If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

The wind outside the cave seemed to be choked by some invisible hand, leaving only a muffled whimper.

Zhou Yang leaned against the cold stone wall, a handful of dry grass in his hand, casually weaving something. The fire had mostly died down, and the remaining warmth was insufficient to dispel the chill of the late autumn night. Qin Shuang beside him was still unconscious; her breathing was weak, but at least much more steady than before, when she seemed on the verge of dying.

Li Xuanji's men were still wandering outside the mountains, the light from their torches occasionally flickering through the gaps in the trees, like greedy ghostly eyes.

Zhou Yang ignored the commotion outside. His gaze fell on the yellowed, tattered sheepskin map in his hand. He had smuggled it from the treasury of that unlucky Chen Qianhu back then, thinking it was just some worthless antique and casually stuffing it into his pocket. Little did he expect it would become his lifeline.

"Dragon's Spine..."

Qin Shuang's voice was weak, with a dryness from just waking up.

Zhou Yang paused in his movements, without turning around, but simply shielded himself from the wind: "Awake? Don't move around, I just stopped the bleeding for you."

Qin Shuang straightened up slightly, leaning against the rock wall, her face appearing sickly pale in the dim light. She stared at the incomplete map in Zhou Yang's hand, her brows furrowed deeply: "Li Xuanji's madness isn't simply for suppressing bandits, nor is it for the sake of Zhenwu Guard's reputation."

She paused, as if organizing her thoughts, or perhaps recalling some long-forgotten files: "It was mentioned briefly in the Zhenwu Guard's top-secret files. When the previous dynasty fell, a priceless treasure from the royal collection was lost to the common people, and it was rumored to be the key to connecting to the earth's dragon veins."

"What's it called?" Zhou Yang asked, tracing the rough surface of the incomplete map with his fingers.

"Fragment of the dragon's spine".

Before Zhou Yang could react to those three words, the system panel in his field of vision suddenly started flashing wildly.

【Ding--】

[Key repair material detected: Dragon spine fragment (clue).]

Current status: Incomplete.

[Performable actions: Consume lifespan to deduce the exact location; or collect the fragments to repair the divine weapon "Dragon Spine," gaining a huge lifespan bonus and a special physical condition boost.]

The red light pulsed wildly on his retina, and the normally sluggish progress bar now seemed to have taken a stimulant. In particular, the line "huge lifespan reward" made Zhou Yang's normally calm heart skip a beat.

life.

In this damned world, this is life itself.

Zhou Yang narrowed his eyes, concealing the fleeting greed in them. He was an ordinary man; while others thought of dominating the martial arts world when they heard about divine weapons, he was calculating how these things could extend his life by a few years.

"Looks like this thing is more valuable than I thought." Zhou Yang waved the fragmented map in front of Qin Shuang. "Are you sure that incompetent Commander Chen is looking for this?"

Qin Shuang sneered, aggravating her wound, and her lips twitched slightly: "Although Commander Chen is a good-for-nothing, his father, who was once the Vice Minister of Works, is a connoisseur. Before he died, he sold off all the antiques and paintings he had amassed, but he kept this picture. It certainly wasn't meant to be used as a table leg."

She pointed to the blurry ink stain on the map: "If it were an ordinary treasure map, why would they use a special potion to hide the markings? The fact that someone like Li Xuanji personally got involved means that the information has been leaked, but the specific method to open it might be on this map."

Zhou Yang nodded without saying anything.

He had just tentatively channeled a wisp of yang energy he had absorbed from the "Bloodhound" under Li Xuanji's command into the incomplete map. It was a trick he had learned in a desperate situation: the balance of yin and yang could stimulate certain hidden forces.

That wisp of yang energy seeped into the paper, like water droplets falling into boiling oil.

Suddenly, a very faint layer of pale gold lines appeared on the originally dull surface of the parchment. These lines meandered and twisted, not like mountains and rivers, but more like a severed spine, exuding a chilling aura.

Qin Shuang clearly hadn't seen this layer; she was just speculating based on her intuition.

Zhou Yang calmly retrieved the incomplete map and tucked it into his pocket: "Since it's so valuable, we need to recalculate this deal."

"What do you want to do?" Qin Shuang looked at the familiar expression on Zhou Yang's face—the look he always showed before he was about to trick someone.

"Li Xuanji wants it, the Heavenly Principles Sect wants it, and now I want it too." Zhou Yang dusted himself off and stood up. "This isn't greed; it's going with the flow. Since we're already on this pirate ship, how can we not grab something and make the most of this ticket?"

