He Played the Villain in Everything
Wuma Xiu turned around and saw that the God of Time was watching him.
That look in her eyes made him suddenly feel a pang of guilt. Even though he was the one who hadn't tried to stop her, it felt like he was the one who had abandoned her.
All right.
They've been friends for so many years, after all.
Wuma Xiu's foot turned a corner and then came back the way it came.
He walked up to the God of Time, sighed helplessly, his tone carrying three parts compromise and seven parts disappointment:
"With your personality, it's no wonder the God of Fate is against you. I'm not trying to give you anything; I'm just curious—curious about what treasure he used to persuade someone as powerful as you to come to his aid, alright?"
He took a step back, adopting a posture that said, "I've already said all this, you should tell me now."
When he used this tactic of feigning retreat to advance on his opponents, he always felt like a conman luring honest people into his scheme.
But having already spoken, he refused to believe the other party wouldn't back down.
The God of Time remained silent for a moment, then, as if finally persuaded, he spoke:
He promised me a gourd. A gourd that could hold a lot of things.
Wuma Xiu burst out laughing when he heard the first half of it.
That's it?
He still thought that the God of Fate, that bastard, could come up with some earth-shattering treasure to win people's hearts.
After all that fuss, it turned out to be nothing more than a gourd.
Wuma Xiu has more gourds than he ever needs; he can practically have as many as he wants.
If he had known earlier that he wanted a gourd, he would have just picked any one and sent it over; there was no need for the God of Fate to give him such a broken thing as a reward.
But his laughter didn't last long.
The second half of the God of Time's words slowly drifted into his ears, and Wuma Xiu's smile gradually faded.
He certainly had many gourds, but to say they "could hold a lot of things" is an exaggeration.
He looked down at his waist, where the gourd with the words "One More Flask" Wine Gourd was hanging.
This is currently the only gourd he has that meets this requirement. However, it has been used for so many years and is filled with wine, so it doesn't seem appropriate to send it over.
But this didn't stump him.
Just make one now.
"At that time, it was just a gourd. Given our friendship, I'll make one for you later."
Wuma Xiu involuntarily recalled the process of refining this Wine Gourd.
Back then, in order to refine this "One More Flask", he used up hundreds of Space Stones.
At that time, he was quite heartbroken.
Now, the craft is still there, and with a little more material, it shouldn't be difficult to forge another one.
Wuma Xiu mentally counted on his fingers, muttering to himself, "I still have all the other materials, but it seems I'm missing Space Stones."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a small mountain appeared out of thin air in front of him.
The Space Stones are all crystal clear.
Wuma Xiu paused for a moment, then looked at the God of Time.
"Is this enough?" the God of Time asked casually.
It was as if Wuma Xiu wasn't satisfied with what he said, and he could pour out another small mountain of information.
"More than enough, there's way too much." Wuma Xiu chuckled, bending down to pick through the small mountain of kernels, selecting only a few dozen that caught his eye. "I'll just take a few; you can put the rest away."
"I'll take all of these; I can't just take your things for nothing. Consider it payment."
The God of Time stood still, showing no intention of taking it back.
Wuma Xiu glanced at the serious face of the God of Time, then at the mountain of Space Stones piled up in front of him, and pocketed the remaining Space Stones.
Okay, refusing would make him seem too distant.
After finishing collecting them, Wuma Xiu suddenly thought of a question and casually asked it:
"Why are you carrying so many Space Stones?"
The more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.
While Space Stones aren't exactly rare treasures, they're not exactly common either. Who would carry around a whole bunch of them? It's like the other person knew he needed them beforehand and brought them along on purpose.
He looked up at the God of Time, his gaze now filled with a mischievous scrutiny.
Come to think of it, something about today's events felt a little off to him.
"Is it a lot?" the God of Time retorted.
Actually, he had much more; he only took this little bit earlier to avoid arousing suspicion.
But unexpectedly, even this small detail aroused suspicion about the wine.
Seeing that the other party's expression was normal, Wuma Xiu did not ask any further questions.
At that time, he had a very good reputation.
Perhaps it was just a coincidence.
And so, the matter came to an end.
With a pocket full of Space Stones, Wuma Xiu bid farewell to the God of Time with satisfaction and went back to tinker with his new gourd.
However, to his utter surprise, the video of their conversation was leaked.
The image is not clear.
The true form of the Gods was shrouded in a hazy halo, which was impossible for the naked eye of mortals to penetrate.
But those conversations spread far and wide without a single word being missed.
Their titles completely revealed their identities.
Wuma Xiu aside the uproar caused by this incident, let's just say that the only people present were himself, Shi, and a God of Fate.
How could he possibly do such a thing?
At that time, it was definitely impossible.
So there's only one truth, and that's that hateful God of Fate.
Wuma Xiu ground his back teeth, cursing the God of Fate repeatedly in his mind.
But as he cursed, he then thought about it again and felt something was strange.
Although that guy was annoying, he never did anything meaningless. Every single thing he did, no matter how absurd it seemed on the surface, had its own unique logic behind it.
So the question is, what benefit would he gain from releasing this footage?
Wuma Xiu tried to figure out the God of Fate's thought process, but gave up halfway through. He figured that even if he went to the Fate Temple in person to question it, he would only get a dismissive "This is guidance from Fate."
To be honest, lately, this phrase has been appearing far too often around him.
Wuma Xiu rubbed his temples, deciding to try a different angle.
Putting aside all the convoluted calculations, what is the most direct effect of the God of Fate releasing this footage?
Etc.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Wuma Xiu, as if someone had lit a lamp in his mind.
His lips twitched slightly.
Is this guy trying to show off?
Perhaps there is another reason.
Was he sounding an alarm for those hiding in the shadows, warning them not to cross the line?
Blood, lots of blood.
Limbs and remains were scattered all over the ground, and the air was filled with the strong smell of rust.
"Defying Fate, this is the consequence."
The God of Fate stood in the very center of this mess, spotless and expressionless.
He raised his hand and waved it casually.
All the blood and all the severed limbs vanished completely with that single sweep.
The God of Fate lowered her eyelashes and suddenly let out a very soft chuckle.
"That guy Time is probably grinning from ear to ear right now. He got all the credit for being the good guy and the innocent victim, while I'm the villain. I was the one who threatened him, I was the one who lied to him, and I was the one who released the video. I'm so wronged."
As the God of Fate spoke, he straightened his cuffs.
Finally, he raised his chin, a very faint smile curving his lips.
"However, it's good that I've achieved my goal."
Fate is Fate precisely because no matter how tortuous the path ahead or how volatile the journey, the outcome will inevitably occur.
People may struggle and resist during the process, but no matter how many detours they take, the final destination is already predetermined before anything even begins.
As the God of Fate, he was naturally different from ordinary people.
He simply chose a destination he liked, waiting for his favorite god to arrive, and then casually cleaned up the trash that needed cleaning up.