Chapter 1266: Trouble

Bai She dragged his nearly numb body, step by step, to the side of the black hole.

He swung his legs over the edge, leaned his head against the wall, and gazed up at the vast, endless starry sky.

The breathtaking sight left him mesmerized for a moment, as if it had been ages since he had quietly taken in a view like this.

No, come to think of it, where was there any scenery to see in Zhong Yan Zhi Di?

People were the only landscape here.

"So, it turns out people really do see their life flash before their eyes when they're dying..." Bai She murmured.

Yet, scanning through all the scenes in his mind, not a single one came from the real world—just stories from Zhong Yan Zhi Di.

"Damned brat!"

"My name is Qi Xia, not 'brat'."

The two voices echoed in Bai She's mind.

"I'll call you 'brat' if I want!"

"Fine, whatever you say."

"You know... everyone else is afraid of me. Why aren't you?"

"Afraid of what?"

"I'm neither man nor woman... like some kind of... monster..."

"You haven't gotten in my way." The voice replied.

"I..." In his memory, Bai She grew emotional, "But so many people point and stare when they see me... even..."

The voice paused before continuing: "That's just because they're idle enough to meddle in other people's lives. I'm busy; I don't have time for that. And besides..."

He stared at himself and said gravely: "I don't think you're a monster."

It might not have been much of a comfort, but the brat's words had indeed eased Bai She's heart a little.

It was precisely because he had endured countless acts of malice since childhood that he cherished every bit of kindness.

Whatever Qi Xia had truly thought back then, Bai She had repaid that favor in full.

But why did he still feel so sad?

After some time, Bai She gradually felt his hands and feet turning ice-cold. Every wound on his body felt like it was filled with wind, chilly and raw. The blood had dried on his skin, itchy and cold. It was as if he had dozed off for a bit or perhaps blacked out briefly—his mind was no longer clear, and his limbs were losing all sensation.

He had done everything he could. Tian She had sliced open several of his veins, and under these circumstances, there was no better outcome.

Though he had trapped Tian She, it seemed he couldn't hold back Qiong Qi.

A while later, the sounds from behind of Tian She and Qiong Qi ceased, and footsteps approached. A figure sat down beside Bai She—it was Tian She.

The two of them stared at the swirling star clouds in silence for a long time.

"Has she left?" Bai She asked.

"Yes."

"Aren't you going to have her use Yue Qian to take you with her?" Bai She asked again.

"Her...?" Tian She let out a bitter laugh and shook his head. "Take me back to Qing Long just so she can exaggerate and report me? I've already botched the mission. I'd be killed on the spot if I returned, and besides, I can't be sure Qiong Qi would make it back safely."

"Ha... alright."

Another long silence followed, as if gazing at the stars could make one forget the passage of time.

Or perhaps... everyone in Zhong Yan Zhi Di had long forgotten about time.

"Di She..." Tian She said, his tone still laced with sorrow, "I have an idea. I'll stitch up your wounds right now... I'll keep you alive. I don't want to be left here alone... with no one to talk to. I'd go mad."

"Ha ha..." Bai She stared at the stars above, chuckling absently, "Thanks for the offer, my dear teacher, but I'd rather die."

"Why...?" Tian She lowered his head, clutching his hair and wailing, "You could survive! We could keep each other company. You have so much knowledge, right? We could exchange ideas! You like books, and I do too—this could be..."

"Ha ha ha ha!" Bai She laughed weakly, his snake-like eyes reflecting the vast sea of stars, "That's ridiculous, cough... Tian She... you don't want to stay here with Qiong Qi, so how could you think I'd want to stay with you? What's the difference between you two? That's the funniest joke I've ever heard... cough..."

"Qiong Qi is different!! Qiong Qi, she..." Tian She anxiously pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it to reveal two crooked characters, and pointed them at Bai She. "Look! She's Huo Shui! How could she stay here?"

"Huo Shui? Ha ha ha ha ha." Bai She grinned dryly, "So that's it... Su Daji? Bao Si? Ha... cough cough... My dear teacher, you've done quite a good deed... You have Ling Shi, but you didn't check that woman's Hui Xiang right away... Whose fault is that...?"

"My Ling Shi..." Tian She stood up angrily, dragging the object with Ling Shi over to Bai She and removing its eye cover.

Only then did Bai She see that the object's eyes were completely blood-red.

"Why would I ruin my beloved object for that woman...?" Tian She gritted his teeth. "Besides, who could have predicted she'd carry such a strange Xian Fa?!"

"Yes, Huo Shui... ha ha... cough..."

Bai She coughed feebly, his life ticking down to its final moments.

Without proper medical resources, even if Tian She stitched up all his wounds, the lost blood couldn't be replaced.

"The term 'Huo Shui' originally refers to a woman who, once favored, can bring downfall to a nation or organization..." Tian She said fearfully. "She'd just keep causing chaos for whatever group she's with. As long as she thinks she's on our side, we'd only lose..."

"You're wrong..." Bai She shook his head with a smile, barely any strength left in his body. "My dear teacher, I'm not on your side."

"You..." Tian She paused. "Fine, even if you're not on my side, that doesn't change anything. As long as Huo Shui is out there, Qing Long can never suppress this rebellion. It's all because of that woman... everything's falling apart."

"Cough... I don't agree with that." Bai She leaned against the shattered wall, staring blankly at the sky. "A massive nation or organization can't crumble in an instant just because of one woman. To me, that's just an incompetent leader shifting the blame. If Huo Shui can exploit the cracks, it means the cracks were already there."

Tian She hesitated before quickly adding: "Look! Di She, you're so knowledgeable! Wouldn't it be better if we just talked like this... to pass the endless time?! We could discuss how different Hui Xiang can be used, or how terrifying Huo Shui really is... Maybe one day we could even..."

"Ha ha." Bai She gave a vague smile, his eyes growing even more unfocused. "Tian She, you're too foolish. I couldn't chat with you every day—I'd go mad."

"I'm... foolish?"

"You say... what's truly frightening is Huo Shui?" Bai She countered. "No, what's frightening is the person who can wield Huo Shui perfectly... Tell me... cough cough... if Huo Shui were your soldier... how would you use her to lead yourself to victory?"