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

Chapter 756 The Immortal Envoy's True Form: Merely a Wisp of Residual Will

The Golden Palace was eerily quiet.

It's not that there's no one.

Everyone lay down.

The emperor slumped beneath the dragon throne, half his body collapsed, as if his bones had been removed. The priests, worshippers, and eunuchs in the hall all lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise their heads. The cult leader's mutilated corpse lay beside the steps, black liquid still seeping from the severed neck, seeping down the cracks in the gold bricks.

Zhou Yang entered the room with his knife in hand, stepping over a sticky mess.

He glanced down at it.

"Even in death, he didn't die properly."

Qin Shuang stood beside him, her sword still sheathed. She glanced around the hall, finally looking at the screen behind the dragon throne.

Something is still there.

Zhou Yang saw it too.

It's not the screen that's moving.

It is the shadow behind the screen that is drumming.

Like a layer of old skin, it was being stretched up from the inside. First, a human-shaped outline appeared, then it stretched, tilted, and slowly detached from the wall. The temperature in the entire hall suddenly dropped, and even the lamplight shrank into a ball.

The emperor forced out a series of hoarse sounds and lay on the ground, trying to back away.

The shadow didn't look at him.

As if it had smelled something, it first turned towards the cult leader's corpse, then quickly moved away, and finally stopped on Zhou Yang.

In that instant, Zhou Yang's heart skipped a beat.

The Book of Fate in his arms also felt hot.

The dragon spine vibrated, and a layer of dark gold patterns emerged on the back of the blade.

All three things reacted together.

The smile on Zhou Yang's face faded.

"So they came here specifically to target me."

The shadows are still changing.

It had no face, only a blurry outline. Within that outline floated many fragments of light, like smashed eyeballs churning in sewage. It possessed no ethereal aura, only a stale, bitter stench, like a shroud left to rot in a cellar for years.

Qin Shuang frowned.

"This is not a celestial messenger from the upper realm."

"I know."

Zhou Yang stared at the thing and slowly exhaled.

"I knew something was wrong when I smelled that incense and blood last time. If a true immortal has to look like this, those things in the upper realm are really too unhygienic."

The shadow stopped, and a soft sound came from the roof of the palace.

A voice fell.

Not big.

It's like many people talking together across the well opening.

"container."

"Finally, we have them all."

The words had barely left his mouth when the cult leader's corpse on the ground suddenly twitched, as if it had been pulled up and then slammed back down. The essence, blood, and bones within the corpse collapsed layer by layer, until in the blink of an eye only a skin remained.

Everyone in the hall collapsed on the spot.

Some people's crotches were wet.

Zhou Yang clicked his tongue in disbelief.

"Your Heavenly Principle Sect has been busy for so many years, only to become its fodder."

The shadow ignored his mouth.

It drifted forward an inch.

From the ruins of the Black Tower, a muffled thud suddenly came. It was as if a long nail was still stuck in the ground, dragging the thing down. With each step forward, its form disintegrated a little, like smoke being torn apart by the wind.

Zhou Yang's eyes flashed.

He got it.

This thing isn't immobile.

It can't move too far.

When the shadow spoke again, its voice was even more chaotic than before, like a jumble of old thoughts.

"I am not a celestial messenger."

"The Celestial Envoy is merely a shell I lent out."

"I will remain here for ten thousand years. I will wait for the tower to crack, for the door to open, for the blood sacrifice, and for a body that can contain me."

At this point, all of its fragmented light pressed down on Zhou Yang.

"Half-corpse royal body".

"The Book of Fate recognizes its master."

"The core of the heart returns to the chest."

"The dragon's spine returns to one."

"You're fine."

After hearing this, Zhou Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that it's not the true form from the upper realm.

As long as it's not like someone can just casually reach out and kill him, there's still a lot to settle.

He draped the dragon's spine over his shoulder and chuckled.

"No need for praise. If you really think I'm good, you should first pay back the interest you've accrued over the years."

The shadow didn't respond to the joke.

It spoke very slowly.

It's like trying to do something thousands or tens of thousands of times without ever getting it done.

"The royal family is the anchor I chose."

"The Heavenly Principle Sect is the hand I raised."

"Priests, followers, princes, princesses, incense offerings, dragon veins, blood pools."

"It's all for one thing."

"Block the door. Pave the road. Raise you."

Upon hearing this, the emperor on the ground trembled violently, desperately trying to defend himself, but only managing incoherent sobs. Zhou Yang didn't even glance at him.

Many old stories suddenly came together.

Fang Tian was merely one of the earliest test stones.

The turmoil in Anyang County, the annual sacrifices in the imperial city, and the repeated deaths of people from the Heavenly Principle Sect all pushed him forward, layer by layer. It wasn't that those people were truly capable of foreseeing this day; it was that this wisp of will only knew one thing.

Searching for a physical body.

Find the anchor point.

It will press down on whoever is suitable.

If it's not suitable, it'll be used to fill the furnace.

Zhou Yang suddenly felt it was quite absurd.

All these people in the world, after all their fuss, are ultimately just a bunch of rotten ideas that have been suppressed by the Black Tower for thousands of years.

Qin Shuang took half a step forward, blocking him slightly.

"It can't get into you now."

Zhou Yang hummed in agreement.

"It cannot be separated from the line of Tianmen."

"The cult leader is dead, the medium is cut off. Only then is its true nature revealed."

As if the shadow understood, the surrounding lights all went out at once.

"clever."

"You're smarter than any of the others."

"So you should agree even more."

It looked at Qin Shuang, and also at the outside of the palace, as if it could see through the entire imperial city in one glance.

Give me your body.

"I won't kill her."

"I will not harm the living beings in the city."

"You're worth it to exchange yourself for the whole city."

Qin Shuang raised the tip of her knife, her voice steady.

Don't listen.

Zhou Yang didn't look at her, he just stared at that shadow.

"Your business is no good."

"I gave you my body, and you took the vessel, the city, and then my life. You tried to get something for nothing, do you think you can take advantage of someone who hasn't done business before?"

The shadow paused for the first time.

"You don't believe me."

"I'm more convinced you can't do it."

Zhou Yang held the knife horizontally, and the black and red light on his chest slowly suppressed the churning corpse energy.

"If you could really slaughter a city so easily, you wouldn't have been wasting your breath talking to me like that."

"Right now, you can only cling to the remnants of the Heavenly Gate and the Black Tower. The cult leader is the medium, the royal family is the anchor, and the blood sacrifice is the rope. If two of these three are lost, you won't even be able to stand."

"You're not giving me a chance."

"You're begging me not to pull out the last nail."

The main hall suddenly shook.

