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

Zhou Yang was awakened by a sudden feeling of palpitation.

I didn't wake up naturally, nor was I woken up by noise. The feeling was like a cold blade slicing across my scalp, the chill seeping into my bones through my pores.

He suddenly opened his eyes and instinctively reached for the pillow.

empty.

The sword wasn't by my pillow. I had exhausted myself making the puppet last night, and when I got back I fell asleep immediately. I didn't even have the strength to remove my armor, let alone put the sword in a convenient place.

"woke up?"

The sound came from the shadows by the window.

Zhou Yang's muscles tensed instantly, and the drowsy, hazy feeling vanished as if doused with cold water. He didn't get up immediately, but remained in his lying position, only his eyes darting around, locking onto the source of the sound.

The windows were closed, and the curtains were drawn tightly, letting in no light. The room was dim, with only a lingering smell of blood mixed with the woman's unique, cool fragrance, swirling in the cramped space.

"Commander Qin." Zhou Yang's voice was a little hoarse, with a rough quality from just waking up. "If word gets out that you've barged into your subordinate's bedroom so early in the morning, I'm afraid no one will want me anymore."

Qin Shuang didn't respond to his nonsense.

She sat in the armchair, one leg missing and propped up with bricks, completely enveloped in darkness. Her usual perfectly pressed flying fish robe looked somewhat dull now. She wasn't holding a knife, but rather gripping a palm-sized black cloth bag tightly, her knuckles white from the force.

"What time is it now?" Seeing that she didn't speak, Zhou Yang slowly sat up and scratched his messy hair.

"At three quarters past Chen hour," Qin Shuang's voice was somewhat hoarse.

Zhou Yang pursed his lips. He'd only slept for a little over an hour. Dealing with those corpses at the bottom of the well last night was not only mentally taxing but also draining his lifespan. The system was a good thing, but the exhaustion that seeped into his very bones was real.

"If Lord Qianhu is here to urge us to complete the mission, then you may be disappointed." Zhou Yang threw back the covers, his feet groping for his shoes on the floor. "I've already dealt with those few lackeys of the Heavenly Principle Cult. As for the big fish... that will take time to catch."

"I want to leave Anyang County."

Zhou Yang paused in putting on his shoes.

He looked up and, using the sliver of light filtering through the crack in the door, saw Qin Shuang's face clearly. Her complexion was paler than usual, her lips were bloodless, and her usually icy eyes were now churning with emotions Zhou Yang had never seen before.

It was neither fear nor anger.

It was a resolute decision. Just like when she decided to hand over the knife on her back to Zhou Yang in the pavilion.

"Where to?" Zhou Yang asked.

"I don't know." Qin Shuang shook her head. "Maybe in the capital, maybe... there are no maybes."

"Is this what you wanted to tell me?" Zhou Yang stood up, stretched his stiff neck, making a cracking sound. "If it's a farewell, I think it's better to save your breath. In this world, there's not much difference between a living person saying goodbye and a dead person burning paper money; they forget about it the moment they turn their backs."

"I'm here to make one last deal."

Qin Shuang stood up. She held the black cloth bag in her hand to her chest.

"A deal?" Zhou Yang's eyes narrowed slightly.

When Qin Shuang utters these two words, it usually means two things: either an extremely troublesome problem or an extremely generous reward. Considering the current state of affairs in Anyang County, which is about to explode, Zhou Yang leans towards the former.

"I need you to keep something safe."

Qin Shuang stepped forward, and the cold fragrance intensified. She placed the black cloth bundle on the table with utmost care, as if it contained a human head that might explode at any moment.

"I don't take on safekeeping services," Zhou Yang immediately refused. "You know my rules: I only sell my life, not my conscience. Safekeeping other people's things is the easiest way to get into trouble."

"This one is different."

Qin Shuang ignored his refusal and reached out to untie the rope on the black cloth bundle.

The rope slipped, and the black cloth unfurled.

Zhou Yang held his breath.

What lay on the table was neither gold and silver jewelry nor a peerless secret manual.

That was a bone.

To be precise, it was a piece of metallized bone fragment. It was only about the length of an adult's palm, irregularly shaped, and covered with a dull bluish-gray surface. If you looked closely, you would find that it was covered with extremely fine lines, which looked like both naturally grown textures and some kind of precise casting process.

The strangest thing was that as soon as Zhou Yang saw it, his blood and qi began to surge. It felt like a hungry dog ​​on the street seeing a piece of juicy, fatty meat and instinctively wanting to pounce on it, tear it apart, and devour it.

