Time resumed its flow, and the lingering frost in the air brought a cold chill.
Zhou Qian felt the fog in front of him thicken. He could see a silhouette weaving through the fog. Pushing him aside, it rushed directly towards the body on the ground.
It was Yun Xiangrong, tightly hugging Gao Shan’s body. She must be in utter despair and sadness now, but due to the fog, Zhou Qian couldn’t discern her expression.
Putting away the bone in his hand, Zhou Qian stood up and said to Yun Xiangrong in a very indifferent tone, “Time is of the essence. You can cry for five minutes. After that, please move aside. I need to extract the bullet from his body to see if there’s an ‘S’ engraved on it.”
He Xiaowei, standing nearby, found this comment utterly absurd. He couldn’t help but rush over and say, “Dude, are you out of your mind?”
“He’s already dead. The body is of no use now,” Zhou Qian responded. “For the smooth progress of our mission, I need to verify the bullet in his body.”
“It’s impossible.” Yun Xiangrong’s voice trembled. Crouching down, holding Gao Shan’s hand, she didn’t even look at Zhou Qian. “If you dare touch Shan Ge, I swear I’ll go all out against you. I’m contacting Qi Liuxing right now. He… He will bring the clock. Shan Ge will be revived; he’s not dead… He’ll wake up soon! Stay away from him! I won’t allow you to touch him!”
“Actually, you should be more rational. In this game, you can use gold coins to exchange for what you want, right? So you can totally revive him. Now that he’s dead and useless, if you clear the level faster, you can revive him sooner. You should make full use of his body.” Zhou Qian crouched next to Yun Xiangrong, unexpectedly pulling out a small knife and attempting to make an incision on Gao Shan’s body.
Yun Xiangrong swiftly pushed him away, angrily slapped him across the face, and then grabbed him by the collar, glaring fiercely. From this close proximity, Zhou Qian could clearly see the redness and bloodshot eyes. Her hands were shaking, and her voice was trembling to the extreme. “If you dare harm a hair on his body, I swear, I’ll make your life a living hell!”
The fog thickened so much that Zhou Qian couldn’t even clearly see Yun Xiangrong’s reddened eyes anymore. The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly. Room 6, which had witnessed Gao Shan’s death, was slowly drifting away from him.
At this moment, facing Yun Xiangrong, Zhou Qian turned his head slightly, constantly glancing behind. A swift shadow moved through the fog without making a sound. After being pushed away by Yun Xiangrong, Zhou Qian stepped back several paces, stopping only when his back hit the wall beside Room 6.
Pretending to glance unintentionally, he noticed that the room number had changed back to “6”.
Everything he said to provoke Yun Xiangrong was deliberate. Their argument, combined with He Xiaowei’s intervention, provided the perfect opportunity for Lu Mengmeng to switch back the room number.
Zhou Qian quickly looked away, acting as if he knew nothing, his attention seemingly still on Gao Shan’s body. His tone was cold and mocking. “Honestly, Yun Xiangrong, there’s no need for you to be so upset. Why did Gao Shan go to Room 6? The game’s clues clearly indicated one thing—the safe room isn’t constant. If he couldn’t figure that out, it’s his own foolishness to blame.”
As Zhou Qian continued, He Xiaowei couldn’t bear it any longer. “Dude, are you messed up? It’s a life we’re talking about. Why are you saying such things, especially in front of his girlfriend—”
Interrupting Zhou Qian, Situ Qing stepped forward, her voice raised due to the fog, “Interesting. I think you’re the one who got Gao Shan killed. And now you even want to touch his body.”
This statement made He Xiaowei recoil in fear. He immediately stepped back, distancing himself from Zhou Qian. “What do you mean? Why is Zhou Qian responsible for Gao Shan’s death?”
Situ Qing said, “Because Zhou Qian came out of room 7 very early, but he has been hiding and not making any sound. I guess he indeed found some patterns, confirming that room 7 is safe. However, he’s not sure if his pattern is valid, so he needed someone to test it.”
“After he came out of Room 7… No, we don’t even know if he ever went into Room 7. He might have pretended to enter Room 7, but he never did. We can’t confirm this. This thick fog makes it really convenient for him to hide.”
“Anyway, when we called him, we didn’t hear his voice. We thought he was in Room 7, but he wasn’t. He was hiding in the corridor, watching us like a lurking killer. But he couldn’t escape my sight. So I used my skill on him.”
He Xiaowei immediately said, “Hiss! No wonder I felt like it was snowing.”
Situ Qing continued, “When I found out he wasn’t in Room 7 but in the corridor, I guessed his malicious intentions.”
“That’s why I used my skill on him—to force him out of hiding. Once he ran, he would definitely be exposed, and he couldn’t continue lying in front of everyone.”
“I used my skill only to expose him, but… I don’t know why Gao Shan ran into Room 6. Anyway… He might have been influenced by Zhou Qian, thinking that if 7 is safe, then 6 is definitely too.”
What Situ Qing said didn’t deceive Yun Xiangrong. She probably didn’t intend to deceive her.
She revealed her murderous intent early on, even deliberately attracting Yun Xiangrong’s attention. From the beginning, her plan was to attract all the guards and hatred, letting Lu Mengmeng deceive them in the dark.
They just didn’t succeed and changed their strategy halfway through.
Since Situ Qing couldn’t deceive Yun Xiangrong, she had two main reasons for saying such things:
First, she wanted He Xiaowei to doubt Zhou Qian and not form an alliance with him.
Second, she bore all the hatred, not exposing Lu Mengmeng and letting Zhou Qian believe that she was his only enemy.
So, on one side were Situ Qing, Lu Mengmeng, and He Xiaowei; on the other side were Zhou Qian and Yun Xiangrong.
In her eyes, it was at least a three against two situation.
Of course, through Zhou Qian’s deliberate creation of conflicts, Situ Qing now believed that Zhou Qian and Yun Xiangrong probably wouldn’t form an alliance.
Zhou Qian was happy to let her continue thinking this way, hoping she would think even Yun Xiangrong would turn against her, making it four against one.
Zhou Qian pretended not to know that Lu Mengmeng had exchanged the numbers. He didn’t seem to mind being accused by Situ Qing at all. He didn’t even bother to defend himself and just stood there arrogantly.
He walked up to Situ Qing and looked at her contemptuously. “There are only 35 minutes left for this level. Do you want to waste time playing murder mystery, pointing fingers at each other over who killed Gao Shan, or focus on clearing the level?”
“I’ve said it, I’m not interested in the side quests.” Situ Qing replied coldly.
“Really? But I don’t believe…” Zhou Qian stared into her eyes, trying to peer into her soul. “Everyone here has a wish, but who could fulfill it? Have you ever doubted that a god created this game? Have you thought that only by digging through the hidden achievements of each instance can you get closer to him? For instance…”
Lifting his hand, Zhou Qian showed off the Rib of God he had.
Flaunting the bone, Zhou Qian said, “Even if we don’t talk about such mysterious things. You shouldn’t ignore side quests and hidden achievements. Just for the experience points, what you can get from hidden achievements is not comparable to quickly completing the main quest. You might not match one hidden achievement even after completing 20 normal instances. Not to mention the special rare skills, items, and lots of gold that can be obtained through side quests. So, if someone suggests you only play the main quest…”
With malicious intent in his eyes, Zhou Qian sneered at Situ Qing, “Have you ever thought that the person giving you this advice might just not want you to become stronger?”
“I once raised a cat. I wanted it to be smarter—even learn to use the toilet. But I didn’t want it to be too smart. Because if it was too smart, it might have its own thoughts, become disobedient, and not be controlled by me.”
When Zhou Qian finished saying this, Situ Qing’s face turned pale.
Seeing her expression, Zhou Qian laughed. He knew he had probably guessed right.
From the moment they entered Room 701, when they tried to talk to Jiang Yuqing, Situ Qing stood by the window without speaking, just occasionally glancing at her watch. When they tried to find clues from the photos, Situ Qing stood outside the door, still occasionally glancing at her watch, then suddenly said she didn’t care about the side quest at all…
Furthermore, looking at her personal situation, she had a strong ability to act, but her intelligence and strategies were clearly average. Under these circumstances, if she wanted to kill and took the smart approach, it could only be because she was being instructed by someone. She was like a gun, firing whenever she was pointed at.
Lastly, her seamless coordination with Lu Mengmeng was so perfect that even if they communicated privately through the system, it would be hard to achieve this effect. Because communication and discussion actually take time.
Judging from the incident of trying to kill Gao Shan, when their initial plan failed, they immediately switched strategies and collaborated on a second plan. One immediately used a bell to interfere with Gao Shan’s judgment of distance and pretended to target Zhou Qian, while the other stealthily swapped the room signs at the perfect moment…
It seemed more like they were both under the command of a third party, executing the orders without hesitation.
Since there were gamblers in this game who could send messages to the players, the one directing Situ Qing was likely her gambler.
Through probing, Zhou Qian realized that, unlike his relationship with Yu Xian, the relationship between Situ Qing and her gambler seemed unusual. The only thing Zhou Qian didn’t know was why Situ Qing’s gambler could also direct Lu Mengmeng simultaneously.
Due to the thick fog, Zhou Qian bent down, getting closer to Situ Qing. As she looked up, she saw his mesmerizing eyes. Zhou Qian whispered, “Birds in cages usually don’t end up well. He doesn’t want you to get stronger; why don’t you resist? Don’t you want to know what rewards we could get if we solve this side quest?”
Situ Qing took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, her expression was back to normal. “Zhou Qian, you might be too full of yourself and have misunderstood something. Things aren’t what you think.”
“Is that so?” Without saying anything more, Zhou Qian walked away, passing He Xiaowei and Lu Mengmeng.
Pretending to be oblivious to Lu Mengmeng’s actions, Zhou Qian said, “I don’t accept Situ Qing’s accusations. I also think she has no reason to kill Gao Shan or me. Perhaps the fog blurred her vision, causing her to mistake someone else’s shadow for mine and creating a misunderstanding. But I don’t have time to clear my name right now. I’ll prove it with my actions.”
“I wanted to examine the bullet in Gao Shan’s chest to understand the story behind this level and prepare for future ones. But that has nothing to do with the current puzzle. I’ve already found the solution and have the evidence from Room 7. I don’t need others to test it for me. So next, I’ll personally open another safe door.”
“It’s not easy to get into an instance with hidden achievements. So even if you have many judgments against me, why not wait until the end of the side quest?”
“Hey you…. You…” He Xiaowei pointed at Zhou Qian speechlessly. To him, both Situ Qing and Zhou Qian seemed to have valid points. Even if Zhou Qian was wrong and intentionally or unintentionally harmed Gao Shan, currently, only he knew how to clear the level.
He asked Situ Qing, “Do you know the pattern?”
Situ Qing didn’t answer. It seemed she didn’t know.
With a mocking tone, Zhou Qian laughed. “See, Situ Qing. Your clever gambler didn’t tell you the solution. He truly doesn’t want to see you grow stronger.”
Having said that, Zhou Qian headed towards a corridor. He Xiaowei quickly followed but kept his distance, as if fearing Zhou Qian might push him into a room.
However, Zhou Qian didn’t. He Xiaowei followed him to Room 8, watching as he swiftly entered. The door opened and closed, and Zhou Qian’s figure vanished. Three seconds later, no gunshot was heard.
At that moment, He Xiaowei, who had been nervously waiting outside, almost jumped in excitement. Zhou Qian seemed to have really found the pattern. With such a difficult level, there seemed to be hope, making He Xiaowei quite thrilled.
About three minutes later, Zhou Qian came out.
He said, “Both Room 7 and Room 8 hide a bullet with the number ‘7’ on it. This is the evidence we are looking for.”
“If I’ve guessed correctly, there are 12 rooms and 12 bullets with the number ‘7’ on them. If we gather them all, we’ll pass this level.”
“Which room should we go to next?” He Xiaowei couldn’t help but ask.
Lu Mengmeng followed closely behind, and his constant innocent act apparently didn’t arouse He Xiaowei’s suspicion.
He Xiaowei pulled Lu Mengmeng closer and said to Zhou Qian, “Bro, I now fully believe that you have figured out the pattern. We can help you. If we all search for the evidence together, it will be easier!”
“Do you really want to help me?” Zhou Qian looked at He Xiaowei and Lu Mengmeng as if he wanted confirmation.
“Of course!” He Xiaowei nodded emphatically.
Lu Mengmeng also nodded. “Who doesn’t want to clear the level? I’m willing.”
“Good. Because this level requires cooperation to complete. I can’t do it alone,” Zhou Qian said.
“How can we help? Which room is safe now?” He Xiaowei asked.
“At the moment, except for rooms 7 and 8, no room is safe,” Zhou Qian said. “But we’ve already found the bullets marked ‘7’ in these two rooms.”
He Xiaowei was taken aback. “What…?”
Zhou Qian suddenly said something that stunned He Xiaowei. “If we want to find other safe rooms, someone must first enter an unsafe room and let the gunman shoot.”
On the other side.
After watching the three men leave, Situ Qing remained still for a long time. A moment later, her gaze landed on Yun Xiangrong.
With a cold and ruthless expression, Situ Qing seemed to feel no remorse and wasn’t afraid of Yun Xiangrong seeking revenge.
However, Yun Xiangrong’s next move intrigued her.
In Situ Qing’s eyes, Yun Xiangrong was a gentle girl. She chose to practice healing arts for her boyfriend without considering any backup plan. In a situation like this, where she had lost her boyfriend, she should have been devastated, probably crying beside Gao Shan’s body until she passed out…
But to Situ Qing’s surprise, Yun Xiangrong stood up and headed in the direction Zhou Qian and the others had left.
As she watched Yun Xiangrong’s figure disappear into the fog, Situ Qing received another message from that person.
[Sister, don’t trust Zhou Qian’s divisive words.]
[You can’t handle this side quest. To clear it, you need to sacrifice players—at least three of them.]
[I’m stopping you for the sake of your main quest later.]
[Be careful and don’t fall for Zhou Qian’s tricks.]
A lone student from Team C was carefully walking through the forest, with his arms always in front of his chest in a combat-ready stance, protecting his scorekeeper at the same time.
A strange bird call came from the sky. He looked up and immediately saw a figure burst out from the bushes diagonally in front of him, heading straight for his chest. The student reacted quickly, jumping back in defense. But as he focused on the enemy in front, another person suddenly jumped out from behind. Caught off-guard and attacked from both sides, one of the attackers ruthlessly pressed his stop button.
“Got him!” The two students from Team D, successful in their ambush, gave each other a high-five.
The ambushed student from Team C was visibly upset. “Ganging up on me, how unfair!”
The attackers chuckled. “All’s fair in war!”
Before they could finish their taunt, a dark shadow suddenly fell from a tree, swiftly pressing the termination buttons on both Team D members. The two, caught up in the thrill of scoring, were stunned for a moment before realizing they had been eliminated from the game.
“Thanks for the points.” Ling Xiao laughed, having successfully taken down both. In an instant, he earned three points.
The disgruntled students rolled up their sleeves in anger. “Ling Xiao, you bastard!”
Ling Xiao had already jumped several meters away. His voice echoed in the distance. “All’s fair in war!”
Ying Feng was also scoring impressively, earning four points in just half an hour, including one point from Zhu Yue. He figured it was better to earn the points himself rather than letting other teams take them. At least with him, the point would be in better hands than with Zhu Yue.
As he ran through the jungle, a sixth sense told him an enemy was near. He instantly turned and kicked, sending the would-be attacker flying.
The assailant thought his attack would be successful, but Ying Feng’s reflexes exceeded his expectations. Seeing the tables turned on him and a counterattack imminent, he quickly jumped up and blew a whistle.
Team D probably had the best team coordination. The four members maintained a certain distance from each other, scanning four different directions, ready to assist if an enemy appeared from any side.
Hearing the alert from their teammate, three Team D members quickly turned back. Seeing Ying Feng, one of them exclaimed, “You’ve caught a big one!”
The first attacker was desperate, as Ying Feng had him on the back foot. With his scorekeeper in danger and his teammates just watching the scene, he shouted, “Help me out here! This guy has 5 points!”
Team D and Team A weren’t from the same class, but since awakening, they had lived on the same campus and were well acquainted. Everyone knew about Ying Feng’s skills. Hence, even when outnumbered, they didn’t underestimate him; each of them fully engaged in the battle.
The average combat abilities of the Tianxiu people were quite high, so even Ying Feng, whose strength was extraordinary, still struggled to face four opponents simultaneously. He used the terrain to retreat while focusing his attacks on one person, trying to find a weak spot. However, Team D’s teamwork was impeccable. Whenever one was in danger, the others would come to the rescue, not giving Ying Feng any chance. The situation looked dire for him.
Just then, a sixth person recklessly entered the fray. Ling Xiao had heard the commotion from afar and wanted to join in. To his surprise, he found four Team D members attacking Ying Feng. Seeing one of them about to succeed, Ling Xiao swiftly flew over to block him.
Everyone paused upon seeing the newcomer. At first, they thought he was from Team A, but upon closer inspection, they realized it was Ling Xiao from Team B, leaving them speechless.
“Ling Xiao, what’s your strategy here?” The combatants briefly ceased hostilities to engage in banter.
Ling Xiao wasn’t entirely sure himself. He simply didn’t want to see Ying Feng lose to these individuals. Without much thought, he had joined the fight reflexively.
“You’re not from Team A. Ying Feng is your toughest opponent. If you help us eliminate him, his 5 points are yours,” the leader of the four-member team said, proving himself quite the negotiator.
“After you take my 5 points, these four will turn on you. You might stand a chance one-on-one against me, but you won’t win against all four,” Ying Feng chimed in. “Their combined points are worth more than 5. Think it through.”
Everyone was stunned. It was rare for Ying Feng, who always acted alone, to team up with someone. It seemed everyone was giving their all to win this battle.
Ling Xiao pondered and realized that Ying Feng had a point. He readied himself and said, “I can ally with you temporarily, but you better not run off later.”
Ying Feng had already targeted one of the opponents. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
With the addition of Ling Xiao, the tides of the battle turned drastically. While fighting four was challenging, facing two was as easy as slicing melons. Moreover, after a week of intense training, there was a newfound synergy between them. Just a gesture or a glance was enough for each to understand the other’s intent.
Working closely together, they quickly eliminated the four opponents. The kills were evenly shared between Ling Xiao and Ying Feng. A squad that had the potential to go far was defeated by the joint efforts of the two strongest participants in their grade. It seemed their grievances had nowhere to be vented.
Though the four were out, they didn’t leave. They waited to watch the outcome.
“What are you guys looking at?” Ling Xiao was puzzled.
“We want to see who wins between you two,” someone answered. Both of them had accumulated high scores, with Ying Feng at 8 and Ling Xiao at 7. If either could take the other’s points, they’d likely be the ultimate winners. This was a decisive battle.
Unexpectedly, Ying Feng spoke up. “There are still two hours left. If we start fighting here, it might take a long time, and the winner would only gain a few points. Moreover, if we fight here, others might take advantage of us when we’re exhausted.”
In a nearby tree, a member from Team C, who was eavesdropping, suddenly felt a pain in his knee.
Again, Ling Xiao found Ying Feng’s words sensible. “So, what’s your plan?”
“I’ll leave the last half-hour for you,” Ying Feng proposed. “By then, I should have more to wager, making it more enticing for you. I’ll wait for you at the starting point, and we’ll have a fair duel. I hope your score doesn’t look too pitiful by then, provided you last that long.”
“Needless to say,” Ling Xiao was confident. “If I have one point less than you, I’ll give you three moves. Six moves if I’m two points short. I promise I won’t lose in terms of the number of opponents I take down.”
“Agreed.”
After reaching the agreement, they went in opposite directions. The four who remained were left dumbfounded. Could this survival game even be played this way?
