Chapter 87: Offering

Chapter 87: The Sacrifice

The dark muzzle of the gun pointed at Sang Xu. Li Songluo held the weapon with both hands, trembling uncontrollably. The man in the Nuo mask before her should have been the one to fear, yet why did her heart ache so deeply? All she had to do was pull the trigger, kill him, and she could go home. Why couldn't she bring herself to do it?

The man watched her calmly, without plea or panic. He simply said, "You can't kill me."

Her hands shook. Indeed, he had battled Li Sijiu fiercely and still emerged unscathed, standing before her completely unharmed—a testament to his terrifying power. She, a mere novice with no real combat experience, was utterly outmatched. Among those who wielded such divine arts, who feared a mere bullet?

Gazing into those placid eyes, a sudden sense of familiarity washed over her.

"It's you," she gasped in shock. "You're actually the Grand Patriarch!"

Now that he was recognized, the Nuo mask served no further purpose. Sang Xu removed it, standing face-to-face with her.

"Are you alright?" Sang Xu asked.

Though the words were spoken, his mind was already racing, devising a way to silence Li Songluo.

His current condition wasn't ideal, and Li Songluo was a "River-Crossing" outsider—killing her would prove difficult.

Li Songluo's hands trembled. She was here to kill him, yet he asked if she was alright? In that moment, she felt utterly despicable.

Sang Xu was the Grand Patriarch; it must have been he who instructed his double to let her escape. He had saved her—how could she repay his kindness with betrayal? Finally, unable to go through with it, Li Songluo lowered the gun, closed her eyes, and said, "Team Leader Sang, has anyone ever told you not to be too honest? Your Sang family is too honest, too kind—that's why you've been brought to this state."

Sang Xu clasped his hands behind his back, subtly drawing a miniature pistol.

"The Sang family's ancestral teaching is to be kind to others, to aid the weak and curb the strong," Sang Xu stated, chambering a round.

Hearing Sang Xu's words, Li Songluo seemed profoundly shaken, her expression abruptly changing.

Sang Xu frowned, about to produce the pistol.

But the next moment, Li Songluo dropped to her knees with a thud.

Sang Xu flinched, quickly helping her to her feet.

"Team Leader Sang, you're a good person. Please help me one more time," Li Songluo pleaded.

"How can I help?"

"Please introduce me to the boss of Nightmare Company."

Sang Xu: "?"

"The boss helped you become the Grand Patriarch and aided you in suppressing the Five Families—it's clear he's truly powerful. Earlier, you were locked in combat with Grandpa, and he suddenly vanished. I assume the boss helped you take him away, right?" Li Songluo gritted her teeth. "My divine power has just achieved River-Crossing—it's respectable among outsiders, but it's nothing in the boss's eyes. Right now, I'm weak. I just want the boss to give me a chance. I'll do anything, even if it means being the company's janitor—I'm willing."

Even as a hero of the Li family, as an orphan with no one to rely on, she would still be at the mercy of her uncle. Zhou Xia was missing, Li Sijiu was dead—who knew if another old monster would appear? When that happened, her uncle would surely try to offer her up as a gift again. Girls born into the Li family had no control over their lives—she couldn't escape becoming a bargaining chip.

Unless she could forge a new path for herself.

The night was quiet, the mountain wind making her eyes water. Li Songluo hung her head low, tears falling one by one into the dirt.

Li Songluo said, word by word, "Please, I can work 24/7, year-round, available on demand, no insurance needed! Just give me a chance!"

Sang Xu remained silent, quickly weighing the risks and rewards in his mind. He hadn't known Li Songluo for long and couldn't trust her fully. She knew his secret as a member of the Sang family—the best way to handle it was to eliminate her. But if he fought Li Songluo, who had already achieved River-Crossing, the outcome was uncertain—the risk was too high.

Better to have her sign a contract. That way, she would be bound by its terms, and even if she betrayed him, Sang Xu would sense it. Then he could retreat today to heal his wounds and eliminate her before she revealed his identity.

But he couldn't agree too quickly, so he offhandedly asked, "What value do you have?"

Value? Li Songluo's mind raced as well.

Her peripheral vision caught Li Sijiu's skin on the ground. Her gaze sharpened, and she said, "I have value! I can take my grandfather's form."

Sang Xu asked, "What do you mean?"

"Our Li family's divine power has two cores: making beasts human and humans beast. Both require skinning—either peeling the hide from a beast to lay over a person, or peeling the skin off a person to lay over a beast. Skinning is the Li family's specialty." Li Songluo took a deep breath. "I can wear my grandfather's skin and become the new Li Sijiu."

Sang Xu said nothing.

Truthfully, he was tempted.

If Li Songluo became Li Sijiu, he would have an inroad to control the Li family. Admittedly, Li Songluo's skills were far beneath Li Sijiu's, so the risk of exposure was considerable. But after today's battle, she could claim injury and enter seclusion, reducing contact with the Li family. She knew Li Sijiu and the Li family well—if she impersonated him, no one would suspect her for a while.

