Chapter 735: The Purpose of Killing

"Qi Xia...?" Zhao Yisheng frowned slightly. "Have you forgotten? We've already joined 'Tian Tang Kou', and now our leader is Chu Tianqiu."

"But there are so many schemes and deceptions in this world—who can really say for sure?"

Zhang Shan walked forward step by step, now less than ten paces away from the two of them.

Zhao Yisheng quickly thought through his options and realized the situation was turning bad.

Zhang Shan didn't seem to be here to negotiate; he looked more like he was coming to settle scores.

"Han Yimo... I don't think we can handle this..." He turned his head and whispered, "We'll have to strike while he's not paying attention..."

"You..." Han Yimo looked at Zhao Yisheng helplessly, "Are you just messing with me...?"

"Huh?"

"I finally summoned the 'Qi Hei Jian'... and after you shattered it, you want me to summon another one..." Han Yimo said with a dazed expression, "Do you think I'm some kind of weapon factory?"

"Well..." Zhao Yisheng was at a loss for words, "I-I didn't think that far ahead just now... I..."

With only a few steps left between them, their whispered conversation reached Zhang Shan's ears. He glanced back at Xiao Yanjing with a hint of resignation. "These two really don't seem to have much brains. What do you think?"

Xiao Yanjing adjusted his glasses and replied softly, "If you say this was all their own plan, trying to frame Chu Tianqiu, I wouldn't believe it—they don't strike me as that clever. But if you're suggesting it was that young man Qi Xia's scheme, I don't buy that either. I heard he's already left 'Tian Tang Kou', and sending two former subordinates here to kill people doesn't make much sense."

"Oh...?" Zhang Shan quickly picked up on the key point from Xiao Yanjing's words. "So, are you saying this was really arranged by Chu Tianqiu?"

"Zhang Shan." Xiao Yanjing said seriously, "You trust Chu Tianqiu, and the two of us trust you. We followed you here without hesitation because you believe in him, but that doesn't mean we're opening our hearts to him. I'm judging this objectively—Chu Tianqiu is the prime suspect."

"But..." Zhang Shan lowered his head in thought, unsure how to respond.

"So, I've been wanting to ask—why do you trust Chu Tianqiu so much?" Xiao Yanjing continued. "You didn't retain your memories, but according to what you've said, every time you bring us to 'Tian Tang Kou'..."

"I have a secret." Zhang Shan said. "It's been buried in my heart for years, and I haven't even told the people closest to me."

"Does Chu Tianqiu know this secret?" Xiao Yanjing asked.

"Yes." Zhang Shan nodded. "Every time we leave the interview room, he pulls me aside and whispers it to me. He shares this secret that only I know and quickly fills me in on the world's situation. That's why I have to believe him."

"Can you tell us that secret?" Xiao Yanjing pointed to himself and Lao Lü.

"Sorry, I can't."

Xiao Yanjing nodded gravely, then shifted the conversation. "In other words... even with our life-and-death bond, you won't share it, so it must be incredibly important to you."

"It is—the biggest regret of my life." Zhang Shan said. "That's why I can't tell anyone... but Chu Tianqiu knows."

Xiao Yanjing gave Zhang Shan a deep look. "But... people don't stay the same, do they?"

"What?"

"Everyone says Chu Tianqiu has retained at least two years of memories... but what if it's longer?" Xiao Yanjing asked. "Maybe when you first met, because you felt a slight affinity, you thought he was someone you could confide in, so you told him your secret. Then, once he had it, he could use it to make you work for him lifetime after lifetime?"

Zhang Shan paused, his steps halting as he processed this.

"Xiao Yanjing..." He turned back with a darkened expression. "I'm just a rough guy—I don't get all this beating around the bush. What are you trying to say?"

"Actually, I've been pretty direct." Xiao Yanjing replied. "Zhang Shan, you might have been deceived. Chu Tianqiu doesn't even need you to say the secret out loud—he could use some 'Hui Xiang' to extract your memories. If your secret wasn't spoken by you, what then?"

"Enough." Zhang Shan interrupted. "I don't believe it..."

"Sigh." Xiao Yanjing shook his head helplessly. "Zhang Shan, you retained your memories last time, right? Based on what happened then and now... is Chu Tianqiu really someone worth risking your life for?"

As Xiao Yanjing spoke, Zhang Shan's once firm expression began to waver.

After a moment of silence, he said, "Anyway, the immediate issue isn't Chu Tianqiu—it's dealing with these two right here."

Han Yimo and Zhao Yisheng, who had just started to relax, tensed up again at his words.

"Han Yimo!" Zhao Yisheng called out. "Quick, summon the 'Qi Hei Jian'!"

"I... I'm trying..." Han Yimo squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the situation was extremely dangerous.

Chu Tianqiu had told him that his 'Hui Xiang' was called 'Zhao Zai'.

When he learned about this ability, he became overwhelmingly anxious.

Normally, any disaster he summoned would affect him one hundred percent, but 'Qi Hei Jian' was an exception—he only had a fifty percent chance of dying from it. With Zhao Yisheng's help, his 'Qi Hei Jian' became safer, attacking only the enemy.

But facing the imposing 'Tian Xing Jian' approaching, his subconscious mind couldn't stay calm enough to summon it.

Han Yimo struggled to control his thoughts, forcing himself to ignore all sense of danger. Otherwise, if he convinced himself he was "going to die," he might collapse without Zhang Shan even lifting a finger.

"Kid, since I don't believe what you're saying, I'll have to make you stop." Zhang Shan flexed his wrists. "I'll take you both out first, then go see Chu Tianqiu and get to the bottom of this."

"Han—Han Yimo..." Zhao Yisheng urged, "Are you ready yet...?"

"Just a bit longer... give me a little more time..." Sweat trickled down Han Yimo's face, and he felt dizzy, unsure if the 'Qi Hei Jian' had even appeared.

"Damn it... Chu Tianqiu was here earlier, but he vanished at the critical moment..."

Zhao Yisheng muttered, then slowly stepped back. Now, his only thought was to escape.

"What? Was Chu Tianqiu here just now?" Zhang Shan asked.

"Yes..." Zhao Yisheng nodded. "After we finished off the first group, he came by... and took something."

"If he ordered you to do this, why isn't he sticking around to watch?" Zhang Shan pressed.

"Because he said he didn't want his hands stained with blood..." Zhao Yisheng answered honestly, "But he..."

Zhang Shan noticed Zhao Yisheng's uneasy expression and glanced at the bodies on the ground.

From this close distance, he could see that every corpse belonged to a 'Tian Tang Kou' member.

And each one had their eyeballs gouged out.