Chapter 138: Killing

Qi Xia, Tian Tian, and Yun Yao all turned their heads away.

The scene unfolding before them was simply too difficult to watch.

Calling it a "duel" was putting it nicely; in blunt terms, it was a completely one-sided beating.

That bald man was utterly defenseless against Qiao Jia Jin, like a toddler just learning to walk.

There was no referee for this fight, so neither side was stopped no matter what moves they used.

Qi Xia felt that Qiao Jia Jin was strange – he always seemed to become a different person when he fought.

It had been the same the first time they entered "Tian Tang Kou" – his eyes would suddenly turn cold and sharp.

"B-Big brother…" A Mu stammered, filled with fear. He finally realized the vast difference in their strengths. "Stop… if you keep going, he's really going to die…"

Qiao Jia Jin stopped. The bald man stood there swaying, blood dripping from his mouth.

"Apologize."

The bald man groggily raised his hand as if bowing, then said with his swollen lips, "Sorry…"

A Mu and Jin Mao quickly rushed over to support the bald man, their eyes wide with terror.

"Get out of here, and don't let me see you again," Qiao Jia Jin said, waving his hand.

A Mu and Jin Mao nodded and turned to leave with the two others.

"You can't go," Qi Xia said sternly, stopping the three of them. He knew their true nature; if they left, they might go on killing again.

Qiao Jia Jin looked back in confusion. "What's wrong, Pian Ren Zi?"

"They're a menace," Qi Xia replied. "We absolutely can't let them go."

With that, he picked up a folding knife from the ground and slowly walked forward.

Qiao Jia Jin frowned and extended a hand to block Qi Xia.

"Pian Ren Zi, put the knife down."

"What did you say?"

"I said put the knife down. Fighting is fighting – don't use a knife."

Qiao Jia Jin knew from his own experience that it was because he had used a knife to kill someone at eleven that his life had turned out this way.

A flash of killing intent crossed Qi Xia's eyes, but he held back and turned to Qiao Jia Jin. "They're more ruthless than you think. We can't leave them alive."

"Are you sure about this? This would be murder," Qiao Jia Jin whispered.

"They'll just revive anyway," Qi Xia said. "I'm killing them now just to ensure no one bothers us for the next nine days."

"That still won't do." Qiao Jia Jin firmly held Qi Xia's wrist. "Pian Ren Zi, I've taught them a lesson already. If you're still not satisfied, you can kick them a few more times, but you can't kill anyone."

"You…" Qi Xia paused, seeing the seriousness in Qiao Jia Jin's eyes – he wasn't joking.

"No matter if they can revive or not, once you start killing, there's no going back," Qiao Jia Jin said as he slowly took the knife from Qi Xia's hand. "Thinking 'they're dangerous, so I have to kill them' – that's a dangerous idea itself. We're human, not animals. If you get used to it, you can never return to the normal world."

Qi Xia slowly closed his eyes after hearing this.

It was ironic, really. In the previous cycle, he had tested Qiao Jia Jin with the question, "Do you think killing for the path is feasible?" Only after Qiao Jia Jin refused to kill did Qi Xia feel safe enough to make him a teammate.

But just a few days later, Qi Xia's mindset had completely changed.

As Qiao Jia Jin said, once he got used to the idea of killing, he would be no different from those Sheng Xiao, fully immersed in "Zhong Yan Zhi Di."

If he ever returned to reality, he would be burdened with lives on his conscience forever.

"Qiao Jia Jin, even if we don't kill, someone will kill us," Qi Xia said coldly. "You carry this 'dao yi,' but not everyone does. When everyone here sees killing as normal, what are we supposed to do?"

"Leave it to me. I can handle it," Qiao Jia Jin replied.

"For how long?" Qi Xia's expression darkened. "What if you die?"

"I…" Qiao Jia Jin sighed, a helpless look on his face. "Pian Ren Zi, I'm not as smart as you, so I can't think that far ahead. I just know you can't kill now, and I won't allow it."

The situation seemed to have reached a deadlock.

This usually unbreakable pair of partners now had a disagreement.

Tian Tian watched them sadly from the side. She knew neither of them was wrong – they were just being driven mad by this place.

In a place like this, should they still see themselves as "human"?

Thinking about it, she slowly stepped forward and took the knife from Qiao Jia Jin's hand.

"I have an idea," Tian Tian said.

The two turned to look at her, puzzled.

"I'll do the killing," she said gently. "You two don't need to worry about it. I'll handle it."

"Wha…" Qiao Jia Jin was stunned. "Liang Nv, it's not about who does the killing! Do you want to become a murderer?"

"It doesn't matter to me." Tian Tian shook her head. "This might be my purpose. Even if I go back to the real world, I'd still live in the shadows. If I think about it, the best outcome for me is to die in some unknown place. That way, no one would pity me, and no one would mock me."

Qi Xia blinked, sensing things were heading in a bad direction.

"So…" Tian Tian gave a bitter smile. "I don't care if I kill someone. You can tell me to kill whoever, it's fine. Just don't take me with you when you leave."

With that, she walked toward the three men.

A Mu had injured his waist, Jin Mao had dislocated his arm, and the bald man was dazed from the beating. They had no idea what Qi Xia and the others were discussing; they just watched as this woman approached with the knife.

"A-A Mu, something's not right…" Jin Mao said. "Is she going to kill us?"

"N-No way…" A Mu stammered. "We apologized and got beaten… We didn't even hurt anyone… Why would she?"

"Should we run?"

"But…" A Mu glanced at Qiao Jia Jin. If he really wanted to end their lives, where could they escape to with their injuries?

Tian Tian was now in front of them, raising the knife. Her hand was trembling, and she looked terrible.

"B-Big sister…" A Mu swallowed hard. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just trying to help the people who trust me," Tian Tian said, choking back tears. "I'm sorry."

Her hand shook, but she struck without hesitation. As the knife flew toward A Mu's abdomen, Qi Xia pulled her back.

The knife dropped, and A Mu fell to the ground in panic.

"Forget it, Tian Tian…"

Qi Xia was deeply conflicted as he held her. He could feel her whole body shaking – she was terrified.

Yes, this was killing someone.

Staring into the other person's eyes while plunging the knife into their abdomen.

"That's enough," Qi Xia said. "We don't need to do this."

He helped Tian Tian to the side and looked at the three frightened men. They were all badly injured and wouldn't be causing any trouble for the next few days.

"For today, that's it. You're on your own from now on."