Quadruple split.

Chapter 2774 Destiny
"Brother Mo Tan, he..."

"There may not be much time left."

As the twin shopkeepers spoke with a slightly somber tone, the strange noises that were currently 'gagging' in the air above Edinburgh suddenly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Gu Xiaole was so shaken that he almost collapsed onto the sofa.

The woman took a deep drag on her cigarette and exhaled a large amount of more than 4,000 chemical substances, including nicotine and carbon monoxide, of which 69 are carcinogenic.

Xueyin's eyes sharpened, and she pursed her lips, seemingly lost in thought.

After a long while, the planet-level idol broke the silence and said softly, "If that's the case, Xueyin can only write a farewell poem for Tan and sing it. Well, then she can retire from the industry. Anyway, Xueyin has earned enough money over the years to last hundreds of lifetimes. Without Tan, Xueyin herself wouldn't be able to write a good song."

"Farewell? What farewell..."

Gu Xiaole clenched her fists and gritted her teeth fiercely, saying, "I don't want to say goodbye! I've lived this long, I don't want him to die! I don't want... I don't want..."

"Don't cry yet."

The woman casually stubbed out the cigarette between her fingers, looked up at the Rice brothers, and frowned, saying, "Didn't you say before that you've been around for so many years, and since this kid has been safe and sound all this time, you must have a way to let him die of old age, right?"

"If so, we already said so."

Ferry twitched the corners of his mouth and sighed, "Although it's hard to say, it's regrettable. Since my brother and I have clearly stated that 'Brother Mo Tan may not have much time left,' it means that at least the methods you guys can think of are useless."

Gu Xiaole shook her head vigorously and gritted her teeth, saying, "You guys also said it's 'possible'!"

"Because we also hope to see miracles happen, dear, but a miracle is a miracle precisely because, in most cases, it is just a beautiful vision."

Qiao gave a wry smile and said helplessly, "The kind that goes against reality."

What about marginalized people?

Although she was surprisingly accepting of the possibility of Mo Tan's death, Xue Yin still raised a rather constructive question: "Didn't you say before that the Marginal People are more authoritative than you in the field of medical treatment? Since you don't have any good solutions for Tan's problem right now, it's okay if we just go to the Marginal People as a last resort, right?"

"There are problems, but not many. To be specific, there's only one."

Ferry shrugged and said casually, "So after you went to the outcasts to try anything, there's almost a 100% chance that this foal that's still alive will be turned into a dead horse."

Xueyin was stunned for a moment, then said in astonishment, "Crash first and then ask questions? Are those frivolous people really that beastly?"

"Is there a possibility that..."

Qiao glanced down at Mo Tan, who was unconscious but showed no signs of impending doom, and said helplessly, "If the person here right now who realizes that Brother Mo Tan is involved with 'sin' is not one of us brothers, but any abnormal person with a little knowledge and experience, they would kill him without explanation, without reason, and without distinguishing right from wrong, to prevent future troubles."

Xueyin: "...So that 'sin' thing is really powerful?"

"That thing has nothing to do with whether it's 'powerful' or 'not powerful' anymore."

Ferri stared intently at Xueyin and said in a deep voice, "No one can bear the consequences it causes. In fact, even the two of us just considered 'killing' Brother Motan directly, in the literal sense."

"But we ultimately couldn't make up our minds. After all, he had coexisted with [sin] for so many years, yet he had always maintained a 'normal' state within a certain safe range."

Qiao patted Mo Tan's cheek and chuckled, "It's also possible that we two brothers are just naturally optimistic, or perhaps... we've forgotten the pain once the wound has healed? In any case, we can't bring ourselves to kill our old customers, but others might be a different story."

"What about my aunt and uncle?"

Gu Xiaole clenched her fists, her eyes full of anticipation, and said, "Their relationship with Mo-chan is much deeper; they practically treat him like a son. Plus, they're both incredibly capable. Maybe they can find a solution! It's like... even though it might be a bit risky, they're at least willing to take a gamble?"

Ferry and Joe exchanged a glance, then shook their heads and said in unison, "No."

"Why!"

