Mathematical Bliss (Twenty-Seven)
It really was a subtle influence, working its way in without a sound.
In that moment, Fu Qian seemed to glimpse the scene of two sophons locking down technological progress. The invisible opponent he had been searching for was once again confirmed to exist.
So he really hadn't been shadowboxing with thin air all this time.
The other side hadn't merely decided to spare him for now. Instead, it had chosen a more vicious method than killing him outright: trapping him in that "City of Sin" for good.
And the entire process had been carried out through the man before him.
Certain suggestions had been planted in him, making him believe he was beyond saving and should simply have his coffin lid shut. That would minimize the chances of anyone guiding him.
That was right. Fu Qian had doubts about the claim that he'd fallen too deep to be saved.
He didn't doubt the gravedigger's honesty. He doubted his judgment.
Fu Qian's actions in the City of Sin had indeed been rather extreme. He'd killed repeatedly, endured inhuman cycles of rebirth, and finally made a scene at the Brotherhood's Incense Hall. His karmic burden was undeniably heavy.
But Fu Qian didn't think those actions necessarily pushed him straight into an irredeemable state. That seemed too extreme.
It was more likely that this explanation was another part of the manipulation, intended to seal off his path as efficiently as possible.
After all, ever since the mission began, he'd been acting with the urgency of a man chased by a rabid dog, causing trouble without wasting a second. Yet the lid of his coffin had still come down with such speed.
If he hadn't been lucky enough to witness the "lotus" through Lady Silk Scarf, he might never have