Survival Game: Call Me an Honest Businessman

Despite his thoughts, Li Zhi sent Ying another message:

[Urgent! I need information about the Feather Spirit Emperor! The more detailed the better! Especially anything related to Spirit Hill!]

Shadow: [Information about the emperors of all races is top secret, and information about the Feathered Spirit Emperor is even more so. But coincidentally, I know a little about her. This message cancels out 20 messages.]

Li Zhi: [It's settled!]

Shadow: [Yu Linghuang Xuan and Yi are twins, and also the only two children of the previous Yu Linghuang. They showed different talents from a young age...]

Ying: [Xuan, Yi, and Lingqiu met briefly in the Lingqiu Forest of Nanqi. Your teacher, Celia, was there too, of course. Xuan and Lingqiu didn't interact much, but Yi, because of his injury, had many conversations with Lingqiu and even took away a leaf from a Lingqiu tree to heal Xuan's still-healing body...]

Li Zhi felt a slight heaviness in his heart.

When she saw the name Lingqiu, she actually thought of the big leaf in Yi's study.

No matter what world you're in, the top people always know each other.

Even if we're not exactly familiar with each other, we've all been to the same social venues, interacted with each other, or have some initial understanding of this person from friends or business partners.

The presence of Lingqiu leaves in Yi's study already indicates that the two could not have been completely unrelated.

Li Zhi: [So, Yi and Lingqiu actually have a good relationship? What about Xuan? How much does she know about Lingqiu?]

Ying: [Lingqiu has a gentle personality. Although she has been in seclusion in Nanqi, she will always help anyone who comes to her for help. Rather than saying that Yi and Lingqiu have a good relationship, it's more accurate to say that Yi was seriously injured at the time, and Lingqiu took pity on him and saved him. After that, they probably had no further contact.]

Upon seeing the first sentence, Li Zhi took a deep breath.

—Gentle personality.

Her behavior just now was nowhere near as gentle as one might expect.

But seeing the last sentence, I breathed a sigh of relief.

If you don't know much about it, then there's still a chance of getting away with it.

Just as she was about to make some more preparations, she saw that the Feathered Spirit warrior had already released the panel's authorization and displayed the Feathered Spirit Emperor's projection.

Li Zhi immediately perked up and focused on dealing with Yu Linghuang.

Yu Linghuang: "Lord Lingqiu, it's been a long time. It's been a long time since I last saw you."

While Yu Linghuang was speaking, Li Zhi had already consumed 10 points of mental energy to activate the one-time talent "Prediction".

[Prediction already used]

[The Feather Spirit Emperor mentions his encounter in Nanqi to Li Zhi, who is disguised as Lingqiu. Li Zhi uses information obtained from Ying to successfully connect this memory, but the Feather Spirit Emperor's suspicion only increases...]

[The Feather Spirit Emperor thought: 'Lingqiu is quiet and doesn't like to move around, so why would she travel around and even come to Dongqi to play the fox clan? Moreover, so many beastmen have died here. Given Lingqiu's personality, she would definitely stop my warriors from unilaterally slaughtering them from the beginning. However, she knows that I met Lingqiu once in Nanqi. Perhaps I can try to test her again...']

[Li Zhi observed Yu Linghuang's suspicions and used his one-time talent, "The Case Has Taken a New Turn"]

[The doubts that had just arisen in Yu Linghuang were dispelled. She realized that although the personality of Lingqiu, played by Li Zhi, was different from what she remembered, time always changes a person, even she, let alone a dragon who had lived for so long.]

【"Lingqiu holds extraordinary significance for the entire Tianqi Continent. If we could bring her to Yucheng, other races would surely have a new perspective on our Yuling Clan."】

Thinking this, Yu Linghuang sincerely invited, "Lord Lingqiu, when Yi was injured, we were fortunate to have your help. Now that you have come to Dongqi, please be sure to bring your warriors to Yu City so that Yi and I can show you hospitality."

Li Zhi knew she absolutely could not go to Yu City, but she also realized that the Ling Qiu she had just impersonated was vastly different from the real Ling Qiu, which had already aroused the suspicion of the Feather Spirit Emperor. She had to refuse the Feather Spirit Emperor and dispel his idea.

[Li Zhi: "I have other things to do, so I have to refuse your request."]

Li Zhi knew that the more she said, the more mistakes she would make. She didn't understand Lingqiu, but she had had contact with Yu Linghuang. Given her deep and calculating nature, it was better to refuse her directly than to make excuses.

[The Feather Spirit Queen had no doubts, but she still hoped that Ling Qiu could go to Feather City. If he couldn't go to Feather City, attending the Feather Spirit Clan Trade Fair on Feather Spirit Avenue, or appearing before the fair, would achieve a similar effect.]

[Yu Linghuang: "Your Excellency, I understand your busy schedule, but Yi seems to be experiencing a relapse of his old injuries, and the effect of the spirit leaf hanging in the study is also decreasing. Could you please make a trip to Yu Ling Avenue to examine Yi's health? My subordinates carry teleportation stones; it will only take half a day of your time."]

