Chapter 123: Brain Teasers
"For someone as cool as you, I wonder what Realm your Cultivation is at?" Ye Xing asked curiously.
"I’m—" The young Sikong Xingxing rolled his eyes. "Why should I tell you!"
"Alright, if you don’t want to say, you don’t have to." Ye Xing’s eyes glinted, and he smiled. "By the way, didn’t you say you know everything? Since the Spiritual Treasure hasn’t appeared yet and we’re just bored, how about I test you with a few simple questions? I bet you won’t be able to answer them."
"Hmph, there’s very little in this world I don’t know! Forget the Four Directions and Hundred Countries; I even know seventy or eighty percent of the secrets of the Central Plains Martial Arts," Sikong Xingxing said, tilting his head back proudly.
"Haha, my questions aren’t about Martial Arts, just a few fun riddles." Ye Xing chuckled. "The first one is: A person is walking on a beach. Why can’t they see their own footprints when they look back?"
After Ye Xing finished, Sikong Xingxing froze for a moment, then said with a disdainful look, "Hmph, and you said it wasn’t about Martial Arts. This is clearly a question about a Martial Artist. Besides, your question is so easy. Walking on the beach without leaving footprints? It’s because the person is an Innate Realm Martial Artist! They can release their True Qi, use the Lightweight Grass Flying Skill, and walk on snow without a trace. They wouldn’t leave the slightest mark on a beach."
"What if this person is just an ordinary person, not some Innate Realm Martial Artist?" Ye Xing said with a slight smile.
"An ordinary person?" Sikong Xingxing was taken aback, then frowned. "How is that possible? How could an ordinary person walk on a beach without leaving footprints?"
"But he is an ordinary person. Want to know the answer?" Ye Xing smiled.
"Hmph, then tell me what’s going on. I refuse to believe an ordinary person can walk on a beach without leaving footprints. The sand is so soft, and ordinary people don’t have a Lightweight Skill. Any step would leave a print. How could there be no footprints?" Sikong Xingxing said, his face full of disbelief.
"Haha, I never said there were no footprints," Ye Xing said. "I only said he couldn’t see his own footprints when he looked back. That’s because he was walking backward!"
"Walking backward?" Sikong Xingxing was completely dumbfounded.
"That’s right, walking backward," Ye Xing said. "When you walk backward, your footprints are in front of you. There are no footprints behind you, so of course you can’t see any when you look back."
"That works too?! That actually sounds pretty reasonable!" Sikong Xingxing’s interest was suddenly piqued. "Your riddles are pretty interesting. Give me another one! I’ll definitely get it right this time."
"Alright, then. Second question: Two prisoners are locked in a cell. One is a thief who must be imprisoned for a year. The other is a murderous robber who is only locked up for half a month. Why?" Ye Xing asked.
"Heh, this one’s easy. It’s because the murderer has connections, someone in the Government Office." Sikong Xingxing said smugly. "I’ve seen this kind of thing plenty of times. I’m definitely right this time!"
"Wrong!" Ye Xing said in a low voice. "The murderer is only locked up for half a month because he’s going to be executed."
"That... I’m wrong again!" Sikong Xingxing’s pride took a major blow. His previous carefree demeanor vanished. He rolled up his sleeves and said defiantly, "Again! Give me another riddle! I refuse to believe I can’t answer it."
"You couldn’t answer the first two, so forget it. I’ll lower the difficulty for the third one. Listen up. Third question: Is a goat with a beard a female goat or a male goat?" Ye Xing asked with a smile.
"Ugh, your questions are getting weirder and weirder." Sikong Xingxing was taken aback and complained, "Why ask about goats? I’ve never really paid attention to them. Who has the time to be so bored that they go around observing goats?"
Sikong Xingxing frowned in deep thought.
After a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Haha, I know the answer! It’s a male goat! Only male goats have beards. It’s just like people—the ones with beards are almost always men, and women don’t have them. I’m right, aren’t I?"
Sikong Xingxing’s tone was triumphant, and he looked at Ye Xing expectantly. He was desperate to win a round back. After all, he had just been boasting to Ye Xing that he was omniscient. But he had gotten two questions in a row wrong, which made him feel like he’d lost face. He had to even the score, and fast.
"Wrong!" Ye Xing shook his head.
"How am I wrong again? If the answer isn’t a male goat, don’t tell me it’s a female goat," Sikong Xingxing said.
"Still wrong!" Ye Xing said with a slight smile.
"Still wrong? It’s not a male goat, and it’s not a female goat. Then what’s the answer?" Sikong Xingxing was completely baffled.
"The answer is that all goats, male and female, have beards," Ye Xing laughed. "If you don’t believe me, you can go find a few goats and see for yourself if both males and females have them."
"This is infuriating! Infuriating!" Sikong Xingxing scratched his head furiously. Ye Xing had completely stoked the fires of his curiosity. "Another one! Give me another one! I refuse to believe I can’t get it right! I’ll definitely answer correctly this time!" He was fidgeting and scratching his head, looking just like one of those little kids from Earth who, despite never getting a single answer right, gets addicted to trying, their curiosity uncontrollably tickled.
"Heh, I’m not asking any more." Ye Xing pursed his lips. "I asked you three questions and you didn’t get a single one right. This is no fun. I’m done."
"No, wait! One more! Just ask one more question! I’ll absolutely get it this time," Sikong Xingxing said hurriedly.
"No more questions, no more!" Ye Xing said, shaking his head, while laughing inwardly. ’You little punk, how dare you act all high and mighty with Master Xing? I just have to set a little trap with a few brain teasers to run you in circles. Just a little kid, hehe.’
"Hurry up and ask! One more riddle! Please, just one more!" Sikong Xingxing pleaded and urged him on.
A glint appeared in Ye Xing’s eyes. He leisurely squinted and smiled. "If you want me to ask another question, that’s fine. But you have to satisfy my curiosity first. Tell me, what Realm is your Cultivation at?"
"Fine, I’ll tell you! My Cultivation is at the Postnatal Seventh Layer of the Martial Dao! Now hurry up and ask your question!" Sikong Xingxing urged impatiently.
’Martial Arts Seventh Realm?’ Ye Xing was shocked. ’Even though I was prepared for it, I was still taken aback. To have a Cultivation at the Martial Arts Seventh Realm at only sixteen or seventeen... this Sikong Xingxing’s background must be terrifyingly powerful.’
"Your questions are so unique! I’ve never heard anything like them before; they’re fascinating. Hurry up and ask! Don’t just stand there stunned! Ask the question! I have to get it right this time," Sikong Xingxing said.
"Okay, fourth question. At an inn, two fathers and two sons are eating. Each person orders a steak that costs seventy copper plates, but when they pay the bill, it only comes to two hundred and ten Copper Coins. Why is that?" Ye Xing asked.
"How can it be two hundred and ten? That’s not right. It should be two hundred and eighty Copper Coins." Sikong Xingxing started scratching his head, frowning in deep thought.