Chapter 27: Ninth Fortress Part 2

Lola glanced at them and finally interjected, “Save the condition talk for later. Time’s short—pick up the pace.”

The three quickened their steps.

Abruptly, a little girl darted out onto the main road. Tiny, maybe six or seven, she reached joyfully for Heli’s sleeve. “Auntie Heli! Mom said you were sick—I haven’t seen you in ages. Are you better?”

Trouble. Before An He could intervene, Heli yanked her sleeve away, putting distance between them.

But Heli’s whole body began shaking uncontrollably. She stared down intently at the girl, sweat trickling from her temples along her weathered cheek to her jaw, then plip—splashing onto her clothes.

“An He… An He.” Lady Heli clutched An He’s arm. “Hold me a moment; I’m not feeling well.”

An He gripped her and looked up into Lady Heli’s pleading eyes. Her lips moved silently twice—no sound emerged. Lip-reading, she was saying: Get me out of here quick.

The little girl was oblivious, beaming as she lowered her head and pulled a colorful stone from her pocket. She caught up to the group and spoke to Lady Heli: “Auntie, the Bone Crystal you gave me last time was so pretty. Next time you see one, could you bring me another? I want to use it as an eye for my rabbit doll—I’m just one short.”

The girl politely held out her hand. The stone was called a Bone Crystal, glowing with a faint blue fluorescence under the sunlight.

Lady Heli’s body trembled violently. She suddenly halted, her face twisting into something feral as she reached out toward the stone in the girl’s hand.

But her target wasn’t the stone—it was the little girl’s tender flesh. Something gnawed at her from within, seizing control and driving her to strike at the friends and family of the Ninth Fortress.

Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, mingling with sweat.

An He let out a low growl: “Lola!”

Lola sidestepped the two of them steadily, positioning herself just in time between Lady Heli and the girl.

But Lady Heli roughly shoved Lola aside.

An He’s gaze hardened. She couldn’t take Lady Heli down in public like this. So she kept attempting to summon her Innate Talent. Before Lady Heli could push past Lola again, An He successfully activated [Parasite]—from the palm of the hand supporting Lady Heli, impossibly fine mycelium threads sprouted silently, piercing through her clothes and burrowing into her body.

Lady Heli’s outstretched hand froze. The feral expression vanished from her face.

She stood there stunned for a moment, then adjusted her hat, pulled up her scarf to cover her mouth and nose, and smiled at the girl with her only visible feature—her eyes: “Sure. Next time I see one, I’ll bring it back for you… If I can’t deliver it myself, I’ll ask someone else to pass it on.”

“Yay!” The little girl threw her arms open in cheer. “Then you have to come to my house for tea—Mom says that’s a fair trade.” She looked a bit shy. “Even though the tea’s super bitter.”

“Alright. I’ll come when I have time. You go play now—Auntie has things to do.” Lady Heli said.

With the promise secured, the little girl skipped away happily. Lady Heli watched the cluster of children at the street corner, then lifted a hand to cover her eyes.

“It’s fine now. All good.” An He said, retracting the mycelium.

Lady Heli lowered her hand and gave An He a grateful glance. She had no idea what had come over her—the crisis had passed by the time she snapped out of it. She could only thank An He: “Thanks for holding me back.”

Lola noticed nothing amiss and simply warned coldly: “Your condition is highly unstable. While you’re still lucid, let’s move.”

“Right.” Lady Heli deflated entirely, murmuring to herself the rest of the way: “At this stage, I probably can’t pass God’s test anymore. I’m a sinner—God hasn’t accepted me… I, I don’t want to hurt these kids.”

An He paused, then patted Lady Heli’s shoulder: “Didn’t the Red-Clothed Emissary come to you? Don’t lose hope. Maybe she’ll guide you.”

An He hated saying it, but right now, it was the best way to comfort her.

Sure enough, Lady Heli straightened up at the reminder: “Right, right—I almost forgot. The Red-Clothed Emissary will guide me.”

An He sighed inwardly. Lady Heli dies by faith, and is reborn by faith.

Now, An He finally understood why Gu Xianqing was so confident she’d come begging—being this pinned down felt utterly infuriating. Still, she seriously considered Gu Xianqing’s proposal.

She planned to get Lady Heli out of the Ninth Fortress. If Gu Xianqing wasn’t deceiving this hardworking, superstitious woman, then she might truly offer her shelter.

She needed to negotiate properly with Gu Xianqing.

…

Gu Xianqing pinched the note on An He’s belly between her thumb and forefinger, arching a brow: “Serious?”

The note casually read: I concede defeat. Please take care of Lady Heli.

Gu Xianqing flipped it over twice: “Couldn’t say these words out loud? Planning to fob me off with a scrap of paper?”

An He gritted her teeth, looking away.

Gu Xianqing crumpled the note into a ball, smirking: “I told you not to get involved, but you did anyway—piss me off, then come begging. That trick works once. Twice? It’s getting stale.”

She reached out, pinched An He’s chin, and slowly—abruptly—shoved the note into An He’s mouth. As her fingertip brushed the lip, Gu Xianqing deliberately pressed down.

An He’s eyes widened. She immediately pushed the note out with her tongue, growling furiously: “What kind of novelty do you want?”

“Say it. Beg me.” Gu Xianqing stroked her cheek, whispering, “Maybe it’ll put me in a better mood.”

