People are in the magic card, instigating rebellion against the world.

Chapter 144 You must let Kinomoto Sakura know that a man worthy of entrusting one's life to is never someone who relies on his looks!

……

Sunday arrived quickly.

The central square in Tomoeda Town was also packed with people.

The weather is unbelievably nice today.

The sky was azure, the sun was shining brightly, and a gentle breeze was blowing – it felt wonderful.

"Wow, there are so many people! It's even more lively than I expected!"

Sakura, wearing a light blue short wool coat and a white dress, stood at the entrance of the square, looking at the bustling crowd in front of her. Her dark green eyes sparkled with excitement, and she couldn't help but tug at Tomoyo beside her.

Tomoyo wore a brown vest dress, and her long black hair was tied into two playful pigtails, making her look quite lively.

She smiled and nodded: "Yes, it seems everyone is very enthusiastic about this riddle contest. It looks like people from the surrounding shops have also come to join in the fun."

Ye Hui stood beside them, his hands in his jeans pockets, leisurely surveying his surroundings.

A makeshift stage was set up in the center of the square, where staff were distributing number plates and competition rulebooks to the contestants. A number of residents had gathered around to watch the excitement, and the air was filled with laughter and chatter.

Just then, Li Meiling and Li Xiaolang walked towards them.

"Hmph, you guys are here pretty early, huh? Looks like you're really keen on winning the championship, aren't you?" Li Meiling put her hands on her hips, raised her chin slightly, her bright red tracksuit making her stand out, and she exuded fighting spirit. "But let me tell you, this time the championship is definitely ours! All the luxurious prizes will be ours too!"

After saying that, she jumped around on the spot, clenched her fists, and did some warm-up exercises while shouting slogans.

"One two! One two!"

Looking at Li Meiling's overly energetic appearance, Li Xiaolang silently put on a few black lines on his forehead and subconsciously took a step to the side, trying to create some distance between them.

He really didn't want others to see him standing next to such an "enthusiastic" partner.

"Little Wolf, where are you going?" Li Meiling reacted quickly, grabbing his collar with such force that he almost stumbled. "Aren't you going to warm up?"

"I...I won't go. I want to go over there to check out the competition rules and familiarize myself with them beforehand." Li Xiaolang struggled awkwardly for a moment, but couldn't break free, so he could only speak helplessly.

That wretched Ye Hui! Ever since he taught Meiling how to train her body, this girl's strength has been growing stronger and stronger!

Without using magic, he even felt like he couldn't beat Meiling normally!
However, it seems that it was he who helped persuade Ye Hui to accept Meiling's requests for advice back then.
So, in a way, it seems he created a lot of trouble for himself.

I'm not happy.

"What rules are you looking at! The competition is about to start, we need to warm up first, loosen up our muscles and joints so we can perform well!" Li Meiling pulled him back without saying a word, and patted his arm, as if to say, "Listen to me and you'll never go wrong."

Ye Hui held his forehead.

Li Xiaolang, it seems your position in the family is quite precarious.

You watched with schadenfreude as the genius disciple Li Xiaolang was completely manipulated by the body-cultivating girl Li Meiling!

Just then, Sakura's eyes lit up, and she waved to someone not far away: "Chiharu! Yamazaki-kun! You're here too!"

Chiharu and Yamazaki heard the sound, turned around and saw them, then walked towards them.

Yamazaki, still with his eyes narrowed, calmly said, "Good morning, everyone. Judging from this lively scene, today's match is likely to be very intense."

The voice just fell.

He then launched into his extraordinary knowledge sharing: "Did you know that the world's earliest riddle game actually originated in ancient Greece?"

"Back then, people would use riddles to test each other's wisdom, and those who couldn't answer them would be punished."

"Huh? Really? What kind of punishment is it?" Sakura asked curiously as she leaned closer.

"Well..." Yamazaki deliberately prolonged his words, keeping everyone in suspense, before slowly saying, "Legend has it that in ancient Greece, anyone who couldn't answer the Sphinx's riddle would be eaten by it."

"Huh?!" Sakura was startled and instinctively took a step back, looking surprised. "There were monsters back then?"

Ye Hui's lips twitched as he listened from the side.

