Chapter 342: Four

“Not entirely,” Qian Wu replied. “Because each of us had already died upon entering, theoretically, you can only contact the family from Zhou Liu’s time, not her herself.”

This statement made Qi Xia and Li Shangwu furrow their brows, while Qiao Jiajin simply froze up.

“But isn’t that strange...?” Li Shangwu pondered for a moment before asking, “Why did we die in such a massive earthquake, while our families remained safe and sound?”

“I don’t know,” Qian Wu answered. “And I don’t want to know. I’d rather focus on keeping my family alive and well.”

“You’re right…” Li Shangwu’s mood had clearly improved after learning that his daughter Xuanxuan might still be alive, but soon another question swirled in his mind.

He turned to Qi Xia, hesitating to speak, and Qi Xia understood his intent. With a sigh, Qi Xia said:

“Li Shangwu, the fourteen-year-old me had no family.”

“You…” Li Shangwu trailed off, all his intended questions stuck in his throat.

Qian Wu overheard their conversation and couldn’t help but interject: “How about it… Old Li, you couldn’t contact the fourteen-year-old Qi Xia?”

“That’s right.” Li Shangwu nodded, his words laden with implication. “I don’t know where the problem lies.”

“Is it possible Qi Xia has always been like this?” Qian Wu laughed. “How many of his words to us are true? It’s not just you—I’m from the same year as Qi Xia, and I couldn’t contact him either.”

“What?”

Both Li Shangwu and Qi Xia were startled, but Qi Xia quickly composed himself and said:

“I’m used to going it alone, so it’s normal if you can’t contact me.”

“Going it alone… I remember you mentioned you have a wife, right?” Li Shangwu asked.

Qian Wu was slightly taken aback by this and turned to Qi Xia with a puzzled expression.

A wife?

“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded seriously. “I have a wife, and I hope she’s okay.”

Although Qian Wu looked confused, she didn’t say anything. She glanced at Shijiu and asked:

“Can we have another one today?”

Shijiu wiped the sweat from his forehead and shook his head. “No… ‘Xin Nian’ is struggling to hold up.”

“Then let’s call it a day,” Qian Wu nodded and said to Qi Xia and the others, “I invite you all to stay here for the night. Once Shijiu recovers tomorrow, I have more things to discuss with you.”

The three exchanged looks and found no reason to refuse.

“We have some food; let’s have a meal here this afternoon,” Qian Wu said with a smile, nodding to everyone as she stood up to leave.

“Hold on.” Li Shangwu called out to him.

“What is it?” Qian Wu turned back and asked.

“Do you ‘Mao’ still take in new members?”

Qian Wu smiled slightly at the question and nodded. “Of course, Li Shangwu. You’re a natural fit for ‘Mao’.”

“Me?”

“You’re like most people here—you don’t really want to leave. You just want to earn some money for your daughter, right?”

“Yes… How did you even know that?”

“Stay here,” Qian Wu nodded to Li Shangwu. “From now on, you’re our comrade. I can give you a satisfactory figure.”

Li Shangwu never imagined joining “Mao” would be this straightforward, without any “examinations” or “interrogations.”

“So, I can’t use the name Li Shangwu anymore?” Li Shangwu asked.

“That’s correct,” Qian Wu nodded. “That name no longer belongs to you. Starting today, you’re a ‘Mao’ wandering in the ‘Zhong Yan Zhi Di’. We’re the unsealed ‘Sheng Xiao’; we’re all one and the same.”

Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin both looked at Li Shangwu. Though they weren’t particularly close, the idea of parting ways with him felt a bit melancholic.

“Why the long faces?” Li Shangwu laughed heartily. “I’ve joined ‘Mao’, but that doesn’t mean I’m dead. This Qian Wu guy—woman—seems alright; she probably won’t stop me from keeping in touch with you, right?”

“Of course not,” Qian Wu nodded. “You can even move around freely. When there’s a task, Zhou Liu will inform you.”

Zhou Liu extended his hand flatly and said:

“Let’s shake on it. Remember to shake hands with me every time you revive; I’m always by Qian Wu’s side and can relay his tasks.”

Li Shangwu reached out and touched Zhou Liu’s hand briefly, after which Zhou Liu quickly withdrew it.

Zhou Liu’s lips moved slightly as she whispered something.

Suddenly, Li Shangwu heard her voice in his ear: “Testing, testing.”

“Li Shangwu receiving; go ahead,” Li Shangwu responded out of habit.

“Tsk, no need to be so formal,” Zhou Liu waved her hand. “Alright, as long as you can hear me.”

At that moment, Qi Xia thought of something and turned to look at Zheng Yingxiong, who was hiding behind him.

Zheng Yingxiong took a few breaths and said quietly: “It’s very faint… but I can still smell it; it’s the scent of ‘Chuan Yin’.”

After hearing this, Qi Xia looked up at Zhou Liu and asked: “May I ask what your ‘Hui Xiang’ is called?”

“Tsk, ‘Chuan Yin’, obviously,” Zhou Liu replied impatiently. “What advice do you have, smart guy? Do you need my ‘Chuan Yin’ too?”

“No, I don’t,” Qi Xia shook his head. After three rounds of verification, it was clear that this kid named Zheng Yingxiong could accurately identify others’ ‘Hui Xiang’.

But how was that possible?

Was that his ability?

“That child…” Qian Wu glanced sideways at Zheng Yingxiong behind Qi Xia. “We haven’t asked about him yet; is he one of yours?”

“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded. “We’ll stay here together for now.”

“Alright,” Qian Wu nodded and turned to Song Qi. “Old Seven, arrange rooms for them.”

“Okay, there are a few rooms behind Twenty-One; I’ll settle them there for now,” Song Qi replied.

“No, Li Shangwu doesn’t need to go behind Twenty-One,” Qian Wu shook her head. “Give him the room in front of mine.”

“What…?” Song Qi was stunned. “Qian Wu, did I hear that right? Your room in front is…”

Zhou Liu slowly furrowed her brow: “Tsk, Qian Wu, what’s going on? Isn’t this guy ‘Li Twenty-Two’?”

“When did I say I was giving him ‘Twenty-Two’?” Qian Wu said, her eyes fixed on Li Shangwu. “Starting today, Li Shangwu is ‘Four’. He ranks ahead of me.”

As soon as she said this, everyone in the room looked puzzled and furrowed their brows.

Four?

“Why?!” Song Qi asked, full of confusion. “Qian Wu, you’ve always been the leader of ‘Mao’. What do you mean by giving him ‘Four’?!”

“You’re all mistaken about one thing,” Qian Wu shook her head and smiled with a complex expression. “It’s not that I gave him ‘Four’; it’s that he gave me ‘Five’.”

This left everyone slightly stunned.

“You… are you saying…” Li Shangwu blinked, as if accepting some fact. “A long time ago… I was ‘Four’ here?”

Qian Wu nodded. Nearly seven years had passed, but she still remembered that offhand remark:

“You’re just Zhang San and Li Si, Qian Wu and Zhou Liu, after all.”