Die, Replay, Repeat-Chapter 353 - The Zhous’ Mansion

Lu Ziming watched, frozen, as Li Xiaoru and the others fell one after another.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

The dull thumps of bodies hitting the floor rang through the quiet.

They were gone—every last one—emptied of their Spiritual Energy. Yet their faces showed no panic or pain. Instead, they wore soft, peaceful smiles, like death had been a quiet gift.

The survivors in the Land Between stumbled back, too stunned to make a sound.

The sight of the dead scattered across the floor choked their words.

Those calm smiles, especially, rattled them—too still, too strange, like something a Specter might flash.

Everyone was dead. Everyone but Fang Xiu.

He stood tall, alive despite having no Spiritual Energy left.

It wasn't just grit holding him up. Inside him, the Hair Specter kept his crumbling body steady; Nightmare guarded his mind; the Taotie's jaws and the Blood Pupil poured a twisted, shadowy energy into him.

Without Spiritual Energy, his human shell would eventually decay, leaving behind a warped mix of Specters—a silver-haired figure cloaked in dark mist, one glowing Blood Pupil, and a wide, starving maw.

The group gawked at him, dread sinking in. They couldn't wrap their heads around it—everyone else had been drained to nothing, yet Fang Xiu stood strong, unshaken. No ordinary person could pull that off.

Fang Xiu's gaze slid to Yang Ming's body, his brow tightening just a bit.

Yang Ming looked serene, a faint smile on his face. If not for the stillness of his chest, you'd think he was breathing.

It didn't add up to Fang Xiu.

Yang Ming was the Chosen One, not someone who'd go down so easily.

That left one answer: Yang Ming's power, God's Plan, knew this death wasn't final. It knew Fang Xiu could rewind everything, bring him back.

That's why it hadn't triggered—because it didn't have to yet.

If that was right, God's Plan was scarier than Fang Xiu had realized.

A harsh crack-crack of grinding bones yanked him from his thoughts. Every head turned to the counter.

The rotting corpse shifted. Its bony hand dug into a drawer, fishing around for a moment before pulling out an old key and a scrap of paper.

With a slow shove, it slid them toward Fang Xiu.

A hum of excitement rippled through the room.

No one had to wonder—this key and note were the ticket out of the Land Between. But with Fang Xiu standing there, no one dared step up.

His Spiritual Energy might be spent, but his shadow loomed heavier than ever.

Before, he'd scared them with the raw might of the Taotie army. Now, it was something odder, darker—giving up his team, giving up himself, and still standing through some force they couldn't name.

That mystery spooked them more than any army could.

Fang Xiu grabbed the note and gave it a quick look. Three words jumped out: "The Zhous' Mansion."

"The Zhous' Mansion!?" someone yelped, voice sharp with realization. "That's the Old Mansion smack in the middle of Whitestone! The one with the locked gates. I've been trapped here for years and never seen it budge. No one gets in. Could that really be the way out?"

The name clicked for Fang Xiu—Zhou Qingfeng.

'Is this Zhou Qingfeng's old place?' The idea hooked him.

If the Zhous' Mansion was tied to Zhou Qingfeng, it might hold echoes of the man, maybe even clues from a lost time. This key could be the way in.

He held it up for a better look. It was a plain, rusted iron key, so worn it looked like a squeeze might break it.

The group's eyes glued to it, blazing with want.

If Fang Xiu weren't so downright eerie—so impossibly off—they'd have charged him by now.

"Figured I'd score an easy trip out of the Land Between," Fang Xiu mumbled under his breath, "but all I got was this key. Back to the start, I guess."

The others blinked, caught off guard by his quiet remark.

"Sir," one of them piped up, careful and slow, "since you've got the key, why don't we head to the Zhous' Mansion now?"

Fang Xiu turned his steady, blank stare on them. Without a word, he flicked his wrist and threw the key aside like it was nothing.

The group didn't hesitate. Like wild dogs eyeing a scrap, they dove for the key in a chaotic tangle, scrabbling over each other.

Meanwhile, Fang Xiu quietly cut loose the Specter powers propping him up.

And just like that—he was gone.

Dead.

…

The death reset triggered.

"I've worked out how to escape the Land Between," Fang Xiu said, turning to the group with his steady calm.

Lu Ziming and his crew flinched, eyes narrowing with doubt and unease.

Yang Ming and the others, though, practically glowed with restless excitement.

"Xiu, you saw the future again?" Yang Ming asked, flashing a grin.

"Yeah," Fang Xiu answered with a small nod. "The exit's in the Zhous' Mansion, right in the middle of Whitestone. But you need a key to get inside."

"Xiu, where's the key?" Yang Ming jumped in, antsy. "I'm done with this hole. I'm out of those corpse-water cigs and everything else."

"It's at the pawnshop," Fang Xiu said. "Fork over a hundred million, and the key's yours."

"Sweet! Xiu, you've smashed so many Specters—you've got to have a billion tucked away by now, right? Let's go get that key!" Xiao Chuxia piped up, nearly hopping with energy.

But Fang Xiu shook his head. "Every Specter I took out got eaten by Taotie. None of it turned into Spirit Money. If we want that key, we're starting from zero and earning a billion. From now on, everyone's on cash duty. I'll hold all the profits, and at night, I'll sort out lodging—everyone sleeps in Taotie's gut to save Spiritual Energy."

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Lu Ziming and his crew swapped cautious glances, thrown off balance. They'd been following along, but half of it sounded like nonsense.

Seeing the future? An escape from the Land Between? It was all static to them.

The only thing that stuck was loud and clear: Fang Xiu wanted every bit of their haul, all under some shaky pretext.

Their reluctance showed—faces stiff, eyes glinting with resistance.

Yang Ming, twitchy for a smoke and done with their vibe, barked, "What's with the faces? If Xiu wanted your cash, you think you'd get a say? Say no, and Taotie'd swallow you whole. He says he knows the way out, then he knows. No debate needed."

He spun to Fang Xiu, eyes shining. "Xiu, can I spill some of your old stories? These fools might slack off or pocket cash if I don't lay it out straight."

"Go for it," Fang Xiu said with a nod.

With the green light, Yang Ming's grin widened, and he dove in with fire. "Alright, you bunch, perk up and hear this. My guy Xiu's name alone would make you shake—you just don't know it because you're stuck in this dead-end pit.

"Xiu's not just Chief Commander back at headquarters; he's the Foreseer. Master of Earth's first fifth tier! The Specter God Summoner! Way back, he dropped a Class-S Specter when he was just a second-tier—saved the whole headquarters solo.

"He peeked into the future, cracked the fifth-tier code, and pushed Fang Moli past the line. Oh, and check this—he strolled into Isleland alone, summoned a million Specters, and crushed it flat!

"So when he speaks, it's not just talk—it's the future. It's real.

"Got it? Clap if you're in!"