LRAB Chapter 26 Artificial Xia Lan
Chapter 26 Artificial Xia Lan
That evening, after the pork chop restaurant closed, the owner reserved the private room on the second floor for them.
The private room wasn't large, with a low table, a few cushions, and a warm yellow chandelier.
Wen Ranran fell asleep on the table.
She was indeed tired today.
I went to the competition in the morning, had lunch, stood in two more matches in the afternoon, and ate a whole bowl of pork chop rice in the evening.
Feifei curled up next to her head, its tail wrapped around its body, and fell asleep.
Lu Siye took off his coat and covered Wen Ranran with it.
Xiaoman turned down the brightness of the chandelier to make the light less glaring.
The three people sat around a low table, the teacups still steaming, but no one drank.
The atmosphere is different from during the day.
Baozi's smile vanished.
Xiaoman's eyes behind her glasses became very deep, very deep.
"What did Yi Songjin find out?" Lu Siye asked first.
Xiaoman and Baozi exchanged a glance.
Baozi nodded.
Xiaoman took a deep breath, pushed the teacup aside, and placed her hands on the table, folded together.
"Tell me first," Xiaoman said, her voice soft but each word clear, "what other function does the Sin Mark on your hand have besides controlling Zero?"
Lu Siye remained silent for a moment.
"These are all that have been discovered so far," he said. "But Xiang Dingkun said that the power of the Sin Mark is not limited to this."
He paused for a moment, recalling Xiang Dingkun's original words.
"The Sin Mark represents the power to bind evil, and is completely different from the Xia Lan Mark."
He didn't say anything more.
Xiaoman nodded, as if confirming something.
"Uncle Yi has found something," she said, "about everything that has happened in the last two hundred years."
"Two hundred years?" Lu Siye frowned. "Didn't you all keep saying that the Xia Lan War with Zero happened a thousand years ago? What time is two hundred years?"
"Two hundred years is," Xiaoman hesitated for a moment, as if carefully choosing her words, "the time when the artificial Xia Lan appeared."
Artificial Xia Lan.
Lu Siye's heart skipped a beat.
He had only ever heard of artificial food.
Fake meat made from plant protein, fake eggs made with chemicals, and fake fruit juice made with flavorings and colorings.
This was the first time he had ever heard the term "artificial Xia Lan".
"Man-made Xia Lan?" he repeated. "Xia Lan can be man-made?"
"Yes," Xiaoman said in a low voice, "and it's been built for two hundred years."
Baozi sat next to him, arms crossed, his expression complex.
Xiaoman began the story.
Two hundred years ago, science and technology developed rapidly.
The aftershocks of the Industrial Revolution spread from the West to the East, bringing with it electric lights, telephones, automobiles, and airplanes.
These things, which once only existed in fantasy, have become reality one by one.
Humanity has created an unprecedented world with its own hands, with skyscrapers rising from the ground, steel giants crossing oceans, and radio waves traveling thousands of miles.
In this historical context, the existence of the Xia Lan has become increasingly awkward.
Ordinary people don't need Xia Lan anymore.
They had guns to fight off wild beasts, hospitals to treat diseases, and laws to maintain order.
It seems that technology can do everything that Xia Lan can do, and do it faster, cheaper, and more efficiently.
But what Xia Lan can't do, technology can't do either, such as fighting against Zero.
Zero still exists.
They seep out from the cracks of the extreme yin realm, appearing in remote, untouched forests, in the dark corners of bustling cities, and around everyone shrouded in negative emotions.
They are the eternal shadow of this world, an enemy that technology cannot eliminate.
However, ordinary people do not understand this.
What they saw was that the Xia Lan possessed powers that ordinary people did not have.
They can manipulate primordial energy, use the Xia Lan technique, and fight against hundreds of enemies single-handedly.
This power terrifies ordinary people.
"Many people believe that the existence of Xia Lan is a threat," Xiaoman said. "But due to public opinion, they dare not spread negative rumors."
"The Xia Lan saved the world a thousand years ago. Their contribution is so great that no one dares to speak ill of them publicly."
"But secretly," Baozi interjected, "they've been trying to find a way."
