There were far too many questions. The sheer volu of information had nearly caused Li Wufang and Tao Yi to crash.
The Blind One was doing sowhat better — at least she already knew about the Slice Universe. From her current vantage point, Cheng Shi had simply elevated the perspective to the Real Universe, further raising the status of that unspeakable existence.
But the problem was that Cheng Shi's definition of [Fate] had plunged her into confusion.
She had been abandoned by her Benefactor in the original world. After arriving in this world, the current [Fate] had treated her like a worn-out shoe. It was Cheng Shi who had pulled her back with the Destined Ones' creed, placing her once again on [Fate]'s path. Yet now Cheng Shi was telling her that [Fate] was the enemy — that they needed to exploit [Fate]'s protection to rebel against fate itself and reach the shores of victory...
'Why is it like this?'
An Mingyu's mind was a ss. She "looked" at the Destined Ones present, then "looked" at Cheng Shi ahead of her. Her expression clearly said she had things she wanted to tell Cheng Shi but couldn't say them in front of everyone.
Cheng Shi read her intent, glanced toward the side, and was the first to leave his seat, walking into the deeper darkness.
'It's ti to give everyone so space to cool down.'
Seeing the Fate Chosen follow Cheng Shi away from the gambling table, Tao Yi imdiately moved closer to Hong Lin and began whispering sothing. Only Li Wufang remained, staring blankly at the [Fate] dice on the table, obviously still wrestling with whether or not to join this grand plan of ascension to godhood.
An Mingyu followed behind Cheng Shi until they were far away. Sensing the silhouette ahead of her stop, she halted as well and asked quietly:
"Did she... also die to rebel against fate?"
It was the first ti the Blind One had ever brought up the other her's death in front of Cheng Shi. His expression turned solemn, and he let out a silent sigh:
"Yes."
He chose not to hide it. There was no reason to.
The sooner one recognized the cruelty of the Real Universe, the sooner that fear could beco fuel to find a path of survival in this world.
"Not just her. Many people died.
You, , Zhen Xin — all dead.
They were unlucky. They took the wrong path. But their lives eliminated one wrong option for us.
So, An Shenxuan — chin up.
This world's An Mingyu and the other world's Zhen Xin didn't abandon you and . They lit the road ahead with their lives."
"Drip—"
A single glistening tear traced down the Blind One's cheek and fell to the tip of her shoe. She lifted her head, wiped away the tear, then forced a brilliant smile before the sob could escape and asked:
"Then in the world that belonged to ... she and I..."
Cheng Shi turned around and, with an unreadable look in his eyes, gently patted the Blind One's shoulder.
"This world belongs to you. And this world's Zhen Xin can't do without you, either."
"...Does Xin Xin know?"
"She does. And she's also searching for a way out for this world."
An Mingyu nodded, unsurprised. "Is it with that organization alongside Li Jingming?"
Cheng Shi blinked, then didn't bother hiding it. He chuckled: "You figured it out?"
"Zhen Yi has been muttering Li Jingming's na constantly lately. I guessed it was because Xin Xin had been in too much contact with him, and Zhen Yi picked up on the clues.
They're... a group of liars, aren't they?
Your left hand holds the Destined Ones, your right hand holds the [Deceit] followers. Are they also trying to steal the gods' Divine Thrones, just like us?
So our target is [Fate], and theirs is [Deceit]?
But didn't you say [Void] is still more or less on our side? If it's an ally, then how..."
"It's complicated — too much to explain in a short ti. All you need to know is that we need [Void]'s power, but we can't fully trust [Void]'s promises.
If you absolutely must trust one of them, trust [Deceit]. Don't trust [Fate].
Our shared Benefactor has drawn too close to His will. In His eyes, nothing matters more than what is predetermined."
An Mingyu nodded thoughtfully, then added:
"You said [Fate] is forging a Sacrifice for that existence. So the Sacrifice..."
Cheng Shi didn't answer. The Blind One didn't ask again.
Between two sharp minds, no more needed to be said. They didn't even need to et each other's gaze — everything worth saying had already been conveyed.
"Understood. What do you need
to do next?
I'm skilled at prophecy, but now it seems these prophecies might just be [Fate]'s 'deception.' It guides us toward a predetermined future, but that future probably doesn't belong to us..."
Cheng Shi smiled. He wasn't at all surprised by how quickly the Blind One had co to terms with everything. She had always been a woman of exceptional wisdom — a peak player among peak players. Had she not endured the mind-bending ordeal of a world swap, she might still be that confident, composed prophet.
"Our future rests in our own hands alone.
You are still the person in this ga who understands [Fate] best. Don't look at
— the fact that you're still Its Chosen proves you're close enough to It.
Get to know It again. Study It. Search for every clue in the trials and in history. If the conflicts of faiths truly cast their reflections in the mortal world, then there must be cases where soone successfully defied [Fate].
That history may be useless right now, but it could beco the streetlights guiding our way forward.
The History School is a wonderful thing. Zhen Xin played a masterful move by leveraging it — she's using the School to search for sothing. If you have the ti, lend her a hand.
As for the rest...
Rember one thing: be yourself.
An Shenxuan, I have never deceived you. You and I are both Destined Ones. The only difference is that this destiny isn't dictated by Them — it's held in our own hands."
"Mm."
An Mingyu said nothing more. Her expression gradually hardened into resolve. After a mont of silence, sothing seed to click. She gave Cheng Shi a slight bow, then quietly returned to the gathering table.
The mont she left, Li Wufang — who could hold it in no longer — rushed over and blocked Cheng Shi's path back. He asked the question he simply couldn't wrap his head around.
"If [Fate] is our enemy, then why would It protect ? And why would It save
during that trial?"
Cheng Shi smiled. He looked at the anxious, wound-up [Fate] follower standing before him and said aningfully:
"Think about it more carefully. Is that really what happened?
The one who has always been protecting you in this ga is [Order]. And the one who saved you... was .
Each of us is writing our own destiny, but It thinks the script we're writing doesn't suit Its tastes. So It wants to lock us into an eternal, unchanging script.
I don't know how that script ends, so I'm afraid.
Just like you were afraid back then — not knowing whether soone would lend a hand to save your grandmother.
But back then, a man in a leather jacket reached out to you. And now — will you reach out to others?
Take that luck you're so proud of, and wield it as a weapon to save everyone else."
"..."
Li Wufang fell silent.
He still believed he was the lucky one blessed by [Fate]. The only thing that had changed was his decision to pass that luck forward.
"What should I do?" he asked, lost yet resolute.
Cheng Shi stroked his chin and pondered for a mont: "[Order] may have had Its nest stolen, but It should still have so 'relics' left behind. And since you happen to be Its follower, why don't we figure out how to swindle — I an, inherit Its life savings? Of course, if we could get our hands on Its Divine Throne, that would be even better."
"!!??"
Li Wufang was dumbstruck. Staring at Cheng Shi, who wasn't even pretending anymore, he said in disbelief:
"I just convinced myself to let go of [Fate] and return to [Order], and now you're telling
I need to seize my Benefactor's Divine Throne?!
Brother Cheng, why do I get the feeling you've been deceiving
this entire ti?"
Cheng Shi clapped Li Wufang on the shoulder repeatedly:
"Ah, you don't understand. Devotion taken to its absolute extre becos blasphemy.
This is a truth that holds in this world — no, in all worlds, even across the entire Real Universe!
Trust . Because I never lie."
...
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