Just as I finished seeing Wu Jiahui off, I received a call from my high school buddy.
"Hey, son, what have you been up to lately?" Tianlan asked cockily the moment the line connected.
"Get lost, spit it out if you have something to say. You little punk tries to take advantage of me every single day—just you wait, I'm going to bleed you dry when I get back," I cursed with a laugh. Tianlan and I were extremely close. Back in high school, we constantly skipped class to hit the internet cafes and got into plenty of fights side by side. No matter which of us was in trouble, the other would throw in everything to back them up. In our own words, we were brothers for life. We never ran out of things to bicker about, and minor friction happened now and then, but in the end, it always blew over with a laugh.
Tianlan didn't hesitate to fire back. "Pfft, waiting for you to come back will probably take until the year of the donkey. Tell me, what big deal are you up to lately? School's been out for ages, don't tell me you're still stuck there! Hurry your ass back, I'm taking you fishing."
"Nah, had some stuff to deal with at school. Just got it sorted out yesterday and headed out today. Ran into a bit of trouble on the way back home. Might not be able to return just yet." I answered honestly, keeping nothing from him.
Tianlan asked with a grave tone, "What's going on? Where are you right now? Send me your location and I'll come find you."
I refused without a second thought, not wanting to drag him into this brutal game of chess. The moment I gave him my coordinates, he'd probably show up on my doorstep by tomorrow. For a loyal brother who valued relationships above all else like him, I couldn't bear to implicate him. "Forget it, there are people helping me here, it'll all get sorted out."
Hearing this, Tianlan flew into a rage and unleashed a torrent of complaints at me: "You're not being a real friend here. Do you still consider me a brother or not? Something like this happens and you don't even tell me. You'd rather let strangers handle it than tell us—what the hell are you trying to pull?"
A sourness hit the bridge of my nose; the feeling of having someone care about you was wonderful, but I still refused to tell him where I was. "Relax, you might not trust other people, but surely you trust me, right? Don't worry, I haven't even had the pleasure of drinking at your wedding yet! How could I bear to kick the bucket? I cherish my life way too much. The people on my side have pretty much dealt with my problem. I'm just heading over to see someone now, it's not dangerous."
Realizing I wasn't in any danger, Tianlan finally relaxed. He knew my temper—once I made up my mind, not even nine oxen could drag me back. "Fine, fine. As long as you're okay. Next time something happens, look for me, don't just keep it all bottled up inside."
I told him I knew, and the two of us rambled on about random things, chatting about everything under the sun, until my eyelids grew heavy and we finally hung up so I could go to sleep.
"Where is this?" I looked around curiously. Without any warning, I found myself waking up in an unfamiliar room. The room was extremely spartan, furnished with only a bed, a table, and a large wardrobe.
I tried pushing the door, and as luck would have it, I couldn't even turn the damn doorknob, leaving me completely dumbfounded. Refusing to give up, I went head-to-head with the doorknob, but no matter how much force I exerted, there was simply no way to open the door.
Left with no choice, I retreated to the table and sat down. Well, who else could blame a little noob like me for getting defeated by a mere doorknob?
A stack of neatly arranged books sat on the table alongside a letter. Across the front were clearly written the words: "For Chen Xuan'an". I froze instantly, taking quite a while to process it before feeling an irrepressible urge to find out what was written inside.
"Xuan'an, the time has come. It is time to begin. To be honest, I do not wish to drag you into this game, but your identity leaves you no choice but to stand at the center of the storm. There are people you can trust implicitly; everyone who has appeared by your side has been arranged by me.
I know you are full of doubt right now, wanting to know why I am doing this, and why I chose you. But now is not the time to tell you. Once you reach my requirements, these things will naturally become clear to you. Xuan'an, during this period, Xiao Wu will protect you. There are things you must learn to face rather than try to run away from. You are exceptionally talented; I am aware of everything that happened today, and you did very well. We are waiting for your return."
The handwriting on the letter was delicate and neat, yet possessed a powerful, vigorous stroke that inexplicably brought a sense of comfort, along with a faint trace of familiarity.
The paper used for this letter had some years to it, and even the ink had faded slightly, showing that the author had begun laying out these plans from a very long time ago. This struck me as utterly unimaginable. What kind of person could calculate things so precisely years, or even over a decade, in advance?
This mysterious person was undoubtedly an immensely powerful big shot—definitely a Tier 10 Diviner. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to calculate my movements, or at least she must have had a Tier 10 Diviner at her side.
If that was truly the case, then whoever could command a Tier 10 Diviner to make a move was probably terrifying beyond imagination. The more I thought about it, the more shaken I became. If the diviner at Tianfo Temple was also Tier 10, then even with Wu Jiahui and the others protecting me with all their might, I wouldn't escape death.
I calmed myself down, feeling immensely grateful that I hadn't run into such a formidable opponent just yet, otherwise I wouldn't even know how I'd died.
"Looks like I have no choice but to push myself," I muttered to myself.
I wrung my brains trying to remember if I had ever seen this handwriting anywhere before, but try as I might, I couldn't recall a thing. Deciding to drop the futile brainstorming, I put down the letter and searched the room for an exit.
A flash of white light cut across my vision, and I couldn't help raising a hand to block the blinding glare. As the white light gradually faded, I opened my eyes. What greeted my sight was no longer the room, but a patch of grass. The only difference was that this time, a girl stood right in front of me. Her back was turned to me. She hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but could you tell me where this is?"
The girl suddenly spun around, and before I could even react, a dagger radiating a chilling glint plunged into my chest with lightning speed.
I stared blankly at the girl. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make out her face—the only thing I saw was a centipede-shaped scar on her forearm.
The girl yanked the dagger out, and blood spurted continuously. I tried frantically to stem the flow with my hands, but how could that possibly work? I couldn't feel any pain; I only felt my eyelids growing heavier and heavier. At the threshold of death, I seemed to see that girl drop—were those tears?
I didn't know if my eyes were playing tricks on me. I couldn't see her face, only a few droplets of water pattering down onto the ground.
"Hah!" I snapped awake in an instant, sitting up in a panic and tearing open my shirt to check if the wound was there. There wasn't a single injury on my chest. Dazed for a moment, I gave myself a hard slap across the face, and only after confirming I wasn't dreaming did I let out a massive sigh of relief.
That sensation had been far too real, scaring me into a cold sweat. The terror of death and that profound sense of helplessness had driven me to the brink of a breakdown. It took a good while for me to recover from the panic.
I couldn't bring myself to sleep anymore. Though I hadn't seen the girl's face, her silhouette felt faintly familiar, yet I just couldn't place it.
I stopped dwelling on it and checked the time, only to discover that dawn was already breaking. I went to take a cold shower. By the time Wu Jiahui knocked on my door, I had packed my things and headed downstairs for breakfast.