Chapter 1071: Shattered Serpent

Qi Xia's words nearly made Ren She lose his balance.

"This afternoon," "mobilize how many Ren Ji," "together remove the masks."

Each of these three parts left Ren She feeling incredibly astonished, as they unexpectedly came together to form a single sentence at that moment.

"Wait... I have way too many questions..." Ren She calmed himself down and said, "Is time really that tight? Are we acting this afternoon?"

"It's possible we can't even wait until the afternoon." Qi Xia looked at the "door" through which he had come and said, "Once a plan involves too many people, the variables increase accordingly."

Ren She quickly pondered the current situation, which seemed to be unfolding at a rapid pace.

Just the night before, he had been in his room reviewing a problem book when a letter was slipped through the door crack. That led him here to become a "referee." Before he could even confirm if he would survive this game, he had already verified Qi Xia's identity.

Before he could fully process it all in his mind, he found himself drawn into another, even larger mystery.

"This afternoon... mobilizing those 'Sheng Xiao'..." Ren She scratched at the foul-smelling mask on his face, "I do have some friends, but time is so tight, I'm not sure if they'll agree to this."

"They will." Qi Xia said, "It's not a difficult task. At that time, someone will be fighting Zhu Que to the death, and all you need to do is keep removing masks to shake Zhu Que's resolve."

"Hold on... shake his resolve?" Ren She paused, "Is that all we need to do...?"

"That's right." Qi Xia nodded, "It sounds hard to grasp, but that's how it is. Every time a 'Sheng Xiao' breaks the rules, Zhu Que senses it immediately and goes to handle it; otherwise, he'd be punished by Qing Long and Tian Long. That's the idea, right?"

"Yes..." Ren She replied.

"If Zhu Que is in a life-and-death battle and people keep 'violating the rules' from afar, he'll inevitably get distracted. After all, if he doesn't deal with it right away, he could face total destruction himself." Qi Xia continued, "It might seem like insignificant help, but in a fight between humans and this kind of demigod, it's crucial."

"I see..." Ren She seemed to understand everything, "No wonder you said we've been swept into the flood of killing Zhu Que and that we're the supporters..."

"We'll use the destruction of the giant clock as the signal this afternoon." Qi Xia thought for a moment and added, "Qing Long is at 'Cang Jie Qi' right now, so he can't hear our conversation. This is my only chance to tell you this."

"But... there are two problems." Ren She said, "First, I might die in this game and not even make it to the afternoon... Second, there are ears out there beyond just Qing Long—how can I get this information out without being noticed...?"

"Then we'll solve them one by one." Qi Xia said.

"Solve them..."

"Has Qing Long promised you anything?" Qi Xia asked, "How many people do you have to kill to survive this game?"

"Just one..." Ren She said quietly, "As long as I kill one person, I can not only survive but even be promoted to 'Di Ji'."

"Killing one person to become 'Di Ji'..." Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, "Do you believe that?"

"I..." Ren She let out a bitter laugh again, "Do I believe it...? I really don't know what to do anymore... Qi Xia, do you know? Yang Ge once said that if I could solve the hundred problems in this book, he'd come back and help me become Di Ji."

"I know."

Ren She reached out and patted the book on the table: "I haven't solved those hundred problems, but I've read through them countless times. I've treated them like Yang Ge's diary, never even thinking about the answers."

Qi Xia said nothing, just stared intently into Ren She's eyes.

"After reading them over and over, an opportunity to become 'Di Ji' suddenly appeared before me, and then I met you." Ren She's expression grew more complex, "For a moment, I was thrilled... I thought Yang Ge had really come back, that he remembered our agreement. Even though I hadn't solved these problems, because I'd read them so many times, he came back to help me become 'Di Ji,' and we'd eat at the same table again. But soon, I fell into sadness, because he is him, and you are you."

Qi Xia hadn't expected such deep inner conflict in Ren She and didn't know where to begin in comforting him.

"I'm glad Yang Ge didn't face any danger and didn't come back just for a scum like me." Ren She choked up and continued, "But you tell me... has Yang Ge disappeared from this world? Will I never see him again?"

The room fell silent, as if the entire space had sunk into the depths of the sea, with neither of them speaking.

After a while, Qi Xia nodded: "Yes, you won't see him again."

"So should I believe it or not...?"

Ren She picked up the book from the table, as if he wanted to say something, but his fingers suddenly went limp, and the book dropped back onto the surface.

"Yang Ge promised to make me 'Di Ji,' and I believed him, but Yang Ge isn't coming back." Ren She said, "Now Qing Long promises I'll become 'Di Ji'—should I believe that or not?"

Qi Xia listened and gently touched his forehead with a finger.

Perhaps, for Di Hu and Di Yang, Ren She was the one among them with the deepest emotions.

His feelings were more delicate than Di Hu's and Di Yang's, and his bond with Bai Yang was purer. This purity was so strong that even replacing the person with Qi Xia couldn't erase it.

He only recognized Bai Yang as his teacher.

He agreed with the idea that Qi Xia wasn't Bai Yang, and Bai Yang wasn't Qi Xia—just as Bai Yang had thought.

That's why, before leaving, Bai Yang had specifically entrusted those words to him.

Scenes flashed through Qi Xia's mind: on a dim and stuffy train, whenever Di Hu and Di Yang argued fiercely, Ren She would always smile and mediate in the middle.

He not only cheered up Di Hu but also navigated among everyone to maintain the harmony of their little family.

Now, without Ren She to mediate between Di Yang and Di Hu, they were probably arguing nonstop every day, with threats like "I'll kill you" on their lips.

For Ren She now, Bai Yang was gone, Di Hu was gone, everyone was scattered, and the whole family, along with his state of mind, was shattered.

As the only "Ren Ji" among them, he had boundless energy but nowhere to direct it.

In this extreme sorrow, Qing Long threw out the olive branch of "Di Ji."

Qi Xia quickly pieced together the situation: For Ren She, he had to believe this offer. Because only by killing one person here and being promoted to "Di Ji" could everything turn out right.

Then, he could stand proudly beside Di Hu and Di Yang, truly becoming part of the family.