Chapter 23: Divine Favor

At these words, a flicker of surprise crossed Chu Muyun’s eyes.

"Oh? Are you also interested in the Path to Godhood?"

"A little. And since I’m planning to become a law enforcement officer, I thought…"

"Law enforcement officer." Chu Muyun nodded. "So, you’re planning to walk the ‘Path of the Soldier’?"

"I guess so… Isn’t that the only path for law enforcement officers?"

"Who told you that?" Chu Muyun chuckled lightly. "While the majority of law enforcement officers—or rather, law enforcement judges—follow the ‘Path of the Soldier,’ since it’s the only divine path controlled by the Aurora Domain, there are also other divine paths among the judges in Aurora City. Those who walk other paths can also become law enforcement judges."

"I don’t have any special talents. I might not even have a chance to become a[Divine Favored]." Chen Ling sighed. "Most likely, I’ll just have to wait until I’ve been a law enforcement officer for three years and try my luck at the ‘Soldier’s Ancient Repository’…"

"Brother, who says you don’t have talent!" Chen Yan immediately put down his chopsticks and said earnestly, "You’re so amazing. I’m sure many of those… divine paths would fight to have you!"

Chen Ling smiled bitterly.

As a child, his parents had forced him to learn some arts like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but he hadn’t excelled in any of them. By the time he grew up, he had forgotten it all. His academic performance was average, his physical fitness poor—he was the kind of person who knew a little about everything but was truly good at nothing.

The Chen Ling of this life was no different.

With two lifetimes of mediocrity stacked together, Chen Ling didn’t believe he had the potential to be chosen by any divine path…

"Talent is hard to predict," Chu Muyun said thoughtfully. "Some people might possess a certain talent but never reveal it. Perhaps the right moment just hasn’t come yet…"

"If it’s the Path of the Soldier, how can I know if I have the talent for it?"

"That’s simple."

The smile on Chu Muyun’s face gradually faded, replaced by an extremely indifferent tone. "Go kill someone… If one isn’t enough, kill ten. If ten aren’t enough, kill a hundred… If you kill a thousand and the Path of the Soldier still doesn’t favor you, then you can be sure you don’t have the talent."

Chen Ling’s chopsticks paused, and the living room fell into dead silence.

"Just kidding." Chu Muyun laughed, as if the icy atmosphere had melted, and a warm breeze once again swept over the dining table. "If you don’t want to kill, then you’ll just have to enter the Ancient Repository… Three years might seem long, but you’re still young. You can afford to wait."

Killing…

Chen Ling looked down at the rice in his bowl, recalling the scene of the red-paper monster killing the two law enforcement officers that night. Suddenly, he felt nauseous.

Chen Ling was an ordinary person. Even though he had killed countless people in video games in his previous life and watched plenty of bloody movies, the thought of actually picking up a knife and killing someone was something he couldn’t stomach… He couldn’t cross that line in his heart, the line built by reason and compassion.

"Then what are ‘paths’?"

Chen Ling remembered the[Dance of Slaughter]he had extracted from Han Meng, which came from the[Judgment]path of the Path of the Soldier. But he didn’t understand what "paths" actually were.

"You even know about ‘paths’?" Chu Muyun looked at him in surprise.

"Let me put it this way. If becoming a god is like climbing a mountain, then besides the main road, there are also ‘small paths.’ The divine path is the main road, while ‘paths’ are the branching routes that extend based on each person’s personality and talents.

For example, Han Meng is quite stubborn and has a strong sense of justice, so he follows the[Judgment]path… Accordingly, the abilities he gains at different stages of ascension might differ from other paths, reflecting his personal characteristics."

Chen Ling pondered this. "How many paths are there for a single divine path?"

"That’s hard to say. Some divine paths are more popular, so naturally, more branching paths have been explored. For example, the Path of the Soldier has seven known ‘paths.’ But for some of the more obscure divine paths, there might only be a few."

"Dr. Chu, are you also a practitioner of a divine path?" Chen Ling thought of Dr. Lin’s evaluation of him and asked curiously.

"Yes," Chu Muyun admitted openly. "I walk the ‘Path of the Healer.’"

"Path of the Healer? Is the Healer's Ancient Repository also in the Aurora Domain?"

The moment he asked this, Chen Ling realized something and exclaimed in surprise, "You… are a[Divine Favored]?"

Chu Muyun smiled without answering.

Although Chen Ling had guessed that Chu Muyun followed the Path of the Healer, he hadn’t expected him to be a[Divine Favored]… Wasn’t this supposed to be extremely rare? How had he stumbled upon one so casually?

"What does it feel like to become a[Divine Favored]?" Chen Ling couldn’t help but ask.

Chu Muyun thought for a moment.

"Hmm… It’s hard to describe. It’s like suddenly feeling transcendent, as if a gaze from the beyond is watching you… Then, the environment around you changes, and a path leading into the void appears before you…"

"The divine path? It’s a real road? Not an illusion?"

"It’s real, at least in that moment. But before you step onto it, it floats in the sky, swaying constantly, like… like…" Chu Muyun struggled to find the right word.

"Like a ribbon?" Chen Yan, who had been quietly eating, suddenly spoke up.

"A ribbon?" Chen Ling looked at him in surprise.

"Yes, a ribbon." Chu Muyun’s eyes lit up, and he continued, "Then, the moment you step onto it, it solidifies and disappears… Even though you can’t see it, it remains within you forever."

Chen Ling looked at Chen Yan in confusion, but the latter shrank his neck and whispered, "I just… said it based on his description."

"…Alright."

Chen Ling sighed. "I hope I’ll have the chance to step onto a divine path one day."

After finishing the meal, Chen Yan dutifully rolled up his sleeves to wash the dishes. Chu Muyun, seemingly out of nowhere, pulled out a book and sat by the kerosene lamp, reading by its faint light. His expression shifted between frowns and confusion, as if deep in thought.

As the night deepened, the three of them retired to their respective rooms.

Chen Ling was the last to leave. He blew out the candle on the table, and with a flicker of flame, the room plunged into darkness…

His gaze turned toward Chen Yan’s room.

Chen Ling slowly walked to Chen Yan’s door and pulled out a broken talisman of peace from his pocket. Just as he was about to knock, his knuckles froze mid-air.

[“I… I… After I woke up from the surgery, I waited in the hospital for you to come get me… Then, I heard people outside talking about an ‘Apocalypse' Calamity invading, and I got really worried.

[I sneaked out of the hospital when no one was looking, planning to come home and find you… Then I saw you hanging from a monster…”]

[“The law enforcement officers seemed short-handed. They only sealed off the outer areas of Districts Two and Three, but there weren’t many people guarding the area between the two districts. I sneaked through.”]

[“Brother, aren’t we going to run?”]

[“Brother, it’s okay even if you turn into a monster… As long as… you’re still you.”]

[“That doctor seems really skilled. I recovered quickly.”]

[“I don’t know… Maybe I lost it while running back.”]

Chen Yan’s words kept flashing through Chen Ling’s mind. His knuckles clenched tighter and tighter… He looked at the talisman in his hand, his eyes filled with confusion and doubt.

Ever since finding this talisman in the ruins of Ice Spring Street, Chen Ling’s heart had been on edge. Even after walking back for two hours, his mind had been preoccupied with this one thing…

Thinking carefully, there were many things about Chen Yan’s appearance that couldn’t be explained.

The timing and location of his appearance were just too coincidental… Could a boy who had just undergone a heart transplant really sneak past the law enforcement blockade and walk for over two hours to the back mountain?

Or… was he no longer human either?