Xiaoman nodded.
"Until someone appears."
She paused for a moment, picked up her teacup, and took a sip of water.
The tea had gone cold, but she didn't mind, swallowed it, and continued talking.
"False leaf".
Lu Siye stopped tapping his fingers on the table.
"Who is Jia Ye?" he asked.
Xiaoman and Baozi exchanged another glance.
This time, it was Baozi who spoke up.
"False leaves are..."
Baozi scratched his head, as if he was organizing his thoughts.
"How should I put it? You can think of him as the Xia Lan from Zero's side."
"Not just any ordinary zero, but a zero that is intelligent, purposeful, and organized—the head of the seven souls."
"He has been at odds with the Xia Lan for countless years, from ancient times to the present."
"From ancient times to the present?"
"right."
"The seals of ancient ferocious beasts such as Qiongqi, Taotie, and Hundun all bear the shadow of Jia Ye."
"He's not the type to confront things head-on; he's the type to hide behind the scenes and manipulate everything. He's always there when something goes wrong, and he always manages to escape."
Lu Siye's brows furrowed even more.
"After Qiongqi, Taotie, and Hundun were sealed away, Jia Ye disappeared without a trace."
Xiaoman took over the conversation.
"According to ancient books, he disappeared for a very long time, so long that everyone thought he was dead or sealed away."
"But two hundred years ago, he reappeared."
"And this time, he didn't come alone."
"He brought with him a complete plan, a plan specifically targeting the Xia Lan."
"He found ordinary people who harbored resentment towards the Xia Lan, scientists secretly researching how to fight against the Xia Lan, and radicals hidden within the upper echelons of the government..."
"Radicals?" Lu Siye interrupted him. "What radicals?"
Xiaoman took a deep breath.
"Uncle Yi's investigation revealed that there are now two factions regarding the stance on Xia Lan."
She stretched out her finger and drew a line on the table.
"The conservatives advocate maintaining the status quo, with the Xia Lan and ordinary people coexisting peacefully. The Xia Lan are responsible for fighting against Zero, while ordinary people are responsible for managing society."
"No interference, mutual respect."
"The members of this faction are mainly traditional Xia Lan families, such as my family and Su Nian's family, as well as some families that have passed down the name of Xia Lan for generations."
"They have accumulated a vast family influence and have deep connections in the political, business, and military circles."
"They are the backbone of the conservatives."
Then she drew another line on the other side of the line.
"The radical faction. They advocate..."
She paused for a moment.
"Advocating for control over the Xia Lan."
Lu Siye looked at her.
"control?"
"Yes. Not to eliminate, but to control."
"They believe that the power of the Xia Lan is too great to be controlled by a few people."
"This power should belong to the nation, and to everyone."
"Xia Lan should not be an independent organization, but should be incorporated into the national management system, subject to legal constraints, and subject to public supervision."
"It doesn't sound like there's any problem," Lu Siye said.
Baozi snorted. "The problem is that the word 'control' has completely different meanings depending on who uses it."
"In the mouths of conservatives, 'control' is cooperation, negotiation, and mutual checks and balances."
"In the mouths of radicals..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.
"There are also Xia Lan forces among the radicals," Xiaoman said, her voice even lower, "but they are not part of the Jiugongling system."
"Not from the Jiugongling system? Are there other Xia Lan systems?"
"Yes," Xiaoman said. "You should have heard of the wind-attribute Xia Lan."
Lu Siye was stunned for a moment.
Wind attribute.
"Wind attribute is the rarest attribute among Xia Lan," Xiaoman explained. "Ancient books record that only a few people with the wind attribute have appeared in the past few hundred years."
"The most recent one was a legendary Xia Lan. His name has been erased from ancient books, but his descendants have continued to exist."
"They have always promoted the idea that Xia Lan can coexist with ordinary people," Baozi's voice became a little hoarse, "and their relationship with Jiugongling is also quite good."
"Although they are not part of the Jiugongling system, they stand on the side of the Xia Lan in some important matters."
"But I don't know why," Xiaoman said, her voice tinged with confusion, "they suddenly changed their mindset."
"Sudden?"