The screen behind the dragon throne shattered on the spot.

The shadow bulged up, as if enraged to the extreme, or as if its most feared spot had been pierced. Blood seeped from the seven orifices of the priests on the ground, and they fell silent in the blink of an eye.

Qin Shuang raised her hand and slashed at Zhou Yang's ear.

The shadow was split open by half a foot, then quickly closed again.

There's nothing seriously wrong.

It's just more ethereal now.

Zhou Yang saw it clearly and knew exactly what was going on.

What's most frightening about this thing right now is its background, not its combat power.

Once it actually lands on the ground, it might not be much harder to kill than the cult leader.

Just then, the Book of Fate in Zhou Yang's arms suddenly opened by itself.

There was a loud clattering sound.

The pages of the book rolled wildly without any wind, finally stopping on the middle page.

There are only two words on it.

Zhou Yang.

The ink is gradually turning black, as if someone is pouring dirty water into it along the strokes.

At the same time, a familiar, cold voice echoed in his mind.

[Black Tower master position binding detected]

[Target Bound to: Zhou Yang]

Current progress: 30%

[If the anchor chain is not severed, the host will assume the position of the Black Tower and become the next generation's container and suppression core.]

[WARNING: This process is irreversible]

Zhou Yang's forehead twitched, and he almost cursed out loud.

Good news, you guessed right.

Bad news, now it's my turn to be the nail in the coffin.

Qin Shuang noticed that his breathing had become disordered, so she turned her head to look at him.

"What's wrong?"

Zhou Yang pressed down on the Book of Fate, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"The calculation is too big."

"Now, not only is my physical body fragrant, but even the tower wants to recognize me as its owner."

Qin Shuang immediately understood that this was not a good thing.

She didn't ask any further questions, but simply gripped the knife even tighter.

"How do we determine this?"

Zhou Yang stared at the shadow, his mind racing.

Book of Fate, Core of the Heart, Dragon Spine, Half-Corpse Emperor's Body.

With these elements combined, he becomes the most useful vessel and the most useful new anchor. The remnants of the Black Tower, the traces of the Heavenly Gate, and the ley lines of the Imperial City are all converging on him.

If you want to live, you have to cut all these threads at once.

As if sensing his murderous intent, the shadow lowered its voice again.

"You can't escape."

"You have been registered."

"You have received the test results."

"You have grasped the spine."

"This is the path you chose."

After listening, Zhou Yang suddenly laughed.

"Don't try to pin this on me."

"I have indeed received a lot of benefits along the way. I acknowledge every single one of them."

"But if you want to use me as a shell, you'll have to pay extra."

After saying this, he turned his head to look at Qin Shuang.

"Lord Baihu."

"Trust me one more time?"

Qin Shuang looked at him without the slightest hesitation in her eyes.

"you say."

Zhou Yang gripped the dragon spine tightly, the tip of the blade slowly pointing towards the ruins of the black tower outside the hall.

"It is not a fairy."

"It's just a rotten idea."

"First, sever the remnants of the Heavenly Gate, then shatter the Black Tower's anchor, and finally erase this dirty account from the Book of Fate."

"If we just pull it down from the sky, it will have to die according to the rules on earth."

At this point, he took a step forward.

The Book of Fate was burning hot in my arms.

My heart was pounding like a drum.

The shadowy figure began to shriek, causing the tiles of the entire golden palace to tremble and dust to fall from the beams.

Zhou Yang raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, his smile still lingering.

"Haven't you been waiting for me to grow up?"

"I'm here."

"This time, we're not talking about exchanging lives."

"Let's settle the accounts."

Chapter 757 First Sever the Heavenly Gate, Then Sever the Divine Will

The Golden Palace is in a terrible state.

The beams were cracked, and black smoke billowed from the cracks in the bricks. The crack in the roof hung in mid-air, like an unclosed eye. A long, gray-white line hung from that eye, plunging straight into the depths of the black tower.

That is not light.

It's more like a rope used to tie someone up.

Zhou Yang looked up and immediately understood the situation.

The remnant of the celestial being can stand, not by itself. It borrows from the remnants of the Heavenly Gate, feeds on the blood essence of the sacrificial plate, and uses the black tower's anchor to lock this force in place. Only when these three things are combined can this inhuman and ghostly thing be formed.

The shadow stood in the center of the hall, its form sometimes appearing and sometimes disappearing, as if separated by a layer of dirty water. It didn't rush down, but stared at Zhou Yang's chest, as if looking at a memorial tablet with his name already written on it.

Zhou Yang grinned.

"What the hell are you looking at?"

"I'll dismantle your stove first."

He turned to look at Qin Shuang.

"Seal off the four corners of the sacrificial plate."

"How long can it last?"

Qin Shuang had already moved to the side, and the Xuan Yin Diagram in her sleeve unfurled with a whoosh, its black and white lines creeping down her wrist. She didn't even turn her head.

"Stop talking nonsense, and I can hold out a little longer."

"become."

Zhou Yang carried the dragon spine and rushed towards the broken platform behind the hall.

The anchor is right there.

It was a black pillar, half-exposed, as thick as a city gate post, its surface covered with old sacrificial texts. The characters were faded and blurred, and dried human skin was stuffed into the cracks. A long, grayish-white line clung tightly to the top of the pillar, like a hook driven into bone.

As soon as he got close, people rushed out from both sides.

The remnants of the royal family are not completely wiped out.

Several old men clad in golden armor emerged from behind the crumbling wall, carrying broken jade seals and fragmented talismans. On the other side, remnants of the Heavenly Principle Sect rushed forward like madmen, chanting the same old clichés of "protecting the Dharma" and "welcoming the immortals."

Zhou Yang didn't even bother to draw his sword first.

With a flick of his left hand, the bone scepter shot up from his palm, its whiteness blinding. With his other hand, he unleashed the remnant of the Soul Lock, and the chains rattled as they pierced directly through the heads of the group.

The bottom of the Black Tower immediately echoed.

It was as if someone had struck a great bell in the heart of the tower.

The next moment, the Black Tower guards who had been standing around the hall all turned around. A flicker of ghostly fire rose in their eye sockets, and their old armor clanked loudly. They had been pressing towards Zhou Yang, but now they turned and pounced on the remnants of the royal family and the members of the Heavenly Principle Sect.

The scene immediately descended into chaos.

An old prince had just raised his jade seal when a Black Tower guard pierced his back with a spear. An elder of the Tianli Sect, attempting to form a hand seal, had his neck snapped by chains, his head rolling away, his mouth still opening and closing.

Zhou Yang glanced at it and cursed.

"Do you think you can boss my dog ​​around?"

Bone authority is the greatest principle in the Black Tower.

