117

The moment Ye Yin’s hand touched Bai Qing’s, he seemed to instantly know who she was, silently allowing her to lead him out of the sealed chamber without alerting anyone along the way.

Ye Yin brought him to a house on Yan Gu Mountain. Xi Yu was nowhere to be found, and the entire mountain was eerily silent, suffocatingly so.

“I want to break the seal on you. Is that alright?”

Ye Yin wrote the words on Bai Qing’s palm. After finishing, he grasped her hand and nodded.

The unsealing process was excruciatingly brutal. Yet Bai Qing appeared to have been tortured to the point of numbness, never once furrowing his brow from start to finish. When the procedure concluded at dusk, the fading light was so dim it was almost negligible. However, he could not look directly at it, taking a long while to adjust.

“I’m sorry,” Ye Yin said softly. “I knew you didn’t want to see me, but I still forced you to come here.”

The last glow was swallowed by darkness. Bai Qing slowly lowered his shielding hand and gave Ye Yin a gentle smile. “How could I not want to see you?”

“Is that so…” Ye Yin didn’t know whether to feel joy or sorrow upon hearing those words, responding mechanically.

He still couldn’t leave his wheelchair on his own. Ye Yin helped him half-recline on the bed and covered him with a blanket. Bai Qing’s hand was cold, his wrist revealing faint veins, resembling delicate white jade, fragile to the extreme.

After hesitating for some time, Ye Yin finally asked, “Why did you hide the fact that you are a Seer from me?”

Bai Qing was silent for a moment before speaking. “Since ancient times, only four people in recorded history have definitively possessed precognitive abilities. Aside from me, the other three were all seized, imprisoned, or controlled by major powers throughout their lives, never meeting a good end—and innocent people around them suffered as well. At first, I believed I wouldn’t repeat their fate, which is why I stayed among everyone. But shortly after the apocalypse broke out, my protector—an elder—was framed and lost power. That caused a major upheaval within the Association.”

Ye Yin didn’t notice a subtle contradiction in his words but felt somewhat sad. “I wish you had told me earlier. Maybe things could have turned out differently, and you wouldn’t have suffered so much.”

“There’s no ‘if’ in this world; everything is destined,” Bai Qing smiled faintly. “There’s only the difference between knowing earlier or later.”

“So… what have you already seen?”

“Some trivial things,” Bai Qing said. He intended to reach out and touch Ye Yin’s cheek but changed course mid-motion to stroke her head instead. “But I know you will be very happy. That’s enough.”

“If you say so, then it must be true,” Ye Yin smiled. “What about you?”

Bai Qing’s smile was calm and serene. “Seers can only predict others’ futures; they cannot see their own.”

Ye Yin was taken aback and replied wryly, “That must be a terrible feeling…”

“Actually, it’s not entirely impossible to deduce,” Bai Qing said quietly. “Since I was very young, I discovered that if a portion of a person’s future appears blurry and distorted, it means they will form a deep bond with me during that period. The unclear vision is due to the rule that I cannot foresee my own future.”

“That sounds amazing,” Ye Yin’s eyes widened. “So you only need to glance at someone’s future to know whether they are a passing acquaintance or a lifelong companion?”

“In theory, yes. But the use of precognition has many limitations; most of the time, it depends on fate,” Bai Qing’s smile held a hint of bitterness. “Sometimes seeing isn’t better than not seeing.”

That made sense. No wonder such an extraordinary power would have restrictions. If one could see whatever they wished, wouldn’t that make them an omniscient god? How could a god fall into such despair?

Suddenly remembering the matter at hand, Ye Yin hurriedly explained what she wanted to entrust to Bai Qing. Afterward, she added, “If it’s too difficult, please don’t force yourself. I can find another way.”

“No problem. I can handle this level of precognition,” Bai Qing said. “But you’d better not tell anyone I’m here. It will only bring unnecessary trouble.”

“Mm, I understand. Even forgetting others, just Qiao Xinran alone could cause a fuss…” Ye Yin suddenly stopped herself, her mood complex as she asked, “Are you going to marry her? I’m sorry.”

“That’s just a misunderstanding,” Bai Qing said. “I’m more worried about others than her.”

Bai Qing’s way of using his ability was unique. After Ye Yin posed a question, he closed his eyes and fell into deep thought, his body gradually enveloped by swirling white light like a divine child. When the light faded, he opened his eyes, took up a pen, and wrote a series of names on paper.

His handwriting was beautiful to the point Ye Yin almost lost sight of the significance. When she finally focused and read the list, she gasped sharply.

Goodness, nearly half of the seventeen committee members in the capital base were his people! It was fortunate she hadn’t acted recklessly; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Ye Yin said sincerely. “I owe you this time, or else I’d be in trouble again.”

