Chapter 926: My Goal

I know I've never actually lost my memory, but I've skipped over a few days of it. In Bai Yang's hands, my memories are like a film reel, casually edited by him, which not only causes me to forget certain things but also fast-forwards my life.

Thinking about this, I let out a bitter laugh. My life is truly chaotic, with fragmented memories and these intermittent "life fast-forwards" all tangled up in me. They seem to happen randomly, yet they're firmly under Bai Yang's control.

Even Qing Long has mocked me for this disordered existence.

That day, when I left "Tian Tang Kou," even the fake smile I'd been forcing on my face vanished. I was deeply disappointed in Chu Tianqiu.

I had once told many members of "Ji Dao" that if they ever wanted to leave the group or felt they had no way out, they could seek refuge with the righteous man Chu Tianqiu. For a long time, "Tian Tang Kou" served as the exit route for the entire "Ji Dao."

I even indulged in a few unrealistic fantasies.

I knew the path I was following with Bai Yang was extremely dangerous—it was a "Mou Fan Zhi Lu," a road of rebellion. If Tian Long discovered what Bai Yang was doing, everyone connected to him would meet a gruesome end. In that case, I would certainly try to save all of "Ji Dao" and get them into "Tian Tang Kou."

After all, Chu Tianqiu's "Tian Tang Kou" was very safe, at least in Tian Long's eyes.

But fate can be so unpredictable. Bai Yang, despite his perilous situation, didn't collapse, while Chu Tianqiu, who had always been working for the "Can Yu Zhe," did.

Could the "Can Yu Zhe" be even more terrifying than Tian Long?

The reason I held onto trust in "Tian Tang Kou" for so long was because of Tong Ayi. She had joined it and never left.

Even though Chu Tianqiu had done something so outrageous, even though he had gone mad and started creating replicas of humans, Tong Ayi still chose not to quit. Her stance was clear.

If the timing weren't so inconvenient, I really wanted to ask her... Does Chu Tianqiu still carry a massive amount of "Ye Li" on him now?

Will "Tian Tang Kou" one day receive blessings because of Chu Tianqiu's enormous "Ye Li"?

Forgive my bluntness, but I can't see that path at all. The rumors on the streets have already shifted direction. People are saying that Chu Tianqiu is letting members of various organizations die arbitrarily. He's not only lost the qualifications of a leader but also the prestige.

"Ye Li" works that way. If Chu Tianqiu had done nothing, he might not have been affected by it—his life would have neither blessings nor misfortunes. But he went and built an organization, delusionally trying to lead everyone out of this hellish place. Regardless of whether he succeeds or fails, the "Ye Li" of others has become his own.

That day, Chu Tianqiu shared his unique insights on being able to create replicas, which got me thinking deeply.

If this place really allows for an escape, would I prefer for myself to get out, or for "Yan Zhichun" as a person to get out?

"Yan Zhichun" has my memories and knows everything that's happened to me, so he and Chu Tianqiu share the same viewpoint.

No matter which "Yan Zhichun" escapes, it can be seen as me escaping. Because my experiences are different from others', I've already been replicated countless times.

There's nothing unacceptable about that... We're all constantly being replicated here. Anyone who's gone through a few cycles and retained their memories will notice this issue.

Our bodies remain here, while fresh lives spring up anew.

The corpses here keep piling up day after day, and the stench grows thicker and thicker.

We're all replicas, so how can we tell whose bloodline is purer?

I believe Bai Yang must think the same way. By repeatedly replicating my life to carry out his tasks, he's long since overcome this psychological hurdle.

So, I can split my life in two. If a replica manages to escape, let her return to the real world and live the miserable, insecure life I once had, while also reassuring my parents that I'm safe. Once everyone is at ease, I can continue surviving here.

After all, here I have my best friends in this life and family figures who are like mentors. I don't want to leave.

If one day Bai Yang comes back and can help me seize control of the entire "Zhong Yan Zhi Di," I must negotiate with him. I need a position of management; I want to ensure that everyone here no longer lives in such hardship.