Yes. It was very sudden.
"About several decades ago, the descendants of the wind-attribute Xia Lan began to publicly criticize Jiu Gong Ling, saying that the Xia Lan organization was too closed, too conservative, and unwilling to accept change."
"They started getting closer and closer to the government and began to support the 'management' and 'control' of Xia Lan."
"Then the conflict broke out," Baozi said. "A conflict occurred with Mo Zhanchi, the commander of Jiugongling."
"Mo Zhanchi was the last commander of Jiugongling," Xiaoman explained, "and also one of the strongest commanders in the history of Jiugongling."
"During his tenure, the war between Kugimiya and Zero entered a stalemate, with neither side gaining a significant advantage."
"His philosophy is 'Xia Lan independence,' believing that Xia Lan should not be subordinate to any secular regime and should maintain its own independence and judgment."
"The radicals disagree," Baozi said. "They united and put enormous pressure on Jiugongling."
"The final result of the conflict was..." Xiaoman's voice became very soft, almost inaudible, "The Jiugongling organization compromised and handed over the Divine Pendant to the state for safekeeping."
silence.
Lu Siye's finger stopped on the table.
The god fell.
He had heard of this thing.
The Divine Pendant is the most powerful weapon of Jiugongling. It is a treasure containing immense power, formed by generations of Xia Lan using their lives and primordial energy.
Each divine pendant represents the sacrifice and dedication of a Xia Lan, and is a symbol and source of pride for the Xia Lan organization.
"It's been handed over?"
"It's been handed over," Xiaoman said. "As a condition of the compromise, the government promised to keep the divine pendant safe and not use it for military purposes, but only to protect civilians in the fight against zero-sum games."
"Did they keep their promise?" Lu Siye asked.
Xiaoman did not answer.
Baozi didn't answer either.
The two remained silent, as if their mouths were gagged.
Looking at their silent expressions, Lu Siye roughly knew the answer in his heart.
"Just recently," Xiaoman finally spoke, "the military announced a special forces unit called the 'Guardian Legion'."
She took her phone out of her pocket, opened a webpage, and placed it on the table.
The screen displays a news report accompanied by a photo.
The photo shows a group of young people in military uniforms standing in a row, saluting the camera.
Their uniforms were no different from those of ordinary soldiers, except that they wore a badge on their collars.
The badge features a hand with the palm facing outwards and the five fingers spread.
There is a mark on the palm of my hand.
Lu Siye stared at the mark for a long time.
It's not the Xia Lan Seal.
The lines of the Xia Lan seal are smooth and rounded.
The lines of this mark are straight and rigid.
"The Garrison Corps," Xiaoman said, "is the military's newly established special forces unit."
"The official explanation is that this unit has undergone rigorous selection and intensive training, possesses combat capabilities beyond those of ordinary people, and is specifically designed to deal with 'special security threats'."
"A special security threat," Baozi sneered, "is zero. They're using this force to strike zero."
"Is there a problem with that?" Lu Siye asked. "Isn't it a good thing that someone's paying zero?"
"The problem is," Xiaoman flipped to the next page on her phone, "that their fighting style is exactly the same as Xia Lan's."
"Primordial Qi, Xia Lan Technique, and even Divine Pendant."
The next page of the report was accompanied by a GIF.
A young man in a garrison uniform stood on the training ground, his hands clasped together, a blue light shining from his palms.
A beam of light shot from his hand, striking the distant target and shattering it instantly.
Blue light.
Lightning attribute.
Lu Siye stared at the picture, his fingers unconsciously clenching.
"They began to engage in widespread military operations," Xiaoman said, "and that just happened to coincide with the time when Zero reappeared on a large scale."
"A coincidence?" Baozi asked, his tone clearly sarcastic.
Lu Siye remained silent.
In other words
"The military is using the power of the Divine Pendant to mass-produce the Xia Lan, a supernatural force."
Xiaoman nodded.
"According to ancient records, a man named Pei Zuo once made such a thing," she said, "but it had an extremely short lifespan and was very unstable, and was mostly used to consume excess zero."
"But things are different now."
Baozi took over the conversation, her voice a little strained.
