Susan sat in her office at the Binjiang Spiritual Management Committee. She hadn't been drinking, as the person who bought her alcohol and mixed her drinks was gone. Three photo frames sat on her desk.
One was a group photo of everyone at Binjiang during a gathering, though He Li wasn't there then.
Another was a photo of them all after He Li joined, taken during their first gathering together when he joined the Spiritual Management Committee. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
The last one was a photo of her and Bai Fei at the bar. She was tipsy, her cheeks flushed, while Bai Fei held his wine glass, smiling gently. Tao Xue had taken it for them.
Just then,
Tao Xue walked in and said to Susan, "Captain, the person sent from the Northern Branch to guard Binjiang for you has arrived."
Tao Xue's innocent smile was also gone, her eyes now holding a settled sadness.
Susan nodded and said softly, "I know. After I leave, all of you be careful. I'll be back."
Tao Xue hummed in response and turned to leave. She stopped at the doorway and said without warning, "Captain, if possible, please don't come back. You don't belong in a small city, and you're not one of us from Binjiang. There are many more important things for you to do in this world. This place will hold you back. Binjiang is fine with us here.
If, and I mean if, Captain, you see He Li, tell him we bought the house he was renting. We're all waiting for him to come home."
Tao Xue's words sent a tremor through Susan's heart. She promised, "I will find him, and then I will tell him."
Tao Xue, with her back to Susan, shook her head and said softly, "You don't need to look for him specifically. If you run into him, just say it. People who leave home, no matter how exciting the outside world is, always miss home because someone back home is thinking of them.
"I understand," Susan nodded.
Tao Xue left in silence, closing the office door. She walked to the bar and paused for a moment, looking at the familiar bottles and glasses. A line of thought unexpectedly surfaced in her mind: True farewells don't involve long pavilions or urging one more cup of wine; they happen on an ordinary morning when some people are left behind in yesterday.
She ran her hand over the bar, a pang of pain in her heart. She leaned on the bar, burying her head in her arms, weeping silently.
By the floor-to-ceiling window, Min Liang, who had been cultivating with focus, opened his eyes, glanced at Tao Xue, and then closed them again. He had agreed with Sister Jiang that he would no longer do desk work. He wanted to cultivate. What the hell were demons and monsters? Binjiang had to be protected by its own people.
They hadn't forgotten the kindness of others, but some people were destined to leave. Dependence was a disease, an incurable one.
...
...
Victoria, the ruins of Hately Castle. A person emerged from the devastation and stood before the ruins. After searching for a moment, they picked up a communication earpiece specifically for the Spiritual Management Committee from beneath the debris and left.
Half an hour later,
The Z Church, including Pope Roganford, set off for the Nova Scotia peninsula in southeastern Canada.
...
...
"The three hunter teams from the Spiritual Management Committee, after obtaining the two Eyes of the Reaper, didn't rashly activate Reaper Island. Instead, they summoned more members of the hunter teams.
I overheard their conversation; it seems the hunter teams have split into two factions. One faction is led by the head of the hunter teams, the conservatives, who don't want to hunt gods. The other faction is led by the deputy head, the warmongers, who firmly uphold the belief of hunting gods.
Moreover, the people they summoned are all from the warmonger faction, including your captain, Susan."
"Not only that, but your 'Great Brawl Plan' seems to have had no effect on them. They don't care how many forces enter Reaper Island; they have absolute confidence in their own strength."
He Li patted his pockets, only having 20 Canadian dollars left. He was contemplating where to sleep tonight after paying for his meal.
Under a bridge? Too damp. Besides, how could the great He Li, such a magnificent "god," sleep under a bridge? It lacked prestige.
However... if he could lie on Xiao Lan, he wouldn't have to worry about the dampness.
Hmm... let Xiao Lan grow big, and he could sleep on it. A natural blanket.
Wait? Was he being too much of a dog?
This thought lasted less than a second before He Li discarded it. He was a god, and Xiao Lan was his divine envoy. Sleeping with him, no, serving as his bed, was normal, right?
Seeing He Li's dazed expression, Xiao Yue blinked and waved his hand in front of He Li. "Hey, did you hear what I said?"
"Ah? Oh, I heard. We're sleeping under a bridge tonight. Let Xiao Lan grow big, and we'll lie on it. It'll be very warm, don't worry."
Xiao Lan suddenly looked up at its master: "????????"
Xiao Yue looked at He Li's sincere eyes and felt helpless. Was that what he had been talking about? Besides, he didn't need to worry about where to sleep.
"I said, your Great Brawl Plan seems to have had no effect. They summoned more members of the hunter teams, and they don't care how many people enter Reaper Island," Xiao Yue sighed and said.
"Oh." He Li seemed uninterested. He looked around and then said to Xiao Yue in a low voice, "Xiao Yue, you're looking in the wrong direction. My target has never been just the hunter teams and the Reaper Aegfen. We're going for something big."
Xiao Yue asked doubtfully, "How big?"
He Li spread his arms, gesturing. "This big!"
Xiao Yue raised an eyebrow. "Isn't your plan to draw the attention of all forces focused on the Reaper Aegfen, to make them engage in a free-for-all, and then you seize the opportunity to kill the Reaper Aegfen?"
He Li rolled his eyes and sighed, "Old Xiao, use some wisdom when you do things, don't be so straightforward. My plan... uh... is Xiao Lan's plan really just this?"
"Read 'The Thirty-Six Stratagems' more often. Your thinking is becoming too rigid."
Xiao Yue was stunned for a moment. "Aren't you using 'Baiting with a Brick to Lure Jade,' 'Killing with a Borrowed Knife,' followed by 'Waiting at Ease' and 'Robbing While the Fire Burns'?"
He Li rubbed his forehead. "I'm using 'Watching a Fire from the Other Side,' 'Flash,' 'A Quick Stab,' 'Eating a Peach.' Are you playing 'Three Kingdoms Kill' with me here? Alright, enough nonsense, we need to go."
"Find a place and wait for the hunter teams to assemble, wait for them to depart."
"Xiao Lan, can you grow as big as a bed?"
Xiao Lan immediately wagged its head. "Woof..."
He Li frowned. "You can't even become a bed, what use are you?"
"Woof?"