As if sensing Tang Sui’s thoughts, the black-haired girl chuckled, her gaze falling on the table before them. She lowered the hand holding Tang Sui’s jade-white chess piece, her palm cupping the piece as she peered at the incomplete game on the table.
“Although it seems like you’ve reached a dead end, you know how to turn the tables, don’t you?”
The black-haired girl looked up, their similar yet subtly different gazes meeting in mid-air.
She raised her hand, her slender, fair fingertips tapping on a black chess piece, then sliding slightly to the right, landing in the empty space diagonally above it.
“This is the key to victory.”
“You want to play here, don’t you?”
The black-haired girl’s voice held a tone of certainty.
Tang Sui’s lips parted slightly, and she let out a soft sigh, reaching out to the black-haired girl to retrieve her piece. “Since you know, then give me back my chess piece.”
“I can help you play it, though?” The black-haired girl blinked, not immediately returning the white piece to Tang Sui.
Tang Sui’s gaze flickered for a moment as she replied, “No need, I’ll play it myself. I don’t need you to.”
A fleeting darkness flashed in the black-haired girl’s eyes. Maintaining her perfect smile, she opened her palm, revealing the jade-white chess piece.
Tang Sui’s hand lowered slightly, her fingertips hovering in the air, ready to hook the white piece lying in the other’s palm.
“Wait a moment.”
With a flick of her fingers, she took control, grasping Tang Sui’s hand, which was about to touch the white piece, along with the piece itself.
“What is it?”
Tang Sui met her gaze with a calm indifference.
The black-haired girl’s smile was now like a fixed, false mask, devoid of warmth. Her deep, dark eyes stared intently at Tang Sui, as if trying to discern her current emotions and true thoughts.
“Although this is the simplest, most direct move, and the one that will decide the game, have you made the corresponding psychological preparations for the price of making this move?”
The sounds around her became somewhat chaotic, as if many voices were speaking to her in unison, their words jumbled together, rising and falling.
“If I play it for you, and you ultimately fail, you can blame me all you want, which will reduce your psychological burden somewhat.”
Tang Sui closed her eyes, a series of figures flashing through her mind.
They remained in that pose for nearly half a minute before Tang Sui slowly opened her eyes.
“I… will play it myself.”
Black and red light flowed from between their clasped fingers.
As if burned by the black and red light, the black-haired girl released her grip on Tang Sui’s fingertips. The expressionless smile on her face was now laced with a deep meaning, as if confirming something. She asked again.
“Are you truly prepared?”
Tang Sui, having regained possession of the white piece, lowered her gaze, a mocking curve forming at the corner of her lips.
“If it were the me of the past, I would never have believed in so-called bonds.”
The curve at her lips flattened. She looked up, her eyes incredibly serious, staring directly at the black-haired girl, and spoke slowly, word by word: “But now, I want to try and believe, so I am willing to gamble on this life-or-death move.”
The face she had once known so intimately became blurred in her vision, as if overlaid with many small mosaic-like squares. The next moment, it transformed into another unfamiliar face.
They were men and women, old and young. Their features overlapped, finally transforming into a bottomless black hole, absorbing all incoming light.
“If this is your decision…”
“—then, we will also abide by it.”
The overlapping voices echoed in her mind.
“Clack,”
Tang Sui placed the white piece that would turn the tide of the game.
Instantly, a powerful white light emanated from the piece, illuminating the dim starlight and transforming it into a brilliant, boundless sea of stars, filling the originally hollow and illusory space.
“Whoosh!”
The snowflakes drifting in the limited space began to fly more rapidly, but the chill that had made Shang Yang uncomfortable began to gradually decrease, no longer generating new snowflakes.
The energy light radiating from Tang Sui, intertwined and shining, was like unpolished jade that had been cleansed of its impurities. The radiance gradually receded, revealing the original form of the beautiful jade.
“Awake?”
As Shang Yang spoke, Tang Sui’s closed eyelids fluttered open again. Her dark blue pupils held a faint, ethereal glow, like the perpetually unthawed mist on a snow-capped mountain, adding a touch of icy chill.
She slowly stretched her body and rotated her stiff neck, producing crisp “crackle” sounds.
Immense energy filled her body. Tang Sui could clearly feel that her body had undergone another evolutionary transformation.
The most noticeable change was the temperature of her blood; it was even cooler. The mixed aura perceived by spirit beasts and demons was slowly converging towards a single direction. In essence, Tang Sui’s human scent had diminished.
She spread her fair palm, looking at its surface, which was as smooth as a mirror, devoid of any palm lines. It was truly like jade, slender and delicate, unnervingly beautiful.
“After merging… with Qing Nu Fang, my human bloodline seems to have become even more diluted. But it hasn’t been completely removed yet.”
Tang Sui tentatively clenched her fingers and spoke.
Shang Yang leaned closer to Tang Sui, stroking his chin as he circled her once, then said with satisfaction, “Hmm, your aura is purer now. But as long as you bleed, any creature with a brain, be it a spirit beast or a demon, will be able to recognize your mixed-blood identity.”
Tang Sui let out a soft breath. “To be honest, having grown up in human society since childhood, I don’t really care about bloodline concepts. Even if they discriminate, it won’t affect me much, because the power of speech has always been held by the strong.”
Shang Yang laughed heartily. “Not bad, it’s good that you have this mindset! I thought you would be sad about your changes, but I underestimated you.”
Tang Sui immediately looked at him with dissatisfaction. “Uncle Snake, I’m not a child anymore. Since it was my choice, I will naturally bear its consequences.”
Shang Yang was noncommittal. “Then I hope you can always hold this thought.”
The system chimed in, saying: 【He finally said something sensible. I also hope you can maintain this mindset and continue on your path.】
Listening to their enigmatic words, Tang Sui raised an eyebrow and nodded on the surface, while poking the system in her mind.
‘When did you become so understanding?’
She used to be so sarcastic towards her.
Sensing Tang Sui’s thoughts, the system chuckled, 【Towards you, I believe I am already quite understanding.】
Tang Sui blinked, this time it was her turn to be noncommittal.
At this moment, the snowflakes in the underground space had completely vanished, leaving only the churning magma to declare itself the ultimate victor.
Shang Yang’s gaze returned to Tang Sui, and he said with interest, “Come, release your power. Show me what level your current strength has reached.”