Note: This chapter marks the start of the paid chapters and is extra long for that reason. Please support Priest by buying the paid chapters on JJWXC!

The moment Xiang Xiaoman turned around, the shop employee subconsciously leaned the upper half of his body back, as though her gaze was a hot oil splatter that he needed to block with a pot cover.

Following that, he seemed to gather all the courage he had in his body and stammered in that cat-cry voice, "You… You must calm down. You have a child. If there's anything… anything that you can't bear, you can get help from other people… I…"

His voice was soft and slow, and his words were rather unclear, like he was someone with learning difficulties.

Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Xiang Xiaoman walked over with an expressionless face, grabbed the blade together with the paper bag, and left.

The shop employee closed his mouth, staring at her retreating back at a loss. Taking the initiative to say a couple of words to a strange lady seemed to have taken all his strength. Even after she had walked out of the laundry shop, his wildly thumping heart didn't seem like it wanted to calm down and even his legs were shaking.

After a long while, he finally saw his reflection in the mirror at the front door. The features on his face were proper, his body tall and large; but his "proper" looks were not particularly pleasing to the eye. He did not have any outstanding features, his looks were forgettable. His "tall and large" body wasn't of the "extraordinary bearing" or "immense strength" variety. For some reason that he did not know, he wasn't fat but he looked slow and sluggish. His fringe covered his eyes; they had just been washed but were already greasy enough to gather into locks. His entire person had the bearing of someone tense and cowering, like he was ready to bow to anyone at a moment's notice.

Ugly man, he thought.

As though he couldn't bear to see his own image anymore, he moved his gaze away.

In front of the laundry shop, people walked to and fro. Every day, he saw other people talked and joked with one another, and would feel very bewildered. He suspected that all of those people privately had a script and that everything they said had been written down and memorised beforehand. Otherwise, how could they be so relaxed and not stumble even a little bit?

Every time he was forced to speak to other people, it seemed to be something extremely risky and dangerous that he had to throw caution to the wind to do.

Tone and intonation, where to put his hands and where his eyes should look, what to say—he had to rehearse all that in his heart a few times but it was still useless. Once he opened his mouth and his mind multi-tasked to take care of all those many things, he would inevitably fall short somewhere, and danger would pop up all around him.

The more he said things badly, the more he panicked; the more he panicked, the more he said things badly. More often than not, people would not have the patience to listen to the end of his grunting and mumbling lines. They would cut him off, ignore him, brush him off… or just bluntly turn around and leave.

He was like a freak that did not fit in anywhere. Everytime he tried to extend his feelers to touch the world around him, he would end up getting a round of electric shock. As time went by, "extending his feelers" seemed to be something that could endanger his life.

The outer room of the laundry shop had a counter to receive customers. Behind the counter was the washing area. Next to it was a very small storeroom—the cleaning tools, the things used in the shop such as clothes racks and plastic bags were stuffed into that room. And squeezed into the gap between these miscellaneous items was a small and narrow camp bed. That was his nest.

In his nest was a laptop of a very old model and an Ayanami Rei figurine. Just one, and it was not even a limited edition one. Those great gods on the internet who could easily have a display cabinet full of figurines were too extravagant. The figurines they had were extravagant, the display cabinets they had were extravagant, the space they had for the cabinets even more extravagant.

Even though she was not much of a treasure, she had always accompanied him. She was like a close, intimate friend. Through the animation, he understood her story; meanwhile, by staying beside him day after day, she understood his thoughts, and nothing more needed to be said.

"Yan Hao! Yan Hao!" The laundry shop owner was back and shouting for him. "Where did you run off to again?"

The shop employee trembled. Carefully, he put Ayanami Rei away and turned to walk out of the room.

"Ai, you gave me a fright. Kid, why isn't there any sound when you walk?" The shop owner patted his own chest and tossed a small booklet over to him. "The clothes for No. 115 to No. 121 are ready. Give them a call and tell them to come pick them up."

