The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

"What exactly do you want?" Chen Guan finally spoke, his voice eerily calm.

"I want to see a grand fireworks display." Lin Jiu pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, the lenses reflecting the dim lights in the distance. "The leader of the Flesh and Blood Embrace is nearing the end of his life. He desires this box more than anyone else. He will gather all the core forces and spare no expense to find you."

"And me," Lin Jiu paused, then smiled brightly, "I'll be there to clean up the mess when things are at their most chaotic."

Chen Guan understood.

This person wanted to use him as bait to lure out all the secrets of the flesh and blood in Jiangcheng at once, and then wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

This is remarkably similar to Ryuya's plan.

In Longye's plan, he might still have a sliver of hope as bait, and could be a potential sacrifice.

In Lin Jiu's plan, he was the fuse that was destined to be blown to pieces at the center of the explosion.

[Holy crap, Lin Jiu is too ruthless! Isn't he forcing Chen Guan to his death?]

[This is truly a dead end. We can't throw the box away; holding it makes us easy targets, like Chen Guan is using it as a prank on Chizuru Kamishiro.]

[How did "The Legend of Long Ao" turn into "The Legend of Chen Guan's Death"? Brother Ao, think of something quick!]

[Let's keep torturing our little coffin brother; Chen Coffin isn't suffering or tired at all.]

[Speaking of which, this white tiger is quite handsome. Indeed, aside from the million-dollar good-for-nothing, tigers are all pretty awesome.]

The comments section erupted, with only a few exceptions; it was mostly filled with lamentations.

"Why me?" Chen Guan asked the question again.

"Because you're very interesting." Lin Jiu's reply was understated, but he didn't say anything more.

"Alright, that's the end of the story." Lin Jiu clapped his hands, as if to conclude a pleasant tea party: "Here's a piece of advice for you."

He held up one finger.

"The leader of the Embrace of Flesh and Blood will hold his ascension ceremony at midnight three days from now in the underground casino in the south of the city. That will also be the end of his life. If he doesn't get this box before then, he will die. If he dies, the binding of this aura on your body will probably be released."

"So, you have three days."

Lin Jiu's smile held a hint of malicious encouragement: "Whether you try to survive these three days, or take the initiative and disrupt his ceremony... the choice is in your hands."

After saying that, he ignored the two people who were frozen in place and turned around to walk leisurely towards the white giant tiger that had been lying quietly.

"Let's go, little cutie, let's go home and have a drink."

The next second, the space around the man and the tiger slightly distorted, and then they disappeared into thin air.

Without a sound, without light or shadow, it simply vanished.

It was as if they had never existed.

Only a desolate street and two young men trapped in a dead end remain.

A night breeze blew by, and Long Ao shivered. He looked at the coffin, his lips moved, but he didn't know what to say.

An apology? It's useless.

Comfort? Ridiculous.

A sense of powerlessness arises.

Chen Guan looked down at the black box in his hand.

This thing feels cold to the touch, and its surface is engraved with intricate and eerie patterns that seem to be slowly flowing as if they are alive.

He could feel a chilling aura emanating from the box, like a lighthouse in the night, announcing its presence in all directions.

"We..." Long Ao finally found his voice: "Let's go back to my grandfather's first."

Now, perhaps only Long Ye, the grandfather with whom he had just broken ties, is capable of dealing with this situation. Although his grandfather's strength has declined considerably due to his age, even a tiger in distress cannot be bullied by dogs.

"No."

Chen Guan shook his head, rejecting this most rational suggestion.

"Your grandfather and this Lin Jiu are the same kind of people." Chen Guan raised his head: "Going to him will only lead us from one chessboard to another."

"What do we do then?" Long Ao asked anxiously. "Are we just going to wait for them to come knocking on our door?"

"wait?"

Chen Guan laughed, but there was no warmth in his smile.

Why wait?

He weighed the black box in his hand as if it were an insignificant toy.

"Didn't he give us a choice?"

Long Ao was taken aback.

Chen Guan's gaze turned towards the south of the city, where the underground casino was located.

"Since we can't avoid it, let's flip the table."

His voice was soft, yet it made Long Ao's heart flutter.

Three days later, I went to attend the promotion ceremony.

Who says... only the cult leader can be promoted?

He was familiar with demons; he happened to be carrying one of the most powerful ones.

……

the other side.

Lin Jiu sat on the tiger's back, patted the little guy's head, and sighed, "Why is this kid so stupid? I've already given him hints to this extent."

He snapped his fingers in distress, and a familiar outfit of white clothes, white hat, and white mask suddenly appeared.

There's no Lin Jiu here, it's clearly Bai Hu.

"Could the mask be my true form?"

The white tiger's hand suddenly quickened in its stroke of the big cat, and the tiger let out a low wail, but dared not resist the claws of the person in front of it.

"Ugh, why him again... who had the questions based on the answers?"

The white tiger sighed and lamented, for the real white tiger beneath him had suffered greatly, with many of its fur being plucked out.

A token appeared in his hand. He infused it with spiritual power, and the token immediately shone brightly.

"The boss said that the Vermilion Bird I'm looking for is in Jiangcheng, and it's related to the possession of flesh and blood..." he muttered to himself, "Who could it be?"

He was quite looking forward to his new colleagues.

I hope he's a tall, mighty, and powerful man who can punch ten Big Dippers at once.

……

"Okay, got it, boss~"

The girl's drawn-out voice echoed from the depths of the alley. She twirled a paintbrush in one hand and held her phone in the other: "Please, boss, you've really gotten me into trouble. Now Uncle White Tiger and Brother Big Dipper both think I'm a brat."

San Tai put down his paintbrush in distress and started counting on his fingers: "It's not just Bai Hu and Bei Dou, even my future colleague whom I only met once might hold a grudge against me."

"Oh right, what about Suzaku, whom I've never met? What if he hates me too?"

"Nan Dou and Kong Chen already looked down on me for being unreliable, and now you're making me pretend to be a clown, boss? Is there any place for me left in this organization?"

"Waaaaah, boss, you've ruined my reputation!"

The wails of the three people pierced the night sky.