As time went on, the number of participants decreased, and the battles intensified. Ling Xiao managed to eliminate five more players, scoring 9 points, earning a total of 16 points. He believed that Ying Feng wouldn’t surpass him.
Soon, the agreed-upon time came. Many awaited at the gathering point, eager to watch their final battle.
Ying Feng appeared as promised. He had maintained a one-point lead over Ling Xiao. He had taken down a strong player from Team C, claiming all five of their points.
“As we agreed, I’ll give you three moves,” Ling Xiao defended. “Make your move. I won’t retaliate.”
“No need,” Ying Feng readied himself. “The extra point was from Zhu Yue. We’re even.”
Ling Xiao realized that Ying Feng had defeated his own teammate. It was ruthless, but somehow, it felt oddly satisfying.
“Alright then.” Ling Xiao no longer held back and lunged first. Ying Feng quickly counterattacked. It was their second public confrontation. Away from the constraints of the training room, their bout seemed fiercer than ever.
Near the gathering point was a dense forest. Ling Xiao, using the trees as cover, showcased his agility to the fullest. He gracefully leapt between trees, rapidly changed positions using vines, and seemed to multiply himself, making it hard for his opponent to pinpoint his location.
After some time, Ying Feng realized he was at a disadvantage. Ling Xiao’s style was perfect for guerrilla warfare in the jungle. He was as agile as a monkey, thriving in this environment, fighting freely and effortlessly.
In contrast, Ying Feng’s direct fighting style was unsuitable for situations with many obstacles. After analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, Ying Feng intentionally or unintentionally led Ling Xiao to the open ground nearby.
So, the two of them moved from the dense forest to the open land. The spectators, especially the students from the neighboring class, watched this riveting duel with bated breath, fearing to miss any splendid moves even by blinking.
The battle stirred up dust, and the two figures were hidden beneath the flying sand, becoming increasingly difficult to catch sight of. Their previous practice made them familiar with each other’s moves; even with their eyes closed, they could predict the other’s next attack. Their punches and kicks landed on various parts of their opponents, but they couldn’t hit the critical point on the chest.
Even the students on the field stopped fighting to watch, and the instructor constantly nodded in approval from the side. These were the two most promising tenth-grade students, the future hopefuls for the Royal Sky Military Academy. Gaining admission to the academy, which was directly affiliated with the military department, was notoriously difficult. But once admitted, after graduation, one could directly join the military department, a leap to great heights.
Because of this, despite the extraordinarily difficult entrance examination and the rigorous training afterward, many young aspirants longed to get in. If admitted, not just the student but even the instructor guiding them would feel extremely honored.
Time passed by the minute, and neither could gain the upper hand. After three hours of intense combat, both were exhausted. Ling Xiao, who had recently been eating only bread, gradually showed signs of fatigue.
Ying Feng noticed that Ling Xiao’s speed wasn’t as good as before and took the opportunity to intensify his attacks. Ling Xiao, finding it hard to keep up, resorted to his strength, darting around the field to recuperate whenever Ying Feng couldn’t catch up, slowly regaining some strength.
The duration of the battle dragged on, and as the stipulated end time approached, neither had won. The instructor prepared to blow the whistle at the end time.
With only three minutes left, Ling Xiao no longer dodged and, using all his remaining strength, engaged Ying Feng directly. Both had only one goal: to stop the opponent’s counter.
Five, four, three, two, one—the instructor’s whistle echoed. Almost simultaneously, the two who had been moving all over the field stood still. Both reached out and pressed each other’s stop buttons.
The crowd was silent, waiting for the moment that would decide their fates. Whoever pressed the button first would get all the points of the opponent, determining the outcome of the teams. Who was the ultimate winner?
The instructor pulled up the match results on his terminal. “Both pressed the stop button at the same time, accurate to the millisecond. Regrettably, no one won this fight.”
“What?” The crowd exclaimed in surprise. “How will the final result be calculated?”
“They completed the fight 0.3 seconds after the stipulated time, so the scores are based on the previous points.”
Only then did everyone understand why, even though both pressed the stop buttons simultaneously, the numbers on the screen remained unchanged.
In the end, the remaining members of Team A and Team B tied in points. Thus, the extra point from Ying Feng made the difference, and that point came from their own team.
Team A, who won the first day of the field practice, was in high spirits. They even praised Zhu Yue, who was eliminated within the first minute of the fight. “Good job. You indeed contributed to the team.”
Zhu Yue took a deep breath, reminding himself that the main reason for being here wasn’t the outdoor training. And his plan was about to be executed.
Using the extract from Zhen He, he intended to make the suppressant in Ying Feng’s body ineffective and increase the sex hormone, which might trigger the coming-of-age ceremony. Although there was the previous example of Ping Zong and Lang Sheng, Zhu Yue believed that with his abilities, he wouldn’t pose any threat to Ying Feng. Although there was some risk, he felt it was worth it. Once the blood pact was successfully formed, it would last a lifetime, and no one could break them apart.
Zhu Yue, having meticulously planned everything, held the prepared bottle tightly, feeling both nervous and excited.
But when he returned to the tent, he happened to see Ying Feng coming out, carrying his belongings.
Seeing this, Zhu Yue was stunned. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll sleep outside.” Ying Feng’s words shattered all of Zhu Yue’s plans.
“Why?” In his anxiety, Zhu Yue grabbed Ying Feng’s sleeve, only to be brushed off disdainfully.
“I told you, keep your distance. I won’t stay with someone who hasn’t been injected with the suppressant. Either stay away from me or pack up and leave.”
Ying Feng was uncompromising. Zhu Yue could only watch him walk away; his carefully prepared drug was now useless.
The author has something to say:
Tip: In the world of “Tianxiu,” adults don’t need to use basic methods like aphrodisiacs. Couples have unique ways to induce passion.
Kongshi’s grave was some distance from the outside of the mountains, so it was nightfall when they started to descend. The group of people simply moved into a cave and decided to set off again the next morning. Yan Qing slept at the entrance of the cave, chatting sporadically with Yan Zheng. Yu Zikuan insisted on going out to stand guard at night, while Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci were supposed to sleep in the deepest part of the cave.
However, Sect Master Shi couldn’t sleep.
The night outside the cave had deepened, leaving only a faint glow of fire. It was almost the hour of yin of the night, yet Shi Jingzhi had not a trace of sleepiness. He stared at Yin Ci’s sleeping face, pondering over what the man had said before going to bed.
Perhaps he had tried to dilute the impact of his “true self”, Yin Ci briefly mentioned his past. What he said was even more vague than the folk rumors, with all details brushed over or left ambiguous. Nevertheless, Shi Jingzhi understood why Yin Ci didn’t elaborate.
His situation was more troublesome than memory loss, offering no help with the current circumstances.
Yin Ci had clear memories, but only of the past two hundred years. The first hundred years were chaotic, like a dream. He couldn’t even differentiate what was real.
“I suffered a lot and had many delusions during that time. It’s not that I don’t remember, but that there are too many fragments, and I don’t know what’s true and what’s false,” Yin Ci confessed. “Starting from ‘Su Zhi’, my memory is relatively clear. Before that, I tried to investigate the more vivid identities in my head but found no clues.”
There were no records or rumors left in the world. The past seemed to be just a part of his delusion.
Yin Ci once thought he was a common craftsman under a spiritual mountain or a destitute beggar in a remote town. He even thought he was a disciple of a non-existent immortal sect or an official without historical record… Even Shi Jingzhi felt that these seemed more like fanciful imaginations rather than real experiences.
According to Chen Qianfan’s account, in that village two hundred years ago, the “immortal body” was in a state of “madness to idiocy”. Something significant must have happened then, causing Yin Ci to fall into madness. His memories before madness might still be there, but they were now hidden and indistinguishable.
“So I gave up later and changed my goal. Instead of being tangled in the fruitless past, it’s better to figure out the cause of this constitution.”
Shi Jingzhi found that he had unconsciously learned to restrain his desires.
He wanted to know the accident that befell Yin Ci two hundred years ago, but the overwhelming heartache and powerlessness firmly suppressed his curiosity.
He also wanted to know Yin Ci’s purpose when they first met. However, since Yin Ci didn’t clarify, Shi Jingzhi didn’t ask and just listened quietly. The desire that had accompanied him throughout his life lay obediently, without any mischief.
His heart was devoid of complicated calculations and inquiries, leaving only a gentle thought—
This was the person closest to him in the world.
Shi Jingzhi looked at the sleeping Yin Ci, his hands unsure of what to do. He touched Yin Ci’s eyelids, then pressed his neck. After settling down for a while, he twirled Yin Ci’s long hair around his fingers, gripping it tightly.
Had it been when they first met, Yin Ci would have awakened with such touching. At this moment, his disciple was in a deep sleep—his body slightly curled and his expression even more relaxed than before the truth was revealed.
Shi Jingzhi truly couldn’t catch sleep and gave up. He gazed at Yin Ci’s face, realizing that he had almost forgotten the horrifying true self.
From discovering the true self, to lying relative to each other, Sect Master Shi had gone through shock, then embarrassment, and finally joy, all in one night.
As the hour of yin approached, Yin Ci had already developed a habit, and even if he slept heavily, he knew that Shi Jingzhi would be getting up. Shi Jingzhi saw him unfold his curled body and assume a standard sleeping posture, indifferent and relaxed.
Yin Ci was lying face-up, his entire body stretched out straight, looking extraordinarily dignified, exuding an air of a wise and profound person.
Shi Jingzhi: “…”
This person really did everything he could to pretend to be a “perfect elder”. Had Shi Jingzhi not stayed awake all night, he would have probably been misled forever.
But it seemed that Yin Ci, in his semi-conscious state, sensed something was amiss. Shi Jingzhi saw Yin Ci’s movements soften, and he curled up again, draping an arm over Shi Jingzhi’s waist.
He muttered indistinctly a few times and unceremoniously pulled Shi Jingzhi into his arms, clearly having no intention of letting go.
Shi Jingzhi’s heart nearly leapt from his throat, and the satisfying fulfillment he had wanted surged to the tips of his hair and toes. He began to happily move his hands, looking for the most appropriate embracing posture.
How could he embrace him more intimately? Shi Jingzhi continued to hold Yin Ci’s black hair with one hand, and with the other, he lightly traced from Yin Ci’s neck to his shoulder, then remotely caressed his waist. Despite practicing martial arts for so long and having performed more complex movements, he had never been this indecisive.
However, as Sect Master Shi tirelessly experimented with different positions, a glance from a distance pricked the back of his neck. He turned his head and saw Yan Qing with a face that looked as if it had been struck by lightning.
Deep affection between master and disciple was common, but the kind of affection where they embrace so tightly that their hair intertwined was rare in this world.
Coming from a righteous sect like Taiheng, let alone sticking together, even sharing a bed between master and disciple was considered disrespectful. Unfortunately, Sect Master Shi’s shamelessness varied from person to person, and in front of Yan Qing, his acting skills soared.
As soon as he locked eyes with Yan Qing, Shi Jingzhi instantly transformed into Lord Bai #2, and his eyes filled with righteous indignation.
Poor Yan Qing, who was straightforward in nature, was led into self-doubt by Shi Jingzhi. He stood blankly for a while before saying, “Sect Master, A’Si is here and says there is urgent news.”
Shi Jingzhi was comfortably embraced and didn’t want to get up. He grunted. “Didn’t we agree to gather at the foot of the mountain?”
“Matron Wuxue is dead.”
Shi Jingzhi sat up abruptly. He forgot that he was holding Yin Ci’s hair and pulled his disciple awake with him.
Yin Ci, who was sleeping soundly, had never experienced such a sudden awakening. His tranquil dream was disturbed, and his fierceness exploded, revealing a hint of murderous intent on his face. However, after recognizing the person beside him, that fierceness dispersed, even replaced by some satisfaction.
Yin Ci murmured in a daze, and without even pulling back his hair, he slowly lay back down. As he did so, he made sure to press his calf against Shi Jingzhi, signaling him to stay a little longer.
Shi Jingzhi enjoyed this and tenderly said, “It’s still so early in the morning. Tell Su Si to stop messing around.”
His features softened, which was a rare look for him. Although Yan Qing was accustomed to the two’s faces, this strange atmosphere was new to him. Uncertain whether to leave or stay, he repeated bluntly, “Matron Wuxue has really been killed, and the members of the Chigou Sect are rushing back to the main branch.”
“What did you say?” Yin Ci swooned and sat up, finally awake.
This time, everyone was wide awake, and in no time, the group gathered in front of Kongshi’s grave. Under the morning sun, the apricot blossoms were particularly brilliant, but the faces under the apricot trees were grave and varied, except for the relaxed expression of the master and disciple of the Kushan Sect.
Su Si, hugging Lord Bai, and Shen Zhu sat down, both looking worn out. Shen Zhu’s expression was dark, and even the sparrow on her shoulder didn’t stir.
“Let me tell it.” Shen Zhu glanced at the uncertain Su Si and sighed. “The fools by the mountain are still investigating the Invitation to God Formation, without much progress. I went to Qizhou to inquire and help Brother Su Si. Matron Wuxue’s throat was slit at the main branch—we heard it with our own ears.”
She looked at Yan Zheng and Yu Zikuan and added meaningfully, “The young Patriarch of the Chigou Sect was also killed in the same way, his throat slit.”
Yan Zheng inhaled sharply. “Killed at the main branch? Previously, Chai Xun also attempted to assassinate the higher-ups of the Chigou Sect. Their main branch is well defended, almost impregnable.”
“It’s not easy to kill Matron Wuxue, a top master. Such a ruthless method likely points to an inside job,” Yu Zikuan said gravely.
“The sudden incident and similar circumstances of the victims’ deaths may suggest the work of the Twin Roots. With it, killing someone from thousands of miles away isn’t difficult,” Su Si said, staring at the mud in front of him without lifting his head.
He then stared blankly at the ground. Yan Qing and Shi Jingzhi exchanged a glance and explained the circumstances of Abbot Juefei’s death to the two outsiders.
“The Twin Roots is indeed useful, but it has stringent requirements—to take effect, the target must swallow the demonic root whole and then have their blood taken. Matron Wuxue is famously cautious and suspicious; I’ve heard Chai Xun mention this. She wouldn’t touch anything remotely suspicious, let alone eat it.” Yan Zheng, as the Patriarch of a demonic sect, was familiar with the Twin Roots and explained it thoroughly.
Yan Qing pondered. “These few are not like the ordinary village people of Yuanxian Village. Making so many elders swallow the Twin Roots is even harder than obtaining their blood.”
Blood could be obtained through assassination, competition, or even bribing servants, but the Twin Roots must be swallowed whole to work. How could the hidden culprit force it down the throats of these masters if they refused to open their mouths?
The morning sun had risen completely, and the last hint of red had faded away. This small meeting had come to a standstill, and for a moment, no one spoke.
Finally, it was Shi Jingzhi who broke the silence. “Actually, according to what Senior Chen said before, Sect Master Qi may have also been affected by the Twin Roots. This matter is strange, but rather than focusing on how it was done, we should first look at the purpose behind it—”
Yan Qing was stunned by these words and turned to look at Yan Zheng. “Why are you still alive?”
Yan Zheng was taken aback. “…What?”
“Even with the Invitation to God Formation, you could have conveniently left the mountain and escaped disaster. During such chaos in the Ling Sect, contacting you wouldn’t have been difficult. Wouldn’t planting a Twin Roots in you be the safest way?”
Yan Qing’s expression was honestly bewildered, but the words he spat out had a faint hint of demonic heritage.
“If you were to say that you were young and seldom ventured out, it would be hard to act… The young Patriarch of the Chigou Sect was raised within the sect, and even Chigou’s own people couldn’t reach him. Shouldn’t it be more difficult to act against him than against you, A’Zheng?”
This question was not directed solely at Yan Zheng.
Su Si was taken aback for a moment, looking down at his hands. After a while, he spoke in a muffled voice. “It might be in a pill.”
The other six people looked at him all at once.
Su Si didn’t meet anyone’s eyes but said, “Martial artists often consume some pills to calm the mind and spirit. The pills are swallowed whole. If the Twin Roots were hidden inside a pill, perhaps it could be done.”
Su Si had been on the run for many years and knew early on that he had a body double. His double was an ordinary servant, similar in age and stature, and a bit naive when he smiled. Back in the day, Su Si was afraid that Matron Wuxue would poison him, so he never touched the pills she gave him, and they all went into his double’s stomach.
When confined within the sect, Su Si also insisted on preparing his own food, and although it was unpalatable, it at least ensured his survival. In that regard, there was no better reference than him.
Yan Zheng realized something. “Chai Xin never took me seriously, and indeed never gave me any pills.”
Shi Jingzhi frowned. “So many people all consuming the same pill, yet ensuring the source is consistent without arousing Matron Wuxue’s suspicion…”
He suddenly stopped talking, and Yin Ci seemed to have the same thought, as the two of them almost simultaneously reached for their respective baggage. However, Yin Ci was quicker, and he pulled out a small bottle from the well-worn records of the Jianchen Temple.
It was a small gift from Venerable Juefei to the Kushan Sect.
[In gratitude for Taiheng’s safeguarding of the treasure map, a Tranquil Heart Pill was specially given. This item calms the mind and is a treasure of Taiheng.]
Yin Ci poured the pill into his palm, and it emitted a faint fragrance that could soothe the mind. Just the scent alone made people feel close. Yu Zikuan recognized it instantly and inhaled sharply.
The Tranquil Heart Pill was a spiritual medicine of Taiheng, and the Taiheng Sect didn’t have many. Aside from significant disciples practicing or in critical condition, only the sect leader and a few elders were eligible to use it. Occasionally, Taiheng would gift one or two to the high ranks of other sects as a sign of respect or gratitude.
Taiheng had a clean reputation for hundreds of years, never resorting to poisoning. Once the pill was placed in its bottle, it could remain unopened for ten years or more. As long as the seal was intact, even the demonic sects wouldn’t suspect anything.
Yin Ci had tried one when he was on the verge of losing control, and unlike others who were careful with it, he chewed it directly. While it had a miraculous calming effect, it did nothing for his pain. Though Yin Ci couldn’t identify some ingredients, he didn’t dwell on its composition.
Back then, Yin Ci had found the taste strange. Unlike other pills, the Tranquil Heart Pill had a coarse core, as if wrapped around uncrushed herbal medicine.
If a whole Twin Roots had been added, that strange taste would make sense.
But that would have been decades ago. For decades, there were no reports of any sect leaders dying so mysteriously. Rather than predicting who would be assassinated, the person behind this seemed to be casting a wide net in advance. When the time was right, they would take care of their target.
…This was almost identical to the methods used in Yuanxian Village.
Yin Ci exerted force on the pill, and it split in two. Indeed, in the center of the pill was a clump of dry, grass-like roots. The tight cluster opened up, and the roots spread out, larger than Yin Ci’s palm.
Shi Jingzhi swallowed nervously. Fortunately, Yin Ci was nearby, and he felt much more relieved. Otherwise, with his impending death and growing irritability, this thing might have ended up in his stomach.
Yu Zikuan’s expression also changed several times.
He looked at Yan Zheng’s white hair for a while, then at the Tranquil Heart Pill in Yin Ci’s hand for a long time, before finally making up his mind. “This is indeed Taiheng’s Tranquil Heart Pill, and the seal on the outside matches as well. Sect Master Qi was virtuous and respected, and I originally didn’t want to suspect my own people regarding his death… but the origin of the Invitation to God Formation may now be explained.”
Shi Jingzhi wiped his cold sweat. “Please continue.”
