Chapter 978: Nightfall

"Zhuque, he..." Chen Junnan scratched his head after hearing that. "Damn... you're right..."

"We've all been surviving here for a long time," Jiang Ruoxue said with her arms crossed, "and we've encountered these Shenshou several times now, right? Zhuque wasn't even wearing shoes, and it's easy to see if he has any extra Yanjing. Does it look like he's been Zhiru-ed?"

Although Chen Junnan hadn't seen Zhuque often, he remembered the person being completely naked, flipping through the air like a bird.

"Tsk..." Zhou Liu pondered for a few seconds before speaking. "Could it be that he only has one Huixiang?"

"That doesn't make sense at all..." Chen Junnan replied. "That exhibitionist has at least two Huixiang. He always appears suddenly and floats in the air, which means he definitely has Yueqian and Zhikong, and as for the others... it's hard to say."

"Tsk, so where are his Yanjing?" Zhou Liu said. "I mean... how are we supposed to kill him?"

Chen Junnan lowered his head, twisting a lock of hair from his forehead, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hiss..." He took a slow breath. "That guy... could he only have two Huixiang...?"

"Only two Huixiang...?" Jiang Ruoxue was stunned. "Are you sure? That's a Shenshou, on par with Qinglong and Xuanwu. No matter how you think about it, he couldn't have just two Huixiang, right?"

A few seconds later, Chen Junnan looked up and said, "I'm not as clever as Lao Qi, and I can't figure out all those twists and turns, but my gut feeling is... this kid has two Huixiang, and he has two Yanjing. So, could it be...?"

"..."

Zhou Liu and Jiang Ruoxue both wore expressions of utter surprise after hearing that.

A moment later, Jiang Ruoxue pointed a slender finger at her own eyes. "You little fool, are you saying... Zhuque has one Huixiang per Yanjing, so two Yanjing means two Huixiang?"

"Isn't that exactly it...?" Chen Junnan asked.

Jiang Ruoxue held back for a while before finally spitting out, "Fine..."

"Don't say that..." Chen Junnan gave a dry laugh. "Don't just say 'fine' to me... Don't you both think the same way? That exhibitionist doesn't have a stitch of clothing on him, and we've seen he has two Huixiang and two Yanjing..."

"Fine, fine." Jiang Ruoxue said flatly. "I'll talk to Zhou Liu. You little fool, step aside."

The two completely ignored Chen Junnan and started chatting on their own.

After a few exchanges, Zhou Liu let out a deep sigh. "Tsk, if this is true... none of us should sleep tonight."

She turned to look at Yun Shijiu, and the young man, who was known for having seen big scenes, was now too shocked to speak.

"Shijiu... tsk, later, call Qian Wu and all the brothers together for a meeting," Zhou Liu said. "We have to treat this so-called genius's words as true and start planning countermeasures... After all, success or failure hinges on this."

"Okay... I understand..." Yun Shijiu nodded.

He never imagined that walking into the room today would unexpectedly drag him into a matter that could determine the future of Mao.

"Then let me summarize again," Jiang Ruoxue said. "Zhou Liu, tomorrow morning, we'll first gather all the Jidao forces. Once everyone's assembled, you keep in touch with us, and then head back to Mao for your tasks."

"Um."

"We'll proceed on two fronts. I'll go right away to find Zhichun and have her lead the team for the Jidao tasks, while you all act accordingly."

"Good."

"It's been tough on you." Jiang Ruoxue said. "I hope that after this cycle ends... everyone gets a good outcome."

Although she was saying encouraging words, neither Jiang Ruoxue nor Zhou Liu could feel happy about it.

Even if all their plans succeeded by dawn... the cost would already be huge.

Everyone here had been struggling for decades. Even if they won, how much joy could there be?

A stone weighing on them for decades, once removed, wouldn't let anyone stand up straight again.

If all the plans went smoothly... and Tianlong, Qinglong, Shenshou, and Tian were all dead...

What would that change, really...?

Jiang Ruoxue and Zhou Liu quickly shut down those thoughts, or else the determination they'd been clinging to would completely collapse.

"Alright, let's go with this plan," Jiang Ruoxue said. "You go explain the situation to Qian Wu first, and we'll head back."

"Wait... hold on..." Chen Junnan said, stunned. "Why does it sound like there's no place for me in this plan...?"

Jiang Ruoxue glanced at him and replied, "You represent Qi Xia... shouldn't you act according to his instructions?"

"Damn... I have no idea what Lao Qi is up to, so what's the point of me being involved?" Chen Junnan asked.

"No..." Jiang Ruoxue shook her head. "Little fool, there's something I need you to help with. On a small scale, it's a personal favor from me; on a larger scale, it's for the whole Zhongyan Zhidi."

"What's this about? Sounds so serious?"

"Tomorrow, Zhichun will be joining the Dilong game, and I hope you ensure her survival," Jiang Ruoxue said. "If she dies... even if Qi Xia has a way to fix it, I'm afraid it could affect the 'plan'."

"This..." Chen Junnan nodded after hearing it. "Alright... leave it to me."

As Jiang Ruoxue stood up, Chen Junnan quickly followed suit. "Big Sister Jiang... are you heading back under the cover of night?"

"Yes." Jiang Ruoxue said. "Little fool, I need to go keep Zhichun company. She tends to overthink when she's alone."

"Well... okay..." Chen Junnan nodded. "Anyway, the Chongzi are on break tonight, so going back is fine. I should head back to keep Lao Qi company too, even though he'll overthink whether I'm there or not."

Zhou Liu stood up and signaled Yun Shijiu with her eyes, and he withdrew the aura enveloping everyone.

"Sis Zhou, I'll head back first," Chen Junnan said. "You're busy, but don't forget to send a message to Lao Qi. What if he really has something to tell you?"

"Tsk, got it."

The three parted ways. Jiang Ruoxue and Chen Junnan hurried toward Tianguangkou under the night sky, while Mao was instantly thrown into turmoil. Many people, following Qian Wu and Zhou Liu's summons, rushed to the meeting room with serious expressions and without a word.

Tonight was clearly a sleepless night for Mao, as a heated silence spread throughout the prison.