Yan Hao's scalp started prickling once he heard the words "give them a call." Rather than making a phone call, he would pick chestnuts out of a fire with his bare hands. Hence, he accepted the booklet and, while outwardly agreeing to the task, secretly cheated. He put the reminder in a text message and sent a mass text to the phone numbers.

The boss saw him doing this and sighed as he said, "Aiyo, I only asked you to make a phone call, it's just a couple of words. There are so many spam messages nowadays, a lot of people don't even look at their messages. Xiao-Yan ah, you can't be so introverted. Look at you, when you have nothing to do, you stay in and play on your computer or fiddle with your little plastic figurine. How old are you and you're still watching cartoons! As time goes by, your mind will become abnormal! Humans have to interact with other humans, and have to go out and make friends. If you hide yourself indoors everyday, you won't even find a partner. Society will abandon you!"

Yan Hao quietly listened beside him, cowardly and slow. The moment the boss saw him like that, he worried until he was losing hair.

"At the Martial Arts General Assembly this time, you can't cower at the back anymore. Quite a number of young people will be going, it'll do you no harm to get to know a few of them. You hear me? Your family entrusted you to me so I have to take responsibility." As the boss enumerated his shortcomings, he became angry looking at how Yan Hao was shrinking back. Enraged, he bellowed, "Straighten your back! Your ancestors were heroes, not rodents burrowing into the ground! What are you bowing for!"

Yan Hao quivered in fright. His back swiftly straightened up and he stood as rigid as a coffin board. Then, sticking close to the wall, he slipped away woefully.

After leaving Yan Hao's laundry shop, Xiang Xiaoman didn't go straight home like she usually did. Carrying a large plastic bag full of clothes, she walked along the shaded path strewn with yellow leaves, then turned into a small alley. Right at the end of the alley was a desserts shop that was popular on the internet, with a long queue outside all year round. Xiang Xiaoman hesitated a while, then walked over. She joined the end of the queue but her gaze swept uneasily around her surroundings, like she was looking for something.

Right then, a middle-aged woman walked towards her and lined up behind Xiang Xiaoman. The woman tapped Xiang Xiaoman's elbow and asked, "This shop's desserts are a bit expensive. Are they good?"

Xiang Xiaoman shrank back instinctively but she did not evade the woman.

The middle-aged woman gave her a very kindly smile. "But something that is really good is worth it even though it is expensive, isn't that right?"

As she spoke, her hand appeared to move inadvertently and, without a fuss, she pushed a paper bag into Xiang Xiaoman's hand.

Xiang Xiaoman seemed to have touched something terrifying. What little colour she had on her face disappeared completely.

"11th of November." The middle-aged woman stopped smiling, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper. She gave Xiang Xiaoman's hand a vicious squeeze, then turned and left.

Xiang Xiaoman was afraid that other people had overheard them and looked around in a panic. Lined up behind her were a few high school students who had finished school early for some reason. All of them had earphones in their ears, their heads lowered and their attention on their phones. No one was noticing her. Only then did she relax. That was right, who would spare her some of their barely sufficient attention?

No one would. In over thirty years, no one had.

Xiang Xiaoman hurriedly peeked at the thing the woman had given her. It was an envelope. Inside was a paper packet containing some drug powder. The envelope was printed with a row of words: Why you? Why not someone else?

When she saw that row of words, she pressed her pale lips together. She walked out of the queue and slipped the envelope into the pocket of her coat. Right then, she touched something in her pocket and took it out for a look—it was a paper note.

On the paper note, written in a graceful yet rather childish handwriting, was a private phone number…

And a sentence: If you have any difficulties, call me any time. I will come as soon as you call.

This was something the female police officer who had come to her house the other day secretly slipped to her before leaving. Xiang Xiaoman's steps paused. For a second, a touched expression flashed across her face. Then, that little bit of hesitation passed fleetingly; her gaze swiftly turned steady and numb. She crumpled the paper note into a ball and threw it into a nearby rubbish bin.

The crumpled paper wasn't thrown accurately. It hit the rim of the bin and bounced back out, rolling to the middle of the street. Xiang Xiaoman didn't turn back to see.