You big liar, you're at it again.

However, Ye Hui did actually know the riddle of the Sphinx that he mentioned.

"Four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, one leg in the evening—the answer is a human, right?" Ye Hui directly stole Yamazaki's line and calmly gave the answer.

Yamazaki was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with excitement at finding a kindred spirit. He grabbed Ye Hui's hand and shook it vigorously: "Ye Hui! I never expected you to know this ancient riddle! You're amazing! You truly are a man I admire!"

Seeing that Yamazaki was having another episode, Chiharu quickly stepped forward and pulled him back, apologizing repeatedly to Ye Hui and the others: "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, he just can't stop talking about these strange things, please don't take it seriously..."

Ye Hui smiled and waved his hand: "It's nothing."

Just as they were chatting and laughing, an apologetic voice came from afar.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late."

Everyone looked back.

The snow rabbit trotted over, its forehead damp with a light sheen of sweat.

He stopped, took a breath, and explained, "I wanted to buy breakfast before coming here this morning, but none of the nearby breakfast shops were open. I had to take a long detour, so it took me a bit longer."

"It's alright, Yukito-nii, the competition hasn't started yet, you don't need to rush." ​​Sakura quickly waved her hand, showing understanding, and her tone was even gentler than usual.

Yukito looked at Sakura and couldn't help but smile, his eyes so tender they could melt your heart: "Let's work hard together today and try to get good results, okay, Sakura?"

"Mmm!" Sakura nodded vigorously, her cheeks flushed, and she felt as if she were walking on clouds, about to float away.

Ye Hui watched her like this and sighed softly in his heart.

It's not entirely unreasonable to blame Sakura for her IQ plummeting whenever she encounters Yukito.

Indeed, Yuecheng's large, watery eyes, which appear both indifferent and gentle, would dazzle anyone who saw them.

No wonder he was able to win over Sakura and her brother so easily.

Besides his magical powers, Yukito's personal charm and appearance are undeniable.

Looking at the love-struck Kinomoto Sakura, a disciple of the Heavenly Spiritual Root, you were filled with disdain! You decided to display your superior wisdom later! To let her know that a truly worthy man doesn't rely on looks!

Ye Hui chatted with the others for only a few minutes.

On the stage in the center of the square, the host walked up with a microphone.

He was dressed in a formal suit, with a warm smile on his face, waving to the audience.

"Good morning, everyone! Welcome to the first annual riddle-solving and adventure competition in Tomoeda Town!"

The host's voice was transmitted through the speakers throughout the square, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

A burst of enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

Many contestants held up their number plates, instantly creating a lively atmosphere.

"Over the next day, everyone will follow the clues and embark on a fun adventure in our beautiful town of Tomoeda!"

"I hope everyone can find joy in the competition and also learn more about the small town we live in!"

"Now, before the competition officially begins, I'd like to explain the competition rules in detail. Please listen carefully!"

The host cleared his throat, took out a rule sheet, and explained it item by item: "First, I will announce the first question here."

"Once everyone can successfully solve this question, they can go to the staff next to them and receive a slip of paper with a clue to the next destination."

"After arriving at the next destination, everyone will receive a second question. Only after answering it correctly can they obtain a clue to proceed to the third level."

"There are ten questions in this competition, each corresponding to a different location."

"For each question solved, the staff will stamp a unique seal on everyone's participation certificate."

"Only after this entry pass is stamped with ten seals can everyone obtain a clue to the final destination!"

"This clue is crucial; without it, even if we find the final location, it doesn't count."

"At the final destination, there is a small relief with the same design as the one on everyone's entry pass, and it is engraved with the Dianthus chinensis, the town flower of Tomoeda."

"Please make sure to return to this square as quickly as possible after finding this relief!"

"The first team to bring the relief back to the square will be the champion of this competition! They will receive our grand prize—the latest game console and a hot spring trip for two!"

When the host mentioned the prizes, he deliberately raised his voice, which immediately drew envious gasps from the audience.

He paused, then added, "One more thing to remind everyone: if you don't collect all ten stamps and just happen to find the relief, even if you bring it back, it doesn't count as a result. You must strictly follow the process and complete all the levels! So if you find it, please don't touch it randomly."

