# 537
Chapter 537
We Have Nothing
“You foresaw the Sword Saint’s peril?”
Yuan Gang, half-drunk, knitted his brows.
“Yes.” Lin Qiye nodded. “We want to know how to move freely through the fog.”
“Nonsense.”
Yuan Gang slapped the table. “You’re not even a Special Team yet you dream of charging into the fog to save someone? Are you tired of living?”
“We’re not a Special Team,” Lin Qiye answered calmly, “but if fear of death lets us watch our teacher die without lifting a finger… what’s the point of ever becoming one?
You told us: after a certain level of mental cultivation, state of mind decides breakthrough. If we do nothing now, when we reach that threshold we’ll be stuck forever.”
Yuan Gang stared into his eyes. “Do you know how high ‘that level’ is? In a hundred years only a handful in Great Xia have touched it. You’d gamble your lives on a sliver of possibility?”
“Yes.”
Lin Qiye didn’t flinch.
They locked gazes for a long time; then Lin Qiye smiled.
“Instructor Yuan, maybe you still don’t understand our team. Let me introduce us again.”
He lifted a hand, pointing around the table in order.
“Baili Pangpang—former heir of the Baili consortium, cast-out of his clan, murdered by the one he trusted most, then resurrected.
Cao Yuan—lost control of his Forbidden Ruins as a child, slaughtered his whole family; raised as a living calamity, jailed, then a monk; utterly alone.
Jialan—unearthed from a coffin, immortal; every relative, friend, memory buried by time.
An Qingyu—survived the Cangnan catastrophe, hunted by Night Watch, spent a year dissecting ‘mysteries’ in sewers, companion to corpses.
Shen Qingzhu—once reserve of Team 006, two-year undercover inside the Believers, single-handedly destroyed them, killed Yiyu, now back in Night Watch.
Jiang Er—former member of Team 008, watched her squad annihilated, perished herself, survives only as a magnetic field of her own brain…”
He pointed to himself.
“Me, Lin Qiye—once of Team 136, Cangnan City. My hometown, kin, friends erased by the Shiva’s Grudge; lived ten years in a miracle, then nothing.
Tell me, Instructor Yuan—what do you hear?”
Yuan Gang fell silent.
“We’ve all tasted despair. We crawled through mountains of corpses. We own nothing… except each other.
Special-team title, merit, serial number—meaningless. But if anyone strikes at one of us, they’d better be ready to fight us to the death.
The Sword Saint is Great Xia’s… and also our teacher, senior, friend.
We won’t watch him die.
Whether we can cross the fog, catch up, help—doesn’t matter. We have to try.
I’ve regretted once;
I won’t regret again.”
Around the table the others nodded, eyes hard.
Win or lose, they would try; waiting for the Sword Saint to march to his death was impossible.
Yuan Gang swept his gaze over them; his rigid face softened.
He hadn’t expected them willing to stake futures and lives for the Sword Saint. The courage forced him to reappraise these youths.
He sighed. “Even so… impossible is impossible.
The last team that could walk the fog was Blue Rain, long annihilated. Their relic that shielded them was reclaimed by headquarters. Unless you persuade Commander Ye, you’re not getting into the fog.”
Their eyes dimmed.
Ye Fan would never hand that relic over.
Was there really no way?
Seeing their slump, Yuan Gang shook his head. “Having the heart is enough. You’ve tried, haven’t you?
Now go back, sleep. Tomorrow morning fight my team. Win, and you become the fifth Special Team.
Since you’re my trainees, I’ll leak a bit about tomorrow.”
They still looked dejected; Yuan Gang’s mouth twitched, but he continued:
“Capture-the-flag. Big training ground outside Shangjing City. Plant a flag, it starts scoring; if pulled, scoring stops. Six flags total; first team to max points wins.
Field is huge—long, exhausting match. Tests strength, brains, stamina. Forty-eight hours. Inter-team attacks allowed; no killing, anything else goes.”
On the bustling snack street Yuan Gang patiently explained, while Lin Qiye’s team stared at the ground, lost in thought.
…
Shangjing City, Team 006 headquarters.
Captain’s office.
Shao Pingge rose from his recliner, yawned, muttered:
“Old Yuan says no favoritism, yet slips them the exam—ha, another handle on him.”
Rubbing his temples he walked to a desk piled with files.