She had just left when Gan Qing, sticking close to the wall, slipped out from behind a dirt wall in a tiny fork in the road. For a few seconds, she watched Xiang Xiaoman walk away, her eyes narrowed. Then, she walked over and picked up the paper note. The warm, friendly smile on her face had disappeared and there was a gloom in her pensive gaze. A guy who had just finished shopping was walking straight ahead with his head down, and accidentally bumped into her. He was just about to apologise when he turned his head and met her eyes. He shivered for some reason, and hastily walked off.

However, the man might have walked off but the smell of the meat floss cake in his hand remained. Gan Qing came back to herself and scrunched up her nose. The gloom in her eyes was wiped out by her gluttony.

She slipped the paper note into her pocket and turned to the little shop's window to look at the price list. A rich buttery smell wafted out continuously from the window, tempting her into staying there. While looking, Gan Qing pinched the spare change in her pocket. She could feel the thin, flimsy renminbi tearfully accusing their owner of not treasuring them and felt a little guilty. Hence, legs facing forward and head turned back, step by dragging step, she prepared to go back. She plotted to defraud a few more foolish big spenders next month, take a cut of the profit, and then she would definitely come here for a round of eating.

Right then, a few high school students came from the opposite direction. Gan Qing's eyes suddenly gleamed. "Xiao-Qi-Qi!"

The foolish big spender was here!

Liu Zhongqi's school was holding a sports meet for the autumn season, which was why they finished school earlier than usual. He had just represented his class in the 3,000-meter race and he didn't know if it was because he was tired or because of something else, but his eyelid had been twitching non-stop. Gan Qing's shout made him jump out of his skin.

"Come here, come here." Gan Qing smiled a very mysterious smile and crooked a finger to beckon him. "Young man, treat me to tea and I will teach you an all-powerful self-defense technique."

The moment Liu Zhongqi heard that, he ran over excitedly.

Fifteen minutes later, in the bright and gleaming desserts shop, the young man who had once again fallen for a trick was exceptionally angry. "This is what you call an all-powerful self-defense technique?"

"This is the most effective self-defense technique in the world." Gan Qing took a bite of the thin-skinned and generous-filling xue mei niang^[1]. The light cream enclosed the chocolate chips, the different textures clear and distinct. The chocolate chips were slightly melted, soft as silk, and they dissolved with just the slightest pressure. The innermost part of the cream still had some fine ice shards, cutting through the richness of the dessert. The aftertaste lingered on her tongue. Gan Qing felt that after this bite, even the sky falling down was not a problem. Hence, she patiently explained to Liu Zhongqi, "Running away is a wide field of study. Not only must you be able to run, and run fast, you also need to observe your surroundings and keep your ears open. You have to use the terrain to shake off your pursuer and must absolutely not give them a chance to detour and trap you. You can't just run in a straight line, or they can easily hit you if they throw something-"

Liu Zhongqi cut her off angrily. "You liar!"

The last time, she had used a personal alarm to trick him into treating her to a round of McDonald's. The last last time, she had used a despicable and obscene groin kick technique to trick him into buying a fortune-changing bracelet.

And he still hadn't learned his lesson and had fallen for her tricks for a third time!

How embarrassing!

"I'm really not lying to you. There is always a higher mountain, and there is always a more powerful person. No matter how good an expert is, there will be a day when they make a mistake. There is no technique that is all-powerful." Gan Qing took a gulp of her black coffee, clearing away the remaining taste of the chocolate xue mei niang in her mouth. Then, she reached her little fork towards the piece of mango mousse. "If you want to be in a position where you won't be defeated, the only way is to not fight. Have you ever seen your brother fight someone else? No, right? He knows all the complaint hotlines in the world. If he can use his mouth, he definitely won't use his hands. That is the way of the true expert."

Liu Zhongqi said in disgust, "Pah!"

Gan Qing didn't feel there was anything wrong at all with tricking a child into buying her a meal. "You don't have a girlfriend anyway, so you don't have anything to spend your allowance on. What if you have a lot of money and you go to Mudpool Backlane and end up getting kidnapped again? I'm helping you reduce risk. No need to thank me, it's what I should do."

