Qinglong withdrew his gaze from Chu Tianqiu and turned to look in Qi Xia’s direction.
To his surprise, Qi Xia was also staring intently at him.
“Interesting,” Qinglong murmured. “Even foreign languages are coming into play… What exactly did that snake say?”
“Aren’t you a ‘god’?” Dilong covered her mouth with a chuckle. “A ‘god’ who doesn’t understand foreign tongues—what kind of ‘local deity’ is that?”
Qinglong remained silent, prompting Dilong to continue mockingly, “But Korean isn’t even a foreign language—they’re still our compatriots. How can a ‘god’ like you not even grasp that?”
“All you need to know is that you’ve gained company on your path to death. That snake will be joining you,” Qinglong said coldly. “Daring to play tricks right under my nose… Do you truly not fear death?”
“Who in this world doesn’t fear death?” Dilong countered. “If there’s even a sliver of hope to live, who would willingly choose to die?”
“Oh?”
“‘Survival,’ just like ‘eating’ and ‘reproduction,’ is one of humanity’s core instincts,” Dilong explained. “Though ‘fear’ is also instinctive, it can often be overcome.”
“Then why?” Qinglong narrowed his emerald-green eyes, murmuring. “For mortals, does ‘hope’ take precedence over ‘fear’?”
“Qinglong…” Dilong didn’t answer his question. Instead, she turned, her golden eyes flashing as her fangs gleamed. “I’m much more curious—what do *you* live for?”
Qinglong froze momentarily. “You’re… asking me?”
“Of course. Can’t I?” Dilong grinned. “Just making conversation. This isn’t some one-sided interrogation.”
“I…” Qinglong seemed genuinely caught off guard, pausing before replying, “How could a ‘god’ die? I don’t need to question why I live. It’s enough to know I cannot die.”
Dilong burst into laughter, covering her mouth. “Qinglong, have you spent so long calling yourself a ‘god’ that you’ve forgotten who you really are?”
“You—”
“Have you ever seen a ‘god’ like yourself in myths?” Dilong pressed. “With just a handful of abilities, indifferent to the suffering of the masses in this ‘Peach Blossom Spring,’ with countless people wanting you dead… What kind of ‘new deity’ is that?”
“Mortals fear what they cannot comprehend—darkness, the abyss, the cosmos,” Qinglong answered darkly. “So it’s only natural they’d want me dead. I am beyond their understanding.”
“And that makes you a ‘god’?”
“What else?” Qinglong flicked his sleeve, dust drifting off. “I can hear whispers from miles away, move at the speed of thought, strip men of their reason, and summon lightning with a gesture… Would you still call me ‘human’?”
“Fair enough,” Dilong mused. “Even I don’t qualify as ‘human’ anymore. Calling you one would be absurd.”
“So you ask why I live?” Qinglong said. “I live because I refuse to die.”
Dilong pointed downward at the bustling crowd below. “Then do *they* want to die?”
“They have no choice,” Qinglong replied. “Because I chose first.”
“Isn’t that just tyranny?” Dilong challenged. “You’re far stronger, yet you take the first pick. Where’s the fairness in that?”
“Fairness… justice…?” Qinglong scoffed. “Dilong, *this* is the law of the world. The powerful always choose first; only then do the scraps trickle down to the weak. Your so-called fairness has never existed.”
“Then what if someone rose to your level… and chose to help the weak instead?” Dilong met his gaze earnestly. “To us, *that* would be a true ‘god.’”
“Is it really that simple for ‘mortals’…?” Qinglong hesitated. “Someone doesn’t need omnipotence—just a shred of consideration—to be worshipped as divine?”
“You keep calling us ‘mortals,’ yet you don’t grasp this basic truth?” Dilong retorted. “We don’t need ‘gods’ to move mountains or traverse the heavens. If I pray for the impossible, and it’s granted, then that being is my ‘god.’ I’d keep their incense burning day and night.”
“So what?” Qinglong sneered. “For this ‘worship,’ you’d defy death? Overcome ‘instinct’?”
“Hah.” Dilong laughed. “Except my prayer isn’t for my own survival—it’s for an end to everyone’s suffering. In that case, if ‘god’ demands my death to answer it, then I’ll die.”
She paused, locking eyes with Qinglong. “Oh, and just to clarify—the ‘god’ I’m talking about isn’t you.”
“I gathered as much,” Qinglong replied dryly. “I’ve heard countless ‘prayers’—no, ‘pleas for mercy’—and never granted a single one.”
“Then why call yourself a ‘god’ at all?” Dilong asked.
“That’s an amusing question,” Qinglong said. “Who decreed that ‘gods’ must serve mortals? Did I gain divine power just to cater to these worms? What a joke. If I’m stronger, why shouldn’t I act as I please instead of coddling their feelings?”
Dilong studied his jade-green eyes before responding softly, “Then you’re still viewing ‘godhood’ through mortal eyes.”
“What…?”
“Your words betray your mortal nature,” Dilong said, smiling. “You can’t fathom why a ‘god’ with boundless power would aid fragile humans. Yet you just said ‘gods’ are beyond mortal comprehension. Since *you* can’t understand them… you’re not one.”
Qinglong’s expression darkened, veins bulging at his temples.
“Wielding absolute power just to torment others for validation…” Dilong continued. “That sounds *exactly* like something a mortal would do—one who’s had a bitter life. What’s the term for it…?”
She scratched her head before brightening. “Ah—like ‘revenge spending,’ right? Buying everything you couldn’t afford as a child, only to find no joy in it.”
“You’ve *truly* grown tired of living,” Qinglong seethed, a twisted smile forming. “Even if death is inevitable, I can still decide how painful it’ll be.”
“What difference does it make?” Dilong shrugged. “If I’m to be executed, why would I care about the bullet’s caliber?”
Qinglong’s face hardened as his hand closed around Dilong’s throat.
————
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