“What are you trying to say?” I asked.

“Zhichun, you’re working for him, helping him… Will he one day also treat you as a chess piece? No… or rather, perhaps you already are one… I’m worried that one day you’ll be replaced by him… because he will always find stronger people. I suggest you distance yourself from him as soon as possible. He’s not the same kind of person as us. Your current situation is very dangerous.”

Jiang Ruoxue’s words made me fall into deep thought.

What a subtle feeling this was?

The more I learned of Baiyang’s power, the more fascinated I became with him.

That dangerous, exciting feeling…

That sense of despair from “not being strong enough and thus being abandoned”…

That tension from wanting to strive forward and keep up with his pace…

That anticipation from potentially dying at any moment, but also potentially becoming stronger at any moment…

That fear that made my whole body turn cold whenever I stared into his eyes…

All these feelings fascinated me.

I knew my judgment was right. As long as I stayed in contact with Baiyang, I would definitely become stronger.

Baiyang was an enormous, incredibly powerful, heaven-and-earth-cleaving double-edged sword.

He was the “master” I had chosen.

“Zhichun… Are you listening to me?” Ruoxue asked from the side. “Stop following Baiyang.”

“I’m sorry, Ruoxue, but I can’t agree to that,” I said.

“What?” Jiang Ruoxue’s eyes flickered slightly.

“I can’t promise you that. I will continue to help Baiyang,” I said. “Until I help produce a result.”

“You…!” Jiang Ruoxue looked somewhat anxious. Combined with her weakened complexion, for a moment her countenance appeared exceptionally pale. “Zhichun… What’s wrong with you? Didn’t you understand what I just said…? Baiyang and Heavenly-Dragon are fundamentally the same type of person… Following him is too dangerous for you!”

“I know it’s very dangerous… but this is also the path I’ve chosen,” I said. “Ruoxue… just don’t worry about me.”

“You… you…” Jiang Ruoxue looked extremely angry. She supported herself against the wooden board and stood up shakily. “Do you think I want to worry about you…”

Seeing her like this made my heart ache… Jiang Ruoxue had shown me great kindness.

Logically speaking, I should agree to any request she made. Even if she asked me to take my own life right now, I would die without hesitation.

But I had no way to leave Baiyang.

Not just me—even the entire “Extreme Path” had no way to leave Baiyang.

I couldn’t be as carefree as Jiang Ruoxue. I also had no way to do whatever I wanted. I only knew to strive toward what I wanted.

The “Land of the End” truly couldn’t continue like this… This place was filled with towering resentment, blood staining the great path, with everyone slowly rotting away here.

They were rotting from body to spirit… Someone had to change this place.

If I gave up on Baiyang now, I would only be able to make my own days ahead a little happier, but that would be all.

The towering resentment would still be here, countless people would still be trapped in endless cycles, everyone would still be rotting.

I couldn’t only look at what was in front of me. I needed to see further ahead.

I also hoped to liberate everyone.

“You’re making me so angry… You’re really making me so angry…”

Jiang Ruoxue coughed violently a few times. I instinctively reached out to support her, but she pushed me away.

“Don’t touch me,” Jiang Ruoxue said in an exceptionally cold tone.

“Ruoxue… don’t be like this…”

“Choose,” she said to me after steadying her breathing. “Yan Zhichun, if I don’t look after you, you’ll really die! Do you choose me or do you choose Baiyang? If you’re planning to continue helping Baiyang with his affairs, I won’t say another word and will leave right now.”

I had never seen Jiang Ruoxue with such an expression… She was truly disappointed in me.

“Ruoxue…” After hearing this, I swallowed. “Could you please not say such things…? You’re not only the most important person to me in the ‘Land of the End,’ my best friend, but also the only person in my entire life with whom I can share my heart… You’re very important to me…”

“Do you still know that…?” Jiang Ruoxue said to me with furrowed brows. “Do you still know that I’m someone you can share your heart with?”

She slowly walked forward, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Yan Zhichun… We’ve known each other for so many years… Have I ever asked you for anything?”

I don’t know why, but in my mind I could only remember when Jiang Ruoxue first appeared. She told me that because she knew we would be good friends in the future, she treated me like a good friend from the very beginning.

She had kept her word, but I had disappointed her.

“I don’t want anything! Whatever you want to do, I’ll accompany you to do it! I truly don’t want anything to happen to you…!”

“I know, I know all of that. But Ruoxue… Only Baiyang has the ability to liberate everyone!” I said. “Besides him, no one else will have such means… Are you really willing to remain trapped in cycles here…”

“I’m not listening to that!” Jiang Ruoxue said. “What ‘liberating this place,’ what ‘schemes within schemes,’ what ‘brilliant methods’… Do any of those things have anything to do with me?!”

“Ruoxue…”

“I just want you to be able to stay alive! I want you to be able to remember me! I want you to remember everything that happened in the ‘Land of the End’! I don’t want to see you one day and find that you’ve become closed off and ice-cold inside again! I also don’t want to suddenly discover one day that you’ve become a native or a rotting corpse!”

“I’m sorry…” My head hung deeply, my heart pierced as if by knives. “I’m sorry…”

All I could say was “I’m sorry.”

Why didn’t any book tell me how to handle this kind of situation…?

I wasn’t good at communicating with people to begin with… How exactly should I handle this situation…?

What effect or principle could take effect at this moment… Who could help me?

I was truly sad… I wanted to change this place together with Baiyang. I wanted to liberate everyone, and I also wanted Jiang Ruoxue to be happy.

“That white sheep plays everyone for fools… How could he be any kind of good person?” Jiang Ruoxue asked again. “Why are you so foolish? He alone has schemed against the ‘Zodiacs’ and the ‘participants,’ and he’s schemed against both you and me! How could he be any kind of good person?!”

“Ruoxue… I’m sorry… Could you please not be angry first…” I said in a trembling voice. “Although Baiyang has used many methods… his starting point isn’t to scheme against others… Ruoxue, you…”

As soon as I finished speaking, my tears burst forth.

Although I was talking to Jiang Ruoxue, I knew I was going to lose her.

I used my thumbnail to fiercely pinch the tattoo on my finger. Perhaps this was the last bit of strength supporting me.

“Yan Zhichun, you’re going to continue helping Baiyang, right?” Jiang Ruoxue asked.

I didn’t know what to do and could only reach out to grab her wrist… Her wrist was as cold as my palm.

“Fine… fine…” She nodded blankly, then reached up to wipe the corner of her eye. “I’ve said before… I’m this kind of person… If we get along, we’ll interact… If we don’t get along, I’ll turn and leave… Yan Zhichun, let’s leave it at this…”

That day, I spoke more words than I had in my entire life.

But I still couldn’t keep Jiang Ruoxue.