Upon hearing Xiaoshu speak, Fan Jia was first taken aback, then said, "Actually, immortal life isn't as wonderful as you imagine."

"You people don't have life at all!" Zhang Yuqiu shot Fan Jia a sidelong glance, emphasizing, "Everyone here, except for Xiaoshu, lacks true life."

"But I have blood, I have thoughts, I can move—I possess everything life entails," Fan Jia countered, unconvinced by Zhang Yuqiu's assertion.

"You cannot reproduce, which is the most crucial essence of life. Life can propagate," Yuan Qi agreed with Zhang Yuqiu.

"I can," Fan Jia remained defiant, arguing with the two, "Medicine is so advanced now; they could perfectly clone me."

"That's called cloning, not procreation. Moreover, the clone you create will still die from aging," Xiaoshu joined the debate.

"Fine, I admit I don't have life. Are you happy now?" Fan Jia, being young and impetuous, flared up when their conversation hit a deadlock.

"Don't be angry; your companions have already left." Zhang Yuqiu playfully pointed toward the three receding figures. "Hurry up and chase them, or you'll be separated!"

"Heh heh heh, how is that possible!" Yuan Qi let out a loud laugh. "Do you think because they had an internal squabble with Fan Jia, they're no longer on the same side? They'll be back shortly, and not just back, they'll bring more people..." Before Yuan Qi could finish, Zhang Yuqiu adopted an expression of pity and said to Fan Jia, "You aren't leaving? What are you waiting for? Waiting for them to find reinforcements to 'play' Three Heroes vs. Lü Bu with you again?" Fan Jia looked at her gently and replied, "Don't worry, I won't let them hurt you; they only want the person next to you." As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward Xiaoshu.

Xiaoshu gasped, recalling the dangers faced from the psychiatric hospital all the way here; she realized she still hadn't escaped their machinations. She decided to sit down on the ground, prepared for a passive resistance. However, before her bottom even touched the earth, Zhang Yuqiu pulled her up, and they bolted down the path they had come from. They hadn't run five hundred meters before Yuan Qi inevitably caught up and blocked their way.

He stood there with his arms crossed, resuming his arrogant posture: "It's not that easy. If you run off, how am I and Fan Jia supposed to report back?"

"Then you can run with us! Isn't that freedom for everyone?" Zhang Yuqiu feigned confusion, deliberately being difficult.

"Listen," Yuan Qi said sternly, "We are all puppets. We don't have much time with independent thought. You had better sit here obediently and not force our Master to control us; that outcome benefits no one." At these words, Zhang Yuqiu instantly fell silent, finding no further ground for her quibbling.

Xiaoshu, however, maintained a clear mind. She simply sat down, pulling Yuan Qi down with her, and asked, "These puppets you speak of—does it mean when you kill, you are controlled by another force?" Yuan Qi nodded, but when Xiaoshu tried to ask more, he clamped his mouth shut. There was no progress whatsoever. It seemed the Puppet King behind the puppets held absolute deterrence over them, which was why they remained tight-lipped.

While the three of them sat in silence, with Fan Jia staring blankly at the bonfire, Zhang Yuqiu suddenly spotted a figure appearing behind Yuan Qi and Xiaoshu. She winked at the figure, then suddenly sat down in front of the other two, saying with a goofy grin, "Time is passing too slowly; why don't the three of us read fortunes to pass the time?"

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