After arriving at the theater, Jin Yuebai told Xi Jueyun her decision.
She had originally planned to stay here with Xi Jueyun, to plot together and kill those inhuman foreign soldiers in the hallucinogenic smoke. But now, the sisters of Flower Street needed her.
Yan Zaizai had returned for the sake of the sisters on Flower Street, and now what Jin Yuebai had to do was to lead the remaining half of them away from here.
“I never wanted you to stay anyway,” Xi Jueyun sat in a chair, her voice light and calm. “With your temperament and abilities, you’ll do well outside. The country is in ruins and needs rebuilding—there will be opportunities for you.”
“Go quickly.”
So Jin Yuebai bid farewell to everyone. Jiang Yan curved her lips and waved at her, “Wish you a safe journey.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
Jin Yuebai shouldered her heavy cloth bundle and left with three others, heading toward the back mountain.
Now, all the villagers of Lingren Village were heading in that direction. Xiao Congye, dressed in purple, stood at the fork of a path on the back mountain, guiding everyone out.
She was worried someone would get lost and wander into the valley, so she had been standing there for a long time.
Jin Yuebai saw Xiao Congye and raised her arm in a wave. “Congye, until we meet again.”
Xiao Congye smiled, “I’ll stay here with the troupe leader.”
“Goodbye.”
Jin Yuebai gazed at Xiao Congye for a long moment, bowed slightly, then turned and strode away.
Xiao Congye watched them go, then switched shifts with a friend and returned to the theater.
As soon as she returned, she began organizing everyone’s evacuation plan.
By now, Shen Xiaoxiao had already been sent back by the pharmacy and was sleeping deeply on the second floor. Jiang Yan was helping several older women pack their luggage, her movements deft and quick, folding clothes at lightning speed and wrapping layers of greaseproof bags around the dry rations before tying the cloth bundles securely.
After the older women shouldered their bundles, they went to say goodbye to Xi Jueyun.
They hesitated for a moment, suddenly looking embarrassed, and explained, “We still have children elsewhere, and relatives too. Troupe leader, we…”
Xi Jueyun stood up and stuffed a few small-denomination silver notes into each of their arms. “Too much will cause trouble. Take these.”
“Running for your lives is the right thing to do. Besides, when we went to the village gate, you all came along, didn’t you?”
“Live well.”
The women jostled each other, and the leading one stomped her foot, fishing a jade Buddha pendant from her pocket. “My mother prayed for this for me years ago. I don’t have anything valuable, but please, troupe leader, don’t mind—will you accept it?”
“It’ll give me peace of mind if you do!”
There was no reason to refuse. Xi Jueyun smiled and accepted the pendant, hanging it around her neck on the spot.
“Goodbye.”
Everyone was bidding farewell. Half an hour later, most of the theater troupe had left, leaving only Xi Jueyun, Xiao Congye, Jiang Yan, Shen Xiaoxiao, Zhao Zhixi, and a fifteen-year-old girl.
The girl usually liked reading newspapers and knew well the cruelty of the foreign soldiers. She also admired Xi Jueyun greatly and refused to leave no matter how much she was persuaded.
“Young as I am, I can still do good things.”
She rocked back and forth in her chair. “Besides, I’ve heard that among the heroes of the resistance, some are even younger than me. When cooking, one of them poisoned several beasts. The beasts didn’t dare take the first bite, so the child ate it first—ate it so calmly.”
“In the end, they all died.”
“It’s not just us living in misery—many people are. If we can lessen the number of dead compatriots by even a little, we can raise a very small shield.”
“If we can block a squad of beasts, that’s enough. They could be a dozen, or several dozen. If it’s nearly a hundred, then we’ve really struck it big!”
According to the call from Master Wang, the foreign soldiers arriving tomorrow night would only be a small squad. They had just invaded and plundered the nearest village and were heading to Lingren Village to scout ahead.
The number wasn’t especially small, but not too large either.
But it was enough.
The weather was so stiflingly hot. Once the yingling flowers were ignited, this would be a smoke that even a breeze could hardly dispel, lingering over Lingren Village for days.
As long as the smoke remained, no one would dare enter Lingren Village.
The villagers escaping over the back mountain would have more time to find a way to survive.
“It’s good,” Xi Jueyun looked out at the street, “everyone has their own path. Isn’t that a good thing?”
At this moment, Xiao Congye came down from upstairs.
She tossed Jiang Yan’s luggage into her arms.
Jiang Yan was startled and reflexively caught it.
“You’ll be leaving soon too,” Xiao Congye said.
Jiang Yan hugged her bundle, momentarily unsure how to respond, her gaze flickering toward the second floor.
Xiao Congye noticed her expression and lowered her voice. “She’s awake, just drinking her medicine. I’ve packed her things too. You’ll leave together soon.”
“If her illness relapses and she slows you down, don’t let a few days’ friendship hold you back,” Xiao Congye’s voice was cold. “No one will risk their life for a few days’ acquaintance. Everyone puts themselves first. When it’s time to go, go.”
