Chapter 506: Rebirth
With a rough outline already forming in his mind, Qi Xia continued to speculate about the Earth Horse's motives.
As a "Zodiac," why would she go out of her way to tell him the story of Wen Qiaoyun?
What benefit did she gain from it?
Qi Xia's train of thought hit a slight snag at this point, feeling as though he was missing some crucial clues.
He knew that "Zodiacs" and "Participants" had always been hostile factions, two forces on this land with the strongest conflict.
Even if the Earth Horse truly wanted to show approval for someone, given her personality, she would grit her teeth and spit out a scathing remark.
She would never say something like, "Even Wen Qiaoyun failed."
"Because you have no reason to hope for Wen Qiaoyun's success..." Qi Xia rubbed his chin again. "In other words, as a 'Zodiac,' you inadvertently said something that only makes sense from a 'Participant's' perspective... So that line was put in your mouth by someone else... by a Participant...?"
Qi Xia recalled how Qiao Jiajin used "Breaker of All Techniques" to instantly dismantle the Earth Horse's game arena mechanisms. This meant that long ago, those mechanisms must have been created using "Echo." In other words, a "Participant" once helped a "Zodiac," since "Zodiacs never Echo."
Thinking in the simplest terms, the Earth Horse had once sought help from one or more "Participants," owing them a favor, and her current actions were simply repaying that debt.
"Taking part in those two games this time has truly taught me a lot."
Qi Xia nodded slightly, knowing that what he needed now was information.
Since he couldn't control his memories, he had to pin all his hopes on intelligence. Every Earth-level game could yield a wealth of information.
He knew he was different from other participants—he only needed a single clue. Whether it was a sentence or a glance from someone, he could extract the full picture.
"When I fully understand the 'Land of Endings,' that will be the beginning of the upheaval." Qi Xia looked up at the yellowish sun in the scarlet sky, as if shouting across the void to someone.
And on that sun, dark threads were steadily spreading inward from all sides.
*Click.*
The door of the building before him opened, and Qian Wu emerged with his team. This time, Qian Wu was a young man.
He and the others behind him seemed unharmed, only slightly weary. It appeared they had taken part in a game of wits rather than brawn.
"Five-G!"
The surrounding members of the "Cat" team stepped forward, relieved to see everyone safe.
Qian Wu hadn't expected to find two groups already gathered here, with many wounded among them. His expression immediately grew grim. Without even a greeting, he hurried over to check on their condition.
"Five-G, we're fine!" Qiu Ershi, known as "Jingfeng," quickly waved. "You need to see Brother Qiao first—his situation is bad!"
Hearing this, Qian Wu went to Qiao Jiajin's side and turned his body over.
He had fractures in both arms, a collapsed ribcage, and countless wounds resembling bullet holes and small burn marks all over. It was truly severe. If Qiao Jiajin hadn't been in far better physical shape than most people, he would already be dead.
Watching Qian Wu's movements, Qi Xia stepped closer. He had never personally seen Qian Wu use his healing ability, and this was a good chance to understand it.
Qian Wu made no obvious moves. He simply looked up and scanned the crowd, as if selecting something. After a moment, his gaze settled on Luo Shiyi.
"Eleven."
"Coming, Five-G." Luo Shiyi immediately understood Qian Wu's intention and stepped forward, extending his hand.
Standing nearby, Qi Xia observed that this man named Luo Shiyi, from certain angles, had a physique similar to Qiao Jiajin's, though slightly leaner.
Qian Wu reached out his right hand and touched Luo Shiyi's arm. In an instant, his own body transformed, becoming an exact copy of Luo Shiyi.
Qi Xia frowned, watching Qian Wu's every move. He slowly released Luo Shiyi's hand, then touched Qiao Jiajin with his left hand. Qiao Jiajin's body on the ground also began to change instantly.
The entire transformation happened within a second. Before Qi Xia could fully grasp the process, Qiao Jiajin's broken arms had returned to normal, and all his wounds had vanished without a trace.
The effect of "Twin Blossoms" was now clear to Qi Xia in general terms.
Qian Wu seemed to act as a "medium," achieving medical results by altering his own or the other's physical form.
Though it was called healing, it was more like reconstructing a body. He copied one body onto himself, then copied that body out again.
It seemed that "Twin Blossoms," which didn't appear particularly powerful, had achieved remarkable results in Qian Wu's hands.
Qi Xia recalled the first time he met Qian Wu—a slender woman. That day, Qian Wu had single-handedly "healed" all the members' broken hands, likely using the same effect.
So... what was Qian Wu's true form?
Though Qi Xia had already grasped Qian Wu's ability, one crucial mystery remained unsolved—
Qian Wu's "trump card."
The true power of "Twin Blossoms" wasn't the ability to freely change one's own or others' bodies, but rather to evade the great purges carried out by "Celestial Dragon" and "Azure Dragon."
Aside from the "Zodiacs," Qian Wu had retained his memories the longest, all thanks to the "trump card" he had mentioned.
Unfortunately, Qian Wu had never been willing to reveal it, and Qi Xia had no way of knowing.
Within a minute, Qian Wu had healed all the wounded among the groups. Qiao Jiajin and the others slowly stood up.
"What the...?" Qiao Jiajin regained his senses and examined his "brand new" body, finding it hard to accept. "Where did my scars go? Why am I so skinny?"
"Who are you calling skinny..." Luo Shiyi pursed his lips and looked at Qiao Jiajin. "At least you got resurrected using my body... and you're still picky?"
"Huh? So I'm using the 'Doesn't know pain' body now..."
"'Forget Worry'!!" Luo Shiyi yelled. "Don't think I won't curse you just because you saved our lives... Who's 'Doesn't know pain'?"
Qian Wu smiled, walked over to Qiao Jiajin, and nodded at him. "It can only be like this for now. Your body will recover the next time you're resurrected. Just stay alive for now—you can't fall here."
"Oh... fine then..." Qiao Jiajin agreed blankly.
Seeing everyone regaining their spirits, Qian Wu was about to show a relieved expression, but quickly furrowed his brow. "Where's Eighteen?"