Chapter 862: Something Up?

It was about seven years ago that "Jí Dào" was officially established.

I imagine that very few people who join "Jí Dào" in the future will believe that such a massive and mysterious organization came into being simply because Jiāng Ruò Xuě and I exchanged a few words on the street.

It was only after Jiāng Ruò Xuě left that I truly understood the meaning of "Yīn Guǒ."

She might be the most powerful "Huí Xiǎng Zhě" I've encountered in the past five years.

If she sets her mind on a certain "result," then the "causes" leading to it are bound to emerge.

If she first outlines a "cause," then that "cause" is sure to produce the "result" she expects.

The catch is that each time, she has to find a logical connection that convinces her and is genuinely possible. The larger the matter, the more difficult it is for her.

And I've finally realized that our five years together were essentially a test.

She wasn't just observing me; she was subconsciously building this powerful "Yīn Guǒ" relationship.

Once she felt the timing was right, she voiced the "Yīn Guǒ" she had long been formulating in her mind.

In other words, throughout those five years, if any of my actions had failed to satisfy Jiāng Ruò Xuě, we would have remained just good friends. She never would have activated the "Yīn Guǒ" to suddenly establish "Jí Dào" for me.

So, which is the "cause" and which is the "effect"?

Was it because I wanted to build "Jí Dào" that she appeared... or because of her appearance that I was able to create "Jí Dào"?

"Yīn Guǒ" are endlessly intertwined, one of the most inexplicable things in the world.

Some people puzzle over whether the chicken or the egg came first, but I think the chicken and the egg emerged together in their entanglement and move forward as one.

Thanks to Jiāng Ruò Xuě, I can now carefully select strong individuals. As long as I tell them the truth, they will directly believe the "truth" about this city.

I've also used some negotiation tactics and observation methods to pick out eccentric loners who act on their own. That way, when they do something out of the ordinary, people will just think it's typical behavior for them and won't immediately suspect they're part of an organization.

There's one thing I've never fully figured out: Jiāng Ruò Xuě once told me, "From now on, as long as you speak the truth sincerely and without deception, the other party will believe everything you say."

The most intriguing word in that statement is "truth."

How should I interpret this "truth"?

When I tell everyone that once we collect three thousand six hundred "Dào," this place will undergo a major upheaval, and they believe me, does that mean what I said is the "truth"?

If so... couldn't I use this to "probe the future"?

In other words, I could test whether what I say to people is really the "truth" by seeing if they believe it. If they do, then because of "Yīn Guǒ," it must be real. If not, it's a lie.

It sounds abstract, but I've tested it repeatedly and it works every time.

I once told someone that "Jí Dào" would lead everyone to escape from the "Zhōng Yān Zhī Dì," but they didn't believe it.

I said that the founder of "Jí Dào" would one day work alongside the rulers here, but they still didn't believe it.

Turns out, all of that was false.

Sometimes being able to probe the future isn't a good thing—it often leaves me feeling disappointed about what's to come ahead of time.

Whether it's a side effect of "Yīn Guǒ" on me or retribution for glimpsing heavenly secrets, I often feel off. I might suddenly zone out.

One day, I clearly remember walking down the street, but the next second, I was sitting in front of a building, with a human-level "Shēng Xiāo" not far away.

This feeling happened once about three years ago, and now it's happening again today.

I always sense that something is missing from my mind, but based on my experience, that feeling quickly fades away.

I glanced at the "Shēng Xiāo" in the distance. He was standing quietly in front of a building, staring thoughtfully at the ground before him.

Something clicked for me, so I took a few steps forward.

Sure enough, there he was.

After a full five years... he finally appeared here. It wasn't that I zoned out—it was that he pulled me here.

But I was curious... I'd seen the "Shēng Xiāo Fēi Shēng Duì Dǔ" contract, and it said that once everyone in the interview room disappears, he becomes "Dì Jí." So why is he still at the human level, as "Rén Yáng"?

"Yang Ge...?" I called out softly.

His mask was identical to what it was five years ago, and his build was almost the same, but he looked utterly drained.

The distant Rén Yáng lifted his head and looked at me with eyes that were familiar yet strange. He sized me up from head to toe, and after a few seconds, he lowered his head as if he'd seen nothing.

What was going on...? Did he not recognize me?

"White Yang?" I took a few steps closer and called again.

Only then did he react, as if confirming I was addressing him. He raised his head and looked at me again, then asked coldly,"What do you want?"

"What... do I want?"

His question caught me off guard. What did he mean by "what do you want"?

I'd been working tirelessly for five years based on his verbal promise, and now he was asking me that?

"Isn't it you who called me here...? What's wrong with you?"

"I called you here...?" He narrowed his eyes slowly, his gaze as cold as if he wanted to kill. A few seconds later, he shook his head and said,"Impossible. I didn't call you. Go back where you came from."

He seemed a bit off...

But this build, this mask, this voice... it was clearly White Yang.

Had he lost his memory?

A strange sense of helplessness welled up inside me. If White Yang had really lost his memory and forgotten everything... what had I been doing all these years?

"White Yang... you don't remember me?" I asked tentatively.

"You...?" His gaze pierced out from behind the mask, as if he was searching for something. After a long while, he reached up and touched his forehead."Wait a minute... I think I remember you..."

This still felt strange. His expression didn't seem like he didn't know me; it was more like he was digging for some distant memory.

"Where did we meet...?"

He stared gloomily at the ground. That's when I realized what was different about him compared to the last time I saw him.

In addition to the wisdom and determination in his eyes, there was now an extra layer of coldness and despair.

"Yan..." he murmured my surname slowly.

I was about to remind him of the rest, but I bit my tongue. I wanted him to remember on his own, not for me to prompt him.

I needed him to say my full name to prove that my existence meant something.

But he couldn't recall my full name at all. A moment later, he wore a pained expression.