Ten minutes passed in silence as the group continued down the road.
It was unclear whether the {Mortal-grade Earthly Branches} here had heard of the {Cats}, or if these people were simply not to be trifled with, but after passing countless ga sites, not a single one approached to solicit their {ga}.
Another ten minutes passed before they finally spotted the {Terrestrial Mouse}, who was adjusting his hairstyle in front of a mirror.
To be precise, it was a few sparse long hairs atop his mouse head.
It had to be said—the {Mouse} looked genuinely creepy. Perched atop his shoulders was a massive rodent skull, its huge incisors exposed, making anyone who looked at him feel uneasy all over.
Turning his head, he inadvertently spotted the peculiar party, but just as swiftly he looked ahead again, feigning ignorance.
“Tsk!” Zhou Six called impatiently. “Hey, hey, hey! Pretending you didn’t see us?”
“Sigh...” Terrestrial Mouse shook his head helplessly. “Esteed leaders, what brings you here?”
“Tsk, to play your ga,” Zhou Six said. “Let’s start imdiately.”
“What...?” Terrestrial Mouse asked, sowhat confused. “Esteed leaders, aren’t you all a part of the {Cats}? Although I’m a {Mouse}, the well water does not infringe on the river water*.... May I ask what’s going on today?”
(TLN: ‘The well water does not interfere with river water (井水不犯河水)’ is an idiom that basically ans to ‘not interfere with one another’’.)
‘The well water does not infringe on the river water...’ Luo Eleven sneered. “But if the {river water} runs into trouble, the water in your {well} won’t be safe either.”
Hearing this, Terrestrial Mouse put the mirror aside with deliberate care and knitted his brows. “Esteed leaders, as the saying goes: ‘whatever your trade, you ought to devote yourself to it’. It's none of my business even if {Cats} disbands, no? Once you all stepped into my ga and t a miserable death, wouldn’t your esteed leader Qian Five co to exact vengeance in the next cycle?”
“He wouldn't," Qi Xia interjected. “You can treat us as ordinary {participants}.”
Terrestrial Mouse sized Qi Xia up. “Esteed leader, I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you also a part of {Cats}?”
“I’m neither a leader nor part of {Cats},” Qi Xia replied. “I’m just an ordinary participant. I simply want to take part in your ga.”
“The world really has changed...” Terrestrial Mouse muttered, adjusting the hair on his temples. “Did you follow ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ the wrong esteed leader? Even {Cats} has to participate in gas now...? A group of cats... coming after , a single {Mouse}.”
“Tsk, what does that have to do with you?” Zhou Six said. “Even if Five ge wanted to kill you, {Black Tortoise} wouldn’t stand idly by. What exactly are you afraid of?”
“Caution keeps the ship sailing for ten thousand years; there’s no harm in being careful, is there?” Terrestrial Mouse retorted. “Esteed leaders, the number of {participants} that shouldn’t be provoked can be counted on one hand—Qian Five is one of them.”
“That’s exactly why I said you don’t need to worry,” Qi Xia said. “This ti I’m the captain, so if anything goes wrong, the responsibility falls solely on .”
Hearing that, Terrestrial Mouse gave another look at the man in front of him.
“You’re the captain...?” he said, disbelief flickering across his face. “You’re leading these four people?”
“Is there sothing wrong with that?” Qi Xia asked.
“Hah...” Terrestrial Mouse stifled a laugh. “A new official at the helm...I worry this responsibility may be too great for you.”
“It’s all the sa to .” Qi Xia shook his head. “Go ahead and raise this ga to {Hell Difficulty}. I have no objections.”
“Esteed leader, what kind of impudent request is that?” Terrestrial Mouse laughed. “Once our ga is set, it can’t be changed. I also have superiors above ...”
“Oh...? So {Earthly Branches} cannot alter the difficulty of their ga once it has comnced?” Qi Xia inquired.
“Pfft...” Terrestrial Mouse regarded Qi Xia as if beholding a complete novice, then cast his gaze upon the four behind him. “You people... all that supposed experience, and you still settled on such a clumsy fool as your {captain}?”
Qi Xia had anticipated that those behind him would heap criticism upon him, yet unexpectedly, Zhou Six was the first to voice dissent.
“Tsk, whether our {captain} is a fool or not is entirely our concern. Who the f*ck are you to interfere?”
Luo Eleven also added a sharp retort, “Listen here, Mouse Head, even if he is a shitty {captain}, it’s for us to curse him. What right do you have to say anything?”
The evidently unreliable Wang Eight and the visibly incensed Qiu Sixteen promptly lent their agreent.
“Indeed, does the {captain} of {Cats} answer to your scorn?”
Qi Xia had never foreseen such a turn of events and, in truth, felt a asure of reassurance within.
Even if these individuals seed unreliable, {Cats} were still {Cats}. Their continued survival until now ant that each mber was surely one in a hundred.
“All right, all right...” Terrestrial Mouse waved his hand in resignation. “Just a mont ago, you claid to treat you all as re participants, and now you are exuding the unmistakable aura of {Cats}.”
He then turned to Qi Xia. “Hey!”
“What is it?”
“Even if I do not adjust the difficulty, can you guarantee survival in my ga with absolute certainty?” Terrestrial Mouse asked with a wry smile. “A fair warning: I will personally partake in this ga.”
Qi Xia’s brows furrowed slowly at these words.
In {Terrestrial}-grade gas, it was exceedingly rare for an {Earthly Branch} to participate personally. To willingly enter alongside the participants either indicated utter madness—or supre confidence in one’s ability to erge victorious.
Which of these applied to Terrestrial Mouse before him?
‘To put it plainly... the ga is by no ans simple.’
A slow curl tugged at the corner of Qi Xia’s lips. Excellent, it should be demanding. The ga is only worth it if it tests them.
“What sort of ga is it?” Qi Xia asked.
“Almost as if it were tailored for you all,” Terrestrial Mouse answered, a mysterious grin spreading across his face. “A fierce and exhilarating {Cat-and-Mouse Ga}.”
‘{Cat-and-Mouse Ga}...?’ Qi Xia lifted his head. “Are we the {Cats}, and you the {Mouse}?”
“Of course not...” Terrestrial Mouse bared his large incisors in a smile. “The roles are reversed—you {Cats} play the {Mouse}, while I, {Terrestrial Mouse}, play the {Cat}.”
Qi Xia nodded slightly. “So it’s a {chase} ga?”
“That would be far too crude...” Terrestrial Mouse chuckled, twirling at the sparse hairs atop his head. “If it were rely a chase, how would I differ from those brutish oxen and horses?”
“Oh...?” Qi Xia frowned. “If it isn’t a {chase}, then what purpose does {Cat-and-Mouse} serve?”
“Neither cat nor mouse is a foolish creature...” Terrestrial Mouse tapped a finger to his forehead. “In many regions, a mouse starves if it does not steal, and a cat is useless if it cannot catch mice. Only by outwitting each other can this perpetual duel of survival produce a winner.”
“Outwitting each other?” Qi Xia nodded. “Exactly my style.”
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