As captain of Shangjing Team he was also Night Watch HR minister, controlling personnel across Great Xia—one of the top brass.
He signed a few papers, tossed the pen, gazed out at the night.
After a while he sighed:
“Interesting bunch of kids…”
After drinks with Yuan Gang, Lin Qiye and the others returned to their hotel and split for their rooms.
No matter how much Yuan Gang lectured, only they knew how much sank in.
Lin Qiye showered, killed the lights, lay staring at a letter and pair of wooden chopsticks on the night-stand.
He didn’t sleep all night.
Next dawn
he rose, washed, and with the others boarded the car to Team 006 HQ.
Though Yuan Gang had leaked the rules, courtesy—and fairness—required both teams ride together to the field.
Shangjing’s Night Watch followed stricter protocol.
Morning traffic was horrific; the hotel was far. An Qingyu had foreseen it and set out half an hour early.
In the quiet cabin Lin Qiye closed his eyes.
…
Asylum of the Gods.
“Good morning, respected Director.”
In the yard, Black Pupil—janitor’s uniform, coat, top-hat—sweeping diligently, bowed.
Lin Qiye gave a faint nod.
Black Pupil seemed to get along with the other orderlies—at least on the surface.
Lin Qiye took two steps, paused, turned back.
“Black Pupil, can you read anything off me? Foresee anything?”
Black Pupil smiled wryly. “Director, you forget—I predict objects’ futures. In here you’re not physical; your things aren’t matter. I see nothing.
Release me outside and I’ll help.”
Lin Qiye sighed. “Forget it—keep working.”
Black Pupil’s rank was “Boundless”; Lin Qiye couldn’t summon him to reality yet.
“Thanatos, staying for lunch?”
Nyx approached, smiling.
“Mother, bad timing—today I have a match…”
“Oh, what unfortunate news.”
The flicker of disappointment vanished; she walked on.
Lin Qiye fetched rice-wine from the kitchen, two bowls, hesitated, put them back.
He climbed to Room 4, knocked, entered.
As usual he sat before the ancient ape—who gave no reaction.
Staring, Lin Qiye spoke softly:
“Brother Monkey, today I have no time for stories…
A few words, then I must go.”
The ape sat cross-legged, palms together, eyes lowered, motionless—expected.
Lin Qiye murmured:
“Brother Monkey, have you ever felt someone precious about to die before your eyes… and you powerless?”
The Buddha-light around the ape quivered, as if a stone had struck a dead pond.
Lin Qiye froze.
For an instant a murderous aura slammed into him—hatred, killing intent—so fierce his body shook.
Then it vanished.
He stared; only gentle holy light remained, as if nothing had happened.
He shook his head and continued:
“I have…
I held him while he died, felt his breath fade, his body chill; rain mixed with blood and tears soaked the earth… At the end he still smiled, asking… if he looked cool.
Strange, huh?”
The Buddha-light flared violently.
Under the kasaya the body trembled; beneath lowered lids the pupils contracted, remembering.
“He was unreliable—smoked, showed off, weak yet played hero…
But
when he got serious—
he was really cool.”
The light blazed, striving to suppress something; the kasaya fluttered, veins bulged across clenched fists.
Brow furrowed.
“Back then I was too weak to save him… The guilt, grief, rage—I still feel them.
I thought two years had changed me, made me strong enough to protect those I cherish…
So why
has nothing changed?
Still too weak, can’t save them—this time I can’t even see his face…
Old Zhao, Auntie, now the Sword Saint…
Must I always watch them leave, one by one?
Is
this really fate?”
BOOM—!!
A terrifying pressure exploded; Lin Qiye was hurled back, barely steadying himself.
Furious wind shredded Buddha-light, shook the whole ward, rattled the asylum.
“What’s happening?!” Li Yifei ran out in panic.
“That mad monkey in Room 4!” Nyx frowned.
Black and blue figures shot into the air; a harp-carrying one followed.
Lin Qiye raised a hand to stop them.
“Don’t…” He stared at the ape, shaking his head.
In the gale the kasaya billowed; twin dark-gold flames blazed in the ape’s eyes.
Unclenching, he clenched his fists.
Cracks ripped across the kasaya.
The light faltered as the tattered-robed figure rose, faint aureole glowing from dark-gold fur. Step by step he walked toward Lin Qiye…
Eyes locked on him, the ape rasped:
“To hell with fate!!