Even without deliberately considering the character, Jiang Yan knew what “she” would do.
“I’m not leaving either.”
Jiang Yan said, “My family used to be rich. I’m not used to hardship—coming to Lingren Village has already been a huge ordeal. I don’t want to go through it again.”
“And my family was destroyed by foreign soldiers. My father killed himself because of them. I lost my whole family,” Jiang Yan looked at Xiao Congye. “Now I have such a good chance for revenge, I’m not leaving.”
“You stay with Troupe Leader Xi, and I’ll stay with you.”
As she said this, Jiang Yan was ready at any moment for the answer chime to sound.
But it didn’t.
She privately felt it wouldn’t.
Whether in motive or tone, Jiang Yan could already grasp “her” well enough. Besides, it wasn’t a complicated persona—just a girl from a fallen family who relied heavily on Xiao Congye.
But after saying this, something tugged at Jiang Yan’s heart.
She felt the last thing she’d said sounded familiar, as if she’d learned it from someone.
After a few seconds’ thought, Jiang Yan realized she’d learned it from Yu Renwan.
[That girl likes Xi Jueyun best. I like Jiang Jiang best.]
Jiang Yan lowered her eyes to the floor for a few seconds, sat quietly, then looked at Xiao Congye again.
Xiao Congye quickly looked away, but Xi Jueyun covered her mouth and laughed. “Look at that—it’s your fault.”
Xiao Congye shot her a sidelong glance. “It’s clearly your fault.”
“Taking in all these people—who knows why they’re all so emotional.”
She was talking about those who had died.
Xi Jueyun sighed softly, poured herself a cup of tea, and said no more.
The theater fell silent.
Half a minute later, Zhao Zhixi, who hadn’t spoken all this time, broke the silence.
She fished a sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it to Xi Jueyun.
Xi Jueyun was startled and quickly took it. “This is…”
Zhao Zhixi said, “This is what my sisters and I recorded about the reactions to yingling flower pollen addiction.”
Xi Jueyun slowly unfolded the white paper. On it, in various handwritings, were notes written in black ink.
[In the first three minutes after inhaling, it doesn’t feel too bad—just pain in the nose and throat. But you’re still conscious, still have strength, and can resist.]
[It’s just that we didn’t succeed in resisting.]
[After three minutes, strength rapidly fades. In about five minutes, the person’s legs go weak, hallucinations appear—some see themselves turning into trees, some see themselves flying in the sky. By then, resistance is impossible.]
[After eight minutes, the hallucinations intensify. People stagger about, feeling happy, their brain numb, only feeling pleasure, and saliva keeps filling their mouths.]
[The above is for small doses~]
[With increasing doses… by then we don’t remember much. But Sister Yuebai said some people’s noses bled, some collapsed and vomited, some even lost control of their bladders—but not always. Reactions vary.]
“In short, three minutes after the smoke is released, we can go in and kill.”
Zhao Zhixi said, “But to be safe, it’s best to wait five minutes.”
Xi Jueyun gripped the paper and nodded.
At five in the afternoon, the guides from the back mountain returned. By then, everyone in Lingren Village who wanted to leave had already evacuated.
Those unwilling to leave all gathered at the theater.
Altogether, there were sixteen people.
They were young and old, men and women—the oldest over sixty, the youngest fifteen. They gathered together, discussing tomorrow’s assignments.
At six, the sun set.
The sun sank far below the horizon, the sky turning gray, then black.
The yingling flowers only bloomed at night. Now, finally, the time had come for harvesting.
Zhao Zhixi and two other girls stood up, each carrying a huge backpack, prepared with handkerchiefs and limewater—these could help them resist the pollen a little longer.
Xiao Congye and Xi Jueyun also stood.
According to the plan, the two of them would accompany the girls, tying ropes to the girls’ waists and watching them enter the sea of opium poppies. If the girls showed any signs of trouble, they would drag them back from the black mist.
It was an especially dangerous task.
After all, the black mist deep in the poppy field was thick. Once someone went in, it was hard to see anyone inside. If their judgment was off, the girls could lose their lives.
But those who stayed had already accepted the risk of death.
If everyone didn’t have to stay clear-headed before the foreign soldiers arrived, to avoid being overtaken by addiction, many more would have volunteered to pick the flowers.
The five were ready to set out.
But just as Xi Jueyun pushed open the door, a voice suddenly called from upstairs.
—“Troupe leader, I want to go too.”
At the sound, Jiang Yan turned her head even faster than Xi Jueyun.
It was Shen Xiaoxiao.
Shen Xiaoxiao, controlled, walked slowly down the stairs, thinking of the answer she had just triggered.
[You know your own body—long illness is hard to cure. Now your sister is dead, you’ve fainted from exhaustion several times, your body is weaker than ever, everything you do relies on medicine. The medicine is so bitter, and your fate was set long ago.
