266: Where is the real Shen Yuan?

Lisa remained silent, standing blankly to the side. The root cause of the situation lay in her father's stubbornness.

"So, your father and the five elders of your family, their bodies are also replicas?" Tian Ming asked coldly.

"I don't know. Even the replicas themselves cannot be distinguished. Even if my father has been using a replica to manage the family, no one would be able to tell."

"Alright, alright, playing 'golden cicada shedding its shell' with me, are you?" Though a smile played on Tian Ming's face, his heart was filled with rage.

"Where is your family's secret base?"

Lisa shook her head slightly: "I don't know. Even for me, when going to the family's secret base, my five senses need to be completely sealed off throughout the journey. The internal personnel of that base will never come out, and they are self-sufficient, not needing to transport supplies from outside."

Tian Ming fell silent, then waved his hand at Lisa, signaling her to leave.

Lisa turned and left silently, but just as she stepped out the door, she suddenly turned back and said, "I can help you, but can you spare my father?"

Tian Ming gave Lisa a cold glance and said, "Your father played me for a fool, what do you think?"

Lisa fell silent, then turned and left the office.

A flash of light appeared before his eyes, and Xin Xin, who had been sleeping, appeared before Tian Ming with a joyful smile.

"Oh, oh, oh, I knew you'd be like this. Though you have divine power, you are still too young." Xin Xin's face held a hint of amusement, seemingly mocking Tian Ming intentionally.

"You already knew that Shen Yuan was a replica, didn't you?" Tian Ming looked at Xin Xin and asked coldly.

Xin Xin was not at all evasive, nodding and saying, "From the moment she got off the plane, I could tell. You humans are truly cunning, with all sorts of tricks and schemes you play so skillfully."

"Then why didn't you warn me?"

"Warn you? Even if she's a replica, she's still your girlfriend! Besides, Duke Lawrence actually had a backup plan from the start, even preparing to sacrifice the entire family for it."

Seeing the half-smile on Xin Xin's face, Tian Ming rushed forward, grabbed Xin Xin, and lifted her directly.

As a consciousness, only Tian Ming could touch her, but Xin Xin, like Jiang Chen, could not be destroyed, so she could not be threatened.

"Hehehe!"

Xin Xin giggled and slowly said, "On the path to godhood, there are many helpless situations. Not everything can be solved by violence. Even gods have many things they cannot do. If simple killing could eliminate worries, then why would the Yuanchu God fall into slumber?"

The anger in Tian Ming's eyes slowly dissipated. Xin Xin's words had a deeper meaning: killing could only eliminate the person who created the problem, but it could not eliminate the actual difficulties caused by the problem.

Tian Ming took a deep breath, released Xin Xin, and said, "Are you saying I have no brains?"

"A little, but not much. You are still occasionally influenced by your emotions. From Xiao Ya at the beginning to Shen Yuan now, as long as someone enters your heart, you will be swayed by her." Xin Xin was direct and blunt, speaking without reservation.

Seeing Tian Ming silent, Xin Xin smiled calmly and said, "A divine body with a mortal heart is trapped by worldly desires. With desires, there are expectations. If expectations are not met, then one is deeply troubled. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Are you telling me to abandon everything, including Shen Yuan?"

"Yes!"

"No expectations, no desires, no pursuits. What's the point of living then?" Tian Ming retorted.

"You humans have a philosopher who advocates for 'non-action'! In fact, this philosophy is closer to the mind of a god. How to interpret it specifically depends on you. If you want to make this world better, you might need a bit of wisdom. To be precise, you need to control the overall situation. But before you control the overall situation, you cannot be troubled by anything."

Tian Ming fell into deep thought, glancing at Xin Xin, but the words on his lips were swallowed back.

"You think about it carefully. I don't know why the Yuanchu God chose you, but as our main god, I still trust his judgment."

After Xin Xin finished speaking, she disappeared directly, transforming into a stream of light and entering Tian Ming's ear.

Tian Ming returned to his desk and sat in the chair. Xin Xin's words were like a heavy hammer, striking his heart.

Those involved are confused, while those observing are clear. Xin Xin, as an absolute observer, spoke words that truly awakened Tian Ming.

Because of his many worries, his concern for gains and losses, and his weighing of pros and cons, he became so passive.

But everything seemed so contradictory; Shen Yuan was his woman after all, how could he be completely indifferent?

He gently closed his eyes, let out a long breath, and leaned back in his seat.

...

The next morning, Tian Ming opened his eyes. He had spent the entire night in the office, thinking a great deal. Xin Xin was right; the more he cared about something, the more likely he was to lose it.

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and Shen Yuan walked in carrying two meals. Her complexion was still very poor.

"Time to eat!"

Tian Ming nodded slightly, took the meal from Shen Yuan's hand, and said, "Have you told your brother about your situation?"

Shen Yuan nodded silently: "Yes, I told him. He was going to come find you, but I stopped him."

Tian Ming opened the meal box and took a bite. At this moment, Xin Xin appeared beside him. Tian Ming glanced at her, and this movement was keenly noticed by Shen Yuan.

"She appeared?" Shen Yuan asked. She knew of Xin Xin's existence but, unlike Tian Ming, could not see Xin Xin.

Tian Ming nodded slightly and said, "Yes, she appeared."

"She actually knew about my situation a long time ago, didn't she?" Shen Yuan continued to ask.

Tian Ming nodded, tacitly acknowledging it.

Xin Xin spoke: "Your little girlfriend is much smarter than you. Although she's a replica, I really can't bear to let him die like this."

Tian Ming's eyes lit up, and he asked, "You can save her?"

Xin Xin looked at Tian Ming: "One consciousness cannot exist on two carriers for a long time. However, there are exceptions, for example, letting one host power two monitors."

"What do you mean?" Tian Ming was stunned.

Xin Xin smiled calmly, extended her hand, and lightly touched Shen Yuan's forehead. Shen Yuan seemed to be frozen in place.

"What are you doing?"

"Adding a monitor for your little girlfriend! I can only help you this much. Oh, by the way, you can use a Superpower Potion, charged twenty times or more, to extend the life of your little girlfriend's replica. However, her supernatural abilities will all disappear." Xin Xin said with a giggle, then transformed into light and disappeared again.

A moment later, Shen Yuan recovered. When she saw Tian Ming, her face lit up with joy.

"Boss!" Shen Yuan directly pounced on him and hugged Tian Ming tightly.

Tian Ming was stunned, his hands frozen in place, unsure what to do.