Thinking about it carefully, if Bai Yang had said back then that he wanted to "take everyone to escape," I probably wouldn't have chosen to help him right away. Because I know clearly that many people here don't want to escape, and even my own desire to get out is very low.

But he talked about seizing control here, about becoming the ruler, about making me a founding elder.

All of that perfectly aligned with my thoughts about this place. We really don't need to escape, but we do need to liberate it.

Now, the only thing left to do is wait for Bai Yang to return.

But Bai Yang... will you really come back?

I've made all the preparations; I've even sacrificed my life countless times...

Now, "Ji Dao" no longer has "Tian Tang Kou" as an exit route. We can only follow you and charge straight at Tian Long.

I'll lead "Ji Dao" and choose to shatter ourselves here for one last chance at hope.

But can you appear sooner... before I go mad, before Jiang Ruoxue goes mad, before the entire "Ji Dao" goes mad?

I feel like everyone's reached their limit, Bai Yang.

Even if you're deceiving me, it doesn't matter anymore.

Now I've figured it out. Even if you show up again and have forgotten everything, even if you're ready to toy with my life once more and set up even grander challenges for me, I'll accept it.

I don't want to live like a headless fly here. I've said before that I'm not afraid of danger or hardship; I only fear losing my purpose.

...

After the "Tian Ma Shi Ke," I went into a building to rest. In the evening, two women entered one after another.

It was late at night; perhaps they wanted to stay here overnight too.

It's quite strange—something as massive as the "Tian Ma Shi Ke" slaughter still leaves survivors I've never seen before.

This feels discordant, as if all events in the world are intertwined with cause and effect.

For example, Bai Yang has deceived me countless times... and yet I still hope he'll come back to deceive me once more.

Oh well... Bai Yang, at dawn I'll set out again. After all, these strangers here are all striving, so what right do I have to be so lazy?

Even if you don't come back, it doesn't matter... I've memorized what you wanted to do. Starting tomorrow, I'll begin walking your path.

From the beginning, I placed all my hopes on you, but now I've grown strong enough, Bai Yang. If you don't appear, I'll take the initiative to lead "Ji Dao" to the "Lie Che." After all, that's our last chance to fight.

Watching the sun rise, I slowly stood up. Perhaps everything is about to begin.

I am Yan Zhichun, I am the "Ji Dao Wang."

I am the special "Can Yu Zhe" personally recruited by Bai Yang, and I am "Duo Xin Po."

In the days ahead, I'll start lying just like Bai Yang.

(Yan Zhichun's short biography is finished! I still need to explain to all the readers who've been following along that Yan Zhichun's short bio had several opportunities to end earlier, but I hadn't filled in all the plot holes yet. After thinking it over, I decided to extend the story line.)

(Because some opportunities to fill in those holes, once missed, would never come up again later. Ending Yan Zhichun's arc early might improve the immediate impression, but in the long run, it would leave a bunch of unresolved issues that couldn't be explained in the main story afterward. So, I had to tie up all the explainable plot points at once. This writing approach might be a bit self-indulgent and has kept everyone waiting, so I apologize and thank you all for your understanding.)

(Moreover, attentive readers might have noticed that although this is the "Yan Zhichun Zhuan," it's fundamentally the "Bai Yang Zhuan." Every chapter's story revolves around Bai Yang, just told from Yan Zhichun's perspective. Combined with the autobiography of Ren Shu and Yan Zhichun's autobiography, it completes Bai Yang's story line and fulfills one of my wishes. Unless something unexpected happens, Yan Zhichun will be the last character biography in the main text, with a small chance of adding Chu Tianqiu's autobiography later.)

(Now, many character biographies have been deleted by me on purpose. From the recent ones, you can see that whether it's Xu Liunian, Zheng Yingxiong, or Yan Zhichun, I've only kept those that fill in plot holes or supplement the prequel. Characters like Zhang Lvshi or Qiao Jiajin, whose stories are more standalone, have been removed, but they'll all appear in the side stories eventually. So, stay tuned, and once again, thank you all!)