「My brother is dead. I'm blind—I'd never survive on my own for long. Going with you gives me a chance to live… and a chance to avenge him.」
Su Mei's voice was calm, as if she were talking about a stranger instead of herself.
Watching the girl's unflappable composure, you realized just how strong—and terrifying—her will truly was.
Blind as she was, her courage far surpassed that of most grown men.
It all clicked into place now. During your last villain simulation, when you'd disguised yourself as Su Meng, she'd clearly seen through your act—but she'd played along anyway, never letting on.
Even after being captured by the Ghost Physician Venerable, she'd subtly tipped you off, urging you to run.
「I have more than my fair share of troubles. Coming with me might mean you don't live much longer either.」 You didn't sugarcoat the truth, choosing to be completely upfront with her.
Magic City was no longer safe. The road south would be fraught with danger—chances were, you'd be hunted every step of the way.
You laid out your precarious situation in plain terms, even telling her your real name: Sun Qian.
「Brother Qian… can you tell me who killed my brother?」
To your surprise, Su Mei didn't dwell on the danger. Instead, she asked the question that mattered most to her.
「If we're lucky,」 you said, your tone laced with dark meaning, 「we might run into him halfway.」
The mysterious Heavenly Realm powerhouse Liu Yue, the Cloaked Stranger, Magic City's Police Director, the Li Family, Ye Fan… every faction in the city had their eyes fixed on you now.
You had no doubt that the roads leading out of Magic City were already strung with a web of traps. Escaping would mean fighting tooth and nail every step of the way.
That was exactly why you were determined to take Su Mei with you.
You needed a trump card capable of taking on a Heavenly Realm powerhouse.
After a brief conversation, Su Mei agreed to leave with you.
But with no cultivation base to speak of and blind to boot, she struggled to keep up with your pace, even when she bit down hard and pushed herself to the limit.
Without a second thought, you knelt down and hoisted her onto your back, then headed straight back to Qi Wei's villa.
You were completely oblivious to the faint flush creeping up Su Mei's cheeks as she clung to you, her outward calm belying the flutter in her heart.
For an eighteen-year-old girl who'd never been this close to a boy in her life… it was more than a little overwhelming.
「Qi Wei, arrange for the fastest luxury cruise liner heading south to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. Top priority.」
You burst into the deputy director's villa with Su Mei on your back, ordering him to use his connections to smuggle the two of you out of the city.
Even though Qi Wei had been stripped of most of his power, a dead camel is still bigger than a horse—as Magic City's deputy police director, he still had plenty of loyal underlings and connections he could call upon.
「Right away, Young Master Sun!」 Qi Wei didn't dare question your sudden decision to leave. After all, news of the Sun Family's downfall hadn't leaked from the Imperial Capital yet.
While you were at it, you asked Qi Wei about Liu Yue's whereabouts. He told you she'd vanished without a trace the night the Century Hotel was attacked.
You realized instantly that the mysterious Heavenly Realm powerhouse had gone to ground, retreating from the spotlight to the shadows. She might even be lurking nearby, watching your every move.
Ever since you'd returned from the secret realm, you'd felt an inexplicable sense of being watched.
You could practically taste the storm brewing over Magic City.
Every major faction in the city had marked you as their prey, ready to close in for the kill.
But what none of them knew was that ever since you'd contacted your brother, learned of the Sun Family's fate, and been threatened by the mastermind himself—you'd been seething with rage.
Running away was one thing when you'd been powerless to fight back. But now that you'd mastered the Nine Steps to the Heavens and gained a measure of strength? Being chased out of the city like a stray dog would make all your previous schemes a complete waste.
Before you boarded the luxury cruise liner under your Han Li alias, posing as Su Mei's older brother, you gave Qi Wei one final order.
「Qi Wei, spread a rumor throughout Magic City. Tell them Liu Yue of the Liu Family is now in my custody—Han Li's custody.」
「Taking the official route instead of smuggling through the black market… so he's setting a trap to flush his enemies out into the open. He's finally ready to fight back.」
Sun Qian's brows furrowed as he watched his simulator self's every move, piecing together his plan.
Logically, if you really wanted to escape Magic City and head south, taking the chaotic, unregulated black market routes would've been the safest bet.
But his simulator self had ordered Qi Wei to book passage on an official luxury cruise liner instead.
Qi Wei might have wielded considerable influence, enough to cover up some details.
But above him loomed Police Director Shen Zhong—who wielded even more power.
At such a sensitive time, the sudden departure of a "brother and sister" pair arranged by Qi Wei, who'd just pledged his loyalty to "Sun Qian"—it was bound to raise red flags.
And spreading that rumor… was he trying to lure a certain Child of Destiny out of hiding?
This series of moves was far riskier than Sun Qian had anticipated.
「From a rational standpoint, the only way forward is to survive, uncover the truth, and grow stronger.」
「But I completely overlooked one thing: the 'me' inside the villain simulator has his own emotions, his own desires.」
「His protector Sun Zhong captured. His double Su Meng presumably dead. His eldest brother Sun Shou's fate unknown. The Sun Family seemingly destroyed. Himself hunted like an animal…」
「Even a Buddha would fly into a rage after enduring all that—let alone a living, breathing human being.」
「Deep down, it seems I've always had a streak of madness running through my veins.」
Sun Qian slowly closed his eyes, a wild, defiant grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
「If that's the case… then let's stir up some chaos. If I don't beat these people until they howl in pain, they'll never stop treating me like a pushover.」
「Let's see if these so-called Heavenly Realm powerhouses are really as untouchable as they think. Let's see if they're really immortal.」
Onboard the luxury cruise liner, you and Su Mei settled into a VIP suite, posing as a pair of siblings. You rarely left the room, staying cooped up inside day and night.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. You spent every waking moment crafting talismans. With your cultivation base locked for a month due to your "loan from heaven," external power was the only way to boost your arsenal of trump cards.
To your surprise, those two days passed without a single incident. The cruise liner sailed smoothly, not a hint of trouble on the horizon.
None of the ambushes or hunts you'd expected materialized. Everything was eerily calm.
But that calm didn't last.
As the cruise liner drew near the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, something unexpected happened…