"This is..." Zhou Yang's throat was a little dry.

"A fragment of the dragon's spine." Qin Shuang's voice was very low, as if she were speaking some taboo word, "To be precise, it's a section of it."

Zhou Yang stared at the fragment. Dragons, in this world, only existed in legends. They were symbols of imperial power, incarnations of gods.

"Don't give me that nonsense." Zhou Yang withdrew his gaze, struggling to suppress the inexplicable greed within him. "What's the use of this thing? How many years of life can it buy? No, I mean, how much is it worth?"

"It can make mortals become gods, and it can also make gods fall."

Qin Shuang stretched out her finger and gently stroked the cold surface of the fragment. "Twenty years ago, my entire Qin family was wiped out, accused of colluding with the Demonic Sect. But the real reason was this fragment."

Zhou Yang's expression shifted slightly.

The Qin family massacre was a taboo within the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Everyone knew that Qin Shuang was a convicted criminal and an orphan who had narrowly escaped death, but no one knew what she was truly burdened by.

"The royal family wants it, and the Heavenly Principle Sect wants it too." Qin Shuang raised her head and looked directly at Zhou Yang. "For the past twenty years, I have been hiding with it everywhere, fleeing from the northern frontier to the south of the Yangtze River, and then from the south of the Yangtze River to this Anyang County. I have tried to destroy it, burning it, smashing it with a hammer, and even shaking it with my internal force, but it will not even leave a scratch."

"It's alive."

Qin Shuang's voice trembled slightly, "If I put it by my pillow at night, you can hear it breathing. It's eating away at my vital energy and spirit. The more I try to hide it, the more greedy it becomes."

Zhou Yang looked at her. No wonder she always looked worse each year when he saw her these past few years. It wasn't because of overwork, but because she had a vampire on her body.

"If it's so strange, why are you keeping it?" Zhou Yang asked. "Can't you just throw it away?"

"I can't throw it away." Qin Shuang gave a bitter smile. "Unless I die, or someone takes it away. Besides... it's the only hope to restrain the 'Immortal Envoy'."

Zhou Yang's heart skipped a beat.

The words "Immortal Envoy" were like two nails, driven deep into his mind.

That aloof being, who views mortals as ants and reaps lives at will. That terrifying being that is about to descend upon the festival.

"This thing can kill a Celestial Envoy?" Zhou Yang pointed at the fragments on the table, his face full of disbelief. "Just this piece of junk?"

"This is the 'Dragon Spine,' the ultimate power in the mortal realm." Qin Shuang's eyes turned fanatical. "Legend has it that when a true dragon fell, its spine transformed into a divine weapon to suppress destiny. It possesses the power to sever cause and effect and block the ears of heaven. The reason why the immortal envoys can control our lives and deaths at will is because they have planted 'causal threads' on us. As long as we have the Dragon Spine, we can sever these threads."

She paused, her voice turning serious: "On the night of the festival, the celestial envoy will descend upon Anyang County. At that time, the entire county will be sealed off, and all power will be suppressed. The only variable is you."

"Me?" Zhou Yang pointed to his nose. "I'm just a lowly officer. Although I have some skills, in front of the Celestial Envoy, I'm probably not even worth an ant."

No, you are different.

Qin Shuang suddenly grabbed Zhou Yang's wrist. Her hand was very cold, like a block of ice.

"There's something wrong with your destiny." Qin Shuang stared into his eyes. "I can't see your past, nor can I see your future. Your place in the Book of Heavenly Secrets is a blank. That's why the people of the Heavenly Principle Sect have never been able to figure you out."

Zhou Yang's heart skipped a beat. This system was indeed powerful; even someone with Qin Shuang's powerful background couldn't see through it.

"I'm giving you this fragment."

Qin Shuang pushed the fragment towards Zhou Yang.

"Why me?" Zhou Yang didn't reach for it, asking warily, "Wouldn't it be better if you kept it as a family heirloom?"

"Because I am a member of the Qin family." Qin Shuang's eyes were filled with desolation. "I bear the bloodline of the Qin family. As soon as I approach the altar, the fragments will stir, and the celestial envoy will immediately discover me. But I am just a mortal; I cannot control it."

She looked at Zhou Yang and said, "You're a greedy person. You're greedy for money, afraid of death, and willing to do anything for profit. But I know you want to live. More than anyone else."

Zhou Yang smiled, a smile tinged with helplessness. Was that a compliment?

