boyutpedia Chapter 451: Descent of the Monetary Affairs Star
Chapter 451: Descent of the Monetary Affairs Star
“I’m aware...” Bai Nine replied, brow furrowed. “Yet might there be a chance... that among the seven wooden boxes, each with seven {balls}, only one out of the forty-nine carries a reward?”
Qiao Jiajin was momentarily struck by Bai Nine’s reasoning.
Indeed, if only one ball had a reward, it wouldn’t count as lying about the rules; after all, Terrestrial Horse had said that only a small number of {balls} have rewards
If it really was just one...
“I don’t care.” Qiao Jiajin said. “I’m not as smart as you all. I’ve always been stubborn. If I say I can catch it, then I can catch it. Even if only one ball has a reward, I’ll take it.”
The others didn’t know how to persuade him and could only nod.
During the second round, Ning Eighteen, slightly taller than Bai Nine, was chosen to ride the {Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse}. Since the first round had gone quickly, this gave them a notable time advantage.
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“Qiao ge, I think your strategy is working,” Bai Nine said. “Two people set to intercept the balls; that seems to be the best approach.”
“No...” Qiao Jiajin slowly shook his head. “I have a new plan.”
“A new plan?”
“Star gal,” Qiao Jiajin said, “tell me which box will be striking us this round.”
Ning Eighteen, sitting on the {Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse}, paused for a moment, then pointed toward the far end of the track and said, “The one farthest out, next to {War Conqueror}, with {Monetary Affairs} engraved upon it.”
“Got it.” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “Irritant lad can take a break this round; he’s already blocked quite a few ice balls.”
“Me... take a break?” Qiu Twenty looked puzzled. “If I rest, what will you do? Are you going to protect the wheelbarrow by yourself?”
“No, no, no...” Qiao Jiajin shook his head. “I don’t think guarding the wheelbarrow is a solution. I’m planning... to face Monetary Affairs Star one-on-one.”
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“Oh...” The others nodded at first, but quickly realized how absurd that sounded. “Huh?!”
One-on-one?!
Paying no heed to the others, Qiao Jiajin made a direct run down the track, crossing the shards of glass, and stood opposite {Monetary Affairs}.
“I heard you’re {Yin Metal}...” Qiao Jiajin smiled. “I wonder which is harder, you or me?”
“Hey!!” Terrestrial Horse immediately sensed trouble. “You can’t destroy game props, that counts as a foul!”
“Destroy game props...?” Qiao Jiajin shook his head. “No... destroying props wouldn’t be playing fair. These things were carefully made by you, so even if they were to be destroyed, it should be by you, not an outsider.”
“Huh? Wh–What kind of person...” Terrestrial Horse didn’t understand Qiao Jiajin’s intent. If he wasn’t planning to destroy the props, then why was he standing in front of {Monetary Affairs}?
“One-on-one means one-on-one,” Qiao Jiajin said, standing just a meter from {Monetary Affairs}, slowly raising his hands into a combat stance. “I’ll block all the balls here. No one will get hurt.”
“Ah?!”
Not only was every member of {Cats} stunned, but Terrestrial Horse, too, froze in place.
“N–No wait... Qiao ge...” Ning Eighteen nearly toppled over from her seat. “What... what are you saying?! You’re too close to that mechanism! It could be {iron balls} this time!!”
“I know.” Qiao Jiajin nodded seriously. “Precisely because this task is difficult, it needs me to handle it.”
Bai Nine also tensed up. “This isn’t about difficulty... no one can actually do something like this!”
“Star gal!” Qiao Jiajin called out without concern. “You can roughly predict the timing of the ball launches, right?”
“Ye–Yes.”
“Remember to warn me in advance,” Qiao Jiajin said. “I can’t see any of you behind me, nor can I tell when the {balls} will be launched, so I need your cue.”
Ning Eighteen felt that even the word {cue} was far too modest. To stop seven iron {balls} hurtling at eighty kilometers an hour with bare hands from less than a meter away...what level of prowess must one be at to perform such a feat? At that range, even the blink of an eye would be a fatal opening.
Qiao Jiajin slowly widened his horse stance, both hands moving in yin-yang alignment, allowing his body sway gently with the air, like clouds drifting and water coursing.
‘Flexibility overcomes force... four ounces can move a thousand pounds*,’ Qiao Jiajin murmured to himself. “Guan Yi Gor, I’ve heard you’re the incarnation of the Monetary Affairs Star; I would not have wished to confront you... Still, you once rode alone for a thousand miles to escort someone important, surely you can sympathize. If I do not stand here, the young ones behind me will die.”
(TLN: ‘Flexibility overcomes force’ is a Chinese idiom meaning to use gentleness or flexibility to overcome rigidity or strength. The saying “Four ounces can move a thousand pounds” is a classic Tai Chi adage, and refers to using skill and technique rather than brute strength. More detail will be provided below.)
The cold wooden mechanism before him rose slowly with its mechanical whir, much like {War Conqueror} had done earlier, as if answering Qiao Jiajin’s words.
“They’re only here because of me. If even one of them gets hurt, it’s my responsibility.” Qiao Jiajin slowly settled his horse stance, lowering his center of gravity. “This is my {morality}, and as the {Monetary Affairs Star}, you should understand.”
Watching Qiao Jiajin talk to the wooden box as if it were a person, the members of {Cats} had no choice but to stop delaying. Once their formation was steady, they cautiously moved onto the track again.
At this moment, barely more than a minute had gone by, leaving plenty of room for the game.
“Qiao ge, stay alert, we’re on the move now!!” Ning Eighteen called from the {Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse}.
“Okay...” Qiao Jiajin carefully extended his hand to the box, just a few dozen centimeters from its mouth. “{Monetary Affairs}, my apologies.”
After that, the team cautiously pushed the wheelbarrow forward.
Though this round of {balls} would inevitably be blocked by Qiao Jiajin’s body, the others couldn’t help but feel extremely tense. This feeling was even more unnerving than if they themselves were standing in front of the wooden box.
Ning Eighteen roughly calculated the distance they had traveled and looked up. “Qiao ge! Watch out!”
Qiao Jiajin’s eyes went cold as he fixed his gaze on the hole. With a sudden {bang}, a dark object shot out like a living creature.
Qiao Jiajin immediately adjusted his palm, probing under the black ball. In an instant, he managed to roll the black ball a few inches along his forearm. In the blink of an eye, he moved his arm to change the ball’s direction. Just as the iron-black ball was about to slip off his arm, he gave a sudden, forceful shake and swung his arm, sending the hard black iron ball crashing onto the nearby wooden floor.
{Boom}!!
The black iron ball left a small dent in the wood.
Everyone at the scene gaped in astonishment.
Wasn’t that sequence something one would only witness in movies?
Even someone as formidable as Terrestrial Horse looked slightly stunned. Though her body was enhanced enough to withstand an iron ball at such close range without injury, she knew there was no way she could have altered its trajectory from such a distance.