“So?” Cheng Cheng did not turn to look at Gabriel. Instead, she had her head lowered as she continued sipping the cup of tea. Despite the continuous number of sips she took, the amount of tea within the cup never fell.
“So?” Gabriel abruptly got on his feet as he placed both hands on the table. He looked down at Cheng Cheng with gleaming eyes and a serious expression. “Do you plan on staying within this damned instance dungeon forever? You understand as well that this is not the right path! No! Even if this instance dungeon never gets all cleared, there is no way of stopping the final scenario of being wiped out!”
“If we cannot hide, then we cannot hide. That is all.” Cheng Cheng shook her head in a seemingly indifferent manner.
“You… … what is wrong with you today?” Gabriel twisted his mouth and his eyes narrowed as he regarded Cheng Cheng.
“Is there something wrong with me?”
“Yes, very much so.” Gabriel slowly shook his head. “No matter what, I have never imagined such a show of indifference from you. What happened to you?”
“When did you become such a curious fellow?” Cheng Cheng rolled her eyes.
“Forget it. Even if you don’t tell me, I can deduce some of it,” said Gabriel with a faint smile. “That day, we agreed to leave this instance dungeon together. How long has it been since then, eh? If I am not mistaken, you returned there once, no?”
“Fifty-two years. You have quite a good memory.”
“Before that… … you would occasionally bring up matters regarding Shen when talking with me. However, since you returned there… … that name has disappeared from your mouth.” Gabriel sighed. “You… … changed the defensive setting for your stage and left a manifestation of yourself inside, didn’t you…”
Cheng Cheng’s face immediately gave a flicker and she turned to stare at Gabriel. “How did you know that?”
“I guessed,” replied Gabriel with a shrug.
“Nonsense! How can you guess something like that?” Cheng Cheng’s right hand flicked out and the Dimensional Rip Blade appeared once again.
“It’s up to you to believe it or not.” Gabriel sat himself on the chair in a relaxed posture. He had not taken any defensive measures at all. Instead, he chuckled and said, “Did you ever tell anyone about that? Furthermore, we had locked ourselves up within this instance dungeon all this time. How could I have gone out to investigate that?”
“It is truly a guess?” The Dimensional Ripr Blade remained in Cheng Cheng’s hand. However, the killing intent on her face had lessened somewhat.
“How long have we known each other? What kind of temper you have and what kind of things you would so, is there anyone else more familiar about those than me?” Ignoring the Dimensional Rip Blade in Cheng Cheng’s hand, Gabriel reached out with his hand to pat Cheng Cheng’s shoulder and smiled.
“What else did you manage to guess out?” Cheng Cheng said coldly. “Also, remove your claws.”
“Fine.” Gabriel shrugged and retracted his hand. “Back then, you and Shen were inseparably intimate, only to suddenly break up. We… … we did not know what happened. However, the you in the beginning, was somewhat reluctant to let go of your love for him. Only after leaving this instance dungeon back then did you stop mentioning Shen’s name. Putting all those into consideration, that doppelganger you left in Thirty-three Heavens must have been given all the love you felt for Shen.”
“You have quite the deductive ability.” Cheng Cheng sighed and the Dimensional Rip Blade disappeared from her hand. “You are right, I did create a doppelganger of myself and left her in my stage. However, she is now dead.”
“I figured this must be why you are so angry. However… … I do not understand why.” Gabriel smiled wryly. “At the end of the day, she is nothing more than a doppelganger. If someone else wants to enter, she could certainly stop them. Shen, on the other hand… … for someone like him to defeat a doppelganger and obtain the key, how difficult could that be?”
“No, you are mistaken.” Cheng Cheng shook her head. “The doppelganger I left behind, I did not give her any power.”
“No power?” Gabriel’s eyes widened with shock. “Hey! What do you mean by that? Back then, we all agreed, in order to stop others from entering the Longevity Hall without restricting ourselves, the obstructing stages should be created with a certain ability to obstruct others!”
“Why are you focusing on something else?” Cheng Cheng sent an impatient glare at Gabriel. “Do you want me to continue?”
“Fine, fine! Continue, then!” Gabriel held up both his hands in surrender.
Cheng Cheng continued, “Although she did not possess any power and cannot fight, I did make a subtle modification to the settings. The doppelganger within the stage is just a projection. I hid the vessel for the projection. So, unless the vessel of the projection is destroyed, the projection will never disappear.
“If the ones to enter are outsiders, as long as they cannot find the vessel, they will never obtain the key to the stage.
“If we are the ones to enter, she will simply hand over the key. Unless… … it is Shen…”
Gabriel rubbed his chin and said in a solemn voice, “So, Shen found the vessel and destroyed it to obtain the key? Given his level of strength, this should be normal, right?”
“There is a simpler way for him.” Cheng Cheng’s face was an enigma as she continued, “I had given the doppelganger an instruction. If the one to enter is Shen, he only need to answer one thing to obtain the key.”
“What question?”
Cheng Cheng stared at Gabriel and spoke each word with emphasis. “The reason he left me.”
Looking at the resentful look on Cheng Cheng’s face, Gabriel felt a chill running down his spine. “You mean…”
Cheng Cheng interrupted Gabriel, speaking the words he intended to say. “Yes. As long as he answers that question, he will be able to obtain the key. That is the simplest and most direct method of obtaining the key. However… … he rejected it! He would rather choose a more troublesome method than answer that question! Even to a doppelganger!”
Gabriel smiled ruefully. “This result. You… … didn’t you think it could happen?”
“Of course I did. However… … I still had hope for him, that is all.” Cheng Cheng sneered. “If he could give my doppelganger the answer, then, there might still be a chance for us to face each other peacefully. Now, though… … it is truly over between us.”
“I heard that before…” said Gabriel with a whisper.
“What did you just say?” Cheng Cheng’s fine eyebrows rose as she cast a furious glare at Gabriel.
“I mean… … you are absolutely right!” Gabriel quickly put on a serious expression and spoke with a resolute tone.
After saying that, though, he carefully asked, “So… … you really don’t plan on meeting him again?”
“I will meet him.” Cheng Cheng revealed a sneer. “Of course I want to meet him. However, not now.”
“Not now?” Gabriel’s face turned melancholic. “Shen may have found the right path. If we don’t go find him soon…”
“If you are so determined, you can go find him alone. I don’t care.” Cheng Cheng gave a light harrumph. “It’s preferable. You can leave this instance dungeon to me. I’ll be more than happy to be left alone. Right now, you simply aren’t confident about it. You want to go find Shen, but remain unwilling to give up this place.”
“Fine, I admit that you are right.” Gabriel sighed. “I am indeed worried. If the path Shen found is not the right one, or if he is unwilling to share it with me and I am unable to return to this instance dungeon, well, that will be a problem. So… … can you give me a deadline? Just what do you need in order to go out with me?”
“It won’t take long.” An abnormal smile suddenly appeared on Cheng Cheng’s face and she slowly closed her eyes. “Just wait for me… … let me make up my mind… to kill him.”
“And how long will that take?” Gabriel smiled bitterly. “Although I do not wish to see you kill Shen, I do at least want you to leave this place with me.”
“Probably…” Cheng Cheng’s eyes suddenly snapped open and a chilling light shone upon Gabriel’s figure. “One second.”
…