The Soul Chains are incomplete, but cleaning up these remnants is enough.

Taking advantage of the chaos, he has already stepped onto the execution platform.

A sudden chill ran down my spine.

The remnant spirit of the immortal envoy finally made its move.

Before it could raise its arm, a hum reverberated in the hall, and a divine sense, like an iron cone, pierced straight down, heading straight for Qin Shuang. Zhou Yang's feet stopped, his chest tightened, and his ears were filled with shrill screams.

When he turned around, Qin Shuang was already standing in the center of the sacrificial altar.

The Mysterious Yin Chart was divided into four scrolls, firmly nailed to the four corners of the sacrificial plate. Each corner had an old blood groove pressed into it, and what emerged from the grooves was not blood, but a bluish-green yin fire. The fire burned along the chart, directly onto her hands. Her palms cracked, and blood trickled down between her fingers.

She didn't back down.

With a backhand press, white frost appeared on my forehead.

She managed to withstand most of the divine sense that was rushing towards her.

She looked at Zhou Yang, her voice a little hoarse.

"I'll cut you down."

Don't look back.

Zhou Yang's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't say anything more.

At this point, nothing you say will make a difference.

If he can't cut it, the two of them will confess today.

The Book of Fate was burning hot in his arms.

Zhou Yang pulled it out and opened it with one hand. The pages rustled and shook, and his name on it looked as if someone had traced it again with a red-hot needle, the ink gradually deepening.

The system's audio has long since stopped.

At this point, it seemed to have resigned itself to its fate, leaving only that line of cold, lifeless words.

Exchangeable lifespan: 1,763 years.

Zhou Yang stared for a moment, then smiled.

"I've been saving this up for so long."

"Let's spend big today."

The next moment, he started burning directly downwards.

Five hundred years.

Eight hundred years.

A thousand years.

The words in the Book of Fate were spewing out like crazy, as if someone was using his life to fill a knife.

The dragon spine emitted a deep, resonant sound in his hand.

The blade first glowed a thin line, then the entire blade came to life. Dark gold patterns crawled from the hilt all the way to the tip, like a real dragon writhing within the bone. The flesh on Zhou Yang's arm split open first, and the blood that had just gushed out was evaporated by the blade's intent.

He stood on the broken platform, the stone bricks beneath his feet shattering one by one.

The entire black tower was shaking.

The shadow in the hall finally let out a sharp howl, as if it had sensed something, and pounced even more frantically. It abandoned Qin Shuang and charged straight at Zhou Yang. But the four corners of the sacrificial plate were already sealed, and with each step it took forward, a piece of ash would fall from its body.

Qin Shuang gritted her teeth and pressed both hands firmly on the diagram.

Her shoulders and back were shaking violently, and blood was starting to trickle from the corners of her mouth, but she still held the four corners down tightly.

"Zhou Yang!"

The sound wasn't loud.

Zhou Yang heard it.

He gasped for breath, the air thick with ash, and his vision blurred. His lifespan had been burned too quickly; it felt as if burning embers were stuffed into his very bones. Yet, he felt more lucid than ever before.

Where are the remnants of Tianmen?

Where does the force of the ground anchor originate?

Where is the most fragile part of that long, gray-white line?

Everything is right in front of you.

Zhou Yang raised his sword.

The dragon's spine roared.

"Broken Dragon's Spine".

The four words that came out of his mouth sounded like they were scraped out of his lungs.

The slash didn't land on the shadow's head.

He cut the joint.

As the knife fell, the entire golden palace fell silent for a moment, as if heaven and earth had held their breath. Then, a muffled thud erupted from the depths of the crack, and the long, grayish-white line snapped in two. The break first shone, then turned black, and finally looked as if someone had forcibly torn it apart from the inside.

The top of the black pillar also cracked at the same time.

A straight cut ran from top to bottom, piercing deep into the anchor.

Stone chips, embers, and smoldering blood sprayed outwards all at once.

Zhou Yang was thrown back by the recoil, crashing through half a broken wall, his knees sinking into the bricks when he landed. The Dragon Spine was still in his hand, but the blade was as hot as a freshly forged iron.

The crack in the sky made a snapping sound.

Not big.

Everyone in the hall heard it clearly.

Then came the second and third sounds.

The remnants of the Heavenly Gate began to crumble.

The remnant of the celestial messenger's will seemed to snap, its form plummeting downwards. Its previously lofty aura instantly diminished, its outline became unstable, and half its face turned to ash. It tried to draw strength from the sacrificial altar, but the four corners of the altar were completely black, and the sacrificial passage was severed.

The blood-red light that was still flowing outside gradually died down.

The Black Tower echoed the mournful cry.

From the base to the top of the tower, cracks snaked like living snakes. Bricks and stones fell, and the tower tilted inch by inch. The remnants of the royal family and the remaining members of the Heavenly Principle Sect who hadn't had time to escape were buried by the collapsing beams before they could even finish their cries.

Qin Shuang finally withdrew one hand, her body swaying slightly.

Zhou Yang propped himself up on the dragon's spine, his mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. He looked up at the lingering remnant of the dragon and smiled cruelly.

"Now you can fight, right?"

"Get down."

"Die according to the rules of the earth."

The shadow stared intently at him, as if it wanted to devour him whole. Most of its ethereal skin had peeled away, revealing something even uglier underneath, like a piece of rotten wood that had been soaking for too long, yet it still had a human face on it.

It lunged forward.

Zhou Yang also walked forward.

One step, two steps.

The Book of Fate suddenly opened by itself.

He glanced down at it, and the smile on his face faded slightly.

My name has gained another layer of depth.

Not only was it deeper, but a thin black line appeared afterward, as if stretching from the pages all the way to the sky. The broken anchor curtain hadn't completely disappeared. It didn't fall on the black tower, nor on the sacrificial plate, but instead traveled along the Book of Fate to him.

Zhou Yang spat out a mouthful of blood.

"OK."

"This dirty work is also my responsibility."

He wiped his mouth with his hand, picked up his knife, and continued forward.

Qin Shuang had already walked to his side, her face deathly pale, but her hands remained steady. She didn't ask what was wrong with the Book of Fate, only glancing at his bluish hand before tightening her grip on her knife.

"Can you still fight him?"

Zhou Yang turned his head to look at her.

"After we've dealt with this rotten thing, we'll still have to confiscate the imperial treasury."

What do you think?

Qin Shuang's lips twitched slightly.

"Then don't die."

After she finished speaking, she stood side by side with him.

Ahead is the collapsing Black Tower.

Above us was a cracked heavenly gate.

The ground was littered with broken bricks and dead bodies.

