The black sheep lay on the ground, struggling to lift its head.
Amidst the sounds of the “ants” tearing at the sky tiger’s body, it turned its gaze toward the direction of the “money-losing tiger.”
“Hey…”
It called out weakly, but the money-losing tiger didn’t respond.
“Hey… damn it…”
It had never imagined that one day, talking to this idiot would go unanswered.
“Hey!!” the black sheep shouted, its voice almost breaking with tears. “I haven’t killed you yet… How dare you fucking die…?!”
The loud echoes reverberated through the room. Amidst the black sheep’s tearful curses, even the sky tiger’s agonized screeching had ceased.
Countless hands had reached into its body, crushing its organs beyond recognition.
Before long, the money-losing tiger let out an almost imperceptible cough:
“Cough…”
“Huh?!” The black sheep’s face lit up with sudden joy. “Money-losing tiger…”
“Old Black… what the hell are you yelling about…”
“You… you bastard…!”
“Heh…” The money-losing tiger opened its eyes, weakly grinning at the ceiling. “What a joke… Talking about family or whatever… We’re grown men… Have you no shame?”
“Ahhh, damn it!!!” The black sheep finally relaxed, lying flat on the ground with a wide grin. The tension that had gripped its heart for so long finally dissipated. “That’s great…! That’s great…! I’ll kill you sooner or later…!! Ugh… pisses me off…”
“Kill me, huh… You damn traitor…” The money-losing tiger let out a dry chuckle. “I told you ‘no rush’… And you really took your time… Why not wait till you could nibble on my toes… Why not just bring some joss paper and burn it for me…”
“Still running your mouth. I shouldn’t have come at all,” the black sheep muttered from the floor. “Dragged things out this long, and you still didn’t die. What a damn shame. A little brat could beat you up like this—what’s the point of you? Where’s that skill you used against the Earth Dragon?”
The earth tiger coughed helplessly. “Old Black… If we’re gonna talk like that, let me remind you—you still owe me ‘Dao’… That was a loan from Brother Sheep… Principal plus interest… You still owe me…”
“Keep counting,” the black sheep snorted. “I’ll burn it all to you the day you die.”
“Hey… Why so mad? Just gave the kid an arm to chew on… Heh…” The money-losing tiger coughed a few more times. “If the kid wants to eat, let him… A body like mine… Not so easy to kill…”
As the two spoke, an earth monkey slowly appeared at the doorway. It surveyed the scene inside, sighed, and stepped in.
The room was crawling with lingering “ants,” making it uneasy. It reached into its pocket and pulled out a “Dao.” The “ants” immediately lifted their heads, sensing something, but none moved.
The earth monkey opened the door, tossed the “Dao” outside, and the swarm of “ants” rushed into the hallway, scrambling for the now unclaimed “Dao.”
Then it shut the door, restoring peace to the room.
“Damn…” The money-losing tiger twisted its neck with effort, paling at the sight of the newcomer. “Old Black… Get up… We barely took down the sky tiger—it’d be a waste to lose to this monkey now…”
The black sheep glanced at the earth monkey, lying motionless with an annoyed expression. “Can’t get up. You go die.”
“Ah… Shit… Why so cold again… Cough…” The money-losing tiger tried to shift, but blood loss had sapped all its strength. “Old Black… Maybe I’ll hold it off… You go first…”
“Not going. I’ll watch you die.”
“Huh?! Don’t be like that…”
The earth monkey watched their back-and-forth, baffled. It walked to the center of the room, took off its suit, and tore it into strips.
“Hah…” the money-losing tiger sneered. “Gonna strangle me, huh… I fear nothing… Go ahead, kill me… I’ll leave a few holes in you first…”
The earth monkey rolled its eyes, tossed the torn fabric onto the tiger’s face, and said, “No need. Your friend’s already left enough holes in me. Tie it yourself—your shoulder’s gushing blood.”
“Huh?” The money-losing tiger caught the strips, surprised that this unfamiliar earth monkey seemed to be on their side. “Who do you follow…?”
“No idea who I follow,” the earth monkey replied, tossing the other half to the black sheep. “You two are lucky to still be breathing…”
The black sheep caught the strips, struggled to sit up, and leaned against the wall to bandage itself. Most of its injuries from fighting the sky ox were internal, so the wrappings did little.
After a few deep breaths, it asked, “Everything settled? The ‘human-levels’…?”
“Human-levels are nothing…” The earth monkey righted a chair and sat, tending to its own wounds. “So I got dragged in blind. Anyone care to explain what you’re planning?”
The black sheep stayed silent, haphazardly wrapping its wounds before standing with the wall’s support. It moved to the money-losing tiger and helped bandage its severed shoulder.
The earth monkey watched, feeling ignored. “Seriously, Black Sheep? You don’t trust me? If I wanted you dead, I’d have done it already.”
It studied their expressions—both seemed lost.
The black sheep sighed. “It’s not that we don’t trust you… We don’t know the plan either.”
“Wait… what?” The earth monkey froze. “No way… The ‘celestial-levels’ are dying, ‘natives’ are boarding, ‘participants’ are boarding, even the ‘ants’ are swarming the halls… And you have no clue what’s next?!”
“Right.” The black sheep nodded. “The ones killing the ‘celestial-levels’ don’t know. The boarders don’t know. Even the ‘ants’ don’t know. That’s where we are.”
“You’re insane…” The earth monkey slowly stood. “Causing this much chaos without knowing what comes after…”
“It’s a good thing.” The black sheep said. “Each of us only knows our part. That’s how the plan stayed hidden.”
“Then what about me?!” The earth monkey frowned. “If I join now… I’d be completely clueless?”
“From what I’ve heard… The necessary steps are done.” The black sheep met its gaze. “Now, we wait.”
“Just… wait?”
“Yes. Wait for the final success…” The black sheep paused. “There’s nothing else to do.”
“I can’t wait…” The money-losing tiger grimaced, clutching its bandages. “Plenty of our guys are probably badly hurt… Let’s go find them… Save who we can…”
“You can barely walk. Stop pushing yourself,” the black sheep said. “Injuries from fighting ‘celestial-levels’ won’t heal fast. Even you and I—though alive—will soon face shortages of medicine and infections. If this rebellion fails, we die regardless.”
The earth monkey was about to speak when it noticed the cracks in the wall. Slowly, it approached, staring in disbelief at the endless starry void beyond.
“What… is this…?”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage