After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qian Heaven and Chen Dragon's dinner party still went ahead.
Back at the [Eight Trigrams] office, the first thing you see when you open the door is the boisterous group of people. In contrast, He Piaojian, who is usually the most mischievous, is sitting on the sofa in unusual quiet.
Qian Heaven rubbed his temples, feeling utterly exhausted.
He instructed Kun Earth, "I have some things to attend to; don't let them bother me."
"Okay, would you like a cup of hot tea?"
Thank you, I appreciate your help.
They didn't exchange many words, yet they could understand each other's thoughts with just a few words; perhaps this was a kind of tacit understanding.
Qian Heaven pushed open the door to his private room and looked up to see Fan Daoyi sitting on the sofa.
That gaze held a hint of detachment as it looked at him, as if they were complete strangers.
"Dao..." Qian Heaven began, as if to ask something.
Fan Daoyi raised his hand to interrupt, his expression calm and unwavering.
At this moment, Kun Earth approached with a cup of tea and immediately spotted Fan Daoyi on the sofa.
She paused for a moment, then said, only perfunctorily, "What would you like to drink?"
"No need," Fan Daoyi, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up. "I just want to have a brief chat with Qian Heaven."
"Oh, okay." Kun Earth didn't say anything, but glanced at Qian Heaven beside him, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
That feeling of panic intensified.
Kun Earth waited quietly outside, his hands nervously rubbing together.
For some reason, Fan Daoyi always felt somewhat unfamiliar to her. Even though they'd known each other for months, should she have that same expression when they met?
Such awkwardness and disharmony.
She didn't know how long they had been talking inside, and time slowly passed as she pondered, until the group that had been making a ruckus finally sat down quietly.
Only when he heard the faint sound of the elevator at the door Fan Daoyi quietly appear, leaning on that familiar dark green bamboo cane.
"Wow, Dao Yi, you're back!"
No one was surprised by Fan Daoyi's appearance, as if they already knew how things would turn out, or perhaps the lie Azure Dragon fabricated was convincing enough.
Fan Daoyi thought this to himself, but what he didn't know was that Azure Dragon only said Dao San.
Their current behavior stems solely from their absolute trust in Fan Daoyi.
He Piaojian sprang to his feet from the sofa, twisted his body, and knelt on the sofa with his knees bent backwards, his arms resting on the edge of the sofa as he stared at Fan Daoyi.
You left without a word, why didn't you take me with you?
With a smirk and a sidelong glance, his expression carried a hint of reproach.
Seeing his little expression Fan Daoyi couldn't help but find it amusing, and kindly explained, "Well, I went back to Guixu."
Return?
Kan Water inexplicably felt that his focus was a bit strange, that he was actually fixated on this word.
However, it's normal to occasionally use the wrong word.
"You went to the Guixu? Wait, didn't the Insect Disaster affect your abilities? Going to the Guixu at this time is too dangerous!"
Xun Wind has recovered, and I've heard their story about the Insect Disaster. Fan Daoyi's heroic act—single-handedly changing the entire situation, that so-called Balance— was truly remarkable.
Fan Daoyi didn't hide the matter of Balance from them either. "It's not a big problem. Balance is not as simple as you see it."
"What? What?" Li Fire and Zhen Thunder were extremely curious about this.
Their formidable strength is undeniable, and their yearning for power has made them exceptionally excited.
Fan Daoyi smiled and turned to Xun Wind, saying, "Xun Wind, in Azure Cloud City, or rather, outside the Barrier, did you feel an increase in your strength?"
Xun Wind shook his head. "No, so when I first heard them say it, I couldn't quite believe it, because I haven't experienced it myself."
"Well, I decide what to choose on either side of the Scales. For example, the left side of the Scales is a person, while the right side is the whole world."
I said their strength is Balance, and the choice is either for humanity on the left to grow stronger, or for everyone in the world on the right to regress, until the balance is achieved.
Upon hearing this, they were utterly dumbfounded. "Holy crap, this is supposed to Balance? This is cheating! No, this is hacking!"
"As the saying goes, no matter how strong you are, I will determine the Balance directly. Only what I desire is true Balance."
"Damn, is this still a spatial ability?"
"How can an individual existing in this world not be considered a space?"
"Conceptual God!"
"Then wouldn't you be invincible?"
Upon hearing their words, Fan Daoyi lowered his eyes and told a small lie, "It's not that simple. Any powerful force must pay a corresponding price, which is why I immediately went to Guixu to make a wish."
"Isn't that still very dangerous? You should at least call one of us."
They fully believed in this price.
Fan Daoyi did not respond to their concern.
A program to combat the Insect Disaster had ended, and he had no reason to stay.
"I came to find Qian Heaven. Has he returned?"
"Yes, the boss should be in his own lounge."
"Good."
With a clear goal in mind, Fan Daoyi, leaning on his bamboo cane, went to find Qian Heaven.
Kun Earth stood quietly at the door, and when he saw Fan Daoyi, a look of doubt appeared in his eyes.
"Fan Daoyi?"
"Hmm." Fan Daoyi sensed Kun Earth's puzzled expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
After thinking for a moment, Kun Earth shook his head and replied, "Oh, it's nothing."
Gently push open the door to Qian Heaven's room, and the person who was talking to Qian Heaven inside is no longer there.
"Dao Yi?"
Qian Heaven looked puzzled when he saw him again, a fact that Fan Daoyi quickly noticed.
Is there anything you forgot to say?
Fan Daoyi frowned; things seemed to have developed beyond his expectations once again.
The Insect Disaster incident has already been verified with those guys from Guixu; it was orchestrated by myself in the past.
All that roundabout setup and buildup really disgusted him.
The current Fan Daoyi despises his former self.
Now, yet another new change has occurred.
Ha...
He sighed deeply; this couldn't possibly have been done by Dao Er.
Although he is the opposite of himself, he will not hide some important actions from others.
There's only one possibility; it's the same thing those guys were talking about.
That is... 'oneself'.
Or perhaps it is... the 'Tao'.
"It's nothing, I just came to confirm something."
He ultimately didn't mention his intention to leave, which added uncertainty to the situation.
As always, things were unclear and uncertain; we could only proceed along the pre-arranged path.
But he's not one to follow the rules; he needs to change himself in this situation.
Watching Fan Daoyi's departing figure, Qian Heaven's expression became more thoughtful.
He was surrounded by members of the Eight Trigrams group, as if he had already integrated into the group.
But his every move seems to be that of a leader who influences the development of events and plans everything.
"Qian Heaven," Kun Earth gently called to him.
Qian Heaven, regaining his senses, pondered, "Kun Earth, am I suited to sit in this position?"
"Of course, you are an excellent leader."
"Really? But I don't think this location is suitable."
Concealing the love deep in her heart, Kun Earth slowly grasped Qian Heaven's hand. "No matter what, I will always be by your side."
"... You have terrible taste too."
Qian Heaven spoke softly, and only he could hear him.