Chapter 688: Half

“Old… Old Qi?” Chen Jun Nan looked at Qi Xia and called out tentatively.

Qi Xia didn’t move a muscle, only turning his pupils toward Chen Jun Nan before slowly tilting his head, as if carefully observing him.

“Buddy…” Chen Jun Nan swallowed hard, “what’s wrong with you? Did you just sleep wrong and get a crick in your neck?”

“No.” Qi Xia replied, “I’m fine right now.”

After saying that, he clearly lifted the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that didn’t belong to him.

Tian Tian and Qiao Jia Jin exchanged glances, suddenly at a loss for words. Qi Xia didn’t seem to be in any trouble, but his state was just too strange.

“You… as long as you’re okay now…” Chen Jun Nan forced a smile to match Qi Xia’s, “you really had us all worried just now…”

“Yeah, you little liar…” Qiao Jia Jin nodded, “your eyes look really off… are you sure you’re fine?”

“Ha…”

Qi Xia chuckled lightly again. When they saw that smile, everyone finally understood what it felt like.

Qi Xia didn’t seem sick; he seemed insane.

“I’m fine…?” Qi Xia said with a laugh as he stood up, “How I wish I really were fine?”

With that, he started walking toward the group step by step. For some reason, Zheng Ying Xiong kept backing away in sync with Qi Xia’s steps.

“How I wanted to live out my life in peace…” Qi Xia continued, “but who ever gave me the chance?”

“What are you talking about, you little liar…” Qiao Jia Jin blinked.

“I’ve been hurt, I’ve died, I’ve fled, I’ve begged the gods for mercy, I’ve struggled in blood-soaked mud, and I’ve cycled through the endless hell… I’ve tried countless times to end it all, but no one ever gave me even a glimmer of hope…”

Qi Xia slowly raised his hand and pinched his thumb and index finger together: “Not even this tiny bit of hope, not even a trace…”

“What do you mean by ‘no one gave you hope’…” Qiao Jia Jin said with a bitter smile, “You little liar, aren’t we still here?”

“Yeah, Old Qi, you’re making us all speechless here…”

“You’re both useless now.” Qi Xia said, “Qiao Jia Jin, Chen Jun Nan, you two are useless. Go wherever you want.”

“...?”

Qiao Jia Jin and Chen Jun Nan slowly widened their eyes, as if trying to process whether they’d heard right.

“You… you little liar, what do you mean?”

Chen Jun Nan’s pupils flickered; he asked hoarsely, “Old Qi… what the hell are you saying?”

“Are you deaf?” Qi Xia glared at Chen Jun Nan with his grayish-white eyes, enunciating each word: “I. Said. You. Two…”

Before he could finish, Chen Jun Nan lunged forward and punched Qi Xia in the face. Qi Xia took the hit and slumped back onto the sofa, his head turned to one side, his mouth still curved in a smile.

“Old Qi, say that again, you bastard!” Chen Jun Nan pointed at him viciously.

Qiao Jia Jin saw things escalating and quickly stepped in to hold Chen Jun Nan back: “Jun Nan… calm down… Qi Xia isn’t in a good state right now…”

“Not in a good state? That doesn’t mean he can spout bullshit!” Chen Jun Nan was clearly losing control, his usual playful demeanor gone as his voice trembled: “Old Qi, I told you before, didn’t I?! I said my worthless life is yours to use, I don’t care if I die a few times, but you promised me you’d get Old Qiao out of here!”

Tian Tian, looking frightened, stepped forward and gently pulled him back: “Chen Jun Nan… just cool down a bit…”

“Cool down my ass!” Chen Jun Nan shouted, “Last time, I trusted you completely and locked myself in that room with them for seven years just like you said. Do you know how I kept myself from going crazy?! Do you know what kind of hell I went through?! I thought when you came back, everything would be okay again, but now you’re telling me it’s all fake…? Is all of this fake?!”

“Jun Nan…” Qiao Jia Jin felt his heart racing, as if something inside him was slowly breaking, “We’re all brothers… let’s not resort to violence first…”

“Yeah…” Tian Tian chimed in, “Everyone just calm down…”

“Ha ha ha ha!” Qi Xia sat there, hand on his forehead, then burst into mad laughter, “How naive… Chen Jun Nan… how dare you believe me?”

“What did you say?”

“How dare any of you believe me?” Qi Xia stood up again, staring straight at Chen Jun Nan, “I said I’d escape, and I said I’d take Qiao Jia Jin with me, but I’m a liar—my words are only half true.”

“Half…” Chen Jun Nan was shaking with anger, “So I should believe the first half…? You want to escape by yourself? And the second half is a lie?!”

“No, ‘escaping’ is the lie.” Qi Xia shook his head, “Stop kidding yourselves. No one can escape this place. Give it up.”

“What…?” Chen Jun Nan stepped forward again, grabbing Qi Xia’s collar, “How would you even know if anyone can escape this place?”

Qiao Jia Jin hurriedly pulled him back: “Hey, Jun Nan…”

“Because I’ve tried every path, and they’re all dead ends.” Qi Xia shoved Chen Jun Nan’s hand away forcefully, “So don’t waste your effort. I’ll lead everyone to live well here.”

Hearing Qi Xia’s words, Chen Jun Nan felt a chill run down his back: “What do you mean by… leading us to live well here…?”

Qiao Jia Jin’s throat tightened, and after holding back for a while, he said, “Qi Xia, did you sleep a bit too much and get confused…?”

“I’ve figured out the answer to this world.” Qi Xia muttered as if to himself, “I wasn’t smart enough—it took me seventy years to piece it together… I thought my plan was flawless, but now I see it’s missing one link.”

“Missing one link…?”

Qi Xia slowly touched his forehead: “My memories are so fragmented… Could Wen Qiao Yun be dead?”

At the mention of that name, everyone’s faces showed confusion.

“Doesn’t matter… luckily, there are other ‘needles’… and Yan Zhi Chun.” Qi Xia’s mouth curved up, “‘Zhong Yan Zhi Di’s every vital point has a needle in it—‘Tian Long’ should be awakening soon, right?”

Qi Xia’s words left everyone completely baffled.

As the group stood there in shock, Zheng Ying Xiong slowly walked forward, took off the crown he’d made from newspaper, held it in front of him, and knelt down, bowing his head toward Qi Xia.

He could clearly catch that fleeting scent—the aura of a “god.”