"During the festival, the moment the celestial messenger descends, this will be your only life-saving talisman, and also your only weapon." Qin Shuang covered you with the black cloth again. "I'm betting it on you. If you win, the Qin family's great revenge will be avenged, and this will be yours; if you lose, you're going to die anyway."

Zhou Yang stared at the black cloth bag for a long time.

This is indeed a deal.

It's also a case of being unfairly blamed.

Once he accepted the order, he became a wanted criminal of the royal family and a mortal enemy of the Heavenly Principle Sect. Even the rats that used to hide in the gutter would now set their sights on him.

But he had no choice.

If he didn't accept, he might truly be crushed to death by the celestial messenger on the day of the festival. In this world, without power, one has no right to live. And this fragment represents a possibility of power that transcends the mortal realm.

More importantly, when his gaze fell on the fragments, the system that had been dormant suddenly popped up a red notification box in his mind.

[High-level energy source detected: Dragon Spine Fragment.]

[Can be absorbed and deduced.]

[Estimated lifespan: Incalculable.]

[Should we merge?]

inestimable.

These four words made Zhou Yang's eyelids twitch. The system was always cautious; this was the first time it had used such words.

But it also means that this thing is actually available.

"Add more money." Zhou Yang looked up at Qin Shuang, his expression returning to its usual shrewd and calculating manner.

Qin Shuang was taken aback.

"This deal is too bad." Zhou Yang held up one finger. "Besides this bone, you have to promise me one more thing."

"What is it?"

"After this is done, I want a backup of the Anyang County defense map you have." Zhou Yang stared into her eyes. "Also, if I come out alive, you have to clean up all the mess I made. I want to live a clean and wealthy life."

Qin Shuang looked at him as if she wanted to see right through him.

After a long silence, she nodded.

"make a deal."

Without a word, she turned and left. Her back view was resolute, without the slightest hesitation.

"Oh, right." She stopped abruptly at the door, without turning around. "On the day of the festival, don't trust anyone. Not even...me."

The door was pushed open. Sunlight streamed in, making Zhou Yang squint.

The door closed again.

The room returned to its dim light.

Zhou Yang stood still, looking down at the black cloth bag on the table.

He reached out and lifted the black cloth. The moment his fingertips touched the cold fragment, a burning sensation instantly spread throughout his body.

The system panel started flashing again.

[Obtained key item: Dragon Spine Fragment (Tier 1).]

[Main Quest Triggered: Desperate Counterattack.]

[Mission Objective: Survive the festival and use the Dragonspine Fragment to severely damage the Descendants.]

Zhou Yang's fingers gently caressed the rough texture of the fragment.

"Severely damaged..." he murmured, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips. "This system really thinks highly of me."

He picked up the fragment; it felt heavy in his hand, carrying an ancient and oppressive texture. This was no life-saving charm; it was clearly a time bomb that could explode at any moment.

But he likes it.

In this cannibalistic world, only those who wield a sharper knife than others have the right to negotiate prices.

Zhou Yang took out a clean piece of cloth from his pocket, skillfully wrapped the tattered piece again, and hid it close to his body in the innermost layer of his clothes.

The cold metal against his chest instantly cleared his somewhat drowsy mind.

The sounds of street vendors hawking their wares drifted in from outside the window, and the faint sound of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance. This seemingly peaceful Anyang County was like a pot of oil about to boil.

Zhou Yang walked to the bedside, pulled out the short knife from under the pillow, and tucked it into his waistband.

"Since we're going to go big," he whispered to the empty room, "then we'll have to raise the price a bit more."

He pushed open the door, and sunlight shone on his face.

Zhou Yang squinted, looking at the outline of the towering altar in the distance.

That will be his battlefield, and his gambling table.

He never fights a battle he's not prepared for.

"Chang Luo," Zhou Yang called out to the outside of the courtyard.

The shadow that should have been playing dead at the bottom of the well had silently appeared in the yard, like a ghost.

"Get everything ready." Zhou Yang straightened his collar and patted the hard shard on his chest. "Tonight, we're going to deliver a gift to that 'Immortal Envoy' in advance."

The shadow bent slightly and then disappeared into the shadows in the corner.

Zhou Yang turned and went back to his room, looking at the speck of dust remaining on the table—a trace left by the fragment of the dragon's spine. He dipped his finger in it and tasted it.

It's bitter.

It had a metallic smell, and a hint of...blood.

"Good stuff." He grinned, his eyes shining with an eerie light.