Chapter 808: Trust

Qi Xia had countless questions in his heart, and now, only this one could quickly determine the direction of the upcoming conversation.

"Indeed." Qi Xia nodded and said, "Let's keep it short."

He pulled out the map that Qing Long had given him and unfolded it in front of Di Niu, then asked, "Do you recognize these people?"

Di Niu glanced at Qi Xia, then reached out to take the map. After examining it for a long time, he asked, "What do these characters represent?"

"'Sheng Xiao'," Qi Xia replied. "Are these people as trustworthy as you?"

Di Niu stared at the map for a while before slowly shaking his head. "I don't know."

"You don't know...?"

"I just arrived in this city and haven't had a chance to fully understand the distribution of the 'Sheng Xiao' yet." Di Niu sighed and said, "But I'll tell you the truth, Qi Xia..."

Hearing Di Niu say his name, Qi Xia felt an inexplicable sadness.

"Ever since we put on the masks, we've basically lost contact," Di Niu said. "I don't even know what masks they've put on, and we can't confirm identities by stating our names, so for each of us, we're all alone."

Qi Xia frowned slightly after hearing this. "What you're saying is, even if you were face-to-face with the remaining seven, you couldn't confirm who they really are?"

"That's exactly it. If you can't go around asking the eight people on this map while carrying the eight 'Tian She' beads, none of them is truly trustworthy." She folded the map back up and handed it to Qi Xia. "Even if they really are who they seem, too much has happened over these past ten-plus years. The 'Participants' can fast-forward their time through death, but the 'Sheng Xiao' can't. We live through every single day, and anyone could completely break down at any moment."

Qi Xia knew that what Di Niu said was true. In the face of prolonged isolation and doubt, even the closest teammates could end up splitting apart.

Besides, Tian Long and Qing Long didn't seem like fools. They had the cunning to lure these "Sheng Xiao" step by step into the abyss, as well as harsh methods of coercion. Under such double pressure, even the firmest resolve could waver.

"Moreover, that's not the most critical point," Di Niu said.

"Oh?"

"The most critical point is that each of us is independent. Even if we're sure we've stayed on the right path, no one can guarantee that you still are," Di Niu said.

"Me...?" Qi Xia looked at her.

"We're like walking on a tightrope at ten thousand meters high," Di Niu replied. "The reason we're not afraid of the deadly height is because there's still the rope under our feet."

"I understand..."

"But after walking on that rope for over ten years... everyone fears it might snap." Di Niu shook her head with a somber expression. "Qi Xia, seeing you has made me realize the rope is still strong, and I can finally let my heart rest. I hope the others are the same."

Seeing Qi Xia remain silent, Di Niu stared at him for a moment before asking softly, "These eyes of yours... did it succeed? Did you wound 'him'?"

Qi Xia nodded slightly. "Possibly."

"What do you mean, 'possibly'?" Di Niu asked, puzzled. "Are you telling me that after planning this for so long... it's entered an uncertain state now?"

Qi Xia sighed deeply after hearing this. "Yes, I'm not sure. My memories are stuck."

"Your memories are stuck?"

"Plans that span too much time always have some details that slip through," Qi Xia replied. "I'm in the process of fixing it. Now, my memories feel very strange..."

"How so?" Di Niu asked.

Qi Xia slowly turned around to face the pit next to Di Niu, then kicked a pile of sand into it.

The sand fell into the pit but barely filled the massive hole.

"Even though a lot of memories have filled in, enough fragmented ones to piece together decades of life," Qi Xia said, staring at the pit, "the hole is still far from full. I still feel like I've forgotten too much."

After saying that, Qi Xia turned back to look at Di Niu and continued, "There aren't many 'Sheng Xiao' I can trust. I need someone to help me piece my memories together."

"So you came to me." Di Niu smiled. "But you might be overthinking it."

"How so?"

"You've always stuck to your own principles," Di Niu said. "Each of us is just a pawn in your plan. We only know what we're supposed to do and nothing else, so I can't tell you what's missing from your memories."

"Then you can tell me about your part of the plan," Qi Xia said.

"That's a shame." Di Niu stepped closer to Qi Xia, her face serious as she said, "You once instructed that even if you yourself came to ask, I absolutely must not mention it."

"Oh...?"

"Qi Xia, you can trust me one hundred percent, but that doesn't mean I'll trust you," Di Niu said.

"I see." Qi Xia narrowed his eyes at her.

"You told me that if the current you can't join forces with the past you through your own efforts, it just proves your abilities aren't up to par," Di Niu said. "We can't take risks. We'd rather delay the liberation than let anyone escape from here."

Qi Xia nodded slightly after hearing this. "That's even better."

"Is it?"

"If you told me the answer so easily, I'd even suspect it was a trap left by my past self for my current self." Qi Xia said, "That's exactly something I would do. I'd rather let my future self die early than let the plan have any flaws."

"In that case, is there anything else you need to ask me?" Di Niu asked.

"I..." Qi Xia thought for a moment and replied, "Now, I've found some like-minded new allies. They're among the 'Sheng Xiao' and, aside from you, among the few I can trust. Tonight, you should find a way to meet up."

"Which one?"

"The Di Hu whose game name is 'Xia Lu Xiang Feng'," Qi Xia said. "He should be quite famous among the local-level 'Sheng Xiao' lately. Tonight, you can go see him."

Di Niu opened her mouth as if to say something, but still worried about being overheard, she just nodded.

"One more question," Qi Xia said. "Can you tell me about the current 'Di Long'?"

"'Di Long'...?" Di Niu frowned slightly after hearing this. "What do you mean? Are you saying that someone among us has become 'Di Long'?"