Chapter 1281: Another Path
When Jiao Jiajin, Zhang Shan, and Chu Tianqiu reached the locomotive, they found that two corridors extended to the left and right sides of the hallway, but both were now complete chaos.
From the right side facing the doors came the sounds of many fights, as if every room had someone battling within.
On the left side lay a large pile of corpses. Chu Tianqiu immediately spotted Old Lv among them.
He stepped forward and saw Aunt Tong cradling Old Lv in her arms, softly humming a little tune in the Shanghai dialect. But Old Lv's entire body was drained of color; there was no way he could hear it anymore.
Chu Tianqiu paused. "Aunt Tong…"
"Shh…" Aunt Tong stopped singing and raised a finger to her lips. "Keep your voice down."
Seeing Aunt Tong's reddened eyes and tear-streaked face, Chu Tianqiu swallowed all the words he was about to say.
Countless questions surged in his mind. He didn't understand why Old Lv had appeared on the "train," nor why he had died in battle.
What was his final wish before he died?
Had his revenge been fulfilled?
"He shouldn't have died here…" Chu Tianqiu said.
Aunt Tong lowered her head again and gave a bitter smile. "Chu Tianqiu… you good child, your vast 'Good Karma' has always been with you. The 'Mother Goddess' is watching over you."
"Will the 'Mother Goddess'… lead us to victory?" Chu Tianqiu asked.
Aunt Tong shook her head and spoke softly. "The 'Mother Goddess' will lead us to our destined end."
Chu Tianqiu nodded with deep understanding after hearing this, then swept his gaze over the people nearby.
There were not only the bodies of "participants" but also those of "Zodiacs." The few still standing were all injured, clearly having endured a fierce battle.
"Aunt Tong, your battle is over," Chu Tianqiu said. "But ours is about to begin."
"Go on… good child…" Aunt Tong said, cradling Old Lv's body with a calm expression. "I see the 'Good Karma' shining brightly. It guides us toward our final direction."
Chu Tianqiu turned to look at Zhang Shan and Jiao Jiajin. The two stood outside Qinglong's room, eyes closed, as if steeling themselves for an approaching storm.
Sensing Chu Tianqiu's gaze, they turned their heads to look back at him.
"Let's go," Chu Tianqiu said. "I'll follow shortly."
Zhang Shan nodded, reached out, and pushed open the door. Jiao Jiajin followed close behind as the two entered Qinglong's room.
Chu Tianqiu took a deep breath. At this moment, he felt no nervousness—only an unprecedented calm.
"Aunt Tong, have you seen Qi Xia?" Chu Tianqiu asked.
"Qi Xia… no." Aunt Tong shook her head. "Child, you can wait here. The 'Mother Goddess' will guide him here. No… the 'Mother Goddess' will guide all who are meant to come."
...
Qinglong rested his chin on his hand, calmly watching the two men who had opened his door and entered.
"Oh…?" He paused, then slowly furrowed his brows. These were the very men who had appeared in his illusion.
In that damnable illusion, he had been locked in a bitter struggle with them, and then his "conviction" had completely collapsed.
How absurd was this?
Countless times, fate had tilted the scales in his favor—how could it reverse course at the final moment?
He slightly twitched his ears and indeed heard faint "Echoes."
Now even the long-lost "Spiritual Hearing" had returned. Everything was tipping back in his favor.
"'Heaven Walks Mightily,' 'Breaks All Laws,' and 'Twin Flowers'… Ha." Qinglong chuckled lightly. "Transcending the 'Heavenly Grade' counts as decent strength, I suppose."
"What are you yapping about?" Zhang Shan cracked his knuckles. "Should we just go straight in, or do you want to pick the venue?"
Qinglong slowly rose to his feet, staring at the two. "What if you can't win?"
"Can't win?" Zhang Shan raised an eyebrow. "Fuck it, if we can't win, we die."
"Huh?" Jiao Jiajin was startled. "Big guy, you've always been this straightforward?"
"What else am I supposed to do?"
Qinglong shook his head. "How about I offer you another path?"
"Another path?" Zhang Shan looked at Qinglong suspiciously. "You're cornered now. What path could you possibly have for us?"
"Ha…"
Qinglong ignored them and silently walked toward another door inside the room.
Jiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan exchanged glances but made no rash moves, watching him quietly.
Qinglong extended his hand and gently placed his palm on the door. A slight tremor followed as the door shook off dust and swung open before the three of them.
Beyond the door lay a vast, empty room. The scene that greeted their eyes was pure white. In the central plaza stood an unremarkable tree, and in the distance, a flight of stairs ascended upward.
A man with an identical face to Qinglong sat on a throne at the top of the stairs. He leaned sideways, propping his cheek on his hand, eyes half-closed, with a calm and composed expression.
"Look…" Qinglong smiled and pointed toward the figure on the throne. "This is the one I've been protecting all along… Tianlong."
Hearing that name, Zhang Shan and Jiao Jiajin immediately furrowed their brows. The situation seemed to exceed their expectations.
"This door hasn't been opened in decades, as far as I remember," Qinglong said. "I would never let anyone approach Tianlong… after all, he represents the pinnacle of this entire 'Peach Blossom Spring.' If anything happens to him, the whole 'Peach Blossom Spring' will turn upside down. That's why I've been protecting him with all my might…"
Jiao Jiajin paused. "But now you've opened the door."
"Yes…" Qinglong nodded. "If someone without much strength had come in, I wouldn't have chosen to open this door. It would be too suspicious if Tianlong died at their hands. But you two are different—you truly have the ability to kill Tianlong."
Neither of them responded, since Qinglong's words reeked of traps.
"So even if Tianlong is killed by you, the people below will think it's 'normal.'" Qinglong let out a crazed laugh. "Want to give it a try…?"
Zhang Shan swallowed slightly. Although Qinglong seemed to be proposing some kind of cooperation, he only felt that the situation was bizarre beyond description.
"Try… to kill Tianlong?" he asked.
"That's right!" Qinglong nodded and stepped into the doorway. "You might not succeed in killing me, but you'll definitely succeed in killing Tianlong. You can take his head for sure—I'll even help you."
Zhang Shan thought Qinglong was even crazier than he had imagined.
"Hurry in!" Qinglong said. "Don't stay outside… Tianlong is right there!"
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Shan stepped into the room. Regardless, the battlefield inside was far more suitable for fighting than this cramped little room.
Jiao Jiajin followed after two seconds of silence.
"Look, he has no ability to resist at all!" Qinglong laughed. "If you're really not at ease, you can even kill Qinglong first and then challenge me! I'll be right here waiting for you! Guaranteed one, fight for two—right?"