Gu Xiaole slapped her thigh hard and said angrily, "I swear, they would never lay a hand on Mo Jiang. Not to mention that they simply couldn't bring themselves to do it, even if they... even if they had such thoughts, they would definitely consider their son's feelings. If something really happens to Mo Jiang, if Dongzi finds out that they did it, he will never forgive his aunt and uncle for the rest of his life. Given his personality, he will almost certainly commit suicide to make his aunt and uncle suffer and regret for the rest of their lives, and to avenge Mo Jiang."

“I understand what you mean, Miss Xiao Le. We both understand what you mean, but you have never witnessed the out-of-control ‘sin’ firsthand, nor have you experienced that era when everyone was in danger, could only watch helplessly as everything they knew was distorted and overturned, and even death was a luxury.”

Qiao shook her head gently and said seriously, "I can guarantee that if Brother Yinan and Sister Yanyue really decide to destroy Mo Tan for the sake of justice, they won't even let you notice when they make their move. At the same time, your memories and those of Brother Dongzi will definitely be altered, and you will forever lose any memories of 'Mo Tan,' as if he had never existed in this world."

“Joe is right.”

Ferry sighed and shrugged. "It's not difficult for them, in fact, it's not difficult for us either."

"It's ok."

Gu Xiaole chuckled softly, then pulled out a jet-black paper figure wrapped in red threads from his person. With a flick of his right hand, he untied the red threads that he had never untied even once since acquiring the 'Samurai Spirit,' and murmured softly, "Come out."

"..."

The next instant, accompanied by a chill that even made the rats' skin crawl, a faint outline silently appeared behind Gu Xiaole, carrying a strong killing intent and... death aura.

"Cooperate with me."

Immediately afterward, just as two pale arms shot out to choke Gu Xiaole, the girl took a deep breath and, having given up all resistance, said softly in a completely unguarded state: "On the premise that I am willing to be killed by you at any time, I have to tell you something. If you still decide to kill me after knowing this, I will not resist either."

"..."

Upon first appearing in the world, the servant spirit, still carrying the resentment and indignation that had been expelled from Gu Xiaole's destiny after many twists and turns, paused for a moment.

Perhaps she hadn't changed her mind, but was simply shocked by the other party's foolish behavior, which was tantamount to suicide. In any case, she was still stunned for a moment.

At that instant, Gu Xiaole had already affixed the black paper figure, which housed the spirit of the servant and was also a part of her own soul, to her forehead.

“Although I have not 'tamed' you, at this moment, I am willing to open myself completely to you. Now, you can possess my body, explore my memories, confirm my will, and take control of my soul.”

Gu Xiaole opened her arms, her gaze slightly narrowed: "From now on, the decision is yours."

"..."

Samurai was stunned for a moment, then pounced on Gu Xiaole from behind without hesitation.

Instinct told it that rather than killing the other party directly, returning the vicious fate imposed on it to its 'original self' and letting her be tortured in despair until she died little by little would bring it more pleasure.

but--

Bah!
With a muffled thud, the indistinct body of the Samurai Spirit, shrouded in a dark blue cloud, bounced back as if it had crashed into a wall, instinctively letting out a furious roar: "Die—"

"Don't move, my little darling."

With a silver arrow between her fingers, Qiao Yuwen gently reminded the 'vengeful ghost' in front of her, then turned to Gu Xiaole and asked, "Why does your natal ghost... have the destiny of the Three Waters Absolute Star?"

“That’s not its destiny, that’s mine.” Gu Xiaole replied calmly, then said seriously, “Now please release your protection of me and let it return to my body.”

"Please calm down, Miss Xiao Le."

Initially, Ferry Rice thought Gu Xiaole was just trying to trick the servant spirit. However, upon realizing that this crazy woman truly wanted the nearly incurable, vengeful ghost, completely consumed by resentment, to control her, he immediately intervened and set up a [Holy Cross Radiant Barrier] for the girl. His expression hardened slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "If you open everything to it, it can return the fate of the Three Waters Absolute Star to you at any time. Don't think you can withstand it. Although I don't know how you escaped back then, if that fate returns, even you, Brother Yinan and Sister Yanyue, probably can't save you!"

"It doesn't matter."

Gu Xiaole shook her head and said calmly, "So please lift the protection on me."

