Chapter 55 - Role Playing the Dark Horse Character

Chapter 55: Considered Recklessness Isn't Recklessness In the 'Heart' Square, instead of fluttering loosely about, the white doves whirled in the sky, occasionally perching on nearby lampposts and treetops. Their territory had been invaded. Ice crafted a high platform, a trivial task for an S-rank ability user, who effortlessly used their powers to construct a stage. The ice sculpture was intricate and beautiful, the entire platform seemed to be borne on the back of an ice-sculpted phoenix, its tail wing curling upwards to obscure the rear. Yue Qing stood atop the platform, displaying the false nobility and arrogance of his class. With a wave of his hand, a few ice chairs appeared before the platform. Soon, someone settled into the central seat. He was a man with purple-red hair, wearing an expensive high-collared white cloak, beneath which a hand placed gently on his shoulder, a red gemstone pinned at his cuff. Sitting on the high platform, his purple eyes scanned the growing number of commoners below, as if counting lambs awaiting the slaughter. This was the scene Li Li and An Heyu witnessed upon arrival. An Heyu, having a noble status, also ascended the platform, taking a seat at a corner spot as if observing. Li Li stood behind him. Her gaze discreetly swept over the gathering commoners. She doubted these nobles had spared the commoners so they could enjoy a show. Li Li recalled what An Heyu had mentioned before their arrival, back when they were at the An residence, about the follow-up handling of a certain individual. That person, named Qu Ran, was a cousin of the man Yue Qing had invited, occasionally appearing together due to shared interests. Yet, they hunted separately, not interfering with one another. Hearing this, An Heyu sighed in relief—for now, Qu Ran's death could be concealed for a while. Li Li, observing the luxurious chandelier above, remarked, "Truly arrogant." "Coming from you, that sounds unconvincing," An Heyu responded. Indifferently retracting her gaze, Li Li replied, "It seems you misunderstand me greatly." The recollection ended there. Li Li closed her eyes, and shortly reopened them. She was waiting, and simultaneously preparing. Yue Qing didn’t specify their intentions to An Heyu. Leisurely, he strolled upon his ability's creation, accompanied closely by Yue Fu and Rao Yue. However, passing by, he stated, "This time, we’ll definitely make Hei Ge appear and catch his true body." "You’ve already lost," he directed at An Heyu. The Yue and An families had a verbal agreement: whoever captures Hei Ge first gets the position of Four-Way City branch head. But it seemed only Yue Qing took it seriously. An Heyu's aim wasn’t there. Hearing this, An Heyu haughtily nodded slightly, his golden eyes coldly turning forward, ignoring him: "Don't get spun around again, missing even a touch of his coat." This reminded Yue Qing of the last time he went all out for An Heyu's help yet failed to catch Hei Ge. He frowned briefly, then quickly resumed his confident demeanor, leaving with a mysterious smile. Throughout the encounter, Li Li maintained her gaze forward, as icy and distant as the sculptures themselves. She had not drawn Yue Qing's attention, or rather, Yue Qing did not care about low-level commoners. Hundred Face was fooling around with An Huyu, so this time they weren’t using him as bait. Li Li pondered. What kind of bait, guaranteed to lure Hei Ge out, could it be? The sun climbed to its zenith, turning directly overhead. The number of commoners gathered before the platform increased. As Li Li glanced over, she thought she saw a familiar brown head, alongside a black one, and a red one. Yi Ming and his group were joining the buzz. Just as Li Li noticed the main group approaching, the man with the purple-red hair at the forefront of the platform stood. His name was Qu Yan, second-in-command among the Qu nobility, the highest-ranking ability user under the family head. Qu Yan brushed his cuff’s gemstone, casually smoothing his sleeve, then cleared his throat. "I'm waiting for someone," he declared. Qu Yan emerged from behind the ice bench, circling to the platform’s forefront. “Hei Ge, I’ve heard you have a fine face, and I happen to be missing a collection piece to round out a number,” he remarked, “But I don’t have much time, so I’m giving you three minutes.” “One minute, one life.” He glanced back as Yue Qing timely waved a hand. The ice sculpture's tail wings unfolded, revealing six people trapped half-leg deep in ice, hanging upside down. The noise below swelled instantly. Clearly, those people were commoners, and among them was a familiar face. Li Li glanced at the crowd, and sure enough, Yi Ming appeared shocked and anxious. Sunfish Yu Xiao, previously captured upside down, now made his entrance the same way, hanging wretchedly alongside the other five. Unlike the others' fear, he even showed a dazed expression, and upon seeing Yi Ming below, he merrily nodded, as if greeting. Amused, completely unpretending. Li Li noted their shared trait—all eyes were red. Did Yue Qing have red-eye PTSD? She couldn't help but wonder. Still, she did not plan to intervene now, not believing this to be their so-called leverage. She suspected they had a backup plan. However, she owed Yu Xiao a favor; if his life truly was in danger, she would still stand out. For now, she would wait. She thought. Hang in there, Sunfish! Qu Yan, counting down as he approached, when reaching ten he directly moved toward Yu Xiao. “Your eye color is lovely; I almost don’t want to kill you now.” Qu Yan’s finger neared Yu Xiao's round red eyes, causing him to involuntarily close them. His finger then brushed over his eyelid. A red line of blood rose behind him, the sharp tip reflecting sunlight, aimed at Yu