Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

Chapter 122: Chapter 57: Prisoner’s Dilemma, Trust in Senior Sister
The dragon coiled atop Blade Mountain.

Its tail swung back and forth incessantly, accompanied by frequent violent mountain collapses, sending a large amount of reddish soil and rocks into the Chijiang River.

Even though it was pierced and bound by chains, such actions should have caused its wounds to continue bleeding profusely, yet it seemed to show no signs of weakness from blood loss.

The upper body of the dragon, however, remained motionless, its golden vertical pupils quietly gazing at the two humans, an invisible, mountainous fear slowly descending with its look.

Then, it suddenly slowly cracked a smile, displaying a human-like expression that seemed to suggest amusement.

“Two humans, I want to play a game with you.”

Ling Yunpo did not answer, merely silently moving closer to Senior Sister An.

An Zhisu’s fingers curved slightly, Frostfall Sword already primed to strike.

“Do not attempt to resist with martial force,” the dragon continued with a weird chuckle, “Given the gap in our realms, you have no hope of victory.”

No sooner had the voice faded, an extremely terrifying pressure descended out of nowhere.

Both of their expressions changed drastically as they felt some sort of intangible bond that prevented any movement of their divine sense or limbs, as if they were fragile frogs being forcibly stuffed into small jars.

The next second, the pressure vanished just as suddenly as it had arrived, leaving no trace, as if everything before was merely an illusion.

Ling Yunpo and An Zhisu looked at each other, reading shock and fear in each other’s eyes.

“My game is called ‘Prisoner’.”

The dragon gently exhaled, and a thick fog rose up, separating Ling Yunpo and An Zhisu.

In the midst of the fog, Ling Yunpo found his vision hampered, voice dissipated, and divine sense unable to expand, much like the “Green Mist Veil Over the Mountains” sealed on the Green Duckweed Sword.

“This is the Five Elements Water System Daoist Magic,” the dragon’s voice floated leisurely from within the fog, “Under this magic, light, sound, divine sense… all intangible transmissions are under my control.”

“In other words, you and your Senior Sister are now my prisoners.”

“The rules of the game are simple,” the dragon continued languidly, “Although you can’t see or hear her, you know your Senior Sister is right beside you.”

“You can choose whether or not to strike her down. Of course, she can make a choice, too.”

“If both of you choose not to act, then I will let you go.”

“If both of you choose to act, then I will destroy your Life-bound Sword Artifacts.”

“But if one of you chooses to act and the other chooses not to, then… the one who chooses not to will be killed, and the one who acts…”

The voice paused for a moment, then nonchalantly said:

“I will give them a reward.”

“Of course, a real reward. Flying Swords, Magical Treasures, Daoist Magic, Strange Objects… Overall, it depends on my mood.”

“The more disbelieving the expression on the face of the betrayed, fatally wounded person, the more pleasure I experience, and the more valuable the corresponding reward will be…”

As the dragon’s leisurely speech continued, Ling Yunpo’s mind already began racing.

This dilemma was, in fact, a game-theory proposition.

From a pure theoretical model perspective:

If I choose not to betray, then there are only two outcomes: to leave unharmed or to be killed.

If I choose to betray, there are also two outcomes: to receive a reward or to have my Life-bound Sword Artifact destroyed.

Comparing these four outcomes, it’s obvious that the dragon’s rules encourage participants to betray and kill each other.

Raising the fog to block the sight and sounds of the two people is also meant to further increase the suspicion between them:

Will Senior Sister betray me? Or thinking that I would betray her even though she doesn’t want to, would she choose to betray me as a precaution?

In fact, if the trust between each other can’t outweigh the doubts, then decisively choosing to act is the optimal move under these game conditions.

However, reality cannot be fully encompassed by a pure theoretical model.

With Qiu Changtian’s prior warning, Ling Yunpo certainly wouldn’t make a mistake, so he stated outright:

“I choose not to act.”

“Don’t be hasty,” the dragon’s voice carried a hint of mockery, “let’s see what she chooses first.”

Ling Yunpo: ………..

So, you’re intentionally scaring me, huh? Sorry, I’ve had professional training, I absolutely won’t be afraid.

However, as time slowly passed, he couldn’t help feeling a bit of instinctual restlessness.

Senior Sister An couldn’t possibly…

Impossible, impossible. If she wanted to kill me, she would have done it by now, why the hesitation until now?