"No regrets?" Sang Xu asked softly.

Once she wore Li Sijiu's skin, she might never be able to take it off again.

A beautiful girl turning into a wrinkled old man—was she truly willing?

"Why would I regret it?" Li Songluo said. "They skinned their daughters, their sisters, without remorse. Why should I regret skinning myself?"

Sang Xu turned, unstrapped his backpack from his motorcycle, pulled out an employment contract, and handed it to Li Songluo.

Li Songluo glanced at the contract—the employer was listed as "Nightmare Company."

Without scanning the clauses, she bit her finger and signed her name. Something shifted imperceptibly, and Li Songluo keenly felt a binding power from the company's terms settle upon her.

Sang Xu said, "Actually, I also double as the company's HR, responsible for scouting talent for the boss. I see promise in you. From now on, you're one of us."

Li Songluo asked, "As an employee of the boss, what must I give up?"

Sang Xu: "..."

Shouldn't she be asking about the salary instead?

What kind of den of wolves was the Li family...

Sang Xu said calmly, "The boss is righteous and doesn't require you to sacrifice anything. He only asks for a monthly tribute of ten Heaven-Mending Pills."

"Ten Heaven-Mending Pills? That's it?" Li Songluo was surprised.

Sang Xu: "..."

He should've asked for more.

Should've asked for a hundred.

"Next, you know what to do, right?" Sang Xu put away the contract.

Li Songluo nodded. "I'll complete the skin-exchange here, then injure myself, pretending you wounded me. I'll wait for the Li family to find me."

"Good luck." Sang Xu nodded.

Watching him shoulder his backpack, mount his motorcycle, and ride off into the distance, Li Songluo bent down and picked up the wrinkled human skin from the ground.

Skin-changing was simple, yet not simple. She had to peel off her own skin first before she could wear someone else's. Although she had crossed the river, she had never skinned anyone before. Never did she expect that the first time she skinned someone, it would be her own.

She smiled self-deprecatingly, took off her coat, shirt, and pants, standing naked under the glimmering moonlight.

The engine roared, the night wind cutting against the helmet like a blade. Sang Xu's forehead was beaded with cold sweat; Li Songluo hadn't noticed earlier, but his suit sleeve was already soaked with blood. He was severely injured, and it was only because the suit was black that it wasn't visible at night. Managing to chat with Li Songluo for so long as if nothing was wrong was Sang Xu's absolute limit, clenching his teeth and pushing through.

Hold on, he thought. The Li family would surely return soon to search for Li Sijiu. He had to get out of these mountains before passing out. Sang Xu gripped the handlebars tightly, but his vision suddenly went black. The wheels skidded, and he was thrown sideways, rolling to the ground and crashing headfirst into the mountain wall.

The helmet was dented with a shallow crater, and stars flashed before his eyes. He didn't have the strength to get up.

So tired, Sang Xu thought. He just wanted to sleep like this.

No... can't sleep...

He clenched his teeth, straining to prop himself up. His body felt like a crudely assembled wooden frame, every movement accompanied by creaking joints. Unable to move any further, he lay on the ground, his eyelids heavy as lead weights, slowly sinking.

In the last moment before losing consciousness, he saw a pair of feet stop in front of him.

"How is he?"

"Injured, too severe, needs major healing."

In his dazed state, he seemed to hear voices. Someone was moving around him, and another pried open his mouth, forcing a Heaven-Mending Pill into his mouth. Sang Xu refused to open his mouth, but the person shoved it in roughly, making him choke and cough. Struggling to open his eyes, he saw a woman in black with a head veil. Behind the veil, he could faintly make out yellow paper talismans on her face.

It was the Impermanent Immortal who had saved him. He breathed a sigh of relief.

So, had Shen Zhili finally delivered the letter?

"Where is this?" he asked softly.

"Dong'an Apartments," another woman's voice answered him from a distance. "The Five Families are investigating your whereabouts. Around Ningzhou—only my place is safe."

He looked around. On the eighteenth underground floor, sacrificial meat surrounded him, undulating slowly, its gnarled tendons and blood vessels hanging from the ceiling like vines. On the meat wall was Sun Wanqing's enormous and terrifying face. He nodded with difficulty. "Thank you for your help. How can I repay you?"

"No need," Sun Wanqing said. "Zhou Xia has already given us payment."

Zhou Xia? Sang Xu was stunned.

She glanced downward, and a large, colorfully enameled gold-inlaid box fell out from the meat wall—it was the treasured urn Zhou Xia polished three times a day. He had three such urns and had given them the one without the dancing squirrel.

"Your boyfriend is quite rude," Sun Wanqing complained. "Offering an urn as payment—is he cursing us to die? Well, though we're already dead. And what am I supposed to do with this anyway?"