Xiao's neck. Simultaneously, a figure appeared seven hundred meters away. Yet Yu Xiao seemed oblivious to the situation, woodenly saying, “Then don’t kill me now.” Li Li noticed Yi Ming below about to rush up, only held back by An Huyu and Tang each with a hand. She vigilantly watched the unfolding situation, her ability activating. A drop of blood trickled from Yu Xiao’s neck, the blood line piercing it. Yu Xiao remained staring blankly at Qu Yan, showing no adverse reaction. Like a blank sheet of paper, unaware of his malicious acts. Qu Yan chuckled, amused, and said, “What you say makes sense.” The blood line that pierced his skin withdrew, and he turned away. Li Li remained cautious. “After all, Hei Ge wouldn’t care about your lives.” Qu Yan strutted to the platform edge, “As remnants of the former Ability Guild, yet you don't plan to save them yourself, refusing to reveal yourself even now. It seems you aren’t such a noble person either.” “How about this then?” Qu Yan reached into his cloak, retrieving something. “The head of the Prophet—is this worth making you show yourself?” he mocked, looking at the chaotic commoners below the platform. It was a small nutrient tank, holding a skull. The head of a key figure in the former Ability Guild, the Prophet? Qu Yan smiled confidently: “Your spiritual leader, tossed down here, trampled by the crowd—can you still remain unmoved?” The commoners, ignorant of who the Prophet was, whispered and questioned. Rao Yue behind Yue Qing showed a fleeting moment of shock, quickly concealed, but veins protruded on her clenched hands. Li Li’s expression remained unchanged, yet her mind churned with internal tumult. He actually brought out his collection?! What terms did Yue Qing offer to persuade this man to bring the Prophet's head? If Hei Ge truly existed in this world, this would indeed be an irresistible lure. Not to mention, Li Li had added a character trait for Hei Ge, once raised by the Prophet. Trampled by the masses, such a fate—what a heart-wrenching insult to the Prophet, who spent a lifetime fighting for the commoners' benefit! She glanced at An Heyu, who slightly turned his head, his gaze clearly stating: Do not act impulsively! He appeared slightly tense, but Li Li knew inside he was likely a thousand times more anxious than his exterior showed, as he was aware of what the Prophet meant to ‘Hei Ge.’ Fostered, life-saving grace—this was almost the sole source of warmth for the character ‘Hei Ge,’ the only light in 'his' early life. This would indeed drive ‘Hei Ge’ mad. Li Li, with her icy visage, conveyed: I will not act impulsively. She thought he understood, as An Heyu calmly turned back. But she hadn’t finished what she wanted to say. Of course she wouldn’t act impulsively; all her actions were premeditated with a calm, deliberated mind. What she was about to do was certainly not an impulsive act, but the result of careful deliberation. She was always prepared to step forward, simply wanting to see the reason for their certainty. This wasn’t impulsive. The Qu family's ability involved blood; she analyzed that they might pinpoint her true form through sensing blood. But the previous Qu noble's level was too low, so she predicted that the current noble in front of her could potentially achieve more than that. She needed to test it. From the very beginning until now, she kept advancing, pushing forward. She feared death yet danced with it. Everything was for the sake of living a better life. ... "That's Yu Xiao!" Yi Ming noticed the upside-down figure on the platform, "Why has he been captured again?" He took a few steps forward, but it wasn't long before a hand grabbed his arm. "What are you planning to do?" An Huyu seemed even more anxious than him, "Are you going to rescue the person up there?" Having lived in the Floating City, he knew many noble secrets and deeply understood these people's terrifying nature. He said, "Do you know who that is? It's Qu Yan! “He’s a lowbrow lunatic! He once killed a third of the commoners within his territory just to create a blood path leading to the Floating City for his winged chariot! You stand no chance against him!” “But that’s my friend!” Yi Ming pointed at Yu Xiao, whom Qu Yan was closing in on. “No! If you go, I... I’ll cry over it!” An Huyu said, tears welling up in his eyes. Yi Ming retorted, "Are you made of water?" Simultaneously, Tang also held Yi Ming back. “I don’t agree either.” The black-haired girl was extraordinarily calm, her voice soft yet unwavering, “Things haven’t reached the worst point yet.” “You want me to wait for Hei Ge? Wait for him to come out and save someone?” Yi Ming shook his head, “How could he possibly show up? He’s not a good person either!” Despite his words, Yi Ming knew the gap between himself and those on the platform. Three high-rank individuals—completely out of his reach. He knew he had no chance of rescuing Yu Xiao under the watchful eyes of these three. Was he supposed to hope that the man who saw them as mere amusement would intervene? Was there really no other way? He clenched his teeth. Would he really do that? After all, it’s Hei Ge; how could he appear for the sake of a weak person's life? “Good afternoon.” A husky voice resonated like it was coming from all directions, echoing across the square and startling a flock of white doves into flight, wings flapping as they escaped. Yi Ming jerked his head up, as did nearly everyone present, both those on the platform and below, mimicking his action. From the shadow of trees at the square's edge, a man with a silver-edged mask on his left face, clad in a black trench coat, with black hair and red eyes, walked leisurely through the air. The smile at his lips was unchanged from before. “I hear someone here wants to offer me their head—who might that be?” He really came!