“Although I don’t know this ‘Wen Qiaoyun’ you’re talking about…” Qi Xia said as he slowly continued picking up fragments from the ground, then spoke in a nonchalant tone, “But I feel I’m stronger than her.”

“You…” Earth-Horse was momentarily speechless. “You haven’t even met Wen Qiaoyun… how would you know how powerful she is?”

“It’s precisely because I haven’t met her that I say I’m stronger than her.” Qi Xia continued to show that inscrutable smile, constantly breaking down Earth-Horse’s psychological defenses. “If I’m not mistaken, I’ve also encountered many dangers of nearly disappearing, yet I still stand here… I’m still active in the ‘Land of Finality,’ but Wen Qiaoyun has disappeared.”

Earth-Horse looked seriously into Qi Xia’s eyes, as if trying to determine truth from falsehood in his words.

“This proves that the ‘path’ I’ve laid out is stronger than anyone else’s… as long as you’re willing to resist ‘that person,’ then we’re on the same path.” Qi Xia said. “No matter how strong I am, I still need the help of ‘Zodiacs.'”

Earth-Horse silently picked up fragments from the ground, her expression as if her entire mind had gone blank.

Qi Xia waited quietly for a while. Finding that Earth-Horse truly had nothing more to say, he stood up, placed all the fragments he had collected onto the nearby “Wooden Ox Flowing Horse,” then turned and left this cold basketball court.

He had finished what he needed to do and said what he needed to say.

When he reached the entrance of the venue, Qi Xia once again turned back to look at Earth-Horse’s desolate figure and muttered softly: “The ‘needle’ I’ve planted… the rest is up to you now.”

Carrying the cold air with him, he walked toward the foul-smelling streets to rendezvous with everyone from the “Cat” team, and together they all headed toward Qian Wu’s location.

In a dark corner that no one noticed, Earth-Horse slightly raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a strange smile.

“About Wen Qiaoyun… I’ve already relayed the message, so what comes next?”

……

Zhang Chenze spent roughly the entire morning to arrive at the entrance of “Heaven’s Gate.”

This time her purpose was very clear—not only did she want to ask Chu Tianqiu about Wen Qiaoyun, but she also needed to find Xu Liunian.

Standing guard at the entrance of “Heaven’s Gate” today were none other than Old Lu and Auntie Tong. When the two saw Zhang Chenze return, they only furrowed their brows slightly.

After all, in their memory, Zhang Chenze had left yesterday with several other people, yet now she had returned alone. The situation must be somewhat unfavorable.

“Little girl…” Old Lu walked forward and asked, “How come you’re the only one left? Where are the others?”

“This elder brother.” Zhang Chenze smiled and said, “I had a bit of a conflict with them, so we parted ways.”

“Had a conflict…?” Old Lu nodded with slight relief after hearing this. “Hey, conflicts don’t matter, as long as everyone’s safe.”

“Yes, thank you for your concern.” Zhang Chenze smiled softly, then walked around Old Lu and Auntie Tong into the playground. After just a few steps, she saw Chu Tianqiu and Doctor Zhao discussing something at the entrance of the teaching building.

Behind Chu Tianqiu stood that young man called Jin Yuanxun. When the three saw Zhang Chenze return, they only turned their heads slightly in acknowledgment before quickly resuming their own conversation.

Zhang Chenze walked forward unconcernedly and entered the three people’s conversation range.

Chu Tianqiu stared at Zhang Chenze for a long time, then revealed an elegant smile and said: “What’s the matter?”

“Chu Tianqiu, I have something I want to ask you. Can we find a convenient place to talk?”

After hearing this, Chu Tianqiu nodded: “We can. Doctor Zhao, you go ahead with your work. Please put some effort into what we just discussed.”

“Alright.” Doctor Zhao nodded with a stern expression, then turned and walked into the teaching building.

Then Chu Tianqiu turned and gestured to Zhang Chenze: “Let’s talk in my classroom.”

Chu Tianqiu opened the classroom door, had Jin Yuanxun wait outside the door, then walked in one after another with Zhang Chenze.

He pulled over a chair to sit down. Before Zhang Chenze could speak, he took the initiative to ask: “Did Yun Yao send you?”

Zhang Chenze naturally knew what kind of person Chu Tianqiu was. He was like the most formidable opponent in a courtroom. If she kept hiding the truth, she might very well put herself in a passive position, so she immediately nodded to admit it.

“More or less.” Zhang Chenze said. “But I’m not here to relay Yun Yao’s words. Rather, I have other matters to discuss with you.”

“Speak, I’m listening.” Chu Tianqiu took off the glasses from his face, then pulled out a soft piece of cotton cloth from his shirt pocket and wiped them. “But I don’t guarantee I’ll tell you the truth.”

“Fine.” Zhang Chenze nodded, then asked, “Wen Qiaoyun—who is she?”

This brief sentence was like a clap of thunder, directly stirring up ripples in Chu Tianqiu’s heart.

“You, you… who did you say?”

Seeing Chu Tianqiu’s expression, Zhang Chenze couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

She hadn’t expected that even someone with Chu Tianqiu’s deep composure would be unable to control his microexpressions. What exactly was his relationship with this Wen Qiaoyun?

“I said ‘Wen Qiaoyun.'” Zhang Chenze repeated. “You must know her, right? I want to know about the relationship between you and her.”

“You…” Chu Tianqiu finished wiping his glasses and slowly placed them back on the bridge of his nose, then regained his composure and said, “How strange… there are still people on this land who remember that name? And where… did you learn about it?”

“A fortunate coincidence, I suppose.” Zhang Chenze said straightforwardly. “An elder who has preserved memories for a very long time told me.”

“Is that so?” Chu Tianqiu smiled bitterly. “There’s still such a person?”

“So will you tell me?” Zhang Chenze asked.

“Before I do, may I know your motive?” Chu Tianqiu asked again. “After all, Wen Qiaoyun is already a figure carved into the history books. How would knowing about her help you?”

“Yes.” Zhang Chenze nodded. “We’ve found Wen Qiaoyun and want to awaken her. If you also know her, you naturally know she was once the leading figure of all ‘participants.’ She will definitely help us escape from here.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianqiu slowly stood up and looked out the window toward the playground.

Although she couldn’t see any of his expressions, Zhang Chenze still felt there was something off about Chu Tianqiu’s back.

He looked extremely desolate.

Seeing that Chu Tianqiu wasn’t speaking, Zhang Chenze continued her verbal offensive: “Chu Tianqiu, my identity in the real world is that of a lawyer. If you’re willing to confide everything to me, I will definitely do everything in my power to help you.”

“Help… me?” Chu Tianqiu looked out the window with a bitter smile. “But you don’t even know what I want, so how could you help me?”

“Then consider it helping Wen Qiaoyun.” Zhang Chenze changed her approach. “You’re living well now, but you should know that Wen Qiaoyun isn’t doing well, right? Are you prepared to let her continue like this?”

Chu Tianqiu stood frozen in place for a long time before slowly turning around, letting Zhang Chenze see his completely despairing eyes.

“Lawyer Zhang, are you certain that after learning what’s in my heart, you’ll have a way to help me?”