Rebirth of the Scumbag and the Retribution of the White Lotus

The black-robed man's words made the atmosphere even more oppressive. Zhao Shufang's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and her eyes were fixed on the black-robed man in front of her. At this moment, the surrounding environment seemed to become blurred, as if shrouded by some invisible force.

"What do you mean by 'real test'?" Zhao Shufang finally broke the silence, her tone calm but with a hint of uneasiness.

The black-robed man lowered his head and smiled softly, as if listening to an innocent question. "A test? Oh, my dear, a test isn't some mission or challenge like you imagine, but a choice of fate." He raised his head, his gaze deep, as if penetrating a human heart. "Each of your choices will affect the outcome of your future."

Lu Lingyuan stared at him closely, his brows furrowed slightly. He said in a deep voice, "What on earth are you doing? What do you want? Why do we only hear you talk about 'choices' and 'tests' every time, but never a trace of the truth?"

The black-robed man didn't rush to answer, instead taking a few slow steps, as if savoring every word. "Your questions are perfectly normal," he paused, smiling slightly. "But some truths can only be understood after reaching the end."

Zhao Shufang tightly grasped the talisman paper in her hand, calmly observing every move of the black-robed man. She had a vague feeling that the black-robed man before her was not just a simple mastermind behind the scenes, but seemed to have a more complicated past and purpose than they had seen.

"You said fate's choice. Does that mean each of our futures is already determined?" Zhao Shufang suddenly asked in a low voice. "Your so-called 'plan' means we act according to your wishes?"

The black-robed man turned, a complex flash of emotion in his eyes, as if pondering the question. "Destiny? Haha, destiny is never determined by others," he said. "But some people, at a certain turning point in their lives, choose the wrong path. Your so-called 'choice' is only the measure of how far you can go."

"Are you talking about Yang Qiming?" Lu Lingyuan interrupted, his tone clearly tinged with suspicion. "What exactly did he do wrong? Do you want to change him, or have you been manipulating him?"

The black-robed man's lips curled up slightly in a smile. "Yang Qiming? He's just a pawn in the game, just like you, the product of a certain choice. The truth you want to know is far more complicated than you imagine."

Zhao Shufang's gaze gradually sharpened. "What do you know? What's the connection between Yang Qiming's death and this 'curse'?"

The black-robed man didn't answer immediately, but said calmly, "All mysteries can be traced back to a single starting point. The Yang Qiming you met was just a trap I set, and this trap is far from as simple as you imagine."

He suddenly turned and pointed at the void behind him, his tone filled with an indescribable indifference: "If you could see the true situation clearly, you would understand that the so-called 'curse' is not just death or a trick of fate. It is a deeper force, a fate that you cannot resist."

"What are you talking about?" Zhao Shufang's mood became heavier. She knew that what the man in black robe said was true, but these words made her feel an unprecedented sense of oppression.

"Your 'curse' is but a small prologue of my arrangement." The black-robed man turned his head, a strange glint in his eyes. "The real story has only just begun. Yang Qiming's death was merely to awaken a certain power deep within you, or rather, to release the shackles that bind you."

Lu Lingyuan's eyes turned cold, and the unease in his heart grew stronger. "What exactly do you want us to do?" he couldn't help but ask. "If you really have control over everything, why don't you just destroy us? And you set up so many puzzles for us? Are you trying to force us into a desperate situation?"

The black-robed man was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Because I need you to reach this point before I can complete my final plan."

Zhao Shufang's eyes glared. "The final plan?" she repeated. "What exactly are you planning?"

"My plan isn't to destroy you." The black-robed man's gaze grew increasingly cold. "But to make you a part of my plan, the foundation for reordering this world."

"What do you mean?" Zhao Shufang asked, with a hint of unconscious anxiety in her tone.

The black-robed man smiled faintly, as if everything was under control. "Everything you see now is merely superficial. Behind the scenes lies an unfathomable power. My goal is to disrupt the existing order of this world and restore true power."

"Break the existing order?" Zhao Shufang frowned. "Are you saying you want to overturn the existing world rules?"

"Indeed." The black-robed man nodded. "The existing order has long been corrupted. Your so-called 'justice' only masks a deeper darkness. My plan is to restore the true ruler of this land."

"Who do you want to return?" Lu Lingyuan asked coldly, "Are you paving the way for a more powerful being?"

"I'm not paving the way for anyone," the black-robed man said contemptuously. "My goal isn't to serve a certain entity, but to make everyone understand that the true ruler of this world is always hidden from you."

Zhao Shufang felt a strong sense of unease. "What exactly are you talking about? Who is this 'master' you're talking about?"

The black-robed man smiled faintly, a hint of helplessness in his tone: "You don't need to know too much. In the end, you will understand that all choices were determined the moment you encountered this path."

Suddenly, the figure of the man in black robe turned into a black shadow and quickly disappeared into the air, leaving only a few hollow echoes.

Zhao Shufang and Lu Lingyuan exchanged a glance, each realizing that the game before them was far more complex than they had imagined. The black-robed figure represented more than just an enemy; he symbolized fate and unknown forces. Whether they could escape this endless vortex of fate remained unanswered.