The remnant spirit of the celestial messenger, fallen to the mortal realm, was already upon them.

Zhou Yang turned the dragon's spine sideways and flicked the tip of his knife upwards.

"The final stroke."

"Collect the debt."

Chapter 758 Changing the Book of Fate, Even the King of Hell's Ledger Has to Be Torn

The moment the celestial messenger's remnant intent lunged down, a stream of cold white light poured into the crack in the Heavenly Gate.

The light wasn't warm; it felt like the back of a knife on a person's face.

Zhou Yang raised his sword and slashed.

The dragon's spine swept across the sky, first cleaving the white shadow aside. Qin Shuang sliced ​​in from the side, her blade trailing sparks along its waist. Not blood. Like scraping iron sheets.

The black tower was falling down layer by layer behind them.

The bricks and stones hit the ground, making the ground tremble.

The white figure was forced back three steps, then suddenly raised its hand and pressed down.

Zhou Yang felt a tightness in his chest.

The Book of Fate flew out of his arms on its own.

With a snap, it lay sprawled in mid-air.

The pages flipped through like mad. With each page turned, Zhou Yang felt a drop of heat emanating from his body. First, there was Fang Tian, ​​then the Four Kings, then the Cult Leader, the Corpse Soldiers, the Imperial Blood Sacrifice, and the old grievances retrieved from the River of Souls. Each page glowed, and once it finished glowing, the pages had to be closed.

The white figure let out a shrill laugh.

"The guardians of the tower have returned to their posts, and the containers have been returned to their proper places."

"You've borrowed it for so long, it's time to return it."

Zhou Yang coughed up blood, and his knee almost slammed down.

He finally understood.

The book of destiny that recognizes its master is not a freebie.

It's the final lock on the Black Tower. Whoever holds the tower until the end has to be the one to top it. The Book of Fate offers benefits first, then takes them all back at the last moment. The system's completion isn't a windfall either. That set of rules has been consistent from beginning to end.

He can do accounting.

It can be traded.

They can buy lives, and they can sell their lives.

It is not the sky. It is an account book.

Zhou Yang was very familiar with account books.

As long as it's an account book, you can add money.

Thinking of this, he regained his footing.

Qin Shuang forced the white figure back with a single strike, then glanced back at him. She didn't utter a sound, but instead held her blade in front of him, blocking the second beam of white light for him.

Zhou Yang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked down at the Book of Fate.

The pages are still turning.

Turn to the last page, and there are only two words at the very top.

Zhou Yang.

This was followed by a line of small, dark red text.

It can be reclaimed.

Zhou Yang looked at those three words and smiled.

"So, what I have here is a deposit."

The white figure said coldly, "You were originally a blade nurtured in the tower."

Zhou Yang ignored it and simply placed his hand on the Book of Fate.

The system panel flashed before my eyes.

Lifespan, destiny, residual fortune, blood sacrifice recovery, corpse soldiers returned to the warehouse, the cult leader's origin, royal dragon energy, surplus food from the soul river... one by one they swept past, like a group of silver notes waiting to be deposited into the account.

Throughout Zhou Yang's life, the one thing he has never lacked is the wealth left behind by the dead.

He spoke, but his voice was soft.

"The Book of Fate, I have something important to discuss with you."

The fate book was shocked.

The white figure's expression finally changed, and she lunged forward to snatch it.

Qin Shuang stood in the middle, her blade raised, forcefully blocking its arms. The bricks beneath her feet cracked inch by inch, and she was forced to slide backward, leaving two white marks on the soles of her shoes.

"hurry up."

She only said two words.

Zhou Yang nodded.

"First, the old grievances of the Black Tower are not my sole responsibility."

"Who is the creditor, and who acknowledges it?"

"The Heavenly Principle Sect built a tower to raise corpses; this is the first account."

"The royal family opens the sacrificial altar to feed blood; this is the second tent."

"The remnant will of the Corpse God has taken over a body and remains immortal; this is the third account."

"You can accept it according to the old rules, that's fine."

"Don't just focus on me being the only sucker."

The pages of the Book of Fate stopped on their own.

The first page slowly turns.

Originally, only his name was written on it, but now new ink is starting to seep out. The names of the Heavenly Principle Sect Leader, past High Priests, royal bloodline, and the lingering spirit of the Corpse God are emerging one after another, as if crawling out of the paper.

The white figure let out a sharp shriek and pounced even more fiercely.

Blood trickled from the corner of Qin Shuang's mouth, but the knife didn't budge an inch.

Zhou Yang pressed his palm down even tighter and continued speaking.

"Secondly, I will only act as a proxy, not guard the pagoda."

"The Book of Fate is in my hands. I will collect your debts, keep your accounts, and settle your accounts."

"The tower has collapsed, so let whoever wants to do this arduous task of storing the containers do it."

"You want rules? I'll give you rules."

"You need someone to do things, I'll do them."

"You want to take my life? No way."

The Book of Fate shook even more violently.

It's like someone is tapping an abacus on paper.

Zhou Yang's eyes hardened, and he threw all his remaining lives into the game.

"Add more money."

As soon as that sound fell, all the words in the Book of Fate lit up.

Zhou Yang felt a sudden boom in his mind, as if the entire River of Souls had been poured in. His lifespan was dropping rapidly, the system numbers were burning away bit by bit, and even more lifespans were drawn from the cult leader's remains, the ruins of the sacrificial plate, the imperial city's ley lines, and the ashes of the corpse soldiers to make up for it.

Burn the left hand, and burn the right hand too.

It burned so badly that even his bones ached.

He still smiled.

Is that enough?

"If that's not enough, I'll add more."

The Book of Fate did not reply.

The line "recoverable" on the paper first became blurry, then cracked, and finally looked as if it had been scraped off with a knife.

The new character gradually emerged.

The one who takes charge of the order.

The moment the five characters were written, the entire Book of Fate slammed shut and crashed back into Zhou Yang's arms.

The surroundings suddenly fell silent for a moment.

The next moment, the black tower completely collapsed.

The white pillar that had shot into the sky at the top of the tower disintegrated, and the crack in the Heavenly Gate trembled as well. The white image that had been high above suddenly lost its lines and fell directly from mid-air, crashing into the pile of broken bricks and kicking up a large cloud of dust.

It is no longer that ethereal, indistinct mist.

A "person" slowly crawled out of the ashes.

He was short and extremely thin. His body was covered with a layer of almost rotten white skin, his face looked like it was made of wax, his eye sockets were frighteningly empty, and a tiny jade nail was embedded between his eyebrows.

Celestial Messenger.

Or rather, this is its final, true form.

It looked down at itself, as if it was the first time it had realized it would also land.