Liu Zhongqi said through gritted teeth, "And whose fault is it that I don't have a girlfriend anymore?"

Gan Qing gave him a thumbs-up. "You did it all by yourself!"

Liu Zhongqi was so angry that he stood up and walked away immediately, even forgetting his school bag. In one breath, he charged out and ran for more than 200 meters before realising that something was missing from his shoulders. He ran back again, steam rising from his every orifice.

He charged into the little desserts shop like a small train and saw Gan Qing reclining against the windowsill. A narrow beam of light shone through the glass, sweeping across her features.

Her head was lowered and she was looking at something. There was a peculiar sort of tranquility and loneliness about her, like time had stopped still. Liu Zhongqi suddenly recalled the Gan Qing who had saved him at the urban village—even when she was hit or cursed at, or when her head was pushed, she didn't care. She didn't seem to care about the danger and didn't seem to know pain. Thinking carefully, there was a touch of the kind of weariness where she looked at everything as though she was a detached bystander.

Liu Zhongqi stared blankly for a few seconds. He followed the line of her gaze…

"Who allowed you to touch my homework! What are you looking at!" The fire that had just gone out flared up again. Liu Zhongqi rushed over in a fluster, snatching back his half-done English paper. "Give me back my school bag!"

"I was afraid that someone would take it, so I put it here to keep an eye on it out of the goodness of my heart. That paper of yours fell out on its own." Gan Qing threw the bag over to Liu Zhongqi and took a contented gulp of her milk tea. "You need to study hard ah, little friend. Don't spend the whole day dreaming of jumping onto roofs and walking on walls. Out of a total of twenty fill-in-the-blanks questions, you got fourteen wrong in one go. Isn't failing your exam scarier than getting beaten up?"

Liu Zhongqi's homework paper had just been given out and had to be handed in to the teacher to be marked. The students did not have the answer scripts. He scoffed and grabbed the paper, and left right away, thinking, Did this illiterate ruffian even graduate from junior high? Putting on an act to trick others, pretending she can understand it.

The illiterate ruffian Gan Qing had a satisfying tea and not even a single crumb was left. She stood up and stretched her body, and made a note on the "double eleven^[2]" date in her phone calendar.

11th of November… Was there something special about this date?

"The date is… 'double eleven'?" Yu Yan had an incredulous look on his face. "Are you sure? Who picked that stupid date?"

"Me." Yu Lanchuan crossed his arms over his chest, one eyebrow raised. "Do you have an opinion on it?"

Yu Yan said, "Holding the Martial Arts General Assembly on Singles' Day. Alliance Leader, aren't you afraid of being single for the rest of your life?"

"What's wrong with being single for the rest of my life? Being single for the rest of my life sounds pretty good," Alliance Leader Yu answered, half-dead. "The eleventh is a Sunday. I can use the excuse of getting a medical check-up to free up half a day in the morning. Furthermore, this way, the ones coming from other parts of the country can come over on Saturday and everyone can go back to their own homes on Sunday afternoon. It won't interfere with them going to school or to work… and will also prevent the situation where only the members who are jobless vagrants or bored retirees come to attend."

"Okay, sure. Look at that sour face of yours. Just take it as a side gig that pays 8,000 a month. A side gig that pays 8,000 a month is not easy to find." Yu Yan advised him. "The location for this General Assembly of yours is, uhh… the activity center for seniors?"

Firstly, Yu Lanchuan was busy. Secondly, he had never organised something like this, so for this Martial Arts General Assembly, other than picking the date and time, the location, agenda and other matters were still handled by Old Master Yang and the others. Even the publicity poster was designed in the old and middle-aged people style of "Raising a Toast to Friendship."

As for the agenda, once he thought of it, Yu Lanchuan felt like he didn't want to live anymore.

