However…
On that fair, tender forearm, there was a particularly conspicuous red line!
That red line was a string!
One end of the red string was on the wrist, and the other end was obscured by the sleeve, leading who knows where.
The life string of the life-and-death line!
Seeing the red string on Rong Mian, Huang Quan’s face showed a look of shock!
The High Priest had the death string, and Rong Mian had the life string. Could there be a connection between the two?
High Priest, life-and-death line, Luoyou City, Rong Mian…
Could Rong Mian be the corresponding life string to the High Priest’s death string?
Huang Quan suppressed her shock and reviewed everything.
The High Priest had said that the death string was not something planted only on him, but on all his clan members for generations. Before the High Priest was born, his clan had endured the torment of the death string, and finally, not wanting to continue, they held a sacrifice, exchanging all their lives for the High Priest’s. So it could be confirmed that the death string existed before that.
Although it was not currently possible to determine how many years ago Luoyou City had become ruins, if it was a legacy passed down through time, then the life string on Rong Mian could indeed be the life string corresponding to the High Priest’s death string.
But…
The High Priest’s clan was down to just him, and Rong Mian was from an unknown number of years ago, making it impossible to clarify this matter.
Setting aside the life and death strings for now, focusing on Luoyou City and Rong Mian, Rong Mian was unusual and had the life string on him. Considering the nature of the ghost town and Rong Mian being an important figure, Huang Quan already had an answer in her heart.
She had the answer, but how should she respond?
Should she speak out?
With that in mind, Huang Quan spoke to the empty air, “I know the answer. I want to respond.”
After she spoke, a sentence appeared in front of Huang Quan: “Speak, I can hear you.”
Huang Quan glanced at Rong Mian, then turned and left the room, stopping in a secluded spot before saying, “Luoyou City became a ghost town because of Rong Mian.”
“Luoyou City was invaded by foreign enemies. Rong Mian was the city’s protector. However, in defending the city, he dragged the city’s citizens and the invaders to their deaths together,” Huang Quan explained. “No one survived, which is why Luoyou City became a ghost town.”
“Are you sure?” A few more sentences appeared before her: “An incorrect answer will be punished. The punishment won’t be fatal, but it will be very painful.”
Huang Quan nodded firmly and said, “I’m sure.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“You said Rong Mian is an important figure. Important figures are usually not the direct cause but are related to it,” Huang Quan replied. “Taking a bold guess, I’d say Luoyou City became a ghost town because of Rong Mian.”
Not exactly…
She had evidence.
As she had explained to the High Priest about the life-and-death line, the life string is the one truly controlled, while the death string is the one the life string cares about the most, used to restrain the life string. If the life string disobeys, the death string will perish.
The life-and-death line is a curse, and those capable of casting such a curse are often very powerful. Therefore, the person they want to control must also be an extremely powerful being.
Powerful, meaning Rong Mian had the ability to turn Luoyou City into a ghost town.
These factors, along with the statement “Rong Mian, an important figure,” were enough to explain the situation.
Of course, her answer was indeed very bold.
Huang Quan said, “I stand by my answer. Rong Mian is the one who turned Luoyou City into a ghost town.”
After a moment, four words appeared before her eyes: “Correct answer.”
“Very good.”
Huang Quan was satisfied. “So, can I leave now?”
The other party: “…”
After a brief silence, another sentence appeared before Huang Quan: “Aren’t you curious?”
“Curious?”
Huang Quan raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Curious about what?”
“Why Rong Mian turned Luoyou City into a ghost town.”
“Not curious,” Huang Quan said. “As I mentioned earlier, there is the direct cause and those related to the cause. Rong Mian is the direct cause, and the ones related to him are the reason why he became like this.”
“Rong Mian is different from ordinary people, but he has the life string. The life-and-death line is used to control people; the death string is the one the life string cares about. Not long ago, I learned of someone who had a death string, and that death string has been passed down through generations. We can infer that Rong Mian encountered someone with a death string. Although we don’t know what happened, the person with the death string is someone Rong Mian cared about.”
“Even though Rong Mian appears cold, from his attitude towards Madam Rong, he is not a person who kills indiscriminately. In this case, the only reason Rong Mian would drag an entire city and the invaders to death would be that something happened to the person he cared about.”
“Moreover, the incident involving the person Rong Mian cared about was caused by both the city’s residents and the invaders,” Huang Quan said calmly. “This conclusion is drawn from the current state of Luoyou City.”
“Luoyou City is in ruins, with swords and spears scattered everywhere, but strangely, there are not many battle scars outside. The majority of the battle scars are inside the city. So, I infer that the invading army was let into the city by someone from Luoyou City. Once the invading army entered the city, Luoyou City was sealed off. At that moment, Rong Mian dragged both the invading army and the city’s residents to their deaths.”
The other party: “…”
Huang Quan said, “Events from so long ago, it’s impossible for me to know the details, but I can guess the general situation. Since I can guess, why should I be curious?”
Silence…
After a while, another sentence appeared: “What if you’re wrong?”
“If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. What’s the big deal?” Huang Quan said calmly. “I just need to not be curious, right? And you said this task is about giving the correct answer, not being curious about what happened. As long as I give the correct answer, that’s all that matters. The rest is not important to me.”
“…”
“I’ve answered correctly, let me out,” Huang Quan said. “I’m eager to break through the fourth level.”
“Huang Quan, the death line on that man with you corresponds to the life line on Rong Mian. Aren’t you curious about the life line bearer?”
Seeing these words appear one by one, Huang Quan narrowed her eyes slightly. “Sorry, I’m not interested.”
The death line on the High Priest had nothing to do with her, and she didn’t want to delve into matters from many years ago. Moreover… it was clear that the person behind this wanted her to know for some ulterior motive!
Huang Quan raised her hand, and green light spots seeped from her palm, spreading out.
“If you’re not willing to let me go, then I’ll break through by force!”
“Wait!”
The two big characters appeared before Huang Quan and quickly disappeared, replaced by new words: “Huang Quan, I know you’re in a hurry to save your brother. I can tell you about your brother’s current situation.”
“But in exchange, you need to learn about Rong Mian’s past. Only by understanding his past can you know what Rong Mian cares about the most. Having that knowledge is the key to reaching the final level.”