"The artificial Xia Lan that have appeared now are almost indistinguishable from the normal Xia Lan, and are even more powerful."
"Even attributes like lightning, light, and darkness, which had never appeared before, have emerged among the Xia Lan."
"So," he said, "you suspect they're experimenting on the Xia Lan?"
Baozi's voice suddenly grew louder.
"It's not a doubt," he said, slamming his hand on the table, making the teacup bounce and spill a small puddle of tea. "It's true, they really are experimenting with Xia Lan."
Wen Ranran shifted her position on the other side of the table and mumbled something indistinctly.
Lu Siye glanced at them to make sure they were still asleep, then turned to look at Baozi.
"Do you still remember Xu Mo?" Baozi asked.
Lu Siye's brow twitched slightly.
Xu Mo.
He remembers.
"He told me to be careful," Lu Siye said.
"Yes, that's him."
Baozi's voice suddenly changed.
"He's dead."
Lu Siye's fingers stopped.
"During Professor Yi Songjin's investigation," Baozi's voice trembled, "fragments of Xu Mo's body were discovered. Scattered in various places."
The private room remained quiet for a long time.
Lu Siye sat there, motionless.
His stomach suddenly churned.
Nausea.
It's disgusting and makes you want to vomit.
He lowered his head and covered his mouth with his hand.
"Brother Lu?" Baozi's voice became worried.
"fine."
Lu Siye said, his voice a little muffled.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the nausea, and then looked up.
"Where's Su Nian?" he asked. "Why didn't Su Nian come to Fusang?"
This is the question he's always wanted to ask.
Xiaoman and Baozi both came, but Su Nian didn't.
Xiaoman and Baozi exchanged a glance.
"Sister Su Nian went to the Southern Wilderness Prefecture," Xiao Man said.
"Southern Wilderness?"
Lu Siye frowned.
It was a very far place, at the southernmost tip of the southern continent, with a hot climate, sparse population, and primeval forests and swamps everywhere.
"What was she doing there?"
"On the one hand, it's to avoid domestic political turmoil," Xiaoman said. "You know, Su Nian's family is one of the core members of the conservative faction."
"If the radicals were to take action against the Xia Lan, Sister Su Nian would be one of their primary targets."
"She left the country to avoid the limelight."
"On the other hand," Baozi continued, "it's to find something."
"What is it?"
"Something similar to a divine pendant."
Lu Siye looked at her.
"No," Xiaoman shook her head, her expression becoming very subtle, "you could also say... a person or an animal."
Xiaoman took out a photo from her phone and placed it on the table.
The photo was blurry, like a copy of an ancient book, with yellowed and brittle paper and traces of insect damage on the edges.
The photo shows a handwritten text, the handwriting is messy but still legible.
"Although there are only five Xia Lan on the surface," Xiao Man said, "the sniffing organization left behind by Mo Zhanchi is still there."
"Many people have erased their Xia Lan Mark and become Sniffers."
"They infiltrated among ordinary people, gathering information, passing on intelligence, and maintaining the last thread of the Xia Lan organization."
"The sniffing organization discovered Mo Zhanchi's notes in ancient books," she said, her finger lightly tracing across the photograph, pointing to a line of text, "which records a power called 'Star Constellation'."
"Star constellation?" Lu Siye repeated.
"Rumor has it that they are fragments of the four divine beasts of the Extreme Yang Realm," Xiaoman said, "Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise."
"The Four Divine Beasts disappeared in ancient times, but their fragments remained in the human world."
"Mo Zhanchi wrote in his notes that as long as these four powers are gathered, all the filth can be driven to the Extreme Yin Realm."
Lu Siye remained silent for a while.
"Using things from the extreme Yang realm to deal with things from the extreme Yin realm," he said. "That sounds reasonable."
"But the problem is," Baozi scratched his head, "nobody knows where these fragments are, what they look like, or how to collect them."
"Mo Zhanchi's notes only mention the name 'Xingxiu', nothing else."
"Sister Su Nian went to the Southern Wilderness because there is an ancient legend there. It is said that deep in the Southern Wilderness, there is a forgotten temple that enshrines the relics of the 'Vermilion Bird'."