"You guys better keep a low profile, Master Lan. Let me tell you, this thing of yours isn't registered with the authorities. If there is a ruckus and someone reports all of you for holding an illegal assembly, things will be troublesome," Yu Yan exhorted him strictly while flipping through the agenda. "Martial arts combat is strictly prohibited throughout the General Assembly, the main objective is to have peaceful relations… Oh, that's pretty good… The first event, entrance of the major sects, Alliance Leader's speech, mm… it's the starter segment where everyone gets to know each other. The second event is… free socialising. To make it more conducive for socialising, every sect will disperse and sit separately. The seats are divided into three areas. Those above fifty-five years old and sect leaders (limited to married sect leaders) will be in Area A. Those who are unmarried will complete a personal information form and go to Area B. All other guests will be in Area C… Why are the seats separated into married and unmarried?"

Yu Lanchuan reached up and covered his own eyes.

As Yu Yan read on, he faintly detected something amiss. "...After the free socialising, the younger generation in Area B will go to Area A one-by-one according to their seats and receive guidance from the older generation. Fourth event, talent show and lunch… This, Master Lan, wait a minute!"

Yu Lanchuan reached out and took back the Martial Arts General Assembly agenda, cutting him off with a serious look. "You're done reading it, right? Good, then let us talk about the matter of 'Tang Qian Yan's descendant.'"

"I'm not done reading," Yu Yan said. "Let me analyse the agenda for this assembly of yours-"

Yu Lanchuan said, "You don't have to analyse it!"

Yu Yan opened his mouth at the same time. "So, the sequence of events at your Martial Arts General Assembly is: first, state your sect; next, those already married will go to the side while the unmarried men and women speeddate; then, line up to meet the parents; finally, sit down for a meal?"

Yu Lanchuan, "..."

That mouth of his!

Yu Yan said, "Amazing, Alliance Leader. You're a genius!"

Yu Lanchuan forced out his words through gritted teeth. "Like I said, I didn't arrange this."

Alliance Leader Yu skived off his role and didn't have common sense, and had actually dared to leave this kind of matter to Old Master Yang and the rest. He had underestimated how venomous the group of middle-aged and old people in the country was—they can turn any gathering for any purpose into an arranged dating convention.

Police Officer Yu held on to the office desk and laughed his heart out.

Yu Lanchuan pushed his glasses up and said with an expressionless face, "Like I said, prohibiting combat is an old rule that has been in place for many years. Elder Yang and the others are also here. If this who-knows-real-or-fake Tang Qian Yan descendant wants to blend in with the crowd, he shouldn't make a move during the assembly. I think he will wait for me to be alone to come for me. How about this—after the assembly, I will send all the guests off and find a chance to put the activity center back to how it was on my own. Since he has left a letter of challenge, there is a high chance that he will appear then. At that time, you guys wait outside for my signal. I will help you keep him there."

Yu Yan asked, "Are you confident that you can defeat him?"

Baffled, Yu Lanchuan answered him, "How would I know? I don't know this person."

Yu Yan asked a little worriedly, "Then, what if you aren't his match?"

"Then I'll just admit defeat," Yu Lanchuan said without any reservations. "If I'm injured, I'll make him compensate me for the cost of medical treatment and loss of working hours."

Yu Yan, "..."

In wuxia stories, when experts met for a match, more often than not they would bet their lives. Their entire lifetime's dignity and success or failure all depended on one move. According to incomplete statistics, those who suffered defeat in martial arts matches ended up taking their own lives, going crazy, severing their own meridian points, destroying their own abilities… The lightest symptom was to throw away their weapon, let their name fall into disrepute, and disappear from the jianghu.

To be thinking of compensation for loss of working hours even before the match, this was probably the first time in history!

Police Officer Yu was stunned by how broadminded the new Martial Arts Alliance Leader was and could not say anything for a long while.

Yu Lanchuan said, "Then, it's decided. I still have something on, I'll leave now."

"Ai, Master Lan." Yu Yan shamelessly held him back, jogging to keep up as Yu Lanchuan walked out. "No hurry, you still haven't told me yet—as a sad single, how do you feel to be soon hosting the 23rd Martial Arts Arranged Dating General Assembly since the establishment of the new China-"

Yu Lanchuan said, "Get lost!"