"Little Le!"

Qiao sighed and said with a bitter smile, "Although we don't know what you're planning to do, you should know that even the Ghost King of the Cave of Darkness couldn't escape this fate in his lifetime. And you, who finally managed to get rid of it, if you were to reclaim this fate that was stripped away and tempered by endless resentment and hatred for who knows how long... you would be doomed!"

"That is my freedom, so please lift the protection on me now."

Gu Xiaole met Qiao's gaze firmly, then added casually, "You can't keep an eye on me forever, can you?"

"Listen, lady...Lady...eldest lady...じょうさん..."

Realizing that he had seen the same look in her eyes before, and that a nearly insane Onmyoji had torn apart two [Great Sin Aggregates] for her fiancé, Ferry ultimately had no choice but to compromise. While slowly removing the [Holy Cross Radiant Barrier] from Gu Xiaole, he repeatedly said, "You must be absolutely certain! Absolutely, absolutely certain! Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely certain—"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Gu Xiaole smiled slightly, and then, after the barrier on his body completely disappeared, he turned to the servant spirit behind him and nodded, saying, "Come on."

"..."

And so, without hesitation, even devoid of consciousness, the demon witch, consumed by endless resentment, returned to her 'original' body without a second thought. The next moment—

The three waters and the star have been lost; the object has been returned to its rightful owner.

"It's over."

Qiao slapped her head and gritted her teeth, saying, "I knew it."

"I'll have to think about how to explain this to Yan Yue and Yinan later."

While keeping a wary eye on Gu Xiaole, who was now completely dominated by the 'ghost,' Ferry said solemnly, 'No matter what, we must protect her first, and then...'

"Wait!"

Just then, Joe suddenly interrupted Ferry with a startled cry: "Something's wrong! Look closely!"

"she……"

Ferry blinked, bewildered, and asked, "They...took away the Three Waters Absolute Star again?"

“Is that right?”

Qiao, who almost popped his eyes out, swallowed hard and said in a dry voice, "A natal ghost carrying this kind of destiny awakening shouldn't even have a mind, so how could it possibly take back the Three Waters Absolute Star that has already been returned to its rightful owner into its own body?"

"..."

The next moment, 'Gu Xiaole', with black sclera and dark blue pupils, suddenly turned his head to look at the two of them: "Go to hell."

"Wow, they really have no sense of reason, they only know to let us die based on our instincts!"

Ferry was shocked and raised his hand, saying, "In short, let's first subdue this natal spirit..."

"No need."

Just before Ferry made his move, Gu Xiaole, whose eyes had regained their clarity, smiled and said in a light tone, "Although I'm sorry, the sentence she just said to you all die... was actually spoken with a clear mind."

At the same time, it seemed to be drawn away from the beautiful female Onmyoji like a wisp of smoke, then quickly gathered again beside her, transforming into a 'Samurai Spirit' dressed in a shrine maiden's outfit and holding a black gohei. It coldly snorted and said to Gu Xiaole, "You, die too."

"I'll die sooner or later."

Gu Xiaole smiled and turned to look at her servant spirit: "But before that, I asked someone to put you in a place I don't even know where, and then cut off my connection with you."

"Go to hell."

"But you should be able to sense me, so if you find out that something is wrong with me, you should check on Mo-chan's safety immediately."

"Go to hell."

“I will blackmail my aunt and uncle, and let them know that if my memory is affected, you will definitely do something. Of course, I will not tell them exactly what I will do.”

"Go to hell."

"But the hysteria I show at that time will definitely make them guess that my destined ghost will tell Yidong the truth, and what he will do after knowing the truth is not hard to guess."

"Go to hell."

"But... I want you not to tell Dongzi anything when the time comes."

"Go to hell."

“He’s my brother, and I don’t want his world to be ruined. That kid may be annoying, but he’s actually a really good guy.”

"Go to hell."

"But my world is gone, so please kill me then."

"..."

“I’ve already left you a backdoor. Even if I lose my current memories and become as strong as my aunt and uncle, you can always return to me and curse me to death by returning the [Three Waters Absolute Star] destiny.”

"..."

"This is my only request."

"..."

"What's the answer?"

"……Um."

Chapter 2765: The End