Sang Xu looked at the Impermanent Immortal. "Did Zhou Xia find you?"

"Mm," the Impermanent Immortal said slowly. "He went to the Xiandian Hall beforehand to ask me to look after you."

When Shen Zhili went to the villa to find her, she had already left for Ningzhou. It was just that the journey was long, unlike Dong'an Apartments which was nearby. She had only just arrived by the time Sang Xu's battle with Li Sijiu ended.

Sang Xu lowered his gaze, looking at the bloodstains on his palm. Zhou Xia had prepared a way out for him; he should have been grateful, but he felt no joy. Zhou Xia was a harsh and selfish person who had already abandoned him, cutting their connection. Having someone look after him now couldn't fix that.

What was the point of sending the Impermanent Immortal and Sun Wanqing to help him? It would have been better to abandon him completely. Since he had already left, whether Sang Xu lived or died had nothing to do with Zhou Xia. He had killed Ji Chengen, killed Li Sijiu, secured his position as Grand Patriarch, and even hired a new employee without spending any money. Without Zhou Xia, the worst that would happen was lying in the wilderness for one night and enduring a few days of pain. It didn't matter—he could endure it. He was best at enduring pain.

He should move, he thought. His new workplace was in Hangzhou; he would leave Beijing.

"Sang Xu," the Impermanent Immortal called.

Sang Xu looked up.

"You, what's wrong?" the Impermanent Immortal noticed his bad mood.

"Nothing," Sang Xu said, his voice as flat and even as always.

"Do not, expose, your, eight characters," the Impermanent Immortal said. "Because, we, sense..."

Sun Wanqing, unable to bear her slow speech, interjected, "We can sense that the Mother of the Dipper has been looking for you, and she's getting closer and closer."

The Impermanent Immortal insisted on expressing it herself: "Divine, messenger..."

Sun Wanqing explained, "If the divine messenger catches you, your ancestors' efforts to hide you will be wasted."

"Why is she looking for me?"

The Impermanent Immortal said, "Because, you are..."

"Because you are a sacrifice," Sun Wanqing said. "The six great families are all sacrifices offered by the mortal world to the divine. The Impermanent Immortal told me that the Xi Shi emperor enfeoffed the six families as sacrifices to the divine. For millennia, the six families have fed the divine with blood and flesh. Now that the Sang family is almost wiped out, with no one to restrain them, it's understandable that they want to escape. You're the last of the Sang family. You'd better dangle like a carrot to lead the Mother of the Dipper."

Sang Xu: "..."

He had always wondered why the Five Families had betrayed Changmeng, yet the Sang family insisted on bringing them back. The immortals' attitude was the same—knowing the Five Families wanted to destroy the Sang family, they hadn't moved against them. Now he understood: because the divine needed sacrifices. If the six families stop being sacrifices, the divine would turn their gaze to the mortal world.

Changmeng gave the six families offerings and generations of wealth and honor but demanded they serve the divine and suppress evil at the cost of their lives. The six families were Changmeng's local kings and also its prisoners.

"She is, close to you..." the Impermanent Immortal said, deliberately. "If, you observe, abnormalities..."

Sun Wanqing, impatient with her slowness, cut in, "If you observe abnormalities, pretend you didn't see them. If you discover her, she will also find you. Mr. Sang, focus on saving yourself first before thinking about saving Changmeng."

With that, she opened her mouth.

The boundary stone of Dong'an Apartments stood prominently in the passage deep within her throat.

Zhou Xia dragged a sack of gold and silver artifacts picked from the Xiandian Hall and knocked on Sang Xu's door.

After being away for so many days, wouldn't Sang Xiaoguai be so excited to see him that he'd cry? Tch, what a bother, he thought with a slight curl of his lips. Well, he'd reluctantly let Sang Xiaoguai hug him then. Earlier, Sang Xu had said they'd spend the New Year together, so Zhou Xia had rushed back, counting the days to make it back on New Year's Eve.

This trip to the Xiandian Hall had been very productive; at least he remembered his childhood. Turns out he had been an emperor, though those days were rather miserable, but that didn't diminish his dignity. He had specifically pried off the gold decorations from his dragon bed, plucked the carved feathers from the bronze crane, and dug out a pile of jade cups, jade pillows, bronze wine vessels... all antiques that would surely sell for a lot.

Sang Xiaoguai loved money. These would be his rewards to Sang Xiaoguai, to sell for cash. He had also found the Phoenix Seal and placed it in the sack, though that one couldn't be sold.

As for what happened after he was seven—like how he died and ended up as an ancestor in the Zhou family—he needed more corpse worm beads to remember. He wasn't in a hurry; he'd find Sang Xiaoguai first.

He knocked for a long time, but no one answered.

Zhou Xia frowned and climbed in through the window.

The room was completely empty, spotlessly clean. All the clothes, shoes, pots and pans—everything was gone. Even the bed sheets had been stripped.

What happened? Zhou Xia was stunned.