I am free.
Sister Siwei also took stock of the remaining family members—only fifteen hundred left.
The prolonged civil war had cost us nearly three-fourths of our kin, and those who remained were undoubtedly the most unhinged.
Perhaps this was the “method” Sister had mentioned… the one she had thought of.
But she broke her promise. She didn’t let me ride a bicycle freely, didn’t let me shout to my heart’s content, didn’t let me do all the things an eight-year-old should want to do. She just kept me by her side, treating me as the city’s “mascot,” a hero so utterly useless it defied description.
My daily routine was no different from before—still judging all the subjects—but Sister Siwei forbade anyone from speaking to me.
Every night, I was alone in my room. Though it was more comfortable now, my heart ached more than ever.
No one had time for me. Everyone seemed busy every day. I didn’t know what they were doing, only that they were planning something—organized, methodical. I saw them coming and going, but their purpose remained a mystery.
Sister Siwei, meanwhile, began extensively using her “healing” to consolidate her rule. She claimed she could cure all wounds, internal or external. She declared herself the true “Divine Maiden” and promised to perform “miracles” when the time was right. The people believed her, and so she became their only hope.
A week later, on a quiet night, Sister Siwei came to my room. Since she became ruler, it had been nearly a month since we last spoke.
“Yingxiong,” she said with a bitter smile as she stepped inside.
“Sister…” I croaked.
“It’s been so long since we talked. How are you?” she asked. “Have they been bringing you meals on time?”
I kept my head down, silent.
“You don’t want to talk to me?” She entered fully, took a seat, and sat down. Her scent was strange.
For a moment, I was back in the days when Wan Cai was still alive—he’d walk into our room just like this, insisting on chatting.
“Sister, is this the ‘method’ you spoke of?” I asked.
“No, of course not.” She shook her head. “I told you, Yingxiong, I’m waiting for an opportunity.”
“And… has that opportunity not come yet?” I asked gloomily.
“Soon. Just a little longer,” she replied. “We’ll be free before you know it.”
“Really…?” I slowly lifted my eyes to her. “Sister… the scent on you now is a lot like Wan Cai’s. I finally know what to call it.”
“Oh? And what’s that?” She smiled.
“Lies,” I said. “Sister, your scent tells me you’re lying. You have no method. You never intended to free me.”
“Ah…” She nodded slowly. “You can smell my lies now?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve grown up, Yingxiong,” she murmured. “When did you stop calling him ‘Uncle Wan’ and start saying ‘Wan Cai’?”
I didn’t know the answer. All I knew was that Brother Gu Yu was still my brother, Sister Siwei was still my sister, and everyone else wasn’t even human.
“Yingxiong, I’ve told you—I love every person in this world. If I could, I’d willingly sacrifice myself to cure this city’s sickness,” she said. “But now, even that chance is gone. So I’ll do what little I can.”
She spoke so lightly, but my thoughts were in turmoil. Her definition of “what little I can” was becoming the “Divine Maiden” and ruling over this place?
“By the way, did you know? For a long time among my friends, my nickname was ‘Li Guanyin,'” she chuckled. “That’s just the kind of troublesome person I am. If I see something, I have to help—whether it concerns me or not. Funny, isn’t it?”
She laughed. I stayed silent.
She went on, telling me stories from her childhood, school days, even past relationships—but her scent remained heavy. She was lying the whole time.
Why?
“…And then I broke up with that boy. Heh.” She sniffed. “It was for the best. Getting away from a scumbag meant I didn’t have to be such a saint anymore, right?”
Lie.
“Yingxiong, if you ever do become free, just run away,” she suddenly said. “No one in this world can hold you back. Ride a bike, shout in the streets, play and run as much as you want. Do anything. Feel what freedom is.”
“Freedom…” I muttered the word, finding it bitterly ironic.
In this hellhole, even death isn’t an escape. How could I ever be free?
“Oh, one more thing,” Sister Siwei added. “There’s another ending to ‘The Happy Prince.’ I forgot to tell you. Want to hear it?”
I shook my head silently. “No.”
“Yeah, I figured.” She stood with a smile. “Sleep well tonight… Remember, every day is a new day.”
Watching her leave with that warm expression, I felt like I’d lost something.
But the Happy Prince had already lost everything he could lose.
Including the swallow.
The next day, the sun rose like the barrel of a gun. I woke to the sound of countless footsteps echoing through the building. Before I could even process it, I was already at the window, watching a massive crowd file out of the office tower.
They moved in perfect order, a single-file line—with Sister at the front.
What… is this?
They didn’t stop at the “Executioner’s” spot. Instead, they marched further, in the direction of the “Divine Dragon.”
Were they going to worship it? But normally, visits to the Dragon were voluntary. Why the formation now?
Something felt off, but I couldn’t pinpoint it.
“Ah, the Hero’s awake?” An auntie entered my room, holding a steamed bun made from “Pure Incense.” “Come, eat.”
“Where are they going?” I asked.
“Oh, we should congratulate them,” she said cheerfully. “The Divine Maiden found a way to escape this place. She’s leading them to the ascension site. They’re the first batch. A few of us stayed behind—we’ll be the next.”
“Ascension…?” My eyes widened. “How?”
“I don’t know the details,” the auntie admitted. “But the Divine Maiden said the real answer isn’t worshipping the Divine Dragon—it’s entering its palace.”
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