Xuanwu glanced around, sensing something strange about the current situation.
Apart from the corpse whose neck he had just snapped, only the short, stocky man remained, half-kneeling nearby.
Wang Ba struggled to clear his mind and slowly sat down on the ground, lifting his head to gaze at the woman who loomed before him like the vast cosmos.
A moment later, a bitter smile twisted his plump face.
“Smiling…?” Xuanwu hesitated. “Why are you smiling?”
“That whistle just now was quite amusing,” Wang Ba said. “I’ve never heard such a brutally simple yet fascinating plan before.”
“But they all seem to have left,” Xuanwu replied. “Now you’re the only one left here. What will you do?”
“I won’t live much longer anyway,” Wang Ba murmured. “To witness the ‘shift’ of a Divine Beast here is already a rare fortune.”
“A ‘shift’ is no easy matter…” Xuanwu said softly. “Very few in the entire Peach Blossom Spring are stronger than me—not even Baihu or Zhuque.”
“Are you saying… that if we were to act, Zhuque and Baihu would be easier to kill than you?” Wang Ba chuckled lightly. “Is that what you mean?”
Xuanwu seemed to realize she had misspoken and shook her head, her long hair swaying. “I didn’t say that.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Xuanwu suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly familiar presence not far away. She turned her head and stared blankly at the corner of a low building.
A moment later, she took an involuntary step back.
A thin, dark figure—radiant like the boundless universe—emerged from the billowing smoke.
Upon closer inspection, the figure wasn’t walking on the ground at all but floating, feet slightly lifted.
His arms were outstretched to his sides, and before him hovered a strange ring, as if a true deity had descended.
Xuanwu studied him curiously, trying to discern his origins.
“Xuanwu, lay down your weapon and enjoy the kill…” The figure paused. “No—enjoy the slaughter.”
An equally ethereal voice emanated from the figure, making Xuanwu tilt her head in confusion once more.
……
Behind Jiang Shi, nearly all the “cats” were cautiously peering out from the windows of the low building.
They had gathered there upon hearing the earlier whistle—a short, sharp signal carrying only one message:
*”All ‘cats’ retreat from battle immediately. Channel all belief into ‘Ten.'”*
Everyone stared at Jiang Shi’s dark silhouette. Though he appeared unharmed, Luo Shiyi was drenched in sweat.
“I really hope Brother Ten isn’t in pain right now…” Luo Shiyi muttered, his face pale.
“Don’t worry, Brother Eleven,” said Ma Shier, the “Displacer.” “If even you’re this exhausted, Brother Ten’s pain must have been ‘forgotten.’”
“Makes sense…” Luo Shiyi nodded dazedly before realizing the insult. “And *you’re* the one who looks like shit.”
Song Qi, observing the exchange between Xuanwu and Jiang Shi, turned to give orders to the “Displacer” Ma Shier, the “Levitationist” Wu Shisan, and the “Shifter” Cui Shisi, instructing them to be ready to unleash “Echo” at full force.
Detective Li, noticing the tension, quickly stepped to the window, his right hand slipping into his pocket.
Meanwhile, Su Shan stood alone on the rooftop, staring down at the bewildering scene below.
Jiang Shi’s current state was identical to Xuanwu’s—both of them shimmered with the ripples of “Indestructibility.”
But the ripples radiating from Xuanwu were far more powerful, dwarfing Jiang Shi’s like an ocean compared to a pond.
Her ripples surged outward in vast, crashing waves, so immense and fierce they seemed endless.
In contrast, Jiang Shi’s ripples were like faint drops of water falling into a still pool—gentle, delicate, and on the verge of vanishing at any moment.
The phrase *”burning the last of his fuel”* flashed through Su Shan’s mind. She didn’t know what the final plan Song Qi and the others had devised, but she knew Jiang Shi wouldn’t last much longer.
Maybe three minutes. Maybe the next second. This boy named Jiang Shi would exhaust his ripples and collapse, never to rise again.
Su Shan narrowed her eyes and noticed something else—beyond Jiang Shi’s own “Indestructibility,” there were other strange ripples surrounding him.
The outermost layer was a powerful ripple called “Forget Sorrow,” resonating with “Indestructibility” yet teetering on the edge of collapse.
Beneath him, the “Levitationist’s” power kept him afloat, while the ring before him pulsed with both “Levitation” and “Shift.”
Amid the chaotic yet orderly interplay of ripples, they orbited Jiang Shi like satellites around a lone planet.
Finally, Xuanwu spoke again.
*”Who are you?”*
*”I am the one who will uphold the rules in your stead,”* Jiang Shi replied. *”With me here, you can die in peace.”*
Xuanwu clearly didn’t understand. This figure before her seemed identical to her—but how could that alone replace her?
*”You say you’ll replace me… but how?”*
*”Xuanwu, I am far stronger than you,”* Jiang Shi said. *”Even stronger than the Bodhisattva you revere.”*
*”Such arrogance!”* Xuanwu snapped. *”You dare claim superiority over the Bodhisattva?”*
*”YOU’RE the arrogant one!”* Jiang Shi sneered. *”How dare you question me?”*
Whether out of anger or competitiveness, Xuanwu raised her remaining left hand into the air—revealing a beating heart clenched in her grasp.
Jiang Shi froze, instinctively reaching for his own chest before remembering he no longer had a heart inside.
Then… whose heart was this?
Wang Ba’s expression twisted in pain, his remaining hand clutching his chest.
*”Brother Ba…?”* Jiang Shi turned his faceless head toward Wang Ba.
“Don’t mind me…” Wang Ba gritted his teeth. “Do what you must. I was already…”
Before he could finish, Xuanwu crushed the heart in her grip. Blood sprayed outward like water wrung from a soaked sponge.
Wang Ba’s mouth fell open, his eyes glazing over in an instant.
Without a final word, he slumped silently to the ground—dead by Xuanwu’s hand.
*”Rest well, Brother Ba.”* Jiang Shi allowed himself only a second of silence before turning back to Xuanwu. *”Xuanwu… such a petty trick.”*
*”Petty…?”* Xuanwu tossed the shattered heart aside, puzzled. *”Then what would you suggest?”*
Jiang Shi slowly turned his gaze to Luo Shiwu’s corpse on the ground.
Then he raised a hand, pointed at the body, and whispered—
*”Heart, come forth.”*
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage