Chapter 020

As it turned out, whether he had a Luo Pan or not didn’t affect Qiao Man’s performance in the slightest.

Over the next two days, the audience watched him scale mountains, cross rivers, climb trees, and hunt prey. He seemed almost omnipotent. Even though this was a survival reality show, he acted as if he had returned to his hometown, adapting to mountain life far better than any of the adults.

During the day, he roamed the wilderness, catching chickens and fish or swiping bird eggs. At night, he would curl up with his tablet to watch a couple of episodes of cartoons, living as comfortably as a fish in water.

Looking at the other livestreams, after six days on the mountain, the other three groups were visibly withered, their appearances becoming increasingly bedraggled. In contrast, the little boy on this side remained fair-skinned and tender, full of energy and life. Even Lu Jianxing had been nurtured by him until he was glowing with health.

…Wait? Lu Jianxing? Being nurtured?

Just who was the adult and who was the child here?

Of course, it wasn’t that Lu Jianxing had done nothing. He was the one responsible for the fact that the child could roll around in the dirt every day and still maintain a cute, clean appearance. His excellent childcare skills received much praise, and in any other team, he would have been considered a highly reliable teammate.

However…

When prey was spotted, the first one to charge forward with eyes shining was Qiao Man. When they encountered a fork in the road, the one who pinched his little fingers in calculation to find the right direction was Qiao Man. Predicting the weather, starting fires, catching snakes, and even possessing a bag of talismans with miraculous effects – the viewers who followed the livestream had to admit that in this team of one adult and one child, the main force of survival was a five-year-old baby.

On the morning of the seventh day, Qiao Man woke up in high spirits. After washing up, he put on his Little Yellow Duck Backpack and announced loudly, “Xingxing, I’m ready!”

Lu Jianxing packed away their tent and other supplies, hoisting the large backpack onto his shoulders.

Today was the final day of the program and the most important one. they needed to reach the finish line at the summit to claim the championship of this challenge.

Everyone had their eyes on the prize. Over the past six days, every team had been racing against time to head toward the summit. By the final day, they were all very close to the finish line.

While camping last night, Lu Jianxing had seen firelight not far from them, indicating that another team was maintaining the same pace as them.

He took out the map to confirm the path to the summit. Just as he found it, the child tugged at his hem and pointed in another direction. “Xingxing, let’s go this way.”

Lu Jianxing glanced over, hesitating. “That way?”

“Mhm!”

“That’s a bit different from what’s marked on the map.” Lu Jianxing crouched down and pointed at the map to show him. “Look, the map says this path is the fastest. The way you chose is a bit of a detour.”

Qiao Man shook his head. Before going to sleep last night, he had observed the stars, and after waking up, he had performed a specific calculation. Now, with a plan already formed in his mind, he said with full confidence, “The other way is gone.”

“The road is gone?”

Lu Jianxing thought about it for a few seconds and quickly made his decision. He tucked the map away. “Okay, we’ll do it your way.”

Qiao Man started running ahead on his short legs, leading the way excitedly. “Hurry, Xingxing! This way!”

Not long after they set out, they encountered another team midway.

It was the martial arts star Xing Lei and his junior brother, Wu Chong.

They were also the ones who had been camping nearby. Last night, they had seen the smoke rising in the distance. Although they hadn’t gone over to say hello, they had speculated about who the other party might be. They had guessed Xie Yunqian or Zhan Yue, but they never expected it to be Lu Jianxing and the child he was trailing.

In everyone’s minds, Lu Jianxing and that five-year-old child were surely the ones at the very bottom of the rankings.

Xing Lei and his junior brother exchanged a look: Could it be that they had actually fallen behind into last place?

Meeting on a narrow path, the two sides merely nodded in greeting before continuing their journey. They were heading in two opposite directions, as Xing Lei’s team was heading toward the path marked on the map. After a moment of thought, Lu Jianxing stopped and warned them, “There doesn’t seem to be a road that way anymore.”

“No road?” Xing Lei asked, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you won’t be able to get through.”

Since this was something Qiao Man had calculated, there was no solid evidence, so Lu Jianxing didn’t say much more. He caught up with the child who had already run ahead and continued toward the summit.

• What does Lu Jianxing mean by that? Knowing he can’t win, is he deliberately tricking people into taking a detour? –

• It’s marked on the map, how could there be no road? He’s probably just afraid Xing Lei will get there before him, right? –

• I just came from Lu Jianxing’s livestream. Xiao Man calculated it, there really is no road over there! –

• You guys don’t seriously believe that kid can do fortune-telling, do you? A Taoist in my hometown once told me I was born for wealth and honor, but I’ve never even won the lottery! –

• The kid literally broke into the director’s room and had his Luo Pan confiscated. Could it really be fake? –

But Xing Lei knew nothing about the incident of storming the director’s room. Watching the figures of the man and child disappear from sight, he exchanged a look with his junior brother. Unmoved, they continued forward according to the map.

…

About half a day later, Qiao Man and Lu Jianxing successfully reached the finish line at the summit.

At the summit’s finish line, the director’s team and staff had already arrived in advance. Seeing them appear, a staff member pulled the cord on a party popper. With a bang, colorful streamers showered over the two of them.

Qiao Man’s little face was flushed with excitement, his eyes sparkling as he asked, “Are we the champions?”

The host replied, “That’s right, you are the first to arrive.”

The child raised his hands and cheered, spinning around in circles with joy.

• Just came from Xing Lei’s livestream. They chose the same path Lu Jianxing had warned them about, and halfway through, they found the road was gone… –

• It seems like that heavy rain from before caused a small landslide, and it happened to bury the path leading to the summit. –

• Lu Jianxing didn’t even go that way, how did he know the road was gone? –

• I’m stunned. He can even calculate this? Director, what’s the point of confiscating his Luo Pan? You should just confiscate the kid himself! –

Although Qiao Man and Lu Jianxing had reached the finish line, the program wasn’t over yet. Until the other contestants arrived, their every move remained within the camera’s range.

Lu Jianxing led Qiao Man to the side to sit and rest. After traveling for half a day, the child’s spirit remained high. The joy of winning the championship surrounded him, and he looked as if he wanted to skip with every step. His happiness was almost tangible, overflowing into the surroundings.

The production crew had prepared food at the summit. Lu Jianxing opened a carton of milk and handed it to him. “So happy about winning the championship?”

“I am.” Qiao Man hugged the milk, happily swinging his little feet. “Maomao said that if you win the championship, you can play the male lead.”

Lu Jianxing was slightly taken aback. “The male lead?”

“That’s right!”

Qiao Man gulped down the milk. Having climbed the mountain for half the day, he had long been thirsty, and he finished more than half the carton in one go. He wasn’t in a hurry to drink the rest. Instead, he pulled a tablet from his backpack and used the remaining battery to open a cached cartoon. Leaning against Lu Jianxing, he sipped his milk and watched the little pink pig on the screen hopping around with delight.

Life at the foot of the mountain was truly wonderful.

After one episode, the second and third teams reached the finish line. It was Xing Lei and his junior brother, along with Zhan Yue and her brother, Zhan Yan.

They had met halfway. After Xing Lei informed them of a landslide ahead, the two teams had joined forces to climb the mountain together.

As soon as they reached the summit and learned a champion had already been crowned, Zhan Yue’s eyes scanned the surroundings. When she spotted Qiao Man, her eyes lit up, and she immediately dropped her backpack and rushed over. “Baby!”

“Baby, that Insect Repellent Talisman you gave me is just too useful.” Zhan Yue rolled up her sleeves, revealing her smooth, clean arms. “Since I’ve had your talisman, I haven’t been bitten by a single bug. It’s been a total lifesaver!”

After all, the mountain didn’t just have mosquitoes; there were also blood-sucking land leeches, centipedes, and other venomous insects. This talisman could even ward off those creatures, which was a huge help.

“Baby, do you have any more of these? Can I buy more from you?” Zhan Yue asked. “I want… no, I’ll take as many as you have!”

Qiao Man agreed immediately. “Sure.”

“That’s great!”

Xing Lei overheard and was instantly puzzled. “What Insect Repellent Talisman?”

“It’s a talisman for repelling insects.” Zhan Yan took an Insect Repellent Talisman out of his pocket to show him. “If you carry it with you, bugs won’t come near you.”

Xing Lei: “…”

Wasn’t that just a toy the kid brought before they set off?

Over the past week, he had been tormented by the mountain’s insects, but an Insect Repellent Talisman? People actually believed in that?

Zhan Yan enthusiastically shared two spare talismans with them. “Try it, it really works.”

Xing Lei didn’t really believe it, but he couldn’t resist the enthusiastic pitch. Under the camera’s gaze, he and his junior brother each took one, tucked them into their pockets, and continued chatting with Zhan Yan. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but afterward, the mosquitoes buzzing around seemed to thin out.

The teams at the summit waited and waited until finally, the last group arrived.

Xie Yunqian and Pei Xiwang were the last to reach the top. As they climbed, Pei Xiwang walked with a slight limp; the ankle he had sprained from a previous fall hadn’t fully healed yet, which made their pace slower than the others.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the other contestants, Pei Xiwang headed straight for Qiao Man. “Master Xiao Man!”

Master Xiao Man struggled to tear his gaze away from the little pink pig. He looked up and studied the man for a moment before finally recognizing him. “Oh, it’s you.”

“It’s me!” Pei Xiwang said incoherently. “Master Xiao Man, do you remember the day you performed a Fortune-telling for me? You said I would face a Calamity of Blood. It rained so hard that night, and I almost got struck by lightning!”

“What?!”

The other contestants knew nothing about this. Hearing him mention it now, they were instantly startled.

Pei Xiwang quickly added, “I wasn’t hurt. That day, Master Xiao Man told me to turn back if I saw a peach tree, so I didn’t go any further. That’s how I managed to escape the disaster.”

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Those like Zhan Yue, who already knew how capable Qiao Man was, were now even more convinced. Others like Xing Lei, who knew nothing of Qiao Man’s abilities, found Pei Xiwang’s words laughable.

Calling a five-year-old kid a “Master”? Was there something wrong with Pei Xiwang’s head?

Master Xiao Man nodded with satisfaction. “You did the right thing.”

Pei Xiwang crouched down to eye level with the child sitting in the chair. With a face full of devotion, he said, “Master Xiao Man, please take another look for me. Now that the Calamity of Blood has been resolved, will there be any more trouble? I feel like my bad luck hasn’t stopped.”

People who suffered from Luck Borrowing would become very unlucky, but once the connection with the borrower was severed, their luck would slowly return. During their last meeting, Qiao Man had already cut the connection for him. His current bad luck should only be temporary.

Qiao Man was about to say exactly that, but he paused the moment he opened his mouth. “You…”

Pei Xiwang’s figure was reflected in his eyes. Everything tangible and intangible was mirrored in his pitch-black pupils.

The connection he had previously severed had been re-established. The flame representing the man’s fortune was now like a candle in the wind, so weak it was on the verge of vanishing.

Qiao Man’s small face gradually grew solemn. “Are you injured?”

“Oh, I stepped on a peach that day and accidentally took a tumble, spraining my ankle.” As he spoke, Pei Xiwang reached out to steady himself against the nearby chair. With his sprained ankle, it wasn’t very comfortable to stay crouched.

Qiao Man saw the hand gripping the seat. On the pad of the finger pressing against the edge of the chair, there was a shallow scar.

Qiao Man’s brow furrowed. He pointed at the wound and asked, “What about this?”

“You mean this?” Pei Xiwang glanced at the nearly healed wound on his finger and said dismissively, “This happened when I was cooking with Brother Xie. I accidentally got nicked by the knife.”

“When?”

“Yesterday.”