Li Zhi's heart skipped a beat. According to the information Ying had given her, Ling Qiu would almost never refuse such an invitation unless she could find a reasonable reason, otherwise it would definitely arouse suspicion again. However, she also sensed that the Feather Spirit Emperor didn't just suspect her identity, but genuinely wanted to see her. Li Zhi decided to find a reason to stall for time.

[Li Zhi: "I came to the Eastern Qi Continent to treat another patient. After I finish treating him, I will come to the Feather Spirit Avenue to examine Yi."]

[The Feathered Spirit Emperor had no suspicions, but out of caution, she remotely used the magic "Return to Truth".]

[Li Zhi, disguised as Ling Qiu, reverted to her original appearance.]

Li Zhi's identity exposed

[The Feather Spirit Emperor is enraged, and all Feather Spirit Guards hunt down Li Zhi.]

[Li Zhi summons Chen]

[Unable to withstand the attack]

Both were arrested at the same time.

Celia travels to the Feathered Spirit Clan to negotiate with the Feathered Spirit Emperor. Meanwhile, Yi bribes the warden of Feathered City.

Li Zhi fought a desperate battle with the Feathered Spirit Clan assassins who came to kill her.

[Li Zhi awakens his professional skill 'Gamble with Life': Sacrifice all your gold coins to gain a one-hit kill ultimate skill]

Li Zhi killed the Feathered Spirit Clan assassin.

The warden sent ten assassins.

Li Zhi didn't have enough chips.

[Li Zhi's death]

When Li Zhi saw these four words, he felt a sense of powerlessness before fear.

What's the point of playing this game?

Yu Linghuang is cautious by nature. Regardless of whether he suspects her or not, he will eventually resort to the "Return to Truth" technique.

Even the Bewitching Fruit didn't work for her.

The absolute disparity in strength rendered all her calculations, caution, and schemes utterly insignificant.

Li Zhi looked at Yu Ling, adjusting his tone based on the predicted reaction of the Yu Ling Emperor: "How is Yi's health?"

She chatted with Yu Linghuang in a casual manner.

But in my mind, I kept replaying all the scenarios I had just seen in the "prediction".

Her only chance of winning lies in the professional skills she awakens in dire circumstances.

But at this moment, whether it was because she hadn't reached a desperate situation or because the time wasn't right, she still didn't sense any signs that her professional skills were about to awaken.

What constitutes a desperate situation?

Is it only when the Feather Spirit Emperor captures them and imprisons them, leaving them powerless to fight back and on the verge of death, that they are truly in dire straits?

No.

Even if she dies, it has to be the way she chooses to die.

Even in dire circumstances, she must personally initiate the process.

If it's a gamble with your life, why put it in prison?

You can also take a gamble here.

Li Zhi looked at Yu Linghuang, who had not yet noticed anything amiss.

Yu Linghuang: "Your Excellency, I understand your busy schedule, but Yi seems to be experiencing a relapse of his old injury recently, and the effect of the spirit hill leaf hanging in the study is also diminishing..."

Li Zhi's gaze passed over the Feather Spirit Emperor in the projection and landed on the Feather Spirit warriors who were using their own panel projection to lead the team to receive the goods.

Consume 50 points of mental energy to activate the one-time talent "Turn a blind eye".

A crossbow appeared in his hand, its fire essence energy flashing, and an arrow pierced the brow of the Feathered Spirit warrior.

The Feathered Spirit warrior crashed heavily to the ground, stirring up countless dust and withered leaves. The Feathered Spirit Emperor's projection also disappeared into the air the instant she breathed her last.

All of this happened in a single second.

Before any of the Feathered Spirits or Orcs could react, Li Zhi fired his crossbow bolts rapidly, followed closely by a bellows.

In an instant, more than a dozen Feathered Spirits and a large number of Tiger Beastmen were injured.

This was her first real murder.

Li Zhi's eyes were calm.

Right hand: crossbow; left hand: bellows.

They launched precise attacks while simultaneously inflicting area-of-effect damage.

Finally, the Feathered Spirit Clan reacted, but without a leader, although they immediately launched a counterattack, their combat power dropped drastically due to the lack of organization.

Some of the Feathered Spirit warriors were still confused: "Why does Lord Lingqiu want to kill us?"

Some Feathered Spirit warriors couldn't help but wonder, "Is she really Lady Lingqiu?"

Yu Linghuang and Li Zhi chatted for a while.

The fact that no one questioned her identity had already convinced most of the Feathered Spirit warriors that Li Zhi was in disguise.

The Feathered Spirit Clan has a natural reverence for the Dragon Clan.

S-class has an inherent advantage over A-class.

So much so that even at this moment, Li Zhi, who is at the C-level, is still able to maintain the upper hand when facing numerous orcs and three Feathered Spirit Clan squads.

