“I apologize to you, but Zhu Que doesn’t answer to me,” Qinglong said, looking at me expressionlessly. “Your rationality has been returned to you. Let’s part ways here.”
I naturally knew I couldn’t leave now.
Qinglong rarely showed himself, yet he appeared at this very moment at the city’s edge, standing beside Qi Xia’s corpse.
What was he planning to do?
Seeing I had no intention of leaving, Qinglong stopped talking. He turned back to look at Qi Xia again. His expression quickly changed, then he reached out to touch Qi Xia’s neck.
“Not dead yet…?” he muttered softly.
“Qinglong… why exactly did you come here?” I still couldn’t hold back and asked the question in my heart. After all, Qinglong was more approachable than Heavenly-Dragon—this was a rare opportunity.
“I…”
Qinglong’s half-male, half-female voice resonated in his throat, then fell silent for a few seconds. He slightly waved his fingers, and I felt the two of us instantly surrounded by a peculiar force field, unable to hear any sounds around us.
“Xu Liunian, help me with something.”
“What…?”
He stood up and once again reached out to touch my forehead. An unfamiliar woman instantly appeared in my mind.
“Use your ‘Echo’ to become this woman,” Qinglong said, brooking no refusal. “This person isn’t dead yet. Go appear before him.”
I recalled that woman’s appearance in my mind. Her features were flawlessly perfect, her smile sweet and lovely. She wore a pure white dress.
Qinglong seemed to have infused many memories into me. The success rate of becoming her was very high.
“No.” Qinglong looked at me with eyes full of sorrow. “These recent years have been too peaceful. I want to stir up some waves. If you can help me, naturally there will be benefits for you too.”
I knew Qinglong had always been different here. In some ways, he was very similar to Qi Xia.
I could never see through their motives for doing anything.
“Time is urgent,” Qinglong said again. “If you don’t come now, he’s going to die.”
After weighing the options repeatedly, I still decided to first become that woman’s appearance. It would also count as returning Qinglong a favor.
Since he helped me recover my rationality, I’d help him do one thing.
I quietly closed my eyes, recalling that girl’s image in my mind. The memories Qinglong infused into me were extremely abundant—I felt like I understood that girl very well.
She lived in my memories, as if she were my real friend.
A few seconds later I opened my eyes, feeling even my height had changed.
This girl was truly beautiful. How wonderful it would be if I were naturally like this.
“Come, Xu Liunian.” Qinglong walked to Qi Xia’s side and beckoned. “Come here.”
I lowered my head and slowly walked to Qinglong’s side. I looked at the white dress on my body.
Yes, I had always loved wearing white dresses.
Now, I was Yu Nian’an.
I came to Qi Xia’s side and crouched down. Qinglong casually waved his hand, and Qi Xia’s eyes opened at this moment.
But his eyes were very vacant, no different from being dead.
I crouched beside him staring at him. I saw his vacant pupils move slightly. He looked from my left eye, slowly toward my right eye.
Though clearly the gaze of someone at death’s door, it radiated an irrepressible sadness.
“What dream are you having?” I asked with a smile. “Am I in your dream?”
A tear formed at the corner of Qi Xia’s eye but didn’t fall for a long time.
So was his dream sweet or bitter?
“Don’t say more,” Qinglong interrupted me. “I’m about to hear it.”
“Hear what?” I asked.
“About to hear his ‘Echo,'” Qinglong replied. “This person’s voice frequency is extremely strange—seems I’ve only heard it once in decades.”
We quietly stayed in place. I remained Yu Nian’an.
Unfortunately, the bell sound both Qinglong and I were anticipating ultimately didn’t arrive. Qi Xia closed his eyes.
He was dead.
I had already witnessed death too many times here, so I could only shake my head and say, “Can only hope he has a good dream, then discards all these memories and returns to this desolate place full of enthusiasm.”
“No…” Qinglong slowly broke into a smile. Both the man and woman in his throat were laughing. “He ‘synchronized.’ I’ve already heard the sound.”
“‘Synchronized’?” I looked at Qinglong somewhat curiously. “What does that mean?”
“Before he died, the sounds around him had already begun to become strange. He should have already obtained divine power, only…” Qinglong turned his head to look into the distance. “I wonder if the ‘Bell’ he himself constructed can capture such high-frequency sounds? After all, it’s already beyond the range humans can hear.”
After saying this, he paused, then spoke again: “Of course there’s also a second possibility… that this brief sound simply cannot reach the great bell—only I before him can hear it.”
After hearing this, I silently closed my eyes, changed back to my own appearance, then spoke: “So you’re making Qi Xia ‘Echo’? Isn’t he an ‘Unfortunate’?”
“Oh…? ‘Unfortunate’…?” Qinglong chuckled lightly. “Where in this place are there real ‘Unfortunates’? His voice frequency is extremely high. Watch—our so-called ‘Taoyuan,’ their so-called ‘Land of the End’ is about to undergo dramatic changes.”
“What exactly is your purpose…?”
“I want to know who’s stronger between Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu,” Qinglong said. “Is there a way to make them fight?”
Hearing Qinglong’s words, I also fell silent for a moment.
If possible, I shouldn’t return to Chu Tianqiu—after all, Chu Tianqiu was truly too soft-hearted. He was too good to all the “Participants.” Such a kind person wasn’t the best candidate in my mind for destroying this place.
“Is it necessary?” I countered. “Chu Tianqiu is like a ‘Rescue Station’ established here. He helps those so-called newcomers familiarize themselves with this place, then takes out resources to aid them… Does such a person need to compete with Qi Xia over who’s stronger? Qi Xia is someone who once stood before you and Heavenly-Dragon!”
After hearing this, Qinglong smiled slightly: “So what? How could Chu Tianqiu possibly stop at this? The gears of fate begin to turn without reason. The roads everyone has paved will start to manifest from this moment. Our ‘Taoyuan’ will become a tomb, burying all of us here.”
Hearing Qinglong’s words, I slowly swallowed. This man was just like before, saying things completely incomprehensible.
He paused, then said again: “Only… I’m not certain whether this time will end like before, with the curtain falling on a large number of the strong. The sky here has already been dyed red with blood and flesh—how many more such changes can it withstand?”
“So… what do you want me to do?” I tried asking.
“It doesn’t matter,” Qinglong shook his head. “No matter what method you use, as long as you can create a rift between the two, then have them casually fight a bit, to me it will be a spectacular show.”
After saying this, he looked at me again: “For example… use your ‘Echo’ to impersonate Chu Tianqiu and sow discord between them.”