Chapter 476: The Plan to Create a Person
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chenze nodded slightly and asked, "But what should I do?"
"The plan is very simple..." Xu Liunian said. "The difficult part is ensuring that Qi Xia definitely obtains the 'Echo.'"
"Then what's the 'plan'?"
"The plan is to have people from various identities all convey the same message to Qi Xia—'There is a very formidable person on this land, and her name is Wen Qiaoyun.'"
"This..." Zhang Chenze swallowed slightly. Although she wasn't a superstitious person, after witnessing so many 'Echoes,' she had become accustomed to even the strangest situations.
"You're saying..." She organized her thoughts and asked, "We want to... create this person in Qi Xia's subconscious first?"
"You understand quickly." Xu Liunian nodded. "That's right. When he obtains the 'Echo' again... a Wen Qiaoyun will appear out of thin air on this land because of Qi Xia's 'thought.'"
Zhang Chenze felt there was an obvious flaw in this. She blinked and said, "That's not right...?! If that's the case, Qi Xia has no idea what Wen Qiaoyun looks like, nor what her abilities are... How is he supposed to 'create' this person?"
"Is that contradictory?" Xu Liunian asked.
"Of course it's contradictory!" Zhang Chenze frowned. "Even if you give me a piece of clay and tell me to shape it into a small animal, I still need to have seen that animal, right?"
"I thought your comprehension was strong enough, but it seems you still can't escape the shackles of human thinking." Xu Liunian leaned against the wall, once again revealing a meaningful smile. "Why does Qi Xia need to have seen Wen Qiaoyun?"
"If he hasn't seen this person... even if his 'Echo' is to create people... that's too difficult, isn't it? Can he create a person out of thin air? If the Wen Qiaoyun he creates is even slightly different from the Wen Qiaoyun we know, doesn't that mean the plan fails?"
"That's not the issue at all." Xu Liunian shook her head. "Do you think we're trying to create a real 'Wen Qiaoyun'? Do you think 'Wen Qiaoyun' is really that important to us?"
"Isn't it...?"
"As long as Qi Xia can create someone stronger than himself, someone he can rely on, then that person—no matter what she looks like, no matter what her personality is—she is 'Wen Qiaoyun.'"
"What...?"
Xu Liunian looked at Zhang Chenze's expression and felt she seemed to understand. So she took a few slow steps forward. "I've already communicated with the 'Zodiac' side. The three words 'Wen Qiaoyun' have been accurately delivered into Qi Xia's ears. So what's next...?"
Although the girl standing in front of Zhang Chenze was very thin, Zhang Chenze felt extremely frightened.
It was hard to describe this feeling in words. She just kept trembling, feeling as if she was being drawn into a terrifying event.
She had only just obtained the 'Echo,' but was she already this close to madness?
"You... you can cooperate with the 'Zodiac'?"
"More or less." Xu Liunian nodded. "We each have our own goals, so sometimes we cooperate with enemies. But that's not something you need to worry about... You just need to remember that 'Wen Qiaoyun' is extremely powerful. This must be conveyed to Qi Xia."
Zhang Chenze looked down at the floor, taking slow, deep breaths.
The plan did sound very simple. They would use Qi Xia, deceive him, and make him subconsciously create a person who didn't originally exist... Could it really work?
"Do you remember the new girl who appeared in your room?" Xu Liunian asked. "She is the wife Qi Xia created out of thin air."
"A wife created out of thin air...?" Zhang Chenze frowned. "Didn't Qi Xia originally have a wife?"
"I'm not sure about that." Xu Liunian shook her head. "The only thing I can be sure of is... even if he really did have a wife, that woman is definitely a 'copy.' That's how terrifying Qi Xia is."
"No wonder..." Zhang Chenze's expression dimmed slightly. "No wonder the old man called 'White Tiger' said Qi Xia is the one closest to 'God'... His ability is far stronger than any of us..."
"No." Xu Liunian shook her head. "There's no need to say that. If our faith is strong enough, each of our 'Echoes' can give birth to countless possibilities. But at this critical juncture, I hope you can cooperate with us and make Qi Xia create a 'Wen Qiaoyun.'"
"But..." Zhang Chenze looked up at Xu Liunian and hit the nail on the head. "This plan doesn't seem to have anything to do with you. Why are you offering it?"
"Nothing to do with me?" Xu Liunian smiled faintly. "How could it have nothing to do with me? In some ways, my goals overlap heavily with yours. I want to liberate this place and free everyone from the 'suffering of reincarnation.' But there's one difference between me and you... I don't care whether anyone escapes from here."
"So you need more 'strong people'?" Zhang Chenze countered. "You don't care if that person is Chu Tianqiu's lover, or if she is someone Qi Xia can rely on. You just want a strong person purely?"
"Exactly, Lawyer Zhang." Xu Liunian nodded. "Now that you understand all my motives, can you help me? Remember, an exceptionally powerful 'Wen Qiaoyun' appearing would be a good thing for you, for me... for Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu alike."
Zhang Chenze frowned and thought for a few more seconds. She really couldn't find a reason to refuse.
If there was any discomfort, it was that she felt sorry for the real Wen Qiaoyun—that withered, severely malnourished saleswoman.
While everyone was cheering for the new 'Wen Qiaoyun,' the real 'Wen Qiaoyun' was destined to die quietly like this?
Her death wouldn't even stir a ripple, like an insignificant native by the roadside.
Thinking of this, Zhang Chenze's eyes slowly widened.
A terrifying thought suddenly arose in her heart.
Did this real 'Wen Qiaoyun'... even exist in the first place?!
If Qi Xia's 'Echo' had always been 'creating a person'... could it be that one day, someone had deceived him just like they were deceiving her, told him there was an incredibly intelligent woman named Wen Qiaoyun, and thus Wen Qiaoyun came into existence?
"This is too terrifying..." Zhang Chenze's lips trembled as she spoke. "What kind of place is this? What kind of bizarre ability is 'Echo'?"
"Don't overthink it." Xu Liunian seemed to see what was on Zhang Chenze's mind and reached out to pat her shoulder again. "Lawyer Zhang, I don't know if you'll believe me, but you need to know... we're getting closer and closer to our true goal."