Chapter 919: Let the Flowers Bloom

Brother Goat has been missing for several days now.

Just as I expected, after that last encounter, I never saw him again.

The entire “Blissful Bank” was emptied overnight, leaving behind only shattered statues.

Jiang Ruoxue and I spent several days searching the city for any trace of Brother Goat, but we had no idea what he might look like now.

Would he have become more like a “goat,” or would he still resemble a “human”?

If he was a goat, what kind of goat would he be? If human, what would he look like?

Finding White Goat was no easy task. Jiang Ruoxue and I wandered aimlessly through the city like two headless flies, our initial glimmer of hope slowly fading into dull resignation.

The novelty of the “next phase” lasted only a few days before we fell back into our old routine.

We lived numbly, the path ahead gradually shrouded in mist.

We even ventured into alleyways we had never entered before, uncovering various “Zodiacs” hidden in the corners—yet we found no trace of White Goat.

“Zhichun… don’t you think it’s too quiet?” Jiang Ruoxue asked, her head hanging low.

We were resting in a narrow alley, a low-level “Zodiac” standing not far from us.

“Quiet…?” I glanced around the street. “You mean here? Yeah, there aren’t many people.”

“No.” Jiang Ruoxue shook her head. “Zhichun, ever since White Goat left… everything has been too quiet.”

As soon as she spoke, the “Zodiac” a few steps away suddenly perked up, clearing his throat. “Would you two like to join my game?”

Jiang Ruoxue and I exchanged a glance but ignored him. These “Zodiacs” were everywhere. His game was set up in a hidden alley, so he probably rarely saw any “participants.”

Jiang Ruoxue turned back to me, her expression grave. “Zhichun, don’t you feel like the atmosphere is a bit eerie now? The ‘upper echelons’ are quiet, the ‘Zodiacs’ are quiet, even the ‘participants’ are silent… It’s like everyone is waiting for something, or guarding against something.”

I had to admit she was right. Since Brother Goat disappeared, everything had grown still. Even the most powerful “participants” had drastically scaled back their movements.

“Paradise Port,” which had always been actively challenging “Zodiacs,” had stopped gambling with their lives and seemed to be conserving their strength instead.

What was everyone doing? Why had the entire atmosphere changed?

“I really don’t like this…” Jiang Ruoxue frowned. “Zhichun… this feels like the calm before the storm. It’s as if some enormous karma is about to be born… Everything here is about to be turned upside down.”

Yes… This had always been Brother Goat’s plan. He would return one day and turn this place inside out.

But where was he now?

I sighed and turned my head—only to lock eyes with the “Human Monkey” standing a few steps away.

He had been watching us the whole time.

His mask was strange—though he was a “Human Monkey,” his face resembled that of a rotting baboon.

“Would you two like to join my game?” he asked again.

“No,” Jiang Ruoxue replied flatly. “Save your breath. We’re not here for ‘Dao.'”

I frowned slightly, struck by a sudden thought.

“If you participate… I’ll give you a plastic flower,” the Human Monkey added. “Won’t you at least try?”

“A plastic flower…?” Jiang Ruoxue slowly raised her head, and we both stared at the figure before us.

His silhouette overlapped with someone from our memories.

“You… you’re…” Jiang Ruoxue started to speak, but I quickly grabbed her arm.

“Ruoxue, don’t say his name,” I warned.

The Human Monkey hadn’t called us by our names either, likely afraid we’d recognize him.

So he had really come here—become a “Human Monkey” in “Dao City.”

That meant he had gambled and killed the previous Human Monkey, and it also meant “Jade City” had completely failed.

Even if Gu Yu had taken everything he learned from “Dao City” and “Vortex City” back to reorganize things, he still couldn’t cure the terminally ill metropolis.

But how long had Gu Yu been here? The last time we saw him was years ago. Was he a recent arrival in these dark alleys… or had he been here for years?

Seeing the complex expressions on our faces, he knew we had recognized him.

“You don’t have to join the game,” he said quietly. “But I still want to give you the flower.”

He pulled out a familiar black rod from his pocket and handed it to me.

“Human Monkey… weren’t you going to give us a flower?” I held the black stick, confused. “We’re not magicians. We don’t know how to use this.”

“Make it bloom,” he said, his voice choked. “If there’s any way… please help me.”

“Help you…?”

“The flower can’t bloom… the iron walls around it are too hard…” The Human Monkey’s voice trembled. “I’ve never been able to break through, but inside… there’s a beautiful flower. If you can’t bring the ‘flower’ out… can you at least take the ‘seed’? It’s the seed of ‘hope’… I’m begging you. If you can carry hope away… I’ll find a way to repay you.”

Jiang Ruoxue and I weren’t fools. We understood exactly what he meant.

“You’re serious about this, aren’t you?” I sighed. “That’s not our ‘flower,’ and it’s not our ‘seed.’ You’ve carried this iron rod with you all this time and still couldn’t make it bloom. Why do you expect others to succeed where you failed?”

“I’ve tried everything…” The Human Monkey lowered his head. “But the flower and the seed are stuck fast… The iron walls are closing in, slowly crushing them. I’ve run out of ideas, but maybe someone else can think of something I couldn’t…”

“But the walls are too hard,” I said firmly. “Ruoxue and I are just ordinary people. Our nails would break against that iron. I won’t take that risk—and I won’t let Ruoxue take it either. We’ve already done enough for a magician.”

Gu Yu’s eyes dimmed with despair as he slowly bowed his head.

He must have known how unreasonable his request was. Whoever was still trapped in “Jade City” had nothing to do with us.

We had already told Gu Yu everything we knew about the “Land of the End” and the “Zodiacs,” even guiding him down this relatively safe path to escape. Now he was asking us to risk our lives for “Jade City”—this time, I absolutely refused.

“I’m sorry.” The Human Monkey’s voice was heavy with defeat. “I was being naive… Thank you.”

“What does the flower think?” Jiang Ruoxue suddenly asked.

“The flower?” He looked at her.

“Does it want to bloom?” she pressed. “Does it want to blossom on its own, or does it want someone to carry its seed away?”

“Ruoxue…” I tugged at her sleeve. “What are you doing?”

“Zhichun, this is all ‘causality,'” she said softly. “What’s happening now was decided long ago.”

The Human Monkey exhaled deeply. “I don’t know if the flower wants to ‘bloom’… but I do know it wants its seed to survive.”