Chapter 541: Tattoo

Could a tiny door really block those black threads?

Or perhaps… was this a tactic used by the “Extreme Path”?

“Can you all escape the pursuit of those black threads?” Qi Xia asked again.

“Don’t even mention it,” Old Sun shook his head. “Kid, if it weren’t for you, we could’ve rested here for ten minutes. Your arrival messed up our plan.”

After saying that, he glanced at the chubby uncle. “Old Deng, done yet?”

The chubby uncle continued muttering with his eyes closed for a while before finally opening them and saying, “Almost… should be transferred by now.”

Qi Xia tilted his head slightly and heard a faint *thud* outside, as if someone had fallen.

“What did you do?”

The girl in white, seeing Qi Xia’s expression, didn’t answer his question. Instead, she slowly crossed her arms and softly asked, “What’s your name?”

“Qi Xia.”

“Qi Xia… do you know me?” the girl in white pressed.

“If you haven’t heard my name, then we probably don’t,” Qi Xia furrowed his brows. “But your aura feels familiar.”

“Your aura is somewhat familiar too,” the girl in white sneered. “Those eyes of yours always remind me of the past.”

Her words made Qi Xia feel once again that things weren’t as simple as they seemed. Had they truly met before?

Yet she clearly carried an air of deep cunning, flanked by members of the “Extreme Path,” suggesting a high rank within the organization.

Could he really have had any connection with these lunatics?

“My name is Yan Zhichun,” the girl said.

“One swallow heralds spring,” Qi Xia nodded. “A good name.”

“Thanks to me, you can rest here for a few minutes.” Yan Zhichun turned to grab a bottle of water from the table and handed it to Qi Xia. “There’s a back door here. You can escape through it later. We’re strangers who met by chance—leaving you a name and a bottle of water is the least I can do.”

Qi Xia still didn’t quite understand the situation. Even Chen Junnan and Qian Wu had never mentioned any “rest periods” in this game.

“Do you happen to have an ‘Echo’ that can counter the ‘Pegasus Moment’?”

At those words, the three exchanged glances. Yan Zhichun stepped forward and slowly said, “You seem a little too smart. Being too sharp yet not hiding it in a place like this is dangerous.”

“Oh?” Qi Xia sensed a threat in her words but remained unfazed. “I’ve figured out your secret, so now you’re going to kill me?”

“Interesting,” Yan Zhichun nodded. “I like befriending smart people, especially those as arrogant and unruly as you.”

“I only like befriending genuine people,” Qi Xia retorted.

“So, care to leave an address? We could stay in touch.”

“With you ‘Extreme Path’ folks?” Qi Xia instantly recalled the scenes of Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian being killed by the “Extreme Path,” his expression darkening. “No need. I just have a few questions for you.”

“Questions?”

Qi Xia stepped forward as well, locking eyes with the girl. When they were just two steps apart, he caught a whiff of her scent—a mix of pine-scented laundry detergent and the lily-of-the-valley fragrance from her shampoo.

In that instant, his mind spun into chaos, his ability to think nearly vanishing.

Wasn’t this the exact same scent that Yu Nian’an carried?

“Why…?” Qi Xia murmured, dazed. “Why so many coincidences?”

Yan Zhichun had no idea what he meant, merely staring coldly at the man before her. Though he seemed intelligent, there was an undeniable madness about him.

“What coincidences? What exactly are you trying to say?”

Qi Xia closed his eyes, feeling as if Yu Nian’an stood before him. Yet the moment this woman spoke, the illusion shattered—their voices were entirely different.

“Yan Zhichun, where’s your hometown?” Qi Xia asked.

“Cangzhou, Hebei.”

“Hebei…” Hearing the answer, Qi Xia visibly deflated. They were clearly two completely different people.

But how could such an absurd coincidence exist?

Their clothing, their silhouettes, their figures—even their scents—were identical.

Let alone in this limited “Land of the End,” even in the real world, what were the odds of meeting someone like this?

“What did you do before coming here?” Qi Xia pressed.

The barrage of personal questions seemed to unsettle Yan Zhichun. As one of the top figures in the “Extreme Path,” her modus operandi had always been concealment and deception. Yet this man kept probing into her past.

“What’s it to you?” Yan Zhichun frowned. “You said you had questions for me—are these them?”

“Consider it a personal favor,” Qi Xia said. “I really need to know the answers.”

Seeing the icy glint in Qi Xia’s eyes mixed with a hint of pleading, Yan Zhichun’s heart softened inexplicably. Against her better judgment, she muttered, “I was just an English major in college, looking for an internship this year. Is that really important to you?”

“None of these are the important questions…” Qi Xia shook his head. “The most important one is—have you ever heard the name ‘Yu Nian’an’?”

Yan Zhichun lowered her head in thought before shaking it. “Never. Who is she? From which room?”

Qi Xia didn’t think she was lying—at least, her expression didn’t suggest it. He could only turn the situation over and over in his mind.

All the paths he had previously deduced no longer mattered—they only led to dead ends.

But now, meeting this girl, Yan Zhichun, seemed to open up a new possibility.

If his own memories could be altered, was there a chance…

That the Yu Nian’an in his memories and dreams wasn’t her true self?

For some unknown reason, had he reshaped Yu Nian’an’s appearance—perhaps as a disguise, or to escape something?

Qi Xia was certain he had met Yan Zhichun before, though their personalities clashed so much that he’d have no reason to remember her.

But what could have happened back then that made him borrow Yan Zhichun’s body to house Yu Nian’an’s soul?

“Any more questions?” Yan Zhichun asked.

“No,” Qi Xia shook his head. “One who hears the truth in the morning may die content in the evening.”

“Then are you coming with us?” Yan Zhichun fixed her gaze on him. “Old Deng’s ‘Echo’ won’t last much longer. Those black threads outside will finish off the ‘puppets’ and come for you soon.”

“Puppets…” Qi Xia seemed to understand and nodded. “I’ve rested enough. Let’s part ways here.”

He knew the most important thing now wasn’t obsessing over this “body” before him—it was finding Yu Nian’an’s “soul.”

“Where’s the back door?” Qi Xia asked.

Yan Zhichun turned and pointed in a direction.

But the moment she extended her finger, Qi Xia’s eyes widened, and a buzzing filled his ears.

On the side of Yan Zhichun’s index finger were three tattooed letters:

**”Y N A.”**