[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-gods-foolish-game":3,"chapter-the-gods-foolish-game-the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-31":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Gods' Foolish Game",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2361159,4617,"Chapter 31: The Death of Huang Bo, and the Final Gate","the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-31",31,"\u003Cp>The Death of Huang Bo, and the Final Gate\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s really you!! Huang Bo!!! Then where’s the real A Ming?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is this possible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big Boss, this...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi smiled as he sealed the vial in his hand, exhaling a sigh of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “truth-confessing potion” was, of course, fake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides Cheng Shi, only four people were present—[The Offering to the Void] could not be activated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that didn’t stop it from tricking out the “truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The essence of victory lies in the interplay of illusion and reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi, having succeeded in his scheme, clucked his tongue and continued speculating:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I guess you used some delayed-death method or life-sustaining item to keep A Ming trapped in the tavern?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Bo dropped his disguise, wearing A Ming’s face as he burst into mad, roaring laughter:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Correct. My Lord granted me an S-rank talent: Shared Form, Shared Heart. Cheng Shi, you’re clever—but you can’t touch me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Bo’s tone was manic, yet utterly confident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I live, the little assassin lives too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I die, he dies too!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What good is finding me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doesn’t it feel awful to be toyed with like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hahaha, isn’t this crushing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The only thing I underestimated was that this poet could resurrect you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But so what? I outmaneuvered you—and you can’t...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cheng Shi!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big Boss!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You Cheng!!??”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Huang Bo could finish speaking, Cheng Shi pulled a knife from nowhere and plunged it straight into his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the blade pierce his heart, Huang Bo looked up in disbelief, gasping in shock:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...You’re... insane... he’ll... die...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi sneered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether he lives or dies is none of my damn business. You stabbed me—I’ll make you feel the same.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he yanked the knife free and drove it again—this time into Huang Bo’s throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after watching Huang Bo expire did he cleanly sever the head, set the body ablaze, then snap his fingers with final relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust to dust, earth to earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you can still come back from this, you’re impressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three women stared, dumbfounded, their minds in chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing recovered first, her gaze complex as she looked at Cheng Shi: “You...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?” Cheng Shi wiped blood from his hand and smiled. “I told you already—I’m not a good person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing said nothing. She took several deep breaths, checked the time on her wrist, and returned to her thigh stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With two fewer people, our search will become extremely difficult...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Fang, wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Lu suddenly tugged Fang Shiqing’s sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing turned, her icy gaze startling Xu Lu—but Xu Lu still gathered courage and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s something wrong. Cheng Shi is a priest, Bai Ling is a weak—not very strong—hunter. With Huang Bo’s power, killing them wouldn’t require such trouble. Why use an NPC?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, Xu Lu was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi was stunned—he hadn’t expected Xu Lu to be the first to notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps because Fang Shiqing and Bai Ling viewed him through warm lenses, his swift killing had struck them harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Lu, who had watched coldly from the sidelines, became the one to crack the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing thought for a moment, then suddenly turned toward the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The [Chaos] might have given Huang Bo orders to eliminate us—but not the trial’s answer. So he didn’t avoid acting—he needed someone else to find the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that answer... is...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guard?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked to Cheng Shi for confirmation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi clapped his hands in approval, then laid out the full chain of reasoning and his deductions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sharp. Perhaps he overheard the guard’s conversation with me outside—or maybe he’d already seen that ring, waiting for me to solve it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I did find an answer. If I’m right, the guard isn’t dead. Huang Bo’s next move was to take him somewhere you couldn’t find, then leave himself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, I don’t know how he learned this was the final act—or whether his master gave him clues to the next scene.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing’s gaze was complex:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You suspected ‘A Ming’ was fake from the start? Even before the Mist?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi smiled: “Just a guess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced into the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ling understood instantly, rushing inside to check the guard’s vital signs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, a “murky glow” shielded the guard’s heart, keeping him from dying immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s still alive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing followed close behind, staring at the barely breathing guard, then turned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cheng Shi—your turn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi didn’t refuse. He cast a healing spell on the man who had tried to kill him, then immediately followed it with a sleep spell as the guard began to stir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, before Fang Shiqing could speak, Xu Lu blurted out anxiously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, you! Memories! Speak up, quick!