Chapter 136: Some Words Must Be Said in Time

“So, originally I didn't want to meet them, but since I was only at the Second Tier at the time and they were already at the Third Tier, I met with them anyway just to be safe.”

“The five or six of us had a meal together.”

“After the meal, Meng Dansheng, the chief of Sleepland, and Yu Yan from Dandelion Manor sought me out. They explained the situation in this Domain. They knew I was an outsider, so they asked me what things were like in the outside world.”

“I didn't reveal everything, but I still told them about New Sin City.”

“They were furious after hearing it.”

“That was when they asked me if I wanted to go home.”

“I said I didn't mind.”

“In truth, I desperately wanted to go home at the time.”

“The Day of Advent was approaching, and staying in this place was no different from waiting for death.”

“When the two of us first arrived here, there were about thirty years left until the Day of Advent.”

“I didn't intend to only live to be fifty-one, nor did I want to be trapped at the Third Tier for the rest of my life. I didn't want to be stuck in this backwater, watching my old friends fight for supremacy in the great world. So I told them that getting out would be incredibly difficult.”

“Either someone with an incomplete Pathway had to complete it and illuminate the road to the outside world, or they had to break through to the Fourth Tier.”

“Both of these options were actually dead ends for me. I only told them to see if they thought there was any possibility.”

“As for the first option, I had already completed my Pathway in my teens, so I had no flaws to mend. As for the second, I tried it later on.”

“At the time, I thought that with my talent, there might actually be a sliver of hope to push through and reach the Fourth Tier within thirty years. But it turned out to be far more difficult than I ever imagined.”

“The Pathways here are all incomplete. How could a flawed Pathway possibly support an existence beyond the Transcendent Tier?”

“It took me six years just to reach the Third Tier. And even now, as I write this letter, I still haven't seen a glimmer of hope for the Fourth Tier.”

“It was after I laid out those two options that they proposed a plan. They said there was a third way back: a dual pathway practitioner.”

“I had heard of this method, but I didn't think it was very reliable.”

“They laid out a lot of evidence in front of me and insisted that it would definitely work.”

“Sleepland, being the oldest location in this Domain, holds many bizarre items that can set a young child on a supreme path, including New Sin City's 'desire', 'Envy', 'wrath', and so on.”

“As for the child, Dandelion Manor could provide one.”

“They spun a beautiful tale, but I only realized later that they had their eyes on you.”

“You are indeed exceptionally gifted, far stronger than me, your Third Brother. Coupled with the fact that both of them were at the Third Tier, they used both threats and promises, and in the end, fool that I was, I agreed.”

“After all, on the surface, it just looked like they were going to let you grow up normally and have a child.”

“Besides, if I managed to reach the Fourth Tier, there would naturally be no need for you to go through with it.”

“Before then, being surrounded by a bevy of beauties probably wouldn't be a bad thing either. That was what I thought at the time.”

“Looking back now, Mom and Dad were right. I really was immature, almost laughably naive.”

“To maximize the chances of success, no one was allowed to interfere with your decision. So none of us ever went to that place. Everything was conducted in the strictest secrecy.”

“But when it took me six years just to break through to the Third Tier, I realized that the path to the Fourth Tier was a dead end.”

“Perhaps relying on you really was the only way.”

“In the time that followed, I kept waiting for the day you turned twenty-two and started a family. Meanwhile, I also secretly investigated this method to see if there were any flaws.”

“And as it turned out, I did find a flaw.”

“A very big one.”

“Giving birth to a dual pathway practitioner is highly likely to put both parents' lives in critical danger.”

“After uncovering this information, I immediately went to Sleepland.”

“But Meng Shuangsheng seemed to have sensed something. He called in Yu Yan and the newly joined Giant Mouth. With the three of them together, everything they said made it clear that the plan could not be stopped.”

“I was confident I could take on two of them at once, but there were three, so I left. I didn't show too much intention to fight, either.”

“Ah Ji, your Third Brother has made many mistakes.”

