Chapter 525: "Mhm" (Two in One)

Hearing Yan Jing's words, Mu Tian did not answer immediately, instead looking into his eyes.

Yan Jing said no more, quietly meeting his gaze.

He knew Mu Tian was examining his soul.

But he had already activated Stone State.

Mu Tian was only two tiers above him.

A few seconds later, Mu Tian slowly withdrew his gaze.

"You are lying."

Mu Tian said.

Yan Jing offered a faint smile, his gaze tranquil.

"Say what you will, my answer remains the same."

"Tell me more, and I'll try to think of something. With only what I know right now, I really can't come up with a solution."

Mu Tian turned away, seemingly unwilling to discuss the matter any further.

But just as Yan Jing picked up his bottled water again, the warden's voice finally sounded:

"I want to advance to the Tenth Tier."

"Advent Day is approaching. Reaching the Tenth Tier will at least give me the power to protect myself."

"Unfortunately, rushing this step ultimately caused severe damage to my foundation."

"I possess an ancient sacrificial array that allows me to offer

Hearing Yan Jing's words, Mu Tian did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked into Yan Jing's eyes.

Yan Jing remained silent, quietly meeting his gaze.

He knew Mu Tian was examining his soul.

But he had already activated Stone State.

Mu Tian was only two tiers above him.

A few seconds later, Mu Tian slowly withdrew his gaze.

"You are lying."

Mu Tian spoke.

Yan Jing offered a faint smile, his expression calm.

"Say what you will, my answer remains the same."

"Tell me more, and I'll see what I can do. With the information I have right now, I really can't think of a single solution."

Mu Tian turned away, seemingly unwilling to discuss the matter further.

But just as Yan Jing picked up his bottled water again, the warden's voice finally broke the silence:

"I want to advance to the Tenth Tier."

"Advent Day is approaching. Reaching the Tenth Tier will at least allow me to protect myself."

"Unfortunately, my rush to take this step ended up severely damaging my foundation."

"I possess an ancient sacrificial array that allows me to offer up a living being of a similar tier to my own in exchange for a Deity's blessing. But... the sacrifice must be willing."

"That was when the Wizard Continent sent over Wen Qiao and Wen Xu."

"Wen Qiao approached me on her own initiative."

"She seemed to possess some sort of precognitive ability and knew what I was looking for, so she told me she was willing to make a deal: herself in exchange for Wen Xu's release."

"But my condition was still fine back then, and I didn't appreciate her tone. Most importantly, I didn't trust her. If she suddenly backed out during the sacrifice, everything would be ruined. So, I refused her."

"Instead, I resorted to more aggressive methods in hopes of forcing her into submission."

"I also sought out alternative methods in hopes they would succeed."

"But ultimately..."

Mu Tian paused.

"Those other methods failed."

"And my condition only continued to deteriorate."

"I sought her out again, looking to fulfill her original offer."

"And she refused?" Yan Jing suddenly interjected.

Mu Tian shook his head.

"No, she agreed."

"But her agreement wasn't the strange part."

"It was her attitude."

"How should I put it? The first time, she was deeply worried about Wen Xu and quite downcast, but now she had changed."

"She was in incredibly high spirits, and showed absolutely no fear in the face of her impending death."

"It was as if... death was something wonderful to her."

"Not only that, but I vaguely sensed... she was actually looking forward to Wen Xu's death."

"My instincts aren't wrong. I've seen too many corpses, too many vengeful spirits. There is definitely something else going on here—perhaps even a conspiracy."

"Between those two points in time, both of them underwent obvious changes. I believe the two of them must have met."

"Or perhaps the turning point was God Storage Land. My failure caused the initiative between us to flip. Of course, I still haven't figured out exactly what happened."

"But Wen Xu's recent behavior has already confirmed some of my suspicions."

Mu Tian finished speaking.

He looked at Yan Jing.

Truth be told, he didn't think Yan Jing could deduce much from what he'd just shared.

Wen Qiao's mood had changed.

Wen Xu had grown stronger.

Was there an inevitable connection between the two?

He wasn't entirely sure.

Or perhaps he was sure, but regardless, for him, as long as Wen Qiao willingly participated in the sacrifice, that was enough.

So whether he was sure or not didn't seem important.

But looking at it now, Wen Xu's sudden betrayal made the underlying implications well worth pondering.

Perhaps this had been a thorough conspiracy from the very beginning.

If that were true, he was now in a completely passive position. All he could do was wait for defeat.

Therefore, he looked up at Yan Jing, wanting to see what he would say.

But Yan Jing had also fallen silent.

And not just for a brief moment.

He sat on the sofa with his eyes half-closed, lost in thought for the better part of an hour.

Only after the better part of an hour did he finally sort out his thoughts.

