Chapter 466: You're Saying You're... Whose Envoy!!? |
Back to the present.
When Long Jing heard the question Cheng Shi posed, he felt an icy current shoot up his spine straight to his crown. His scalp tingled, and a soul-deep tremor erupted from his brain, flooding outward to every limb.
'How could he know things that only I know!?'
Long Jing nearly lost control of his facial composure. But as a peak player, he managed to maintain a semblance of calm.
Of course, that calm was for external consumption. To Cheng Shi's eyes, the terror was virtually impossible to conceal.
The acrobat stared at Cheng Shi in disbelief. His mouth opened several times before he "dared" to ask:
"How... did you know? Who the hell are you!?"
Cheng Shi gave a faint smile. Again, he didn't answer. Instead, he continued speaking as if to himself:
"Long Yu and Jing Bai were truly a match made in heaven in this profession. Their child inherited every ounce of their talent and was expected from birth to become the next era's pillar of the acrobatic world.
"People always said the child couldn't overcome the terror of witnessing his parents' deaths and chose to retreat.
"But who could have imagined that today, in this game-descended world, that child still hadn't abandoned his parents' dream — and had already become the world's finest acrobat?
"Though this kind of acrobat is quite different from that kind, when it comes to entertaining an audience... different paths, same destination. Don't you agree?
"Am I right... Long Jing?"
"..."
Long Jing was genuinely rattled. With every word Cheng Shi spoke, the trembling in his body intensified.
This had gone far beyond a question of what someone did or didn't know. The other person simply knew too much. This near-surgical tearing open of old wounds dragged Long Jing back to that childhood moment — watching from beneath the stage as his parents' fatal slip played out before his eyes.
That terror hadn't faded with time. Instead, it had slowly accumulated in his heart over the years.
All these years he'd never revisited those memories. After the Faith Game descended, he'd thrown himself into deception and climbing rankings, nearly convinced he'd moved on.
But now, with this bloody scar ripped open again, he realized: his fear had never dissolved. It had been there all along.
His face grew paler, his expression more taut. When he looked at Cheng Shi, the sharp edge from their earlier covert sparring was gone — replaced entirely by alarm and unease.
Watching this, Cheng Shi inwardly marveled at Brother Mouth's words but sensed something was off about Long Jing's state.
He could empathize with this kind of deep-rooted familial grief. But empathy aside, based on what he knew of peak players, these people had already weathered emotional turbulence far more intense than this. Even an ordinary [Corruption] talent could induce feelings more searing than one's deepest emotions. So if Long Jing was merely recalling the past... why was his reaction so "exaggerated"?
'Where there's smoke, there's fire!'
Although the Fool's Lips was currently leading the show, Cheng Shi chose the prudent route and guarded himself.
Of course, certain protective measures weren't about assuming a defensive stance — they were more about striking first.
So Cheng Shi pressed the hand wearing the Death Fun Ring against Long Jing's wrist, letting the ring press flush against his skin so the other could feel its presence.
At the same time, he flashed Long Jing a mysterious smile and spoke meaningfully:
"If I were you, I wouldn't choose to act impulsively. The unknown is frightening, yes — but an unknown that speaks brings more than just fear."
Sure enough, when Long Jing felt the foreign object on his wrist, he swiftly scanned the ring on Cheng Shi's finger. The panic and dread in his eyes slowly dissipated, replaced by a deepening gravity.
He'd genuinely been startled, yes. But the over-the-top display of fear? An act. He'd wanted to test this person's mettle — to see how they'd react to his "panic." If a flaw appeared, he could simply strike and settle things with force. But once again, the probe had been deflected.
Second time now. Every probe had sunk like a stone into this person's ocean.
This was an expert. But whether they were a top "player"...
Long Jing shot a sidelong glance at Cheng Shi and twisted free of his grip with a subtle flex. He shifted back into his sharp, combative con-artist state.
The fear still lingered, but at least the surface couldn't show cracks anymore.