Zhou Yang hoisted the dragon's spine back onto his shoulder and took a breath.

"It looks much better now."

The thing raised its head, its eyes filled with resentment and malice.

"You dare to change the Book of Fate."

Zhou Yang spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

"Once the ledgers are in my hands, why wouldn't I dare to change them?"

"I've worked for you for so long, and I have to ask your permission to change my name?"

After saying that, he picked up the knife and walked forward.

With each step he took, blood trickled from the open wounds on his body. The Book of Fate had changed its terms, and the weight on his chest was gone. He felt lighter, as if someone had finally claimed half of a sack he'd carried for half his life.

Qin Shuang wiped the blood from her lips, followed him, and stood to his left.

"Still 50/50?"

Zhou Yang was taken aback, then burst out laughing.

"We're not splitting this time."

"This thing is bad luck, let's chop it up and go home together."

Qin Shuang glanced at him.

"Alright."

The celestial messenger's true form seemed to have been humiliated, opening its mouth to roar. The jade nail between its brows suddenly shone brightly, and all the remaining white light around it shrank towards its body. When it pounced, it was so fast that it was just a line.

Zhou Yang had been waiting for a long time.

With a twist of its spine, the dragon first slashed at the jade nail.

Qin Shuang's knife fell almost simultaneously, blocking its right shoulder.

A crisp clang rang out.

The jade nail cracked.

The thing screamed in agony and its movements immediately became chaotic.

Zhou Yang lunged forward, his blade slicing upwards, cleaving open the white skin on its chest. Inside, there was no heart, only a small, curled-up ball of black fire. The flame flickered rapidly, like a living thing.

"I've found you."

He pressed down on his wrist and drove the knife in.

The black flames exploded on the spot.

The immortal envoy let out a final howl, half of its body turning to ashes, while the remaining half still tried to crawl into the crack in the Heavenly Gate. Qin Shuang took a step back, and her blade slashed diagonally down its neck, severing its entire head along with its shoulder bone.

Its head rolled a long way, but its mouth was still open.

Zhou Yang walked over and stepped on it.

"Go down and slowly write down the debts owed by the higher-ups."

The blade fell.

His head was shattered.

The black fire went out.

The crack in the sky, like a drafty window, creaked and slowly closed. The last ray of white light vanished, leaving only broken bricks and charred ash scattered on the ground.

When the wind blows, the dust scatters outwards.

The sound of bells could be heard coming from the direction of the imperial city.

No rush, no panic.

It sounded like announcing a death, yet also like announcing that everything was alright.

Zhou Yang stood there for a while, the tip of his knife touching the ground, and let out a long breath.

Qin Shuang reached out and helped him up.

"Can you walk?"

Zhou Yang moved closer and stopped trying to be tough.

"able."

"The imperial treasury hasn't been completely emptied yet."

Qin Shuang hummed in agreement.

"Where are the ledgers?"

Zhou Yang took out the Book of Fate from his pocket and weighed it in his hand.

The booklet was very quiet, like a well-fed landlord.

He turned to the last page, saw the five characters after his name, and couldn't help but laugh again.

"It's done."

"From now on, even the King of Hell will have to give me a heads-up before collecting debts."

Seeing his smug look, Qin Shuang finally couldn't help but raise her hand and gently pat his forehead.

"Let's go back first."

"Wash it clean, then blow-dry it."

Zhou Yang smiled, tucked the Book of Fate back into his arms, and then took her hand.

This time she didn't dodge.

The two stepped on the last patch of gray from the black tower and slowly walked out.

Emerging from the ruins, it was already broad daylight. Outside the palace walls, some were weeping, others were shouting. The Imperial Guards had lost their weapons, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards began sealing the gates. In the distance, some bold civilians peeked out from the streets and alleys, watching as the imperial city that had oppressed them for so many years finally opened its gates.

Zhou Yang squinted at the sun and suddenly asked her.

"When we get married, how much will you give as a wedding gift?"

Qin Shuang paused for a moment, her ears burning, but she didn't loosen her grip.

"The imperial treasury will copy it first."

"Five-five again."

Zhou Yang nodded.

"become."

"The children's expenses are also split 50/50."

This time, Qin Shuang really kicked him.

Zhou Yang was hit and laughed so hard he coughed.

The two of them walked away together.

The wind swept through the palace gates, swirling up several pages of scrap paper as they fell down the steps. The top page was just turned open, revealing half a line of ink writing.

The one who takes charge of the order.

The ink was still fresh; it shone briefly in the sun before drying quickly.

Chapter 759 The Final Strike, No Corpse God Under Heaven

The Black Tower has already collapsed more than halfway.

The tower collapsed, shaking the entire city. The nearly extinguished braziers in the city flickered on and off. The chasm of the Heavenly Gate hung overhead, like a gaping mouth. The remnant spirit of the celestial messenger coiled below the chasm, using the remaining light from the sacrificial altar to expand itself into a mountain-sized phantom of a corpse god.

It has no face.

The area around the face was filled with rolling figures.

There was an emperor, a cult leader, a deceased incense master, and the sacrifices it devoured. A gust of wind swept across the City of Ten Thousand Beasts, instantly pulling out the remaining life force from the streets and alleys, turning it into thin threads that burrowed into its mouth.

Someone collapsed to the ground below the city walls, and just as he got up, he fell back down.

Zhou Yang looked up and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

"Damn, they know how to pick their timing."

The Corpse King's core in his chest pounded painfully, as if someone were hammering it from within. The Book of Fate, pressed against his chest, burned his skin. He flipped through each page rapidly. The names on it flickered in and out of focus, finally settling on the very first page.

The immortal messenger's lingering intent.

Lifespan is falsely endless.

Upon seeing these three words, Zhou Yang chuckled.

"Fake?"

"That makes things easier."

Qin Shuang didn't reply. She stood to his left, the Xuan Yin Sword held horizontally, her wrist covered in gaping wounds. A chill crept up the sword, and a layer of frost formed on the broken bricks beneath her feet. She stared at the phantom of the corpse god, her breathing steady, but her voice low.

"It's using the people in the city to prolong its life."

"How long can the Book of Fate be locked?"

Zhou Yang took out the Book of Fate and pressed his thumb on the spine.

"Keep me locked up until I die first."

Qin Shuang turned her head and glanced at him.

"Stop saying unlucky things."

Zhou Yang grinned.

"Alright. Then lock it up until it dies first."

As soon as he finished speaking, he slapped his palm onto the Book of Fate.

This strike was not heavy.

The entire book of destiny seemed to come alive.

