We agreed to seek enlightenment together, but how did you end up seeking enlightenment for my mother

"How could it be 1 o'clock? How could it possibly be 1 o'clock?!"

Hao Jia stared incredulously at the dice on the ground. Since obtaining this relic, he had never rolled a number lower than 12. With the added bonus, this was almost an ironclad rule.

He didn't know what the 1 meant, but he had once rolled a 20. That feeling of divine clarity, that absolute confidence that allowed him to hold the world in his hands, was something he would never forget in his life.

More than once, in my dreams, I have relived that exhilarating feeling of being guided by the will of Heaven.

Since 20 points seems to be divinely aided, let's work backwards to the situation at 1 point...

A chill ran down Hao Jia's spine.

He panicked.

This was the first time in his life that he began to waver in his belief in his destiny as a chosen one.

"No, no, no! Oh no, Aunt Lanzhi!"

No longer caring about chasing Wu Lulu, Hao Jia suddenly turned around and ran wildly in the opposite direction. Perhaps his bad luck hadn't run out yet, because he ran in a very disheveled state.

Either you inexplicably trip and fall flat on your face, or you inexplicably choose the wrong path, leaving you feeling dizzy and confused, making one mistake after another.

Along the way, they repeatedly knocked over decorations in the corridor, and the short distance of less than a minute took them a full five minutes to reach their destination.

Haojia shoved the door to the wardrobe room open with his shoulder, almost throwing himself into the room.

Moonlight streamed in through the window and fell upon Lanzhi.

She slumped to the ground, one hand on the ironing board, the other covering her mouth as she coughed softly. Her exposed skin was flushed an unnatural crimson, and a faint, decadent scent filled the air.

Hao Jia's pupils contracted sharply, and he scrambled over, grabbing the other person's shoulder.

"Auntie! Are you alright?!"

While expressing concern, his gaze quickly swept over Lanzhi's entire body. Her clothes were still neat and tidy, and there were no strange marks on her body. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, the thing he feared most didn't happen.

Lanzhi held his arm, her throat bobbed rapidly a few times, she coughed lightly twice, her eyes reddened and filled with tears, then she shook her head.

"I'm fine."

His voice was a little hoarse for some reason.

Seeing his aunt's pitiful appearance, Hao Jia felt a nameless rage rising in his heart, mixed with regret.

It's obvious without even thinking that the other party must have suffered a tremendous injustice.

"Auntie, what did Xu Zhou do to you? I'll go get revenge for you right now!"

"No!" Lanzhi hurriedly grabbed him, her eyes darting away as she explained, "I'm fine, he didn't do anything to me..."

When Hao Jia was pulled like that, most of his anger subsided, replaced by an irrepressible curiosity.

"What exactly happened? Auntie, tell me the truth, and I won't blame you."

Lanzhi wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her thumb, cleared her throat, and did not answer immediately. Instead, she pointed to the satchel behind him.

"Xiao Hao, did you bring water?"

"Yes, I brought it."

Haojia quickly handed over the water bottle, and Lanzhi held the bottle and took several gulps before the burning sensation in her throat was slightly relieved.

Just as she closed the bottle cap, her gaze inadvertently swept between her fingers, and her face flushed bright red. She quickly pressed her hand down.

"Auntie?"

"I'm fine!"

The sharp and abrupt response startled both of them.

Before Haojia could speak again, Lanzhi quickly changed the subject.

"Xiao Hao, my belongings have been stolen."

"Is it that neck ring?"

Hao Jia had noticed her bare neck long ago and had already anticipated it, but he didn't understand how the process unfolded.

However, Lan Zhi's answer was somewhat ambiguous. She only said that she, who rarely makes mistakes, had inexplicably made a series of errors that she could not understand when she confronted Xu Zhou, and that her throat was injured at that time.

As a result, Xu Zhou didn't have to exert much effort to take the belongings from her.