“The Tranquil Heart Pill was created by our first sect leader, and its formulation requires extremely precise conditions and rare equipment. The first leader didn’t want Taiheng to go down the path of pill refining, so he kept the formula secret and entrusted the production to the Immortal Assembly—from Taiheng’s foundation, it has always been this way. Taiheng would test the pills once received, and since it has never been exposed, it must mean someone from the Immortal Assembly might be within Taiheng…”
“On this occasion, I searched for the battle formation, and followed the high levels of Taiheng. As a Taiheng elder, I contacted the Mishan Sect, but what I received was an invitation to the Immortal Assembly. The disciples sent by the Mishan Sect are always different, making them difficult to manipulate. The only one who might notice me is someone from Taiheng… Finding an opportunity to replace my battle formation, will it work?”
Yin Ci played with the pill in his hand, not looking gloomy, but rather cheerful. “Thank you for your honesty, Your Excellency.”
A few petals of apricot blossoms fell, like snowflakes sticking to Yin Ci’s hair. Shi Jingzhi brushed them away casually, smiling with relief. “Taiheng is swirling with undercurrents, and the purpose of the Immortal Assembly is unclear. The four major sects are in great trouble, leaderless, and the martial world will be in complete chaos. You two, please act discreetly and do your best to preserve yourselves.”
Yu Zikuan, Yan Zheng: “…”
What’s going on? The topic was clearly heavy and might even involve the imperial court and the Imperial Preceptor. The master and disciple, at the center of the whirlpool, seemed to be celebrating New Year’s in advance.
“But I have a request.” Shi Jingzhi smiled even more genially. “Patriarch Yan, do you have the Buddhist bead treasure map? A rub of it is fine too. I’m not picky.”
“It is here…”
“Very good. Please, Senior Yu, use Taiheng’s way and find a reason to let Taiheng’s people on the mountain discover them… Taiheng is about to gather all the treasure maps, right?”
Yu Zikuan raised his eyebrows. “The two of you have quite a few treasure maps in your hands, and now you have the ‘key’, isn’t it better to keep it yourself?”
“Compared to obediently looking for the Shirou, my sect has more important things to do.” Shi Jingzhi clenched his jade eye, his body temperature soaking it, feeling no different from real eyes. “Anyway, Taiheng doesn’t have the key, so they will come looking for us.”
Yin Ci added meaningfully, “Regarding today’s affairs, please pretend you don’t know anything. Warrior Yu should have died in the formation, so please keep this in mind in your future actions.”
The members from the Kushan Sect slipped down the mountain, and a few days later, the news that Taiheng had obtained the treasure map spread throughout the martial world. Competitors fell into disarray, but Taiheng remained somewhat confident. Considering the situation, the Shirou would become Taiheng’s possession.
As for the commotion caused by the Kushan Sect that day—the formation still hadn’t been investigated thoroughly, and whether it was a self-directed performance or a sincere rescue, with the passing of time, gradually no one cared. After all, defending this tricky sect with several unresolved murder cases had no benefit.
Of course, the Kushan Sect itself wasn’t too aggrieved. Right now, Sect Master Shi was treating his favorite disciple and others… to a big meal at a restaurant in Qizhou.
Shi Jingzhi took out some silver coins and specially booked the best room, ordering many delicious dishes. A table full of dishes, both meat and vegetables, colorful and bright. Some were even cooked by Yin Ci in the kitchen. The fragrance was intoxicating to everyone. Seeing the plates full of chicken, duck, fish, and meat, anyone would know that this meal was expensive.
Shi Jingzhi, who had previously been stingy, was suddenly generous, and not only Su Si and Yan Qing but even Shen Zhu was taken aback.
She thought back and felt that recently, besides getting the key to the Shirou, there didn’t seem to be any other good news—continuous bloodshed in the martial world, everyone feeling threatened, numerous slanders against the Kushan Sect, and the Shirou about to be taken by Taiheng.
It didn’t seem like a time to splurge on celebrations.
“Come, eat!” Sect Master Shi picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks, declaring boldly. “Now that we have a definite enemy, it’s truly something to celebrate.”
…What, what kind of bullshit is this! Shen Zhu wanted to speak but stopped, looking for help from Yin Ci. Yin Ci was always more stable than Shi Jingzhi, perhaps he could bring the wayward thinking of Sect Master Shi back on track.
Who knew that the Kushan Sect’s main disciple would support the mischief. Yin Ci added a piece of meat to his cheap master’s bowl with an utterly calm expression.
Shen Zhu: “…”
Yan Qing was in a daze, looking at Shi Jingzhi with a somewhat horrified look, as if questioning whether this person had been possessed. Since Matron Wuxue’s death, Su Si always seemed distracted. The task of propping up the conversation had fallen on Shen Zhu’s head.
Shen Zhu bit the bullet and inquired, “What enemy?”
“The Immortal Assembly!” Eagerly waiting for someone to follow up, Shi Jingzhi’s eyes brightened. “What we are investigating, in the end, is one thing. Previously, I was worried about the complexity of the clues and that seeking the Shirou might not be feasible. Now, without this worry, I feel much more relieved.”
After saying this, he specifically looked at Yin Ci next to him, his eyes nearly brimming with laughter.
“Yan Budu once visited Yuanxian Village under the Immortal Assembly and mentioned that the Shirou was bestowed by an Immortal. Immortals, the Shirou, and the Immortal Assembly are all closely related; this is the first. The Immortal Assembly added something to the Tranquil Heart Pill, tampering with many martial arts masters long ago; this is the second.”
“The appearance of the Shirou in the world and the consecutive deaths of various sect leaders are no coincidence. Everything related to the competition for the Shirou has the shadow of the Immortal Assembly. If we continue to obediently seek the Shirou, wouldn’t we become puppets in others’ hands?”
Shen Zhu frowned. “Puppet or not, plot or not, if we don’t find the Shirou… Don’t you want to live?”
“Taiheng will help us find it. Taiheng’s waters run deep, and even if the Shirou is at hand, they won’t deal with it quickly.”
Yin Ci looked up, taking over the conversation.
“If it’s useful, we’ll take it. If it’s not, we’ll save wasting time.”
Using the competition for the Shirou as bait and the Immortal Assembly’s formation as fuel, the casualties on Zongwu Mountain should have been more severe. Adding Matron Wuxue’s death, the entire martial world was thrown into chaos. Although the Kushan Sect saved many people and kept the chaos from growing, they merely delayed it, not completely resolved it.
Knowing someone had plotted beforehand and was still stubbornly muddling through, Shi Jingzhi couldn’t wait.
Strike the snake at the vital seven inches*. The matter of the Children of Desire was related to the Imperial Preceptor’s “Hundred-Year Project”, and the connections between the “Shirou” and the Imperial Preceptor’s Immortal Assembly weren’t clear. With an identity that couldn’t be killed or destroyed, following the clues of the flesh idol and the Shirou still ended at the Immortal Assembly.
*(打蛇打七寸) Idiom referring to targeting the most vital or vulnerable part of something to ensure its defeat. This is referencing how the “seven-inch mark” is where the snake’s heart is, and by attacking it, you can kill the snake in a single strike (AKA Hit where it hurts).
Yin Ci clenched the chopsticks in his hand, and Shi Jingzhi, at some unknown point, reached over to grasp Yin Ci’s left hand.
It was time to drag them out of the shrine and let this hundred-year-old abomination see the light.
The author has something to say:
The two have started a hidden love line and are beginning to head towards the TRUE END.
First, the discovery of the jade eye on the chessboard and perceiving the enigmatic true self resulted in a turn towards initial determination of affection. The ups and downs of the past half-day were truly overwhelming.
Shi Jingzhi once again clung to Yin Ci, demonstrating with his body that the shocking “true self” didn’t matter. This time, Yin Ci didn’t push him away, and the feeling of stepping into emptiness was gradually melted away by bodily warmth.
Shi Jingzhi pulled him back from the edge of the cliff, and this was the second time.
However, although this method was effective, it caught Yin Ci a little… off guard.
His heart was a mixture of feelings. Just now, the situation was chaotic, and if Shi Jingzhi had shown hesitation, things might not have been stable. Now, whether Shi Jingzhi was nervous or not, it seemed that he was back to his old ways, wanting to burrow into the ground again.
…It was kind of cute.
Yin Ci once thought that being master and disciple was enough, and being partners was fine, just going with the flow. But as they both wandered along the edge of the abyss, pulling and tugging at each other, their entanglement led them to the same point through countless considerations and loneliness.
All thoughts converged on one person, and that one person could bear the many absurdities around him. As the path to immortality continued, there would never be a second Shi Jingzhi.
Even if it was just a momentary, brilliant firework.
So what if he was a monster? He was even defying fate, so to worry about the morals of the world would be a bit petty. Since Sect Master Shi had boasted that he wanted to be connected with the monster, he could physically show him what “inviting God is easy, sending them away is hard*” means.
*(请神容易送神难) Idiom describing a situation where it’s easy to call upon something or someone but difficult to get rid of them later. || See Kinky Thoughts on how this relates to the title of the novel.
Thinking of this, Yin Ci’s finger moved up. He first combed Shi Jingzhi’s hair and rubbed his earlobe with his fingertips.
Soft and burning, great to touch.
Shi Jingzhi was still a little stunned, reacting slower than usual. His eyes stuck to the person in front of him, and his nose was still filled with a familiar, bitter smell. After years of bland food and cold human relations, when had he ever experienced such stimulation?
Yin Ci had always been by his side, and they were close. Now, even though the attitude had not yet changed, only the relationship had, a very intense warmth rose from the bottom of his heart, making the entirety of it swell. Previously, he thought that the world’s love was like flowing water and that he could control it as long as he found the right method. Who knew that his river, which looked calm, had hidden currents that nearly swept him away as soon as he stepped into it.
Yin Ci pinched Shi Jingzhi’s ear and then moved a hand down his back. The actions were half soothing, half intimate, and though not frivolous, they added to the heat. Shi Jingzhi had thought of countless sweet words, but now not a single one came out, and he could only rub his nose against Yin Ci’s.
Then he tightly hugged the person in front of him, burying his nose in the crook of Yin Ci’s neck and pressing his face tightly against it. Warm skin stuck close together, and he couldn’t bear to let go.
That swirling desire was no longer reckless, and the hunger that had run through his life was satisfied, with the joy soaking through every part of him. Even though there were thousands of desires swirling around, they all turned into insignificant clouds and smoke.
It turned out that people could be so happy.
“Let’s go back.” Yin Ci smiled. “As for the matter of the Immortal Assembly, let’s discuss it when Miss Shen Zhu comes back.”
“Don’t want to leave?”
“Mm, I’m reluctant to leave,” Yin Ci answered crisply.
Shi Jingzhi wanted to try to tease Yin Ci, but the other party was so straightforward that his attempt backfired*, and he ended up cooking himself with his own warmth again. Yin Ci pursued the advantage, and this time, instead of grabbing his wrist as usual, he opened his five fingers and intertwined them with Shi Jingzhi’s.
*Attempting to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it (偷鸡不成蚀把米). Idiom referring to trying to take a small advantage but ending up losing something more valuable in the process (AKA Go for the wool and come home shorn).
Sect Master Shi matured from seventy percent to a full hundred percent, trying to look calm with a strong demeanor. He tried to step out steadily but ended up floating on clouds.
Even though the conspiracies and unknowns were suffocating, Shi Jingzhi felt light and happy. For a moment, he felt that even if the worst things in the world were in front of him, he wouldn’t fear them at all.
As for some people, the terrible situation was already in sight.
Shen Zhu found no information outside the mountain, so she simply followed Su Si’s footsteps to see his progress. The Chigou members received the bad news and headed directly to the foothold in Qizhou, preparing to head northwest. They were uneasy all the way and scattered upon arriving in Qizhou, gathering supplies and luggage.
It was the perfect opportunity to steal the goose, and Su Si was very satisfied.
It wouldn’t be long before the members would find that the news of “Matron Wuxue’s death” was pure nonsense. After all, the secret letter was in the format of the Chigou Sect’s internal teachings, and he would have trouble taking action when the Chigou members angrily investigated themselves.
Having lost the goose once before, the Chigou members specially found their most thoughtful female disciple to guard the goose day and night. The goose ate the freshest fish and vegetable hearts again, but one of its orange feet was dragged by a silver chain, making a tinkling sound when moving.
Su Si wasn’t worried; it was only a thin chain. His butcher knife was so sharp that even a bowl-sized steel cable could be cut.
He used his experience from fleeing and didn’t act hastily. But the goose’s state seemed a bit strange, and it seemed unusually worried.
After all, the goose was just a goose with a small head that couldn’t contain much. It could find objects and sense the fortune and misfortune in front of it, which was already its limit. Seeing its dejected expression, not even eating tender fish, Su Si had a very bad premonition.
The divine goose was in poor condition, surrounded by many Chigou members. Su Si was also happy to continue observing, so he delayed a few days in making a move, until Shen Zhu caught up.
“It’s been a long time since you came back; I thought something happened to you. Is this goose that good to look at? You’ve been staring at it for two or three days.” Shen Zhu exclaimed. “If you don’t need help, I can go and spy in the Yueshui Pavilion.”
“Don’t wander around.” Since Yan Qing wasn’t around, Su Si’s smile disappeared, and the coldness in his tone returned. “This goose knows fortune and misfortune. Its state is a bit abnormal; something big might happen here soon.”
“I remember it only knows the immediate fortune or misfortune. Qizhou is flourishing and stable, and the Chigou is a huge sect. To say that something happened…”
“I can’t figure it out either, but don’t act rashly for now.” Su Si tightly pursed his lips.
If he wanted to grab Lord Bai, it would inevitably be frightened, which would make things hard to discern what caused its terrible state. Having been trained as an assassin by the Red Scorpion Feet and having been on the run for a long time, Su Si was overly sensitive to subtle changes.
Shen Zhu wasn’t interested in the Chigou Sect. “Hmm, refutation to the rumor from the main branch will arrive soon; you decide the right time.”
That night, the subtle abnormality became very clear. At midnight, the goose suddenly stretched its neck, honking at the pitch-black ceiling. It had never cried so sharply before, waking up everyone within half a mile.
Su Si lay on the roof, looking over the bustling Qizhou city at night, and his heart slowly sank.
Nothing seemed to have happened in Qizhou, so there was only one possibility left… It made sense, considering how comfortable the goose’s initial life in the Chigou Sect was and how calm it had been when he forcibly took it away.
The trouble was within the Chigou Sect itself.
Northwest, near Shafu.
The leader’s residence was made up of two separate courtyards. To prevent the elders from fighting for power, the leader was often secretly trained outside of the main branch by the previous leader. The leader and the junior leader lived in these two courtyards, surrounded by layers of traps, making it difficult for ordinary elders to even get close.
This could be considered the safest corner in the entire Chigou Sect.
But now, the “safest corner” was eerily silent, without a trace of vitality. Matron Wuxue sat at the table, looking at her blood-stained hands. She was sitting perfectly fine, but a deep gash in her throat was gushing blood incessantly, and she couldn’t even cry for help.
The only thing that might have done this was probably the cursed object known as the “Twin Roots”. Jiang Youyue’s Immortal Assembly indeed had ulterior motives, and the effort it took to reach into the Chigou Sect must have been considerable.
Matron Wuxue staggered to her feet, making a creaking, unpleasant noise from her throat. The blood turned into pink foam, reflected by the firelight.
She didn’t cry for help but fumbled in her bosom and took out a small enamel box. Inside the box were two acacia beans soaked in blood, one with “Real” written on it, and the other with “Fake”.
These acacia beans could reveal the status of the blood owner and had no other purpose. But this single use greatly helped Matron Wuxue—the one marked “Fake” was slowly shattering, turning into ashes in her blurry vision.
Maybe this was fate; she forced an ugly smile.
The Jianchen Temple was closed; the Taiheng Sect had changed hands. The Ling Sect’s Grand Pavilion was destroyed in battle, and now it was her turn—nothing surprising. Even if both the leader and young leader of the Chigou Sect were lost, it wouldn’t fall into chaos, but it would provide an opportunity for others.
It was a pity that the young leader she chose was a bit unruly and had run away long ago. Su Si frequently fled, so to prevent suspicion, she kept a similar substitute in a separate courtyard, well-fed and cared for.
Not to mention outsiders; even she herself didn’t guess that someone could escape persistently for ten years.
Matron Wuxue extended her withered hand, touching the wound on her throat. Then, using her last strength, she ground the acacia bean marked “Real” into dust.
The Chigou Sect thrived in the northwest desert, rooted strong and deep. It wouldn’t be easy to eradicate it starting from the leader.
She closed her eyes, faces flashing before her.
A divine object had appeared, and the tides of youth had just set off. Sadly, she wouldn’t be able to see it. Matron Wuxue thought of the young boy surnamed Shi in the Ghost Tomb, the mysterious descendant of the Su Clan, the young “blind boy” who got mixed up in Taiheng… In the end, her thoughts stopped on the child surnamed Su that was brought back by her subordinates.
Death was near, and she recalled the scene when she chose that boy.
[Boy, what do you regret the most?]
[Being caught by you dogs!]
[Tell the truth.]
[…]
[I told you, no lying in front of me.]
[I’ve got plenty of regrets, Mistress]. The child grimaced. [But I don’t regret it!]
Years later, she saw him again at the Red Scorpion Feet’s camp. The child had become a teenager, but his eyes were still defiant.
[Boy, what are you most proud of?]
[I killed someone when I was nine.] The boy answered provocatively. [So a place like this won’t scare me!]
[Oh? Tell me.]
[I went to reason with a drunkard, and he stumbled at the door and injured his head.] The youth stared into her eyes like a wild animal, trying to exert an almost non-existent menace. [He struggled, cursed, and then cried and begged for me to call someone. I just stood there, watching him die… I never felt so satisfied in my life.]
It’s him.
She had never misjudged a person, and he might get lost or take the wrong path. But in the end, her successor would come back—that boy was just like that. Morality was vague to him, and the Chigou Sect needed such a person.
No matter how clever people were, they couldn’t calculate human hearts. As for the person behind all this… following that Kushan Sect, he would eventually know.
The heavens wouldn’t destroy Chigou. Though chaos was set, this was the time to break and rebuild. Matron Wuxue breathed a sigh of relief, the longest and last breath of her life.
She still had a smile on her face when her breathing stopped.
The author has something to say:
A silver chain locking the foot, but sadly, it’s holding Lord Bai.
Lord Bai: “Honk—!!!!!!!”
Kinky Thoughts:
The idiom Inviting god is easy, sending them away is hard (请神容易送神难) is connected to the title Sendoff. The latter half of the idiom is [songshen] (送神), meaning to send off the gods.
In this case, now that Shi Jingzhi has bound Yin Ci (which is seen as basically an immortal/god/monster at this point) to the human world (thus he’s no longer detached from it), he won’t be able to backtrack and easily get rid of him later down the line.
This is part of the reason why the title of the novel is named so.
——
Oh, so Su Si inadvertently killed Yang Qing’s abusive alcoholic dad.
Ling Xiao, with thoughts on his mind, hurried back to the classroom. The instructor in charge of the outdoor practicum was already briefing the students on the things to consider. Upon seeing Ling Xiao at the door, he assumed he had simply overslept and arrived late.
“Why are you only just arriving? Go to your seat.”
Ling Xiao immediately darted to his place and conveniently heard the instructor talking about the groupings.
“To improve everyone’s outdoor survival skills, this practicum will involve camping outdoors for three days and two nights. The tents provided by the school are for two people, so everyone will be paired up. Eight pairs will form one group, and the overall performance of the group will determine your scores. This also serves the second purpose of the practicum—to cultivate your teamwork skills.”
The instructor took out a list. “To ensure fairness, we will group you based on your overall daily performance. The student ranked first will pair with the last-ranked student, and so on. Here’s the list: First pair, Ying Feng and Zhu Yue; second pair, Ling Xiao…”
Down below, Zhu Yue clenched his fist. Being in the same group meant he would be tied to Ying Feng’s actions for the next three days, sharing a tent at night. For some reason, Ying Feng had recently been distant from him but close to Ling Xiao. It reminded him of something Zhen He once mentioned.
Zhu Yue didn’t believe in the idea that people who were bound by blood in their previous lives would be attracted to each other in this one.
However, after observing Ying Feng’s unusual behavior that day, he felt he should be cautious and cut off all possibilities before the two realized the truth. Being grouped with Ying Feng was a golden opportunity. With this in mind, Zhu Yue already had a plan in secret.
After class, back in the dormitory, Zhu Yue eagerly logged onto the Tianyuan Network. He had been saving money for a time like this.
The sign that said “Everything Sold Here” was still there, untouched. Zhu Yue believed that only Zhen He could help, given his knack for acquiring rare items.
“Welcome back,” greeted Zhen He, seeing it was Zhu Yue. “A returning customer! Were you satisfied with the information I provided last time?”
Zhu Yue, without bothering to make small talk, slapped his card onto the counter. “I want to buy something.”
“People who come here always do.” Zhen He, typically nonchalant with familiar customers, joked, “Or did you come to see if I’m available for a date?”
“I’m certain you have what I need. If not, I’ll tear down that sign of yours.”
“Oh, scary,” Zhen He responded with exaggerated fear. “Let’s hear it.”
“Do you know about the suppressant that awakened fledglings need to inject if they want to participate in an outdoor field practice?”
Zhen He laughed. “I’ve been awakened for thirteen years. Do you think I wouldn’t know?”
“Good. I need a drug that can neutralize this suppressant. No, better yet, something that can cause a surge in sex hormones.”
“You’re basically describing a type of aphrodisiac,” Zhen He deduced.
“What’s that?” Zhu Yue had never heard the term.
“It’s a foreign term. Its function is as you described. However, there’s no such thing for the people of Tianxiu, and alien aphrodisiacs don’t work on us.”
Thinking that Zhen He implied they didn’t have it, Zhu Yue’s face darkened.
“However,” Zhen He’s tone changed, “there’s a substance that’s quite similar, an extract.”
“Extract?”
“Once, a genius researcher developed a drug called ‘Embers’ to boost human combat potential. This extract is a byproduct of ‘Embers’.”
“Embers?” This time, Zhu Yue was familiar. “I’ve heard of it.”
“When it was first developed, ‘Embers’ had severe side effects, causing an excess of sex hormones. Researchers found a catalyst in ‘Embers’ that caused this surge and isolated it, leading to a refined version of the drug.”
“And what happened to the extracted substance?” Zhu Yue asked with anticipation.
“It’s worthless for Tianxiu people; it’s typically treated as chemical waste. No one uses it, and there’s no reason to. Even adults wouldn’t resort to such crude methods for arousal. Fledglings have even less use.”
Zhu Yue happily pushed his card forward. “You can charge everything on the card. I need that substance, and I need it by the day after tomorrow.”
Zhen He readily took the card. “One day. Come back at this time tomorrow to get it.”
“You’re not going to ask what I need it for?” Zhu Yue was cautious.
“I do business, and I only take money. I don’t ask reasons. As long as you can pay, I’ll sell. What you do with it is none of my concern, and I won’t disclose any information. However, you can’t ask how I acquired it, and you can’t tell anyone you got it from me. Do you accept these terms?”
“Deal!”
Meanwhile, Ling Xiao was closely examining a small glass vial in his hand, containing a bright orange liquid. He found it while packing.
‘Just as a precaution…’ Ling Xiao thought, fetching a compact syringe from his drawer.
……
The annual field practice had finally arrived. The four classes of tenth grade split into two groups: two classes headed to the coast, while the class Ling Xiao belonged to went inland.
Every young student was extremely excited. On the way there, riding on their flying vehicles, they chattered non-stop. Their excitement didn’t subside even when they reached the destination, causing the instructor to expend a lot of energy to maintain order.
“Quiet! Quiet! This is a militarized field practice, not a casual picnic. What do you think you’re doing, making such a racket?”
He repeated this several times before the group finally quieted down.
“Now, roll call. Students of Team A…”
After roll-calling all four teams, Ying Feng and Ling Xiao were assigned to Teams A and B respectively. Although the members of Team A were encouraged by having the powerful Ying Feng on their side, they also expressed dissatisfaction with the presence of Zhu Yue.
“Though the second weakest in terms of combat ability, at least he’s a positive number. Unlike someone, who’s basically a negative,” said a student from Team A without naming anyone, but everyone knew who he meant.
“If he had self-awareness, he wouldn’t get involved and would just wait on the side. Otherwise, Ying Feng will have to take care of him. He’s just a burden,” said another more bluntly.
Zhu Yue heard all of this and held his tongue. It wasn’t the time to argue with anyone. He had risked not taking the suppressant to participate in this field trip, not to pick fights here. He secretly reached into his pocket, tightly gripping the bottle inside, thinking, ‘Once I achieve my goal, I won’t care what any of you say.’
The instructor led everyone to the designated camping site, and the students chose their spots, setting up tents in pairs.
The tent for Ying Feng’s group was mostly set up by him alone. In order not to seem useless, Zhu Yue volunteered to decorate the inside.
Zhu Yue accidentally spotted something familiar in Ying Feng’s open bag. Seeing Ying Feng wasn’t around, he secretly examined the spray bottle, comparing it with his own, and confirmed that even the labels were identical.
However, he quickly remembered that Zhen He had disguised the medicine he gave him, saying this way it wouldn’t be easily discovered. This meant Ying Feng’s was the real thing, while his was just a different substance in the same bottle.
“What are you doing?”
Ying Feng’s voice came from behind, startling Zhu Yue, causing both bottles to fall. He quickly picked up one and threw it back into Ying Feng’s bag, hiding the other behind him, turning around nervously. “No-nothing…”
Ying Feng, finding this suspicious, asked, “Why touch my stuff?”
“I… I just accidentally saw something in your bag that looked like mine, so I got curious… I didn’t mean to pry,” Zhu Yue quickly added.
Ying Feng skeptically took out the suppressant spray from his bag. “You mean this?”
Zhu Yue, not knowing what the real content of the bottle was, just nodded.
After some thought and observing Zhu Yue’s guilty demeanor, Ying Feng seemed to understand a lot.
“You’ve officially entered the awakening phase, haven’t you?”
“Ah? Yes…” Knowing he couldn’t hide the truth, Zhu Yue confessed.
“You didn’t inject the suppressant, yet you dared to join this field trip?” Ying Feng pinpointed the issue. “This spray is for emergencies. So you brought it just in case?”
“I did take it!” Zhu Yue lied reflexively.
Ying Feng didn’t want to argue further. “Whether you take it or not, keep your distance from me. I don’t want to lose this opportunity because of you. If you can’t, I’ll request a medical check on you now. They’ll know if you’re telling the truth or lying.”
Zhu Yue stepped back, his head lowered, eyes darting, implicitly acknowledging Ying Feng’s suspicions.
Ying Feng pocketed the spray and left.
From Ling Xiao’s tent, he could see everything happening at Ying Feng’s site. He saw Zhu Yue enter, then Ying Feng. He didn’t know what they were doing inside but was relieved when Ying Feng came out.
When he realized he was behaving like a voyeur, Ying Feng had already noticed him. Ling Xiao tried to look nonchalant, pretending to admire the scenery.
“What are you looking at?” A slap landed on Ling Xiao’s shoulder, startling him.
Ling Xiao turned his head to see that it was Ting Lei who had slapped him. “You scared me to death.”
“The instructor has called for assembly. What are you dazing about?”
Lost in his thoughts, Ling Xiao hadn’t heard the whistle. Now, he followed Ting Lei to the assembly point. Members from all four teams had arrived, and the instructor began to introduce the training content for the first day.
“Today is the first day of the field practice. Our focus will be on warming up and adapting to the outdoor terrain. We have marked the boundaries, and within these markers, everyone is free to move.”
Walking among the crowd, the instructor continued, “As we all know, every creature has a weakness. Different creatures have different vulnerabilities, but there’s one common weakness: the heart.”
“For the people of Tianxiu, compared to other races, our recovery ability is faster. If necessary, we can even abandon some body parts to protect ourselves. Even if we lose an arm, advanced medical equipment can help us regenerate. But the heart is different. Our heart is as vulnerable as other races. Once attacked, it can result in temporary combat incapacity or even be fatal.”
“Therefore, the heart is a critical area everyone needs to protect. It’s also the main target when attacking the enemy. Learning to protect oneself, while spending the least effort and killing the enemy at the fastest speed, is what we will train for today.”
The instructor pointed to a pile of devices on the ground. “These are scoring devices. Everyone will wear one on their chest. The red button on it is the stop key.”
“Everyone starts with a score of 1 point. When you press the stop key on someone else’s chest, you’ll get all their points. The person whose stop key is pressed will be out. Anyone crossing the marked boundaries will also be out, and their points will be evenly distributed to the remaining three teams.”
“We have sixty-four participants. The battle time is three hours, or until there’s only one person left on the field. Whether you choose to beat everyone and gain all the points or hide and save your points for the team is up to you.”
“Any questions?”
“No!” Everyone responded in unison.
“Now, each team occupies a direction. When the light on the scoring device lights up, the battle can begin. Everyone, take your positions!”
At the command, members from all four teams swiftly moved in different directions. Ying Feng led Team A and only stopped when he found a relatively safe area. One by one, his teammates arrived.
“Do we have any tactics?” A classmate instinctively regarded Ying Feng as the team leader.
But as a lone ranger, Ying Feng had only one strategy.
“Protect yourself, take down the enemy.”
The light on everyone’s chest lit up, and the number on the LCD screen jumped from 0 to 1.
“Let’s go.” Ying Feng took a step, and Zhu Yue arrived hurriedly.
Without commenting on Zhu Yue’s speed, Ying Feng never expected to retain his point from the beginning. He just wondered which team would get him first.
As Ying Feng was about to bypass him, Zhu Yue spoke.
“I’ll try my best to protect myself and not be a burden.”
Ying Feng, who had walked a few steps away, came back upon hearing this.
“Do you really not want to be a drag?”
Thinking he had gained Ying Feng’s attention, Zhu Yue bravely puffed out his chest.
“Yes!”
“Do you want to contribute to the team?”
“Yes!”
Without hesitation, Ying Feng raised his hand and pressed the stop key on Zhu Yue’s chest. Zhu Yue’s score immediately changed to 0, while Ying Feng’s became 2.
He Xiaowei shouted, saying that he had found two bullets. After Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong failed to find anything in Room 701, they went to the corridor to look, leaving Zhou Qian alone to search the room.
After seeing the bullets, Gao Shan noticed that Situ Qing raised her hand, holding a bell, and approached the door of Room 3.
She seemed to be constantly tapping and knocking in the corridor, checking every tile. Now, she was inspecting the gaps between every two rooms. Finally, she focused her attention on the doors of the 12 rooms themselves.
Approaching the door of Room 3, Situ Qing took a sniff and then asked, “Do you smell anything unusual?”
He Xiaowei was the first to respond, “Huh? What smell? All I can taste in my mouth is the stench of a corpse and cleaning agent… It’s so pungent. I won’t be doing this job again. I feel like throwing up!”
The door of Room 701 faced Rooms 12, 1, and 2.
Three corpses entered these rooms and died, respectively, and thus all were piled up on this half of the circular space.
So Situ Qing turned and walked to the other half of the corridor.
“I noticed that all 12 room doors have a strange smell. There are corpses here; if you can’t smell it, then come with me and sniff there. Actually, this clue I found… should be related to the side quest. Even though I don’t want to solve math problems and can give up the side quest at any time, it seems we’ve already found a way to clear the side quest, so let’s give it a try.”
He Xiaowei wiped his hands and, without hesitation, followed Situ Qing.
At this moment, Lu Mengmeng stood up, imitating Situ Qing’s actions, and approached the door of Room 3.
He gently held the door and carefully leaned his hand over. He made a sniffing motion and then said, “The cleaning agent on the floor is indeed very pungent, affecting our sense of smell. But my nose is quite sensitive, and the smell at this door is indeed different.”
Leaving Room 3, Lu Mengmeng went on to smell the doors of Rooms 4 and 5.
At this point, the fog in the corridor became a bit thicker. Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong wanted to get a clearer view of Lu Mengmeng’s exploration, so they clasped their hands and followed.
Within those two minutes, the corridor hadn’t grown as long as it would later. The five individuals split up and quickly circled around Room 701 before gathering back at its door.
He Xiaowei blinked and said, “There seems to be a scent, quite different from cleaning agents. What do you all think?”
Lu Mengmeng confidently replied, “There is a smell. Every door has a strange odor.”
After discussing briefly, the dense fog started to thicken, and the corridor began to stretch, making the entire circular space grow larger.
At this point, footsteps could be faintly heard near Room 701’s door. He Xiaowei quickly inquired if Zhou Qian was coming out.
Zhou Qian responded, saying he wanted to check Room 7.
Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei immediately followed.
Once both of them moved away from the vicinity of Room 701, Gao Shan realized he couldn’t see them anymore.
The fog obscuring the view was unsettling.
With this thought, Gao Shan gripped Yun Xiangrong’s fingers even tighter. “Rongrong, be careful.”
Despite being so close, he could barely see her clearly and felt comforted only by holding her hand tightly.
Moments later, after discussing with Yun Xiangrong, the two followed Zhou Qian’s direction to see his results in Room 7.
During this, they could hear faint footsteps from behind, likely Lu Mengmeng and Situ Qing following.
In this order, with Zhou Qian leading, followed closely by He Xiaowei, and then Gao, Yun, Lu, and Situ, all six players moved in the same direction towards Room 7.
Due to the heavy fog, even though they knew it was harmless, the psychological burden on Gao Shan and the others increased significantly.
No one took any chances, and they all moved slowly.
Shortly after, while on their way to Rooms 6 and 7, Gao Shan heard Situ Qing’s voice.
The strange dense fog in the corridor seemed to muffle sounds. Even though Situ Qing was just a few steps away, Gao Shan had to focus intently to hear her clearly.
Logically, Zhou Qian should be nearby, but Gao Shan couldn’t discern if he had opened the door to Room 7 or if he had already entered, as he couldn’t hear any sound from Zhou Qian’s direction.
Situ Qing’s voice came in a distant, ethereal manner. “This is just the first side quest of the second-level instance. Actually, deciphering the so-called ‘pattern’ is quite simple. I feel that this whole floor is just full of smoke and mirrors—I suspect the method to pass through is directly written on the door.”
Yun Xiangrong’s voice rang in Gao Shan’s ears. “Do you mean… there are symbols on each door made with some chemical agent, and when the temperature rises or falls, words will appear on them?”
“This floor seems to be a mental space related to Jiang Yuqing. Isn’t Jiang Yuqing a scientist? I think this guess about the chemical agent matches his identity. Moreover, haven’t we all played escape room games? This is a very common trope. I can help you all out.”
As Situ Qing’s cold words fell, Gao Shan felt the sound of crisp bells ringing.
“Jingle jingle jingle…”
” Jingle jingle jingle…”
With the sound of the bells, the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped.
Snow suddenly began to fall in the corridor. Gao Shan spread his hand and watched a snowflake land in his palm, then melt away. However, he couldn’t see the other snowflakes clearly. As soon as they landed, they disappeared into the fog.
The temperature rapidly dropped, and soon after, from the direction of Room 6, faint sounds from Lu Mengmeng could be heard. Even though he wasn’t far away, the weird fog made the sound seem as if it came from the clouds.
Gao Shan, holding Yun Xiangrong’s hand, followed the sound and saw Lu Mengmeng standing in front of a door not far away. Due to the thick fog, only when they approached the door did Gao Shan realize that there was a symbol on it that hadn’t been there before—an “S”.
“I am an assassin, and I’m very fast. To save time, I will check all the rooms for you.” After saying this, Lu Mengmeng drew a short dagger, and in a flash, he disappeared from Gao Shan’s sight.
“He’s really fast,” Yun Xiangrong couldn’t help but exclaim. Just after she spoke, a shadow approached, stopping in place. To their surprise, it was Lu Mengmeng, who had returned. Although he seemed not very strong in attack and appeared weak in defense, holding the dagger made him move faster than Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong could imagine.
Lu Mengmeng quickly said, “I found it! On the 12 doors, each door has a secret! Rooms 3 4 5 6 7 all have an ‘S’ on the door, and the other seven rooms all have a ‘7’. So, so…”
“I get it! Even though we haven’t found a specific clue related to status or the story plot, we can find the answer from the demonstrations of those three janitors!”
“Firstly, rooms 6 and 7 are definitely safe! Didn’t Zhou Qian say that Room 7 is safe? He’s going to Room 7! I just searched and didn’t find him, which means he’s already in Room 7, searching for evidence. But he didn’t die! So, Room 7 is safe, and so is Room 6!”
Lu Mengmeng’s voice became excited. “Rooms 6 and 7 are safe; their doors have the ‘S’… Since 3 4 5 6 7 all have ‘S’, but other rooms have ‘7’, we can infer from this that the squad with the ‘S’ rank is lower in status than the squad with ‘7’. So, 3 4 5 6 7 are safe rooms! Zhou Qian has already entered Room 7. Let’s go into Room 6 now!”
With that, in the fog, Gao Shan faintly saw Lu Mengmeng turn and head towards Room 6. He was about to push the door but hesitated and seemed to turn his head, possibly looking at Gao Shan. “I’m a bit scared on my own, how about we go together—”
“No, stop!” This voice was Yun Xiangrong’s. She said seriously, “This symbol on the door is strange, it’s definitely a trap!”
Not understanding his girlfriend’s meaning, Gao Shan immediately asked her, “What’s wrong?”
Yun Xiangrong explained the conditions set by the system for the players. “…So, Shan Ge, the safe rooms change. They can’t be constant. We need to find what will cause the gunman’s status to drop; only then can we solve the puzzle.”
“I see…” Gao Shan’s eyes sharpened, and he immediately took a step towards Room 6, saying in a stern voice, “Lu Mengmeng, stop! Don’t go in!”
“Ah, ah, oh… okay… so that’s how it is…”
From in front of Room 6’s door came such a voice from Lu Mengmeng.
After that, Gao Shan couldn’t hear anything.
Gao Shan felt that what Lu Mengmeng said was strange.
Logically, he almost died when he nearly entered Room 6; his voice should be filled with relief from having a narrow escape from death, or maybe filled with fear and afterthoughts. Yet, for some reason, Gao Shan sensed a hint of disappointment and hesitation in his words.
After this, for a long time, Gao Shan didn’t hear Lu Mengmeng speak again.
Concerned about his situation, Gao Shan, holding Yun Xiangrong’s hand, took a few more steps forward and saw the frail figure still in front of Room 6, which reassured him. He shouted, “Lu Mengmeng, are you okay?”
“Cough cough…” After a while, Lu Mengmeng’s voice came. “I’m fine! I was just pondering a question… If everything just said was a trap, then someone is plotting against us? Could it be that the S and 7 were drawn by someone?”
Hearing this, Gao Shan leaned close to Yun Xiangrong, their foreheads almost touching.
In the thick fog, at such a close distance, they could see each other’s eyes.
Their understanding was impeccable, and Gao Shan grasped Yun Xiangrong’s meaning—the one who plotted against everyone is probably Situ Qing. After all, she had been wandering the corridor from the beginning, had ample time to fabricate clues, and was the first to claim that there was a chemical smell on the door.
Gao Shan replied, “That’s probably it. Someone wants us dead.”
Then he heard Lu Mengmeng say doubtfully, “But… who is it? Who would do this? What is their purpose? But… regardless, I’ll look for clues. This space is getting bigger. You’re too slow. I still have MP, so leave it to me. I’ll quickly run around the corridor and check all 12 doors to see if there are any traces that reveal the identity of the plotter. Someone so malicious… I must find them!”
