Forge a path to success.

Chapter 91 The Tide of Fate
Ten minutes later, at the Dragon Temple.

Major war criminal Vande was thrown into a rat cage to await his fate, while his own eyes loudly protested inside the cage, claiming that the living conditions were rudimentary. Meanwhile, Chu Hengkong, who had just woken up, was tightly surrounded by the crowd. He was lying naked in the array, with a ring of strange, unidentifiable relics pasted on his body, making him look like he was having an electrocardiogram in another world.

"Relax your body, concentrate." Youyou's gaze was sharp as a knife. "How are you feeling now?"

"It's better than ever before." Chu Hengkong moved his arms back and forth. "I feel like I could beat three of my past selves."

Ji Huaisu asked with a face full of curiosity: "All at once or a series of attacks?"

"It's not that detailed... Miss Ji, I'm warning you not to touch it randomly, this thing is dangerous."

Ji Huaisu crept up behind him and furtively tried to poke the exposed bone. Her fingertips recoiled as if electrocuted the moment they touched it, and barely perceptible ripples ran across the surface of the bone, turning her slender fingertips bright red.

Ji Huaisu sucked on her finger, tears welling in her eyes from the pain: "My bone bit me!"

"The kinetic energy reflection armor, a standard feature of ultimate-level mechs, returns more pain the harder you apply it." Ji Qiufeng chuckled. "This thing is too much of a burden for you. Can you turn it off?"

"Let me try……"

Chu Hengkong stretched his back muscles. He didn't know if he could command the bone—the immortal machine, which had long since died, probably didn't have the ability to receive commands either—so he used the basic stance from the Three Thousand Sets to fine-tune it using the technique of manipulating bones.

Stop. He thought. Rest.

The ripples on her back subsided, and Ji Huaisu cautiously poked it, finding it harmless this time. She then pressed her advantage and began scratching with her claws, prompting Chu Hengkong to quickly drape his coat over her shoulders: "Mind your image."

"You're not in pain, so what's the loss?" Ji Huaisu said matter-of-factly. "What's your analysis, Lord Youyou?"

“No abnormal information exchange, independent thought fluctuations, no abnormal limb deformities…” Youyou looked up from in front of a pile of jade tablets. “There are no signs of external contamination for the time being. But this is unprecedented, and you will inevitably be affected by the true machine. Afterwards, you will enter a period of observation, monitoring, protection, and defense. Everything will be carried out to the highest standards to ensure that you do not become some kind of crazy killing machine.”

“But he already was,” Jie An, who was observing, said.

“That’s the problem,” Youyou hissed, “Generally speaking, unlucky guys who get contaminated by real machinery become cold, expressionless, taciturn, prone to violence, and have a fondness for strange mechanical products. But he’s always like this, I can’t tell the difference.”

Chu Heng tried his best to protest, racking his brains to find a rebuttal: "I also play games and go fishing!"

“I think things are alright; at least he still knows how to talk back,” Ji Huaisu said with a wicked grin.

Everyone teased him for a while, the laughter mainly focused on his new bones. Afterwards, Ji Huaisu declared he needed to catch up on sleep and left, Youyou took the rat cage to interrogate Fan De, and Jie An busied himself preparing medicinal cuisine. Chu Hengkong ignored the pleading voice of someone whose eyes had drifted away and stretched his limbs in place. Ji Qiufeng stared at his retreating figure, his eyes flashing.

"How was your trip?"

“The world is vast, and I am but a tiny speck.” Chu Hengkong patted his shoulder. “You have such great vision.”

Bone Forging Technique, Qi Interception Strike, and most importantly, the One Qi Across a Thousand Autumns. Without Ji Qiufeng's relentless training over those three months, he wouldn't have even seen the Immortal Machine; he would have died long ago in the desolate mountains of the Divine Kingdom. Everyone says that the Dragon God is skilled in divination and knows the future, but after experiencing all this, Chu Hengkong feels that a martial artist's vision is no less far-reaching than the Dragon God's.

“It has nothing to do with perspective, it’s more about ‘fate’,” Ji Qiufeng laughed. “There’s a widely accepted theory called ‘the tide of fate,’ which says that human destiny is like a stream, and the destinies of all living beings converge into a vast ocean. The direction of fate is always changing because the streams vary in strength. A strong stream will assimilate the weaker tributaries, guiding them in directions they shouldn’t be.”

In the sea, knowing is possessing, and possessing is touching. Once you know of the existence of the currents, you reach into them, and from then on, your fate is pulled by them, helpless and adrift. Therefore, to avoid being swept away by the strong currents, one can only remain alone, neither exploring nor touching.

“However, there are also those who are born with unusual trends. Some people are different from others; they are unwilling to remain unknown and inconspicuous, and they prefer to go where things are complicated.” Ji Qiufeng tapped his shoulder. “People say that such people have a dark fate; they are like walking misfortunes, and wherever they go, trouble follows.”

Chu Hengkong shook his head helplessly: "What bad luck..."

“The people of the swamp call you the Son of the Trend, and there’s a reason for that. If you don’t quickly learn some kung fu, how will you get through any trouble?” Ji Qiufeng said. “Think positively, there are many unlucky people in the world, one more won’t make a difference.”

