Chapter 989: Family

Qinglong had quietly stayed in Tianlong's room for one night. After confirming there was no movement, he activated Yueqian and exited the room.

As he passed by the "Tianji" room, he once again surveyed the nine people inside. They were gathered around the round table just like last night, with even their sitting postures unchanged.

In the center of the table sat an exquisite mantel clock.

The clock was facing a head that had been drained of blood, pale and lifeless.

Over the night, he had given these "Tianji" individuals their chance, staying in the "Lietou" the whole time. If they still chose to activate the "Tianji Moment," he would have no choice but to pretend to be belatedly aware and full of regret.

This was an opportunity for himself, for Tianlong, and for all these "Tianji."

Yet, these "Tianji" seemed utterly intimidated by Tianzhu's head, none daring to make a move.

"Good morning, nine of you," Qinglong said with a laugh.

The nine people stared silently at Qinglong, not a word spoken.

"Oh... my apologies." Qinglong shifted his gaze to the head in the center of the table. "Should that be 'ten of you'?"

"Can we move freely now?" Tianniu asked. "'Louyi' hasn't stirred all night, and I have a bad feeling. If we don't go soothe them, something might go wrong..."

"What's the issue?" Qinglong retorted. "Do those creatures have an addiction to work? I'm being merciful by giving them a break—surely they won't rebel?"

Tianniu sighed after hearing this. "I know you can't empathize with their thoughts. But those 'Louyi' can't hear, can't see, can't speak—they can only think. In just one night, countless uneasy ideas will form in their minds. Perhaps you can't understand that for people with nothing, only the routine of scheduled work brings them some peace."

"How ridiculous..." Qinglong smirked. "Little Niu... haven't you realized that humans are essentially livestock?"

Tianniu frowned at that, and after a few seconds, denied it. "I don't think so."

"Know about 'Zhu'?" Qinglong pointed at the head on the table. "What's the difference between humans and 'Zhu'?"

Tianniu didn't know what Qinglong was getting at, her gaze growing colder.

"Fierce animals that could freely run and hunt in the forests, but if you give them a mud pit, some walls, and toss in rotten scraps that would make us gag, they'll accept that way of life." Qinglong grinned widely. "The ones that lead rebellions get slaughtered on the spot, leaving only those content with the status quo to pass it on. They end up eating, drinking, defecating in that same mud pit, stinking to high heaven, just waiting to die—and enjoying it."

"You're talking as if that's not about 'Zhu' or 'humans,' but everyone trapped here," Tianniu said.

"Isn't everyone called 'human' just like that?" Qinglong laughed. "'Humans' are best at surviving in cracks. No matter how much you squeeze their space, they'll just retreat and self-justify—it's an automatic process, which makes things very convenient for me."

"What..." Tianniu frowned. "Stop that. 'Humans' aren't like that."

"Not like that? Little Niu, tell me, those 'Louyi' are already in such a miserable state. After a night of 'rest,' what do you think will be swirling in their minds?"

"This..."

"If you won't say it, I will." Qinglong leaned close to Tianniu's face. "The only thought looping in their heads will be, 'Am I useless?' 'Will I be eliminated?'... Ha ha ha ha! That's the best joke I've thought of today!"

Everyone else remained utterly silent except for Qinglong.

"Laugh! Why aren't you laughing?!"

As Qinglong's laughter echoed through the room, the other "Tianji" looked uncomfortable, but Tianhou and Tianhu soon wore smiles matching Qinglong's.

"Qinglong..." Tianniu interrupted. "You shouldn't mock them like that. The reason they endure all this shows they have attachments—they want to live."

"Attachments...?" Qinglong paused briefly, then stared with wide eyes, laughing even more wildly. "What do attachments mean?"

"It's 'Jia'," Tianniu said. "Because of 'Jia,' many people are willing to endure. That's why they put up with everything—to one day return to 'Jia'."

"Ha ha ha ha ha! 'Jia'! How interesting!" Qinglong doubled over with laughter, clutching his belly and shouting wildly.

A moment later, he straightened up and stepped forward, his intimidating presence making Tianniu step back. "Little Niu, do you know? To distinguish domesticated pigs from wild ones, people gave them a new name... Tell me, what is it?"

"It's... " Tianniu hesitated.

"It's 'Jiazhu'," Qinglong roared with laughter. "Ha ha ha! Little Niu, that's the meaning of 'Jia'... Today's second joke! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! This word traps them generation after generation, never to be free, and it turns into what you call an 'attachment'?!"

Every word from Qinglong felt like a knife cutting into Tianniu's heart. She wanted to refute him but couldn't find any angle to do so.

A utterly deranged person, with overwhelming power, forcing deranged ideas onto others—listening to even a few sentences made one's beliefs crumble endlessly.

Qinglong just laughed wildly, his voice each time a mix of male and female tones, sounding like a crowd laughing.

It was lively yet eerily strange.

"Little Niu... isn't this joke funny...?" Qinglong stopped smiling and said with a touch of concern. "Why don't you tell me, how do you write 'Jia'?"

Tianniu paused before answering, "A roof on top and... and..."

"And a 'Shi'," Qinglong added. "I don't need to teach you, right? 'Shi' in ancient times meant 'Zhu'. A 'roof' over a 'Zhu'—how fascinating is that word?"

In just a few sentences, Tianniu's eyes looked as if they had died.

She knew Qinglong was wrong, but where exactly was the error?

She desperately wished someone would stand up and refute him... but those around her were either resigned or completely unhinged.

"Are you done...?" Tianniu asked gravely. "If you're done, let me go. No matter what reasons you have... managing the 'Louyi' is my duty, and I can't bear the consequences if something goes wrong."

"What a dull and rigid woman..." Qinglong sighed. "Then go quickly, check on your precious darlings."

No sooner had he spoken than the entire room shook violently, as if experiencing a mild earthquake.

Everyone looked puzzled, and the next second, a terrifying red light seeped in through the door.