“I can't guarantee that.”
Fang Yuan didn't look at her again.
The wind brought a series of hurried footsteps; the person Fang Yuan had left behind finally caught up.
Panting slightly, she didn't dare attack rashly as before, instead keeping a certain distance from Fang Yuan and warily watching her moves.
The two attacks Fang Yuan had dodged just now, along with a running speed faster than a dog, made her realize that the person before her was likely a trained fighter—a tough nut to crack.
The supposedly trained fighter who ran faster than a dog clasped her hands behind her back and held her chin high, putting on an enigmatic look.
She gave the woman a contemptuous smile, rolling her shoulders back until her bones popped.
The woman took half a step back, bracing herself for a fight to the death with Fang Yuan.
She really is a trained fighter!
Trying to defeat me in one fell swoop before I catch my breath?
Hmph, I've already seen right through you!
Fang Yuan, who had merely wanted to stretch, saw her take half a step back and shifted her left foot backward by a pace, getting ready to run.
Since she hadn't charged forward rashly like before, it seemed the ability Fang Yuan displayed had made the other party feel she wasn't easy to kill.
But running forever was no solution. To counter-kill her, she also had to stay vigilant against the other Candidate who had yet to show themselves.
Fang Yuan looked back at Wang Wei, gave her a wink, and smiled.
“Then you just need to believe.”
Saying so, Fang Yuan slowly raised her right hand.
Around the base of her thumb sat an ancient silver ring, its band engraved with intricate patterns, its face turned toward her palm, set with a ruby as deep as coagulated blood.
“Madam Inspector, look here.”
Her middle finger tapped lightly on the ruby set into the ring, watching with satisfaction as Wang Wei's gaze drifted over.
“Madam Inspector, you only need to believe that the moment I snap my fingers, we will wake up completely unharmed from this illusion.”
Her middle finger rested casually yet precisely against the ring, then gave a light flick.
The ring began spinning smoothly around her thumb. Wang Wei felt her gaze drawn helplessly into that vortex-like ruby, completely unable to tear her eyes away.
Rustle...
Rustle...
The ring spun with a steady, soft rustle, like a late-night breeze sweeping through a pine forest, or like distant tides washing over a sandy beach again and again.
The dead-silent street erupted in a sudden roar as tall towers toppled and high-rises collapsed.
An unfamiliar female voice exploded: “Meng Ying! What are you hesitating for?! No matter what she's doing, even if she really does have another 【Blessing】, kill them before she completely activates it!”
The ground centered around Fang Yuan and Wang Wei cracked rapidly, and pairs of giant claws made of stone swept toward their faces without hesitation!
Closely following was the whistle of that dagger cutting through the air!
Fierce howling wind churned with intense killing intent. Fang Yuan raised her right hand, her middle finger resting lightly against the pad of her thumb.
Through the gaps between the giant stone claws, she caught sight of the almond eyes concealed beneath the hat.
“Meng Ying? What a pretty name. See you in the 【God Selection】, then?”
Snap!
A crisp snap rang out. Wang Wei's vision went blank for half a second, and her nose once more caught that familiar smell of roasted meat.
When her vision cleared, she saw Fang Yuan holding the fire extinguisher, blasting the charred corpse with bursts of pshh-pshh-pshh.
“You... was that...?”
Wang Wei truly began to question her life.
In all of history, there had never been a Candidate who possessed two 【Blessings】 before the 【God Selection】 even began.
Never!
Yet this Fang Yuan had used them right before her eyes—two 【Blessings】!
“Looks like we fell into an illusion while burning the corpse, and that Candidate of the God of War named Meng Ying came to kill us in the illusion as well; she didn't come in person.”
Fang Yuan winked at Wang Wei.
“Maybe the tools I used to burn the corpse were tampered with. My bad.”
She claimed it was her fault, but Wang Wei couldn't detect the slightest hint of apology in her eyes.
Yet whether she apologized or was sincere didn't matter to Wang Wei. The crucial point now was that this was the first Candidate in history to possess more than one 【Blessing】 before the 【God Selection】 began!
If the people of those factions found out, they would surely place their bets on her...
Before every past 【God Selection】 began, some factions would choose to take sides, providing the Candidates they backed with protection, support, and, when necessary, assistance in eliminating rival Candidates.
If the Candidate they supported became the next god, the faction backing them would inevitably receive divine blessings.
The upper echelons of the Inspectorate had explicitly forbidden forming cliques and taking sides to ensure a fair and just competitive environment for the Candidates.
Even so, there would always be factions taking sides in secret.
“Fang Yuan, I wasn't the only one who learned today that you possess more than one 【Blessing】—those two divine Candidates did too.”
“For the next three days, your life won't be peaceful.”
Clutching the fire extinguisher, Fang Yuan nudged her charred corpse with her foot, only to get ash all over it; in utter disgust, she hopped around, shaking her foot to fling the ash off.
In the midst of all this, she tilted her head and replied, “So what you're saying is, the Inspectorate can offer me protection?”
Dusting the ash off her shoe, she turned her head, her eyes curving into a smile.
“Are you trying to recruit me on behalf of the Inspectorate?”
Although the leadership had explicit regulations, everyone knew deep down that this rule couldn't stop anything; it just wasn't done out in the open.
But this Fang Yuan was exceedingly special. Possessing two 【Blessings】 before the 【God Selection】 had even begun, she was extremely likely to ascend to godhood.
If she was recruited by factions harboring ill intentions, it would spark no small amount of turmoil, whether before the 【God Selection】 or after she became a god.
Yet the Inspectorate couldn't openly express an intent to recruit her either, or wouldn't that just be slapping themselves in the face?
Openly taking the lead in breaking the very rule they had issued would thoroughly undermine the Inspectorate's authority.
Wang Wei shook her head. “No, not recruitment. Observation.”
“You are the first Candidate in history to possess more than one 【Blessing】 before the 【God Selection】 even began. Such a circumstance is unprecedented. To determine whether this might be a new divine decree, or if some change has occurred in your body—in either case, the Inspectorate must keep you under observation.”
Fang Yuan pulled open the window, squinted as she felt the night wind, and vaulted out without looking back.
“I refuse. Not just your Inspectorate—I'll reject every other faction as well.”
“Remember to scatter the ashes of my corpse!”
Rate on N.U.