Qin Shuang rubbed her temples, looking a bit of a headache. "We're like rats in the street now, we'd be sitting ducks if we went out. It's not worth it to die for some vague legend."

"Even if we don't go to our deaths, we're still going to die." Zhou Yang walked to the cave entrance, poked his head out, and sniffed the scent in the night air.

The smell of blood was strong; it was Li Xuanji's masterpiece, and also the best cover.

He turned around, leaning against the rock at the cave entrance, and pulled a hard, dry flatbread from his pocket. He broke it in half and handed it to Qin Shuang: "Did your centurion's office file mention where this thing is roughly located?"

Qin Shuang took the flatbread, hesitated for a moment, and then took a bite: "Most of the rumors point to the outskirts of Anyang City. The specifics are unclear. But since Commander Chen has been operating in Anyang for many years, and the map is in his hands, he has the advantage of proximity, so the place must be nearby."

"Outside Anyang City..." Zhou Yang pondered these words, and the patterns on the incomplete map in his mind began to overlap with the actual terrain.

The direction of that "spine" looked somewhat familiar.

He closed his eyes and accessed the memory bank on the system panel. During his escape, he had exchanged his lifespan for a deduction of the terrain in this area, although it was only to find an escape route, but those details flashed through his mind at this moment.

Thirty miles outside Anyang City, there is an ancient temple that has been abandoned for many years, called "Duanye Temple".

The place was low-lying and perpetually flooded, surrounded by a mass grave, a place even the most greedy tomb raiders avoided. Rumor had it that the place was filled with an eerie atmosphere, and that ghostly wails could be heard there at night.

The end of the "spine" on the fragmented map points directly to the center of that mass grave.

"Got it." Zhou Yang opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his lips.

Qin Shuang felt uneasy at his sudden smile: "Your smile is really ugly."

"Don't say that, I call it confidence." Zhou Yang swallowed the remaining half of the pancake in a few bites, clapped his hands, and said, "I know where that thing is. Besides, I have a feeling that this thing can turn the tide for us."

"A comeback?" Qin Shuang was somewhat skeptical. "Li Xuanji has laid an inescapable trap outside; not even a fly can escape."

"Flies can't fly away because they don't have brains," Zhou Yang pointed to his head. "We're not flies. Besides, fortune favors the bold; how can we justify all the hardships we've endured along the way if we don't take a big gamble?"

The system's notification sounds still lingered in his ears, and the longing for longevity gnawed at his nerves like ants.

This is not just a fragment of a divine weapon; it is his life.

As long as you can get your hands on it, whether you repair it or exchange it, it's a real several decades of lifespan. With life, you'll have the resources to contend with a behemoth like Li Xuanji.

"Get ready." Zhou Yang's voice deepened, revealing an unquestionable resolve.

"Where to?" Qin Shuang tried to stand up.

"Let's deliver a generous gift to Lord Li." Zhou Yang walked over and grabbed her arm, which was icy cold to the touch. "Let's not hide anymore, let's go to Duanye Temple. There are good things waiting for us there."

Qin Shuang stared into his eyes, trying to detect a trace of fear or wavering. But unfortunately, she only saw an almost fanatical rationality. It was the look in a gambler's eyes when they see their cards, or a businessman's desperate gamble after weighing the pros and cons.

"You're crazy," she muttered under her breath, but did not refuse his help.

"Likewise." Zhou Yang grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

He helped Qin Shuang out of the cave.

The night outside was as dark as ink, and torches in the distance formed a long dragon, completely surrounding the Sorrowful Soul Ravine. The faint sounds of battle cries could be heard; the search party was driving away wild animals and also trying to bolster their own courage.

Zhou Yang tightened his tattered cloak and shielded Qin Shuang to his side.

The red light from the system gradually stabilized on the retina, transforming into a clear arrow pointing towards the direction outside Anyang City.

That was a way out, but also a shortcut to an even bigger vortex.

But Zhou Yang didn't care.

In his view, all roads in this world are made by people walking them. As long as there is enough profit to drive it, even a dead end can be turned into a road to heaven.

"I'll take this job."

He silently repeated a phrase to himself and quickened his pace.

The wind ruffled his clothes, making them rustle. He didn't look back at the thousands of troops surrounding him; his gaze was fixed on the "future" that was about to be his.

Zhou Yang supported Qin Shuang, moving quickly along the shadows of the mountain wall. He knew that once this breath was released, it would truly be the end. Right now, he felt like a newly sharpened knife, eager to slice through the dense fog and see just how much flesh and blood lay hidden within.

The tattered map was burning hot in his arms, as if some living thing was calling out to its kind.