Chapter 877: Children

While Bai She was searching for his own way to die, Jiang Ruoxue and I hurriedly left the game site.

"Ruoxue... were you serious about that?" I asked, holding the comic book.

"Sort of," Jiang Ruoxue replied.

"But would he really die that easily?" I asked again.

"Exactly because both he and I know that a Di Ji 'Sheng Xiao' can't die that easily, that's why this idea makes sense," Jiang Ruoxue explained. "As long as he doesn't die, he'll realize that he's not like normal people. The pain that normal people can die from won't kill him, and the things that make normal people feel sorrow shouldn't make him feel sorrow either."

"Ah...?" I was a bit stunned. "Is this even possible? Did you secretly use 'Yin Guo' again?"

"This isn't my 'Yin Guo'; it's his own 'Yin Guo'," Jiang Ruoxue replied. "It's getting late; let's find a place to rest. We'll head out early tomorrow to find Bai Yang."

Jiang Ruoxue and I spent the night in a rundown building by the roadside. As soon as the sun rose the next day, we set off quickly toward where Bai Yang was.

Logically, at this early hour, there shouldn't be any participants on the streets, but after just ten minutes, we spotted a figure in the middle of the road, stretching in an exaggerated manner.

She seemed to be... doing morning exercises?

Who would stand in the middle of the road doing morning exercises at dawn?

"One, two, three, four... two, two, three, four..." The person was facing away from us, mumbling softly.

Jiang Ruoxue paused slightly at the sight of the figure and muttered, "She looks familiar."

"You know her?" I asked.

"She seems like one of our own."

We walked a few steps closer, coming up behind her, and just then, she turned around while doing a waist-twisting exercise.

That's when I realized she was a woman in her fifties, a bit overweight, but she looked quite spirited.

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows when she saw Jiang Ruoxue. "Isn't that little Jiang? Child, what are you doing here?"

"Ji Dao forever, Tong Ayi," Jiang Ruoxue said with a smile.

"Forever, may all faiths endure forever," Tong Ayi replied with a laugh.

I noticed she was wearing both a cross and Buddhist beads around her neck, as if she followed a mix of beliefs.

"Zhichun, let me introduce you—this is a very interesting auntie," Jiang Ruoxue said, smiling. "She believes in every faith in the world. One day, she was chasing me to join 'Ji Dao,' since 'Ji Dao' is also a faith."

"Believes in every faith...?" I thought it sounded absurd. Doesn't that mean she doesn't really believe in anything?

"Yes," Tong Ayi said while twisting her body. "Child, are you part of 'Ji Dao'? Since you've joined 'Ji Dao,' why not consider Daoism, Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, and Christianity too?"

I nearly lost it hearing that. Can you really believe in all of them?

Besides, when did our 'Ji Dao' become a religion?

"Tong Ayi, let's skip Zhichun for now," Jiang Ruoxue declined on my behalf. "Spare her; just 'Ji Dao' is enough to keep her busy."

"Oh, well, that's fine," Tong Ayi nodded. "Everyone has the freedom to choose their faith. Children, where are you headed?"

"We're going to handle some business," Jiang Ruoxue said. "It's 'Ji Dao' matters."

"I'm part of 'Ji Dao' too," Tong Ayi said. "I'll go with you."

"Ah?"

I quickly waved my hand. Having one quirky person like Jiang Ruoxue around was enough; if Tong Ayi joined us, I'd be mortified facing Bai Yang...

"Sure, why not!" Jiang Ruoxue agreed. "More people, more strength! Tong Ayi, come with us."

"Oh!" Tong Ayi looked thrilled. "Great! Finally, I can help out with 'Ji Dao.'"

I had no idea how this happened... but the three of us really set off together.

I hope Bai Yang won't mind. The people I'm bringing to find him seem to be increasing by the day.

Though I felt this wasn't the best idea, Jiang Ruoxue told me, "Everything is 'Yin Guo,'" and we should just let things happen naturally.

It sounded like she had a point, but something about it still felt off...

When we reached Bai Yang, he was standing at the entrance of the site, just as I'd guessed—he wasn't staring into a mirror in the morning; he was just talking to himself.

"Hey!" Jiang Ruoxue waved from a distance.

Bai Yang turned his head at the sound and looked at us. Seeing there were three of us, he quickly frowned.

"Is this some kind of tourist spot?" Bai Yang asked.

"No, no," Jiang Ruoxue shook her head. "This is our teammate. You can call her Tong Ayi."

"Skip the introductions," Bai Yang said. "I'm not interested in her. Did you find the cartoon character?"

"We did," I said, pulling the comic book from behind me and handing it to Bai Yang.

"This is the only one we could find," Jiang Ruoxue added. "It's really hard to get a complete cartoon character in a place like this."

Bai Yang lowered his head and flipped through the comic book. It was an old-style one, drawn purely with lines and no color. He didn't read the content; he just quickly scanned a few pages and zeroed in on a female cartoon character.

He stared at the character for a few seconds, then slowly closed his eyes.

A minute later, he suddenly opened his eyes, and the comic book dropped from his hands.

"What's... wrong?" I sensed something was off.

"No good..." Bai Yang said. "A completely distorted face made of lines makes me even more afraid. At least without a face, she seemed like an incomplete person, but with a face like this, she's a real monster... This just won't work."

I could clearly see a bead of sweat trickling down Qi Xia's forehead.

Jiang Ruoxue and I exchanged glances. We knew Bai Yang wasn't saying this comic wouldn't work, but that no "cartoon character" would.

But how could we create that face out of nowhere?

Before Jiang Ruoxue and I could come up with an idea, Tong Ayi stepped forward slowly and asked,

"Child, are you facing some trouble?"

"Sorry, I don't know you," Bai Yang replied bluntly. "This has nothing to do with you."

"No, no... oh," Tong Ayi kept walking forward and said, "We're all brothers and sisters; we're children of the same one... We should help each other here."

"How interesting," Bai Yang sneered. "You look like you're about to retire, and you're saying you're a child of the same one as me?"

"Child..." Tong Ayi seemed completely unfazed by Bai Yang's retort and continued walking forward with a kind expression.

When she was just a step away from Bai Yang, she placed her hand on his chest and said solemnly,

"Though I don't know what trouble you're in, child... to fulfill your wish, you must let go of any lingering attachments in your heart."