Little Xuanwu stared at Qiu Shiliu for a long time without speaking, lost in thought.
“Because you have ‘Indestructibility,’ you can’t kill yourself?” Qiu Shiliu added.
“No…” Little Xuanwu shook her head, her voice icy. “I still can’t commit suicide. I can only die by accident.”
“Hah…” Beads of cold sweat dripped into Qiu Shiliu’s eyes from her forehead. She winced and squeezed them shut. “Come on… let me hear what goddamn excuse it is this time.”
“Because of that person,” Little Xuanwu murmured. “He promised I’d never go hungry, never suffer pain, never have to hide again. In exchange, I had to guard the rules of this place for him.”
“Oh…” Qiu Shiliu leaned back, struggling to sit up straight despite her injuries. “Doesn’t sound like a good person to me, leaving you in this state.”
“Yes, living like this is agony,” Xuanwu said. “But he’s another Bodhisattva. I can’t defy a Bodhisattva.”
“That thing’s probably just Qinglong…” Qiu Shiliu muttered. “What the hell makes him a Bodhisattva?”
“Everything but the eyes,” Xuanwu replied. “Neither male nor female, boundless in power—he embodies supreme freedom. Only his gaze lacks the humility of a Bodhisattva.”
“Hah… Qinglong the Bodhisattva…” Qiu Shiliu let out a bitter laugh. “What a damn joke…”
She glanced down at her severed right arm, still bleeding slowly. She wouldn’t last much longer.
“Jiu-jie,” Qiu Shiliu raised her voice. “This one’s completely lost to the temple’s madness. I’ll hold her at the last moment and trigger ‘Echo.’ The rest is up to you.”
Bai Jiu turned to the others. No one had a better plan. They’d have to improvise.
Maybe after Qiu Shiliu burned Xuanwu, a new weakness would appear. Or maybe—
“I have a question for Xuanwu.”
Jiang Shi, silent until now, spoke weakly.
“Little Jiang Shi…” Bai Jiu looked at him. “What is it?”
“Xuanwu…” Jiang Shi began. “How did you become the temple’s guardian?”
Though he couldn’t see her, Xuanwu’s voice reached his ears.
*My mother was. Then she died. So I became it.*
Song Qi’s eyebrows rose slowly. “Little Jiang Shi… don’t tell me you—”
“So…” Jiang Shi coughed. “If we find you a ‘successor,’ you could finally die without worry.”
*Successor…?*
“Successor…?”
Both Xuanwus froze, tilting their heads at the strange suggestion.
“Exactly…” Jiang Shi smiled. “Someone to guard the ‘rules’ for you… and the ‘Bodhisattva’… Then you could rest in peace, right?”
After a long pause, the Xuanwus spoke in unison: *That makes sense.*
“I found you one,” Jiang Shi said.
*Found one?* Little Xuanwu hesitated. *I can only accept someone stronger than me.*
“Stronger? Of course. Far stronger.”
Jiang Shi raised a hand, covering his left eye. “Everyone… Once you step onto the battlefield, sorrow severs your heart. Life and death part ways forever. This humble general has a plan—one that requires the full cooperation of ‘The Cat.’ It will ensure that fiend surrenders willingly.”
Then, in hushed tones, he laid out his scheme.
To keep Xuanwu from understanding, he substituted names with “Echo,” key terms with “whistle,” and even peppered the explanation with fragments of storytelling—ensuring only “The Cat” could grasp the full meaning.
Everyone present, including Qiu Shiliu—who barely caught the details—stared in shock.
“Little Jiang Shi…” Bai Jiu murmured. “This plan… might be the riskiest one yet.”
“But it’s the safest bet,” Jiang Shi said. “I understand ‘legacy.’ Sometimes it outweighs life itself. Only this plan will let her die in peace.”
“Jiang Shi’s right,” Song Qi said. “If we drag this out, Xuanwu’s rampage will kill us all.”
No one objected, though their faces darkened.
“Execute the plan. Relay the orders,” Song Qi commanded.
Nods all around. Soon, whistles echoed between the low buildings.
Just as Yun Shijiu caught the signal, he turned toward the street—only to freeze in horror.
A gaunt old man was approaching, slaughtering everyone in his path. Explosions flared in his wake.
He’d cleared the square and was now closing in.
“Shit…” Yun Shijiu shouted. “White Tiger’s here! Evacuate! Qi-ge!”
Song Qi looked up. “How far?”
“Three hundred—no, two hundred meters!”
“Two hundred steps. Enough. No retreat.” Song Qi glanced at the others. “We go all in. Now.”
Luo Shiyi, hearing the whistles, turned to Bai Jiu and Song Qi in disbelief. “What the hell kind of signal is that?”
“Shiyi-ge…” Ma Shier—”Displacement”—blinked. “Thought I misheard.”
Wang Ba, kneeling with a hand clutching his shoulder, whispered, “White Tiger’s almost here… Follow their lead.”
With that, the group scattered, vanishing into the alleys.
From Xuanwu’s perspective, everyone had fled—except a one-armed, stocky man still kneeling nearby.
*Bold…* Xuanwu muttered. *Can’t kill me… so you run?*
……
“Xiao Shiliu, in position?” Jiang Shi asked.
*Just got here…* Qiu Shiliu replied. *One arm makes moving a bitch.*
“Hah. Nothing’s impossible for a determined heart,” Jiang Shi chuckled.
*Shi-ge, forgive me for this.* Qiu Shiliu said. *Don’t worry. I’ll join you in death.*
“No, no offense taken,” Jiang Shi said softly. “You’ve worked hard all this time, Xiao Shiliu.”
The others around him stepped back.
The next instant—a finger burst from Jiang Shi’s left eye.
Like a lit fuse, it erupted into blinding flames, instantly consuming his face.
The eerie fire spread—neck, chest, then his entire body.
Jiang Shi never moved. He sat there, silent to the end.
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