The pages unfurled with a rustling sound, and black characters floated up from the paper, shooting straight into the sky. The characters didn't dissipate; instead, they wrapped themselves around the limbs, neck, and chest of the Corpse God's phantom, blocking all the life force it had just absorbed. The phantom struggled violently, causing half of the Beast City to tremble, and broken walls along the streets collapsed in unison.

Zhou Yang felt a sweet taste in his throat, and blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.

The lifespan number in the Book of Fate is also jumping wildly.

a hundred years.

Three hundred years.

Five hundred years.

It was like someone was scraping his life with a knife.

The phantom of the corpse god finally lowered its head and looked at him directly for the first time. From the black mist in the sky came a strange laugh, like countless people opening their mouths at the same time.

"The little bug that holds the Book of Fate in its place."

"What are you using to lock me up?"

Zhou Yang wiped away the blood, raised his knife, and stepped forward.

"Use the rules left by your ancestors."

"Take my life again."

The Corpse God raised his hand and grabbed.

The hand fell from the sky, carrying the smell of decaying mud. Its palm was filled with human faces huddled together, ready to bite. Qin Shuang spun around, stepping forward to meet it. Her Xuan Yin Sword slashed horizontally; the chill didn't spread, but rather formed a single line. That line cut into the black energy, freezing the giant hand instantly, sealing it from wrist to shoulder.

The Corpse God paused for a moment.

In that short time, Zhou Yang saw the sacrificial plate.

Half of it had collapsed and was still stuck under the black tower. Eight of the nine blood grooves on the sacrificial plate were lit, and the last one was sending light into the phantom of the Corpse God. It wasn't really alive; it was hanging on the sacrificial plate like a rotten intestine that hadn't been completely severed.

"We've found the root."

Zhou Yang's body sank, and he was propelled forward.

Qin Shuang saw it too. She didn't stop him, but instead plunged her sword into the ground. The chill seeped forward along the crack, first freezing the area around the sacrificial plate, then sealing the lower half of the corpse god's phantom. The thing began to roar, its roars mixed with the cries of many people, making everyone's scalp tingle. It desperately tried to draw out the black energy from the Heavenly Gate, attempting to break free of the chains of fate binding it.

Zhou Yang didn't care.

He rushed to the sacrificial altar and grasped the complete dragon spine with both hands.

The blade trembled.

The dark golden light was no longer concealed; it shone outwards along the blade's grooves, illuminating half of his face with a cold light. The fragments within the blade finally coalesced into one, like a breath that had been held back for a long time, finally being released completely.

Zhou Yang said in a low voice.

"The first strike will cut off your retreat."

He swung his sword down.

The knife didn't cut the corpse god.

First, cut the sacrificial plate.

With that one strike, the thickest blood groove in the center of the sacrificial plate instantly split open. The crack crawled from the center of the plate all the way to the edge, like a dried-up riverbed. The phantom of the Corpse God shuddered, and the crack in the Heavenly Gate above its head also swayed. Half of its frozen arm was shattered, and black energy leaked out, filling the sky.

The life force that had been pulled away from the city finally stopped.

The Corpse God's voice suddenly became shrill.

"You dare!"

Zhou Yang drew his knife and charged again, his smile fierce.

"Now that the debts have been collected, what else wouldn't I dare to do?"

He didn't rush to make his second cut.

The Book of Fate is still burning his life.

Zhou Yang could feel a chill at his temples, as if fine sand was seeping out from between his bones. His vision blurred, and his ears were filled with noise. Just then, a hand pressed on his back, steadily pressing a chill into his meridians.

It's Qin Shuang.

She stood behind him, her breathing unsteady, but her hands steady.

"cut."

"I have frozen the divine will for you."

Zhou Yang didn't turn around, but only asked one question.

"Does 50/50 still count?"

Qin Shuang almost laughed out of anger at him.

"Calculate."

"If you dare to die, your share will be mine too."

Zhou Yang chuckled, and the blade suddenly flipped.

Qin Shuang drew her sword at the same time.

The Xuan Yin Sword shot skyward, striking the illusory figure of the Corpse God squarely between the brows. It wasn't flesh and blood, but a churning mass of old thoughts. As the sword pierced through, layers of chilling energy seeped in. The cries, the eerie laughter, the pleas—all were instantly silenced, as if shoved into an ice cave. The entire illusory figure of the Corpse God froze in mid-air, even the crack in the Heavenly Gate ceased spewing out black energy.

This was exactly what Zhou Yang had been waiting for.

"The second cut will sever your root."

The dragon's spine rose, then fell again.

This strike was even faster than the previous one.

Almost no sound.

The blade flashed across the Corpse God's chest, slicing straight down to the remnant of the Heavenly Gate behind him. The phantom froze for a moment, then split in two. The last thread of blood connecting it to the sacrificial plate severed instantly. The black mist tried to close, but the chains of the Book of Fate tightened, holding it firmly in place.

The Corpse God finally panicked.

The mass in the sky began to shrink back desperately, as if trying to escape back into the rift. Many chaotic sounds came out of its mouth: some were begging for mercy, some were cursing, and an old voice was calling Zhou Yang's name, saying that it could give him true immortality.

Zhou Yang kept walking.

"Your approach."

"I'm already tired of hearing this the moment I transmigrated here."

He walked directly beneath the phantom and looked up at the still struggling core.

The core is not large.

It was a fist-sized ball of grayish-white light, enveloped in layers of black mist, containing half a blurry human face. That was the true root of the immortal envoy's remnant will.

Zhou Yang tossed the Book of Fate into the air.

The Book of Fate stopped.

Turn to the last appendix of the paper. It is filled with names, lineages, branches, and secret networks. The very top line is the name of the Heavenly Principle Sect.

He glanced at it, then looked away.

"The third cut."

"Sending you on your way."

With this one strike, he poured all the remaining lifespan he could burn into it.

The dragon's spine emitted a long roar.

Like the creaking of a dragon's bones in the wind.

As the blade fell, Qin Shuang moved as well. She didn't strike a second time, but instead reached out and pressed down on the back of Zhou Yang's hand holding the blade, stabilizing him just in time. The two of them merged at that moment, the chill enveloping the blade, which carried the power of the Book of Fate, and slashed straight up into the core.

The grayish-white light cluster split open on the spot.

A piercing scream erupted from the crack.

The call stopped halfway through.

The illusory image of the Corpse God first scattered its head, then its limbs, and finally even the faces huddled together dissolved one by one. The black mist vanished like a torn cloth in the wind. The chasm above its head rapidly tightened, its edges still trembling, before finally closing completely.

The entire City of Beasts suddenly fell silent.

The shrieking was gone.

The eerie wind has disappeared.