Yu Yan asked, "Can the host get a get-out-of-jail, no, get-out-of-marriage card? Are there any girls who are pretty and can fight? Can an outsider—for example, me—participate? Hey… you're taking advantage of your longer legs to walk faster, aren't you!"

Yu Lanchuan couldn't be bothered to say more to him. He raised his hand to hail down a cab.

"Don't pretend to be proper, Master Lan," Yu Yan said behind him. "Don't tell me you're no longer straight after too much overtime?"

Yu Lanchuan said, "Don't worry, even if I'm not, it's not like I'll fall for you."

Yu Yan smiled mischievously and said, "I remember when you were young, you were someone cold outside but wild inside. Back in junior high, a girl from the next class gave you a love letter but you threw it away without even reading it. From day to night, you put on a 'I will not be muddied together with the profane world' act, then went home and secretly drew a girl's portrait."

Yu Lanchuan said, "I drew your mum."

Yu Yan said, "I knew you wouldn't admit it! I have evidence! It was the same person in different poses. One sketchbook was completely filled up and there were at least a few hundred pictures. I took photos for memories…"

Yu Lanchuan slammed the cab door in his face. Leaving behind a trail of exhaust fumes, he disappeared.

He had just reached the downstairs of his apartment building when his phone started vibrating madly. That despicable Yu Yan had sent a string of photos over and had added a watermark that said: Records of the Martial Arts Alliance Leader's Dark History.

Yu Lanchuan was just about to start cursing when he was suddenly stunned.

He had indeed once owned such a sketchbook. But it had been so many years; he had gone abroad to study and then worked, and moving house became as ordinary as an everyday meal. His childhood belongings had long since been thrown away. Now, he was caught off-guard as he looked at the old traces from more than a decade ago. His blurry memories suddenly became clear.

The resolution of the images was not very high, making it seem like the immature sketches were overlaid with a filter. There were pencil sketches, and also sketches done with ballpoint pen or gel pen. The girl in the pictures was drawn with an acute and severe silhouette. The artist's skill was not very good but every frown and every smile was extremely vivid. She gazed out of the paper, her eyes curved in an arc.

Yu Lanchuan came to an abrupt stop. When he looked up, he was right outside his own door. With an incredulous look in his eyes, he turned his head towards the next door apartment. After staring blankly for a while, he was suddenly gripped by an inexplicable desire to knock on that door.

Right at that moment, the elevator sounded. A waft of sweet-ish perfume drifted over. The newcomer yawned and asked lazily, "Xiao-Chuan, what's the matter?"

The person walking over was Zhang Meizhen who had just returned from outside. Yu Lanchuan finally came back to himself. He cleared his throat. "I… I'm looking for Gan Qing. I have something to ask her."

"Oh, is it urgent?" With a fingertip, Zhang Meizhen wiped the corner of her eye that had light makeup on. "If it's not urgent, then leave it for tomorrow. That little nun goes to bed early, she has long since gone off to recite sutras in her dreams. How about I help you pass her a message?"

Yu Lanchuan shook his head in a fluster and quietly gave way to the old lady. He stood for a while in the corridor before carrying the thoughts in his heart home.

Then, for the next two to three days, he didn't see Gan Qing.

Every morning when he woke up, Gan Qing had already wandered off somewhere to get breakfast. She seemed to never be done with the meal and showed no signs of coming back even after a long while. He had to get to work on time and couldn't wait too long. In the evening, Yu Lanchuan got off work and came back. If he was back early, she would not be home; if he was back late, the lights next door would already be switched off.

Yu Lanchuan didn't know if he was imagining things but he felt that recently, Gan Qing's work and rest hours were exceptionally irregular. She seemed to be out the whole day and catching her just once was exceptionally hard.

While his hands were occupied and his mind restless, time flew swiftly by. In a blink of the eye, it was the 11th of November.

This was the first Arranged—no, Martial Arts General Assembly since the old Yu Huaide passed away.

To the ordinary residents of No. 110 Courtyard, this was a peaceful weekend. For once, everyone could sleep all they wanted. Before nine in the morning, there were barely a handful of people in the garden.

