Yan Zhichun stared into Qi Xia’s eyes for a long time before nodding solemnly with a serious expression. “Yes… you’re right… Brother Goat, I spoke out of turn.”
“You understand, then,” Qi Xia replied. “Yan Zhichun… you may not know the horrors I’ve endured to reach this point. I want to ‘win’ more than anyone else. Even if I’m the only one left here, I still want to ‘win.'”
“I see…” Yan Zhichun nodded. “Brother Goat, the plan stays as it is. I’ll go make the arrangements.”
Just as she turned to leave, Qi Xia called out to her again. “Wait.”
“What…?”
“Don’t trust the White Goat too much,” Qi Xia said.
His words froze Yan Zhichun in place.
“What do you mean, ‘don’t trust the White Goat’…?” she asked, clearly confused. “Brother Goat… you… aren’t you…?”
“It’s still me, but I don’t even trust myself,” Qi Xia said. “Teaming up with someone you don’t trust—no matter how you look at it—is full of uncertainties.”
Yan Zhichun stood there for a long time, not because Qi Xia’s words were hard to understand, but because the White Goat had once said the exact same thing.
What kind of absurd situation was this…?
The White Goat was Qi Xia, and Qi Xia was the White Goat.
This was supposed to be a cross-temporal collaboration, a legendary game of chess that could only happen in the “Land of Finality,” one worthy of being recorded in history…
And yet, they didn’t trust each other.
The reason seemed to be that they each thought the other… wasn’t as smart as themselves?
“This is ridiculous… Brother Goat…” Yan Zhichun murmured. “Do you even hear what you’re saying? That’s still you… If neither of you trusts the other, how are you supposed to…?”
“That’s not the real me,” Qi Xia interrupted. “I wouldn’t look down on someone intelligent like that. His stupidity lies in his arrogance. If you’re going to trust anyone, trust me, not him. After all, he’s not coming back—but I’ve always been here.”
“I… I understand…”
After a long silence, Yan Zhichun finally turned and left the room.
Qi Xia turned back to gaze out the window.
Before long, a head popped into the doorway. “Yo!”
Qi Xia turned to see Chen Jun’nan sauntering in with a mischievous grin.
“Hey, Lao Qi… did you bully that girl or something? She looked pretty upset when she walked out.”
“Ridiculous,” Qi Xia said. “Why would I bully her?”
“Well, she didn’t look happy,” Chen Jun’nan said. “She seems pretty tough, though. What’s her deal?”
“King of the Jidao,” Qi Xia replied.
“Whoa~~~~~~”
Chen Jun’nan dragged out the exclamation in an exaggerated tone, making Qi Xia’s brow twitch in irritation.
“Can you be serious for once?” Qi Xia said. “I actually have something to tell you.”
“Alright, alright,” Chen Jun’nan said, dropping his playful demeanor. “What does the great sir command?”
“I need to know if the ‘Cat’ has been reborn,” Qi Xia said. “Go check the prison for me.”
“You…” Chen Jun’nan hesitated. “Lao Qi… you even got the ‘Cat’ involved…?”
“I need Qian Wu,” Qi Xia said. “He shouldn’t be dead. He’s probably still in prison.”
“Are you sure you’re okay…?” Chen Jun’nan gave Qi Xia a worried look. “You’ve pulled this trick so many times in such a short period… Not even ‘Heaven’ could pull that off.”
“I don’t have a choice,” Qi Xia replied. “I’d love to rest, but not now.”
“Tch…” Chen Jun’nan sighed. “Fine, I’ll go take a look. What if it’s a ‘live cat’? What if it’s a ‘dead cat’?”
“As long as Saturday and Qian Wu are still there, it’s not a ‘dead cat,'” Qi Xia said. “Tell Saturday to contact me.”
“Got it, boss,” Chen Jun’nan said with a wave. “I’m off then. Don’t bother saving me any food tonight.”
With that, Chen Jun’nan headed out under the setting sun.
—
When Yan Zhichun returned to her classroom, she could hear Jiang Ruoxue’s voice from inside, talking to someone.
She paused outside the door for a few seconds, realizing the other speaker sounded like a child. Frowning, she pushed the door open.
Jiang Ruoxue was standing there with an exasperated expression, speaking to a boy who looked no older than eight or nine. The boy wore a paper crown on his head and a dirty bedsheet draped over his shoulders like a cape.
“Oh my god, Zhichun, you’re finally here,” Jiang Ruoxue said. “You talk to him. I can’t get through.”
“Talk?” Yan Zhichun raised an eyebrow at the boy.
Jiang Ruoxue patted the boy’s head and turned him toward Yan Zhichun. “Little guy, talking to me won’t help. This is my boss. If you’ve got something to say, tell her.”
Yan Zhichun said nothing, studying the oddly dressed boy for a long moment. She couldn’t fathom why he looked like this.
“What do you want?” she asked bluntly.
“Big sister, are you the leader of the Jidao?” the boy asked. “My name is Zheng Yingxiong. I want to join the Jidao.”
“No. Get lost,” Yan Zhichun said.
“Huh…?”
Jiang Ruoxue burst out laughing. “Hahaha… Zhichun, what the hell…?”
“What?” Yan Zhichun shot her a look. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Well, yeah, but…” Jiang Ruoxue shook her head. “You’re being way too harsh. You’ll scare the kid.”
“The Jidao isn’t some charity,” Yan Zhichun said flatly, turning back to Zheng Yingxiong. “What’s the point of letting a kid like you join? Don’t waste our time. We’ve got real business to deal with. Leave.”
“I’m not leaving,” Zheng Yingxiong said firmly. “I have a reason I *have* to join the Jidao… You can’t just turn me away because I’m young, can you? My memories go back further than most people’s!”
“Still no,” Yan Zhichun said decisively. “Too bad you came at the wrong time. The Jidao is about to face something huge. Since the future is uncertain, I’m not letting anyone join right now.”
“Something huge…?” Zheng Yingxiong blinked. “Big sister, if something big is happening, then I *definitely* need to join.”
“What?” Yan Zhichun felt there was something unusual about this child.
Zheng Yingxiong pulled a crumpled note from his pocket and handed it to her. Written on it was a single line:
*”Zheng Yingxiong, go find ‘Cause and Effect.’ The path she chooses is most likely the right one. No matter what happens from now on, never choose to become a ‘Zodiac.’ Goodbye.”*
Yan Zhichun frowned as she read it. “Whose handwriting is this?”
“My brother’s,” Zheng Yingxiong said. “He was a ‘Human Monkey’ here. Did you know him?”
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