Answer_2

"Close enough." The man twirled up a forkful of noodles, blew on them, and sighed:

"Your contributions to the Secret Realm are indelible. Although I am ten years older, strictly speaking, I've been standing on your shoulders to move forward.

"Your performance in the Secret Realm is even more fearsome. 'Witch' is a dangerous role, yet you've always managed with ease, until your greed led to your downfall. I believe it was insurmountable; in such circumstances, the Witch is bound to make greedy choices.

"Afterward, even when you were away from the Secret Realm, fate still didn't let you go. It linked you with Li Qingming, disrupted my pace time and again, and drew you closer to me step by step, pulling me out from the shadows little by little.

"Because of your existence, my plans were forced to proceed ahead of schedule, with too many unstable elements added, but I had no other choice.

"It's a pity, though, that your opponents are not just me.