Qiao Jiajin smiled and said, “What’s with all the seriousness? Are we all here to kill someone?”
“Hey, let go,” Jin Yuanxun snapped. “You want to die too?”
Hearing this, not only did Qiao Jiajin not release his grip, his expression turned grave. Slowly, he extended three fingers and pinched Jin Yuanxun’s collarbone, a move that made Jin Yuanxun uneasy.
“Hey, pretty boy,” Qiao Jiajin said coldly, “care to explain how the word ‘also’ is supposed to be used?”
“What… I…” Jin Yuanxun looked aggrieved. “I’m Korean, my Chinese isn’t great! Don’t—”
“In what situations would you normally use ‘also’?” Qiao Jiajin pressed. “My Mandarin’s terrible too, so enlighten me.”
Frowning, Jin Yuanxun retorted, “How should I know all the details? I only spoke Korean before—”
“Pretty boy, clench your teeth!” Qiao Jiajin barked.
“Huh?”
“Clench them tight!”
Before Jin Yuanxun could react, Qiao Jiajin locked onto his collarbone and swept his legs out from under him, slamming him hard onto the ground. His back hit the floor with a sharp crack.
Had he not clenched his teeth, Jin Yuanxun’s tongue might have been bitten clean off.
“Rot in Hell…” he groaned in pain from the floor.
Chen Junnan watched Qiao Jiajin’s swift, precise movements and shook his head with a helpless chuckle. For a moment, it felt like he’d been transported back seven years.
Though he’d taken down Jin Yuanxun, Qiao Jiajin wasn’t sure what to do next. Someone was holding a knife to Chu Tianqiu’s throat—should he stop them?
But the man had seemingly killed someone. An eye for an eye was fair, but who was truly in the right?
Glancing around, he noticed Zhang Shan and Yun Yao nearby. Oddly, the two who’d always been Chu Tianqiu’s staunchest defenders now stood by, coldly observing.
“Fists, let them go,” Qi Xia said.
“What?”
“No need for an audience. This is between Chu Tianqiu and me,” Qi Xia replied, lifting his head. “Don’t worry, we’re just here for answers—no killing.”
Hearing this, Yun Yao turned away and took Tian Tian’s hand. “Let’s go, Tian Tian.”
“Huh…?” Tian Tian hesitated. “Is this really okay?”
“Don’t meddle in men’s business. It only gets messier.”
Arm in arm, Yun Yao led Tian Tian away through the crowd.
Zhang Shan sighed and followed suit, taking Old Lü and Glasses with him. Seizing the moment, Qiao Jiajin cheerfully herded everyone else out of the room and shut the door.
Now, only those who’d entered with Qi Xia remained—plus Jin Yuanxun.
“I see…” Chu Tianqiu suddenly smirked. “Qi Xia… you planned this?”
“Oh?” Qi Xia raised an eyebrow, pulling up a chair to sit. “I don’t follow.”
“Don’t play dumb…” Chu Tianqiu turned his head, his grin turning sinister. “You’re too clever to miss such an obvious suicide scene.”
“So?”
“So you—”
Before he could finish, Chen Junnan pressed the dagger closer to Chu Tianqiu’s throat. “Listen here, you little bastard. Stop asking questions and look me in the eyes. Think I won’t slit your throat right now?”
A dark, unsettling aura radiated from the man—his eyes held no bluff.
He *would* kill here.
Swallowing hard, Chu Tianqiu asked, “What do you want?”
Hearing this, Qi Xia had to silently thank Chen Junnan.
He’d been right: the fastest way to subdue Chu Tianqiu was to abandon reason and go straight for the knife.
After a pause, Qi Xia said, “I want the method to meet a ‘Celestial,’ and 2,900 ‘Paths.’”
“I can give you the ‘Paths’…” Chu Tianqiu replied. “But I don’t know how to meet a ‘Celestial.’”
“After two years wandering the ‘Land of the End’…” Qi Xia sneered, “you’ve *never* met one?”
“Qi Xia…” Chu Tianqiu shook his head. “Have you forgotten my ‘goal’? ‘Earthly’ Zodiacs are enough for that. Why would I provoke a ‘Celestial’?”
“Fine, I’ll take your word for it.” Qi Xia relented. “Then just the ‘Paths.’ Have Jin Yuanxun fetch them now.”
“Now?” Chu Tianqiu blinked. “You want them *now*?”
“What do you mean, ‘now’?” Chen Junnan pressed the blade closer and slapped Chu Tianqiu’s face with each word: “Are. You. Fucking. Deaf?”
The man seemed tailor-made to be Chu Tianqiu’s nemesis.
“Alright…” Chu Tianqiu gulped. “Stay calm. I already promised Qi Xia the ‘Paths.’ No need for this.”
“Five minutes,” Qi Xia said. “Enough?”
“That’s cutting it close,” Chu Tianqiu replied.
Chen Junnan nodded. “Three and a half. Enough?”
“Fine.” Chu Tianqiu yielded instantly. “Jin Yuanxun, come here. I’ll tell you where.”
“No need.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Say it out loud.”
After a tense silence, Chu Tianqiu muttered, “Your team’s too mixed. If I say it here… it’s no different from killing me.”
“Not my problem,” Qi Xia said.
“Fine…” Chu Tianqiu gritted his teeth. “Jin Yuanxun, behind the school, in the cemetery—the third grave from the left with the name ‘Chu Tianqiu’ on it. Push the tombstone aside. There’s a hidden passage underneath…”
“What?” Jin Yuanxun froze.
“Across from the dining table, there’s a cabinet with two large sacks holding 2,900 ‘Paths.’”
Qi Xia smirked.
As expected—this was as good as killing Chu Tianqiu.
The room held not just ‘Extremists’ but newcomers like Su Shan. Exposing his hideout in front of them was a death sentence.
“Chu Tianqiu, you know I’m losing my patience,” Qi Xia said lightly. “If you dare hand us fake ‘Paths’—or even just 2,899—we’ll kill you without hesitation.”
“Relax.” Chu Tianqiu closed his eyes. “Our partnership is mutual. Right now, it’s ‘sincerity for sincerity.’ Let Jin Yuanxun go fetch them.”
“Got it, Boss Chu. I’m on it.” Jin Yuanxun nodded and left.
“Truly impressive…” Qi Xia remarked. “To study corpses more conveniently, you *live* in a graveyard?”
Chu Tianqiu’s face darkened, but he stayed silent.
“Qi Xia, even if you get 2,900 ‘Paths,’ how will you protect them?” Chu Tianqiu shifted, trying to lie more comfortably. “You’ve got an ‘Extremist’ right beside you. One wrong thought, and she could destroy all hope of you leaving.”
“Not your concern,” Qi Xia said. “Just hand over the ‘Paths.’ We’ll still be the best of partners.”
Silence fell.
The others watched Qi Xia and the newly arrived Chen Junnan in confusion.
What was really going on?
Had Yu Nian’an truly killed herself?
Bored, Chen Junnan yawned and tapped his temple. “Hey, Little Chu—still hurting here? Sleeping well lately?”
*”What?!”* Chu Tianqiu’s eyes widened.
“The same sly Little Chu from back then, now a big-shot leader… impressive.” Chen Junnan delivered another harsh slap to Chu Tianqiu’s face.
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