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crude prompting made everyone’s faces darken—but the fragile guard had already lost clear thought. After a long pause, he nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the newly revived guard exploded into a shower of starlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The starlight reformed into a Memory Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this Memory Gate bore a golden frame—unlike the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Final Gate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its appearance meant the trial was ending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step through it, and everyone would survive—with rewards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“E...ended?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Lu hadn’t expected it to be this simple—they’d found the exit with time to spare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only eight hours had passed since the trial began; nearly a third of the time remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sis... Fang?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Lu turned happily—only to meet Cheng Shi’s furrowed brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She recoiled two steps in fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man who kills casually, a man of opposing faith—would he strike her now, at the exit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She dared not think it. She just wanted to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Lu scanned everyone’s positions, gritted her teeth, and sprinted for the Final Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as she was about to leap through, a powerful hand seized her arm and yanked her back from the threshold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahhhh!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Lu screamed in terror, instinctively unleashing her Singer skill straight at Cheng Shi’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi didn’t dodge. He grimaced as he metabolized the debuffs, then flung her hard onto the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing stepped forward, blocking Xu Lu with a thin edge of anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cheng Shi, that’s enough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ling stood frozen in shock. She didn’t understand why Cheng Shi wouldn’t let Xu Lu go—but she shifted her stance, drew her bow, and moved behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing watched the scene, her brow still knotted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Fang, save me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cheng Shi, you...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi ignored the chaos, frowning as he thought:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wrong. If this leads to the next scene, maybe it’s fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if this is the Final Gate—the answer is too simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Clipping’s prophecy hasn’t come true. Where’s the hand holding the teacup?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing paused, and upon hearing him mention this, she let out a breath of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed Cheng Shi didn’t intend to kill; he appeared to be doubting the correctness of the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Memory Labyrinth always has only one final door—how could this be wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Lu fell to the ground, trembling, her eyes filled with terror and hatred as she stared fixedly at Cheng Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing glanced back at her, sighed, and quietly explained to Cheng Shi:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We climbed over the outer wall to the second floor, found the Duchess’s room, and indeed saw that cup.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi, what the Prophet sees isn’t necessarily a scene from the current timeline—the Duchess may truly have used that cup.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I think, more than a prophetic vision, it’s pointing us here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To the Duke’s death scene—or to find the Duchess’s lover.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi frowned and shook his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something’s off—where’s the Duchess?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve wasted nearly an hour here—won’t the banquet start?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or are all the guests still patiently waiting for the Duke’s arrival?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The guests haven’t left—why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is the Duchess trying to do to cover up the Duke’s death?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi’s doubts grew stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything before him felt like an invisible hand placing the answer directly on their lips, eager to force them to swallow it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this slightly coercive feeling—Cheng Shi disliked it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where exactly was the problem?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began to think carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire Eternal Night Labyrinth wasn’t complicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first act, they found the tavern waiter—he likely remembered that night at the tavern after seeing the many patrons he’d seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then in the second act, they found the Duke’s coachman, Yuerke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They found him because they saw the true face of the service worker, the “Orc Girl,” and beneath the fur, several dwarves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuerke had been controlled by the dwarves into the memory, and they indeed saw those dwarves’ corpses in the third act...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he found the guard’s token—the ring—and confronted the guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guard admitted the ring’s existence and was guided into becoming the Memory Door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed there was no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t the guard mention a broker when he admitted it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of insight struck Cheng Shi—he suddenly realized he’d fallen into a cognitive blind spot!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That broker!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1488,"2026-06-21T06:05:06.137Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e6e055eabaed6b2f5cc2e82076eb1ea5d5238902b064af9138f031040e9329c8","the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-32","the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-30",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-gods-foolish-game-cover.jpg"]