Chapter 545: Turning Them Against Each Other
"I want to apologize, but Vermilion Bird isn't under my jurisdiction." Qinglong looked at me expressionlessly. "Your sanity has been returned to you. Let's part ways here."
I knew, of course, that I couldn't leave just now.
Qinglong rarely showed himself, yet here he was, on the outskirts of the city, standing beside Qi Xia's corpse.
What was he going to do?
Seeing that I had no intention of leaving, Qinglong stopped talking. He turned back to look at Qi Xia, his expression shifting slightly before he reached out and touched Qi Xia's neck.
"Still alive...?" he murmured softly.
"Qinglong... why exactly are you here?" I couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out the question that had been weighing on my mind. After all, Qinglong was easier to approach than Tianlong. This was a rare opportunity.
"I..."
Qinglong's androgynous voice rumbled in his throat, then fell silent for a few seconds. He flicked his finger slightly, and I felt an invisible force field enveloping us both, cutting off all sound from the surroundings.
"Xu Liunian, do me a favor."
"What...?"
He stood up, reaching out to touch my forehead again. Instantly, the image of a strange woman appeared in my mind.
"Use your 'Echo' to transform into this woman," Qinglong said in a tone that brooked no refusal. "This person isn't dead yet. Come and show yourself to him."
I recalled the woman's face in my mind. Her features were flawless and exquisite, her smile sweet and charming. She wore a pure white dress.
Qinglong seemed to have infused me with a wealth of memories. The chances of successfully transforming into her were high.
"But Qinglong... are you giving me orders?"
"No." Qinglong looked at me with eyes full of sorrow. "These past years have been too peaceful. I want to stir up a storm. If you help me, it'll naturally benefit you as well."
I knew Qinglong had always been an outlier here. In some ways, he was very much like Qi Xia.
I could never see through the motives behind anything either of them did.
"Time is running out," Qinglong said again. "If you don't come soon, he'll die."
After weighing the options back and forth, I decided to transform into that woman first. Consider it repaying Qinglong a favor.
Since he had helped restore my sanity, I would do this one thing for him.
I silently closed my eyes and recalled the girl's image in my mind. Qinglong had given me a vast amount of memories. I felt as if I knew this girl very well.
She lived in my memories, like a true friend.
A few seconds later, I opened my eyes and felt that even my height had changed.
This girl was truly beautiful. If only I had been born looking like this.
"Come, Xu Liunian." Qinglong walked over to Qi Xia and waved his hand. "Come here."
I lowered my head and slowly walked to Qinglong's side, looking down at the white dress I was wearing.
Yes, I had always loved wearing white dresses.
Now, I was Yu Nian'an.
I crouched down beside Qi Xia. Qinglong casually waved his hand, and at that moment, Qi Xia's eyes opened.
But his gaze was utterly vacant, no different from a dead man's.
I crouched beside him, staring at him. I saw his lifeless pupils shift slightly as he slowly looked from my left eye to my right eye.
His eyes were those of a man on his deathbed, yet they radiated an unbearable sorrow.
"What dream are you having?" I asked with a smile. "Am I in it?"
A tear gathered at the corner of Qi Xia's eye but refused to fall.
So, was his dream sweet or bitter?
"Don't say too much," Qinglong interrupted me. "I'm about to hear it."
"Hear what?" I asked.
"His 'Echo,'" Qinglong replied. "The frequency of this man's voice is extremely strange. In decades, I've only heard it once."
We waited in silence. I remained as Yu Nian'an the entire time.
But unfortunately, the chime that both Qinglong and I had been waiting for never came. Qi Xia closed his eyes.
He was dead.
I had witnessed too many deaths here already. I could only shake my head and say:
"All we can hope is that he'll have a good dream, forget all these memories, and return to this desolate place with renewed passion."
"No..." Qinglong slowly broke into a grin. The male and female voices in his throat were both laughing. "He has 'synchronized.' I've already heard the sound."
"'Synchronized'?" I looked at Qinglong curiously. "What does that mean?"
"Just before he died, the sounds around him began to change. He must have obtained divine power already. But..." Qinglong turned to look into the distance. "I wonder if the 'bell' he built himself can capture such a high-frequency sound? After all, it's beyond the range of human hearing."
He paused for a moment before continuing: "Of course, there's a second possibility... that this brief sound can never reach that giant bell, and only I, here and now, can hear it."
I silently closed my eyes after hearing this and reverted to my own appearance. Then I asked: "So you made Qi Xia 'Echo'? Isn't he an 'Unfortunate One'?"
"Oh? 'Unfortunate One'...?" Qinglong let out a light laugh. "Is there really such a thing as a true 'Unfortunate One' in this place? His voice frequency is extremely high. Just wait and see. This so-called 'Peach Blossom Land' of ours, or 'Land of the End' as they call it, is about to change drastically."
"What exactly is your goal...?"
"I want to know who is stronger—Qi Xia or Chu Tianqiu," Qinglong said. "Is there a way to make them fight?"
Hearing Qinglong's words, I fell silent for a moment.
If it were possible, I probably wouldn't go back to Chu Tianqiu—after all, Chu Tianqiu was far too soft-hearted. He was too kind to all the "participants." A man this good-hearted was not the best candidate I had in mind for destroying this place.
"Is it really necessary?" I countered. "Chu Tianqiu is like a 'first-aid station' set up here. He helps the so-called newcomers get familiar with this place, then gives them supplies to help them along... Are you telling me we should compare a man like that to Qi Xia? Qi Xia was once the man who stood before you and Tianlong!"
Qinglong smiled faintly in response. "So what? Do you think Chu Tianqiu will stop there? The gears of fate have begun to turn without reason. The paths everyone has paved will begin to reveal themselves from this moment on. Our 'Peach Blossom Land' shall become a tomb, burying us all here."
Hearing Qinglong's words, I swallowed slowly. This man, just like before, was saying things I couldn't understand at all.
He paused, then added: "It's just... I'm not sure if this time will end like before, with a great many strong players bowing out. The very sky here has been stained red by blood and flesh. How many more such upheavals can it withstand?"
"So... what do you want me to do?" I asked tentatively.
"It doesn't matter." Qinglong shook his head. "No matter what method you use, as long as you can drive a wedge between them and get them to fight each other, it'll be a spectacular show for me."
After speaking, he looked at me again: "For example... use your 'Echo' to impersonate Chu Tianqiu and turn them against each other."