Xiao Shu remained with her arms crossed, blocking the exit, looking at Li Taiming with utter disdain. “The ‘thoughts of your own’ that you speak of are nothing more than using immortality to beguile them, making them lose themselves in the terror of death.”

“True,” hearing Xiao Shu refute him, Li Taiming felt a strange sense of peace. He stepped forward, bracing his broad shoulders against Xiao Shu’s chest. “And so what if it is? Death means nothing; at least by living, one can experience more things.”

“Heh,” Xiao Shu let out a small laugh, her tone laced with three parts sarcasm. “Why don’t you say that to the souls that perished under the blade? If death means nothing, yet living allows for more experiences, then they also had the right to live, the right to experience more. Their families, friends, children—they still needed them for care and support. Ninety-nine lives to resurrect one person—don't you find that calculation incredibly unbalanced?”

This statement struck a raw nerve in Li Taiming. His entire practice of achieving eternal life by absorbing the lives of others was inherently a violence that disregarded the natural order. If this line of reasoning continued, Li Taiming would find it difficult to defend himself, so he hardened his stance. He set down the Ice Jade, gripped his scythe, and used his elbow to clamp down on Xiao Shu’s throat, shoving him back against the wall. With eyes blazing with malevolence, he hissed, “You are still young; you haven't seen the true nature of the world. The suffering you have endured so far is less than a tenth of what you are meant to experience. Finish walking this path, then come lecture me on grand philosophies.”

“Take me to Xiaoyu,” muffled by the pressure on his windpipe, Xiao Shu’s voice was somewhat hoarse, yet he managed to articulate his demand one word at a time.

Seeing Xiao Shu’s slightly disheveled expression, Li Taiming sneered wickedly, “Go find your twin brother first! He stole your love, and that woman is suffering now. You should go rescue her.” With that, he released his grip on Xiao Shu’s throat and turned to leave with the Ice Jade.

Just as they were about to round the street corner, Xiao Shu lunged at Li Taiming like a starving tiger, slamming into him and knocking him to the ground, pinning him beneath his body. He fumbled in his pocket, pulled out the bottle of Man-Eating Ghost Mites, uncapped it, and pressed the opening against the base of Li Taiming’s neck. “You know what’s in here! I have no exorbitant demands—just find my brother! Are you going to help me or not?”

Li Taiming glanced sideways at the bottle; it was indeed filled with relentlessly writhing Man-Eating Ghost Mites. “How did you get hold of this thing?”

“Stop changing the subject,” Xiao Shu roared, anger flaring, his gaze locked onto Li Taiming with hatred. “Help me or not?” His posture suggested he was prepared to take them both down. Beside them, Bing Yu, who had paused to watch, was suddenly drenched in a cold sweat, fidgeting like an ant on a hot pan, unsure what to do.

“Is he really that important to you?” Li Taiming asked, trembling slightly.

Xiao Shu tore open his outer garment with his free hand, exposing his chest riddled with scars. He pointed to the largest mark. “See this? He saved this life. I must go to him, whether he lives or dies, I must see him. Otherwise, you will be the first to taste these things, followed by the other walking corpses. We will sweep you all out of this entire city.”

Li Taiming’s expression shifted dramatically. He frowned and asked, “You aren't the only one who possesses such an item?”

Seeing the fear flicker across his face, Xiao Shu finally relaxed. He climbed off Li Taiming, capped the bottle, and said darkly, “The essence of any high-stakes game is to always keep a contingency plan for yourself.”