You won’t live past these few days.
Now everyone is heading to the place where your sister died—the Yingling Flower field. You realize you haven’t seen your sister’s body, so you decide—
1. Go, because you let your sister down.
2. Go, because you deceived your sister.
3. Go, because you love your sister very much.]
Shen Xiaoxiao chose “Option 1.”
Controlled by the spirit behind her, she walked slowly down the stairs. “My body won’t last long, and I can’t escape. Even holding a knife feels exhausting now.”
“If you don’t let me come, I’ll just die uselessly.”
“Please, sisters.”
Shen Xiaoxiao’s eyes were sorrowful and pleading. “I just want to see my sister’s body one last time. If I have any strength left, I want to bury her outside—anywhere but the valley is fine.”
Xi Jueyun was silent for a long time, then finally nodded.
She had no right to stop someone who wanted to act.
The moment Xi Jueyun nodded, Shen Xiaoxiao regained control of her body. She gripped a chair for support and slowly walked out.
As she passed Jiang Yan, she suddenly smiled.
She hid her hand behind her back and secretly pointed toward the room she and Jiang Yan shared. Jiang Yan understood, and moved her own fingers in response.
She watched Shen Xiaoxiao leave with the five.
Both of them knew clearly this was farewell.
Shen Xiaoxiao’s body could not hold out.
At seven in the evening, while everyone was distracted, Jiang Yan slipped upstairs and returned to her room.
She had told Shen Xiaoxiao that Yu Renwan had left her a note during the time freeze. Shen Xiaoxiao hadn’t asked what was written on it, but she had remembered.
Now, it seemed, she had followed the example and written something too.
Sure enough, after searching for a while, Jiang Yan found what Shen Xiaoxiao had left under her pillow.
Again, black words on white paper.
Here, there was nothing that could carry their memories or feelings—only words could.
Jiang Yan sat on the bed and read carefully.
[Sister Jiang Yan, today was so exhausting. How can so much happen in just one day?]
[Even though I spent most of the time lying down, sometimes I would suddenly wake up,] Shen Xiaoxiao wrote earnestly, [I still miss my sister. Sometimes I even think of that girl named Dai Que’er. When she used the bone knife, I’d think of my sister swinging her golden whip. I always thought my sister’s abilities were so cool, like a warrior trapping bad guys with a whip.]
[She even used her whip on those who bullied me. If it weren’t for me, my sister would have been so much freer.]
[Oh right, before entering Cangnan, I secretly watched our livestream replay. Why secretly?—Because my sister said not every psychic has a good temper, and it’s normal for there to be nasty comments in the chat.]
[But I still watched. Some people said we weren’t worthy of doing missions with Sister Jiang Yan. Our ranking was low, our usefulness uncertain, sometimes only a little bit useful.]
[But we remembered what Sister Jiang Yan said—not only the strong can be the protagonist.]
[The moment a sapling under a great tree tentatively stretches a branch out of the shade, it’s already the protagonist.]
Reading this, Jiang Yan remembered the conversation and unconsciously curled her lips.
Then, Shen Xiaoxiao wrote about her character.
[Because I missed my sister so much, I wanted to use Dai Que’er to remember her. So I deliberately triggered several answer prompts while lying in bed. Thinking back now, I regret it a little, but maybe it was fate.]
[Dai Que’er was deceived,] Shen Xiaoxiao wrote, word by word. [She wasn’t the one sold by her parents to traffickers as a child bride—I was.]
[That night, when I got up to use the bathroom, I overheard my parents talking and realized I was to be sold as a child bride. They never wanted to sell my sister—she was strong, good at chores, and could use a knife.]
[I was terrified. I didn’t trust my sister completely, even though she was so good to me. I was afraid she wouldn’t care about me. So while our parents were negotiating with the trafficker, I woke my sister and told her our parents wanted to sell her.]
[Our names sounded similar, and the trafficker spoke unclearly. Listening from behind a rock, my sister believed me without question.]
[After that, she took me and we ran away. Our parents died among the refugees.]
[Later, when my sister met the trafficker again at the pharmacy, because of our similar looks and names, he mistook her for me. So the lie became reality, and my sister never had a chance to learn the truth.]
Shen Xiaoxiao’s handwriting was full of sorrow.
She wrote: [So I’m just like her.]
[We’re the same.]
[Neither of us ever said sorry.]
The note ended there. Jiang Yan carefully folded it and tucked it into her clothes, together with Yu Renwan’s note.
Then she looked out the window at the sky.
The once blood-red sky had turned deep pink. As the story drew to a close, the turbid qi barrier of the energy field was thinning.
Hopefully it would be thinner tomorrow, so her chances of getting out quickly would be higher.
Jiang Yan pushed open the door. As she walked down the steps, she heard the news of Shen Xiaoxiao’s death.
[Shen Xiaoxiao has died.
Congratulations on completing the Dai Que character ending.
The performance continues.]