After saying this, Lu Mengmeng used his skill again; his shadow flickered and disappeared in front of Gao Shan.
Holding Yun Xiangrong’s hand tightly, Gao Shan frowned and said, “This is really strange. Why does Situ Qing want to kill us? What does she gain from killing everyone?”
At that moment, they heard a faint noise from the side.
However, as the entire space was continuously expanding, standing at the entrance of Room 6, they couldn’t immediately determine whether the sound was coming from the adjacent Room 7 or somewhere farther away.
Yun Xiangrong, sensing something, pulled Gao Shan in the direction of the noise and whispered, “Killing us doesn’t make sense; maybe Situ Qing is targeting Zhou Qian.”
Gao Shan frowned. “Why?”
Yun Xiangrong said, “Our game video can be seen by Rank S players and high-level gamblers. I believe we didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t know about He Xiaowei and Lu Mengmeng, so let’s not discuss them. But Dong Xiang’s death had something to do with Zhou Qian. Maybe someone hired the Rank C Situ Qing to kill Zhou Qian for revenge on behalf of Dong Xiang. Otherwise, why would she, a Rank C player who claims to have no interest in hidden instances, come here?”
“Right! That’s probably it! She wants to kill Zhou Qian!”
Gao Shan immediately became serious and pulled out his shield. “Zhou Qian wasn’t fooled by the traps she set on the doors. So, she might use direct force. Now, with this thick fog, it’s a good opportunity for her to act!”
“Jingle jingle jingle…”
“Jingle jingle jingle—”
The bell rang again.
Gao Shan felt Yun Xiangrong grip his hand tighter. “The previous snowstorm was a smokescreen by Situ Qing. Based on her previous actions, we might think her bell is continuing to lower the temperature using a skill. But her real intention is to kill with her skill. This is a bell that can kill!”
Listening to his girlfriend, Gao Shan felt the bell ringing all around; its continuous “jingle jingle” sound was so distracting that it could drive someone mad. Meanwhile, snow seemed to be gathering, forming a visible shadow in the fog.
After a glance at Yun Xiangrong, Gao Shan took her hand, and together they followed the sound of the bell and the snow, moving through the fog.
After a while, a massive snowball formed from the swirling snow, directly hitting the direction of a door. Approaching quickly, Gao Shan noticed a “7” carved on that door.
That was Zhou Qian’s room!
He should be searching for evidence inside right now.
The Ice Queen Situ Qing had unleashed a powerful attack on him; she was trying to kill him!
Thinking of this, Gao Shan released Yun Xiangrong’s hand and raised his shield with both hands. “I’ll rush into the room and unleash my power, helping Zhou Qian block some of it!”
“Wait, Shan Ge, I…”
Yun Xiangrong felt something was amiss, but her thoughts lagged behind her instinct. She couldn’t immediately articulate her concerns.
In truth, she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.
No matter if the other rooms could be entered, Zhou Qian just said he entered Room 7. Room 7 should indeed be relatively safe…
“Rongrong, we need to save him. First, it’s in my nature not to stand by and watch someone die. Second, we genuinely need his help to move forward.”
Turning back to Yun Xiangrong with a smile, Gao Shan said, “Sorry, I’m not smart enough to guide you smoothly all the way to the end by myself. Fortunately, we met Zhou Qian. I believe he can lead us all the way, achieving hidden accomplishments, earning gold coins, and eventually… obtaining what you desire most.”
“Shan Ge…”
Yun Xiangrong’s eyes widened.
The next moment, a giant ice ball fiercely smashed towards the door of Room 7.
Fearful that the Ice Queen’s powerful attack would harm Yun Xiangrong, Gao Shan pushed her aside and quickly charged into Room 7 with his shield raised—
“Bang!”
The sound of a bullet firing.
……
Time rewound to that moment.
Zhou Qian quickly pulls open the door and looks to the side.
Through the dense fog, he vaguely saw a figure rushing out. The situation resembled that of the previous three cleaners. The shadow fell heavily onto the ground. What followed was an ear-piercing, heart-wrenching cry of despair from a woman, which sent shivers down one’s spine…
Without the time to identify the face of the figure, the combination of his silhouette and the despairing cry echoing in the corridor made Zhou Qian’s heart skip a beat. He roughly inferred what had transpired.
Reacting swiftly, his first action was to draw out the [Rib of God], utilizing the unique ability of this weapon.
Yun Xiangrong’s crying became incredibly elongated, but her pace towards Gao Shan never arrived.
The corridor, walls, and ceiling all began distorting in the thick fog, and both the corridor’s lengthening and the fog’s thickening became exceedingly slow.
Zhou Qian had decelerated the flow of time.
Everything was slowing down, including Gao Shan’s impending death. The blood from his gunshot wound almost stopped flowing.
Within this space, the only person seemingly standing outside of time was Zhou Qian himself.
His first move was to raise his left hand, enter the system’s trading interface, and attempt to contact Qi Liuxing.
He needed Qi Liuxing to send over the [Tick Tock Clock], which had the power to resurrect, to save Gao Shan.
However, after waiting for a while, there was no response from Qi Liuxing. Given that the ability of the Rib of God had a time limit, Zhou Qian quickly shifted his attention from the system and, clutching the bone in his hand, quickly approached Gao Shan.
Crouching in front of Gao Shan, Zhou Qian held one end of the Rib of God, placing the other end in Gao Shan’s hand.
In this way, Zhou Qian temporarily pulled Gao Shan out of the normal timeline.
Everything around them came to an almost complete standstill.
The only ones who could move and speak were Zhou Qian and Gao Shan.
Lowering his head and peering through the fog, Zhou Qian immediately saw the blood oozing out from Gao Shan. This color, which he despised so much, mixed with a strong scent of iron, made his temples throb uncontrollably.
Some restless element deep within his bones and blood, after repeatedly seeing blood and especially realizing it came from Gao Shan, seemed unable to be suppressed any longer.
The dense fog in front of him was no longer white but appeared blood-red.
Zhou Qian didn’t feel anger or sorrow, only intense irritation.
It felt as if millions of ants had crawled into his bloodstream, causing every nerve in his body to ache. He needed to vent this frustration forcefully.
Previously, when he fell ill in reality, it was always Li Xuehai who rushed over to inject him with a tranquilizer.
But now, inside the game, he didn’t have that tranquilizer.
He could only rely on himself.
Closing his eyes and forcing himself to exhale a long breath that tasted almost like rusty blood, Zhou Qian managed to suppress the surge of discomfort.
Then he quickly spoke to Gao Shan. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t grant you a quick death, making you suffer and talk to me through the pain. But I need to know what happened to you. Tell me everything. I’ll help you take revenge.”
Exhaling slowly, Gao Shan lay on the ground, one hand weakly holding the Rib of God that allowed him to stand outside of time. He spoke softly, recounting everything that had just transpired to Zhou Qian.
Then he said, “I was sure I went to room number 7, why would…”
Zhou Qian quickly looked behind Gao Shan.
The door there had closed again, and the number plate indeed showed a “7”.
But Zhou Qian knew he had entered the real “Room 7”.
The room Gao Shan entered was the deadly “Room 6”.
Someone had swapped the number plates for these rooms!
In that moment, Zhou Qian immediately understood what had happened.
He had previously suspected that Situ Qing had collaborated with someone. Now it seemed that person could only be Lu Mengmeng.
Situ Qing and Lu Mengmeng conspired to deceive Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong, leading them to the so-called safe Rooms 3 4 5 6 7.
However, Yun Xiangrong was alert and wasn’t fooled.
So the two quickly changed their strategy.
Using the thick fog that obscured vision and affected hearing, and the rooms that changed position because the corridors kept lengthening, they swapped the plates of adjacent rooms 6 and 7, luring Gao Shan into room 6, where a gunman would shoot.
The faint, distant “jingle” sound was made by Situ Qing.
Yun Xiangrong had previously judged that Situ Qing was ringing the bell to kill Zhou Qian.
But she was wrong.
Situ Qing’s real intention was to simply distract Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong, disrupting their sense of distance.
The fog and the elongated corridor, combined with the distant and near bell sounds, led Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong to believe they had walked a similar distance in the fog. When they saw a room with a “7”, they didn’t doubt its authenticity and mistook it for Room 7.
The only one who could swap the numbers of these two rooms so quickly was the assassin Lu Mengmeng.
With his exceptional speed and the cover of the fog, he moved swiftly, swapping the numbers, making it incredibly hard to notice.
In the end, the two of them succeeded.
They successfully lured Gao Shan into what he believed was room 7, which was in fact room 6, where he was shot.
However, originally, Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong wouldn’t have been deceived.
Deep down, Zhou Qian knew—the reason Gao Shan went to room 7 was to save him.
A brief pause in his gaze, looking through the bleeding Gao Shan, Zhou Qian seemed to see someone else.
Then, looking deeply into Gao Shan’s eyes with utmost seriousness, Zhou Qian said coldly, “Do you know what I hate most? Owing someone a life.”
Struggling to lift his head to look at Zhou Qian, Gao Shan sighed. “Zhou Qian, you said earlier… you would take revenge for me, but I don’t need it. This was my mistake. It has nothing to do with you.”
Zhou Qian stared coldly at him. “What? Even now, you still want to play the good guy?”
The agitation inside him was becoming unbearable.
Zhou Qian’s feelings about joy, sorrow, love, and hate were usually subdued, but now he felt a surge of irritation and anger.
If this continued, his condition might flare up again.
Staring intensely at Gao Shan’s eyes, Zhou Qian said through gritted teeth, “Most people in this world are villains. There are hardly any true good people. In my life, I’ve only met two genuinely good people. One was Bai Zhou, and the other is you.”
Earlier, what Zhou Qian had said to Zhi Liuxing was incorrect.
During the “Apple Paradise” instance, he did try to threaten Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong with a deal. If they didn’t help, he would lure the cultists to them and let everyone die together.
But before he sent that message, he received one from Gao Shan.
Gao Shan said he was worried and had convinced Yun Xiangrong to help. They would be there soon.
At this moment, in this frozen time, even death seemed to have paused.
But Zhou Qian knew it was an illusion, like a fleeting dream.
Soon this brief pause would end.
And the inevitable death would eventually arrive.
Looking at Gao Shan, Zhou Qian said in a very hoarse and deep voice, “I’ve only met two good people in my life. But Bai Zhou is dead, and now you’re dying. It seems that in this world, good people die young, while the wicked live long. So I—”
Gao Shan interjected with a bitter smile, “So, you want to become one of those wicked ones?”
“Right.” Zhou Qian’s fingers clenched the Rib of God so tightly that his veins nearly popped. “So I want to become a bad guy, a villain. I…”
Gao Shan waved it off, immediately cutting him off. “Zhou Qian, I don’t need you to avenge me. Nor do I want Rongrong to seek revenge.”
“Thank you for buying me some time. Using this time, I’ll leave part of my gold and items for you and the rest for Rongrong…”
Taking a deep sigh, Gao Shan continued, “I’m giving you these gold and items to ask you a favor. Rongrong might seem gentle on the outside, but she’s more stubborn than anyone. You must persuade her not to seek revenge for me. Otherwise, I’m afraid she’ll go astray…”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian’s eyes went dark and deep.
After a moment, he stared at Gao Shan with emotionless eyes. “I’m afraid I can’t convince her. You’re right. She’s very stubborn deep down, and she’ll definitely seek revenge.”
Faced with his impending death, Gao Shan was calm.
But now, he became anxious.
Enduring the severe pain, he reached out and tightly gripped Zhou Qian’s wrist, almost trembling as he spoke, “You… You try to persuade her for me. I know you’re good at convincing people; you have a knack for it…”
“It’s impossible to try and convince Yun Xiangrong to give up on avenging you. So—”
Before Gao Shan could interrupt, Zhou Qian shifted his words, saying something that left Gao Shan stunned.
“Then, let her hate me.”
Zhou Qian said this emotionlessly.
He calmly continued, “Your and Yun Xiangrong’s analysis is wrong. For a scum like Dong Xiang, I don’t believe someone would set up such a scheme for revenge on his behalf. Or rather, someone of his caliber can’t afford to hire Situ Qing.”
“Situ Qing and Lu Mengmeng are eerily in sync, suggesting someone else might be pulling the strings.
“So, behind all this, there might even be an organization that’s best not to mess with.”
“Of course, regardless of the truth, the assassins were definitely targeting me.”
“You and Yun Xiangrong got involved because of me. If Yun Xiangrong tries to avenge you alone against such an organization, it’s very risky. So, I promise you, I won’t let her get involved.”
“First, Gao Shan, I’ll try to contact Qi Liuxing to get the ‘Tick Tock Clock’ to save you.”
“If that doesn’t work, I’d ask you to sleep a bit longer and wait for me. I’ll definitely make it to the end of this game and find a way to save you. In the meantime—”
In a tone that sounded utterly indifferent, Zhou Qian said, “Let Yun Xiangrong hate me and come after me.”
After a long pause,
The effect of the Rib of God wore off.
Time resumed its normal pace.
In a pool of blood, Gao Shan closed his eyes forever.
And the moment Zhou Qian pulled the Rib of God from Gao Shan—
A faint white shadow floated out of Gao Shan’s body, eventually being absorbed into the bone.
Near the door of room 701, the smell of blood was growing stronger. Three corpses lay nearby, each with a hole torn through their chest. Thick blood flowed from their wounds, gradually creeping towards the door of room 701, even showing signs of seeping into the room.
The side quest “Checks and Balance” seemed like a puzzle about identifying a pattern. The game designer had vividly displayed the puzzle before everyone using the corpses of these three janitors.
On a circular plane, room 701 was at the center. Surrounding it, 12 rooms formed a perfect circle.
Now, the three janitors were labeled as A, B, and C.
Janitor A entered room 12 and died.
Janitor B entered room 1 and died.
Janitor C first went into rooms 6 and 7 safely but died upon entering room 2.
The hints for passing the level were two sentences written on a piece of paper that Zhou Qian obtained by touching a black-and-white photograph. After him, Gao Shan, Yun Xiangrong, Lu Mengmeng, and He Xiaowei also tried touching the photo in succession, but they couldn’t gather any more clues. The only one who hadn’t touched the photo from the beginning was Situ Qing.
“Arithmetic sequence? Geometric sequence?” He Xiaowei, frustrated, exclaimed in room 701 after scribbling down some calculations. “Damn, I can’t solve this puzzle! Also, what do those two sentences mean?”
Beside him, Yun Xiangrong was also drafting calculations on a piece of paper on the floor. While He Xiaowei attempted to find a pattern among the numbers “1” through “12,” Yun Xiangrong drew a diagram of the rooms, trying to connect specific points and draw diagonals. However, in a short span, she couldn’t identify a reliable pattern and frowned in frustration.
Seeing Yun Xiangrong frown, Gao Shan grew concerned. “Even if we can’t find the pattern quickly… rooms 6 and 7 are safe. Let’s check them first for clues, maybe we can find some evidence. We only have one hour left… I’m afraid time is running out.”
He Xiaowei’s eyes lit up. “That’s right, we can go check!”
Yun Xiangrong shook her head, stopping them. “Wait. Let me think…”
She didn’t elaborate further, deeply engrossed in thought, seemingly searching for the key solution, and not yet ready to discuss it with the others.
Lu Mengmeng, who looked pale and frail, slightly opened the door to room 701. “It’s so confusing. Are there any clues outside this room? Should we go out and check?” Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei glanced outside and noticed a faint mist. “What the hell?”
Situ Qing, who had remained silent the entire time, finally spoke. “This is a common tactic of side quests inside the game, just to distract the players. The side quest is to find evidence inside the rooms. When we open one of the 12 rooms, the mist will flow in and hinder our vision. But apart from that, the mist has no other significance.”
“Wow, you really are worthy of being a Rank C player! Miss, not only are you beautiful, but you’re also so skilled! What do you think about this? Why didn’t you touch the photo earlier? What do you think the pattern is?” He Xiaowei’s barrage of questions came to an abrupt halt under Situ Qing’s cold gaze.
With an arrogant tilt of her chin, Situ Qing stated, “My leveling method involves rapidly completing a large number of instances, accumulating experience points in a short time to level up quickly, enhance my combat capabilities, and earn coins. I don’t care about so-called hidden achievements and item rewards. Hence, I usually focus on the main quest and can give up on the side quests depending on the situation.”
She nodded towards the corridor. “If we can’t find a definite pattern, opening any room out of the 12 might lead to us getting shot. On the other hand, if we don’t open any rooms, we won’t die. The side quest is probably related to a hidden achievement. But, as I said, I don’t care. Don’t ask me about ‘identifying patterns’; I’m not interested in math problems. The secret exit from this space might be hidden somewhere on the corridor walls or beneath a floor tile. I’ll go look for it. I only focus on the main quest.”
What Situ Qing said indeed somewhat shook the morale of everyone to a certain extent.
The time limit for the clearance was only an hour, and if the wrong pattern was identified, people could die. But if they held their forces and did nothing, the players would always be safe.
Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong exchanged glances, both seemingly detecting hesitation in each other’s eyes. But remembering Zhou Qian’s performance in the previous instance, they both turned to look at him.
It would seem out of place if Zhou Qian didn’t do something unexpected.
And indeed, Zhou Qian made a move.
His actions were still eccentric and baffling to the onlookers.
He left Room 701 and headed into the corridor. Surprisingly, he walked towards the cleaning tools casually left on the ground by the three janitors.
Mops, brooms, towels, disinfectants, stain removers, scissors—all sorts of tools were available.
Zhou Qian was rummaging through these tools as if he was searching for something.
Watching him, Uncle He Xiaowei’s eyes lit up.
He Xiaowei immediately approached Zhou Qian and said, “Smart move, bro! Why didn’t I think of that? Right, these tools were brought by NPCs! They must be useful for this side quest! Hahaha… So, did you find any useful tools?”
“No. This blood is really annoying,” Zhou Qian replied. “I just want to clean up.”
He Xiaowei: “…”
Gao and Yun: “…”
After selecting his cleaning tools, the first thing Zhou Qian did was actually spray detergent on the floor and then mop it up.
However, after cleaning the blood off the floor, Zhou Qian found three deformed bullet casings near the three bodies. The casings were badly deformed, with significant cracks in some places, and the broken fragments were nowhere to be found.
After a sniper took a shot from a concealed position, the casing would fall near the muzzle of the gun. Typically, to avoid revealing their location, the sniper would toss the casing elsewhere.
It seemed the gunmen in these 12 rooms had the same trait as snipers. When the bodies were removed from the rooms, they also threw out the bullet casings.
After collecting the three casings, Zhou Qian took out a new towel and squatted next to one of the bodies.
Undoubtedly, Zhou Qian’s actions attracted many people’s attention.
Under their gaze, he carefully pierced the victim’s chest wound with scissors. The body was still warm, and the blood hadn’t cooled.
Blood spurted out as Zhou Qian made the incision. Frowning, Zhou Qian wiped the blood with a towel while pushing the scissors further into the chest.
“What… What are you doing?” He Xiaowei blinked and asked.
After a moment, before Zhou Qian could answer, He Xiaowei saw it.
Zhou Qian extracted a bullet from the victim’s chest.
He kept frowning throughout, only relaxing once he had cleaned the blood off the bullet and sprayed it with disinfectant. It turns out that his frown wasn’t because he was dealing with a corpse but because he despised blood.
Once the bullet was cleaned, the engraved symbol on it became very clear.
It was the letter “S”, a mark resembling a snake.
He Xiaowei, who was close enough to see it, exclaimed, “S?! What does that mean?”
