Chapter 1156: Corn
Two voices—one real, one illusory—sounded at the exact same instant, without the slightest deviation, right beside Bai Jiu's ear.
The feeling was akin to watching a scene from a television drama play out simultaneously in reality, giving birth to a dazed sensation one had never experienced before.
Bai Jiu knew that this time, they had truly found Xuan Wu's ultimate weakness. But how exactly was she supposed to analyze the situation before her?
"No good... I can't handle this alone..."
Without hesitation, Bai Jiu pinched her lower lip between two fingers, tilted her head back, and blew a sharp, clear whistle, calling for all temporarily available strategists nearby to converge for support.
Upon hearing the signal, "Overgrowth" Ning Shiba, "Phase Shift" Cui Shisijiu, "Gale" Qiu Ershi, and "Flash Burst" Feng Shiqi immediately began moving swiftly from all corners of the battlefield toward Bai Jiu. Song Qi, standing on a high vantage point, thought for a moment and then prepared to dispatch a clone to assist as well.
Before leaving, he deliberated briefly, temporarily handing over command of the battlefield to Su Shan. He chose to bring the experienced Officer Li along with him.
After all, the signal Bai Jiu had just sent was far too peculiar—it felt like she had found the ultimate solution, yet also like she was trapped by an immense dilemma. Sensing something amiss, Song Qi could only move to resolve the matter himself.
Up ahead, various combat-type "Echoes" began to fully block Xuan Wu's attacks. But no one knew what had happened to Xuan Wu—she no longer used "Reach into the Bag." She now relied solely on basic hand-to-hand combat and "Leap" to slaughter the group one-sidedly.
Fortunately, the combat experience of the Cat Team was extremely rich. They quickly established a solid defensive line. Although many had already been injured, so far only Luo Shiwu had been killed.
The battle against Xuan Wu had already dragged on for a considerable amount of time. Even Yun Shijiu, who had been maintaining "Silence" the entire time, was now drenched in sweat.
Standing cautiously atop another tall building, he kept an eye on the surroundings. He noticed that figures were starting to appear on the streets, moving about.
The effects of "Underworld Path" were beginning to spread across the entire city. The location they had chosen to assassinate Xuan Wu was an inconspicuous little square surrounded by low buildings. It didn't lead to any major roads, and the surrounding structures blocked the view from the streets. Combined with the presence of "Silence," it should be some time before anyone discovered that a battle was raging here.
But a single stone can stir up a thousand ripples. In a little while longer, various participants and the "Zodiacs" would inevitably find that a group had gathered here to ambush Xuan Wu. After all, "Silence" wasn't a protective barrier—it couldn't stop people from entering or leaving, only block sound.
Just then, Song Qi and Officer Li walked quickly past the building where Yun Shijiu stood.
"Seventh Brother!" Yun Shijiu shouted from the rooftop. "Time is running out... we might need to hurry."
Song Qi only nodded gravely in response. After all, the Xuan Wu they were fighting had completely transformed into a non-human creature. They had been locked in a grueling battle for a long time without finding any way to kill her. He could only hope that Bai Jiu's plan this time would work.
Soon, many of the Cat Team's strategists began to gather around Bai Jiu. Song Qi pushed through the crowd and stepped to the front.
Bai Jiu looked up, her expression heavy. "I need to tell you all what just happened. It might be hard to accept, but please trust me and use this as a basis to discuss our next move."
...
Qiu Shiliu hid behind a pile of dry grass in the corner of the wall. She watched the wild-looking girl in front of her shiver as she tried to start a fire. She dared not speak or move recklessly.
She had clearly seen that the girl had a face identical to Xuan Wu's, only much younger—she couldn't even determine her age.
So... what exactly was going on here?
She had been traveling through a strange space. Assuming that her previous location was connected to all the spaces in the world, that could barely be understood.
It was like being inside a massive "Transit Device" that allowed her to reach any corner of the world—whether known or unknown.
But why could "time" also be connected?
If the girl before her really was Xuan Wu, then she must be Xuan Wu from another age. At this point in time, she should not exist in any other space.
"Ninth Sister..." Qiu Shiliu brought the "Door" to her lips and whispered in a voice so low even she could barely hear it, "Can you hear me...?"
There was no immediate response from the other end, only faint rustling sounds.
After a moment, a weak voice came through: "I can hear you... They've all gone to a meeting."
"Tenth Brother?" Qiu Shiliu said in a breathy voice. "I think I'm in a bit of a passive situation. I don't know what to do..."
"Well, you sure came to the right person..." Jiang Shi laughed bitterly. "I can't see anything. I can only hear the sound coming from your thoughts in my brain. How about I tell you a story to pass the time?"
"Tenth Brother, I'll pass on that." Qiu Shiliu said. "I'll wait for Ninth Sister to come back..."
"Why don't you go talk to her?" Jiang Shi suddenly changed the subject. "We've come this far. What's the point of hiding?"
"Talk?" Qiu Shiliu was stunned. "You mean... the kind where I just walk out, pat her on the shoulder, and say something like 'Hello there, little girl'?"
Jiang Shi thought for a moment, then replied seriously: "Actually, you could also start with 'Hey! Monster!'"
"Alright, alright... Tenth Brother, you just rest."
Qiu Shiliu put the "Door" back in her pocket and continued to observe the strange little Xuan Wu in front of her.
She watched as the girl busied herself around a stove, then pulled out a dirty box of matches. After a few strikes, a spark flared, and she used a pile of dry grass to start a fire.
When the flames grew larger, little Xuan Wu reached into her backpack, pulled out something that looked like a stick, and tossed it into the fire.
Then she crouched by the stove and waited quietly.
Qiu Shiliu leaned forward, trying to get a better view.
But soon she noticed something odd. The little Xuan Wu seemed to be roasting something.
After a while, Xuan Wu picked up a wooden stick from the side and fished the item out of the fire. It rolled clunkily onto the ground.
Only then did Qiu Shiliu see clearly: the thing that had rolled out was an ear of corn.
No... to be precise, it was a corncob without even half a kernel of corn left on it.
The corncob was charred black, still smoldering with sparks. Little Xuan Wu walked over, patted out the sparks, and then, to Qiu Shiliu's utter bewilderment, shoved it into her mouth.
She was immediately scalded by the hot cob and let it drop briefly, blowing on it to cool it down. Half a second later, she put it back in her mouth and bit off a large chunk.
The corncob looked hard and burning hot. Little Xuan Wu's mouth was blackened, but she still chewed it for a long time and forced it down.
"What the hell..." Qiu Shiliu couldn't help but frown.
Seeming to find the thing tasty, little Xuan Wu took the remaining few corncobs from her backpack and threw them all into the fire.
As the cobs entered the stove, the flames were heavily smothered.
Seeing that the fire was about to go out, little Xuan Wu quickly turned around and headed straight for the pile of straw where Qiu Shiliu was hiding.