Qi Xia stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the late-night street scene.
The streets at this hour looked somewhat desolate, yet they were still brightly lit.
A few taxis with “Available” signs drove past, reminding Qi Xia that this was a far bloodier reality than the “Land of the End.”
Here, the nights weren’t crawling with wall-climbing insects; instead, they laid bare the purest essence of human nature.
Staring at the empty streets, Qi Xia frowned and made another bold assumption.
Could the real Yu Nian’an have also entered the “Land of the End” during the earthquake?
As soon as the thought surfaced, a car outside honked its horn, startling Qi Xia.
“That’s it…” He narrowed his eyes, convinced his hypothesis was on the right track.
After all, countless people had entered the “Land of the End”—too many to count.
Yu Nian’an might be among them, possibly even in another city far from his own within the “Land of the End.”
But for some reason, she never made it out.
And so, this world erased her existence.
Delving deeper into this line of thought made things terrifying.
If the cycle repeated every ten days, why hadn’t Yu Nian’an escaped?
Had she risen through the ranks and truly become a “Zodiac”?
Or had she taken a wrong step and died there forever?
If forced to choose between these two possibilities, Qi Xia would prefer Yu Nian’an to be the “Heavenly Sheep”—at least she’d still be alive, and there’d still be hope of rescuing her.
From this perspective, everything fell into place.
The words of Earth Tiger… and the clues hidden in the remarks of the “Divine Beasts” seemed to slowly connect here.
Yu Nian’an, the “Heavenly Sheep,” and the vanished seven years.
These two things were undeniably linked in some extraordinary way—the only answers Qi Xia had managed to uncover so far.
But this conclusion hinged on an extremely fragile condition: every single clue he’d gathered so far had to be the *truth*.
If even one person had lied, or if even one was insane, this entire theory would collapse like a tree rotting from its roots.
“Xia, you’ve been awake for a while?” Yu Nian’an’s voice suddenly rang out.
Standing by the window, Qi Xia slowly turned to face her, his eyes filled with cold despair.
Unnoticed, dawn had broken.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Nian’an asked, puzzled as she studied him. “Did you not sleep well?”
“It’s nothing.” Qi Xia shook his head. “An, I’m hungry. Let’s have breakfast.”
“Mmm…” Yu Nian’an stood up and nodded softly. “I’ll make it for you.”
Half an hour later, the two of them squeezed around a small dining table, eating a simple meal of bacon and eggs in silence.
A night of contemplation had clarified Qi Xia’s thoughts, but it had also pushed him to the brink of collapse.
The situation had only grown more complicated.
He knew the real Yu Nian’an might still be wandering the “Land of the End.”
So today, he wouldn’t take this “substitute” out with him. Instead, he would wait quietly at home for the earthquake.
He was going to actively search for Yu Nian’an.
This time, his target: the “Heavenly Sheep.”
“An, I feel like I’m letting you down, but could you stay home with me today?” Qi Xia asked.
“Letting me down…?” Yu Nian’an smiled. “What’s so bad about staying home? I’d be happy if you stayed every day.”
Yes, Qi Xia knew this feeling was deeply unsettling.
It was as though he was personally killing Yu Nian’an.
He needed to ensure he died precisely in the earthquake, flawlessly returning to the “Land of the End.”
But was his deduction too reckless?
To conclude that Yu Nian’an wasn’t Yu Nian’an based on just a few details…
What was the difference between the real Yu Nian’an and the one created for him?
Perhaps… they were identical.
But even so, Qi Xia refused to accept a life orchestrated by someone else.
He only wanted the original Yu Nian’an.
The girl who had suddenly appeared in his life like a ray of sunlight.
The girl who racked her brain to tell jokes whenever he was upset.
The girl who bit her lip to stifle her cries when she got hurt, just so he wouldn’t worry.
The girl who loved posing simple riddles, pretending to be profound as she tested Qi Xia.
The girl who said, *”Knock, knock, knock.”*
The girl who, despite being covered in scars, willingly smoothed away *his* pain.
Only her. No one else.
Not even a single glance or thought out of place.
Qi Xia and Yu Nian’an sat squeezed together on the sofa, silently watching the figures moving across the TV screen.
“Xia, you know what?” Yu Nian’an asked expressionlessly, her eyes fixed on the screen.
“I know,” Qi Xia replied. “There are many paths in this world, and everyone has their own to walk.”
“Mmm.” Yu Nian’an nodded. “Xia, no matter which path you choose, I’ll support you.”
“I know.” His gaze darkened again. “An, I’ll cross mountains and rivers to find you.”
“Find me?” Yu Nian’an gave a bitter smile. “Xia, I’m right here.”
“Yes, I know.” Tears welled in Qi Xia’s eyes. “You’re here because I couldn’t control my longing.”
“Xia, no matter where you go searching for me, as long as I can feel your thoughts, I’ll always find my way to you.” Yu Nian’an’s eyes also brimmed with tears, though she didn’t understand why she felt so sad.
Her words pushed Qi Xia’s fraying mind one step closer to the edge.
Yes—if his “Echo” was *”Create Yu Nian’an,”* could he ever find the real Yu Nian’an?
*As long as you long for her, she will appear.*
He had to take the risk—to meet the “Celestial” Zodiacs—without triggering his “Echo.”
Otherwise, Yu Nian’an would haunt him like a nightmare, appearing over and over.
He didn’t even know what to call a person created by his “Echo.”
Would she vanish along with the “End”?
If she *didn’t* vanish, the Land of the End would be overrun with Yu Nian’ans before it was ever filled with corpses.
So he couldn’t allow himself to “Echo.”
What worried Qi Xia even more was that this journey seemed perilous. If he died without his “Echo,” all the clues he’d gathered would turn to dust, and everything would start anew.
This was a high-stakes gamble.
When the earthquake struck, Qi Xia sat on the sofa, quietly holding Yu Nian’an’s shoulder.
The entire building shook, cracks spiderwebbing across the walls.
The deafening roar of destruction followed.
In the distance, glass shattered. Countless fissures split the sky, raining down glittering stars.
“An, I’m sorry…” Qi Xia said, his heart aching.
“It’s okay…” Yu Nian’an shook her head. “Xia, as long as you’re with me, I’d go even to the deepest hell.”
“No…” Qi Xia gritted his teeth. “I won’t let you stay in hell… I want you by my side.”
The ceiling suddenly cracked, and a massive chunk of debris plummeted. Instinctively, Qi Xia shielded Yu Nian’an in his arms.
In this world, he only laughed for Yu Nian’an.
And he only cried for Yu Nian’an.
He absolutely could not lose her.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage