Chapter 207: The Eternal One

When Zhuque heard the words, “You ask me... do I lack women?” his eyebrows twitched slightly, and he revealed a meaningful smile.

“You, you can make me do anything... bro...” Xiao Ran’s face was filled with an ugly smile. “Whatever service you want, I’ll do it... can you not kill me?”

“Huh.” Zhuque feigned surprise with an insincere smile. “Xiao Ran, you know, I’ve killed countless people, and this is the first time I’ve heard such a plea for mercy.”

Xiao Ran trembled as she reached out and grabbed Zhuque’s pale arm.

“Bro... I-I’m not pleading for mercy... I want to become ‘one of your own’...” Xiao Ran seemed to be both crying and laughing. “I had no idea being a ‘Shengxiao’ came with rules... I-I just made a small mistake... you don’t have to do this...”

“Ah!!” Zhuque suddenly shouted, startling everyone present.

Xiao Ran dropped straight to the ground in fear.

Zhuque slowly broke into a smile and said, “Xiao Ran! I’ve got it!”

“G-Got what?”

“I can let you choose for yourself!!” Zhuque said with a laugh. “Right now, I have two paths in my hands—one is ‘life,’ and one is ‘death.’ Which one will you pick?!”

He slowly clenched his left and right fists and held them up in front of Xiao Ran.

“A complete death... or complete life—which do you choose?” Zhuque looked extremely excited as he squatted down, staring at Xiao Ran with anticipation.

Upon hearing this, Qi Xia’s expression changed.

It was a deadly question.

He signaled to the others, and they all backed away.

The Zhuque before them was clearly beyond the level of a ‘Shengxiao,’ and among the group, only Qi Xia had any memory of encountering him—none of them knew how to handle the situation.

Zhang Shan furrowed his brow, quietly pondering: if he were ever hunted by this strange figure, would his ‘Hui Xiang’ work on him?

“A complete... life?” Xiao Ran asked shakily. “What does that mean?”

At those words, Zhuque’s face, which had still held a smile, suddenly went blank. “Xiao Ran, I told you to ‘choose,’ not to ‘ask.’”

“Ah! Y-yes, yes...” Xiao Ran nodded frantically. “I-I choose ‘complete life’...”

Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. “She’s done for.”

“What?” Dr. Zhao asked, stunned.

But as soon as he heard her response, Zhuque’s face lit up with joy. “Great! Wonderful! Xiao Ran, I can make you live forever! But in exchange, I’ll take your ‘reason’ away!”

With that, he waved his hand over Xiao Ran’s forehead.

Her look of terror slowly faded, replaced by an eerily cold expression.

Before long, she stood up expressionless, stared blankly at Qi Xia, walked over, and asked, “Bro, do you want a woman? I’m a kindergarten teacher—you just need to pay me.”

Qi Xia stepped back slowly.

He knew what “living forever” meant—it was that this person wouldn’t be destroyed with the “end,” but would remain here eternally, transformed into a true ‘Yuan Zhu Min.’

Not only had she lost her chance to leave, but she’d also lost all her reason.

She couldn’t become a “god” or remain a “Shengxiao”; she’d just survive on instinct in this place.

When Qi Xia ignored her, she turned to Zhang Shan. “Bro, you’re so strong—want to pay extra? If you do, I’ll go home with you.”

Zhang Shan also stepped back.

Qi Xia sighed.

Perhaps for Xiao Ran, this was the fate she brought upon herself.

“No one wants me...” Xiao Ran blinked. “Then I’ll head back to the classroom. I’m a teacher, after all.”

She gently pushed through the crowd and walked off into the distance.

Dr. Zhao seemed like he wanted to say something to her, but the words never came out.

“Ha ha!” Zhuque burst out laughing. “What a virtuous day! I didn’t even have to kill anyone!”

Qi Xia turned to look at him slowly.

He was completely insane.

Once that question of “complete life” or “complete death” was posed, Xiao Ran’s fate was sealed.

Whether as a ‘Yuan Zhu Min’ or a rule-breaking ‘Shengxiao,’ she’d never appear in the interview room again.

Qi Xia snapped back to reality and asked Zhuque, “Does this ‘game’ still count?”

“Oh? Oh!” Zhuque nodded, then shook his head. “The ‘game’ is over—the venue’s abandoned.”

“Quick, go save them,” Qi Xia whispered to Zhang Shan.

Zhang Shan nodded hastily and ran to the door, slamming into it.

But the room inside was full of water, making it extremely hard to budge.

Zhuque stared at Qi Xia for a moment, his expression suddenly turning cold. “Ah... I just realized—this is Qi Xia, isn’t it?”

Qi Xia had expected Zhuque wouldn’t let him off easily, so he stopped evading and said, “I just realized—this is Zhuque, isn’t it?”

“Qi Xia... what are you doing here?” Zhuque asked with a mocking laugh.

“I go wherever I want.” Qi Xia replied. “Where do you want me to go?”

“How pitiful you are, Qi Xia, how truly pitiful.” Zhuque’s face was full of smugness. “You have no idea why you’re here—as a mere mortal who can’t ‘Hui Xiang,’ it’s just pathetic.”

“How do you know I can’t ‘Hui Xiang’?”

Qi Xia knew chances to talk with Zhuque were rare, so he tried to draw out as much as possible.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!” Zhuque laughed at Qi Xia’s words. “What’s the point of pretending?”

He stepped forward and patted Qi Xia’s chest. “Planning to face ‘Tianlong’ with this fragile body? How many lives do you have to gamble with him?”

Qi Xia’s mind raced through his next words—he couldn’t afford to make a wrong move, or the conversation might end abruptly.

“So, according to you... how should I face ‘Tianlong’?”

Zhuque’s face twisted into a mocking smile again as he pointed to the dirty “Ren Tu” mask on the ground. “Put it on, of course—accumulate lives step by step to strengthen your body. That’s how you’ll reach the peak, my dear Qi Xia.”

Qi Xia gritted his teeth.

“Are you toying with me? If I put on the ‘Shengxiao’ mask, I’d just end up as ‘Tianlong’s’ dog.” Qi Xia pressed on aggressively. “Even the conditions for strengthening my body involve a contract with ‘Tianlong’—how could that lead to the peak?”

“Tch...” Zhuque’s pale face broke into a mad grin. “Ha ha ha ha! Qi Xia, you’re still at it! Even in this state, you’re pretending—I am Zhuque! Do you think your tricks can fool me?”

Qi Xia frowned slightly. He’d made a misstep.

Zhuque might be mad, but he wasn’t stupid.

“Qi Xia, just rot here.” Zhuque said, rising slowly into the sky under everyone’s gaze. “Even if everyone else gets out, you’ll be left to rot. Remember this—because you’re Qi Xia, you’ll die right here.”

Qi Xia had heard those words once before, but now they hit differently.

“Zhuque, who exactly have I offended?” Qi Xia asked.

“Offended who?” Zhuque floated higher, his voice growing faint. “Offending ‘Tianlong’ isn’t enough?”

With that, he vanished in an instant.

“Have I offended ‘Tianlong’?”