Chapter 742: Xu Liunian's Obsession

Xu Liunian was startled and quickly turned around.

She had come to Tian Tang Kou early to search for someone, only to find that someone inside had been continuously killing others. She couldn't fight against such powerful abilities, so she had no choice but to hide nearby.

Just moments ago, when she saw Qi Xia walking in, she suddenly changed her mind and was about to switch identities to talk to him. But to her surprise, five people were following behind Qi Xia, which completely ruined her plan. Now, she had to deal with the people in front of her first.

Before she could come up with a new strategy, she suddenly froze, staring at the group before her.

As the saying goes, you search high and low only to find it effortlessly.

The very person she had been desperately seeking, Qiao Jiajin, was right there in front of her.

"What's wrong, Xu Dajie?" Chen Junan said seriously. "If you want to change, go ahead and do it. Pretend we're not here; we're just passing through."

"Qiao Jiajin," Xu Liunian called out, "I have something to tell you."

Qiao Jiajin paused slightly upon hearing this, then glanced at Chen Junan and Tiantian, before turning his gaze back to Xu Liunian. With a puzzled expression, he pointed at himself and asked:

"Me?"

"Yes, could we speak privately for a moment?" Xu Liunian asked.

"But I don't really know you," Qiao Jiajin said, scratching his head. "If you have something to say, just say it openly here."

Xu Liunian looked at the people in front of her—Chen Junan, Qin Dingdong, Zhang Lijuan, and an unfamiliar little boy.

For a moment, she realized her request seemed a bit outrageous. No matter how you looked at it, these people were all together, while she had no affiliation with any group. In that case... could her last hope even be achieved?

"Qiao Jiajin," Xu Liunian stepped forward, her face serious as she said, "I have a way to completely liberate this place. If you're willing to help, we can end all of this right here."

"Ah?" Qiao Jiajin was stunned. "What do you mean?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Junan and Qin Dingdong's expressions darkened simultaneously.

The two exchanged a glance, and Qin Dingdong quickly stepped forward, saying to Xu Liunian:

"Okay, okay, our A-Jin gets it. You'd better go now, classmate."

Chen Junan hurriedly put his arm around Qiao Jiajin's shoulders and said:

"Yeah, yeah, Lao Qiao, don't pay attention to her. She's just trying to sell something. We don't want any."

"Ah...?" Qiao Jiajin and Xu Liunian were both taken aback.

As the scene grew chaotic, Xu Liunian became anxious. She quickly pushed the two aside and said sternly:

"You all know about this method... but you're hiding it from Qiao Jiajin, aren't you?"

"We know, we know," Chen Junan said dismissively. "We're not buying. Thanks."

As he spoke, he started to pull Qiao Jiajin away from the scene.

How could he not know about the method Xu Liunian was referring to?

Back then, when he and Qin Dingdong were on the rooftop and heard Qi Xia say the words "Sheng Sheng Bu Xi," he had already vaguely sensed what it meant.

"Zhong Yan Zhi Di" was like a massive cage, trapping everyone in an endless "Sheng Sheng Bu Xi."

If all of this was truly because of Qi Xia, then one word from Qiao Jiajin could potentially change the situation. But what consequences that might bring was anyone's guess.

"What are you all even doing...?" Xu Liunian grabbed Chen Junan. "Do you really want to keep looping here forever...?"

Chen Junan slowly stopped and turned his head, saying:

"Xu Liunian... don't even think about it. No matter what Lao Qiao thinks, I'm the first one to say no."

"It's just one sentence, that's all!!" Xu Liunian shouted. "No matter what, we have to at least try, right?"

Qiao Jiajin was completely baffled by the people around him: "What sentence are you talking about?"

"I said no means no," Chen Junan replied. "You should just go do whatever you were doing."

"Why...?" Xu Liunian asked, confused. "If we can liberate this place, everything will end! We won't have to loop anymore... Our suffering will finally stop. Why won't you even try?"

Qin Dingdong felt a pang of sympathy seeing how desperate the girl was.

Although she was pleading bitterly, if things went as she wished, she would also vanish into nothing.

Was there anyone in this world who would beg for an outcome that brought them no benefit?

"Fine..." Chen Junan nodded. "Since you really have this doubt, I'll answer you. First, we're not sure if the root of all this comes from Lao Qi, and we're not sure if Lao Qiao's 'Po Wan Fa' would even work on it."

"So I said we can try..."

"Second," Chen Junan interrupted, "you don't have the right to decide the ending for others. There are tens of thousands of people in 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di.' How can you be sure they all want to accept vanishing, or being 'liberated'? What if they don't want to leave? What if they don't want to disappear? What if they're fine staying here?"

Xu Liunian slowly lowered her head upon hearing this: "It's precisely because they can't retain their memories... that's why we need someone who can remember long-term to make the decision for them..."

"But in their eyes, you're just some outsider who shows up claiming it's for their own good and wants them to vanish. How is that any different from a villain in a story?"

"But you know I'm right..." Xu Liunian said. "Isn't this decision the most direct and effective method right now?"

Chen Junan didn't respond; he just looked at her with a complex expression.

"The real us might have already escaped..." Xu Liunian said, her voice choking up. "We're just copies waiting to be liberated... Why do we have to suffer like this...? Why can the other us get out, while we're stuck here in agony...?"

"Don't think about it," Chen Junan said. "Maybe the real us haven't escaped either, and if we die now, it's for real. Besides, Lao Qiao isn't some tool to fulfill your personal wishes—he has his own thoughts."

Hearing this, Xu Liunian fell into a long silence.

After a while, she slowly lifted her head and said:

"We can't convince each other, so let's let Qiao Jiajin decide himself. How about that?"

"Oh?"

"Just this once," Xu Liunian said. "This whole thing relies on his power anyway. If he doesn't agree, there's no way I'll succeed, so as long as he says no himself, I'll never bring it up again."

Now that the choice was back in Qiao Jiajin's hands, he looked even more confused.

"What are you all even talking about? What do you mean one sentence can liberate this place?" He glanced at Chen Junan and then at Xu Liunian. "How is this related to me?"

Chen Junan thought for a moment and said:

"Lao Qiao, we suspect that everyone's looping here is because of Lao Qi's 'Sheng Sheng Bu Xi,' and you're 'Po Wan Fa.' Are you willing to use your 'Po Wan Fa' to break this endless looping curse?"