No one noticed that today, starting with Old Master Yang, the few elderly people with red armbands who usually wandered around downstairs had disappeared. A few residents in the building had also left their homes very early. The laundry shop did not open for business, the leather goods repair shop also kept their doors closed and turned away customers. The jianbing stalls on the northern and southern roads seemed to have come to an agreement beforehand and were both skipping work. The beggars and vagrants within a radius of two kilometers also had an unspoken agreement and did not turn up.

This unassuming old building usually seemed to be covered by a layer of protective film. Today, this layer of protective film temporarily disappeared.

The bilingual kindergarten outside the western gate had a partnership with Yanning's television station. For this year's New Year's Eve night event, there would be a program where the children would perform in a group. The kindergarten's teachers and students' parents all placed great importance on this matter and the children who were participating in the performance had to rehearse on weekends. Nie Ke had sent his child to kindergarten early that morning.

Xiang Xiaoman had never bothered with sending or picking up the child, even though the kindergarten was right at the courtyard's western gate, so near it was practically a neighbour.

The location of the living room in the old apartments was not ideal and the lighting was always not very good. Even though it was daytime, the apartment had some dark and gloomy corners. Xiang Xiaoman sat in the shadow of the sofa. She seemed to be carved from wood, staring in a daze at her own hands.

Those people had told her, "Your fate and all the pain you have suffered are essentially of your own doing. Otherwise, why you? Why not someone else?"

"You must have done something wrong. If you want to leave all these worldly sufferings, you must cut yourself completely away from your cowering self."

Look at how you are now, don't you hate yourself?

You must kill that cowardly, despicable you.

Shaking with fear, Xiang Xiaoman turned her head to glanced at the mirror. The woman in the mirror had drooping cheeks and the pallor of candle wax, without any sign of life. Messy hair covered half her face. Through the gaps of the dry hair, her evasive gaze peeked out tentatively.

Is… that me?

Her throat let out a stifled howl. Trembling, she buried her head in her arms.

Why you, why not someone else?

Asking for help is useless, making a police report is even more useless. No one can whole-heartedly understand you and no one will help you. Have you heard of the story of Xiang Lin's wife^[3]?

In this word, who isn't a lonely island?

Today is your only chance. Don't worry. For issues related to technique, we will help you deal with the aftermath.

You only need to...

Right then, the sound of the key turning in the lock came from the front door. Nie Ke was back!

Xiang Xiaoman's mind blanked out. By the time she came back to herself, she had already poured the drug powder in the envelope into Nie Ke's thermal mug!

The door knob turned twice and Nie Ke opened the door. Xiang Xiaoman subconsciously crumpled the paper packet into a ball in her hand and stood up abruptly. Her whole body stiff, she watched Nie Ke enter the door.

Nie Ke didn't notice anything. He seemed to be already used to her various peculiar actions and didn't spare her even an extra glance. He smoothly changed out of his outerwear and changed his shoes, then entered the house and picked up his thermal mug.

Xiang Xiaoman's heart was practically leaping out of her throat.

Then, Nie Ke brought the mug to his lips and suddenly paused. "Oh, that's right."

He noticed it! Was there too much of the drug powder?

Xiang Xiaoman's face was pale. A sheen of cold sweat covered her palms.

Nie Ke asked her curiously, "What's the matter with you this time?"

Xiang Xiaoman's limbs started to turn numb from anxiety.

Nie Ke didn't get a reply from her. He frowned and said, as though to himself, "The previous doctor didn't seem much good. I think the results were so-so. Recently, I asked a friend to help me contact a new doctor. I'll take you to see him this afternoon. The appointment is at two o'clock. Get changed."

Xiang Xiaoman felt as though her lips had rusted shut. She couldn't say a single word.

Nie Ke finished his one-sided conversation, and his gentle and well-mannered face finally revealed a hint of impatience and coldness. His brows knitted, he blew a few times, then took a few gulps of the water in the thermal mug.

"Tastes like overnight water," he grumbled, planning to go to the kitchen to pour the water away. "There's a strange taste."

