The Creatures that We Are

“You succeeded in recruiting Ke Yo, but Green Snake and I almost died. You consider it your fault, which makes you too intimidated to make a decision. You fear that you’ll make another mistake. You fear responsibility. Thus, you let us decide so that you can avoid accountability and guilt. Isn’t that the case?”

Gao Yang didn’t know what to say.

“Coward! You should be ashamed!”

“Lithe Snake, that’s too much…” Gray Bear had enough of it.

“Shut up! Don’t interrupt me!” Lithe Snake stared at Gao Yang forcefully. “It was the best plan you could come up with then to recruit Ke Yo and lure Dust into exposing herself. There was an accident because we were too weak, not necessarily because you made the wrong decision. Even if you did make a mistake, and Green Snake and I—or more people—died because of it, so what?”

“Do you think you’re the only one gambling here, Gao Yang? We left our original organizations and put our heads on our belts with you. Isn’t that a great gamble as well?”

“We’re betting on you winning. We believe unconditionally that you can win.”

“But you are afraid now. You back down and run from your responsibility. You don’t even dare to make a decision.”

Lithe Snake scoffed and raised his voice again. “Wake the fuck up! You’re our boss! You created the Nine Scions! You swore to lead us to the new dawn!”

“Then you must do your best to win! Even if you make mistakes, even if you get spat on by tens of thousands of people and will end up in the deepest depths of hell, you must not hesitate!”

“When I followed Benson, there was never a mission where we didn’t lose our men, and there was never a mission that went perfectly. But none of us complained! Because he was the leader we chose. He was the strongest, calmest, and most determined. He was always the first to charge into the fray and the last to retreat. He always had the ultimate victory in mind rather than the easy way out within reach!”

“Look at the coward you have become, Gao Yang. Do you think you’re being a good leader without wrongdoings by lurking for survival and protecting everyone from getting hurt, then having us dying at the gentle night in each other’s warm company?”

Lithe Snake charged at him and grabbed his collars. “Wrong! Completely wrong! That’s not a leader, but a lamb!”

“You said that we weren’t lamb or the orphans of the world. We are all children of God and warriors fighting for our destiny!”

“Warriors may die, but not lose!”

His furious voice echoed in the dark and rundown sand treatment plant.

Then there was silence, and it stretched far and wide.

“Listen, Gao Yang, I won’t repeat this.” Lithe Snake let go of his collar and punched him in the chest, forcing him to stagger two steps back and meet Lithe Snake’s eyes.

“You’re the Divine Scion! The leader! Our boss!”

“Xiran, Ronnie, and Ghost Horse are all watching you. We’re all watching you too.”

“Do whatever you can, think yourself into a brain overdrive.”

“Fight! Keep fighting! Put all of you into fighting!”

“Don’t think about who will fall halfway. Don’t think about who will end up sweeping whose tombs.”

“Your only duty is to lead the Nine Scions to the crack of dawn.”

“If you can do it, you’ll be the captain we’re proud of even in hell. If you can’t do it, you’ll be a shameful coward even in fucking heaven. We’ll never forgive you.”

“Do you get it?!”

Gao Yang had never heard Lithe Snake speak this much. It was no exaggeration to say that Lithe Snake had spoken more tonight than all the days they had known each other combined.

Gao Yang committed every word to heart.

Lithe Snake was the Sword of Damocles above Gao Yang’s neck.

Silence overtook the sand treatment plant. Everyone got scorched by Lithe Snake's uncharacteristic outburst and the deep, determined anger in his chest. They needed time to digest the feeling.

After a while, Gao Yang looked up, his eyes clear, determined, and heated once more.

He looked around at his companions. Their gazes had a newfound determination to them too.

“We must walk the path we must walk,” Gao Yang said calmly.

Can immediately continued, “We must guard the way we must guard.”

“The…the ugly war is only starting…” Hong Xiaoxiao added.

“Burn the last of our life,” Nine Frost said in a deep, velvety voice.

“And we’ll have our crown!!” Wang Zikai quickly chimed in lest others say the line. He didn’t remember anything after the part.

“Shed the last of our blood!” Gray Bear hollered, getting pumped up as well.

“And we’ll be crowned,” Ke Yo joined. She had memorized the lines due to Nainai’s repeated brainwashing.

“Born in the dark,” Qing Ling played along reluctantly.

“The Nine Scions…” Lithe Snake put away his bloodied dagger, his lips curled into a satisfied sneer.

Nainai had been waiting for the moment. She jumped onto a taller pile of sand and raised her arms, flapping the black cape around her shoulders.

Without missing a beat, Can sent a gust of wind to her, lifting Nainai’s hair and cape and making them flutter.

“Will chase the dawn!!”

…

Chen Ying’s place, Nanji District.

Little Tian and Wang Weiyan were playing with blocks in the study room. They lay on the floor with toys in their hands, mimicking sounds and laughing happily.

Chen Ying and Sha Ye sat in the living room. The two cups of tea on the table were already cold.

Chen Ying hadn’t expected Sha Ye to visit with her daughter all of a sudden.

Little Tian was only two years older than Wang Weiyan. There were only two children in the Union, so they visited each other every now and then and had built a good relationship.

Chen Ying grumbled in her mind. What was Sha Ye up to? Still, she couldn’t just ask her about it, so she waited and played along.

Ring—ring—

The clock rang. It was twelve o’clock.

Chen Ying finally had the chance to say, “Ah, it’s late. The kids should go to bed…”

“Chen Ying.” The ringing seemed to have given Sha Ye courage. She interrupted Chen Ying and gazed at her with cool eyes, her smile dropping from her face. “I know you’re going to join the Nine Scions.”

Chen Ying smiled after a pause.

“What are you talking about, Sister Sha? Don’t play such jokes. You know how many years I’ve served Madam Li. I’ll never betray her…”

“Zhang Wei told me everything. The Qilin Guild is going to force a merge with the Hundred Rivers Union,” Sha Ye said anxiously. “That’s why I came here with Yanyan.”

Chen Ying maintained a calm front, but there was a storm in her head.

What did I tell you, Zhang Wei! Why would you just spill the beans?!

That’s not bold and cautious, but blindly confident! We are quite close to Sha Ye, but she’s a member of Colorless’ team!

“Don’t blame Zhang Wei.” Sha Ye pulled Chen Ying out of her thoughts. “He meant well. He knew that I had been considering leaving.”

Chen Ying remained quiet.

“If it were just me, it wouldn’t matter where I was, but…” Sha Ye glanced at her daughter, who was still playing in the room. “I must consider Yanyan.”

“Sister Sha.” Chen Ying tested her with a half smile. “If what Zhang Wei said were true, why would you think that it’s safer to be at the Nine Scions than join the Qilin Guild?”

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