Yang Mei stared at Shichen in silence.
For a long, long time.
At last, he nodded, a note of solemnity in his voice:
"All right! Shichen, if you need help, come to me anytime. We're friends, after all..."
Pangu stepped forward as well, grinning as he gave Shichen's shoulder a heavy slap:
"And me! If you say you have a way, then I believe you do! When have you ever lied to me?"
Shichen looked at the two of them, a smile touching his lips.
"Don't make this so solemn."
"The Chaos World as it stands today is the fruit of our efforts together. I don't want what happened at the Sixth Heaven to happen again, either."
He paused, gazing into the depths of chaos:
"We have yet to stand together at the pinnacle of the Great Dao and look down upon that peerless vista. How could I destroy all this?"
Yang Mei fell silent for a moment at those words.
Then he smiled.
He took a flask of wine from his robes, tipped his head back, and drained it.
"Across the endless ages, there is nothing but loneliness."
Yang Mei lowered the flask and wiped the corner of his mouth. He looked at Shichen, his eyes smiling:
"To have a few true friends by my side is already a great blessing!"
"Shichen! I'm going into seclusion. When I emerge, I hope to find you still as you are!"
He paused, his voice suddenly turning earnest:
"If the heavens truly fall and your Dao collapses, I will walk with you back to the Great Dao!"
Without waiting for Shichen's reply, he turned, waved his flask at him, and headed straight for the Space Temple.
Watching Yang Mei leave, Pangu scratched his head in bewilderment:
"What's with Yang Mei and all