Chapter 927: Eight Doors
"All these years... you've worked hard," Qi Xia said. "Let the upheaval begin."
Yan Zhichun looked into Qi Xia's eyes and nodded slightly, then said, "Brother Yang... although it hasn't been long since we parted, I do have some questions I want to ask you."
"What?" Qi Xia asked.
"Do you... want to take responsibility for the entire 'Ji Dao'?" Yan Zhichun asked in a low voice. "Once these people start participating in the plan you've set, there will be no turning back for them."
"There's no need to turn back..." Qi Xia's eyes darkened. "We don't have many chances left. This is a last-ditch gamble seventy years in the making. Now, a large number of strong individuals are gathering in 'Dao City,' precisely to witness the final moment... So none of us can turn back."
Yan Zhichun lowered her head, and after a few seconds, she asked again, "Brother Yang... tomorrow, you want me to participate in the 'Earth Dragon' game with you. So this time... will we be teammates?"
"Yes," Qi Xia replied. "There aren't many people I trust. You're one of them."
"It really is... such a familiar feeling," Yan Zhichun said. "There aren't many people I trust either. You're one of them too."
"Good. Go prepare then." Qi Xia nodded.
Just as Yan Zhichun was about to turn and leave, she suddenly thought of something. Her hand pressed against the doorframe, and she slowly turned her head back, staring at Qi Xia with an extremely strange gaze.
"What is it?" Qi Xia asked.
"I just thought of something." Yan Zhichun's eyes grew calm. "Brother Yang, you said something earlier that bothered me."
Qi Xia didn't answer immediately, just stared at her, his expression suggesting he knew what she was about to say.
After a few seconds of thought, Yan Zhichun spoke slowly: "When you first came into the room, you said you liked the name 'Ji Dao,' that it was very fitting as a 'needle'... right?"
"What's wrong with that?"
Yan Zhichun's pupils flickered slightly, then she uttered a few words in a low voice: "Don't you remember how the name 'Ji Dao' came about...?"
"I..."
Qi Xia narrowed his eyes. His deep, gray-white pupils seemed to conceal a wealth of information, but Yan Zhichun's years of training had already made her keen enough to see through some things.
"You haven't fully recovered your memory... have you?" Yan Zhichun asked, somewhat incredulous. "I thought you would lie to me, but I didn't expect you to deceive me the moment we met... Are you planning to lead the entire 'Ji Dao' to their deaths with only fragmented memories?"
"Whether I've recovered my memories or not, I only know that I'm in excellent condition right now," Qi Xia said. "Even if I'm incomplete, I'm absolutely capable of winning this battle."
Upon hearing this, Yan Zhichun swallowed slightly. She knew she was caught in a difficult dilemma. The White Sheep had returned, standing here perfectly fine, but his memory hadn't fully recovered.
In other words, the current White Sheep was not in his "peak state," yet he had to take over all the previous complex plans.
"Brother Yang, do you still remember the matter of 'Life Gate' and 'Death Gate'...?" Yan Zhichun asked tentatively again.
Qi Xia still didn't answer, only stared at Yan Zhichun with an ambiguous look.
And at that moment, Yan Zhichun realized that the most crucial part of this plan had gone wrong—the leader had lost the majority of his memory.
No matter how she looked at it, this plan seemed somewhat hasty now.
"I don't remember, but you can tell me," Qi Xia finally replied. "As long as you can recount the situation at that time, I'll give you the best countermeasure."
Yan Zhichun thought for a long time, then spoke: "Brother Yang... although I don't want to go over this with you, it concerns the lives of us 'Ji Dao members,' so I have to ask you for guidance."
"Go ahead."
"I..." Yan Zhichun was just about to speak but didn't know where to start. She paused for a long while before saying, "Brother Yang... did you receive a 'map'?"
"Yes," Qi Xia answered.
"Good... In that case, it'll be much easier to communicate." Yan Zhichun said, "You once told me that it had seven 'Life' gates and one 'Death' gate. Has the situation changed now?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Xia's pupils flickered, as if he was rapidly reconstructing the cause and effect of this matter in his mind. Although he could think of many different scenarios, his expression suggested he still hadn't recalled the whole incident.
This made Yan Zhichun's heart even more uneasy.
After about a minute, Qi Xia slowly opened his mouth and said softly:
"Yan Zhichun, all eight doors are 'Life Gates.' Rest assured."
The air froze for three seconds. Yan Zhichun slowly furrowed her brow: "Brother Yang, you... are you planning to keep lying to me...?"
"Oh?"
"You once told me that if I discovered you had 'recovered your memory,' I should immediately organize 'destruction.' But what's your situation now...? You've only recovered a small part of your memory, and you're even trying to deceive me..."
"Which sentence of mine is a lie?"
"All eight doors are 'Life Gates'... You've clearly forgotten everything. You don't know the whole story, and yet you've already concluded that all eight doors are 'Life Gates'..." Yan Zhichun said, her voice trembling. "How am I supposed to believe you?"
"I really don't know the specifics," Qi Xia said coldly. "But the idea of 'seven Life Gates, one Death Gate' sounds very much like a trap I set myself."
"A trap...?" Yan Zhichun slowly widened her eyes, looking completely unable to understand this statement.
"If I'm not mistaken..." Qi Xia let out a cold laugh. "That self-righteous White Sheep probably told you, 'I'm not sure which one is the Death Gate,' didn't he?"
"You..." Yan Zhichun swallowed. "How did you..."
"He knew the exact number of people, the types of 'Zodiacs,' the positions of these individuals, and even that there was only one enemy—yet he conveniently didn't know who that one person was. How ridiculous is that? Could such a lie fool you?" Qi Xia slowly grinned. "That sheep underestimated me... He should have left a more difficult problem for me to solve, not some childish trick."
Upon hearing this, Yan Zhichun quickly raised her hand as if to stop Qi Xia. She remembered that even when the White Sheep had recounted this, he had activated "Silence," meaning that it wasn't convenient to discuss the matter of these eight "Zodiacs" here directly.
"There's no need to be cautious," Qi Xia said. "All the schemes that needed to be fallen for have been fallen for. All the roads that needed to be paved have been paved. Even Qinglong is on my side."
Hearing this, Yan Zhichun's expression darkened again. She felt that the person before her had become somewhat unfamiliar.
"Brother Yang... although I believe in your strength, I understand the former White Sheep even better. I was never able to fathom his plans... What if you can't catch it?" Yan Zhichun asked. "What if you drop the tray on the ground... So many people... would die along with you?"
"Yan Zhichun..." Qi Xia's eyes gradually turned cold. He spoke slowly, "Since when... did you start doubting me so much?"
"I..."
"Even if I had no memory at all, do you think you could surpass me?"
Qi Xia's words sent a chill down Yan Zhichun's spine. A familiar, tense feeling instantly enveloped her entire body.
"Moreover..." Qi Xia took a step forward, pointed at his own eye, and grinned. "Do you think I'm... 'human' right now?"