“But this assumption is based on the idea that ‘Celestial Dragon’ has strong convictions and knows exactly what he wants,” Earth Serpent said.
“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded. “Anyone with half a brain would realize this—’Celestial Dragon’ isn’t a fool.”
“But there’s a second person overseeing this matter,” Earth Serpent continued. “Qi Xia, you know as well as I do that this land has three lunatics with immense ‘divine powers’… Each has their own role, temperamental beyond reason, utterly deranged. They act according to the original rules, and if someone violates them, not even ‘Celestial Dragon’ can stop them.”
“Yes, I know those three,” Qi Xia nodded. “They’re indeed completely mad.”
“They weren’t always this insane…” Earth Serpent said. “They were once ordinary ‘participants’… Did you know that?”
“What…?”
“But I heard the Teacher once used three young men in his first experiment. I don’t know what he did to them, only that they were transformed into something neither human nor ghost… Their power became immense, their minds twisted into madness. Their strength was so overwhelming that they were even given names matching ‘Azure Dragon.’ ‘Black Tortoise’ can only understand the simplest commands, ‘Vermilion Bird’ is bloodthirsty, and ‘White Tiger’ cannot control his own power.”
“These three ‘young men’…” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes slightly, as if catching onto a strange inconsistency, then interrupted his own train of thought to ask, “Do they also have ‘eyes’ on them?”
“I don’t know…” Earth Serpent shook his head. “They were modified too early… I don’t think it’s about the ‘eyes’ at all—their very minds have been altered. They were the first to host multiple ‘divine powers’ simultaneously, yet neither ‘Celestial Serpent’ nor ‘Celestial Dragon’ ever spoke of the method, nor did they attempt to replicate it. What’s even more terrifying is that despite the Teacher being their creator… even he now avoids them.”
“So your concern is… ‘White Tiger’?” Qi Xia asked.
“Exactly,” Earth Serpent said. “‘White Tiger’ is specifically in charge of ‘Zodiac Slaughter.’ His presence ensures that the worst conflict among ‘Zodiacs’ on the train never escalates beyond brawling. If anyone dares to kill—whether the victim is a ‘Celestial,’ ‘Earth,’ or ‘Human’ tier ‘Zodiac’—the killer won’t survive.”
“I see,” Qi Xia nodded. “I understand your concern. But since ‘Zodiacs’ can’t move freely in the ‘Land of the End’ and are restricted to their game areas, the chance of encountering another ‘Zodiac’ is zero. The only place where ‘Zodiac Slaughter’ could occur is on the train.”
“Of course,” Earth Serpent agreed. “No matter how much ‘Zodiacs’ fight on the train, the ‘Natives’ can always restore the rooms. But if a ‘Zodiac’ dies in combat, the ‘Natives’ can’t revive them with their ‘divine powers.’ That’s why ‘Celestial Dragon’ set a strict rule against ‘Zodiac Slaughter.'”
“Then you can rest even easier,” Qi Xia said. “I declare that rule abolished.”
“What…?” Earth Serpent’s eyes widened again.
“That ‘young man’ called ‘White Tiger’ is no longer on the train,” Qi Xia said. “I forced him out with a scheme. If you don’t believe me, you can kill a ‘Human-tier’ tonight and test it yourself.”
Earth Serpent fell silent for a moment before saying, “Qi Xia, this isn’t something to joke about… If ‘White Tiger’ were still in the ‘Engine Car,’ I’d be dead the moment I killed that ‘Human-tier,’ let alone ‘Celestial Serpent.'”
“Relax,” Qi Xia said. “In all these years, have you ever seen ‘White Tiger’?”
“The reason I’ve never seen him is because no ‘Zodiac’ has ever been foolish enough to attempt this—it’s strictly forbidden,” Earth Serpent countered. “Otherwise, the ‘Celestials’ wouldn’t have lived this long. They’d be assassinated daily!”
“Rules only need to be established once,” Qi Xia said. “What’s interesting is that aside from this one exception, everything else has been carried out flawlessly under the rules without a single lapse. ‘Deserting Zodiacs’ die, ‘gambling with life and losing’ leads to death, even altering one’s game can attract the Managers. In this environment, no one would ever notice ‘White Tiger’ is gone—because no one dares to test it. After all, among all violations, ‘Zodiac Slaughter’ seems the most severe.”
“Then how can you be sure ‘White Tiger’ isn’t on the train…?” Earth Serpent pressed.
At this point, Qiao Jiajin suddenly stiffened. “White Tiger…? Isn’t that the old guy we met before—”
Qi Xia shot him a sharp glance, cutting him off.
Qiao Jiajin quickly swallowed his words, muttering in confusion.
‘White Tiger’ is a young man…?
The old man they’d seen looked at least seventy, if not eighty—how could he be young?
Meanwhile, Earth Serpent keenly observed their expressions.
“You’ve seen him outside the train…?” Earth Serpent’s voice rose slightly in shock. “‘White Tiger’ was exiled from the train…?”
Qi Xia sighed. “Earth Serpent, you said it yourself—’White Tiger’ can’t control his power. He could destroy the train at any moment. A ticking time bomb like that… even ‘Celestial Dragon’ wants him gone.”
“But isn’t that… too risky…?” Earth Serpent scratched his head. “It’s like removing the train’s ‘security guard.'”
“‘Celestial Dragon’ and I share the same view,” Qi Xia said. “He knows none of you would dare to try, because the seed of fear has already been planted.”
Earth Serpent fell into deep silence again.
After a long pause, he finally spoke. “I told you, you’re the one I trust most. If you assure me that killing ‘Celestial Serpent’ won’t draw ‘Celestial Dragon’ or ‘White Tiger,’ then I’ll try it immediately.”
“Go ahead without hesitation,” Qi Xia said. “The only one who could intervene now is ‘Celestial Serpent’ himself. You’ll need a solid plan—how do you kill someone who can ‘read minds’?”
“Don’t worry,” Earth Serpent said. “If the opportunity arises, I won’t hesitate to gouge out all the ‘eyes’ on my body.”
Qi Xia seemed about to say something else but held back, simply nodding.
“It’s getting late,” Earth Serpent said. “I won’t keep you brats here any longer.”
“No need,” Qi Xia stood up, ready to leave with the others when he suddenly paused and turned back.
“What is it?” Earth Serpent asked.
Qi Xia stared into Earth Serpent’s eyes for a long moment before speaking. “Do you know what the language of the poppy flower means?”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage