The Creatures that We Are

“Yeah,” Liu Qingying admitted easily. “I’m an information broker, Elder Seven Shadow. You haven’t forgotten about it, have you?”

Gao Yang had guessed as soon as Chen Ying was made that the Qilin Guild must have come to the conclusion from learning about Nine Frost’s Telepathy, and outside of the Nine Scions and Team Chen Ying, the only one who knew about it was Liu Qingying.

Gao Yang wasn’t here to cast blame, though. He only wanted a confirmation.

In fact, he should thank Liu Qingying for selling the intel, which ended up giving the Nine Scions two Rune Circuits and a multifunctional support team.

Nevertheless, Gao Yang put on an accusatory look. “You had a lot of intel to choose from. Why did you sell that to the Qilin Guild in particular?”

“I didn’t have much choice, Elder Seven Shadow.” Liu Qingying looked at the cute little man on her palm and tamped down the urge to pet it. “The Qilin Guild was after my hide for arranging secret meetings between you and Ke Yo.”

“If I didn’t give them anything about the Nine Scions, they would consider me an external support of the group, and I might not live to have this meeting with you.”

Gao Yang had long figured that out, of course.

“Okay.” Gao Yang made a bargain. “Still, I’m a little angry. You must make amends to me with a small favor. Don’t worry. It’s not going to be dangerous.”

…

Under the muddled blue sky, Surnamed Li sat on a bench on a bluff. Below was a gray blur of water, the sea lifeless and gloomy like it was suffering from serious illness. The sounds of waves crashing into the bluff came every once in a while, resembling the dragged-out groans of a patient.

Surnamed Li turned around to find her husband by her side.

He wore a formal white shirt, dark-colored pants, black dress shoes, and a black leather hat. He looked just like the young man Surnamed Li had first met.

He stared at the sea calmly and gently. “You dream of me again. How many times has it been since your last nightmare?”

Surnamed Li had a sickly and old smile on her face. “This is the third time.”

“You feel lost, Muzi.” The man turned to her. “Why do you feel lost after seeing the complete future clearly?”

“I don’t know.” Surnamed Li sighed. “Perhaps it’s exactly because the picture is too complete and clear.”

“I don’t have an answer for you, Muzi.” The man sighed. “I’m only your dream. The path is yours to walk on.”

…

Beep—beep—beep—

Surnamed Li, who had been unconscious for thirty-six hours, lifted her heavy eyelids. She had been intubated, and there was an IV in her hand.

It took some time for her to recover her memories from before falling unconscious. Then she slowly regained control over her body.

A minute later, she raised her hand and pressed the button by her side.

…

An hour passed. Surnamed Li came to and found herself in a half-seated position, accompanied by Vermilion Bird.

She was holding Surnamed Li’s hands to inject her with some energy, facilitating her recovery.

After Surnamed Li was shot and triggered the alarm, Colorless and Liao Liao were the first to arrive at the scene and save her from the brink of death. Although the Medicine C they administered had stabilized her, Surnamed Li was old, and the three Black Gold bullets put her in a critical condition.

Vermilion Bird brought One Stone here after hearing about the news and extracted the bullets, treating Surnamed Li and helping her overcome the most dangerous period.

“How are you feeling?” Vermilion Bird let go of her hands.

“Better.” Surnamed Li’s complexion had regained some color. “I’m even feeling a little hungry.”

Vermilion Bird smiled. “That’s good. Having an appetite is a good sign.”

“Thank you for saving me.”

“It’s only my obligation given my Talent.” Vermilion Bird stood up. “Now, you have to rest well.”

“Okay.”

“My treatment isn’t free, though.” Vermilion Bird smiled wryly. “I’m going back with One Stone. Elder Yan Liang’s waiting for you in the meeting room. We want to talk to you about what happened. Consider that the payment for my treatment.”

“Works for me.” Surnamed Li nodded. “But I have business to take care of first.”

“No rush. He’s got all the time in the world,” Vermilion Bird said half-jokingly. “He can even stay overnight here.”

After her departure, Colorless entered the ward immediately, while Liao Liao stayed watch outside.

Colorless said gravely, “Madam Li, Chen Ying might have defected.”

“Forget ‘might have’.” Surnamed Li spoke calmly. “She shot me and took the Rune Circuits.”

“Was Chen Ying…really swayed by Nine Scions?” Colorless couldn’t hide her surprise. She had suspected Chen Ying of wavering, but Chen Ying had been a loyal follower of Surnamed Li. It was hard to imagine that she would go so far.

“Now it seems that Yan Liang was right. Chen Ying had worked with the Nine Scions to root out Dust, all for our Rune Circuits.”

Colorless scowled.

Surnamed Li sighed. “Chen Ying has gotten closer to Gao Yang after joining Team Heavenbreaker, but I didn’t expect her to go this far. Still, for our history, she didn’t kill me…”

“What do we do now?” Colorless was at a loss. The Qilin Guild was already coveting the Union. Then Chen Ying and her team stole their greatest assets from them. The Union was in great danger.

“The Hundred Rivers Union…no longer has any bargaining chip.” Surnamed Li closed her eyes. “I’ll discuss the matter of a merger with Yan Liang.”

“Madam Li…” Colorless was going to say something.

“Stop.” Madam Li interrupted with a wave of her hand. “Have you looked into Chen Ying’s defection, Colorless?”

“I have,” Colorless said honestly. “At the moment, the confirmed list of defectors includes Chen Ying, Little Tian, Zhang Wei, Chestnut, Empty Life, Wild Range, Herb Snail, Shuang Shuang, Buzhou…”

Her face darkened. “...And Sha Ye and Wang Weiyan from my team.”

Surnamed Li paused in surprise. “Sha Ye and her daughter left, too?”

“Seems that way, yeah.” Colorless lowered her head. “They have all gone off the radar without leaving any clues. They must have been prepared.”

Surnamed Li thought for a few seconds before looking up. “How about the remaining members of the third team?”

“Jiang Hao, Miss, and Donxote were found unconscious in Jiang Hao’s living room, injected with Medicine D. They regained consciousness not long ago and were locked up separately. We haven’t questioned them.”

“Liao Liao and I believe that they must have gotten subdued by Chen Ying since they didn’t want to go with her. However, there’s the possibility that they were spies Chen Ying left behind on purpose. I’ll find out now.”

“No need. Keep them locked up for longer. I’ll question the three of them personally.”

Colorless nodded. “Understood.”

Surnamed Li took a deep breath. “Fetch me some clean clothes. I’m meeting Yan Liang.”

“Madam Li.” Colorless couldn’t accept it. “Is the Union really going to merge with the Qilin Guild?”

“Do we have a better choice, Colorless?” Surnamed Li asked. “At least there’s room for negotiation now. After some time, we won’t even have a say.”

Colorless clenched her fists and fell silent.

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