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Chapter 684: Small Celebration

“Okay.” Gao Yang rose to leave.

“Don’t go yet.” Qing Ling had already closed her eyes. She said in a calm voice, “My sister’s looking for you.”

Gao Yang stopped moving away.

After less than ten seconds, Little Qing Ling opened her eyes wide. She rolled to a sitting position while gasping for breaths, her eyes brimming with tears and her face as pale as paper.

She turned around to see Gao Yang standing by the bed.

“Gao, Gao Yang...” she called out in a trembling voice.

Gao Yang quickly sat down at the head of the bed. “I’m here.”

Little Qing Ling reached out to seize Gao Yang’s hands—it felt like she was trying to crush them. Head lowered, she said in a fearful and pitiful voice, “I died... I died, didn’t I?”

Gao Yang wasn’t sure what to say.

“I thought I would never see you and sister again. It was so cold and dark there...”

She sobbed, her body shaking violently.

Gao Yang felt a pang in his heart. “It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s all in the past.”

Little Qing Ling could no longer keep it in. She bawled and threw herself into Gao Yang’s arms, burying her face in his chest.

Gao Yang went still and only reached out to gently pat her shoulders after a long moment. “It’s alright. Don’t be scared. I’m here, we’re both here...”

Little Qing Ling exhausted herself crying, and she lay back down to rest.

Gao Yang stayed by her side for around ten minutes until she was asleep. He tucked her in and checked the Black Gold hairpin on her hair. Then he finally stood up and left the room.

He moved quietly. When he opened the door, he saw the others eavesdropping outside.

Can and Wang Zikai were especially eager. They crouched down with their ears pressed to the door, and the moment Gao Yang opened the door, they fell in like balling pins.

Hong Xiaoxiao and Nainai, on the other hand, had attached themselves to the door frame and leaned in toward the door. They jumped and quickly stood to attention.

Nine Frost, Lithe Snake, and Gray Bear were the better kids in comparison, and they stood on the other side of the door.

Can and Wang Zikai hurriedly shot to their feet to explain themselves, but Gao Yang cut them off with a whisper. “Don’t disturb her sleep. Let’s talk downstairs.”

A few minutes later, they sat in the living room drinking coffee as they went over what had happened.

Most of them knew how things had gone, and the process didn’t take long.

Gao Yang concluded earnestly, “I take full responsibility for this. I made two mistakes.”

“First, I placed my trust in Ke Yo too easily, and it turned out to be a mistake.”

“Second, I underestimated what Qilin and Yan Liang were capable of.”

“For the former, I did prepare for the possibility of her turning on us. That was why I asked Waking Insects to be our contingency...” Gao Yang paused. “But I didn’t expect her to forego Vermilion Bird and come up with a scheme with Qilin and Yan Liang directly.”

“For the latter, Qilin’s Eidos had a much greater range than I expected. I’ve never seen the trick he used today.”

“Tsk, the cripple isn’t much. He’s so weak that he fainted after that move.” Wang Zikai refused to acknowledge the man and opted for insults.

“He fainted?” Gao Yang turned to Wang Zikai in surprise. “You sure?”

“Yeah, I saw it.” Wang Zikai had been frozen in place after getting hit by Statues, and when he recovered his mental faculty, he saw Qilin collapsing and getting caught by Azure Dragon.

Gao Yang thought for a moment. “He used some sort of drug.”

Nine Frost wasn’t there, but he had come to the same conclusion. “Must be a medicine Dr. Jia developed with Vermilion Bird’s energy, and it boosted Qilin’s power. That was why he could use Eidos at such a great distance, but the side effect was losing consciousness.”

Lithe Snake stood with his back against the wall and his arms crossed. He had good eyesight, and he had gotten a clear look at the man. “I remember him touching his ring right before he made a move. That must be him injecting himself.”

“But...the price is too great, isn’t it?” Hong Xiaoxiao said with disbelief. “I remember Elder Vermilion Bird said that a buff from Equivalent Exchange would result in two to three months of coma.”

“It won’t be that long for him,” said Lithe Snake. “Qilin fainted after staring at us for less than ten seconds. It makes sense that he should be unconscious for a much shorter time.”

“Yeah.” Gao Yang nodded. “And it’s Qilin. He doesn’t trust others. He won’t allow himself to stay unconscious for long.”

“Makes sense.” Gray Bear nodded too.

“I lost this round,” Gao Yang said calmly, but his guilt was clear in his tone. “I lost terribly and almost got all of you killed.”

“Captain!” Gray Bear shouted. “There are always winners and losers. That’s what being a leader entails. You have to make a gamble sometimes. And if someone can win every gamble, it must be God rather than a mortal.”

“You’re good enough already. If I were the leader, ha, the Nine Scions would’ve failed countless times and become the Nay Scions[1].”

Lithe Snake shot Gray Bear a withering glare. He had long given up on insulting the man for his lame jokes.

“Yeah, Captain. Don’t blame yourself.” Can offered reassurance with a smile. “Things were dangerous today, but we all came back alive, right?”

“And we discovered the old geezer’s ability and Ke Yo’s true allegiance! Those would help us prevent more risks in the future. We’ve gained something from the mission.”

“Well said, Can!” Gray Bear smiled.

Wang Zikai broke into a smile and grabbed Gao Yang’s shoulder. “She’s right, bro. If you do the math, the mission is a great success! I say we celebrate! Fried chicken, roasted skewers, and beer! Come on!”

“Oh?”

Hong Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up. She had been literally carried along on today’s mission, and she didn’t know how the review session turned into a celebration, but late-night snacks always cheered her up.

She smiled bashfully and sneaked a glance at the others. “Then we’ll...celebrate a little?”

“Seconded!” Gray Bear raised his hand. “Let’s celebrate!”

“I don’t care either way,” Lithe Snake said.

“Same,” said Nine Frost.

The two men exchanged a knowing glance before leaving the house to keep watch outside.

Guilt lingered in Gao Yang’s heart. He clenched his fists discreetly and put on a smile. “Alright. We’ll have a little celebration tonight for...the Nine Scions’ first failure.”

...

December 23rd, two o’clock in the afternoon.

Underground base of the Hundred Rivers Union, Nanji District.

Inside the grand meeting room, War Tiger and White Rabbit from the Twelve Zodiac Signs had come to trade the Life Rune Circuit with the Union again. The Hundred Rivers Union’s headquarters were located a hundred meters underground with layers upon layers of security measures. And with Little Tian acting as the human radar, there was no chance for the Nine Scions to ambush them again.

Qilin Guild sent Elder Yan Liang and the new Elder Black Tortoise, Ke Yo, as witnesses. The four Union Team Leaders, Colorless, Goldthread, Liao Liao, and Chen Ying, handed away the Poison Rune Circuit after taking the Life Rune Circuit.

Once the two sides made sure that the traded wares were the real deal, they each put the Rune Circuits away safely.

After the deal, those from the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Qilin Guild took their leave.

Colorless, who had been scowling the whole time, called out in an icy voice to stop Yan Liang. “Wait, the Qilin Guild used us and the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Aren’t you even going to talk about that?”

1. The original is a pun of the word 嗣 (si, fourth tone), meaning scion, and 死 (si, third tone), meaning dead. ☜