Seeing this, Cheng Shi felt a chill himself.
'The acrobat had been probing after all. Lucky he'd gotten the drop on him — otherwise, that warrior might have punched him clean out of the curtain!'
'Brother Mouth, you're ruthless. You just run your mouth nonstop. The consequences of what you say? Not your problem at all!'
'Apparently I'm the one cleaning up your messes?'
'That's some real Zhen Xin behavior!'
Cheng Shi was numb. He instinctively wanted to twitch his mouth, but the Fool's Lips denied him — because the performance wasn't over. This was still the lead actor's moment.
Seeing his second probe blocked, Long Jing's heart sank. But his surface demeanor recovered to that shrewd, measured state. He said with affected gravity:
"If you've chosen cooperation, then speak plainly. Who exactly are you?
"Don't use the Tongue of Eating Lies as an excuse to dodge. Until I know who you are, I refuse all cooperation.
"You may know my past, but in the eyes of [Deceit] followers, [Memory]... is cheap."
Hearing this, Cheng Shi silently applauded.
Long Jing was undeniably sharp. He was already looking for an escape route.
The man had probably been constructing an identity for Cheng Shi in his head. And just how high that imagined identity went could be guessed from what he was saying.
An acrobat who'd never once mentioned his Benefactor at the Mediocre Person gathering was now, within this two-person sound barrier, loudly broaching the topic of faith rivalries.
He was clearly trying to court [Deceit]'s favor — to earn his Benefactor's attention and protection.
Though he hadn't shown it, that single sentence told Cheng Shi everything: Long Jing was scared. He was afraid the person before him wasn't some ordinary player, but an existence he couldn't handle.
'So this is what it feels like to make someone face fear.' Cheng Shi chuckled internally, recalling his own feelings when he'd faced entities he couldn't overcome.
And that's when Brother Mouth struck again.
"Interesting. You're trying to attract His gaze?
"But...
"Who told you that when His gaze descends upon this place, it would necessarily... protect you?"
The Fool's Lips deliberately stressed the final word "you," causing Long Jing's pupils to contract sharply.
He seemed to realize something, and his expression grew even more guarded as he stared at Cheng Shi:
"You're... one of His?"
"His? His 'person?'
"Not bad. I like this species. It seems my performance as one has been quite successful."
"!!!" Long Jing's expression warped with horror. To keep his reaction hidden from those outside, he could only force down his shock and bow his head: "What does that mean? You're not human?"
"..."
'Nice insult!'
Cheng Shi was caught between laughter and anger. Setting conmanship aside, these believers had certainly picked up the Fun God's passive-aggressive habits.
'I'm not taking the fall for that remark. But you're right — Brother Mouth really isn't human.'
The Fool's Lips couldn't care less about such trivial matters. It gave a light chuckle and continued:
"In the dimension of flesh and blood — yes, I am. But from the heights of faith — no, I am not."
"You... !?"
"Typically, in the mouths of you so-called 'players,' an existence like me would be called...
"A Servant God.
"Hmm. Rather than 'Envoy,' I do prefer that title."
"!!!" Long Jing was stupefied. His hand pressed against the ground tightened. Suppressing his extreme shock, he spoke with forced composure: "You think reciting a piece of my past is enough to make me believe you're His Envoy?
"Ha— deceit upon deceit. How would I know you're not impersonating His Envoy?
"Cheng Shi, you've certainly given me plenty of shocks. But I don't believe you.
"You can't fool—"
Before he could finish, Cheng Shi's lips curled into a smile once more:
"Whether you believe is your business. Whether I speak is mine. I respect the rules above all else. The stupid-tongue's game is still on. Since you don't want to answer the previous question, here's a new one:
"The [Deceit] mask you lost — have you found it yet?"
"!!!"
Long Jing froze solid. His pupils quaked. Every muscle locked rigid.
'Could this person... truly be an Envoy!?'
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