He opened his eyes and looked at Mu Tian:

"I need to see Wen Qiao."

This was Yan Jing's second visit to the Special Prison Cell.

The last time he came, it was to inspect Tan Yan's corpse.

Soon, he arrived at Wen Qiao's cell and laid eyes on the rumored woman.

He had actually seen the person before him many times—in memories, in portraits, through Xiao Xin's descriptions, and in the dreams of the Crystal Ball. But strictly speaking in terms of reality, this was their first meeting.

The setting sun and a breeze slipped through the bars. A pale orange glow fell between them, stretching their shadows to the left and right.

"Hello."

Wen Qiao set down the book in her hands, looked at Yan Jing, and smiled:

"My name is Wen Qiao."

She walked up to the iron bars and reached her hand out through them.

Yan Jing didn't reach out.

If he were Wen Xu, he would have reached out.

But he wasn't, and to his identity as Yan Jing, the woman across from him was an incredibly dangerous individual.

According to his deductions, Wen Qiao likely hailed from a severed era.

Having experienced an unknown number of cycles.

Seeing Yan Jing not reaching out, Wen Qiao pursed her lips. A faint, obscure trace of disappointment flashed through her eyes before she pulled her hand back.

"Yan Jing, the special investigator for the Great Prison rebellion."

Yan Jing spoke mildly.

Wen Qiao nodded:

"I know you."

"Mhm."

Yan Jing's expression was cold:

"I'm here to ask you some things about yourself."

"Go ahead."

Wen Qiao kept her lips pursed, her hands resting obediently at her sides.

Yan Jing frowned.

This woman truly was a dangerous figure.

Every movement was highly deliberate, as if she were carrying out some kind of guidance.

It unsettled his mind a little.

He did his best to stay calm:

"A riot has broken out in the Desolate Forest, and the one who started it is your brother, Wen Xu."

"Are you listening to me?"

Yan Jing waved a hand at the woman.

While he was speaking just now, the woman had been staring into his eyes the entire time.

Obviously, she was probably using some dangerous ability again.

Fortunately, he had already activated Stone State in advance.

"I am."

The woman acted as if she had just snapped out of a daze and hurriedly apologized:

"I'm sorry, Investigator. I... my mind wandered. Could you say that again?"

"No need."

Yan Jing waved his hand:

"Next question."

"Did you kill Tan Yan?"

"...This... well..."

The woman looked hesitant, before finally looking at Yan Jing and blinking:

"What do you think, Investigator?"

Yan Jing frowned again.

Even at a time like this, the woman was still trying to guide him.

"I am asking you a question. Please answer seriously."

Yan Jing said.

"I know, I know."

Faced with a seemingly angry Yan Jing, Wen Qiao wiped her hands on her pant legs a few times, then tentatively asked, "What I mean is... do you want me to be the killer?"

Yan Jing's expression turned cold. He slapped the iron bars, making them rattle loudly, hoping this aggressive behavior would break the woman's influence over him. "Listen carefully, Ms. Wen Qiao! I am the one interrogating you right now! It doesn't matter what I want or don't want, I just want your cooperation!"

"If you use any more pointless tricks, I will immediately request Warden Mu to place you in isolation!"

"Please don't waste your time and mine!!"

Yan Jing's tone was heavy and his voice loud, though his words were not particularly harsh.

But to his surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, tears suddenly welled up in the woman's eyes.

Her originally gentle face was like a pool of water, instantly shattered by those few tears.

Yan Jing had a bad feeling.

Even though he knew she was deliberately putting on this act for him to see, his mind truly was a little unsettled.

This was very wrong.

If it came down to beauty, he had killed women far prettier than her.

If it was about a good figure, the woman was wearing pajamas and wasn't showing anything revealing.

If it was an act of playing pitiful, Chen Xiaojing from Heavenly Kingdom seemed to have emotions toward him that were far more tragic and dramatic.

But his mind truly was unsettled.

Clearly...

It was some kind of ability again.

He cast a cold glance at the woman, then stepped into the darkness to the side, moving away from her line of sight.

He leaned against the wall.

This way, he could no longer see Wen Qiao's face.

Wen Qiao felt the icy chill in Yan Jing's eyes, feeling as though her heart had completely shattered. When she saw Yan Jing walk away, two streams of tears began rolling uncontrollably down her cheeks.

She desperately clutched her own hands, digging her nails into her flesh, trying to use the pain to soothe her inner agony.

But it was useless.

It truly hurt so much.

She wanted to speak, but when she opened her mouth she found she couldn't say a thing.

She never really had much of a choice from the beginning.

To her, the person before her might be the one she had yearned for, or he might not be. She only had one chance.

She didn't dare to choose.

Because she was afraid of choosing wrong.

So even though the person she had dreamed of for tens of thousands of days and nights might be right in front of her, all she could do was weep uncontrollably.