From the kitchen first came the splashing sound of the mug being washed. Subsequently, the thermal mug fell into the sink with a clunk and after that, there was the thump of something heavy falling to the floor.

Nie Ke held on to the sink futilely, knocking the broom over. In the end, he still slid senselessly down the kitchen cabinet.

Xiang Xiaoman's heart was beating so quickly it seemed on the verge of exploding. Quietly, she tiptoed over to the kitchen door. She stared at Nie Ke lying on the floor, holding onto the door frame with much effort to steady herself.

The first step: If there are latex paints or wallpapers around that are not easy to clean, it is necessary to cover well with plastic. The kitchen and the bathroom are the most ideal locations. Porcelain tiles are easier to clean.

The second step: Wear your raincoat.

Stumbling a little, Xiang Xiaoman dug out the raincoat she had prepared. Her hand gripped a small blade tightly.

The third step: ...Open the door. The people who will help you have come.

Right then, someone knocked lightly a few times on her front door. Xiang Xiaoman took a few harsh breaths and opened the door. Two people entered from outside, both wearing caps, face masks and gloves. They were covered up tightly, their faces only revealing two pairs of dark and heavy gazes.

The person who entered last closed the door silently. Through the peephole, they looked at the empty corridor outside, then nodded at their accomplice. The other person walked into the apartment and surveyed the place, then held Xiang Xiaoman up by her shoulder.

"Shh…" The person spoke beside Xiang Xiaoman's ear. "Don't be afraid. A person's body is sturdy yet weak. Find the correct spot and even a child can easily end a life. Find the wrong spot and a burly man weighing a few hundred pounds wielding an axe might not easily chop off a person's head. Paoding Jieniu is the supreme technique of a martial arts sect, let me teach you."

The person walked over and leaned forward to study the unconscious Nie Ke for a few seconds. Then, they let out a cold laugh, tied him up and stuffed something in his mouth. After that, there was a clicking sound from their hand. Xiang Xiaoman jolted violently. She saw them take out a red ballpoint pen from somewhere, clicked the tip out, lifted Nie Ke's chin, and drew a red line on his neck.

"Cut open along the dotted line. Can you do that?" The other person held Xiang Xiaoman's trembling hand. "Do it slowly. The knife is very sharp. Don't cut your own hand. Go."

Xiang Xiaoman slowly walked towards the unconscious man. The two tightly bundled up people slowly retreated, giving her space. She held her right hand in a deathgrip. She didn't look at Nie Ke's face, focusing her eyes on the red line.

It was very easy. It didn't need her to exert any strength.

The cold blade landed on the person's neck… no, on the red line.

"Press down, Xiaoman."

Xiang Xiaoman's fingers trembled increasingly. She opened her mouth wide, like she was letting out a soundless shout. Her fingers suddenly slipped down and blood seeped out right away. The pain awakened Nie Ke. He opened his eyes, his head fuzzy...

Right at that moment, someone knocked loudly on the outside of 804's door.

"Is anyone home?" The person said loudly, "Open the door, it's the police!"

Xiang Xiaoman fell to sit on the floor. Nie Ke seemed to realise something. The blade sticking out of his neck, he started struggling violently. The two people in the house exchanged looks, and rushed over to the balcony in unison!

"Police! Open the door!"

The two masked people broke out of the window and headed in different directions, and were even climbing bare-handed.

Right then, a window on the tenth floor opened and something swooped down together with a lethal wind...

T/N:

[1] Xue mei niang 雪媚娘 is a dessert consisting of a thin, chewy skin wrapped around whipped cream and chunks of fruits or chocolate.

[2] "Double eleven" or 11th of November is known as Singles' Day in China (because 1 = single person). Quoting wiki, it is an "unofficial holiday and shopping season that celebrates people who are not in relationships." In practice, it's less about celebrating singlehood and more about really great shopping deals.

[3] Xiang Lin's wife 祥林嫂 refers to the story The New Year Sacrifice by Lu Xun which tells the sorrowful story of a woman subjected to repeated torments due to traditional views.