Only the last few sections of the black tower collapsed. Bricks and stones fell one after another, crashing into the open space and raising clouds of dust. The sacrificial plaque shattered into more than a dozen pieces, extinguished completely.

Zhou Yang stood there, the tip of his knife supporting him on the ground, and coughed for a long time while bent over.

Qin Shuang supported him, her palms covered in blood.

"Are you still alive?"

Zhou Yang took a couple of breaths and looked up at her.

"good."

"The imperial treasury hasn't been completely looted yet; we can't bear to die."

Qin Shuang breathed a sigh of relief, and the taut line on her forehead slowly relaxed.

Just then, the Book of Fate fell back into Zhou Yang's hands.

The pages of the book turned without any wind.

All around Beast City, the life force that had been drained away began to return, strand by strand. The unconscious people on the city walls slowly awoke, and the wounded soldiers on the street, barely breathing, had their last breaths restored. Outside the city, the withered grass began to turn green again, and the wilted leaves on the treetops straightened up a bit.

Zhou Yang looked down at the Book of Fate and ran his finger across the appendix.

The three characters "Tianli Sect" along with the entire list of lineage names that followed faded away.

Like ink being washed away by water.

A few breaths later, the paper was clean and dry.

This vein ends here.

Zhou Yang closed the book of fate and tucked it back into his bosom.

In the distance, some people started crying, while others laughed. It was all the noise of living people; the noise was unsettling, yet reassuring.

The last section of the Black Tower collapsed with a crash.

Dust covered the two of them.

Zhou Yang raised his hand to dust off Qin Shuang's shoulder, then laughed first.

"The accounts are settled."

Qin Shuang hummed in agreement and brushed the dust off his hair.

"Is the world at peace?"

Zhou Yang thought about it.

"More or less."

"The rest are all small businesses."

He sheathed the dragon spine and glanced out of the city. It was already bright daylight, and people were slowly making their way out of the city gate, leaning against the wall. They were alive, after all.

Zhou Yang extended his hand.

"Let's go."

"Go back, get married, and then split the money."

Qin Shuang looked at him, her ears burning, but she still placed her hand on his.

"OK."

"The gift money is fifty-fifty."

Zhou Yang grabbed her tightly and pulled her forward.

"What about the children's accounts?"

Qin Shuang kicked him again.

The two walked slowly towards the city gate, their feet sinking into the broken bricks. Behind them lay only the clean ruins of the collapsed black tower. A gust of wind blew across the ruins, stirring up a little dust, which quickly dissipated.

Chapter 760 A New Account Book in the Human World, The Grand Finale

After the Black Pagoda collapsed into a pile of rubble, it rained for three days straight in Anyang.

The rain was light, a fine, dense drizzle, like the heavens washing away the filth and blood from the ground. The main street at the city gate, which had previously been littered with corpse ashes and tattered talismans, was now nothing but mud and water. Occasionally, a commoner would peek out and see the Imperial Guards and county soldiers pulling people out of the city in carts, but no one dared to ask any questions.

Zhou Yang leaned against a broken-down car, his shoulder still wrapped in cloth, holding half a cold, hard steamed bun in his hand. He took a couple of bites, found it unpalatable, and tossed it to the dog next to him.

"Has the investigation of the royal family's secret vault been completed?"

Qin Shuang stood under the eaves flipping through files without even looking up.

"All three locations have been checked."

"A cinnabar well in the west of the city. Two underground vaults in the palace."

"The living human medicinal ingredients have all been released. The alchemy manuals are also complete."

Zhou Yang grunted in response, tugged at the strip of cloth on his shoulder, and hissed in pain.

"What about the Heavenly Principle Sect?"

"Seventy percent of the sacrificial veins have been severed." Qin Shuang tossed him a scroll of confession. "The rest escaped to the Black Tower ruins last night to try and steal the remaining fragments, but we wiped them all out."

Zhou Yang flipped through two pages and chuckled.

"These people, even on their deathbeds, still dream of becoming immortals."

"That's not called becoming an immortal," Qin Shuang said, putting away the file. "It's called jumping into a pot."

Zhou Yang laughed out loud, then coughed, the old wound still throbbing in his chest. After that battle, he had forcibly changed the rules of the Book of Fate and completed the sealing of the Dragon Spine. He had saved his life, but the loss was considerable. He straightened up and touched the book in his arms.

This thing used to be like a death warrant.

It's much quieter now.

Like a real ledger.

On the fourth day, someone from the imperial court arrived.

They're not here to take people away, they're here to beg for a way to survive.

When the old emperor was dragged out of his palace, he was still wearing the dark gold Taoist robe he wore when refining elixirs. Ashes from the furnace clung to the hem, and two unswallowed blood pills remained hidden in his sleeves. Civil officials, military generals, members of the imperial family, and local military leaders all crowded before the hall. Some knelt, some cursed, and some submitted memorials. These memorials contained not advice, but evidence.

Blood Sacrifice Register.

A map of the royal treasury.

These are the children and migrants who have gone missing in recent years.

There are also old cases involving the Qin family.

Back then, the entire Qin family was convicted of treason. Now, with the underground vault overturned, the real crimes have been laid bare. It turns out the Qin family was executed because they stumbled upon the royal family's secret alchemy vault and obtained the first batch of sacrificial lineage names.

It was very quiet in front of the hall.

Qin Shuang stood at the bottom of the steps, holding the old confession scroll in her hand, turning the pages one by one for everyone to see. A gust of wind blew by, and the edges of the paper slapped against the back of her hand, making a crisp sound.

She didn't cry.

She simply closed the file and looked up at the old man in front of the dragon throne.

"This debt to the Qin family will be settled today."

The old emperor's lips trembled for a long time, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only spat out a mouthful of black blood.

His plan to return to life had long since failed. The Black Tower was destroyed, the sacrificial veins were severed, the remnants of the immortal envoy's will were shattered, and even the Heavenly Gate was sealed shut. The last reliance he had was nothing but an empty shell.

That evening, seven imperial edicts were issued in succession.

Wasted blood sacrifice.

The ruins of the sealed Black Tower.

Suppress the remnants of the Heavenly Principles Sect.

Open the royal elixir storehouse and burn all the heretical books.

The Qin family was exonerated, and their old residence and name were restored.

The last one is the shortest.

The former emperor abdicated and was imprisoned in the Western Garden.

After hearing this, Zhou Yang squatted on the top of the palace wall and ate a pear, the juice dripping down his wrist.

"These guys have finally learned it."

Qin Shuang stood under the wall watching him.

"Learn what?"

"Know that survival comes first, then rules."

She didn't respond to that question, but instead asked, "Are you really going to make the matter of the Book of Fate public?"

