Ten Day Ultimatum
Chapter 207

Chapter 207 The Perpetual One

“You’re asking me… if I lack women?” When Vermilion Bird heard this, his eyebrows twitched slightly, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

“I—I’ll do anything you ask of me… Ge…” Xiao Ran’s face was twisted into an ugly smile, “I’ll provide any kind of service… Just please, don’t kill me…”

“Oh?” Vermilion Bird feigned surprise, but the smile did not reach his eyes. “Xiao Ran, you know what? I’ve killed countless people, but this is the first time I’ve heard such a plea for mercy.”

Xiao Ran, trembling, reached out and grabbed Vermilion Bird’s pale arm.

“Ge… I—I’m not begging for mercy… I just want to become {one of your own}…” Xiao Ran’s expression was a mix of crying and smiling. “I never knew there were rules to being part of the {Earthly Branches}… I—I just made a small mistake… You don’t have to do this…”

“Ah!!” Vermilion Bird suddenly let out a loud shout, startling everyone present.

Xiao Ran slumped directly to the ground.

Vermilion Bird slowly revealed a smile and said, “Xiao Ran! I’ve thought of something!”

“I can let you choose for yourself!!” Vermilion Bird said with a laugh. “Right now, I have two paths in front of you: one is {life}, and the other is {death}. Which one will you choose?!” He slowly clenched his left and right hands into fists and raised them in front of Xiao Ran.

“Endless death… or endless life. Which will you choose?” Vermilion Bird looked extremely excited as he crouched down, staring at Xiao Ran with anticipation.

Hearing this, Qi Xia’s expression changed.

This was a question that would determine her fate.

With a subtle look, he prompted everyone to step back.

Vermilion Bird before them was unmistakably a being that transcended the {Earthly Branches}. Among the group, only Qi Xia had any memory of encountering Vermilion Bird, so no one knew how to handle the situation.

Zhang Shan furrowed his brow, his mind turning: if this strange person were to hunt him down one day... would… would his {Reverberation} even work against him?

“Endless… life?” Xiao Ran asked, trembling. “What does that mean?”

Hearing this, the smile on Vermilion Bird’s face instantly vanished. “Xiao Ran, I told you to {choose}, not to {ask}.”

“Ah! Right, right…” Xiao Ran nodded frantically. “I—I choose {endless life}…”

Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. “She lost.”

“What?” Doctor Zhao, standing nearby, was stunned.

Vermilion Bird immediately showed a delighted expression. “Good! Good! Xiao Ran, I will grant you eternal life! But in exchange, I’ll take your {sanity}!” With that, he waved his hand over Xiao Ran’s forehead.

The look of terror on Xiao Ran's face slowly dissipated, leaving behind a chillingly indifferent look.

Before long, she stood up expressionlessly, then looked at Qi Xia with a vacant stare and walked over to him. “Ge, do you want a woman? I’m a kindergarten teacher. Just give me money.”

Qi Xia took a step back. He knew what {eternal life} meant—it meant that this person would not perish during {annihilation}. Instead, she would remain here forever, becoming a complete {indigenous inhabitant}.

Not only had she lost any chance of leaving, but she had also lost all her sanity.

She could neither become a {God} nor an {Earthly Branches}. Forever bound to this place, she would live on, driven solely by primal instinct.

Seeing that Qi Xia ignored her, she walked over to Zhang Shan. “Ge, you’re very well built, so you’ll need to pay extra. Pay more, and I’ll go home with you.”

Zhang Shan also took a step back.

Qi Xia sighed.

Perhaps for Xiao Ran, this was the outcome she had brought upon herself.

“So no one wants me…?” Xiao Ran blinked. “Then I’ll go back to school. I’m a teacher, after all.” She slowly pushed past the crowd and walked off into the distance.

Doctor Zhao seemed to want to say something to her, but the words never left his lips.

“Haha!” Vermilion Bird laughed heartily. “I’ve done a good deed today! I didn’t kill anyone!”

Qi Xia slowly turned his gaze toward him.

He was too insane.

Once the question of {endless life} or {endless death} was posed, Xiao Ran’s fate was already sealed. Whether as an indigenous inhabitant or a miscreant Earthly Branch, she would never appear in their probation room again.

Qi Xia snapped out of his thoughts and asked Vermilion Bird, “Is this {game} still in effect?"

“Huh? Oh!” Vermilion Bird nodded, then shook his head. “The {game} is no more. The venue’s abandoned.”

“Go save her, quick,” Qi Xia whispered to Zhang Shan.

Zhang Shan nodded and immediately began ramming the door with his shoulder.

But the room was filled with water, creating immense resistance.

Vermilion Bird’s gaze lingered on Qi Xia, his expression suddenly turning cold. “Oh… Well well, if it isn’t Qi Xia?”

Qi Xia had anticipated that Vermilion Bird wouldn’t let him off so easily, so he chose not to evade the confrontation. He met the other’s gaze and asked, “Why, if it isn’t Vermilion Bird?”

“Qi Xia… what brings you here?” Vermilion Bird sneered, his voice dripping with mockery.

“I go wherever I please,” Qi Xia replied coolly. “Where exactly do you want me to be?”

“How pitiful, Qi Xia. Truly pitiful.” Vermilion Bird’s expression was one of smug triumph. “You have no idea why you’re here, do you? A mere mortal, incapable of {Reverberation}… it’s almost tragic.”

“And how do you know I am incapable of {Reverberation}?” Qi Xia was fully aware that opportunities to engage {Vermilion Bird} in conversation were rare. He needed to extract as much information as possible.

“Hahahahaha!” Vermilion Bird erupted into laughter. “What’s the point of you putting on such a front?”

He stepped closer and patted Qi Xia’s chest, his tone laced with mockery. “Do you plan to face {Celestial Dragon} with this fragile body of yours? How many lives do you think you can afford to gamble?”

Qi Xia’s mind raced as he carefully considered his next words. One misstep could lead to disaster, and if the conversation took a wrong turn, Vermilion Bird might simply walk away.

“Then, according to you… how should I face {Celestial Dragon}?”

Vermilion Bird sneered again, pointing at the filthy {Mortal Rabbit} mask on the ground. “Wear that. Accumulate lives step by step, have your body enhanced, and then you can reach the pinnacle. Isn’t that right, my dear Qi Xia?”

Qi Xia clenched his teeth. “Are you mocking me? If I put on an {Earthly Branch} mask, my ultimate fate would be nothing more than becoming {Celestial Dragon}’s lapdog,” Qi Xia retorted sharply. “Even the conditions for having my body enhanced are tied to a contract with {Celestial Dragon}. How could I possibly reach the pinnacle?”

“Pfft…” Vermilion Bird’s ghastly pale cheeks twisted into a deranged grin. “Hahahaha! Qi Xia, you truly are something! Even in this state, you’re still putting on an act. But I’m Vermilion Bird! Do you really think your lies can fool me?”

Qi Xia frowned. This step had been a misstep after all.

Though Vermilion Bird was deranged, he was far from foolish.