Maybe Senior Sister An is also hesitating…

That’s even less likely. For me, she could give up her own future, how could she betray me over such doubts?

Rational thoughts, emotions, and instincts waged a relentless battle in Ling Yunpo’s mind, tugging back and forth.

Reason told him there was no need for his Senior Sister to hesitate, emotions also insisted she couldn’t possibly choose to betray, only instincts kept feeding a strong sense of unease.

Ling Yunpo realized that deep within his heart, there was always an instinctual sense of insecurity, which was the natural anxiety not to trust anyone, spawned from the pressure of self-vigilance during his long spy career.

He had not genuinely wished to become a Shushan disciple when he joined Qingluo Peak’s ranks but had done so to seize the Heaven-Mending Stone fragment from the Shushan Shangqing Faction.

Should his scheme be exposed, there was no doubt he would be regarded as a traitor to Shushan, and then how would his Senior Sister view him, her “Junior Brother” who had schemed and infiltrated?

As soon as his thoughts slipped in this direction, Ling Yunpo would start to overthink, unable to completely eliminate the last bits of suspicion in his heart.

But the dragon before them seemed to have finally lost its patience. Looking at Ling Yunpo, who remained silent, and An Zhisu, determined and unwavering on the other side, it ultimately let out a long, turbid sigh, blowing their hair and robes rustling:

“Fine, this is so boring. You can go now.”

As its words fell, the dense mist immediately dispersed.

Ling Yunpo looked at Senior Sister An, who was close at hand, and his heart was suddenly filled with relief, as well as a sense of guilt and shame for having doubted her.

However, he concealed the latter feeling well, revealing a face that said “I knew it would be like this,” smiling as he reached out his hand:

“Senior Sister.”

“Hmm.” An Zhisu also reached out her hand, and they clasped hands.

Ling Yunpo immediately activated the Godspeed Talisman of the Thousand Mile Water Vein, and under the indifferent gaze of the Blade Mountain dragon, he transported away with An Zhisu.

After a long while, the dragon lazily yawned.

“…It seems I have won,” said a sword light emerging from behind the mountain belly. It was Qiu Changtian, the Kunlun Chief Disciple, riding his sword through the air, standing with his hands behind his back, speaking indifferently.

“Hmph.” The dragon snorted out sparks from its nostrils, “You already knew these two Shushan disciples, and knew they practiced the Sentiment Inquiry Path, didn’t you?”

“That’s irrelevant to our bet,” Qiu Changtian said with downturned eyelids, disinterestedly, “Or do you, Ying Long, intend to back down from the agreement?”

“Heh.” The dragon gave a smile that was not quite a smile, “Why would I go back on my word? Even a lost bet is to my advantage, after all.”

It folded its five-colored wings on its back and released its formidable dragon’s might, but not aimed at Qiu Changtian in the air, rather it radiated aimlessly in all directions.

Suddenly the Chijiang River almost came to a standstill, Blade Mountain crumbled inch by inch, and the heavens and earth seemed to change color at this moment.

Qiu Changtian, on his Yu Long Sword, appeared as though a small boat in a storm under this terrible dragon’s might, almost about to capsize.

After a while, the dragon then withdrew its oppressive presence, saying lazily:

“Are we done?”

Qiu Changtian steadied himself, looking bedraggled, and remained silent. Only after consulting the Kunlun Mirror in his mind and receiving the reply “Recording complete,” did he solemnly nod his head.

“Very well, remember your promise,” the dragon then spat out a Blood Bead, floating it over to his face, “If you get the chance to go to the Eastern Emperor Realm, go find my daughter and take her to the Beiming You Realm.”

“Where might your esteemed daughter be found? And what features does she have that can be identified by?” Qiu Changtian took out the Purifying Bottle, stored the Blood Bead, and asked seriously.

“Her nickname is ‘Long Hu,’” the dragon fell silent for a long time before answering, “She carries the bloodline of humans, dragons, and foxes, making her look like a white fox but with the golden pupils of a dragon. With such a mixed appearance, she should be unique in the Eastern Emperor Realm.”

“As for her location, I’ve been imprisoned in the tower for at least a hundred thousand years, how could I know? She’s likely with her mother. If you find her, tell her mother…”

“…Tell her mother what?”

“No, it’s nothing,” the dragon closed its eyelids, lying back on Blade Mountain, and coiled its body tightly again.