What kind of twisted fetish is this?

“You love watching people submit to you?” An He narrowed her eyes. “I met someone like that a few days ago. I smashed their skull.”

“Who you killed was probably just your hallucination.” Gu Xianqing remained unmoved. “If you turn murderous on me, you’ll be the one who loses.”

Gu Xianqing caressed her ambiguously: “You need me, just like I need you.”

An He couldn’t refute it. Since their last meeting, they both knew the other’s hostility—no naive illusions of genuine goodwill. But they did need each other.

Gu Xianqing’s motives were unknown, but An He had gained plenty from her intel.

Damn. Saying “please” aloud was worlds apart from writing it. An He couldn’t force the words out—she couldn’t sincerely place herself beneath anyone, even from a position of weakness. She’d bare her fangs first.

But this was Gu Xianqing’s dream domain. An He had tried—neither Parasite nor Shatterblade Time worked here.

“Why are you so pissed?” An He narrowed her eyes. She’d noticed: Gu Xianqing was making things difficult out of anger.

Gu Xianqing smiled when angry, too. But it was different. Her scheming smile treated you like a cute pet; this one was the grim reaper suppressing madness before the swing.

“I’m not angry.” Her tone lilted upward.

“You’re lying.”

“Don’t act like you know me.” Gu Xianqing lifted her eyelids slightly, her fingertip trailing from jaw to neck, resting on An He’s vulnerable carotid. “I’m just annoyed at your ignorance. Your reckless stunt nearly got you killed in the mine… I don’t know what your hallucination told you, but you shouldn’t have responded… Don’t underestimate Her power.”

“You’re scared of Her? Doesn’t seem that impressive to me.” An He clenched her teeth. “Besides, if I die, that’s my problem.”

“Your problem?” Gu Xianqing laughed out of sheer anger this time—the weapon she’d painstakingly nurtured nearly broken, and it says none of your business. She took a deep breath, pressing An He’s carotid. “Stay alive. Stop courting death every damn day.”

An He lifted her gaze, meeting Gu Xianqing’s deep stare. For a split second, she realized she rather enjoyed pissing her off. An He smiled: “Try me next time.”

Gu Xianqing: …

The woman dangerously narrowed her eyes: “That doesn’t sound like begging.”

She shifted to a lighter tone, but her words weighed heavily: “The trust you’ve barely built in the Ninth Fortress? Fragile as glass. If Ide finds out about you and Lola, who knows how she’ll deal with you… And Lady Heli? You’re dropping that now, right?”

An He’s smile vanished: “Threatening me?”

“Mm-hm.” Gu Xianqing admitted freely, unconcerned with how low it was.

“Fine.” An He weighed her options and conceded defeat: “Let’s talk about Lady Heli. What do you plan to make her do? Hurt her? Or really take her to see God?”

“An He, I’ll say it again: there’s no God.” Gu Xianqing repeated. “She’ll serve under me. I’ll give her shelter and water, protect her from Tier Four Bone Eaters. Satisfied?”

“You’ll keep your word?” An He asked.

“Normally, no promises. But this time, yes—for my benefit.” Gu Xianqing raised a brow. “Now, show me how you perform.”

“How?”

“Beg me.”

“You have to force it?” An He gnashed her teeth.

Seeing her so pinned down unexpectedly improved Gu Xianqing’s mood. Her index finger brushed An He’s collarbone: “Everything comes at a price.”

What a ‘everything comes at a price.’ Someday, karmic backlash will make Gu Xianqing beg me.

She filed it away!

“…Please.” An He said insincerely, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum.

Gu Xianqing blinked. “Just like that. Adorable.” That reluctant, defiant submission—it finally eased her brows, curving her lips into a genuine, pleased arc.

…

Yan Qiong stood below the wind-sheltered slope, a motorcycle left at the top.

“You’re sure she’ll bring someone out?” Yan Qiong tugged her clothes tighter. In the hazy night under dim moonlight, the three of them looked like wandering ghosts.

“She will. Wait.” Gu Xianqing leaned against the earth mound, wind tousling her loose curls. She casually tucked a stray lock behind her ear, gazing at the sky.

Yan Qiong propped her spear: “Middle of the night—how’s she dodging sentries? And explaining away a missing person in the fortress?”

“That’s An He’s problem, not mine.” Gu Xianqing’s voice was cold, almost inhuman.

“Fair enough.” Yan Qiong shrugged. “That long-named lady—what’s her deal?”

“A miner. Sturdy build, once managed an entire section of the Third Mine Cave—decent skills.” Gu Xianqing recalled carefully. “Over a decade ago, her kid died young. Joined the Church after. Perfect timing—the batch of scum from the First Fortress needs a warden. She’s ideal.”

“You’ve got it all planned.” Yan Qiong muttered.

On the slope above them, beside the old motorcycle, the crouched little girl perked up: “Boss lady, I think I see someone!”

“Don’t call me boss lady—your fortress lingo doesn’t fly here.” Gu Xianqing frowned, voice icy: “Yes or no. No ‘think’ on missions.”

“Got it, boss lady—someone’s coming!” The little girl hefted her baseball bat, its head wrapped in dense spikes. She’d braided her white hair, her face patched with bandages, a sleeveless vest scrawled with crude doodles. Spreading red rashes coiled her bare arms like tattoos.

She slid down the slope, grinning at Gu Xianqing: “So, what now? Fight?”