Chapter 974: Why Appear

The side where the other party is, and the side where she is, split into two different lines from a certain Node.

Yao Guang ran this judgment over in his mind again, confirmed it was correct, and then said nothing further.

She just stood there, her violet‑blue overlapping pupils appearing extremely calm in the dark‑red light, as if she had sunk into her own calculations.

When that conclusion emerged, she knew she could not casually speak the "future."

Those things she knows, that are about to happen, that she has personally experienced, if placed on this world line, are very likely to become erroneous guidance.

What the other party has experienced, and what she has experienced, are no longer the same game.

Qingque crouched on the tree root, watching Yao Guang's expression grow increasingly solemn, her heart in turmoil.

She wasn't quite sure why the other party was asking these.

Who in Luofu doesn't know about General Jingyuan's coma?

As a general, Yao Guang should, in theory, be the first to receive the news.

Why does it now sound as if it's just hearsay?

Qingque felt uneasy inside, thinking: I can't possibly have missed some of the people arriving by train, can I?

Could it be that a fourth person was still standing at the pier then, and she, blind, didn't see?

She carefully observed Yao Guang's expression.

The dark‑red light shone up from below, deepening the already delicate contours of Yao Guang's face, making it beautiful in an almost unreal way.

Yet the more this happened, the more Qingque felt fear.

"Yao boss?"

Qingque tentatively called out, her voice unintentionally lowering, "Why aren't you speaking? Did I say something wrong?"

Yao Guang seemed pulled back from his contemplation by her words, his eyelashes trembling.

She looked at Qingque, seeing her crouched there, her ash‑white long hair a tangled mess, a few half‑withered flower buds sprouting from between the strands, and with that face full of guilt, she looked just like a sparrow that had mistakenly entered a forbidden zone.

"Nothing at all."

Yao Guang shook his head, "You didn't say anything wrong."

She paused, and the whole demeanor shifted back to the composed Yao Guang.

She gave Qingque a smile.

"It's just that these things piled together, and I didn't react right away."

Qingque gave a half‑skeptical "oh," then quickly glanced at Yao Guang's expression; seeing he had indeed relaxed, she slowly rose from the tree root.

"That's good!"

Yao Guang then cast his gaze toward the deeper dark‑red space ahead of the two.

Layers of red mist piled upon each other, countless intertwined branches stretching into the distance like an endless net.

"This place is extremely strange; staying here constantly makes one prone to wild thoughts."

"Let's first deal with the immediate situation and see if there's a way out."

Then Qingque followed behind Yao Guang; the surfaces of those intertwined branches were covered with fine patterns, hard yet supple, and stepping on them felt like the scales of some giant beast, still warm to the touch.

"Yao boss, walk slower, this place gets more and more eerie as we go."

Qingque complained as she lifted her foot; the sole just left the branch, and the spot she'd stepped on seeped a faint dark‑red glimmer, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

Yao Guang stopped ahead, turned his body sideways, tilted his head slightly, and looked at Qingque with his overlapping violet‑blue eyes, a casual curve lifting the corner of his lips.

"You just said Black Tower Lady left that night; what exact time was it?"

Qingque scratched the back of her head, a few strands of ash‑white hair becoming messier: "I can't pinpoint the exact hour; it was deep midnight."

"Did she leave any words before departing?"

"Um, I don't know; Yao boss, you seem to hold me in some regard."

Yao Guang let out a light "oh."

She lowered her gaze, and after a few seconds lifted it again, her violet‑blue pupils flowing with a contemplative light.

Then Yao Guang resumed his stride.

The hem of her long dress brushed the branch surfaces, the layers of sheer fabric lifting lightly like living things, revealing the curved strap of ankle‑high heeled sandals; her skin, in the dark‑red shadows, was as white as fine ivory jade.

"Black Tower's departure from Luofu is a considerable loss for the current situation."

Yao Guang's voice came from ahead.

Qingque followed, stepping over a protruding tree knot: "I think the same; Luofu's only fighters now are those few, General Jingyuan is still lying down, Jing Liu senior… that sword is indeed formidable, but she's coming to slash at me."

When she reached the last sentence, her voice unintentionally rose a few notches.

Yao Guang's head also turned back, and he gave a light laugh.

"Are you afraid of Jing Liu?"

"Yes, of course I'm afraid."

Qingque drew her neck back, her voice lowering again, "When that sword came down, half a street froze into an iceberg; if it weren't for… never mind, let's skip this part, lifting it makes my calves cramp."

She waved her hand as if to drive that memory out of the air.

Yao Guang didn't stop his steps, merely turning his face slightly, and with peripheral vision he took in Qingque's grimy‑faced, stubborn expression.

The girl's lively vigor was still fully present, even in this strange yet lavish attire; she still carried the Xiao Bu Zhe's carefree leap.

"You asked why I'm here, right?"

Yao Guang suddenly spoke, steering the conversation back to the question Qingque had raised earlier.

Qingque perked up: "Right, right! I've been wanting to ask, Yao boss, why are you also in this damned place?"

"When I first saw you, I thought I was truly dead, even the General of Xianzhou came down to keep me company."

Yao Guang let out a light laugh, standing out brightly in this oppressive dark‑red space.

"I said I'm here to handle Guiji; would you believe me?"

Guiji?

Qingque's steps paused, and the expression on her face shifted from confusion to startled doubt, "Extinction Great Lord? Boss Yao, you aren't teasing me, are you?"

"Well, just consider it teasing you."

Yao Guang said, "I was only halfway through handling it when a few minor mishaps occurred."

She lifted one hand, her slender fingers slowly turning within the dark‑red light, making a delicate gesture as if twirling an invisible thread.

"My condition, you've heard bits of it, right? Sometimes it's active, sometimes not, and it occasionally drags me to some inexplicable places."

"This time, it brought me here."

Qingque nodded thoughtfully, drawing out a lingering "oh".

Yao Guang's mysterious whereabouts have long been rumored on Xianzhou; wherever she appears, it feels both abrupt and fitting.

"Fine, anyway the matters of the generals are not something a Xiao Bu Zhe like me should pry into."

Qingque shook her head, shaking off the pile of questions, a few flower buds swaying left and right, "But Boss Yao, since you managed to get in, there must be a way out, right?"

Yao Guang didn't answer immediately.

She cast her gaze toward the interlacing branches stretching in the distance, remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly said, "Not for now."

"The structure here is peculiar, like someone's mental realm, yet it has far more constraints than a normal consciousness field."

"My power is heavily suppressed; trying to force it open might shatter you as well."

"Never do that!"

Qingque hurriedly waved her hand, her face full of resistance, "I've barely managed to survive this long; I don't want to be torn to pieces in a place like this. Dying like that would be too ugly, with not even a corpse collector around."

She paused, then added softly, "Lord Fu Xuan still owes me a cup of tea."