“Will you find a way to repay me even as a ghost…?” Qinglong’s eyes remained narrowed.
“Yes… I am one hundred percent loyal to you…” Xiao Ran’s tears fell onto the back of Qinglong’s hand. “It seems like I’ve never wanted to devote myself to anyone like this in my entire life… I swear, you’re the first.”
“Why?” Qinglong asked.
“Because I have no way out…” Xiao Ran said, closing her eyes. “You’re the only person in this world I can rely on. Only by depending on you can I survive.”
Qinglong stared into Xiao Ran’s eyes, feeling increasingly strange.
This woman didn’t seem like she was lying at all. She genuinely wanted to depend on him and had shown greater loyalty than even Tianshe and Tiangou.
No, when it came down to it, the other “Celestial-level” beings mostly obeyed him out of fear. But this woman didn’t show much fear—instead, her loyalty seemed to come from the heart.
Yet, what about the ghostly whispers that had been haunting his mind?
Was this an enormous coincidence… or was there some ulterior motive behind this woman?
It was just a pity that this woman was far too insignificant in the grand scheme of “Taoyuan.” He had never paid her any attention before—her origins, past, abilities, personality—he knew nothing about her.
Qinglong tilted his head slightly, only to find that his “Spiritual Hearing” had vanished once again. He couldn’t detect the “immortal magic” on this woman. Everything had become a fog, as if preordained by someone.
A dog so loyal, someone who would remain devoted even in death… yet he couldn’t discern the “immortal magic” on her, couldn’t determine how dangerous she truly was.
If he were to personally kill another real “Divine Beast” now, would it benefit or harm the situation?
The dilemma weighed on Qinglong like a mountain. At this moment, he didn’t even have a single person to discuss it with.
Had he really never seen this woman before?
“Wait… wait…” Qinglong slowly closed his eyes. “No… you came from Qi Xia’s room…”
“Y-yes!” Xiao Ran hurriedly replied. “Even though I came from Qi Xia’s room, he’s my mortal enemy. We share the same foe in Qi Xia… I want him dead, so I’ll spare no effort to help you… We’ve always been on the same side…”
Qinglong wasn’t listening to Xiao Ran’s words at all. Instead, he closed his eyes, searching his memories.
About twelve years ago, in a room shrouded in “Silence,” that man had pushed a piece of paper toward him.
On it were written names in bold—
Qiao Jiajin, Chen Junnan, Li Shangwu, Zhao Haibo, Zhang Chenze, Zhang Lijuan, Han Yimo… and Xiao Ran.
“So?” Qinglong had asked at the time. “If I help you gather everyone on this list, you’ll kill Tianlong for me?”
“No,” Qi Xia had shaken his head. “It’s not that simple. I need you to help me gather these people, then form a new room with me.”
“You’re pushing your luck,” Qinglong had refused outright. “Such a major move—how could it possibly escape the notice of the other ‘Zodiacs’?”
“Hide it from the other ‘Zodiacs’?” Qi Xia had raised an eyebrow. “Why would we need to hide it from them?”
“You want to leave your current room and move to a new one,” Qinglong had said. “That would involve at least six interviewing ‘Zodiacs.’ They’ll all see the tricks I play. What I want is Tianlong’s accidental death, not premeditated murder—understand?”
“Misconception,” Qi Xia had replied. “First, this won’t involve the ‘Zodiacs.’ The ‘Zodiacs’ overseeing my current interview room will only notice people disappearing one by one. They’ll smoothly advance to ‘Earth-level’ and won’t care where I’ve gone. As for the ‘Zodiacs’ in the new interview room, I’ll handle that for you.”
“You’ll handle it for me…?” Qinglong had scoffed. “You’ve got some nerve. Do you even know who you’re dealing with?”
“Qinglong, you’ve got some nerve too,” Qi Xia had countered. “Do you think the man we’re trying to kill is some small fry? He’s like you—one of the pinnacles of this ‘Land of the End.’ If I’m helping you pull off something this big, how can you expect to take his life without any cost?”
Qinglong’s expression had darkened slightly as he pondered for a moment before asking, “I can pay, but I need corresponding returns. What do you want me to do?”
“Then your payment won’t be small,” Qi Xia had said. “Let me be blunt—someone even you struggle to kill will be even harder for me. You’ll need to cooperate during the operation. Once these eight are gathered, I’ll likely ask you to arrange other rooms.”
Hearing this, Qinglong’s expression had naturally soured. He glanced down at the paper on the table and said, “I need to be sure your plan only targets Tianlong—that I won’t be implicated.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely implicate you,” Qi Xia had replied. “As the highest rulers here, both you and Tianlong will be targeted. Just like before, I’ll find a way to challenge both of you for power—only this time, the plan will be far more detailed to ensure Tianlong dies.”
“Then you’re just toying with me?” Qinglong had laughed darkly. “If you’re still rebelling against both of us like before, why should I help you?”
“Because this time, you know in advance,” Qi Xia had answered. “Qinglong… surely you’re not this limited? Knowing years ahead that I’ll challenge you, yet lacking the confidence to take Tianlong’s life alongside me in the chaos… If you really think that way…”
“Hey,” Qinglong had cut him off, his voice icy. “You’re asking for death…”
Qi Xia had shaken his head. “If I die, your loss is greater. After all, the task of ‘killing Tianlong’ is mine. Don’t you want to see the results before killing me?”
“Then what if this happens…” Qinglong had leaned forward, smiling. “You claim you’ll kill Tianlong, but at the last moment, you turn on us both?”
“If I had the power to take you both down…” Qi Xia had met his gaze unflinchingly. “Wouldn’t that mean Tianlong’s death is guaranteed? All the more reason for you to make this deal with me.”
Qinglong had grown even more hesitant. Qi Xia’s confidence was evident, but if this implicated him, the deal would need reevaluation…
“Qinglong, let’s make a bet. You can also use the chaos to eliminate me,” Qi Xia had interrupted his thoughts. “That way, we’re even. You want to kill me and Tianlong; I want to kill Tianlong and you. Tianlong gets two votes—his odds of death are high. Let’s see who survives in the end. How about it?”
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