"It's just a legend," Lu Siye said.
"It's just a legend now," Xiaoman said, "but it's better than doing nothing."
Lu Siye nodded.
He didn't press Su Nian further, but instead steered the conversation back to the original topic.
"So, you mean...?"
Xiaoman and Baozi nodded at the same time.
Xiaoman put her phone away and placed her hands back on the table, folding them together.
"Because, as things stand, it's highly likely that all of this," her gaze fell on Lu Siye's right hand, "combined with the sin mark on your hand, Jia Ye's purpose is already very clear."
"What is he going to do?" Lu Siye asked.
Xiaoman took a deep breath.
"He intends to use this to transform the human realm into an extremely yin realm dominated by the Seven Deadly Sins."
"Enslaving everyone."
The private room fell silent again.
"So," he said, his voice so calm that even he himself felt it was a little abnormal, "that Fake Ye is using radicals and the military to create artificial Xia Lan, collect the power of the Divine Pendant, and research the secrets of the Sin Mark."
"The ultimate goal is to transform the human realm into the realm of extreme yin."
"Yes," Xiaoman said.
"And now we have five people."
"You, Baozi, me, Yi Songjin, and Su Nian, who is nowhere to be found."
"Five people against a nation, against a zero that has existed for thousands of years, against seven primordial evils."
"...Yes." Xiaoman's voice softened.
"It doesn't sound like we have much of a chance of winning," Lu Siye said.
Baozi's lips twitched; she seemed to want to say something, but didn't.
Xiaoman lowered her head.
Lu Siye looked at the steamed buns, then at Xiaoman.
Then he picked up the cup of tea on the table, which had gone completely cold, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Let's soak in the hot springs first," he said, placing the empty teacup back on the table.
Baozi looked up, startled. "What?"
"Hot springs," Lu Siye said. "We're going to the hot springs tomorrow. We've already got the tickets; it'd be a waste not to go."
Baozi opened its mouth, then closed it again.
He looked at Lu Siye's face for about three seconds, and then suddenly laughed.
"Yes," Baozi said, her voice much louder than before, "Let's soak in the hot spring first. Even if the sky falls, we have to soak in a hot spring first."
"Then I'll go buy Ranran a pair of shoes tomorrow," she said. "She's always barefoot, she'll catch a cold."
"Buy a few more clothes," Lu Siye said. "She only has that one T-shirt."
"it is good."
Xiaoman nodded and picked up her phone to start making a list.
Baozi stretched and yawned widely.
"Okay, then that's settled."
"Let's go to the hot springs tomorrow, and we'll talk about the day after tomorrow."
He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open a crack.
The night breeze blew in, carrying the coolness of autumn and the crisp, clear air of the distant snow-capped mountains.
"Do you think there really are hot springs on that mountain?"
"Yes," Xiaoman said without looking up. "I checked online, and the water quality is very good. It contains a variety of minerals and is effective for skin diseases, arthritis, and neuralgia."
"I'm not asking about the treatment's effectiveness, I'm asking about..."
Baozi pressed his face close to the crack in the window, squinting at the snow-capped mountain in the distance that gleamed silver in the moonlight.
What's it like to soak in a hot spring while looking at snow-capped mountains?
"You can try it out for yourself tomorrow," Lu Siye said.
"Too."
Baozi closed the window, turned around, put his hands in his pockets, and finally a genuine smile appeared on his face.
"Let's talk about it tomorrow."
Lu Siye stood up and walked to Wen Ranran's side.
She was still asleep.
He bent down, supporting Wen Ranran's back with one hand and her knees with the other, and lifted her up.
Feifei was startled awake, then climbed up his trouser leg, squatted on his shoulder, and closed her eyes again.
Xiaoman stood up, gathered the teacups on the table together, and wiped up the spilled tea.
Baozi walked to the door, opened it, and stepped aside to let Lu Siye go first.
"Brother Lu."
"Um?"
Do you think we can win?
Lu Siye held Wen Ranran in his arms and stood at the door.
The light from the corridor shone in from outside, casting half light and half shadow on his face.
He did not answer.