"Xiao Hao, I'm not lying to you. If I hadn't experienced it myself, I wouldn't have believed that such an outrageous thing could happen."

These words sounded completely unconvincing, but they actually dispelled the last trace of doubt in Hao Jia's mind, because he knew very well that the root of all the abnormalities lay in the fact that he had thrown that damned 1.

Fortunately, the man didn't actually take advantage of her; otherwise, he wouldn't know how to face the woman in front of him.

"It's okay, Auntie. As long as you're alright, we still have a chance."

"Um... I'm so sorry, Auntie has let you down."

Lanzhi's shoulders trembled slightly, her eyelashes half-covering her reddened eyes, her fingertips nervously gripping Haojia's wrist, her voice weak and trembling.

Seeing her frail and helpless appearance, Hao Jia felt a surge of pity and quickly offered words of comfort.

But perhaps it was the fear of losing something that was haunting them, and as they talked, the tone of their conversation changed.

At the same time, in the laundry room next door.

Xu Zhou sat by the door, leaning against the wall, his eyes closed and his breath held. He placed the short knife horizontally on his thigh, one hand on the hilt and the other fingertips lightly touching the side of the blade.

Hearing the strange noises coming from the other side of the wall, he remained unmoved and quietly sorted through his spoils.

Lanzhi gave Haojia a evasive account of what happened, but the truth was far more complex. In reality, the physical contact between the two was minor; the key point was that Xu Zhou forced all of Haojia's secrets out of her.

During that time, he didn't even use the True Word Hair. After a series of subtle, absurd yet reasonable accidents, Lan Zhi somehow pricked herself with a needle, and then... he witnessed what madness was.

He simply couldn't believe that someone, in a moment of irrationality, would betray all the information about their companion for a moment of pleasure, and even go so far as to give away their belongings.

The scene was so shocking that it would be hard for anyone to accept.

What?

Am I the beneficiary?

That's all!

Perhaps out of guilt for revealing the truth to her companions, or perhaps due to some deep-seated anxiety, Lan Zhi ultimately did what was in her best interest.

This momentary weakness not only failed to hold Xu Zhou back, but instead ensured that she would forever be at the mercy of others.

If Xu Zhou wanted to, he could eat Lanzhi for the rest of his life just based on this secret.

After fully grasping Hao Jia's information, Xu Zhou finally realized that the incredible scene just now was most likely because Hao Jia rolled an extremely low number with the Destiny Dice.

"The Chosen One is real! A guaranteed path to promotion, plus three relics to be passed down through generations—is there any justice left in this world?"

You should know that Chi Feng endured for decades in order to become a transcendent being, but Hao Jia only had a dream and directly obtained the complete path and three relics, and stepped into the transcendent realm in just one week.

Afterwards, as a newcomer, he swept aside his peers who were considered extraordinary, and even challenged those who had reached the third level of awakening without being defeated, making him a figure of unparalleled fame.

That wasn't all. His childhood sweetheart, his neighbor's aunt, and his arrogant senior all threw themselves at him. He lived with three women without any hesitation, as if his life had been given a cheat code.

"No, this is cheating."

If you ask whether I envy them or not, the answer is definitely yes.

But after spending a long time in this world, Xu Zhou also came to realize a truth.

Every gift bestowed by fate has already had a price tag attached in secret.

"Are the big shots in the heavens aware of how awesome you are?"

He smiled to himself, putting the matter of destiny out of his mind. Just then, a notification sound from his mind rang out regarding his talent.

The relic "Succubus's Command Necklace" has been refined; its current reserves are overflowing.

[The reserves for "Rotten Wood Blossoms" are full, meeting the conditions for active activation. Please make your choice as soon as possible.]

The long-awaited choice reappeared, and this time Xu Zhou did not hesitate at all, focusing all his attention on the third option.

【III. Nurturing a Free and Unfettered Form: Using the path as fuel to melt away shackles, transforming into a unique and unrestrained form. (Condition: Consumes one Seed of Path) (???)】