The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 759: Hidden

Gao Yang’s head was a mess. He grabbed a chair to sit down and lowered his head in bemusement.

“No, it’s not a coincidence...” Gao Yang slowly looked up, his expression growing certain. “Why does Yan Liang keep a mask on? Why is his Talent so strange with no matching one on the list? If Yan Liang is Sir Jiang, a pride monster...ha, then everything makes sense.”

“I thought about it a lot, Brother.” Gao Xinxin sat down on the bed and looked at Vermilion Bird in a wheelchair. Vermilion Bird had slowly opened her eyes again, her gaze unfocused.

Gao Xinxin lowered her voice. “I remembered you saying that Sir Jiang gave you, Officer Huang, and Qing Ling a piece of advice: do not open the Gates of Closure.”

“He did.” Gao Yang nodded. He already knew what Gao Xinxin was going to say.

“Qilin said that he must collect the twelve Rune Circuits and personally open the Gates, and you insist that it must be a third party doing it. That’s your unresolvable clash and turned you into enemies.”

“I’ve always found that strange. If it’s about opening the Gates, you and Dragon’s stance makes more sense. Why does it matter who’s the one to open it as long as someone does?”

“Is it possible...” In the dim room, Gao Xinxin’s eyes glinted faintly. “That Qilin never wants to open the Gates?”

“Qilin doesn’t want to open the Gates, and neither does Sir Jiang. Yan Liang is Sir Jiang. They have been working together since a long time ago.”

“They fooled everyone into collecting the Rune Circuits with the excuse of opening the Gates when they never want to open it. That must be because they want all twelve of the Rune Circuits for something else. Perhaps they’re destroying the Gates or something even worse. That’s why Qilin always emphasizes that the Rune Circuits must be handed to him so that he can open the Gates himself...”

Gao Xinxin noticed Gao Yang staring at her then.

“Am I wrong?”

“That’s not it.” Gao Yang smiled contently. “You’re on the right track. As expected of my little sister. You’re smart.”

“Stop complimenting yourself through me. I’ve always been smart!” Gao Xinxin preened.

Gao Yang’s smile dropped then. He looked at Vermilion Bird sadly. “According to your theory, Vermilion Bird must have been silenced because she learned the secret that Qilin never wanted to open the Gates.”

Gao Xinxin nodded vehemently. “Very possible! But there’s something I don’t understand...”

She paused. Even though she was merely thinking from Qilin’s perspective, she still found the thought too insidious to voice.

“You don’t understand why Qilin didn’t kill Vermilion Bird.” Gao Yang voiced her thoughts for her.

Gao Xinxin nodded.

“I thought about it too,” Gao Yang said ponderously. “One possibility is that Qilin was overly confident and believed it sufficient to just kill Vermilion Bird mentally.”

“Hm, I don’t think so.” Gao Xinxin stroked her chin. “No matter how confident Qilin is, he isn’t going to cut corners in something this important, is he?”

“Yes.” Gao Yang nodded. “Another possibility. Qilin didn’t want Vermilion Bird’s Equivalent Exchange to return to the Heavenly Way and end up acquired by someone else. The only people Qilin can trust fully are Azure Dragon and Yan Liang. He doesn’t want anyone else to acquire Equivalent Exchange.”

“That’s vicious.” Gao Xinxin felt her scalp go numb.

“The third possibility, Qilin didn’t want to go all the way due to the history they shared, so he left room for things to be reversed,” Gao Yang said. “Him being the only one who can reverse her state.”

Gao Xinxin’s eyes lit up. “That’s great! Does it mean that Sister Xia may still recover?”

“Likely so.”

I won’t give up on Vermilion Bird as long as I’m alive.

Gao Yang didn’t voice that thought.

“Gao Xinxin,” Gao Yang said proudly. “You’ve made a great contribution this time.”

“Ha.” Since the mood was lighter now, Gao Xinxin went for her expertise—throwing shades. “Who was the one who sent me to the borderland because he saw me as a burden?”

“I allowed prejudices to cover my eyes.” Gao Yang temporarily reverted to his past self and played along in the bicker. Holding onto his fist, he got on one knee. “It’s been three months now. I welcome Lord Xin’s return!”

“Hmph!” Gao Xinxin smirked, fully committed to the act. “This time, I’m taking everything that should be mine!”

After the impromptu act, they exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.

Then Gao Yang realized that Vermilion Bird had closed her eyes at some point. Her head drooped, and her breathing grew lighter and slower.

“She’s asleep?” Gao Yang asked.

Gao Xinxin leaned in to observe her. “Yeah, she’s asleep. It’s about time. She sleeps a lot every day, like a cat.”

Gao Xinxin glanced at Gao Yang. “Come on. Get her onto the bed.”

Gao Yang blinked.

Gao Xinxin glared at him. “What are you waiting for? Chop-chop! Usually I’m the one who gets her up on the bed, and it’s exhausting. You’re close to Sister Xia. She won’t mind.”

Gao Yang went up and lifted Vermilion Bird with a hand under her armpit and the other hand under her knees. She was surprisingly light.

To Gao Yang, Vermilion Bird had been a senior colleague, an understanding older sister, and a strong awakener with great vitality, but now, she was quiet, fragile, and light, like a pretty glass figurine that would shatter if she fell.

He placed her on the bed. “It’s about time. I’m leaving. You should rest, too.”

“Oh no you’re not,” Gao Xinxin said. “We still have things to do.”

“What is it?”

“I have to massage her full body before going to bed. I usually do it all on my own, and you don’t know how tiring it is. You’ve got to give me a hand today.”

“It’s inappropriate.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not letting you touch where you shouldn’t touch.” Gao Xinxin made a face at him. “Get your brain out of the gutter”

Gao Yang was both exasperated and amused. “Alright. I’ll follow your lead.”

“Sit there and start with her fingers. Do what I do.” Gao Xinxin kicked off her shoes and sat on the bed with her legs apart, lifting Vermilion Bird’s right hand and moving the finger joints.

Gao Yang did the same with Vermilion Bird’s left hand.

They worked their way through the fingers, palms, wrists, the muscles in the forearms, the shoulders, and then the calves.

While they massaged Vermilion Bird, the siblings chatted.

Gao Xinxin had purposefully kept Gao Yang around with an excuse. She simply wanted to talk to him a little more.

She knew that her brother was now the leader of the Nine Scions, and his time belonged to everyone. He was constantly thinking, making arrangements, and going on missions, so he could never stay for long.

Thus, she played dirty and used Vermilion Bird. She knew that Gao Yang felt guilty and would be willing to do more for Vermilion Bird.

Everyone said that Gao Yang had changed, but Gao Xinxin knew that it wasn’t the case.

Gao Yang had simply hidden himself in a secret corner, leaving his injuries to bleed, rot, and fester without treating them; he believed he didn’t have the right to.

But Gao Xinxin would find him. Even if she couldn’t cure his wounds, it would still be better to drag him out of the shadow to get some sun, even for a brief moment.

“Ah!”

Gao Yang, who was holding Vermilion Bird’s calf, suddenly called out.