Hearing this, Chu Hengkong fell silent for a moment. He thought of the many souls lost in Yingshi Town, and the "past" he had seen in the mist. A once prosperous nation had perished just like that, because of the upheaval in the sea, because of the advance of the True Machines. And the Ultimate True Machines did not regard them as enemies; they simply advanced, obliterated, and disintegrated, leaving only wronged souls weeping in the wasteland.

He was much luckier than the remnants of the divine kingdom.

"Mr. Ji, what kind of place was the Divine Kingdom?"

“A very, very good place.” Ji Qiufeng smiled slightly. “Huilong City is too far from Longquan Township. Back then, the Netherworld God was our strongest support. The golden age of Huilong City was inseparable from its protection. He personally guided Youyou in building the city, and His land was happy to trade with us. Many times we gathered under the cherry blossom trees, listening to the locals sing ancient poems and long songs.” The man closed his eyes, hiding the deep sorrow within them.

“It’s all in the past,” he said softly, “like poems and songs that have faded away.”

Chu Hengkong sat quietly, finding it hard to believe that the Divine Kingdom had been so easily destroyed. However, sensing Ji Qiufeng's sorrow, he decided against delving deeper. He brought up the matter he cared about: "How are Qi Su and the others?"

“Their situation is special, I’ll think of a way.” Ji Qiufeng patted his shoulder. “But you should care about yourself first. You look like a minor heretic now, but in the old divine kingdom you would have been reduced to ashes.”

"now what?"

“We are more open than the Divine Kingdom.” Ji Qiufeng turned around. “Be careful of Ganggu, and get some rest.”

His footsteps faded into the distance, leaving only one person sitting alone in the temple. Chu Hengkong sat quietly, thinking of nothing. Normally, he would have jumped up to examine his new bones or analyzed the gains and losses of the battle, but today he didn't think so much. Those bygone stories were like a thin layer of dust covering his heart; he didn't feel much sadness, but rather realized that he was truly a little tired.

So he left the temple, walked down the stairs, and many of his men greeted him along the way. He overheard his brothers discussing "an epic battle taking place in a distant mountain range," and before half a day had passed, some gossip had leaked the news. After leaving headquarters, he wandered around for a while, sitting on the curb, watching the strange and wonderful vehicles and the diverse groups of people moving about in the city.

He suddenly felt that all of this was very distant from him, as distant as a scene on a screen. A chill crept up his spine, and his vision turned blood-red. The speeding vehicles slowed down, transforming from trailing afterimages of their taillights into almost still blocks of color. Pedestrians also slowed down, seeing only varying shades of blood, as if the streets had been smeared with blood.

The chill solidified, piercing his flesh, like a cold insect lurking on his back. A voice murmured within him, as if a mere touch could wipe away the crimson in his eyes.

"Not now," Chu Hengkong muttered to himself. "We'll talk about it next time."

The crimson faded, the chill dissipated, and the steel worm retreated back into its bones. He felt a bit cold and pulled his clothes tighter. Just then, he felt a sticky sensation on his ankle. Chu Hengkong looked down and met a pair of silly-looking eyes.

“Dude, you were acting like a complete idiot student just now,” Vander said, drawing out his words. “No way. We’ll talk about it another time. I’m going to find a better time to destroy the world.”

"Screw you."

He grabbed Vande with one hand and placed it beside him. The Eye Demon sighed, "You ungrateful wretch! I was interrogated for half an hour! That snake almost ate me!"

“She is actually a dragon,” Chu Hengkong corrected. “A dragon swimming freely.”

Vande's eyes turned pale: "...Really?"

"real."

“A dignified ancient dragon prophet of mass 5 is pretending to be a snake.” Vande looked worried and bitter. “I understand your temperament now. Everyone in this place is just as neurotic from top to bottom.”

Chu Hengkong smiled, his eyes like a cheeky little hairdryer, capable of dispelling any gloomy, ominous chill after just a few words. He stretched: "How does Youyou plan to exile you?"

“‘Afterwards, you will enter a period of observation, surveillance, protection, and vigilance—everything will be conducted to the highest standards.’” Van der mimicked her tone perfectly, then cried out in despair, “Why am I, such an innocent and harmless eye demon, being monitored as a suspicious individual?!”

"Honestly, do you really think you're not suspicious?" Chu Hengkong said. "Try to think positively, I'm the same way."

Van der clicked his tongue and shook his head: "Now we're in the same boat. They really don't treat you like one of their own."

In reality, this was overestimating their own abilities. Ji Qiufeng's silence didn't mean he was unaware; a complete bone from an Ultimate Body True Machine and an unknown creature capable of transplanting such a thing into a human—it's hard to say which is more sinister. Anyone would weigh the risks involved, and Ji Qiufeng intended to cover for them.

"They've been too nice to me," Chu Hengkong said with a wry smile. "Now I'll have to work overtime..."

"I've wanted to say for a long time that you're addicted to your work."

"I've always been dedicated to my job." Chu Hengkong stood up. "Where are Qi Su and the others?"

“That’s exactly what I was going to tell you.” Vande pointed several tentacles toward the sky. “You missed a big commotion while you were unconscious, the kind that’s worth remembering.”

Chu Hengkong looked up. Among the islands above Huilong City, a slightly larger dark shadow had appeared.

(End of this chapter)