Chapter 156: A Walk Through Life

Wine is indeed a good thing.

The originally quiet atmosphere at the Ying Xin Hui gradually livened up after everyone had a few bottles of beer.

Many people started clinking their bottles with others and introducing themselves.

In the days ahead, they would become comrades facing death together.

"Qiao Jia Jin," Qi Xia asked while eating peanuts, "what's your reason for having to go out?"

"I don't know," Qiao Jia Jin said slowly, looking at the lively crowd in the distance. "To repay a debt of gratitude? Or to seek revenge? I'm not sure."

He took a big gulp of beer, his expression completely calm.

The usually cheeky Qiao Jia Jin seemed like a different person at that moment.

"What about you, Han Yi Mo?" Qi Xia turned to Han Yi Mo.

"I want to finish my novel," Han Yi Mo replied. "I'm just one chapter short of ending the story. Even if I have to die, I'd rather go after completing the novel."

"That's too extreme," Qi Xia shook his head. "Is the novel more important than your life?"

"Not really," Han Yi Mo said with a bitter smile. "Who really wants to die? But the Di Zhen is coming, so I'm destined to die anyway... Why not publish that chapter directly instead of reviewing it myself?"

Qi Xia sighed helplessly after hearing this.

What Han Yi Mo was talking about wasn't so much a "reason for going out" as it was a "final wish before dying."

At that moment, a slim, dark-skinned girl and a man in a suit walked over, each holding a bottle of beer.

Qi Xia remembered these two; they had attended Tong Yi's class.

"Everyone, let's get to know each other," the slim girl said with a smile. "Are you all from the same room?"

"Yes," Lin Geng nodded from the side. "What about you?"

"Yes, I'm Li Xiang Ling," the slim girl said, extending her hand to Lin Geng.

Lin Geng reached out, and the two shook hands briefly.

The moment they touched, Lin Geng noticed that the girl's palm had quite a few calluses.

"I'm Zhong Zhen," the man in the suit nodded to the group.

Qi Xia looked at them with a puzzled expression and asked, "Have your other teammates all died?"

"No," Li Xiang Ling shook her head. "We had five survivors, but the other three didn't want to come to Tian Tang Kou, so only the old man and I came over."

"I'm Qiao Jia Jin," Qiao Jia Jin said, clinking his bottle with Zhong Zhen's. "Just call me A Jin."

"Got it, brother."

The two began chatting with Lin Geng, Qiao Jia Jin, and Han Yi Mo.

It turned out their teammates were three criminals.

From the moment they arrived in the city, those three had been searching for knives to use for self-defense. Zhong Zhen and Li Xiang Ling knew they weren't on the same path as the others and had planned to act alone, but they encountered Zhang Shan, who came to persuade them.

After a brief conversation, the two decided to check out Tian Tang Kou.

"Three criminals?" Qi Xia frowned.

"Yeah... Two of them had just been released from prison, and one came straight from jail..." Li Xiang Ling said, showing a trace of fear. "It was really scary."

Qi Xia naturally knew who these three were, but now he had another question.

If everyone who came here was supposed to "atone for their sins," were A Mu, Guang Tou, and Jin Mao truly regretting their actions?

As Tong Yi had said, everyone here had sins, but Qi Xia had already seen many who showed no remorse.

For A Mu and the others, this place didn't seem like a spot for "atonement"; it felt more like a place where they could be completely free.

Yun Yao walked over at that point and saw Qi Xia still eating peanuts, so she asked curiously,

"Qi Xia, why aren't you drinking?"

"Because I need to stay clear-headed," Qi Xia said. "You all go ahead and drink."

"Why bother being so tense?" Yun Yao sat down next to him and opened a bottle of wine for him. "We're already in a place where death is certain, so is there anything we really need to be cautious about?"

Qi Xia felt Yun Yao had a point, but after so many years, he was used to it.

"Forget it, I'll just eat peanuts."

After saying that, he continued shelling peanuts.

Yun Yao thought Qi Xia was strange—the pile of peanut shells in front of him was almost like a small mountain. How much did this guy love peanuts?

"Hmph, suit yourself if you don't want to drink," Yun Yao pouted, then turned to Lin Geng. "Miss, what do you do?"

"I'm a psychological counselor," Lin Geng replied with a smile.

"Wow..." Yun Yao excitedly clinked her bottle with Lin Geng's. "Our group used to have professional psychological consultants too."

"Group?" Lin Geng paused. "So, you're...?"

"We're a girl idol group called Qi Si Miao," she said with a laugh. "We debuted in 2027. Have you heard of our group, big sister? What year are you from?"

Hearing this, Lin Geng looked a bit awkward: "N-no, I haven't... My time is a bit later..."

Qi Xia shook his head helplessly, feeling secondhand embarrassment for Yun Yao.

Lin Geng was from 2068, so by the time she was following idols, Yun Yao would probably have retired.

But Yun Yao didn't seem to mind at all. She pulled Lin Geng into a lively chat, covering everything from daily life to philosophical thoughts. Luckily, Lin Geng was well-versed and could keep up with any topic.

Before long, someone from Tian Tang Kou brought over a few batteries and handed them to Yun Yao.

She happily turned and left, going to an old-style radio, where she installed the batteries, pressed play, and then turned back to the crowd, saying,

"Everyone, everyone! For today's Ying Xin Hui, we've welcomed a few new teammates we haven't met before. I really like them, so I'm in an especially good mood and want to sing a song for all of you."

The crowd responded with enthusiastic applause.

Qiao Jia Jin, Han Yi Mo, Zhong Zhen, Li Xiang Ling, and Zhao Yi Sheng all crowded forward, finding the best seats.

As the old melody played from the radio, Yun Yao sang along confidently.

She had a sweet appearance and great stage presence, more like a professional singer than an idol.

The song from the radio was familiar to many, and soon everyone joined in.

This performance started as Yun Yao's solo but gradually turned into a group sing-along.

Qiao Jia Jin was the most energetic singer among them.

"Though the road by your side is far, I won't grow weary."

"Accompanying you step by step."

"Over one peak, another appears."

"Pushing goals further, keeping ideals always ahead."

This was Man Bu Ren Sheng Lu by Deng Li Jun, released in 1984. For some reason, it felt very fitting here.

Watching the crowd singing passionately in the distance, Qi Xia was infected by their energy and, for a moment, forgot where he was.

It seemed only he and Lin Geng didn't know the song, leaving them sitting in the corner, as if isolated from the world.

"Qi Xia," Lin Geng called out, "there's something I want to tell you."

Qi Xia paused his peanut shelling and asked casually, "What is it?"

"I'm a Ji Dao Zhe wandering in the Zhong Yan Zhi Di, and my goal is to purge the entire Tian Tang Kou."

Lin Geng smiled happily and took a sip of beer while looking at the distant crowd.

"May the sound of laughter cover up that side of pain."

"Sorrow or joy,"

"Every day, discover something new."

In the distance, the crowd continued singing loudly, filled with a joyful atmosphere.