Chapter 1239: The General

Xiao Ran stood up and began surveying the nearby people who remained completely still.

She realized that these people seemed to be a type of furniture in this enormous room.

Some of them had wires wrapped around their bodies, holding light bulbs in their hands, as if they were standing lamps. Others had their hands spread apart, with a towel draped over one and clothes hung on the other.

If they weren't still blinking, Xiao Ran might have thought they were already dead.

"Servant, right?"

The person didn't seem to hear or see her; they didn't glance at Xiao Ran or speak to her.

"Don't you dare complain," Xiao Ran said, crossing her arms. "It's my own ability that let me take charge of your master on my first day here. As long as you all go along with what I say from now on, I promise I won't make things hard for you. Got it?"

Those "furniture" figures remained silent, simply staring straight ahead.

Xiao Ran let out a cold snort and continued patrolling the room. She spotted one person with their hands positioned in front, holding a stack of books, clearly serving as a bookshelf.

Xiao Ran casually picked up the top book and glanced at it. The title read "Bo Yi Lun."

"Disgusting," Xiao Ran chuckled lightly. "Does reading a lot of books make you powerful?"

She flipped open a page at random and used her fingernail to scratch a long gash into it.

"I never liked reading, but here I am, bossing around the 'Tian Ji' anyway. What does that prove?" She closed the damaged book and put it back. "Instead of wasting time reading, you might as well learn from me and build up your connections. Other people focus on improving themselves, but I focus on getting to know them."

Seeing that her impassioned speech stirred no reaction in the room, Xiao Ran felt a bit bored. She sighed casually, wearing an expression of "wasted potential," then stopped talking to the room full of furniture and lazily sat back down in her chair.

...

After leaving his room, Tian She immediately knocked on the door across from him—he had far too many questions.

A moment later, Tian Gou slowly opened the door just a crack, peering out cautiously. Upon seeing that it was Tian She, he averted his gaze and looked down at the ground.

"There's no need to come find me," he said. "I heard what you all said. I'll contact the 'Di Ji' soon."

"Are you playing dumb with me... Tian Gou... You really need to help me out," Tian She said. "There's something I can't figure out right now... I feel like I'm teetering on the edge of angering Qing Long."

"Why ask me?" Tian Gou replied. "You can go back and think it through yourself."

"It's because I can't figure it out that I need to ask someone!" Tian She whispered urgently, lowering his voice. "I can't go ask Qing Long... You know his attitude toward us today was really strange... Earlier, Tian Shu didn't even finish speaking before he was beaten until he vomited blood. If I..."

As he spoke, Tian She adjusted his angle, trying to catch Tian Gou's eye.

But when Tian Gou noticed the movement, he subtly stepped back, letting his gaze sink into the shadows of the room.

"That's not right... Tian Gou... Why are you avoiding me?" Tian She asked, growing even more afraid. "What have you heard? Let me see..."

"This time, it's really not possible..." Tian Gou said gravely from the darkness. "The situation is too special... I can't give you any advice."

"So... so it's serious, right?" Tian She pressed, seeking confirmation. "What kind of serious? Can you at least give me a hint?"

"I really can't say..." Tian Gou replied. "I feel like everything has been carefully designed by someone... Now, I have this deep sense of helplessness. I just want to protect myself."

"But..." Tian She reached through the door crack, trying to grab Tian Gou's arm, only for Tian Gou to dodge again. "Tian Gou, aren't we friends? We've looked out for each other all these years..."

Tian Gou sighed from the shadows: "Tian She, don't kid yourself. No matter how we get along normally, you know that if something goes wrong, we'll both prioritize our own safety first. We wouldn't risk ourselves for each other."

"So..." Tian She latched onto the key point in Tian Gou's words, "this time... it could mean death? Because of that woman...?"

"She has already 'Hui Xiang'ed," Tian Gou said solemnly. "Logically, I shouldn't give you any advice, but you're right... Over the years, while we haven't been through thick and thin together, we've at least shared some hardships... About that woman, I can give you one piece of advice."

"What...?"

"Kill her," Tian Gou said. "Don't think about the 'Xin De Xuan Wu,' and don't listen to her smooth talk. The moment you get back to your room, kill her. Maybe that'll save you... or maybe not..."

Tian Gou left the next outcome unspoken, leaving Tian She's heart pounding.

"What's really going on..." Tian She asked. "What exactly is that woman...?"

"She is just a pawn," Tian Gou replied. "But the problem isn't with her... Can you understand this feeling? You think a single pawn has advanced to attack the 'king,' but when you look closely, the opponent's rooks, knights, and cannons are all aimed at the 'king,' and even the board is tilted. This is a full-on checkmate; we're about to be finished."

Tian She grew more confused the more he heard: "What exactly happened? Isn't it just some 'Can Yu Zhe' boarding the train... Even if there are a lot of them, they couldn't do anything to the 'Lie Che'... Plus, there are still many 'Di Ji' here..."

"I'm truly envious of you..." Tian Gou murmured. "Anyone you don't look directly at, you never hear their thoughts. But I know far too much..."

"Enough that you won't even meet my eyes?" Tian She asked.

"Yes..." Tian Gou answered. "I need to ensure I stay alive... What you should do now is go back and kill that woman, so her disgusting 'Hui Xiang' stops echoing in my ears."

With that, Tian Gou closed the door again and retreated into the pitch-black room.

Tian She stood in the doorway, stunned for a long time. Although he wasn't sure how to handle the strange woman in his room, he knew the immediate priority was to inform the other "Tian Ji" to resist.

No matter what happened to the woman in the end, Qing Long's orders had to be carried out first.