The host explained the rules in detail.

Chiharu listened with some nervousness and whispered to Yamazaki beside her, "It sounds like it's going to be really difficult. We have to find ten places and answer questions. What if we can't answer them?"

Yamazaki, however, looked confident and patted his chest: "No problem, Chiharu. This kind of question-and-answer format is fair to both adults and children, and solving riddles relies on intelligence, so we can definitely do it."

Ye Hui looked down at the competition certificate in his hand.

On the light blue card is printed a white Dianthus chinensis flower, with delicate and exquisite petal lines.

He was somewhat surprised.

I never expected that the flower of Tomoeda Town would be Dianthus superbus.

He had initially thought it would be the more common cherry blossoms.

He turned his head and smiled at Tomoyo beside him: "It seems that this competition is more interesting than I imagined. I can answer questions and explore the whole of Tomoeda Town at the same time. It's great."

Tomoyo's purple eyes curved into a beautiful arc as she nodded gently: "Yes, I'm looking forward to it too. Maybe we can discover some interesting places in Tomoeda Town that we haven't noticed before."

The prizes for this competition were not valuable to either Ye Hui or her; in fact, they were negligible.

But the process and experience of participating in the competition, and being able to go on adventures with my best friends, are actually more important.

Seeing the knowing expressions on everyone's faces, the host raised the microphone and announced with a smile, "Alright, everyone understands the rules, so I hereby declare the first Tomoeda Town Riddle Adventure Contest officially open!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two staff members carried up a display board with the first question written on it.

"Ten matchsticks can be used to make a beautiful five-pointed star. Please use the same ten matchsticks to make another star."

"Ten matchsticks... how do you arrange them to form another star?"

"This is so difficult! Besides a five-pointed star, what other stars can be made with ten matchsticks?"

The participating teams gathered around the display board, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

Some people stretched out their hands and gestured the shape of a matchstick in the air, while others frowned and pondered deeply.

For a moment, the square was filled with the soft murmur of discussion.

"What would another star be like?" Sakura stared at the question, lost in thought.

Her mind was filled with the shapes of stars in the sky, but no matter how hard she thought about it, only the five-pointed star was the most common, and she couldn't think of any other shapes.

Snow Rabbit stood beside her, looking at the question, tapping her chin lightly with her fingers, seemingly pondering the answer, but a smile played on her lips.

"Little Wolf, think about it quickly! We can't fall behind in the first round; we have to win at the starting line!"

Li Meiling, with a determined look on her face, put her hands on her hips, stared at Li Xiaolang, and urged him on.

Li Xiaolang's lips twitched.

So all that warming up was for nothing?
Are you just going to let him rack his brains by himself?
Meanwhile, Yamazaki began his science popularization session.

"Speaking of stars, the earliest people to conduct systematic research on stars were actually the ancient Babylonians."

"They divided the sky into different areas and named the constellations after mythological figures, such as the familiar Leo and Scorpio, which originated from that time..."

Chiharu sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. Then she reached out and gently tugged at Yamazaki's sleeve, whispering, "Yamazaki, we need to solve the problem first. We can talk about the science later."

Ye Hui looked at the group of people scratching their heads and found it somewhat amusing.

This question is actually a very simple riddle. The key is not to be bound by the preconceived notion that stars are celestial bodies in the sky.

He turned his head to look at Tomoyo beside him, wanting to see if his clever Tomoyo-chan had figured out the answer.

Tomoyo frowned slightly, her gaze fixed on the title of the display board, and she read softly, "Another... star..."

Seeing her serious expression, Ye Hui had a sudden thought. He leaned closer to her and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Zhi Shi, think about it, besides referring to the stars shining in the sky, does the word 'star' have any other meaning?"

"Some other meaning? Like the words themselves?" Tomoyo paused for a moment, then followed Ye Hui's train of thought.

Ten matches, arranged in the shape of the star, seem to be just enough...

A few seconds later, Tomoyo's eyes lit up as she looked at Ye Hui, a smile playing on her lips: "Ye Hui-kun, I understand!"

