Chapter 973: Happy? I Was Lying |
"Lord Yu Xi, why... did you insist on disguising yourself as Xiao Shi for my test?"
Du Qiyu seemed deeply bothered by this question, which once again made Cheng Shi marvel at the depth of the man's obsession.
Fortunately, he was well prepared. His mental script could handle virtually any question.
"All tests must begin from the familiar, because faith always sprouts from the smallest things.
Everyone being tested must confront their own heart. So you should understand better than I do why I chose to impersonate Cheng Shi.
On that score, his performance was far better than yours."
This was the second time Cheng Shi had praised himself. On the surface, it seemed like self-promotion, but it was actually one of his psychological tactics.
Daring to repeatedly mention someone Xiao Qi despised while in his presence was, in fact, a way of distancing himself from that identity. The more you emphasize a sensitive subject at a sensitive moment, the more outsiders subconsciously conclude that the speaker doesn't care about the sensitivity at all.
Xiao Qi thought exactly that. He didn't believe the real Cheng Shi would repeatedly get in his face at a time like this. It was probably just Lord Yu Xi's "objective" assessment.
But more importantly, Xiao Qi had already decided that Cheng Shi was Yu Xi before any of this. So Cheng Shi's performance was merely redundant backup, providing minimal reinforcement.
After hearing Xiao Shi's name twice, Du Qiyu grew curious.
"So Cheng Shi... passed your test?"
"You could say that. His devotion to his faith is far purer than you scheming humans. He can thank his good father for that."
"..."
Hearing this, even with the [Corruption] container's influence, Du Qiyu clenched his fist in bitter resentment. He seemed to deeply despise any mention of Xiao Shi's father.
But he didn't truly lose his temper, nor did he argue or follow up. Instead, he silently commanded his tamed beast to walk in the opposite direction, deeper into the forest, while respectfully saying:
"My apologies, Lord Yu Xi. For my own safety, I cannot hand over the container in person. I hope you'll understand my position."
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP—
Cheng Shi suddenly applauded. With an amused smile, he looked directly toward Du Qiyu's true body's location and nodded appreciatively:
"Good. It's precisely this caution of yours that makes me think somewhat well of you.
But thinking you can hide from me is rather overestimating yourself."
Seeing Yu Xi instantly pinpoint his location, Du Qiyu didn't feel a shred of fear. Instead, there was a sense of 'of course' relief.
'Naturally. How could I hope to fool an Envoy? Especially a [Deceit] Envoy. Using deception and concealment against Him was like showing off with an axe before the master carpenter.'
'Wait!'
'[Deceit]...'
For some reason, Du Qiyu suddenly frowned and slightly slowed the tamed beast's pace toward him in the forest.
At that exact moment, Cheng Shi gave a light snort and averted his gaze:
"Don't play petty tricks. And don't let my appreciation fall flat.
I look forward to the day you pass the next test and stand before me again. But today, this is as far as we go. My time is limited."
The sudden warning smoothed out Du Qiyu's furrowed brow. He realized he'd been overthinking.
If even the subtlest movement couldn't escape the Envoy's notice, how could someone with such ability possibly be a fraud?
Little did he know that Cheng Shi had no idea what Du Qiyu had done in the forest. He'd simply predicted that the man wouldn't be completely well-behaved, so he tossed out an intentionally vague warning.
And yet that single ambiguous remark all but sealed Xiao Qi's fate.
Du Qiyu respectfully returned the container, placing this life-saving enhancement tool — one that could push his strength to its peak — into the tamed beast's hands.
Under the container's influence, calm had led him to make the most rational decision. But the instant the container left his vicinity, the furious, anxious, desire-consumed Du Qiyu came roaring back. He stared darkly at Yu Xi in the forest clearing, equal parts terror and restraint, and bellowed with all his frustration:
"My lord, if you think so well of me, can't you at least give me a second chance?
Why should that dog Xiao Shi be better than me!?
I should have performed brilliantly in this trial. Your test is what made me like this!
As compensation, shouldn't you give me another shot!?
Believe me, my lord, I can do better than Xiao Shi!"
Despite the volume, it was useless.
Driven by fear, Du Qiyu started shifting positions. The tamed beast's expression fluctuated wildly, its steps toward Yu Xi halting and restarting, even turning back several times.
Clearly, the Beast Tamer was thrashing violently at losing his "essential item." He couldn't deny Yu Xi's identity, yet he couldn't bear to part with the invaluable container. But he also dreaded the punishment for breaking the game's rules. All he could do was rage more violently along that tightrope, hurling obscenities.
Most critically, there were no longer any living creatures in this forest to absorb his emotions.
Cheng Shi had swept the area clean during the preparation phase. Why else had he fled in this direction? It was deliberate. Even the escape route had been scripted.
And so the true clown began his performance. Du Qiyu's rage accumulated relentlessly. With only a single tamed beast to share the emotional burden, he was on the brink of total meltdown. Within seconds, he was railing against everything — cursing the heavens, the earth, the gods — stopping just short of cursing Yu Xi and [Deceit] as well.
The phrase "blaming heaven and hating others" found its finest illustration in this moment. But for Cheng Shi, none of it held any further interest.
Because for the current Cheng Shi, the raging Du Qiyu had long ceased to be a real opponent. The moment the man had willingly surrendered the container and — freed from its influence — felt fear again...
The Death Fun Ring's full charge had already written Xiao Qi's final chapter.
No running. No hiding.
This was the script Cheng Shi had prepared for his childhood friend!
But simply killing Xiao Qi wasn't Cheng Shi's goal. The Kill-the-Heart plan's emphasis was "the heart." So the story was far from over.
Yu Xi made no move. Only his eyes grew colder, his gaze toward the tamed beast increasingly dark.
This shift made the hypersensitive Du Qiyu even more hysterical. But he was helpless. To earn the supposed second chance, to survive before a Servant God, he could only command his tamed beast to hurry and return the [Corruption] container.
Those few short steps became the trial's cruelest torment for the Beast Tamer. Personally handing back the container to godhood was pushing Du Qiyu to the edge of emotional collapse.
"Give me another chance, Yu Xi! You have to give me another chance!"
His mouth was defiant. His temper was foul. His heart was quaking. In this moment, Du Qiyu had lost all human composure.
And his torment was far from over. In truth, it had only just begun.
Because the instant Cheng Shi — stone-faced — took back the [Corruption] container from the tamed-beast Xiao Qi, the corner of his mouth curled into an unmistakably mocking arc. And to the raving Du Qiyu, he spoke seven words:
"Happy?
I was lying."
...