But she knew very well that this was only temporary.

Once the Feathered Spirit Clan realizes what's happening, or if a member of the Feathered Spirit Clan contacts the Feathered Spirit Emperor, her identity will be exposed.

Li Zhi directly chose to summon Shen.

"I thought you..."

He was halfway through his sentence when his expression of displeasure turned to shock: "Who are you?"

Lee Ji-hyun said, "We used some props."

He also succinctly reminded everyone: "These are all Yi's men."

Shen instantly perked up: "Yi's men?"

She crossed her quantum sword and laser sword, wielding them with a rustling sound: "Then I'd like to kill a few."

Li Zhi knew that even with Chen's help, they couldn't defeat the dozen or so Feathered Spirits who had reacted.

But her goal wasn't to defeat these people; it was to awaken her professional skills.

Li Zhi's gaze fell upon the high priest.

She was chanting, and the magic circle beneath her feet, a blend of blue and cyan, was providing the Feathered Spirit warriors with speed and combat power.

But Li Zhi's gaze wasn't fixed on the magic circle; instead, it was on the three animal skin bags at the high priest's feet.

Initially, Yakin kept these three animal skin bags by his side, but later, at some unknown time, they were transferred to the High Priest's hands.

She had realized long ago that the contents of those three animal skin bags were probably not simple.

However, after careful consideration, they chose to give up.

Now that his professional skills have been slow to develop, Li Zhi, after reviewing his performance, decided to take another gamble.

Since her initial decision, or rather, her gamble, was that she could steal all the offerings except for the flesh-and-blood human figures.

Does that mean that the prerequisite for awakening a professional skill is that all the tributes must be stolen in order to complete the bet?

Li knows not.

But now there's nowhere else to go.

What's wrong with taking another gamble?

In the chaos, Li Zhi appeared behind the High Priestess of the Feather Spirit Clan, only a few centimeters away from her magic circle.

The high priest held a staff and chanted continuously, providing these winged spirit warriors with speed and combat power.

She also discovered Li Zhi.

The high priest turned around instantly, angrily raising his staff. The magic circle beneath his feet changed color, from blue to red, and began to spread outwards.

Li Zhi threw the stone in her hand, and as it hit the high priest's feet, three animal skin bags appeared in her hand.

The high priest paused in his chanting.

"you!"

She raised her staff, intending to cast the spell again.

Li Zhi immediately activated [Garlic Bird Garlic Bird].

In the instant the high priest hesitated, Li Zhi had already run several hundred meters with the animal skin bag.

"Grab her!"

As the high priest roared, all the Feathered Spirit warriors, under the guidance of Moon Sky's teacher, had already reorganized into two new teams.

They obeyed orders without question, instantly gaining the upper hand and surrounding Li Zhi from different directions.

Arrows and pursuit, along with magical attacks, came at once.

Amidst his racing heartbeat and rapid breathing, Li Zhi finally heard the voice he had been dreaming of:

[Congratulations to the unscrupulous businessman (gambler) Li Zhi for awakening his professional skill: The Last Gambler]

[Gambling addicts, gambling addicts, in the end they lose everything, but until the very end, who knows if they might have everything they could want?]

Faced with an almost certain death, your will to survive is extremely strong. You have been mobilizing all available resources to try to break the deadlock, but the resources you have accumulated in a short time cannot overcome the huge gap in strength. Your extensive network of connections cannot always provide you with the safe haven you need. So you gamble everything, hoping to use any abilities you may acquire to break the deadlock.

You did it. It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Just because you can't beat someone now doesn't mean you can't beat them in the future.

But you should also know that you will be a businessman in the future, and like you, you won't do business at a loss.

If you go all in with any amount of chips (abilities/skills/assets, etc.), she might seek help from your future self, but she will only choose to lend one of her abilities to save you if your chips are enough to impress her.

Please select the chips you want to use in a bet.

While fleeing for his life, Li Zhi quickly skimmed over the long string of text above, focusing only on the last two paragraphs.

"Your future self wants to save your present self, and you want me to go all in? What good will my death do you?"

Complaining aside, I still have to go all in.

Li Zhi: "I choose gold coins!"

[Your future self has already been charged 302345 gold coins]

She is willing to offer you three abilities: the skill to deliver a fatal blow, a powerful network of connections, and the art of conversation.

Li Zhi almost choked on his breath.

She exchanged 302345 gold coins for these crappy skills?!

The ability to kill instantly reminded her of the tragic ending she had predicted in prison: she killed one person and ten came.

What if my future self only uses this one-hit-kill skill on her once?

Li Zhi didn't even dare to gamble on whether his future self would be this bad!

What exactly is the art of speaking?

Is it useful right now?

She was practically grinding her teeth to powder. "I choose connections!"

Congratulations on gaining a powerful network for your future. You now have three options to choose from: Lingqiu, Fushan, and Tianmu.

Please make your choice.