"Third Boss, good day!"
The bandits guarding the entrance greeted him as soon as they saw him.
Scarface nodded. As soon as he entered, he saw five people lying on the plank beds.
Among those five, two were his elder brothers, the first and second boss.
The other three were brothers from the stronghold.
Just a few days ago, people in the stronghold suddenly fell ill.
It started with a low-grade fever, and then they gradually fell into a deep sleep.
Red spots also appeared all over their bodies.
They guessed they must have been infected when they came out of a village with sick people.
The stronghold did have people who knew about herbs and could practice medicine.
However, they could only treat minor ailments like colds, coughs, hemorrhoids, and diarrhea.
For anything more serious, they were helpless.
...
When Scarface entered, the room was quiet. The kerosene lamp had already been lit.
The one holding the kerosene lamp was a young man dressed in plain cloth.
His clean-cut face, under the flickering oil lamp, showed a hint of mystery.
Before Scarface could speak, the young man asked, "Are you from Xiangshui Village?"
Scarface replied without thinking:
"Just a few rats... How are my brothers?"
The young man said faintly, "Whether they live or not depends on you."
Scarface frowned, "What do you mean? Didn't you say they could still be saved?"
The young man looked at him, his gaze dim and unclear under the oil lamp.
"If even one person from Xiangshui Village goes missing, they won't survive."
"Damn it! Are you threatening me?!"
Scarface was furious. He drew his saber and placed it directly on the young man's neck.
The blade was very sharp, cutting off a strand of hair from his ear.
"Do you believe I'll kill you right now?!"
The young man's expression remained unchanged, "If I die, no one can save them. Only I can cure this disease!"
"Who says only you can cure it?! I really don't believe that!"
Scarface pressed his saber closer, leaving a bloodline on the young man's neck.
He looked as if he was about to kill.
But even so, the young man remained unfazed.
The oil lamp flickered.
His eyes instantly became sharp, making it impossible to look directly at him.
"...Damn it!"
Scarface cursed under his breath and withdrew his saber.
He turned to the person guarding the door and said, "Bring back those troublemakers alive! Hurry!"
He was capable of killing.
But he wouldn't gamble with his brothers' lives.
"Yes, Third Boss!"
After the person outside left quickly, Scarface glared fiercely at the young man, "Mr. Qi, is it? You'd better watch your life!"
"Within three days, if my brothers haven't woken up, you and everyone in Xiangshui Village will die!"
With that, he turned and left.
Bang—
The wooden door slammed shut heavily.
The kerosene lamp in his hand flickered.
Mr. Qi's face remained unreadable.
He returned to his chair in the room and sat down.
"Hoo~"
He blew out the kerosene lamp in one breath.
The room returned to darkness.
...
"Wow... I thought I was going to see a bloody mosaic just now! No, there's no bloody mosaic in this live stream!"
"Ahhhhhhh— Mr. Qi is awesome! (Screaming like a marmot.jpg)"
"Honestly, this is truly amazing! Both the ability and the mindset."
When Scarface had raised his saber, the viewers in the live stream all held their breath instinctively.
They were afraid that if that saber fell, it would go *crack*.
A head would fall.
Their hoped-for wise ruler, their savior, would be gone.
Mr. Qi remained calm, but they all wiped cold sweat from their brows.
But it had to be said,
With a saber at his throat, he could still be so calm.
It was indeed not something an ordinary person could do.
"Hoo~ I forgot to breathe just now, let me take a few breaths."
"Upstairs, you're responsible for global warming."
"I also took a few extra breaths just now..."
"Global warming, everyone's responsibility. None of you can escape, I've noted it all down!"
"You guys are sick! Aren't you afraid Mr. Qi will be discarded after being used by these bandits?!"
...
While the viewers were chattering away.
Jiang Lin and Xu Nan's gazes paused and fell upon the sky above the stronghold.
The next moment, two figures, one black and one white, appeared there.
The viewers' discussion also came to an abrupt halt, and they looked surprised.
Although there were slight differences in their uniforms...
It was obvious to anyone with eyes:
—These two, black and white, were the Black and White Impermanence of that era!
"I'm actually fortunate enough to see the legendary black and white duo!"
"Were Black and White Impermanence always working in teams back then?"
"Why did they stop working as a team later?"
...
The two ghost messengers stood in the air, looking down at the stronghold below.
Their long hair was tied back, and their robes fluttered.
White Impermanence: "He saved these people again."
His expression was calm, giving people a sense of indifference.
But as he spoke, his brow furrowed, as if he was thinking about something.
Black Impermanence, with his arms crossed, said with interest:
"He's willing to, isn't he?"
"After all, these people's lifespans were not exhausted. If not for this chaotic era, they could have lived for many more years."
"Mmm," White Impermanence replied and turned to walk north.
"There are no souls to collect here, let's go over there. I can feel fluctuations."
Black Impermanence followed behind him, drifting away from the stronghold.
His voice faintly returned with the wind: "With him around, perhaps this chaotic era can end sooner."
"His abilities are not a problem," White Impermanence said.
The figures of Black and White Impermanence drifted further and further away.
In the blink of an eye, they disappeared.
The bullet screen was filled with excitement: "As expected! Mr. Qi is the wise ruler!"
"Officially certified: Wise Ruler!"
"Don't you guys feel... the dialogue between the two ghost messengers is full of hidden meaning?"
He's willing to...? What does that mean?
...
Xu Nan also noticed this question.
Could it be that Mr. Qi could choose... not to be willing?
Since ancient times, wise rulers have always cared for the people and the realm.
They forged ahead, overcoming all obstacles.
They were born for chaotic times, weren't they?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but recall the question from the beginning.
"Captain Jiang, isn't the Qilin a auspicious beast?"
If it's an auspicious beast... why would it cause this chaotic era?
If the goal was to avenge the Qilin's son, the Third Prince was already dead.
Weren't so many common people innocent?
As Xu Nan asked this, the live stream camera shifted, focusing on the two ghosts.
Many viewers were also a bit confused about this question.
"Yes, isn't the Qilin an auspicious beast?"
"When their own child was tortured like that, even the gentlest animal would become agitated, right?"
"But it shouldn't have caused all the common people to suffer along with it... If it were a ferocious beast, it would be understandable, but this is a Qilin."
"Actually, what caused the current situation is mainly man-made. The Third Prince, and the competition among princes."
...