“In Jiang Yuqing’s room, everything is related to ‘7’. Their troop number must also be related to ‘7’. So, this ‘S’ might refer to his enemy, but in any case, it’s not from the same unit as his.” Zhou Qian theorized, then with a smile, he added, “Why don’t you help extract the bullets from the other two NPC corpses and see if their bullets also have an ‘S’?”
“Sure,” He Xiaowei readily agreed. “You hate blood, right? Leave it to me.”
With such a ready agreement, He Xiaowei completely thwarted Zhou Qian’s plan to coax him into helping. Zhou Qian paused, then smiled, holding the bullet with the “S” engraving and heading back into Room 701.
Of the other players, many seemed curious about what Zhou Qian intended to do, and Gao Shan quickly followed him. He Xiaowei, on the other hand, took the cleaning tools selected by Zhou Qian and started extracting bullets from the two other bodies in the corridor.
Standing near the room door was Yun Xiangrong, who didn’t immediately follow Gao Shan into the room but observed the other two people in the corridor.
The first one she looked at was Lu Mengmeng. Curious about the bullet, Lu Mengmeng slowly walked over to He Xiaowei to observe. He looked pale and frail, not at all resembling the typical assassin.
Afterwards, Yun Xiangrong looked towards Situ Qing.
In the rather quiet corridor, Situ Qing’s footsteps were very clear. She was pacing back and forth, seemingly trying to find if any of the tiles were hollow, wondering if there might be an exit to leave this space hidden underneath.
At this moment, Yun Xiangrong noticed that Situ Qing took out a bell from her bag and tightly held it in her hand.
This bell must be her weapon. But what does she want to do with it?
She once said she didn’t care about the side quests, so she wouldn’t directly confront those snipers with a 100% accuracy rate. If so, this weapon wasn’t meant to deal with NPCs.
Who is she aiming for? The players?
A chill went down Yun Xiangrong’s spine. She closed her notebook and entered room 701.
……
Inside room 701.
Gao Shan and Zhou Qian stood in front of a seven-tiered bookshelf.
The range of books there was vast.
First, there were medical books covering bandaging, first aid, pharmacology, and even acupuncture and massage. Next, there were many books on physics, mathematics, and mechanics, some even discussing airplanes and train engines. The last section was filled with literature, including ancient texts and modern prose and poetry.
Gao Shan casually flipped through a few books and commented, “Could the clue be hidden here? Every book here is complex! And we only have an hour. If the clue is in one of these books… it’s like finding a needle in a haystack!”
Yun Xiangrong’s voice came from behind him. “Given the limited time, could the clue be related only to the titles? We don’t need to look inside; perhaps the secret lies in the titles?”
“Just looking at titles might not be enough.”
Zhou Qian responded, scrutinizing the bookshelf before adding, “However, you two can search the shelves. Focus on finding something other than books.”
“Something other than books… What do you mean?” Gao Shan inquired.
“Literally what I said.” Zhou Qian blinked at him, intending to leave the room.
“Hold on—” Yun Xiangrong called out to him.
“What is it?” Zhou Qian paused.
Glancing at the corridor outside, Yun Xiangrong approached and closed the door. She then addressed both Zhou Qian and Gao Shan, “I have a feeling… something’s off with Situ Qing. We should be cautious. None of us can match her one-on-one. Let’s avoid being alone with her.”
Curious, Zhou Qian asked, “How did you figure it out?”
“Just intuition. Her aura is too strong. She even blatantly carried her weapon, not hiding her murderous intent at all! I always feel…”
Yun Xiangrong shook her head and continued, “But, a barking dog seldom bites. If she really wanted to kill, she wouldn’t display her aggression so openly. Maybe I’m overthinking.”
It might not be an overthought on Yun Xiangrong’s part. From the earlier group details, Zhou Qian also had suspicions about Situ Qing. If Situ Qing was so openly aggressive, her accomplice could hide their intent.
One in the open, one in the shadows; it was a common strategy.
The one in the open was Situ Qing, so the hidden one was either He Xiaowei or Lu Mengmeng.
Zhou Qian said, “In any case, it’s never wrong to be cautious. Don’t trust anyone, not just Situ Qing. Stay together and don’t split up. It’d be tough for anyone to take down both a tank and a healer in a few moves.”
“Alright, understood,” Gao Shan replied, then asked Zhou Qian, “Earlier, Situ Qing said we could skip side quests. I’ve been considering it since she might have a point. I don’t have a talent for puzzle-solving. Should I consider her approach? Given the game’s current mechanics, coasting through main quests is easier, albeit with lesser experience. But if I grind more than others, leveling up quickly and earning gold, that’s also viable.”
“No. I don’t agree with her,” Zhou Qian answered firmly. “Remember the [Seed of Fire] we obtained? It’s currently useless. But if we achieve hidden achievements from similar quests, obtaining other items, its value might skyrocket. If one can clear the game through sheer combat power, then why design so many plots? I believe we should aim for key hidden achievements to get closer to the game’s ultimate secret. But of course, this is just my suggestion—”
Gao Shan pondered for a moment and said, “Alright. Let me think again… No, there’s no need to think anymore. I’ll listen to you.”
Hearing this, Yun Xiangrong couldn’t help but look at Gao Shan with surprise.
Meeting her gaze, Gao Shan patted her head. “Before coming here, didn’t we discuss this? Zhou Qian is quite reliable. We can join his team—”
Turning to Zhou Qian, Gao Shan continued, “We think that although you might be a potential psycho… you indeed have the capability to lead a team. Going solo in this game won’t work. We’re willing to follow you. Since you’ve decided to take the side quests, we can assist you. We’re near the bookshelf now, let’s look for that ‘something other than a book’ you mentioned.”
“Thank you.” Zhou Qian waved at them and walked out. “I’ll go take a look outside and be back soon.”
…..
Inside the presidential suite of a five-star hotel.
Several large draft papers lay in front of Yu Xian, each displaying the floor plan of the 13 rooms he had drawn. Not long after, he gave up, threw his pen away, and took a big gulp of beer.
“Darn it, I can’t figure it out. Qian Ge didn’t even take out a pen; I wonder if he noticed anything… Hey, Qiang Ge, do you have any idea what those two clues mean? What does ‘the lowest ranked cannot kill’ mean?”
“I don’t get it either.” Zhu Qiang opened a bottle of beer for himself.
With a disappointed look, Yu Xian lamented, “Before entering the game, I promised Zhou Qian I’d help him solve the riddles!”
Zhu Qiang: “But this pattern is too complicated. We’re both bad at math, what can we do? Why not… let him try rooms 6 and 7? They must be safe. That male janitor already checked.”
Yu Xian snapped, “You said that two minutes ago! I tried that! I’ve already sent that hint to Zhou Qian! He saw it and didn’t respond!”
Zhu Qiang shrugged. “Then there’s nothing we can do.”
“I… Oh!” Before Yu Xian could finish, he suddenly jumped up and ran to the restroom. “My stomach hurts so much. Was there something wrong with the hot pot today? I’m going to complain…”
Zhu Qiang remarked, “This is your second trip to the restroom. I’ll go to the pharmacy to get some medicine for you… I’ll be right back!”
As Yu Xian headed to the bathroom, Zhu Qiang’s expression turned solemn. He soon left the suite and went into his room next door. Taking a deep breath, he returned a call he had missed earlier.
Before entering the game, Zhu Qiang had secretly made contact with Lu Mengmeng behind Yu Xian’s back. At that time, Lu Mengmeng told Zhu Qiang they had to kill Zhou Qian. Killing Zhou Qian was something Lu Mengmeng had no choice but to do, or else he feared he’d be silenced by Peach Blossom. And if he died, Zhu Qiang would be in deep trouble too.
Recently, Zhu Qiang had been spending recklessly, even visiting the casino. Not only did he not save money, but he also accumulated debt. He had to make sure Lu Mengmeng survived this round. Otherwise, he’d never be able to pay off his debts.
Back then, during their video chat, Lu Mengmeng gave Zhu Qiang a phone number, stating it was from a high-ranking member of Peach Blossom, and that this person would be giving instructions to Zhu Qiang.
At this moment, the call connected, and Zhu Qiang heard a deep magnetic voice, yet it sounded youthful.
Swallowing hard, Zhu Qiang felt a hint of nervousness, then said, “I’ve tried as you instructed, attempting to use Yu Xian to guide Zhou Qian into rooms 6 and 7. But Zhou Qian didn’t fall for it!”
After a few seconds, the man on the other side instructed, “Find a way to get Yu Xian’s phone and send Zhou Qian a message in Yu Xian’s name, saying—
[Qian Ge, my good buddy Qiang Ge, the one you’ve met, is also playing ‘Last Wish’ and is on the same level as you all. They found a hidden clue in a hallway wall, indicating that rooms 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are the lowest rank. So, all five rooms are safe!]
While on the phone, Zhu Qiang received the message. His hand trembled. “All five rooms are safe… This clue, you made it up, right?”
The man laughed. “Of course I did.”
After a brief pause, the man went on to further explain to Zhu Qiang, “The hint from the handsome man in the Republic era picture is, ‘The lowest ranked cannot kill’ and ‘Balance of power is the only solution’.”
“These lines can be interpreted easily. There are 12 gunmen in 12 rooms, and their ranks are not equal. The lowest ranked among them cannot shoot and kill. Therefore, his room would be safe. The challenge then is to determine which room that is.”
Zhu Qiang pondered and said, “I see…”
The man continued, “So, I’ll have my player create a false clue related to ‘rank’ to mislead others. Of course, she will pretend that the clue was found inside a fake wall or hollow floor tile in the hallway. The false clue will suggest, metaphorically, that the ranks of the five rooms are very low. These rooms are 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The cleaner had personally tested rooms 6 and 7 and confirmed they are safe.”
“Therefore, first, there’s the false clue in the corridor; second, the NPC’s personal trial; and third, false external information provided by gamblers. With these three combined, they’re bound to fall for it.”
Zhu Qiang swallowed hard. “Wait, I have a question.”
The man said, “Go ahead.”
Zhu Qiang nervously asked, “You’ve prepared the fake clue… So, have you already discerned the real ‘pattern’ of those 12 rooms?”
The man confidently replied, “Of course. I’ve figured it out.”
After hesitating a bit, Zhu Qiang said, “You might not be aware, but Zhou Qian is really clever. Even if he doesn’t show it, I feel like he might have figured it out just like you did. So, if I send this fake clue to him, he will be suspicious! He will doubt either Yu Xian himself or me! Then, not only will we fail to kill him in this side quest, but we’ll also alert him. It’ll be difficult to kill him afterward because he won’t fall for false information anymore!”
“Hmm. You, rookie gambler… quite interesting.” The man chuckled but didn’t refute Zhu Qiang’s words. After a while, he said, “Alright, don’t send the message to Zhou Qian. Tell me first, what did Gao Shan, Yun Xiangrong, and Zhou Qian do in the room?”
Zhu Qiang then recounted the entire conversation between the three.
The man responded, “Understood. So, they’ve indeed formed an alliance. In that case, forward the fake message and clue I sent you to your player, Lu Mengmeng.”
“Lu Mengmeng? How can I lead him to his death?” Zhu Qiang exclaimed in distress; his back soaked in sweat.
The young man responded, “Of course, we’re not leading Lu Mengmeng to death. Tell him it’s a fake message. Then, have Lu Mengmeng make Gao Shan believe it’s real, leading him to any of those five rooms, say room number 6.”
“You… you want to kill Gao Shan?” Zhu Qiang’s face turned pale.
“Yes. Killing a healer isn’t very beneficial. She can only heal so much, and she seems clever enough not to fall for it easily,” the man said. “I anticipate danger in the later stages of this instance. It’s best to get rid of Zhou Qian, the main tank, first.”
Zhu Qiang remained silent for a long while. Finally, he asked, “You figured out the ‘pattern’ so quickly just by looking at a mobile screen? How did you determine which rooms are ‘lowest ranked’?”
The man replied, “Exactly. This challenge can be difficult or simple depending on how you view it.”
Zhu Qiang said, “I have no idea how to clear it…”
The man smiled. “Then you have to trust my abilities, trust the capabilities of our Peach Blossom. Believe that you haven’t chosen the wrong side and that following us is the right choice.”
For reasons he couldn’t fathom, Zhu Qiang felt a chilling sensation. Trembling, he said, “Who are you gambling for? He Xiaowei doesn’t seem like it… It must be Situ Qing, right?! You are Si Tu Qing’s gambler!”
“Yes, Situ Qing’s role is to attract all suspicions on the surface. When everyone is wary of her… the one striking in the shadows will be Lu Mengmeng. We will coordinate well. Furthermore, you should know that I am the puppet master behind all of you.”
Holding the receiver tightly, the man’s voice slithered into Zhu Qiang’s ear like a venomous snake.
“I control you through the phone, control Situ Qing through the gambler system, and indirectly control Lu Mengmeng through both of you…”
“All of you must follow my orders.”
“Zhu Qiang, don’t feel guilty. Get rid of your conscience completely. Otherwise, you won’t be able to handle it.”
“Remember my instructions. Guide Gao Shan to Room 6 as I taught you.”
……
Inside the game.
Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong were flipping through books in front of a bookshelf, while Zhou Qian went out and took another round around room 701.
Starting from room 12, which was directly opposite the door of room 701, Zhou Qian walked at a rather slow pace, eventually returning to room 12, as if calculating something in his mind.
After completing a round, Zhou Qian returned to room 701.
Inside, Yun Xiangrong and Gao Shan were still flipping through books.
Zhou Qian casually asked them, “Did you find anything?”
They both responded quickly.
“Judging by the titles, Jiang Yuqing seems to be a physicist. I skimmed the physics books here; they are filled with his notes and formulas. These notes are very specialized. If you don’t study this, you can’t understand.”
“In addition, he seems to have read medical books quite seriously, making many notes. But compared to the physics books, his medical notes seem a bit naive; he seems like a layman in the field of medicine.”
“His math notes are still very professional. Of course, if he’s a physicist, he would need to be proficient in mathematics.”
“Furthermore, he seems to be good at mechanics, especially in areas like kinematics.”
“Wait a minute—” Zhou Qian interrupted. “Did you find any clues apart from the books?”
Yun Xiangrong replied, “No, I flipped through the books and let Gao Shan search around. There are really only books on these shelves. Even after flipping through many books, there were no postcards or any letters.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qian looked around the room. The room’s layout was rather simple. He went forward and casually opened a bedside table, only to find it empty.
“There probably isn’t anything in this room. Apart from the bookshelf and two bedside tables, everything can be seen at a glance. What exactly are you looking for?”
Just as Yun Xiangrong finished speaking, He Xiaowei’s voice came from outside.
“Damn, I finally dug out two bullets! It was so hard. Searching around someone’s corpse… I never want to do such a thing again; it’s too disgusting.”
“Let’s see if those two bullets are also marked ‘S’?” Yun Xiangrong looked at Gao Shan and Zhou Qian.
Zhou Qian said, “You guys go first. I’ll be right there.”
Thus, Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong left together.
Zhou Qian stayed in the room, continuing to search for clues.
However, after opening both bedside tables, he found nothing.
As Yun Xiangrong said, the room’s layout was simple, and apart from the two cabinets and bookshelf, there was no place to hide anything.
But then…
Zhou Qian turned his head to look at Jiang Yuqing.
The elderly man had only three days to live.
At the moment, he was deep asleep on the bed, completely unaware of the outside world.
Zhou Qian looked at him, stepped closer, bent down, and closely examined his wrinkled face.
Despite his old age, he wasn’t unattractive, making one wonder how handsome he must have been in his youth.
So, could the thing I’m looking for be hidden on you?
Approaching the bed, Zhou Qian bent down, reached over Jiang Yuqing, and lightly touched the space beside his pillow.
He gently patted the empty space beside Jiang Yuqing’s pillow, as if trying to wake up a sleeping child. With no response, Zhou Qian patted several more times and then lightly pushed his shoulder.
This action was effective.
Jiang Yuqing stretched out his hands and quickly waved them towards the other side of the pillow, as if playing a game in his dream. With this movement, he slowly turned to his side and curled up, freeing up most of the bed and half the pillow.
Zhou Qian immediately sat down on the vacant spot on the bed, moving his hand back and forth on the bedding.
After finding nothing, he lifted the pillow.
This time, he was rewarded.
“Thankfully, it was hidden under the pillow and not on you. Otherwise, having to strip you down and wake you up might have caused trouble.”
Zhou Qian muttered to himself while staring at Jiang Yuqing, then quickly reached under the pillow and pulled out the object he had been searching for.
It was also a bullet. But a complete bullet with its casing intact.
There was a letter engraved on the bullet, still the letter “S”.
Finding this, Zhou Qian could confirm—he had indeed found the pattern to crack this level.
He pocketed the bullet and took a deep look at Jiang Yuqing, who was lying on the bed, before exiting the room.
After leaving Room 701, Zhou Qian noticed that the mist in the corridor had become much thicker.
He could barely see the bodies of three cleaners nearby.
At this moment, the other five players were busy in the corridor, seemingly searching for other clues.
Zhou Qian overheard He Xiaowei saying, “I can’t see clearly… Did Zhou Qian come out? I cleaned the other two bullets. They both have an ‘S’ on them.”
“Mm. I know.” Zhou Qian walked past the crowd and turned left.
“Hey, where are you going?” He Xiaowei asked.
Zhou Qian simply replied, “I’ll try Room 7. If I succeed, I’ll tell you how to pass this level.”
“Damn, bro, impressive! You’re going for results before explaining. Good on you! Hahaha.”
He Xiaowei, while praising Zhou Qian, followed him. “I’ll come with you. If you get shot and die, I’ll take care of your body!”
Of course, after saying this and getting a cold glare from Zhou Qian, He Xiaowei immediately refrained from joking around.
Zhou Qian’s gaze was chilling.
Turning his head, Zhou Qian continued walking. He found that the corridor had mysteriously lengthened, making his walk from Room 701 to Room 12 take longer than before.
As he walked, the mist got even denser.
He could sense He Xiaowei close by, but when he turned, he could barely see him. Moreover, although He Xiaowei, being a burly man, usually had loud footsteps, now his steps were as quiet as a whisper, almost inaudible.
The lengthened corridor and thickened mist were added challenges for this level.
Considering this, even without figuring out the “pattern”, searching all 12 rooms for evidence within an hour wasn’t easy.
After a long while, Zhou Qian finally stopped between Rooms 6 and 7.
……
Outside the game, in a presidential suite of a hotel.
After using the bathroom, Yu Xian returned to his room to find that Zhu Qiang was gone.
Assuming that Zhu Qiang went to buy some medicine, Yu Xian waited patiently with his phone. When Zhou Qian approached Rooms 6 and 7, Zhu Qiang finally returned.
As soon as Zhu Qiang entered, Yu Xian urgently called him over. “Come here quickly! Look! Isn’t it weird? We said before that the cleaner had been to Rooms 6 and 7, personally verified, and they’re totally safe!
“I even sent Zhou Qian a hint as you suggested! But he didn’t go!”
“He didn’t, and neither did anyone else… but now he’s trying to enter these two rooms!”
Zhu Qiang looked at the phone screen and saw Zhou Qian indeed standing in front of Rooms 6 and 7.
A moment later, Zhu Qiang’s expression changed. Yu Xian, sensing this, asked, “What is it? Did you think of something?”
Zhu Qiang said, “I just realized something crucial…”
“What is it?” Yu Xian asked impatiently.
Zhu Qiang continued, “In this floor’s 12 rooms, there’s a gunman in each one. From the hints the players received, the gunmen can only kill under specific conditions, when their rank is not the lowest.”
“But have you noticed the system’s level description?”
“Level description?” Yu Xian thought for a moment and exclaimed, “Yes! The system mentioned… in this level, all 12 rooms have evidence. Players need to collect all the evidence to clear the level!”
Zhu Qiang added, “Exactly. What does that mean? It means that the players have to visit all 12 rooms. And what does that imply?”
