"Then it's the same for me... No, maybe it's not exactly the same." Anya said seriously, "As the 'king' of the alliance... I think if what I saw is really going to happen, it's my duty to stop it.
responsibility."
"Then what are you going to do?" Man Tianxing neither objected nor expressed support, but just continued to ask calmly.
"Now... I will continue traveling and confirm through my own eyes whether the "phantom" I saw is real. As for the future..." At this point, she stopped talking and shook her head slowly, as if she had not thought about it.
How it should be then.
"We'll talk about the next thing later." Lin came to the rescue, even though there was a hint of worry between her eyebrows, "Being worried about something that I don't know is true or not affected my mood during the trip.
Doesn’t it seem like the gain outweighs the loss?”
Anya nodded reluctantly, "Then... let's leave here first, okay." She said, "I want to take a rest."
Several people walked away from the shore with a different atmosphere and mood than when they came. However, before they had gone far, a slightly older voice called to them.
"Everyone, please stay."
The voice came from behind, but it rang directly in Yuffie's ears. She turned around and saw her companions making similar actions. The other tourists nearby did not react at all, as if they had not heard the voice at all.
.
There was still no one there just now, between where they were now and the lake shore, an old man in Tsing Yi was sitting cross-legged. He was thin, his face was covered with wrinkles, and his long snow-white beard hung down on his chest.
The breeze by the lake was blowing gently. The old man squinted his eyes slightly, and with a smile that seemed to see through everything, he met the eyes of Yuffie and the others.
In front of him, a banner written on rice paper was spread out, with elegant ink written in Inil script——
"The Immortal guides the way".
"What does that mean?" Anya touched her nose and asked doubtfully, "Is that old man... an 'immortal'?"
"Who knows." Yuffie looked at the old man not far away with suspicion, hesitated for a moment, and walked towards him, "However, he is obviously not an "ordinary person", so-" She said to the old man
He stopped in front of him and said, "Excuse me, is there anything I can do to help you?"
The old man chuckled, raised his right hand, and tapped the banner at his feet with his index finger.
"I have nothing to do today. I went out for a walk. I suddenly thought of setting up a Guagua stall to provide guidance to people in the fog." The grammar of the old man's speech was a bit old, and Yuffie could only barely understand it. "From what I have seen, you guys are...
We are destined people, why not stop by and talk about it?"
Yuffie turned around and looked around. Gypsophila stood aside leisurely, neither approaching nor leaving. Anya followed behind her, looking at the banner cautiously. Lin licked her lips, as if to the old man
Very interested.
"You are a 'Wandering Warlock' who is good at fortune-telling, right?" The blonde girl stared at the old man's face, her eyes flashing with the light of inquiry, "So, no matter what, can you give an answer?"
"The way of heaven is unpredictable, and I only dare to take a peek. However, when it comes to solving people's doubts, I think I am still somewhat good at it." The old man stroked his long beard, "What do you want to ask me?"
"Well..." Lin stretched out her index finger and tapped her lower lip, "Just a simple question... I want to go home, what should I do?"
The old man stared at Lin for a while, then touched his chin, "Look for a tree and wait for it, and the rabbit will get it. If you can't, the time has not yet come."
Lin blinked her eyes, obviously not fully understanding. Man Tianxing chuckled softly on the side.
"Well...Grandpa, do you know how my parents are doing now?" Anya hesitated for a moment and still asked.
The old man twirled his beard and smiled slightly, "Birth, old age, illness and death, joys and sorrows. Life has all kinds of flavors, but this is it."
Anya was silent for a while, then bowed gently to the old man, "I understand, thank you for your answer."
It didn't sound very reliable - but Yuffie couldn't be sure whether the other party was just joking with them or had other intentions. She was about to speak, but Gypsophila was a step faster than her.
The doll girl did not come near, she just stood there and asked the question softly, "Let me ask you, which child is the most beloved by Mother?"
The old man turned his eyes to one side, and his voice was not loud, but it was clear enough to reach the ears of Man Tianxing, ""
The doll girl nodded and turned around without saying a word. The old man raised his head and met Yuffie's eyes as if they were connected.
It seems that the other party has no ill intentions. In this case, you might as well try out your doubts. Yuffie thought like this and asked calmly.
"Do you think the future can be changed by one or two people, such as us?"
The old man looked at her seriously, and she also took the opportunity to observe the other person's expression. But unfortunately, with her ability, she was completely unable to see whether the other person had any hidden thoughts. She shook her head in her heart and waited for the other person's answer with peace of mind.
answer.
About half a minute later, the old man put down his hand twirling his beard and withdrew his gaze, "It is destiny and there is no way to avoid it. Hell and the world are within the reach of a single thought."
Yuffie pursed her lips. Different from the somewhat ambiguous answers before, the old man gave a quite clear answer to her question. In other words, the illusion that the lake made her see was confirmed in a certain sense. The girl did not
She was willing to believe this, but her intuition told her that the old man was not just talking nonsense.
"Okay, I have already answered the questions of all my friends." The old man put away the banner that said "Immortal Guiding the Way" and slowly stood up, "In return, can you answer my question for me?"
It didn't sound like there was anything wrong with it. In fact, it was a sign of goodwill shown by the other party. Yuffie made a 'please' gesture, indicating for the old man to continue speaking.
"As far as I know, the two little friends seem to have come from afar." The old man glanced at Lin, then returned his gaze to her, "I dare to ask, in your mind, which one is better between this place and your hometown?
Which one is worse?"
"Well...if you ask me, there's nothing good or bad about it, right?" Lin answered the question first, "I like my hometown very much, but it doesn't look bad here either - whether it's monsters or people from the empire.
." She scratched her cheek and added, "My hometown just had a war, and there are organizations similar to the "Broken Society" here... But at least most people are working hard for an ordinary life, and that's enough.
Alright?"
"The idea is acceptable. Of course, it's just an ordinary life, which is too boring." The old man nodded and asked, "Then from what the children see, what is an ideal place?"