【Daodaiji Chiyo’s Emotion Value +7】

Looking at her adorable appearance, Ye Hui smiled and nodded: "It seems we've thought of the same thing. Ten matches are just enough to form the strokes of the character 'star'."

[You successfully guided Tomoyo Goho Daidoji to solve the riddle with your suggestive words! Watching her adorable expression of sudden realization, you felt a surge of pleasure, like you were giving her a lesson!]

You idiot system, hurry up and get it working!
Ye Hui turned to look at Xiaoying.

Coincidentally, the snow rabbit also arrived at the answer.

"Sakura, I understand," Yukito said with a smile to Sakura, who was still deep in thought.

"Eh? Yukito-kun, you know? What is it?" Sakura immediately looked up at him curiously.

Snow Rabbit picked up a small twig from the ground and gently wrote a large "star" on the cement ground of the square.

"The other star is the Chinese character for 'star'. Ten matchsticks can be used to make up its strokes. The question didn't actually say it had to be in the shape of a star in the sky."

Sakura looked at the blurry words on the ground and suddenly realized, slapping her head: "Oh, I see! How could I not have thought of that! I was so focused on the shape of the stars that I completely forgot about the words themselves!"

Interestingly, Ye Hui and Xue Tu confirmed their answers almost simultaneously.

The two groups walked one after the other toward the table where the staff were.

"Hello, we know the answer to the first question," Ye Hui said to the staff member first.

The staff member looked up, a familiar expression appearing on his face.

(╬_) Staring— Ye Hui: ...

So, he's here to work again?

【Kinomoto Touya’s Emotion Value +10】

"Touya?" Yukito looked at his good friend in the blue staff uniform and was somewhat surprised.

He didn't expect that the staff member in charge of the first level would be Touya.

Sakura was even more stunned, her eyes wide open: "Onii-chan?! What are you doing here?"

She thought her brother had gone to work somewhere again today.

I never expected to end up working as a staff member at a riddle-solving contest!
But then she thought about it again and realized it was perfectly reasonable.

Oh right, this can be considered a form of part-time work!

Touya's gaze swept over his younger sister, then landed precisely on Ye Hui.

【Kinomoto Touya’s Emotion Value +89】

Ye Hui blinked and muttered to himself.

He didn't do anything weird to your little sister.

Besides, Sakura's teammate right now is Yukito, not him...

I haven't seen Touya for a few days, and he seems to be even sicker.

[You sense the hostility from your elder brother, a disciple with a Heavenly Spiritual Root! He sees you as his greatest enemy, the one who stole your sister's position as the top disciple of the Myriad Laws Immortal Sect!]

"Why can't I be here?" Touya looked away and answered calmly, "I also need to earn money to support my family."

He looked at Xue Tu, his tone softening considerably, and the sharpness in his eyes disappearing: "Xue Tu, you've come to participate in the competition too?"

Ye Hui complained in his heart.

Stop pretending! You must have known all along that Snow Rabbit would come!
"Well, I happened to have some free time today, so I came with Sakura to have some fun and see the sights of Tomoeda Town," Yukito replied with a smile.

Touya nodded, and when he turned to Tomoyo, he said gently, "Tomoyo's here too."

"Yes, Touya-nii," Tomoyo replied politely, a faint smile playing on her lips.

At last.

Touya's gaze returned to Ye Hui, his tone returning to its previous indifferent tone: "So, what is your answer?"

Ye Hui secretly rejoiced at the way he treated her differently.

Sigh~ They asked everyone but not me.

However, he didn't mind. He picked up ten matchsticks from the staff member's table and calmly arranged them into a neat "star" shape on the table.

"The answer is this." Ye Hui pointed to the word "match" on the table.

Touya raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He simply took out a seal engraved with a Dianthus chinensis flower from the drawer.

【Kinomoto Touya’s Emotion Value +8】

He stamped Ye Hui's and Xiao Ying's competition certificates, then took out two slips of paper with clues written on them and handed them over: "Alright, take the clues and go to the next place."

at this time.

Li Xiaolang and Li Meiling also ran over, panting.

Panting, Li Meiling shouted, "We know the answer too!"

Li Xiaolang was stunned when he saw Touya.

