Ten Day Ultimatum

"Cough... cough..." Qiao Jiajin wheezed, feeling as though his insides had been pulverized.
Specs reacted swiftly, springing to his feet and struggling to right the iron plate.
"Quick! Come and help!" he shouted to the women behind him. "If these two fall, we’re all done for!"

Though terrified, the girls understood the urgency. Together, they bent down and exerted all their strength to move the iron plate.
Qi Xia ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) lay dazed on the ground. The bear’s assault had rattled him to his core. He couldn’t fathom how Qiao Jiajin had withstood two such attacks on his own.
"I hope that fat lou who ran off dies a miserable death," Qiao Jiajin cursed through gritted teeth.

"Strive for profit while avoiding peril... Such is human nature..." Qi Xia muttered, still lying prone. " states, {As for pursuing profit and avoiding peril, fearing death and cherishing life, these are but analogous inclinations}..."
"Did you hit your head and go crazy?" Qiao Jiajin opened his eyes with difficulty and glanced at him. "What does this have to do with some great f*cking general? If that lan-joeng hadn’t bailed on us, the iron plate wouldn’t have fallen..."
By now, the iron plate had been lifted back into position by the women. Specs leaned over and helped pull Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin to their feet. "Are you guys alright?"

The two rose unsteadily, propping up the iron plate.
"I wouldn’t say we’re {alright}, just {not dead} yet," Qiao Jiajin muttered, casting a wary glance at the Asiatic black bear.
After the collision, the bear appeared just as dazed. Its massive frame swayed, and it shook its head repeatedly, trying to regain focus.

"Let me take over this time!" Specs said, urging Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin to step back. "You two rest in the rear."
He assumed the position Qiao Jiajin had previously held—lowering his body and bracing the plate with his shoulders.
Specs looked visibly strained. His slender frame trembled under the weight, veins bulging on his forehead as he tried to adjust his footing to ease the burden.

"Damn... Why is this plate so heavy?" he muttered, shifting his stance in vain, yet the plate remained unyielding.
"My guy, it’s not that I don’t trust you," Qiao Jiajin said, shaking his head with a helpless smile. "But if we’re depending on you to hold this thing, it won’t matter if we’re in the back—we’ll all be dead anyway."
"H—How about you guys take over..." Specs suggested awkwardly, stepping aside.

With the team reorganized, Qiao Jiajin returned to the front behind the iron plate. The Asiatic black bear, having regained its senses, was already preparing to charge again—only this time, it noticed the middle-aged man standing alone.
"Oh no! Ole Lu!" Specs cried out in alarm. "Come here quickly!"
"Hmph." Qiao Jiajin sneered. "If that fat lou wants to die, let him."
"No..." Specs' expression hardened. "Ole Lu saved my life once. I can’t just leave him!"

"Foolish," Qiao Jiajin said flatly.
But before Specs could formulate a plan to save Ole Lu, the bear had moved to block the path.
It seemed to realize that if Ole Lu managed to reach the iron plate, it would no longer be able to attack him.

Specs' anxiety became palpable. After a few tense seconds, he turned to Qi Xia, desperation in his voice. "Can we save Ole Lu?"
Qi Xia’s gaze turned cold. "Certainly. Go ahead and save him. I won’t stop you."
Specs stammered, "I—I don’t know how to... I was hoping you could assist... You seem capable, can you—"

"No," Qi Xia cut him off. "If you want to save him, you must do it yourself."
Specs opened his mouth to protest but couldn’t find the words. After a brief silence, he realized he had no justification to ask someone else to risk their life for his friend.
He thought it over, gritted his teeth, and said, "Fine... I’ll go save him."

Releasing Qi Xia’s shirt, Specs fixed his eyes on the bear.
He took three exaggerated, deep breaths, shouted to pump himself up, stomped his right foot, and prepared to charge toward the bear.
At that moment, Qi Xia reached out to stop him.

"Aiyo! What the hell..." Specs nearly twisted his waist from the sudden jolt. "What are you doing?!"
"You’ll die if you go. Aren’t you afraid?" Qi Xia asked deliberately.
"Of course I’m f*cking afraid!" Specs shouted, on the verge of tears. "But I can’t just watch Ole Lu die!"

"In that case, I’ll make you a proposition," Qi Xia said, eyes fixed on the bear. "If I can ensure both of you survive, your winning {Dào}—both of yours—will belong to me."
"Huh?" Specs was stunned by the sudden and audacious demand, momentarily speechless.
"Of course, if you're unwilling, go try saving him yourself."

Qi Xia’s tone was firm, leaving Specs in a bind.
He and Ole Lu had risked everything to enter this game, and they now faced the chance of leaving empty-handed. The thought of that outcome weighed heavily.
"I can promise to give you my {Dào}, but as for Ole Lu..." Specs hesitated. "I can’t guarantee he’ll agree."

"Then vouch for him," Qi Xia replied. "Aren’t you two close?"
"I... I..." Specs wrestled with the thought, but eventually caved. "Alright. I’ll vouch for him. If we both survive, our {Dào} will be yours."
"Excellent," Qi Xia said, nodding. "Now, take off your shoes and hand them to me."

"What?"
"Your shoes," Qi Xia repeated.
Specs was bewildered but obeyed, quickly pulling off his soiled sneakers and handing them over.

Law of the Jungle: instinctive creatures are especially sensitive. The first taboo is to strike from behind, Qi Xia reminded himself.
He took one of the sneakers, weighed it in his hand, and without warning, hurled it forcefully—striking the bear squarely on its back.
Startled, the bear jolted violently and spun around, clearly confused.

The second taboo is to strike the nose.
Qi Xia flung the second shoe at the bear’s face. It hit the nose square on, and though the impact was minor, the bear staggered and reeled.
Now enraged, the Asiatic black bear abandoned Ole Lu and charged directly at Qi Xia, single-minded in its fury.

Qi Xia moved fast, yanking on Qiao Jiajin’s clothes to shift the iron plate into position.
The bear’s assault was wild and uncoordinated, its massive paws swiping indiscriminately.
Once, twice, three times.

Though it roared furiously, its strikes had lost their former intensity. Each blow was absorbed by the iron plate and Qiao Jiajin’s determined stance.
Amid the chaos, Ole Lu sprinted back to the group, diving into the defensive line just in time.