But just as she was about to let go and cry, Yan Jing's voice suddenly rang out again:

"Now neither of us can see each other."

"Ms. Wen Qiao."

"You have no need to use that ability on me, and I won't play any mind games. I'll just state my deductions. Listen; if they're right, you just say 'yes', and if they're wrong, don't say a word."

"Then this matter will be over."

"How does that sound?"

He hadn't left.

Hope reignited in Wen Qiao's heart, and she wiped her eyes:

"Go ahead."

Yan Jing leaned back against the wall. He took a deep breath, his gaze deep:

"You aren't from this era, are you?"

Wen Qiao's voice trembled slightly.

"To find the person you're looking for, you threw yourself into the looping yet forward-flowing river, didn't you?"

Tears welled up in Wen Qiao's eyes again.

"But that person's soul is different from yours. It's like two people sleeping; you sleep very lightly, or perhaps not at all, but he sleeps very deeply. So every time, you are the first to wake up. As for him, he might wake up, or he might not. Much of the time, even you can't tell, can you?"

Wen Qiao clenched her hands tightly, her fingertips turning white.

"And this time, it's still the same."

Yan Jing tilted his head back, his gaze carrying a trace of pity:

"It seems like some cycle of Fate. You were caught by the Wizard Alliance and hauled off to the Great Prison. You didn't resist. First, because the Wizard Continent also has Ninth Tier experts. Second, based on the behavior of the person beside you when he was young, you vaguely felt that he wouldn't awaken."

"You were taken to the Great Prison, ready for the next cycle. But you used certain methods to divine the Great Prison Warden's predicament, so you made a deal with him, hoping to use your sacrifice to exchange for the safety of the person beside you as a satisfactory conclusion to this cycle."

"He didn't agree. Instead, he began to torture him to force you to submit."

"If I might make a bold guess, he probably saw your attachment to that person, so he wanted that person to testify against you to your face. You care for that person so deeply that if he betrayed you, your heart might completely die, and you would choose to yield."

"Or perhaps, he actually made a bet with you, gambling on whether that person would betray you."

"Of course, these are all just guesses."

"But regardless."

"You were sad, yet you took no action. First, having entered the Great Prison, resisting didn't seem to have much effect. Second, you knew the person beside you wasn't the one you were expecting, so sooner or later, he would sell you out."

"Just like a cycle of Fate, every time is the same."

This time, without waiting for Yan Jing to ask, Wen Qiao spoke up first.

Yan Jing didn't catch the faint anticipation and eagerness in Wen Qiao's tone, continuing:

"You could have actually exposed your identity directly, or asked that person, but you didn't. Perhaps it's because you can't be exposed, or once you initiate the conversation, that person will fall into a continuous slumber."

"But the critical turning point arrived. Wen Xu's temperament suddenly changed, and his strength soared, so you seemed to feel that the person you were waiting for had returned. But you weren't entirely sure, so you made a choice you thought was right."

"That is, to start the next cycle."

"Every cycle, he awakens a little bit more than the last."

"Even if it isn't this time, it definitely will be the next."

"Holding this thought, you had the urge to embrace death."

"You are very anxious."

"Even impatient."

Before Yan Jing could finish, Wen Qiao suddenly spoke softly:

"Advent Day is almost here."

"I don't have much time left."

Yan Jing nodded.

This meant all of his guesses were correct.

The System Panel already showed that all three of his tasks were complete.

He could leave at any time.

He stood up and turned to leave, then suddenly paused his steps:

"Don't blame me for talking too much."

"Some things, you should just let go of."

"Through so many cycles, you are always the brave one."

"But one person's bravery is not enough."

"Some problems can't be solved just by stretching out the time."

"This question is for the brave; a coward like him hasn't even learned how to answer it yet."

This time, Wen Qiao didn't say 'yes'.

Which meant Yan Jing was wrong.

Or rather, she felt Yan Jing was wrong.

Yan Jing didn't press further, changing the subject:

"One last question."

"Ask."

Wen Qiao took a deep breath.

She adjusted her stance, pressed close to the bars, and listened.

Just that one movement seemed to drain all of her strength.

She hoped the question Yan Jing asked would be the one in her heart; she hoped Yan Jing would tell her that he was the person she was waiting for. But...

"The person you're waiting for is Wu Xu, right?"

Was he wrong? Faced with the sudden silence, Yan Jing paused his steps, frowning slightly.

This was the core of all his deductions. If everything before was right, there was no reason for this guess to be wrong.

But a few seconds later, Wen Qiao's low voice drifted over from the moonlight by his side:

"Mhm."

Yan Jing nodded.

That was right.

"Goodbye. Sweet dreams."

With that, Yan Jing walked out of the Special Prison Cell.