The Prisoner's Chess Game
The man in the long robe stood at the door, his gaze sweeping over the thirty-seven time periods inside the house, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"Thirty-seven reincarnations, thirty-seven fragments." His voice was as still as a deep well. "Was it worth it for one person?"
The entity stepped forward, shielding the cloud gap behind it: "This is none of your business."
"It's related." The man gently raised his hand, causing ripples to spread throughout the room. "Because you disturbed my slumber."
Yunxi felt an invisible pressure, yet he still stood tall: "We meant no offense. But if you are willing to help, perhaps we can find a solution that benefits both sides."
The man raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing her with interest: "Interesting. A mere mortal, trying to negotiate with me."
He strolled into the cabin, and wherever he went, broken objects automatically repaired themselves, even the scenery outside the window gradually stabilized. This wasn't restoration; it was more like an absolute control over the rules.
"Sit." He casually pointed, and several rustic wooden chairs immediately appeared in the room.
After everyone was seated, he looked at Yunxi and said, "Tell me your terms."
"We need to escape the system's pursuit," Yunxi said, looking directly into his eyes. "And you, I'm sure, don't want to be imprisoned here forever."
The man chuckled: "How do you know I don't want to?"
"Because you are responding to me," Yunxi said firmly. "If you truly resign yourself to imprisonment, why bother with the cries of a mortal?"
A brief silence fell over the room. The man tapped the back of the chair lightly with his fingertips, making a rhythmic sound.
"Smart," he finally said, "but I need more sincerity."
His gaze shifted to the chronology: "For example, tell me your real reason for insisting on reincarnation."
All of them subtly changed their expressions. Yunxi could sense that this was a topic they had been avoiding.
After a long silence, the original entity finally spoke slowly: "It's not to change the past, but to protect the present."
The man seemed thoughtful: "Go on."
"Each cycle leaves a crack in the timeline," the voice of time resonated. "And these cracks are converging into a new tributary of time. What I want is not to change the predetermined ending, but to create a new beginning."
Yunxi was stunned. She had never imagined that the cycle of time could hold such profound meaning.
Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in the man's eyes: "Using reincarnation as a sculptor to reshape time... interesting."
He stood up and paced around the room: "In that case, there is indeed a possibility of cooperation between us."
He stopped in front of the gap in the clouds and stretched out his hand: "But I need a token."
"What token?"
"A drop of your blood," his gaze was profound, "and your willingness to bear the consequences."
Before the clouds could answer, the Time Order members chorused their objections: "Absolutely not!"
"Why not?" The man raised an eyebrow. "If we're going to cooperate, we should at least show some sincerity."
Yunxi looked at the man, then at the tense Shixu beside her, and suddenly understood something.
"This drop of blood isn't an ordinary token, is it?" she asked softly. "It's part of the key."
The man smiled: "Indeed clever."
He tapped his fingertip lightly, and a complex pattern appeared in the air: "The lock on the time prison requires two keys to fully open. One is within you, the other..."
His gaze fell on Yunxi's heart: "It's in your blood."
Yunxi finally understood why Officer Zhou was so persistent in protecting her, and why Shixu was willing to do anything to protect her.
It turns out that she herself was the key to unlocking the cage.
"Okay." She raised her hand. "I promise you."
"Cloud Gap!" Time tried to stop it, but it was too late.
A drop of bright red blood rose from the fingertip through the clouds and slowly flew towards the man. The moment it touched the blood, the man's form visibly solidified, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
"Now," he said, putting away the blood droplets, "we can talk about specific cooperation."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
