Chapter 781: Extreme Cause

This name struck like a bolt of lightning, freezing Lin Geng in place and causing Yan Zhichun’s eyes to widen in surprise.

“Wen… Qiaoyun?”

Yan Zhichun and Lin Geng stared at each other for a moment before they began to seriously examine the girl in front of them.

“Are you kidding… Is it just a coincidence?” Yan Zhichun asked doubtfully. “You’re saying you’re Wen Qiaoyun?”

“What’s wrong with being Wen Qiaoyun? Do you two know me?” Wen Qiaoyun looked at the two girls in front of her with confusion. “You both are really acting so strange.”

Lin Geng and Yan Zhichun quickly stopped their argument, sensing that something more important needed to be addressed.

Yan Zhichun thought for a moment, feeling like she had spotted a flaw, and asked, “How long have you been here?”

“How long have I been here…?” Wen Qiaoyun paused at the question. “What kind of way is that to ask? Aren’t you two from that strange hallway?”

“It’s already the seventh day,” Yan Zhichun said. “Are you just arriving?”

“The seventh day…?” Wen Qiaoyun was stunned. “You’ve been here for seven days? I thought we all just got here.”

Hearing that response, Yan Zhichun was at a loss for words and turned to look at Lin Geng, whispering, “What kind of person did you bring here?”

“I…” Lin Geng replied, “I don’t know, but she’s not someone I brought.”

Even as she said that, Lin Geng couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

The whole situation was just too bizarre—not just with Wen Qiaoyun, but with her own circumstances as well.

She clearly remembered that she had died.

In the Di Gou’s *Zai E Nian*, she had broken her leg, and the next day, she encountered the *Tian Ma Shike*. There was no way she could escape those black lines; she was killed on the spot.

But the moment the black line pierced her forehead, she opened her eyes and found herself standing alone on an empty street at dusk.

Though her mind was full of questions, she had no choice but to take shelter in a nearby building, where this woman named Yan Zhichun was already inside.

Not long after, Wen Qiaoyun came in to spend the night, and at the time, Lin Geng had just assumed she was an ordinary “participant” and didn’t think much of it. Her thoughts were consumed by wondering why she had suddenly appeared on the street. Little did she know, this person’s arrival was even more suspicious than her own situation.

Lin Geng had seen Wen Qiaoyun as a “Yuan Zhu Min” several times before and clearly remembered that she had always worn that same top.

Combined with her features being identical to that terrifying Yuan Zhu Min, it was enough to confirm that she was Wen Qiaoyun herself.

The only difference was that now she looked healthier, with her cheeks no longer sunken and her eye sockets not deeply hollowed—clearly a reborn, healthy, and fresh version of Wen Qiaoyun.

How had she appeared?

“Could it be… that Yun Yao and the others succeeded in their plan against Qi Xia?”

Although Lin Geng hadn’t explicitly stated her position at the time, she knew that Yun Yao and the others intended to use Qi Xia to revive Wen Qiaoyun.

Now, it seemed they had succeeded… but what was the value of a Wen Qiaoyun with no memories?

Following that line of thought, she herself must have been “created” by Qi Xia as well…

At that moment, Lin Geng’s mind was even more chaotic. She didn’t know if she was still herself. If she was just a newly created person, why did she retain her previous memories?

“Today is really something else…” Yan Zhichun interrupted Lin Geng’s thoughts, saying, “In this tiny room, it’s full of imposters.”

Lin Geng shook her head helplessly and chose not to argue with Yan Zhichun anymore. Instead, she turned back to look at Wen Qiaoyun.

She didn’t know from which era Wen Qiaoyun came, but she felt as though decades separated them, like seeing a figure from history standing right in front of her.

“Wen Qiaoyun, I’d like to team up with you,” Lin Geng said. “Would you like to come with me to meet my teammates?”

“Me…?” Wen Qiaoyun looked at Lin Geng thoughtfully for a long time before saying, “But your behavior doesn’t sound like anything upright… Are all your teammates those so-called ‘Ji Dao Zhe’?”

“Don’t worry,” Lin Geng said. “The team I’m taking you to isn’t just about ‘righteous’ or ‘villainous.’ Maybe each of us has our own goals—it’s more complicated than you can imagine, and it’s hard to say who’s good or bad. If you’re willing, we can head out right now.”

Despite how discouraging those words sounded, Wen Qiaoyun thought about it for a while and finally smiled confidently.

“Sounds interesting. I’ll go with you.”

Lin Geng nodded to herself, thinking that was just like Wen Qiaoyun. Perhaps only someone with that mindset could reach the top here.

But… did she still have enough time to climb from the bottom?

That answer would probably have to come from Wen Qiaoyun herself.

The two ignored Yan Zhichun and were about to leave together when another girl walked in through the door.

The moment Lin Geng saw her, she frowned, but the newcomer smiled and waved at Lin Geng.

It was Jiang Ruoxue, whom Lin Geng had met once before.

“Hey!” Jiang Ruoxue waved her hand. “You… where have I seen you before… In Di Gou’s… *Song Xin Zhe*, right?”

Lin Geng nodded in response.

“What a coincidence.” Jiang Ruoxue smiled kindly, then shifted her gaze to Wen Qiaoyun.

After staring at Wen Qiaoyun for a while, she said casually, “Hello.”

“Hello,” Wen Qiaoyun replied with a nod.

Lin Geng remembered that Jiang Ruoxue was neither friend nor foe, with a strange stance, and she worried that delays might lead to complications. So, she turned to Wen Qiaoyun and said, “Let’s go.”

“Alright,” Wen Qiaoyun responded, and together with Lin Geng, they left the building.

Only Yan Zhichun and Jiang Ruoxue remained in the room.

Yan Zhichun sighed and said, “How did you find this place?”

Jiang Ruoxue walked slowly over to Yan Zhichun and smiled. “Because of ‘cause and effect.’ I knew that if I set out, I’d find you.”

Yan Zhichun nodded and then looked up. “Today has been really weird—the two women just now were stranger than the last.”

“Oh?” Jiang Ruoxue covered her mouth and laughed. “Is there still something here that can surprise you?”

Yan Zhichun briefly recounted what had happened. One of them claimed to be a “Ji Dao Zhe” who had wandered for seven years, and the other was a king from history.

These two figures, each capable of dominating their own domains, had ended up spending the night in the same building.

“That person really is Wen Qiaoyun,” Jiang Ruoxue said.

“What?” Yan Zhichun was stunned. “I thought Wen Qiaoyun had already disappeared according to the legends.”

“Yes,” Jiang Ruoxue nodded. “Her appearance is a huge ‘effect,’ so there must be an ultimate ‘cause.’ Don’t you want to follow them and see what happens?”