Entrustment

"The year he recruited me, he took me to a Fourth-Seal forbidden ruin. It had three layers of guards, two space locks, and a guardian beast at the gate. He took care of everything in less than ten minutes."

"And then?"

White Tiger didn't answer directly. He stood up from the windowsill, walked back to his chair, and sat down. The chair scraped briefly against the floor, making a short, sharp sound.

"After that, the old man decided he'd had enough. He was tired and figured it was time to quit."

White Tiger rested his hands on the armrests, his posture relaxed.

"That guy, he spent his whole life stealing, but there was one line he never crossed."

"What line?"

"He never touched the living."

White Tiger looked at Chen Guan and said it plainly.

"Stealing things was fine. Stealing from ruins, stealing treasures—that was fine. But no kidnapping, no killing, no using living people as bargaining chips."

'No one's life should be treated as merchandise to trade.' That's what he used to say."

Chen Guan caught on.

"You said the circus went down the wrong path."

"I haven't gotten to that part yet."

"You don't need to. You set up all that talk about boundaries, so the rest is obvious—someone crossed the line."

White Tiger stared at him for a few seconds. This kid Chen Guan was a lot sharper than Long Ao. That was exactly why he hadn't tried to poach Long Ao from the next dorm over.

"You really don't hold back when you talk."

He shook his head, not bothered, and kept going.

Three years ago, the old regimental commander died.

There was no change in White Tiger's tone when he said those words—still the same lazy drawl. But Chen Guan noticed his hands stiffen just slightly as they clasped together.

If Chen Guan hadn't been watching closely, he wouldn't have caught it.

White Tiger's heart was far from as laid-back as he seemed.

Chen Guan gently prodded: "How did he die?"

"Sick." White Tiger said. "Nothing dramatic. He was old, and his body couldn't take it anymore. Psychic powers used at a high intensity over the long term—the nervous system wears down irreversibly."

White Tiger glanced at him. "You should watch yourself too, kid. Using that power too much will kill you. Be careful."

Then, before Chen Guan could respond, he shifted gears and got back to business.

"When he passed, it was peaceful. In the courtyard of his old home, sitting in a rattan chair, with a half-finished pot of tea in front of him."

"By the time I got there, the tea had gone cold."

Chen Guan didn't offer any words of comfort. White Tiger didn't want or need them.

A few seconds of silence passed between them. They weren't awkward seconds—just quiet ones.

White Tiger spoke first.

"After the old man died, the rest of the circus scattered."

His tone was casual again, like he was just telling a story.

"It was already a disbanded group. People left, drifted away. In theory, there shouldn't have been any more trouble."

"In theory," Chen Guan repeated.

"Nice use of 'in theory.' That means you already know where this is going."

White Tiger nodded and stopped beating around the bush.

"Right. In theory, there should have been nothing. But somebody just couldn't let it fade away quietly."

He stood up, paced a few steps in the cramped dorm room, circling once.

"Half a year ago, I got a message."

"What kind of message?"

"Someone was using the name of the Sky-Thieving Circus again."

White Tiger stopped walking and turned around.

"At first, I thought it was just some clueless little crew trying to borrow the fame. That sort of thing happens all the time in the gray circles—people fly a banner they have no right to, pulling petty heists. I didn't think much of it."

"But?"

"But then I noticed something was off." White Tiger raised his hand, spreading five fingers. "Within five months, this new circus hit three ancient ruins."

He folded one finger down.

"First, the South Sea Dragon Ridge Ruin. Stole an unappraised treasure. Clean job—didn't trigger a single alarm."

He folded another.

"Second, the Western Region Sunset Tomb. Broke through three layers of sealing arrays straight to the main burial chamber and peeled off the entire core inscription. The chamber collapsed after they finished and two ability users died."

White Tiger paused as he folded the third finger.

"Third, an unreleased ruin under the Northern Permafrost Layer. High security clearance. According to what I know, only a few people inside the Supernatural Association even knew its location."

"They made it in?"

"They made it in." White Tiger said. "And not only that, they took something out when they left."

"What?"

White Tiger walked to the window and pushed it open another crack. Wind poured in through the gap, rustling the papers on the desk.

"A human corpse."

Chen Guan's fingers, resting on his knee, twitched.

"Taking a human body from a ruin?"

Chen Guan was genuinely surprised. What was a skeleton worth?

"Right." White Tiger spoke with his back to him, his voice mingling with the wind. "And not just any ordinary body. Based on intel I got, it was exceptionally well-preserved. There was still an ability signature lingering inside."

He turned around.

"You know what that means, don't you?"

"That it wasn't a corpse?" Chen Guan said. At least in his understanding, once someone was dead, everything died with them.

"It's a living corpse." White Tiger walked back and sat down. "And that's the problem."

The old regimental commander's rule: don't touch the living.

"They touched it."

White Tiger clasped his hands on the armrests and leaned back.

"And it's not just that. From the Western Region job on, people died at the scenes. This new circus has nothing to do with the old man's principles."

"I'm not letting anyone use the circus's name to run wild."

White Tiger said this with absolute resolve, completely different from the usual lazy attitude.

He clearly meant it. The past was sacred ground for him—something he wouldn't let others defile.

"I've found out their next target."

"You want me to stop them?"

Chen Guan realized White Tiger liked to drag things out. This miserable Hajimi needed a good subordinate to guide him.

"Stop them?" White Tiger shook his head. "I want you to infiltrate them."

As expected, as soon as Chen Guan bit, White Tiger gave the key information.

Chen Guan stared at White Tiger and asked again.

"You're putting someone from the Returned Origin Group inside the Sky-Thieving Circus?"

"What's wrong with that?" White Tiger shrugged. "No one knows your face over there. No one knows you're with Returned Origin. When it comes to disguise and infiltration, you're way better suited than I am."

"You're not going?"

"If I do, someone on the inside would recognize me."