Zhou Yang tossed the pear core aside, clapped his hands, and jumped off the wall.

"Half of it needs to be made public."

"If we cover it all up, things will get chaotic sooner or later."

"If we let everything out, it will still cause chaos."

He took out the Book of Fate from his robes. The cover had been changed; it was no longer the sinister blackish-red of before, but now a deep blue background with a ring of dark gold patterns around the edges. It looked like the most common account book found in government offices.

"I changed three of the rules inside."

"Life can be exchanged. Longevity can be borrowed. Debts can be incurred."

There is only one premise.

He looked up and gazed out of the city.

"We cannot use the blood of innocent people to steal."

Qin Shuang looked at him and asked directly.

"Who can determine innocence?"

"You," Zhou Yang answered more bluntly, "you're outside checking accounts and gathering evidence. I'm behind you collecting debts and killing people. Anyone who dares to cross the line will be dealt with according to the new accounts first, then by the number of people."

Qin Shuang's lips twitched.

"You know how to divide tasks."

"Of course." Zhou Yang started joking again. "I used to gamble with my life, but now that I've finally turned things around, I have to make sure my business is stable."

Seven days later, a stone tablet was erected outside the ruins of the Black Tower.

The stele is not tall, and there are very few characters on it.

manor.

Those who cross the line will be executed.

The dragon's spine was also sealed deep within the ruins. Zhou Yang personally plunged his knife into the earth's vein eye, placed the Book of Fate under the formation, and buried beneath it the remnants of the Black Tower's core, fragments of the Corpse Emperor's heart core, and the last trace of the Immortal Envoy's will. From now on, anyone can see that place, but no one can touch it.

Some people disagreed.

Some people also want to try.

The first group of people who took the test had their heads hung on the city gate for three days. After that, no one dared to utter a single word of nonsense.

The new dynasty did not establish a new emperor.

Or rather, it doesn't really matter whether it's established or not.

Military power was divided, tax accounts were recalculated, local governments were self-governing, and the imperial court remained merely a shell. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was also stripped of its old name and renamed the Inspectorate. The name was unpleasant, and the work was even more difficult. They were specifically tasked with investigating contracts of fate, blood debts, heretical cultivators, and remnants of sacrificial lineages. Qin Shuang was in charge of external affairs, and her subordinates expanded from Anyang Prefecture all the way to the Nine Provinces. Wherever she went, people would rush to surrender themselves to the authorities overnight with their account books.

Zhou Yang disliked sitting in government offices.

Sometimes he would bask in the sun on the city wall, sometimes he would count boxes in the old palace storeroom, and sometimes he would take a flask of wine and stroll around the border. If anyone dared to use a living person to refine their life, or anyone dared to steal a life contract, he would go there once, and the matter would be settled.

His reputation also became a mess.

Some people call him Lord Zhou.

Some people call him an evil god.

Some people even secretly called him a "life-stealer."

Zhou Yang heard it, but he never got angry.

"You can call it whatever you want."

"Remember to pay the bill."

On the day autumn arrived, the Qin family's old residence was repaired.

The plaque on the door had been replaced, and the wood still smelled of paint. The old locust tree in the courtyard wasn't dead; its branches stretched out, pressing against half the wall. Zhou Yang stood at the door for a while, suddenly feeling a mix of amusement and bewilderment.

Qin Shuang came out from inside, holding a new set of keys in her hand.

"What are you stunned for?"

Zhou Yang took the key and weighed it in his hand.

"I'm settling accounts."

"What bill?"

"From Fang Tian, ​​to Commander Chen, to the Heavenly Principles Sect, to the Emperor, to the Immortal Envoy, to the Black Tower." He raised his finger and pointed to his chest, "and then to my life."

"After all the calculations, it turns out I didn't lose money."

Qin Shuang glanced at him.

Don't get too cocky.

"Although your destiny is secure, you still owe a debt."

"I know," Zhou Yang grinned. "I just found someone who knows how to manage accounts."

A banquet was set up in the courtyard, but not too many people were invited.

There aren't many who have survived to this day.

Among them were former subordinates of Qin Shuang, several familiar faces from Anyang City, and a few minor figures whom Zhou Yang had casually saved years ago. Some brought cured meat, some carried wine jars, and most outrageously, someone brought an iron abacus, saying it was a gift for Lord Zhou to ward off evil spirits.

Zhou Yang picked it up and fiddled with it a couple of times, but finding it awkward, he turned and handed it to Qin Shuang.

"for you."

"From now on, you'll be in charge of things at home."

Qin Shuang accepted the offer without refusing.

After the banquet ended at night, the courtyard became quiet.

A few leaves fell from the locust tree and drifted to the stone table. Half a pot of wine and two empty bowls remained on the table. Zhou Yang sat on the steps, looked up at the sky, and thought it was so clean, without a single crack.

The Book of Fate was warm in his arms.

It's not too urgent, and it's not too hot to handle.

It looks like it's asleep.

He suddenly spoke.

"Qin Shuang".

"Um?"

"I used to think that living is something that should be measured in days. If you don't die today, you'll make a profit tomorrow. Every extra day you live is an extra asset."

He lowered his head and chuckled as he said this.

"Now it's like we've really snatched away Yama's tattered ledger."

"From now on, I won't have to gamble with my life every day."

Qin Shuang stood beside him, listened quietly, then reached out to brush aside the stray hairs on his forehead and glanced at his still-healing wound.

"Then let's stop making trouble."

"I'll try my best." Zhou Yang answered quickly, but even he didn't believe it after he finished, so he added, "I'll try my best on important matters."

Qin Shuang was too lazy to expose him, so she simply put the bunch of keys back into his hand.

"Keep it safe."

Zhou Yang looked down at the keys and suddenly asked her.

"How will the accounts be settled later?"

A night breeze blew in through the courtyard gate, carrying a faint scent of locust leaves. In the distance, the sound of sugar figurine vendors packing up their stalls could be heard; they struck their clappers twice, and then the sounds faded into the distance.

Qin Shuang looked at him, her voice not loud.

"As long as you're alive, that's enough."

She paused, then added.

Don't owe me anything.

Zhou Yang smiled, stood up, put the keys in his pocket, and casually took her hand.

"OK."

"Then I'll pay it back slowly."

The two walked out side by side.

The streetlights outside were still on, and the newly hung sign swayed gently in the wind. A night patrolman passed by the street corner, saw them from afar, paused for a moment, then lowered his head to make way.

Zhou Yang didn't put on any airs; he simply held Qin Shuang's hand and walked forward on the bluestone slabs.

The door to the old house behind us wasn't closed properly, leaving a crack.

The lights in the courtyard were still on.