# 1828
Chapter 1821: Zhou Ping's Threat
An Qingyu said calmly, "Purpose? Same as you—I was locked in here."
"Heh heh, is that right?"
The two stood inside and outside the ward, watching each other. The air fell into dead silence.
An Qingyu was about to say more when her gaze suddenly sharpened. She turned to look at the end of the corridor, where a figure in a white coat was slowly approaching from the distance.
"What are you doing?" Lin Qiye asked.
An Qingyu glanced at Chaos, "Nothing much."
"It seems our Key to the Gate is also curious about my immortal body…" Chaos's mouth curved upward as he spoke slowly. "Actually, if you just follow my example and take two hundred pills every day, you can become immortal and indestructible too—want to try?"
Lin Qiye's gaze swept between Chaos and An Qingyu, his brow slightly furrowing.
He raised his finger—
Bang—!
The door of Ward No. 5 slammed shut violently, nearly sending Chaos flying into it. With a soft click, the ward door locked again. Amidst Chaos's furious curses, Lin Qiye turned to An Qingyu and spoke slowly:
"Don't talk to him, understand?"
An Qingyu glanced at the tightly shut door without saying anything.
"Come with me." Lin Qiye turned to leave.
"Where to?"
"To meet the teacher."
An Qingyu stood frozen in place.
…
Whirr—
The sun had sunk below the horizon, and a deep blue-black hue had spread across the entire sky.
The roar of a helicopter echoed from the distance.
The cabin door opened, and Shen Qingzhu, one hand carrying takeout and the other holding baijiu, landed lightly on the desert floor.
He gave the pilot a signal, and the aircraft gradually climbed and disappeared at the sky's edge.
No cloak, no Straight Blade—today Shen Qingzhu wore only simple casual clothes, neat and sharp, like a guest who had traveled a thousand miles to attend a banquet.
He walked to the door of the Sword Hut and knocked twice. Zhou Ping's voice came from within:
"Please enter."
Shen Qingzhu pushed the door open and stepped inside. A brazier glowed with warm red light in the room. Zhou Ping and Lin Qiye were already seated by the fire. When they saw him enter from outside, their eyes lit up simultaneously.
"Well? Did you get it?" Lin Qiye asked.
"Forty minutes in line, but I got it."
Shen Qingzhu set down the takeout bag, and intoxicating aromas of food wafted out, whetting everyone's appetite.
Zhou Ping licked his lips, his eyes wide with longing. For the past few years, he had been in seclusion here, eating only dry rations and the like. This kind of homey, vibrant aroma of cooked food—he hadn't tasted it in so long.
"By the way, where's An Qingyu?" Shen Qingzhu asked in confusion. "Didn't you say you were bringing him too?"
Lin Qiye turned to look at Zhou Ping, his gaze carrying a questioning look.
"Mm, let him join." Zhou Ping nodded. "Don't worry—with me here, he can't escape."
"That's good."
With Zhou Ping's approval, the nothingness behind Lin Qiye twisted and warped. A black-clad silhouette quickly took shape.
When Shen Qingzhu saw this figure, his eyes narrowed slightly. He continued to unwrap the takeout bag without saying anything.
An Qingyu stood dazed by the brazier, staring at Zhou Ping sitting cross-legged on the ground and Shen Qingzhu, momentarily at a loss.
"This is…"
Zhou Ping gazed at him for a moment, then patted the ground beside him and said gently, "Sit down. Keep me company while we eat."
Once the patient's treatment progress reached 50%, Lin Qiye could bring them out of the asylum. Since Zhou Ping had spoken, there was naturally no need to worry about An Qingyu escaping. He could bring him out directly.
A complex light flickered in An Qingyu's gray eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he老老实实地 sat down.
Zhou Ping was of course aware of An Qingyu's situation, but he had never been particularly skilled with words, and now he didn't know where to begin… He could only turn to Lin Qiye for help.
Lin Qiye, on the other hand, kept his eyes on An Qingyu the entire time, afraid that he might make any move to escape from here.
An Qingyu silently lowered his head to stare at the brazier, saying nothing.
Four figures huddled around the brazier, their shadows dancing on the wall with the firelight. The small Sword Hut felt cramped, yet also strangely distant…
Snap—
Shen Qingzhu set down the takeout bag. A complex knot still死死 fixed to the surface of the plastic bag.
After a brief silence, he spoke slowly:
"I can't untie this."
Lin Qiye: …
"Can't you just cut it open?" Zhou Ping blinked. A hungry growl echoed from his stomach.
"Cutting would make a mess, and it won't fit back in the bag properly." Shen Qingzhu replied seriously, then turned his head. "Seven Nights, can you untie it?"
"…No." Lin Qiye answered decisively.
Zhou Ping also seemed to have guessed as much. "Actually, I'm not very good at this either…"
The Sword Hut fell into dead silence once more.
After an unknown period of time, An Qingyu finally raised his head, opening his mouth:
"I'll… try?"
Shen Qingzhu didn't hesitate, directly pushing the takeout toward An Qingyu. The latter's fingertips flicked gently, and the knot came undone with a snap.
"Impressive." Shen Qingzhu said flatly.
"Mm." Lin Qiye agreed.
An Qingyu: …
"I remember when I first taught you in the warehouse, it was Qingyu who always untied the takeout for us." Zhou Ping seized on a topic.
"…Didn't we always eat the meals you made for us? When did we ever order takeout?"
An Qingyu's expression was somewhat peculiar.
"Oh, I must have misremembered."
"…"
Lin Qiye couldn't help but press his palm to his forehead. The plan had been to see if they could persuade An Qingyu to surrender, but the atmosphere had become so awkward that he wanted to bolt through the door on the spot… Regardless, this opening had been thoroughly ruined.
Zhou Ping also seemed to sense this. Giving up on finding a topic, he，一边拆筷子，一边状似随意地 directly opened his mouth:
"Qingyu, abandon the Cthulhu Faction… Stay in Great Xia. No matter what happens, we'll face it together. Otherwise…"
Snap—
Zhou Ping accidentally snapped one of his chopsticks in half.
He fell silent for a moment, then顺势 said, "Otherwise, I'll cut you down."
An Qingyu's hand, which had been reaching for the rice ladle, trembled. His entire body stiffened in place.
After all these years, Zhou Ping's way of threatening people was still as unexpected as ever…
A faint, almost imperceptible sword intent radiated from within Zhou Ping's body. Sitting beside him, An Qingyu felt an icy chill persistently curling around his neck, as if at any moment his head would be severed from his body.
For a moment, that hand reaching for the rice ladle could neither advance nor retreat.
The small Sword Hut once again sank into a profound quagmire.