After a moment, Yu Xian realized. “Ah, I get it! This means that no room is ever completely safe! The safe rooms keep changing, right? The safe room, in some pattern, appears consecutively among the 12 rooms? Players need to find this changing pattern to go through all the rooms! Fuck, this is so difficult!”
In the 12 rooms, each one hid a gunman.
Whether the gunman would fire depended on whether his rank was the lowest or not. There might be some hidden conditions that would lead to a change in their rank. Once the rank among the gunmen changed, which one, or which rooms were safe, was no longer a constant but a variable.
Players needed to find the pattern related to this variable.
Zhu Qiang explained to Yu Xian, “Right. When the rank is the lowest, the gunman won’t shoot, making the room safe. But what causes their rank to decrease? That’s the key factor players need to search for. But… I haven’t figured out what this key factor is yet.”
“Holy shit! I don’t care what this factor is! All I know is, even if rooms 6 and 7 were safe before, they might not be safe now! But Qian Ge is about to enter! Fuck, I need to warn him!”
Yu Xian, with trembling fingers, picked up his phone. However, before he could send a message, he saw in the game that Zhou Qian walked straight to the door of room 7 and entered.
“God damn it, Qian Ge, please be safe!
“I’ve bet a million this time! If something happens to you, I’ll be in huge debt!!!”
……
Inside the game, Zhou Qian stepped into room 7.
Following him, the door closed on its own.
“1—”
“2—”
“3.”
Zhou Qian silently counted to three, and nothing happened.
The room was also filled with thick fog, and Zhou Qian could vaguely see a shadow in front of him holding a gun pointed at him.
But after three seconds, the gunman didn’t shoot; he lowered his weapon.
“Thank you.” Zhou Qian smiled at him and started searching the room.
He was looking for the so-called “evidence.”
The room was spacious with seemingly no obstacles, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find the evidence. If there was indeed no furniture in the room, the evidence might be just lying somewhere on the floor.
However, given the size of the room and the fog, it still took Zhou Qian quite some time to find it.
After finding the evidence, Zhou Qian examined it closely.
It was also a bullet.
But instead of an “S”, it had the number “7” engraved on it.
A force related to “S”, and one related to “7”…
Was there any gunfire incident between these two?
Before he could think further, Zhou Qian pocketed the bullet and approached the door.
Standing outside the Ling Xiao door was Lan Sheng. It had been exactly one week since Ling Xiao last saw him.
During this week, Lan Sheng was forcibly isolated by the school authorities, and no visits were allowed. Ling Xiao went to Yao Tai twice to see him but was unsuccessful.
The reason Ling Xiao couldn’t guess that the person outside was him was because before this, when Lan Sheng knocked on Ling Xiao’s door, he either slapped or kicked it. He had never been as polite and distant as he was now.
“I’ve come to say goodbye,” Lan Sheng said calmly. Ling Xiao looked stunned. Apart from the color of the pupils, nothing had changed. It was such a familiar face, yet so unfamiliar, he didn’t even know how to react.
Lan Sheng continued, “The school says that a Qizi like me during puberty must go to the mental health control center for treatment. I don’t know how long it will be, but we probably won’t see each other for a while.”
He mentioned his bereavement so lightly, it was like a sledgehammer, heavily hitting Ling Xiao’s heart.
Seeing Ling Xiao’s expression, Lan Sheng smiled slightly. “Don’t worry about me. Since I promised Ping Zong to live with the memory of him, no matter how difficult it is, I will persist. I’ve already broken my promise to be with him for a lifetime once. There won’t be a second time.”
Ling Xiao moved his lips but made no sound.
“Before I leave, I want to give this to you.”
Lan Sheng handed him a black box. Inside was a dagger.
“My dagger has been taken away. This is the only relic of Ping Zong.”
Ling Xiao felt the heavy weight in his hand. “Such a precious thing; why don’t you keep it?”
“Because where I’m going, weapons are not allowed, and I don’t trust anyone else with it. You’re the only one I’m willing to entrust it to. I believe you’ll keep it safe.”
He paused and added, “I’m giving it to you also because I feel responsible for you losing two friends in one day…”
“You didn’t,” Ling Xiao interrupted quickly, his voice choking up. “You’re still alive, and Ping Zong will always be in my heart. I never lost you both, and I never will in the future.”
“I’m surprised you feel that way,” Lan Sheng said. “I used to be so naive, thinking I was more mature than you. But one coming-of-age ceremony changed both of us. Being steps in your growth journey is probably the only consolation for me and Ping Zong. I hope you won’t forget us with this dagger.”
Hearing the metaphor of steps, Ling Xiao almost burst into tears.
Lan Sheng squeezed his hand. “Ling Xiao, even though you were the first to wake up among the three of us, you’ve always been the most carefree. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have missed the fact that Ping Zong and I were together for three years. He cared about you even more than he did me. I’d often pretend to be jealous, but in reality, I’m most worried about you. Thinking that neither of us will be by your side in the future, you might not even know when you’ll awaken or fall in love, and I worry for you.”
“Lan Sheng…”
“Ling Xiao, promise me that no matter what happens in the future, think of me. I’m your example, and you can’t make the mistakes I made. Don’t live in regret.”
Holding back tears, Ling Xiao nodded. “Will we see each other again?”
“As long as you’re willing to wait for me, we’ll reunite. I just don’t know what we’ll look like when we meet again. But I bet you’ll be taller than me.”
Ling Xiao’s voice wavered. “I’ve always been taller than you.”
Lan Sheng stepped forward and hugged him tightly, and Ling Xiao wished he could keep him there forever.
A moment later, the hug ended, and Ling Xiao reluctantly let go.
“Take care,” he said.
“You too.”
After Lan Sheng turned around, Ling Xiao only then noticed two adult males in white uniforms standing not far away. He had seen those uniforms once before. They claimed to come from the Disease Control Center, a mysterious and daunting place.
Ling Xiao had heard stories about people who went there and never returned. He never thought he’d one day witness his best friend heading there.
It was then that Ling Xiao realized why the school allowed Lan Sheng, who had a history of suicidal tendencies, to bring a weapon on his own. He watched Lan Sheng leave with those two men, as if this was their final farewell.
After Lan Sheng left, Ling Xiao was downcast the entire day. Those around him thought he had moved on from that incident, but seeing him like this again, they were all worried. To cheer him up, a few close classmates came up with a dubious plan.
That evening, just as Ling Xiao was preparing to leave for another commitment, he was stopped by a student named Ting Lei from next door. Without any preamble, Ting Lei pushed him into his dorm room.
“Ling Xiao, come here.”
“What are you doing?” Ling Xiao asked in confusion. “I have a training appointment.”
“You train every day. Aren’t you tired? Take a break,” Ting Lei whispered mysteriously, “I’ve got something great.”
“What is it?” Ling Xiao asked, curious about Ting Lei’s secretive behavior.
Before he could finish his question, he was pushed into the room, which was already filled with several others, all huddled around something.
“Hey, Ling Xiao, come see. This is what we got just for your entertainment.”
“You probably wanted it for yourself,” another guy retorted.
“As if you’re not interested,” the first shot back.
Watching them bicker reminded Ling Xiao of his own interactions with Lan Sheng. To distract from his sadness, he quickly sent a message on his device. “I need to message Ying Feng to let him know I won’t be coming.”
“You two are dating?” Ting Lei exclaimed. “I thought you were joking about wanting Ying Feng as your Qizi!”
“What are you talking about?” Ling Xiao paused. “We just train together.”
“So you fall in love by training? And with a Qizi, you gain an ability boost, right? If you really take him, won’t you be unstoppable?”
Ling Xiao tried to change the subject. “Didn’t you want to show me something? What’s so secretive?”
The lights in the room went off, replaced by a projection on the wall. It turned out to be just a movie. In this age of 3D movies, 2D ones had lost their charm, making Ling Xiao wonder why this old-fashioned movie was exciting them so much.
As the movie started, he realized it wasn’t a local production. He couldn’t recognize the film company’s name, and the characters looked like they were from the neighboring Wolfsbane, with darker skin and slightly pointed ears. When the dialogue began, Ling Xiao was taken aback.
Ling Xiao could only patiently continue watching. The person in the projection said a few lines he couldn’t understand, then began to undress.
Ling Xiao: =口=
Now, he finally understood why there was no need for voice dubbing or subtitles. The content of the interactions between the protagonists in the film was so straightforward. However, the way they communicated was so profound and complex for those like them who had no knowledge about sexuality.
The novices, who had never experienced such stimulation, held their breath and stared at the screen without blinking. Even Ling Xiao, who initially showed little interest, was involuntarily captivated.
On the screen, the two main characters were passionately entwined. Just when everyone thought this was the climax of the movie, another person entered the room. They exchanged a few words—this time, Ling Xiao no longer complained about not understanding.
Soon after, the newcomer also joined the fray.
For these kids, their first taste of forbidden fruit was so intense. How could they hold themselves back? They were all parched, flushed, and by the time of the final six-person melee, some of the Wolfsbane people had even transformed, leaving some students dripping in sweat.
“So exhilarating,” one said, licking their lips with satisfaction after the film ended.
“Where did you get such an explosive film?” a classmate curiously asked Ting Lei.
“Don’t tell anyone. I bought it online, spending almost half a month’s living expenses,” Ting Lei replied. Due to inherent conditions, Tianxiu had no adult entertainment industry, and movies of this nature were smuggled in from other galaxies at high costs.
“They sell this in the non-adult section?” They knew they couldn’t access the adult section online.
“There’s a store on the shopping street called ‘Everything Sold Here’. It has many hidden treasures. A worker there found out I was a student from Bikong Academy and even gave me a 10% discount.”
Ling Xiao: …I knew it.
It seemed that Zhen He was indeed a well-known name in Bikong, yet very few knew him personally. And most who met him assumed he was just an intern; unaware he was the owner.
After discussing the origin of the movie, everyone enthusiastically began discussing its content.
“Hey, have any of you experienced what was shown in the movie?”
“Which part?”
“Well…” A classmate hesitated and gestured vaguely. Surprisingly, others understood.
“No.” Several people shook their heads. “Never.”
“It’s only after watching this that I realized that part can also become erect.”
“Yeah, will we become like that in the future?”
“We probably will. We don’t react now, probably because we haven’t awakened yet.”
“I really want to awaken soon…”
“Ling Xiao, what about you?” Ting Lei slapped the daydreaming Ling Xiao.
“Huh? What?”
“Have you… experienced it like in the movie?”
Ling Xiao paused. “No, I’m like you all. I haven’t awakened, so how could I have any physical reaction?”
“Ah,” everyone felt a bit disappointed.
While some wanted to watch the movie again, others planned to visit Zhen He’s store for more films. Ling Xiao didn’t want to accompany them anymore. Making up an excuse, he left. Initially, the others had gathered under the pretext of cheering up Ling Xiao by secretly watching the movie, but now they didn’t bother about him, letting him go.
Ling Xiao returned to his dorm alone. Whether it was because of watching that kind of movie, he felt the room was hotter than usual, and he kept sweating.
After turning down the room’s temperature system, Ling Xiao undressed and stood under the shower. The slightly cooler water felt incredibly refreshing on his skin.
While the physical heat subsided, his mental agitation didn’t. As Ling Xiao washed, he felt something amiss. Looking down, a certain part of him, dormant for a full ten years, was now quite lively, much like what he saw in the movie that night.
Staring at the change in his body, Ling Xiao slowly realized: Have I… awakened?
……
“Your bodily indicators are all normal. Congratulations on officially entering the awakening period. Are you sure you don’t need the inhibitor?”
“No need, thank you, Dr. Yao.”
Yao Tai nodded, opened the door, and escorted the student who had just entered the awakening period out. “As long as you remember the points I mentioned that you need to be careful of during the awakening period, you’ll be fine. Also, you cannot participate in the outdoor field practice organized by the school the day after tomorrow.”
“I understand.”
After the student left, Dr. Yao noticed another person standing outside the door.
“Ling Xiao? Do you need anything?”
Ling Xiao’s attention was entirely drawn to the latter part of Yao Tai’s words. He was unaware of the existence of the inhibitor. He only heard that after entering the awakening period, he couldn’t participate in the outdoor field practice. Knowing that the annual routine outdoor field practice was something he had looked forward to for a long time, there was no way he would give it up for such a reason.
The field practice was only for three days, so delaying reporting for a week… shouldn’t be a problem, right?
With this thought, he quickly shook his head. “No, I don’t need anything.”
Yao Tai looked at his hastily departing figure with some suspicion. Would someone without any problems specifically come to the infirmary?
The author has something to say:
A little tip: Because the people of Tianxiu only have 1v1 mate relationships, they won’t have physiological reactions to anyone other than their mate. Hence, the planet doesn’t have any indigenous adult industries.
After a moment passed, the jade eye reverted to its previous dim appearance. Fortunately, it didn’t continue to absorb qi. Shi Jingzhi held it tightly in his hand, squeezing it until it cracked.
Yin Ci was about to say something when Shi Jingzhi tucked the jade eye into his chest and laughed as if nothing had happened. “We have the key now, thank you all. Let’s rest here for a moment, and tonight we’ll go down the mountain and rendezvous with the rest of the group—the remnants of the Ling Sect and Taiheng are likely investigating the area these past few days.”
With that, he raised his eyebrows and grabbed Yin Ci’s wrist. “This is great news. We found the key to the Shirou. A’Ci, will you accompany me alone? We can wander around on our way and find some fresh wild vegetables to eat.”
On the way, the other three had become accustomed to the master and disciple’s affectionate behavior, so they weren’t surprised by Shi Jingzhi’s words. Moreover, Yan Qing was left here, and Yu Zikuan and Yan Zheng had no doubts about him, so they quickly found a clean place to camp. The afternoon sun was slightly warm, and the place was filled with fresh grass and fragrant apricot blossoms, making it perfect for rest.
Yin Ci remained silent, knowing something was off about the jade eye—Shi Jingzhi’s tone was unusually firm. He must have discovered some secret not meant for outsiders.
Shi Jingzhi led him forward, accurately finding the cave in Yan Budu’s memory. In early spring, there was no heavy snow outside the cave as imagined. A hundred years had ground away all love, hate, passion, and grudges, leaving no trace of human activity in the cave. The area was eerily quiet, except for the shockingly green moss at the cave’s mouth.
“What’s going on with the jade eye?” Yin Ci asked bluntly.
Shi Jingzhi didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out slowly, feeling the pulse of life by caressing Yin Ci’s neck. His palm was rough and full of callouses from years of sword practice, gliding lightly over the skin, making Yin Ci feel as if he were being licked by a wild animal.
The sensation was a bizarre mix of creepy and warm intimacy.
Yin Ci seized the hand, considering the possibility of Shi Jingzhi being affected by magic. “Stop messing around. It’s rare to get the support of the Ling Sect, so it’s best to go back early and not arouse suspicion.”
Shi Jingzhi didn’t respond as usual; his eyes were strange.
Those eyes contained curiosity, doubt, and some emotions Yin Ci didn’t understand. Despite the warning, Shi Jingzhi didn’t withdraw his hand but leaned forward, hugging Yin Ci.
“Shh,” he said out of nowhere. “Let’s be quiet for a moment.”
It seemed that the young man had been seriously affected by something earlier—Yin Ci could feel Shi Jingzhi’s warm breath on his neck as he sniffed him carefully. After the soft warmth, a sharp pain followed.
Shi Jingzhi was biting him.
The bite was neither light nor heavy. He felt a delicate pain on the side of his neck, but no blood was drawn. After biting, Shi Jingzhi thoughtfully withdrew his mouth, rubbing against Yin Ci’s neck meaningfully.
He spoke softly. “A’Ci, I think I know the origin of your immortal body.”
After saying this, Shi Jingzhi leaned against the rock wall, explaining the jade eye’s function and what he had seen, without concealing any details.
After describing what he saw to Yin Ci, Shi Jingzhi calmly changed the subject, analyzing Yan Budu’s motives as if the shocking anomaly on Yin Ci was just an ordinary clue.
Yin Ci couldn’t take it all in.
Shi Jingzhi’s calm description still echoed in his ears. Although Yin Ci hadn’t seen it himself, he had faced the flesh idol and the tree root giant statue and knew how bizarre the things seen by this man could be.
Just from the description, he was nothing but an exceptionally human-like “flesh statue”, with bare branches as bones and blood roots as flesh. Initially, Yin Ci had a glimmer of hope that maybe he was just an ordinary person who had borne some immortal magic, that he could still revert to a human body.
Yin Ci opened his palm. His palm was like that of other mortals, with fine lines across it. If a fortune teller saw it, perhaps they could even predict the ups and downs of his life.
So human-like.
Unfortunately, in the end, he was indeed not human, or perhaps never was. Was he a monster imitating humans or an artifact created by an immortal for amusement? Were his emotions real or fake? Was his obsession natural?
These thoughts made Yin Ci’s head ache, and memories from hundreds of years ago tumbled in his mind, stirring up a viscous pain. Right, he initially approached Shi Jingzhi to find a way to kill himself. The colorful journey had nearly made him forget that.
[Are you the immortal who will send me off on my last journey?] Shi Jingzhi had once asked him.
…Where in the world would there be such an ignorant and bizarre “immortal”?
It was laughable. Eager to die, he found a hidden clue near this person, regaining a bit of human warmth. After a hundred years, his long life had finally returned to normal, only for the shocking truth of a “demonic monster” to be revealed.
The one who discovered his “true self” happened to be Shi Jingzhi. Fate was playing tricks on him, even staining the last bit of attachment he had.
It was like holding a delicate and fragile glass furnace, fearing to shatter it, only to hear it shatter in the end. It lay before him in pieces, leaving behind only cold relief and emptiness. All his efforts were nothing but an absurd joke.
Yin Ci slowly closed his fingers and clenched his fist. The feeling of despair and emptiness surged again, and the long-absent fierceness was stirring. Amid suppression, the familiar numbness spread from his limbs and slowly flowed into his heart.
People had their own ways of getting along with others, and monsters had theirs; surely Shi Jingzhi would understand this. Even if they were looking for the Shirou, they still needed to maintain a superficial rapprochement; it was time for those ambiguities to end.
He climbed to the edge of the cliff with hands dripping with fresh blood, and with an insouciant step, as though by fate, he was made to fall into the abyss again. In the end, one always lost, so it was better not to have any expectations from the start.
“Yan Budu used the jade eye as the key to the Shirou. Just as you said before, the Shirou isn’t simply a thing to prolong life,” Yin Ci said indifferently while stepping back unnoticeably.
“We had better make preparations on both sides and investigate the Immortal Assembly as soon as possible. Time is limited; we should act separately.”
Shi Jingzhi didn’t answer. He leaned against the rock wall while his amber eyes fixed unblinkingly on Yin Ci. “That won’t do. Without A’Ci around, I won’t be able to sleep.”
“Enough.” Yin Ci stopped him as he tried to lighten the mood, but his tone wasn’t very gentle. “Let’s talk business.”
“This is business. A’Ci, just a few days ago, Master taught you to cherish yourself, and now you’ve forgotten again.”
“You’ve seen my true form, so there’s no need for such words anymore—”
“I saw it, and I’m very happy.” Shi Jingzhi interrupted Yin Ci with a smiling face. “A’Ci isn’t an immortal from the storybooks, isn’t that better?”
He stood on the other side of the cave, completely relaxed, showing no caution in front of the monster.
“In this world, knowing your true form and still loving you so much, only a lunatic like me could do that… I understand you best, I love you the most—is there anything more wonderful than this?”
What was this person talking about?
“When we just entered the cave, I made sure of it. Temperature, smell, taste; you are the ‘Yin Ci’ I’ve always known and haven’t been replaced by anything else. That’s enough. A’Ci, come here.”