He hadn't expected that Touya Kinomoto would be in charge of answering the questions, but he still nodded politely as a greeting.

Touya glanced at him, her gaze still not exactly friendly, but much gentler than when she looked at Ye Hui.

Ye Hui had no idea what Touya, that repressed and introverted guy, was thinking, and he couldn't be bothered to care, so he just let him be.

After obtaining the clues, Ye Hui and his team prepared to leave.

Touya suddenly said to Sakura, "Don't fall when we're looking for a place to rest, or you'll start crying again."

"I won't! Onii-chan, don't underestimate me!" Sakura stuck out her tongue and retorted defiantly. She raised her head, grabbed Yukito's sleeve, and walked forward.

Ye Hui opened the clue slip of paper in his hand.

There was no text on it, only a simple line drawing.

The art style is quite cute.

A teddy bear wearing a small hat is sitting on the ground.

There were several colorful building blocks piled up next to it, with small dots drawn on them.

"What is this? A teddy bear? And building blocks?" Sakura tilted her head, trying to figure it out, but she had no clue.

Snow Rabbit looked down at the note, a gentle smile on her face. She lightly tapped the teddy bear in the drawing with her finger: "It's very cute. I guess this should be a clue to our next destination. We need to think about it carefully."

Sakura nodded, and then together with Yukito, they began to study what the teddy bear actually represented.

Alright, you two can take your time to figure it out. Anyway, for these two, the process is definitely more important than the result in this competition.

Ye Hui turned his head and looked at Zhi Shi beside him.

Tomoyo looked down at the clue slip in her hand, her long eyelashes drooping and fluttering, casting a gentle shadow under her eyelids.

At this moment, her fair and delicate fingers gently stroked the edge of the note, as if she already had an idea.

Ye Hui smiled and said, "Zhi Shi, have you figured out where this clue leads?"

Tomoyo looked up, her gaze falling on Ye Hui's face, and a smile curved her lips: "Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, this should be Masaki-nee's toy store."

"Oh? Why do you say that?" Ye Hui asked knowingly.

"Because at the entrance of Masaki-nee's toy store, there is a teddy bear sign that looks exactly like the one on the note. The teddy bear is also wearing a little hat, and it's the symbol of her store."

"Moreover, her shop mainly sells various toys, and building blocks are one of the most popular ones. I think I've seen this building block with the dot on it before, so I think it should be there."

Zhi Shi explains things clearly and logically.

"That's amazing, you figured it out so quickly." Ye Hui smiled and snapped his fingers.

As expected of Tomoyo-chan!

Knowing the world is power!
[Look at how clever and quick-witted Daidoji Tomoyo is! She solved the trial puzzle in no time! No wonder she's the one you chose to turn; she's just that outstanding!]

Ye Hui looked at the system log and felt a surge of relief.

This system has finally spoken something sensible!

"Let's hurry up, Snow Rabbit! Otherwise, someone else will get there first!"

Meanwhile, Sakura also came to a conclusion and, pulling Yukito along, prepared to set off.

Ye Hui and Zhi Shi followed behind them, walking slowly forward.

Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. A gentle breeze carries a slight chill, but it is not cold; rather, it brings a sense of comfort.

Of course, this is on the premise that you are dressed warmly enough.

"Ye Hui-jun, do you think we can win?" Zhi Shi walked beside Ye Hui, turned her head, and asked softly.

Ye Hui smiled and said, "If you want to win, the championship will definitely be ours."

Looking at his confident demeanor, Zhi Shi's eyes curved into a smile, and she nodded slightly: "Yes, I believe in Ye Huijun."

【Daodaiji Chiyo’s Emotion Value +8】

Ye Hui felt a warmth in his heart.

Wow, being trusted by Tomoyo-chan like this makes me even more motivated, haha!

"However, Sakura also really wants to win the championship." Tomoyo recalled Sakura's earlier words.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way," Ye Hui said calmly.

【Daodaiji Chiyo’s Emotion Value +7】

Walked for a while.

Ye Hui suddenly turned into a side alley.

"Let's go this way, it's a shortcut and it'll be much faster."