“But I already owe you too much, and I can't keep making one mistake after another.”

“I had someone deliver the Fear Sapling to you. If I go this time and don't come back, the Fear Sapling will die in your place on the day the child is born.”

“Without the Fear Sapling, the Fear Bird will go completely berserk. When that time comes, it will indiscriminately attack every target in Old Sin City.”

“If you ever manage to get out one day, I drew your favorite painting by the Ferris wheel. You'll know it when you see it. Go ride that Ferris wheel.”

“At the very top of the Ferris wheel, you'll be able to see the White Stone Cage. Only the eyes of our bloodline can perceive its location.”

“Once you get your hands on it—since you're stronger than your Third Brother—you'll definitely be able to capture the Fear Bird in the cage, just like when we were kids. After that, you'll have a means to deter the others here.”

“Coupled with the flaws in the others' Pathways that I've written down at the end of this notebook, with your talent, you'll definitely be able to establish a firm foothold in Old Sin City.”

“And peacefully live out the last ten years.”

“Ah Ji, Third Brother is sorry.”

“I shouldn't have left you alone in that White House just so I could go home, and I shouldn't have brought you here just because I wanted to play around.”

“If I can make it back...”

“Forget it. Ah Ji, the Fear Power I left here—if there is any remaining by the time you arrive, absorb it all. If it's gone, it means someone else got here before you.”

“Ah Ji, I'll stop writing here.”

“I've made far too many mistakes.”

“Ah Ji, Third Brother misses you very much.”

After finishing the letter, Yan Jing calmly flipped to the back of the notebook. Recorded there were the so-called Pathway flaws of Giant Mouth, Madam Yu, and Meng Dansheng.

And as for the Fear Power mentioned in the notebook, Yan Jing finally found it under the bed.

It was a cluster of black mist, and there wasn't much of it left.

Even if Yan Jing absorbed all of it right now, this body would probably still fall a little short of reaching the Second Tier.

It was likely that Meng Dansheng's visit had depleted too much of it.

So, the entire timeline was now sorted out.

San Shan discovered the flaw with the dual pathway plan, so he gave the Fear Sapling from the Fear Bird's beak to the Cameraman ahead of time. Without the sapling, the Fear Bird gradually drifted toward a rampage, and the fear plague broke out in the Amusement Park. Eventually, the Fear Bird flew out of its cage and entered Mantou's body. The fear plague completely erupted three years ago, and Mantou took that opportunity to escape.

Not long after, A Si came to the outside world to find a way to escape. She might have seen the painting on the Ferris wheel that the Cameraman had once told her about. Destroying it would have been too obvious, so when she fled, she made the Cameraman cover his head.

In the end, the painting was most likely ruined by the wind and sun, with no one to maintain it. That was why he had only noticed the dilapidated exterior when he stood in front of the Ferris wheel.

It was also three years ago that San Shan, after leaving behind his contingency plans, went to confront those three.

In the end, all of them had likely suffered injuries.

From the looks of it, Giant Mouth and Meng Dansheng's injuries were perhaps lighter than Madam Yu's.

Madam Yu hadn't shown herself for several years, while Meng Dansheng had even managed a trip to the White House and the Amusement Park before finally being severely wounded by the countermeasures San Shan left behind.

As for Giant Mouth, he could still come out and deliver a speech.

As for San Shan...

He was never able to return.

Twenty years ago, those three should have already been at the Third Tier. Yet twenty years later, San Shan fought one against three and still managed to heavily injure them all. It could only be said that his low opinion of their abilities was entirely justified.

Moreover... perhaps there were actually more than three opponents on the other side.

Yan Jing put away the notebook on the table.

In fact, he felt that San Shan wasn't wrong about many of the things he did.

For a twenty-one-year-old kid who had left home for the first time, to face a group of old foxes at a higher Tier than his own and accomplish all this... it was already no easy feat.

But if he were San Shan, he probably would have sought out the Cameraman back then no matter what.

To tell the Cameraman everything.

Some words must be said in time.

If you just wait, it might be too late.