Yin Ci didn’t move. He looked at the person before him, who was emitting an aura without any reservation, and his mind went blank.
“Then I’ll come over,” Shi Jingzhi hummed. “I’m your master, after all.”
Shi Jingzhi strolled over to Yin Ci. Just like the first time they met, he smiled warmly. “After all this time, I’ve grown tired of our frivolous back and forth. If A’Ci doesn’t want his own ‘human heart’, then give it to me.”
“Although I can’t promise you for long… No matter what you are, I will watch you till the end.”
His voice was gentle and soft.
“Will you come with me? Being master and disciple is not enough; how about becoming a couple1?”
‘This kid has gone mad,’ Yin Ci thought. But then again, he seemed uniquely insane from the start. Uncharacteristically thrown into confusion, the headaches were piling on top of each other in Yin Ci’s mind. “Do you even know what you’re talking about?”
A trace of grievance flashed across Shi Jingzhi’s face. “Of course. I don’t wish to be so hasty, but if I don’t make my true feelings clear, A’Ci would think of himself as something otherworldly, right? Just because of a mere shell, it’s really not worth it.”
Is this really an issue of a mere shell?
Yin Ci held his temple, feeling somewhat dazed. Just when he thought he was abnormal, this person could show him something even more abnormal. Shi Jingzhi’s problem of not distinguishing between priorities seemed unchangeable.
Yet the palpitations under the lanterns returned at this moment.
If, twenty-four years ago, this person was a nail that pierced his soul and forcibly pinned him to the earthly realm, now, after twenty-four years, the cold, hard nail had transformed into soft threads, weaving a giant web.
Having just fallen into the void, he was suddenly caught in a soft net. This time, he was firmly held in the world. Though the net was sturdy, its sudden appearance left him utterly at a loss.
Yin Ci took a while to catch his breath, and Shi Jingzhi took the opportunity to step forward, stopping in front of him.
He smiled warmly, hiding the little nervousness in his smile quite well. Shi Jingzhi leaned slightly forward, and a bit of light from the cave entrance flowed through his hair, casting a few strands in golden-brown.
The cave was dim, and the light was somewhat dazzling.
Yin Ci held his breath, composed himself, and finally said, “I might have teased you too much earlier. A close relationship doesn’t mean romantic affection. Don’t speak of ‘union1‘ so lightly…”
1Clarity: The word they are using is (连理) which literally means interlocking of branches but figuratively the joining of two people (marriage).
His mind was filled with emotions, leaving no room for anything else. Yin Ci had completely lost his usual ease, while Shi Jingzhi seemed to gain confidence, appearing calm as if they were two different people, only the tips of his ears tinged with a faint red.
“Why does A’Ci keep talking about my matters?” Shi Jingzhi murmured softly, the last trace of tension in his expression disappearing. “If you’re unwilling, just refuse directly.”
Yin Ci turned to stone, just looking at him with his eyes full of complex emotions.
Shi Jingzhi didn’t just wait; he gently lifted a lock of Yin Ci’s hair, as if it were the most fragile thing in the world. Then he took a deep breath and leaned over to kiss Yin Ci’s lips. He moved slowly, giving Yin Ci, with his martial skills, plenty of opportunity to dodge.
Yin Ci didn’t evade.
In an instant, time stopped. The bizarre truths and century-old conspiracies all faded away, turning into a wisp of slightly bitter smoke. Yin Ci felt like a weary wild beast trapped in a gentle snare, and the pain was sweet as honey.
Realizing Yin Ci didn’t resist or retreat, Shi Jingzhi extended both hands, gently caressing Yin Ci’s face, and kissed even deeper. Neither closed their eyes; Shi Jingzhi’s gaze never shifted.
Although they had been ambiguous in their words for days, they had never been this intimate. Yin Ci felt the warmth in his chest as if the once-broken furnace miraculously returned, burning a foreign heat within him. Subconsciously tightening his back, a thin layer of sweat soaked his inner garments.
He had touched countless living things, but this moment felt like the first time he’d been touched by a living being. A simple kiss was more terrifying than the strongest killing intent and more scorching than the most intense flames.
If previous complex emotions were like fallen red leaves, then a spark had turned them into fierce flames.
Yin Ci instinctively grasped the other’s waist, both hands clutching Shi Jingzhi’s clothes, turning the kiss into an almost clumsy embrace. Shi Jingzhi, encouraged, relaxed entirely, his tongue becoming surprisingly skilled. In the dim cave, with bright sunlight outside, the two separated themselves from the world for a moment, stealing a tender moment of intimacy.
“…See, I know the difference between affection and love.”
After a long kiss, the two finally separated. Shi Jingzhi panted slightly, and his smile deepened. His eyes had never been so vibrant, making them impossible to hide.
“What’s your answer?” he asked, narrowing his fox eyes, knowingly.
Yin Ci couldn’t help but give a wry smile. He was probably insane himself, or perhaps he wasn’t desperate enough… or maybe rushing towards the flame was simply the instinct of a moth, as he had long ago etched that longing into his bones and could not let go no matter what. Strangely, Shi Jingzhi’s “knowledge” had transformed from a spear to a shield at this moment, and he didn’t feel the cruelty of fate, but rather felt even more at peace than before.
The burning sensation in his chest not only didn’t dissipate but ignited his entire being. The spring breeze of March seemed chilled, causing his hair to stand on end, as if entering a clear pool.
‘One last time,’ Yin Ci thought. If this was his last rebellion against fate, it didn’t seem bad.
“An answer? Is there any need to ask?”
Yin Ci still held Shi Jingzhi’s waist with his arm, adding a little more force. He deliberately freed one hand, stroking Shi Jingzhi’s lips, feeling that soft warmth again. The latter gently bit his fingertip, and a blush appeared on his face belatedly.
“I won’t be your immortal, nor your monster.” Yin Ci exhaled a long breath. “…And I don’t want to be just your disciple anymore.”
The author has something to say:
The two male guests have finally………………………………
I’ve discovered that every book I write follows the “brother monster” route.
Kinky Thoughts:
Ahh… I always love the writing when Nian Zhong finally awakens her characters’ feelings, but I will say this is reminiscent of Stray (in terms of the writing and tone). This chapter was everything.
The title of this arc is “Seeing the Light of Day Again” (重见天日), which metaphorically means to be liberated or freed from a difficult or oppressive situation or imprisonment.
“Yu Zikuan is not in any serious danger. However, you two have been severely depleted and need to rest for a few months.”
Shi Jingzhi retracted his hand from checking their pulses and addressed Yan Zheng, who was leaning on the head of the bed.
Yin Ci found Yu Zikuan and Yan Zheng on the mountainside. The Kushan Sect found an empty house at the foot of the mountain to settle them down. Having been exposed to the Invitation to God Formation for too long, Yan Zheng’s hair had turned completely white, dull and without shine. His body was also emaciated, but he still had the strength to speak. Yu Zikuan, being older and lacking the vigor of youth, was still unconscious.
Yin Ci made some simple medicinal meals and slowly fed them, finally managing to restore some vitality.
“Thank you, Sect Master Shi… What’s the situation outside now?” Yan Zheng asked after hearing the whole story. He exhaled deeply, as if trying to vent years of suppression.
“We are reorganizing the team. Most of the smaller sects have left,” Shi Jingzhi replied softly. “Shen Zhu told me that we lost a few lone rangers and one or two small sects that ran too far. Except for the Ling Sect, the major sects basically suffered no loss.”
“…Mm.” Yan Zheng massaged his brow, showing little joy. “Still, innocent people were involved. We didn’t consider it thoroughly.”
“Look at it this way, without this series of coincidences, the casualties would have been greater. With this casualty rate, it won’t cause chaos in the martial world.”
Yin Ci brought another bowl of sweet rice soup and casually handed a bun to Shi Jingzhi. Their fingertips brushed against each other, causing them both to pause. Yin Ci withdrew his hand, but the warmth and numbness still lingered on his fingertips.
He steadied his mind and used the conversation to distract himself. “Yan Zheng, what are your plans for the future? After this incident, those from the righteous path will surely come to investigate. When the time comes, it will probably be difficult for you and Yu Zikuan to stay here peacefully. It might be better to hide your identities and live quietly.”
Yan Zheng sipped the rice soup, glancing quietly at the unconscious Yu Zikuan.
Right now, the Patriarch had white hair, which, combined with his ghost eyes, made him look more ghostly than before. But with just a glance, the worldly aura around him was thicker than ever.
“Before that, I have some things to do… With the main branch destroyed, those lunatics in the side branches will either proclaim themselves as kings or join other demonic sects. There will be chaos, and Taiheng may not be able to suppress it.”
Yan Zheng looked at the peeling mud wall of the empty house. His eyes were still firm, but the heavy sense of death in them had been swept away.
“It’s not time for the position of ‘the Ling Sect’s Patriarch’ to be vacant. I will finish this mission of eliminating evil from the world. But today’s life saving grace, I will definitely remember in my heart. If the Kushan Sect encounters any danger in the future…”
Shi Jingzhi, with a bun in his mouth, spoke very sincerely. “Don’t worry, I will definitely ask for help.”
They waited for a few days before the Invitation to God Formation stopped working. By that time, most of the martial artists that gathered there had left, the Ling Sect was nearly annihilated, no one was maintaining the formation, and the Fog Tomb Formation gradually dissipated. Without the rolling demonic fog and pedestrians, the vast Zongwu Mountain seemed even more desolated than before.
Yan Zheng and Yu Zikuan were genuine masters, and within a few days, despite their physical weakness, they were able to walk. At their strong request, the Kushan Sect temporarily let them stay with them—Su Si was still looking for Lord Bai, and Shen Zhu was scouring for news outside the mountain; it was as if to make up for the lack of manpower.
“I’ve been in Zongwu Mountain for six years. I’m very familiar with the nearby terrain. We can help you find clues and leave after you have found everything,” Yu Zikuan said with a grin. “Maybe by the time you find the ‘Shirou’, we will have cleared out the remnants of the Ling Sect. Sect Master Shi, the next time we meet, we might be colleagues. Hm, it seems like we should prepare a flag in advance…”
As he spoke, he affectionately patted Yan Zheng on the back of the head. Yan Zheng laughed; his smile even seemed a bit shy. Yan Zheng’s white hair was tied high, and his face had regained some color. The hostile aura around him had dissipated, leaving only stability and gentleness.
However, the journey to Zongwu Mountain was still not easy.
Even with the Buddhist records given by the Jianchen Temple and the information from various sects as references, the clues were extremely hard to find. Yu Zikuan saved everyone a lot of detours, but they still spent nearly five days on the mountain. In the end, it was Yin Ci who recognized the general location and found the lonely stone chessboard.
The stone chess board was made of local rocks and wasn’t conspicuous to begin with. Now it was covered with thin soil and moss and looked no different from ordinary rocks. Compared to that dull chessboard, there was an even more noticeable mark—
Near the chessboard, a few apricot trees were blooming splendidly. The tiny, snow-white blossoms scattered a faint fragrance in the damp air. The gentle spring sunshine bathed this tranquil and secluded area. Although it was a burial place, Yin Ci didn’t feel the least bit gloomy.
There was nothing more peaceful than a destination like this.
On the way, Shi Jingzhi roughly explained the matters about Yan Budu and Kongshi. No one made a sound at the moment; they were just quietly looking at the apricot trees adorned with flowers.
Just as Yin Ci was about to move forward, Shi Jingzhi grabbed his wrist. Shi Jingzhi’s expression was serious, and he gently shook his head. “Although there seem to be no traps here, this is Yan Budu’s setup… Yan Qing, take the Sword of Compassion over and have a look, and remember to move slowly.”
Under the Ghost Tomb, Yan Budu had left instructions for his descendants. Yan Qing, with the Sword of Compassion, was double insured, which arguably was the safest of them all.
Yan Qing solemnly nodded, moving slowly toward the chessboard with his sword. He was extra careful not to step on any relics or remains. After slowly moving for half an hour like a snail, Yan Qing finally reached the stone chessboard with visible sweat on his forehead.
Nothing happened.
“I see it. The ‘key’ is still there!” Yan Qing sighed in relief and raised his voice. “It looks like a jade bead… Should I take it out now?”
Shi Jingzhi silently felt the atmosphere around him for a while, noticing nothing unusual. “Give it a try. Remember, never let go of the Sword of Compassion. Pull back if anything feels wrong, understand?”
“Yes.” Yan Qing took a deep breath, took out a prepared hook, and began to pry the “jade bead” embedded in the chessboard.
The moment the hook touched the jade bead, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, around the Sword of Compassion, a protective spell left by Yan Budu was immediately activated. The stone sword vibrated slightly, emitting a very soft light. The light gradually took shape, forming a solid light shield and tightly wrapping Yan Qing inside. The next moment, the pale light of the protective shield flickered like a dying candle in the wind, seemingly on the verge of shattering.
In the past, everyone wouldn’t have been able to react immediately. But not long ago, they encountered a similar situation—
Something was absorbing vital qi in large amounts.
The Sword of Compassion was made from Muyan stone. Muyan stone was the sturdiest material in the world, transformed from the corpses of ancient monsters, and was also a magic material. The power of the Kongshi’s inscriptions was as effective as it was a hundred years ago, which showed their strength.
Yin Ci remained silent. His method to rescue Yu Zikuan and Yan Zheng was used by Yan Budu a hundred years ago. Without the Sword of Compassion, if one touched the jade bead rashly, it was hard to say whether they could leave intact.
But what absorbed vital qi before was the Invitation to God Formation, so what was absorbing vital qi now? The Ling Sect was good at repairing tombs. If they only wanted to kill visitors, there were countless trap spells they could use. Why would Yan Budu resort to such complicated means?
Yan Qing held the Sword of Compassion tightly in his left hand and continued to pry the jade bead with his right hand. After nearly half an hour of effort, the jade bead finally showed a little from the stone hole, touching the sunlight for the first time in a hundred years.
The moment Yan Qing saw the jade bead clearly, his hand shook, and he almost let go of the Sword of Compassion. At the same time, the protective shield around the Sword of Compassion finally stopped flickering, but compared to when it was first activated, it was almost dim to nothing.
The absorption of vital qi seemed to stop, and a warm glow appeared on the surface of the jade bead. Yan Qing stood still in front of the jade bead, not knowing whether to pick it up or not.
Yin Ci stepped forward. “What’s the matter?”
“…It’s an eyeball.” Yan Qing swallowed. “This thing is an eyeball.”
He slightly turned aside to let everyone see it.
The eyeball was semi-transparent with a jade-like luster. The jade eyeball was incredibly intricate, not something carved by human hands. Upon closer inspection, the surface of the eyeball was filled with complex patterns that seemed to have nothing to do with the word “key”.
Was this the key to the Shirou?
“There’s nothing like this in the Ling Sect.” Yan Zheng furrowed his brows and took the initiative to speak. “I haven’t seen such a spell, nor have I heard of anyone using it.”
Not to mention Yan Zheng, Yin Ci himself had never seen such a thing. Anyway, the absorption of vital qi had stopped. He walked straight to the chessboard and took the jade eye into his hand.
The jade eyeball lay quietly in his palm, with no anomalies occurring around it, and Yin Ci didn’t feel any discomfort either. He looked at the patterns on the jade eye for a while and recognized two formations.
One was used to absorb vital qi. That formation was too complex, and he couldn’t see the mystery at a glance. No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t something that Yan Budu, a novice in magic, could create.
The complexity of the other formation was even greater, and Yin Ci couldn’t even distinguish its purpose.
Many monsters had innate formations, and these formations were often as exquisite as butterfly wing patterns, difficult for humans to design. In this regard, it seemed more likely that this formation originally existed in the eyeball and was brought out and used directly by someone.
Yin Ci held the eyeball for a while, and when he was sure that it wasn’t dangerous, he threw it to Shi Jingzhi.
“Just now, all of the vital qi was sucked in by this thing. There are two interesting formations on it. You should take a look at it.”
Shi Jingzhi picked up the jade eye and played with it against the sun. “This thing is definitely more than just a ‘key’… It’s deadly, making one dizzy. I’ll put a bit of my vital qi into it for a look.”
Sect Master Shi had a simple idea. Yin Ci had no inner force and couldn’t use magic. He, on the other hand, could divide a small portion of his vital qi, move around according to the lines of the formation, and probe the nature of it. The vital qi-absorbing formation still had some killing intent, but this unknown formation seemed quite peaceful, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
Understanding the function of the key might also shed light on the search for the Shirou. This place was deserted, and there was no need to worry about eavesdroppers, making it perfect for experimentation.
Shi Jingzhi deliberately suppressed a very small strand of vital qi, trying to stimulate the unknown formation. He originally intended to stop as soon as he saw success. However, the moment the formation was activated, the air around him vibrated, and a fine, tingling sensation spread instantaneously along Shi Jingzhi’s arm.
The unknown formation started to operate officially, using the stored qi on its own.
As the formation suddenly started, Shi Jingzhi sucked in a cold breath and shivered violently. The formation didn’t carry any hint of hostility or inflict any pain, but it gave him an extremely strange feeling.
It was as if he had been soaking in warm, comfortable water all his life, and at this moment, he had just stuck his head out for the first time. Overwhelmed by heaviness and cold, he could hardly breathe.
…But that wasn’t the point.
He now knew the true function of this formation.
Shi Jingzhi saw Yan Zheng and Yu Zikuan looking worriedly at him, and Yan Qing leaning on his sword in a daze. Around them, countless “bare branches” reached into the sky, swaying in the wind like a not-so-dense forest.
This scene was like the Buddha Heart Formation, yet unlike it.
If the bare branches in the Buddha Heart Formation were like watching the reflection of a fish in murky water, now he was like holding the fish right in front of his face, able to see even the finest scales on it. The grey red “bare branches” were covered with countless dark red fine roots, floating in the air like algae in the water. The surface of the bare branches had an unsettling shine and wrinkles, and the scars’ growth resembled malignant tumors, causing a sour feeling in one’s stomach.
“What’s wrong?”
It was A’Ci’s voice. He must have sensed something since he had suddenly become frozen.
“I’m not…” Shi Jingzhi turned towards Yin Ci, his words of reassurance getting stuck in his throat, almost cutting it open.
The scene in front of him froze his blood. All plots and plans were thrown to the back of Shi Jingzhi’s mind, while fear and worry surged at the same time. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
The formation was extremely complex, and the vital qi that was sucked from the Sword of Compassion just now was consumed in an instant. From activation to termination, the jade eyeball only took a moment—a few heartbeats.
But Shi Jingzhi had seen enough.
Yin Ci was standing in front of him, but he wasn’t the exiled immortal he was familiar with.
A “bare branch” was stretched extremely thin and long, mixed with those dark red fine roots, together twisting into a human shape. Between those fine roots, one could still see the fresh flesh—that flesh was torn and shattered, clinging to the bare branches and fine roots like mud caught in a vine net. At a glance, the Yin Ci in front of him looked like an unfinished… strange statue.
He had definitely seen a similar scene before, Shi Jingzhi thought.
He had seen it in the forbidden area of Yuanxian village. The “Yin Ci” in front of him was exactly like the giant statue formed by twisted tree roots he saw there.
There was no white skin, no beautiful brows and eyes on the face of the person opposite him; only a mixture of flesh and root-like material. They intricately formed facial features without any trace of deliberate intervention.
The vital qi was exhausted, and the formation stopped. It was only a brief moment, but Shi Jingzhi felt as if he had struggled in it for a year. The bare branches disappeared as if they had dissolved, and the person he had been thinking about seemed to have been magically born out of thin air. His skin was as white as snow, his hair as black as ink, looking as flawless as ever.
“What’s wrong?” Yin Ci asked again, his brows and eyes showing clear concern.
…This time, Shi Jingzhi didn’t know how to answer.
Kinky Translations 