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Chapter 616: Bottom Line

“Come on in.” Qilin walked out of the pantry, holding his cane with one hand and the tray with the other hand.

They sat down on the sofas in the counseling room and exchanged small talk, sipping on the coffee leisurely.

“Let’s start the meeting.”

Qilin got to business. Without Miss Qin here, there was no need to call this a group session anymore.

Azure Dragon first made his report. “Last night, my people found clues in the abandoned chemical plant on Apple Island.”

Vermilion Bird frowned slightly. “Isn\'t that where the thing with Black Tortoise happened?”

“Yes.” Azure Dragon nodded. “There was a private car and two bikes, all burned down. Judging by the remains of the bikes, it was a shared moped and a racing motorcycle. Inside the car were nine burned cellphones—or what’s left of them.”

“That’s them,” Vermilion Bird said.

“Yeah.” Azure Dragon glanced at Vermilion Bird. “I asked the intelligence department of the Hundred Rivers Union for help, and they found that the last person to rent the shared moped was Hong Xiaoxiao.”

Vermilion Bird’s face darkened. Although she had guessed that Hong Xiaoxiao had turned on her, she still found it humiliating when facing the truth.

“The motorcycle belonged to Seven Shadow’s friend, the special wanderer named Wang Zikai,” Azure Dragon continued. “He’s said to be strong. Crimson Bee and Forest Crane almost died at his hands when trying to catch Gao Xinxin.”

Qilin took a sip of his coffee quietly, his eyes glinting.

“The others who had lost contact include Gray Bear, Nine Frost, Lithe Snake, Can, Nainai, and Green Snake from the Twelve Zodiac Signs.” Azure Dragon’s eyes turned fierce. “They are likely to have defected with Seven Shadow.”

After a two-second pause, he said regretfully, “I’m not surprised about the others, but I didn’t expect Nainai to go with them. I’ve more or less raised her to be what she is today, and I’ve treated her well. Yet she betrayed me too...”

“No offense, you’ve trained and treated her kindly, but you’ve never really acknowledged her.” Vermilion Bird smiled bitterly. “That is what she needs.”

Azure Dragon paused before nodding. “I did find it difficult to communicate with her. I didn’t understand her, and I never tried to.”

“We all have our path. You can’t force it,” Qilin said calmly. “From now on, we’re enemies.”

Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird fell silent.

Qilin put down his cup of coffee and held the cane with both hands. “Continue to look for Seven Shadow and his group, Azure Dragon. If you find them, you may decide whether to capture them or kill them at your discretion.”

“Understood.” Azure Dragon nodded.

Qilin then turned to Vermilion Bird. “Contact the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Hundred Rivers Union to make our stance clear. They may cooperate or remain neutral, but if they offer Seven Shadow and his group any help, whether openly or under the table, they will be considered working against the Qilin Guild, and there will be consequences.”

“Okay.” Vermilion Bird nodded, hesitant.

Qilin picked up on it immediately. “Speak your mind, Vermilion Bird.”

After a few seconds of hesitation, Vermilion Bird sighed softly. “Do we really have to go this far, Guildmaster?”

Qilin said seriously, “Seven Shadow had always had the Guard Rune Circuit, but he hid the fact and bought time to level up Psychic Armor. On the surface, it was to prepare for the abyss, but it was actually to guard against me. He had it all planned out.”

Vermilion Bird stayed silent.

“And Seven Shadow stated clearly that he wouldn’t allow me to open the Gates of Closure.” Qiling turned to the two of them. “You’ve been with me for close to twenty years, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird. Don’t you know what my bottom line is?”

They knew, of course.

Qilin would be open to negotiation, concession, and compromise on anything, but he must be the one to open the Gates of Closure. That was why he had never told another soul where the Gates of Closure was over the past two decades.

He made it clear more than once that anyone who tried to stop him from opening the Gates would be his and humanity’s enemy. Throughout his life, he had been working for humanity’s survival. It was something he had to do, and only he could do it.

“I understand.” Vermilion Bird didn’t insist.

“Is Dragon against you opening the Gates, too, Guildmaster?” Azure Dragon asked.

“That was what Seven Shadow told me.” Qilin narrowed his eyes. “But it might not be Dragon’s stance. Perhaps Seven Shadow was trying to fuel the fire so that he could benefit from our conflicts.”

“Very likely.” Azure Dragon sounded irritated. “While Seven Shadow’s young, he’s shrewd.”

“So I won’t declare the Twelve Zodiac Signs our enemies recklessly unless Dragon tells me he’s against me opening the Gates in person.” Qilin paused. “However, I talked to War Tiger, and he said that Dragon had been on the move in secret, and he couldn’t reach Dragon all this while. Thus, only Dragon knows what his stance on me opening the Gates is.”

“Is Dragon in hibernation again?” Azure Dragon asked. “I heard that Dragon gets his great power at the price of long hibernation. Perhaps there is truth to the rumor. His fight with the life monster in Island Nation might have taken a toll on him.”

Qilin didn’t say anything to that.

“Do you really want to bet on that?” Vermilion Bird frowned. “Do you want more chaos, Azure Dragon?”

Azure Dragon shook his head. “No. If possible, I wish for the three organizations to be at peace rather than at each other’s throats.”

“Same for me.” Qilin’s eyes were cold. “We’ll deal with Seven Shadow and acquire the Guard Rune Circuit first. Then we think about our next move.”

“Understood.”

“What about the Godbearer Cult?” Vermilion Bird asked.

“As long as they don’t start anything, we leave them alone for now,” Qilin said. “The Mist World is running out of time. Opening the Gates is more important than anything.”

“Of course.”

They talked about other work for another half an hour. After the meeting, Vermilion Bird rose to leave, and Qilin stopped her.

“Vermilion Bird, please give me a ride.”

“No problem. Is it far?” she asked. “If so, I’ll have to refuel the car first.”

“It’s not far,” Qilin said.

...

Ten minutes later, Vermilion Bird drove Qilin to the Anliang District. Folk music was playing in the car, while the two of them stayed silent.

Since they were near the destination, Vermilion Bird turned off the radio and said faintly, “The day Seven Shadow entered the abyss, he tried to recruit me, but I said no.”

She paused. “I didn’t expect things to turn out this serious.”

Qilin nodded, unsurprised. “Seven Shadow’s always wanted to go independent.”

“I’m not speaking for him,” Vermilion Bird said earnestly. “But I don’t think he started out with the plan to go independent. He just graduated from high school, and he’s been awakened for less than six months. He’s playing by the ear. Excuse the dramatics, but he’s been pushed along to where he is today by fate.”

“Vermilion Bird.” Qilin took off his glasses and sighed, his tone even. “You’re blaming me.”