Sakura followed behind him, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar alleyway before her, and exclaimed admiringly, "Ye Hui-kun, you're amazing! You actually knew about such a hidden alley! I never knew this place led to Masaki-nee's shop!"

[Kinomoto Sakura's emotional value +7]

Ye Hui led them through a shortcut that was rarely used, greatly shortening the journey to the Zhenshu store.

From this perspective, the system's map function isn't entirely useless.
soon.

At the end of the alley, a cozy little shop appeared, with a huge teddy bear sign hanging at the entrance.

"That's Maki-neechan's shop up ahead!" Sakura pointed to the shop in the distance and shouted excitedly.

Masaki was standing at the shop entrance organizing goods when he saw them coming. He immediately greeted them warmly, "Welcome!"

"Masaki-neechan!" Sakura ran over to greet her.

"Oh, it's you guys! You've come to participate in the riddle-solving contest too?"

"Yes! We just solved the first puzzle and followed the clues to get here!"

"Then you guys better do your best! The prizes this time are really generous, including the latest game consoles."

"Okay, we will!"

Masaki winked at them and stepped aside.

"Come in quickly, the question for the second round is in the store, I'll go get it for you right away."

When she came back, she asked, "To turn ice into water, you usually need to put it outside the freezer and let it melt slowly."

"But there is a way to turn ice into water in an instant. What is this method?"

"Turn ice into water?" Sakura stared at the question, lost in thought.

She thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up, and she replied, "I know! Pour very hot water on it! The hot water is so hot that the ice will melt instantly!"

Masaki listened, smiled and shook his head, patiently explaining, "That's not right, Sakura. The question specifically emphasizes 'in an instant.' Although pouring hot water on it is faster than melting naturally, it still requires a melting process, so it can't really be considered 'in an instant.'"

"Huh? What's the solution?" Sakura was stumped, her brows furrowed.

Tomoyo was also thinking seriously.

Like the first question, this one is clearly not testing common sense, but rather a brain teaser that requires thinking outside the box.

Ye Hui noticed their confusion and offered a timely prompt: "Think about it, besides representing physical objects, what connection do the words 'ice' and 'water' have in terms of the words themselves? Is it possible to turn ice into water without changing the physical objects?"

Tomoyo paused for a moment, then silently wrote those two words in her mind.

【Daodaiji Chiyo’s Emotion Value +7】

"If you erase the two water dots above the character for 'ice,' it becomes the character for 'water,' right?"

“Absolutely correct.” Ye Hui nodded with a smile.

"Ah, I see!" Sakura paused. "How come I didn't think of that? I feel so stupid."

“Sakura isn’t stupid, she just hasn’t thought about it that way,” Tomoyo gently comforted her.

“That’s right, that’s right. Our Sakura is a genius girl. It’s normal for her to get stuck on riddles occasionally,” Ye Hui chimed in.

Sakura smiled shyly after being coaxed by the two of them.

[Kinomoto Sakura's emotional value +6]

Congratulations, you answered correctly!

Masaki smiled, picked up the stamp, and stamped the second Dianthus chinensis stamp on Ye Hui and the others' competition certificates. He then took out a new clue slip from the drawer and handed it to them.

"This is a clue to the next destination. I wish you all the best in clearing the next level."

“Arigato, Masaki-neechan!” Sakura said.

The group then left the toy store with the clues.

"Let's quickly find out where our next destination is!"

As soon as I stepped out of the store.

Sakura couldn't wait to open the note.

The drawing depicts a round, chubby penguin with its belly sticking out, looking adorable.

"It's the Penguin Park!" Sakura recognized it at a glance. "The Penguin Park isn't far from here, only a ten-minute walk. Let's go!"

Ye Hui and Zhi Shi nodded in agreement, and Yukito followed with a smile. The group began to walk towards the penguin park.

Sure enough, they didn't walk far before they saw the entrance to the park.

A huge penguin sculpture stands at the entrance, which is the symbol of the penguin park.

As soon as I entered the park.

Ye Hui saw a young girl in a staff uniform standing at the bottom of the slide, holding a stack of question cards.

When the girl saw them approaching, she smiled sweetly and greeted them, "Welcome to Penguin Park! Are you here to participate in the riddle-solving contest?"

(End of this chapter)