Xiren (before battle)
Young master, I have brewed some nu'er tea. Will you imbibe some before departing?
... No way, Hong Lu. Remember how the envelope we received yesterday was torn open? Refuse it.
I'm okay. I'd love some tea, Xiren. Thank you.
Yes, young master.
Hong Lu sips Xiren's tea.
…….
Hey, that tea could be poisoned... I know we have Dante here, but you're being too reckless.
I wasn't being reckless on account of having Dante around. If I was, and if it really had been poisoned, I would be needlessly hurting Dante in the process.
I just... Even if she's become a lot less friendly, Xiren's still Xiren. So I thought it would be okay.
... That's when I realized that Xiren's odd change of character was reminiscent of those we'd seen earlier in the Backstreets of District 8.
<... Xiren went through a lot of revivals, didn't she?>
Yes. She's my closest maidservant, so she was on the most expensive version of Life Insurance.
<So when you say 'Xiren's still Xiren'... you mean that her memories are intact.>
Yep. Life Insurance doesn't actually decay your memory.
But still, you'll slowly...
... erode away. Like a stone weathering merciless gusts and rainstorms, the memory shrinks and shrinks, slowly losing its definition... until the form itself is lost.
It only leaves the faint sensation that the stone was once there, until it was no more.
But I... hope that faint sensation remains a warm remembrance to Xiren, at least.
…….
Xiren quietly cleared away the tea set. We could not tell if she had heard Hong Lu, or if she cared at all, if she did.
Regardless, we left her to her job and made our way to the palanquin that was waiting to take us to the round 2 venue.
When marching out to meet your foes in a deadly war...
Normally, most Sinners would've laughed Outis off for being overdramatic. But today, they were all listening intently to her every word.
We've already had several close run-ins with the candidates and their factions...
... and even the formidable Heishou Pack.
Those experiences were more than enough to convince us that this was the time to take her seriously.
... we must first learn as much as possible about our primary foe.
The one that poses us the greatest threat, if you will.
And that is Jia Qiu.
So let's list everything we've learned about that individual so far.
Well, we know that he has no problems with bloodying his own hands. Remember how he grabbed those decapitated heads...?
And we know that he tried to ensure that both our team and Xichun's wouldn't participate in the Family Hierarch war...
We are also aware that he is flanked by Zilu, a mighty Heishou, and Zigong, a strategist.
And... it seemed like he was the one who sent the assassins from last night too, right?
Yeah. We know that he's definitely wary of us, so we should also stay on guard.
As we all know by now... Daguanyuan is led by four ancient and great houses - the Jia, the Shi, the Xue, and the Wang.
Ever since the times before my own birth, this place was a den of political intrigue, a jungle where a single misstep could spell your death. Today, the Jia family holds the most power and influence among the four.
Which means that I was at the top of the world, afforded a life of luxuries and leisure, the kind of envious life that everyone looks up to and aspires to attain.
But big brother Qiu, he...
... He was beneath even the rock bottom of the same world.
Rock bottom...? A metaphor for aught, perhaps?
If it isn't, then I presume he's implying that someone pushed Jia Qiu to the depths.
Yes. Many, many hands pushed him toward the cliff, until there was no more room for him to back up to... until his only remaining choice was to plummet.
Brother Qiu is... the last surviving descendant of the annihilated Kong family.
Mm? Yet his surname was 'Jia' was it not?
His mother was from the Kong family.
Ahh... how...
My hand was probably one of the many that pushed him off the cliff.
I-I don't think you're the kind of person to do something like that, Hong Lu...
Fuhu, no need to make excuses for me.
Envy and jealousy came about from my Grandmother and the elders' favoritism...
... and where there is a zenith, so exists a nadir.
Hiding won't let me get away from it, so I'm going to accept it.
Hong Lu remained placid throughout that entire reveal, as though he was making some innocent commentary about the weather and the clouds going by.
In fact...
Watch out for the ones working with the Thumb, too.
... it was Ryōshū who appeared more agitated than he was.
The Thumb...? Oh, that walking brick shithouse from earlier?
Lei Heng.
Hmm... you're weirdly worried, Ryōshū. Don'tcha usually just -
It's because he's powerful.
Silence descended in the palanquin.
... Has Ryōshū ever called anyone straight up powerful before...?
No one replied.