“As long as I can help, don’t worry about it.”

“You don’t look well. Are you feeling unwell?”

“I haven’t used my ability for a long time. It’s a bit hard to adapt at first,” Bai Qing smiled. “I just need some rest.”

“I’m sorry. You just recovered, and I was so impatient…”

“You’ve said ‘sorry’ a lot today,” Bai Qing smiled. “It almost makes me feel strange.”

“Alright, I’ll stop. Rest well. If anything comes up, just ask Niuniu and the others,” Ye Yin said thoughtfully. “By the way, while I’m away, a Taoist who looks a bit like a girl might come by. He’s a good man, on our side, so don’t worry about him.”

“Okay.”

Ye Yin did not disappoint Ye Yu. Just days before the two bases clashed, a shocking assassination rocked the capital base: overnight, eight committee members, including the notorious Jin Pangzi, suddenly died mysteriously. Their secretaries and close subordinates also perished, bringing the total death toll to 127.

Even if the victims were civilians, this would be headline news at the base. But since they were all powerful figures, the entire base was thrown into chaos. The government was alarmed and deployed all its elite forces to investigate the case, even using the mutant police dog king, but no leads on the culprit emerged.

The massacre was so bizarre and brutal that every committee member felt threatened. Many timid ones resigned voluntarily, leaving only a few members, forcing the abolition of the membership system. At this critical moment, the former prime minister stepped in to stabilize the situation, took over the capital base, continued the original moderate policies, and reprimanded the restless Fifth Base.

The imminent war quietly fizzled out. With the capital base’s backing gone, the Mu family father and son, who had loudly demanded Ye Yu pay for past deeds, suddenly became obedient and acted as if nothing had happened, preaching that enemies should be reconciled rather than deepened, letting bygones be bygones. Fortunately, their mental resilience was strong enough to remain at the Fifth Base unaffected—had it been others, they might have already taken their own lives. Oh heavens, how many times can you humiliate us?

After this upheaval, the Fifth Base’s leadership was devastated, but the Third Base’s Yu Shuihuan was overjoyed. The commander threw a banquet to celebrate, renting out the entire venue just to honor Lady Ye Yin. Everyone had toasting to do but no other tasks—just staying inside and counting money.

Ye Yu squinted, looking for a while at the scars on Ye Yin’s back. “Not bad. You solved eight rotten apples with only these few injuries. Pretty impressive.”

“This is just a little?” Ye Yin dressed herself. “I doubt you could withstand so many injuries your entire life.”

Ye Yu sneered and stood, undoing her uniform in front of Ye Yin.

Underneath was a tight tank top, and the exposed skin alone was frightfully scarred, hard to bear looking at. It was difficult to imagine the condition of her other parts.

“If I went into the pot like this, I’d be well-seasoned,” Ye Yu sat down, lighting a cigarette. “New wounds plus old scars, tattoos can’t cover them. It scares many when I undress in bed. But I don’t find them ugly at all—they’re my medals.”

“But aren’t you the boss? Why do you have to fight yourself?”

“Very few people are born bosses,” Ye Yu said. “I told you before, I came from the grassroots. Everything I have today is earned by my own struggle.”

Ye Yin asked, “Do you mind telling me your story of struggle?”

“The secret of my rise in the black market is already worth over fifty million base credits as a bounty, yet no one has got it,” Ye Yu blew smoke rings. “Want to hear the first-hand exclusive for free?”

“I helped you kill so many people. Can’t I just chat with you?”

“Those few aren’t worth fifty million base credits,” Ye Yu said. “Everything else I can tell you.”

“Enough,” Ye Yin shook her head. “If you won’t talk, then forget it.”

“Hahaha.”

When Nangong Le, vice president of the Association of Ability Users, learned of this, she was so shocked she nearly tore her fan.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Le? Do you know those people?” the president asked.

“No,” Nangong Le regained her usual composure. “I’m just curious who would do something so ruthless.”

“I’m curious too. Must be a top expert. I’d love to meet them…”

The more Nangong Le thought about it, the more restless she became. She lost interest in the president’s rambling and found an excuse to return home.

Her residence was a vast, ancient-style mansion, guarded with utmost strictness. Not even the president could enter or leave at will. Just as Nangong Le stepped into the main hall, several people followed her inside.

“Lady, have you received the news as well?”

“How should we explain this to the master?”

“This is bad. Our recent plans have failed repeatedly. Could it be…”

“Silence!” Nangong Le slammed the table abruptly. “I’m already frustrated enough. Can you all be quiet for a moment?”

They immediately became meek.

“Prepare yourselves,” Nangong Le said softly. “We are heading to the Fifth Base.”

The author’s note: Recently, I’ve been really drained. QAQ