: "I choose Lin."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qin shuddered as if frightened.
"Alright," the Pig-Man turned his head and waved to Lin, "Come on, young lady, remember the rules, you can only answer 'black' or 'white'. If you dare to say anything else or give any hints, you will be killed on the spot."
Lin Qin, with a pale face, nodded.
The Pig-Man then turned back to Qi Xia, "Begin, Qi Xia, you have only one chance to ask. Whether you can keep your life or not depends on this question."