Chapter 736: The General from Afar
Staring at the bloody, empty sockets on the faces of the corpses, Zhang Shan's fury reignited.
"Ridiculous..." he gritted out. "Even if Chu Tianqiu ordered you to kill them, did he also order you to gouge out their eyes?"
But at that moment, Little Glasses keenly sensed something was off.
"Zhang Shan, I think it might be true," he interjected. "Although they were the ones who killed them, their hands have no bloodstains. They probably didn't dig out the victims' eyes."
After speaking, he stepped forward and said solemnly, "Mr. Han, Mr. Zhao, could you tell me—did Mr. Chu's original intention involve taking these people's eyes?"
"Yes!" Dr. Zhao replied. "We really did act under his orders..."
Just as the five of them were locked in a tense standoff in the middle of the school field, a cold voice rang out from afar.
"It was indeed me who told them to do it."
Everyone turned to look. Chu Tianqiu was walking toward them from the school gate.
He approached step by step, carrying with him a pungent stench of blood.
Zhang Shan stared blankly at him. In both build and appearance, this was Chu Tianqiu—but he didn't match the man in Zhang Shan's memories.
His hair was all swept back, exposing his forehead, and he wore a strange string of beads around his neck, like some sort of bizarre cultist.
What baffled Zhang Shan even more was the smell of blood clinging to Chu Tianqiu. It was as if blood dripped from his entire body; even the coat draped over his shoulders was stained with it.
Little Glasses quietly glanced down at Chu Tianqiu's hands and noticed they were bright red.
"Chu... Tianqiu?" Zhang Shan tested cautiously.
"What?" Chu Tianqiu gave a faint smile as he continued to close in. "It's only been a day, and you don't recognize me anymore?"
"We've only been gone for one day... but your change is too drastic..." Zhang Shan muttered, his mind churning in doubt.
Had Chu Tianqiu gone mad in such a short time...?
"I've just come to some realizations," Chu Tianqiu said. "I owe it to many people that I finally understand what I need to do."
"And what you need to do... is gouge out the eyes of these comrades...?" Zhang Shan asked.
"That's right." Chu Tianqiu nodded. "I ordered them to kill, and I dug out the eyes myself."
Zhang Shan hadn't expected Chu Tianqiu to admit it so bluntly. He stood frozen for a moment before asking, "Why?"
"Because I need the eyes," Chu Tianqiu replied. "Zhang Shan, give me your eyes too."
"What...?" Zhang Shan's brow slowly furrowed.
Old Lü looked at Chu Tianqiu, then back at Han Yimo and Dr. Zhao, sensing the situation was turning dangerous.
Though everyone was still talking, he felt that at any second a fight would break out.
Little Glasses quickly shot a glance and tugged at Zhang Shan. "Something's wrong. Let's get out of here first."
By now, Han Yimo had finally calmed his mind. With the dizzying surge of a violent ringing in his ears, he summoned the "Seven Black Sword" once more.
A sharp whoosh cut through the air, and the pitch-black sword flew in from the distant sky.
Zhang Shan cast a cold gaze around, then looked up at the sky. He said in a low voice, "You want to kill me here and take my eyes?"
"No." Chu Tianqiu shook his head. "Zhang Shan, you're now a 'Tianxingjian'—you should have self-healing abilities. If you gouge out your own eyes and hand them to me, I'll let the three of you go. That way, you won't suffer any lasting loss, and I'll get what I want. Why not do it?"
"Chu Tianqiu... do you have any idea how much I trusted you?" Zhang Shan turned his head to face him. "Even after 'Heaven's Gate' was torn apart twice, I thought it was just bad decisions—that we could start over. But now you want to dig out my eyes to make a necklace? How is that any different from being a lunatic?"
"Zhang Shan." Chu Tianqiu shook his head and smiled. "We've started over too many times. Before you joined 'Heaven's Gate,' Yun Yao and I tried countless times, and it didn't work."
"Is that so...? So you've been lying to me all along?" Zhang Shan laughed in anger. "Damn it. You said that a little over a year ago, you suddenly met me and invited me into 'Heaven's Gate' to conquer all the 'Zodiacs'—that was all a lie?"
"I didn't lie about that, but I've also remembered many things from before." Chu Tianqiu touched his forehead. "My memories converge on me every day. I even recalled the first time I met you... Too bad our first meeting wasn't a year ago."
"Oh?"
"Zhang Shan... you must know it yourself, don't you?" Chu Tianqiu folded his arms across his chest, smiling. "You're brave, loyal, with an 'Echo' stronger than most people's, and your 'Opportunity' isn't hard to fulfill... So why have you been an unknown ranger for so many years?"
"So what if I am?"
"For nearly ten years, 'Heaven's Gate' has been recruiting. If I'd known a man like you was wandering the streets, I would have taken you in long ago. But why did you never make a name for yourself?"
"I don't understand." Zhang Shan said. "I don't like the spotlight. It's normal that no one knows me."
"Right... I thought so too at first." Chu Tianqiu laughed. "But I overlooked an important point in time. A little over a year ago, not only did I meet you, but I also heard of a major event... If I had connected those two things... I might have figured it out much sooner—even caught a glimpse of Qi Xia's plan."
"A major event...?" Zhang Shan looked confused. He glanced at Little Glasses and Old Lü, who were equally baffled.
"About a year and a half ago, 'Whirlpool City' fell. Only a handful of people remained there—they couldn't even leave the interview rooms. Around that same time, a man named Zhang Shan appeared on these streets."
"'Whirlpool City'...?" None of those present had ever heard that name before; no one could respond.
Chu Tianqiu shook his head. "Zhang Shan, Zhang Shan. How could you be teammates with Little Glasses and Old Lü? The first time we met, ten years ago, you were standing beside Nie Bei. You were a renowned general of 'Whirlpool City.' But how did you end up here?"
Zhang Shan felt more and more bewildered. "Nie Bei... who is that?"
"Ha..." Chu Tianqiu didn't answer, only laughed to himself. "Nie Bei really did send 'Dao City' a great gift... But fate had other plans. You forgot Nie Bei's instructions and ended up becoming my subordinate."
Hearing this, Zhang Shan laughed bitterly once more. "So what does that have to do with you gouging out my eyes?"
"Of course it does." Chu Tianqiu said. "Nie Bei sent you to 'Dao City' just to leave himself a sliver of hope. And that hope is me."