Chapter 224 Longing Will Eventually Bring Us Together
Qi Xia stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the empty streets in the dead of night.
The streets looked somewhat desolate, yet the lights still burned brightly.
Several taxis with their {empty} lights glowing drove past, serving as a stark reminder to Qi Xia that this was a reality far more savage and bloodstained than {End Point}. The night here wasn’t haunted by mole crickets creeping across walls, but by the most unadulterated facets of humanity.
Qi Xia frowned as he stared at the desolate scene outside, and another bold hypothesis formed in his mind.
Could it be that the real Yu Nian'An... had also entered {End Point} when the earthquake struck?
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a car drove by outside, honking its horn sharply, causing Qi Xia to startle.
"Indeed..." Qi Xia squinted, his conviction in his hypothesis growing stronger. After all, the number of people who had set foot upon {End Point} was innumerable, beyond reckoning.
Yu Nian'An might have been one of them, perhaps even in another city in {End Point}, far from him.
And so, this world erased her existence.
The further Qi Xia thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
If the cycle reset every ten days, then why hadn't Yu Nian'An emerged?
Had she truly ascended, joining the ranks of the {Earthly Branches}?
Or had she made a fatal mistake…doomed to perish there forever?
If he had to choose between these two possibilities, Qi Xia would, of course, wish that Yu Nian'An had become {Celestial Goat}. At least she was still alive, and there was still hope of rescuing her.
From this perspective, everything suddenly made sense.
The words of the Terrestrial Tiger... and the subtle clues woven through the speech of those {Sacred Guardians}—it all seemed to slowly connect at this moment.
{Celestial Goat} Yu Nian'An, and those seven elusive years—there was undoubtedly a profound connection between the two. This was all that Qi Xia could deduce at this moment.
However, the validity of this answer was contingent upon a very strict condition: every clue Qi Xia had gathered thus far must be the {truth}. If even one person had lied, or if the tale was spun by a madman, this answer would collapse completely, like a rotting tree from the base up.
"Xia, you're already awake?" Yu Nian'An’s voice suddenly rang out.
Standing by the window, Qi Xia heard her voice, slowly turned around, his eyes brimming with ice-cold despair.
Somehow, the sky had begun to brighten.
"What's wrong?" Yu Nian'An stared at Qi Xia, her expression filled with confusion as she asked, "Did you not sleep well?"
"It’s nothing." Qi Xia shook his head. "An, I'm hungry. Let’s have some breakfast."
"Mm..." Yu Nian'An stood up, nodding gently. "I'll go make you breakfast."
Half an hour later, the two of them sat at a small single-person table, eating simple bacon and fried eggs. Neither of them said a word.
The night’s reflection had cleared many of Qi Xia's thoughts, but it also pushed him to the edge of a breakdown.
The situation was becoming increasingly complicated.
He knew that the real Yu Nian'An might still be wandering in {End Point}. So today, he wasn’t planning to take the {substitute} with him. Instead, he would quietly wait for the earthquake here.
He was going to actively search for Yu Nian'An.
This time, his target was {Celestial Goat}.
"An, though I feel like I’ve wronged you, would you spend today with me at home?" Qi Xia asked.
“Wronged me…?” Yu Nian'An asked with a smile. “What’s there to feel guilty about for staying at home? I’d rather you stay here every day.”
Indeed, Qi Xia knew just how unnerving this feeling was. It felt as if he were killing Yu Nian'An with his own hands. He had to die at the exact moment of the earthquake, ensuring his return to {End Point} without fail.
But was his assumption too bold...? Simply based on a few details, he had determined that Yu Nian'An wasn’t the real Yu Nian'An.
What exactly is the difference between the true Yu Nian'An and the one that was fabricated?
Maybe... they were exactly the same.
But despite all of this, Qi Xia didn’t want a life that had been orchestrated for him.
He only wanted the original Yu Nian'An.
The girl who had suddenly appeared in his life, like a ray of sunshine.
The girl who would wrack her brain to tell jokes whenever he was feeling down.
The girl who, when she hurt herself, would grit her teeth and hold back her cries, afraid of worrying him.
The girl who liked to test Qi Xia with simple logic puzzles, all while putting on an air of profundity.
The girl who would speak the words {knock knock knock}.
The girl who, despite being covered in wounds, would still choose to soothe him first.
He only yearned for her. Not even someone with the same appearance or thoughts could ever fill the gap she left.
Qi Xia and Yu Nian'An sat side by side on the couch, quietly watching people act on television.
"Xia, did you know?" Yu Nian'An asked, her expression blank as she stared at the screen.
"I know," Qi Xia replied, his voice soft. "There are many paths in this world, and everyone walks their own."
"Mhm." Yu Nian'An nodded. "Xia, no matter which path you choose, I’ll support you."
"I know." Qi Xia’s gaze dimmed once more. "An, no distance is too great—I will find you, no matter the obstacles."
"Find me?" Yu Nian'An smiled bitterly. "Xia, I’m right here."
"Yes, I know." Tears began to gather in Qi Xia's eyes. "You’re here because I can't control my own yearnings."
"Xia, no matter where you go to find me, as long as I can feel your longing, I’ll come to your side," Yu Nian'an's eyes welled with tears, though she couldn’t understand why this wave of sadness overtook her.
Her words drove Qi Xia’s mind another step toward the brink of breakdown.
If his {Reverberation} was the {creation of Yu Nian'An}, could he ever find the real Yu Nian'An?
Where there is longing, there will be meeting.
He could only venture forward, seeking {Celestial-grade} Earthly Branches, without ever triggering his {Reverberation}.
Otherwise, Yu Nian'An would appear like a nightmare, continuously haunting him.
He had no idea what kind of identity the person created by {Reverberation} held...
Would she dissipate at the end of ten days? If she didn’t, then before End Point was swarmed by bodies, Yu Nian'an would be found everywhere.
Therefore, he could not permit himself to activate his {Reverberation}.
What concerned Qi Xia even more was the realization that this would be a journey fraught with hardship. If he were to die without triggering his {Reverberationes}, all the clues he had gathered would turn to ash, and he would be forced to begin anew.
This was a gamble of the highest stakes.
As the earthquake struck, Qi Xia sat on the couch, quietly holding Yu Nian'An's shoulders.
The entire building began to shake, and cracks slowly appeared on the walls—the deafening roar of the earth followed closely behind.
The sound of glass shattering echoed from afar, and countless fissures appeared in the sky, scattering bright, glittering stars.
"An, I’m sorry..." Qi Xia said, his face filled with deep sorrow.