“Here you go again…” Yan Zhichun said, “Trying to deduce the ’cause’ from the ‘effect’?”
“Yeah, aren’t you curious?” Jiang Ruoxue replied. “A vanished legend is now standing right in front of you, as if everything is starting anew. I really want to know what the ’cause’ was.”
“But she’s practically our number one enemy,” Yan Zhichun countered. “You know what ‘Wen Qiaoyun’ means to the ‘Extremists.'”
“Right, she represents the brink of destroying this place,” Jiang Ruoxue said. “But we weren’t active in the same era as her.”
“What do you mean…?”
“This is our era now,” Jiang Ruoxue explained. “Instead of figuring out how to neutralize Wen Qiaoyun, why not consider giving her a new identity?”
Yan Zhichun paused. “You mean… turning her into an ‘Extremist’?”
“Mm.” Jiang Ruoxue nodded. “I rarely manipulate the ’cause,’ but Wen Qiaoyun is different. I need this ‘effect’ under our control.”
“Are you sure that’ll work?” Yan Zhichun asked. “Wen Qiaoyun is no pushover. Do you really think ordinary persuasion will sway her?”
“Then tell her the truth about this world,” Jiang Ruoxue said. “If she learns the reality of everything here, if she understands what collecting 3,600 ‘Dao’ leads to—even if she isn’t an ‘Extremist,’ she’ll subconsciously act like one.”
“But where do I even start?” Yan Zhichun wondered.
“Start with the white goat you met,” Jiang Ruoxue replied.
Yan Zhichun nodded, realizing there was no other way.
From the moment she encountered that white goat, her life had changed irrevocably.
“By the way,” she suddenly shifted the topic, looking at Jiang Ruoxue, “what about that other woman earlier?”
“Hm? What about her?”
After a moment of thought, Yan Zhichun said, “She claimed she’s an ‘Extremist.'”
“Yeah?” Jiang Ruoxue raised an eyebrow. “What’s odd is that I once revealed my identity in front of her, yet she showed no reaction. Maybe she just joined?”
“That’s the problem,” Yan Zhichun said. “Let’s walk and talk. Hearing you say that, I’m suddenly interested in Wen Qiaoyun too.”
The two stepped out of the building, trailing behind Lin Qin and Wen Qiaoyun in the distance.
The “Land of Finality” seemed even filthier than before. The corpses of those executed during the last “Pegasus Hour” had begun to rot, their fluids seeping into the ground. The stench of decay hung thick in the air, and blood pooled underfoot, making every step sticky.
Every so often along the wide road, they passed people split cleanly in half by black threads running through their brows. Their legs splayed wide like compasses, as if taking a bigger stride could free them from this wretched place.
Yet their strides had been too wide—so wide that even their faces had been torn apart.
“You were saying… what’s the issue?” Jiang Ruoxue asked again. “Just another ordinary ‘Extremist.’ There are countless we don’t know. This faction you founded might be far larger than you imagined.”
“No… I often run into ordinary ‘Extremists,'” Yan Zhichun replied. “But she claimed she’s been one for seven years. Ridiculous, isn’t it?”
“Seven years…?” Jiang Ruoxue frowned. “That’s as long as you.”
“Though I’ve never admitted it, you know…” Yan Zhichun said, “I was the one who founded the ‘Extremists.’ I even named it.”
“Right.”
“She’s been in it as long as I have, yet we’ve never crossed paths.” Yan Zhichun asked, “How likely is that?”
“Zero,” Jiang Ruoxue answered. “So you think her identity is suspicious—maybe even a plant sent to dismantle us.”
“Exactly.” Yan Zhichun nodded. “But I can’t figure out why. The ‘Extremists’ already have a terrible reputation, and there’s no real camaraderie to exploit. What’s the point of impersonating one?”
“True.” Jiang Ruoxue chuckled. “Zhichun, you’re being modest. ‘Terrible reputation’? Most people target ‘Extremists’ on sight. Even we’ve had to go underground.”
“But she isn’t hiding at all.”
“Does she seem like she’s lying?” Jiang Ruoxue pressed.
“Honestly… no.” Yan Zhichun gave a bitter smile. “She even argued with me over the term ‘Extremist.’ I’ve never seen that kind of passion in genuine members.”
“When all impossibilities are eliminated, the remaining answer must be true. What if…” Jiang Ruoxue mused, “you assumed you were the ’cause’ of the ‘Extremists,’ and she the ‘effect’—but in reality, it’s the opposite?”
“Huh…?”
“You’re both ’causes,'” Jiang Ruoxue said. “Just on separate threads of causality.”
“I don’t follow. Simplify it.”
“I’m saying… did that white goat seven years ago only influence you?” Jiang Ruoxue asked. “What if he laid down a second thread?”
Yan Zhichun grasped her meaning instantly.
“You’re saying… that woman, Lin Qin, is my equal?” Yan Zhichun tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “She’s… really a co-founder of the ‘Extremists’?”
“It’s just a hypothesis,” Jiang Ruoxue said. “Even that white goat couldn’t be sure you’d actually create an organization capable of influencing everyone, right?”
“No… that still doesn’t add up.” Yan Zhichun shook her head. “Even if you’re right, she should know her own role. And I named the ‘Extremists’—even the ‘principles’ she cited match mine exactly. If she really was a co-founder, how could it be such a coincidence?”
“Her ‘principles’ were identical to ours?” Jiang Ruoxue asked.
“Yes.” Yan Zhichun nodded. “That’s what makes it so illogical.”
The two fell silent, watching the distant figures as they pondered.
“Seems she’s another strange ‘effect,'” Jiang Ruoxue said with a smile. “I feel like something unusual is about to happen. When this place starts bearing bizarre ‘fruits’ everywhere… doesn’t that mean the great ’cause’ is drawing near?”
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