Chapter 682: An Invitation from the Destined Ones

This time, Cheng Shi's devotion was genuine.

Though his current identity was the clown — having switched back to Deceit — in this moment, he was suffused with a Destiny-fueled piety he'd never felt before. He truly wished that the prayer "The paths we come from, the roads we take — all are destined" could guide him home.

But the devotion lasted only an instant. The very next second, the reverence in his eyes transformed into a different kind of mania. He snapped his head up and beamed at the Blind One, asking again:

"Well? Interested?"

The Blind One's expression was... spectacular.

She didn't know how to describe what she was feeling. All she saw was the spider web before her expanding at a lunatic pace — countless silk threads weaving outward in every direction like a sky-blotting canopy of storm clouds rolling toward her.

She felt like prey about to be ensnared — no escape, no recourse — because within that web lay not just its suffocating pressure, but a faint, unmistakable call of Destiny.

Destiny was a miraculous thing. Even though An Mingyu had always prided herself on seeing through fate, the fate she could see through... had never once included Cheng Shi.

This Fate Weaver was strange beyond measure. Throughout the trial, she'd invited him again and again to join the Torchbearers, and he'd refused every time. And now, come nightfall, he'd turned around and invited her instead.

'I don't want to carry the fire, and I'm even poaching from the Torchbearers?'

'This "Destined Ones" isn't some enemy of the Torchbearers, is it?'

The Blind One was stunned. The Blind One was amused. The Blind One laughed.

Her expressions shifted so rapidly that no single word could capture her state.

Cheng Shi only noticed her gazing meaningfully at his sleeve cuff. His smile froze as he discreetly nudged the scalpel peeking from his sleeve three centimeters higher.

"I have this odd feeling," the Blind One withdrew her "gaze" and "looked" at Cheng Shi's face, "that if I don't agree, I might not get a chance to go back?"

Cheng Shi's smile was radiant, as though absolutely nothing had happened.

"What are you saying? I'm simply reinforcing mutual trust. Being part of the same organization with a shared purpose makes for better teamwork — don't you think?"

"Oh? Is that so? Then why don't you trust that Destined One Investigator?"

"..." Cheng Shi's smile stiffened slightly. "His destiny and mine... aren't the same."

"Not the same?

Fair enough — after all, Qin Xin and Qin Xin aren't the same either.

But I have another question. If belonging to the same organization strengthens mutual trust, then — Cheng Shi — why won't you carry the fire for this world alongside me?"

"..." This time, the clown's smile froze completely.

"Cat got your tongue? Am I wrong?" The Blind One tilted her head with a smile. "From the gravity of your tone, I can tell the Destined Ones must mean something important to you. But — Cheng Shi — I don't see your sincerity."

Cheng Shi frowned: "My longing to go home is my sincerity. That should be beyond question, Chosen One."

"Yes, you truly want to go back. I do too: I understand your urgency in seeking a teammate's trust. But I cannot agree with your definition of trust.

As a Torchbearer, I should indeed be grateful for everything you've done for the Torchbearers, and I should respond with the utmost honesty while I still have my memories.

But I can't feel your sincerity. As things stand, Fate Weaver, you're not inviting me. You're inviting a Destiny Chosen who will forget you the moment the trial ends.

Beneath your trust lies a bottomless void. Just as you keep refusing the Torchbearers — wherever you go, you never truly surrender your trust to anyone."

"..."

The Blind One's words struck Cheng Shi into silence. And the worst part was — he had no rebuttal.

This was the first time anyone had so nakedly peeled back his disguise and laid bare the true nature of his trust. She was right: he genuinely struggled to trust others. Among the precious few people he walked alongside, the Blind One wasn't among them.

He'd always been wary of this prophet who had an unclear relationship with Zhen Xin. He'd always kept the Torchbearer identity at arm's length. His real plan had been to trade temporary "sincerity" for the Blind One's trust, then wait for the Torchbearers to fulfill their promise and use the Remembrance Needle to erase everything.

But now, with his scheme laid bare so bluntly, the clown...

... miled again, utterly unabashed.

'Small potatoes. Don't panic. Let me talk my way out of this — or better yet, be a little more "sincere."'

He piled on his best smile, leaned into his greatest strength, twisted the meaning of the Blind One's words inside out, and argued with righteous conviction:

"Now, now — is fake 'sincerity' not still sincerity?

When I'm willing to dress up this fakery in the packaging of sincerity, doesn't that mean the current me has nothing but sincerity in his eyes?

Think of it this way, Chosen One: you bought a box of exquisitely wrapped pastries from me. The instant the package is in your hands, the beautiful wrapping makes you happy. That's enough!

The trial lasts only seven days. I guarantee my pastries have a very long shelf life. You don't need to eat them right away. Just let that happiness last for seven days. That'll do.

As for what happens after seven days—"

"As for after seven days — setting aside whether I'd even want to eat them — once I've forgotten I ever bought this box, it wouldn't really matter if there were dung inside the gorgeous packaging. Would it?"

The Blind One shook her head with a reluctant laugh. She bowed before his shamelessness. She had never imagined anyone could have skin this thick.

But Cheng Shi heard her analogy and "unhappily" corrected her.

"That's outright slander! I'm an honest merchant. How could I possibly feed a customer dung?

The customer is god. God shouldn't have to eat dung.

Besides — you haven't even opened the packaging yet. How would you know what's inside?"

"..."

The Blind One went blank. For a split second, she felt that the Prisoner and Zhen Yi's rankings might be a little inflated.

"So — want to buy a box, Chosen One?" Cheng Shi was still sincerely hawking his wares.

The Blind One's expression shifted several times. Finally, she sighed:

"Sold. Sigh — definitely sold.

If only for the sake of a certain Fire Seeker — one must bring home souvenirs from foreign lands.

But Cheng Shi, even if I join the Destined Ones, can a name with no binding power actually put your mind at ease?

Rather than fussing over labels, why don't you first tell me what this Fixed Destiny you champion actually is?

Perhaps reflecting on Destiny might spark some genuine interest in this organization I've never heard of."

Hearing the affirmative, Cheng Shi grinned with delight.

'See? There's no unsellable dung — er, product. Only unskilled salespeople!'

'But if you want to discuss this topic... well, I've got more reflections on Destiny than I know what to do with.'

"Chosen One — do you believe in fate?"

"?" Hearing this absurd question, the Blind One laughed in exasperation. "You're a Destiny follower too. Asking the Destiny Chosen this question to her face — is there any point?"

"There is — because I'm not asking whether you believe in His guidance. I'm asking whether you believe in His protection!

Do you think you can survive under His protection... all the way to the end?"

The Blind One's brow tightened, her expression turning grave: "What counts as 'the end'?"

"The universe returns to the Void. The day Origin is revealed — that's the end!"

The moment he finished, Cheng Shi snatched the dice right out of the Blind One's hand.

'Girl — just listen, alright? Please don't start divining again.'

'I'm genuinely terrified of you lot and your compulsive fortune-telling.'