Chapter 392: Your Spirit Array is Arranged Well

"Are you sick?" the man asked after a long pause.

"No, mushrooms don't get sick," Xu Xiaoshou replied.

"How do you know mushrooms don't get sick?"

"Because I am a mushroom!"

"... You're not!"

"Oh right, I'm not—you are."

"I'm not a mushroom!"

The man snapped back irritably, then suddenly realized he was discussing whether he was a mushroom with the very person who had just blown up the ling array. This was absurd.

He sprang to his feet, narrowing his eyes, and asked, "Who are you? And how did you get here?"

Xu Xiaoshou stood up as well, showing no fear, and retorted, "I was about to ask you the same thing. Who are you? How did you get into the City Lord's Mansion? What's your intention?"

The man seemed taken aback. "You don't know who I am?"

"Do I need to know you..."

As Xu Xiaoshou spoke, he suddenly sensed something was off.

He had looked into the strong figures in the City Lord's Mansion before, and this person didn't ring a bell. However, there was one oddity in Tian Sang City's City Lord's Mansion—the city lord himself.

This guy was a true hands-off manager who had mysteriously disappeared a few years ago, leaving all affairs of the mansion to Fu Xing.

At first, people thought it was a ruse, as many powers and bigwigs used such tactics for entrapment. But as time passed, everyone noticed something was wrong. It was as if the city lord had vanished from the world, never appearing in public again. There were even rumors that even the servants and guards in the City Lord's Mansion hadn't seen him since.

It was like he had...

Died.

Yet another rumor claimed that the city lord of Tian Sang City had become obsessed with ling arrays, researching them day and night in seclusion. In the end, he had gone so far as to suffer qi deviation and was imprisoned by the City Lord's Mansion.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't believe that last part. But ling arrays...

He glanced at the man in front of him. Maybe this person hadn't gone as far as qi deviation, but he was teetering on the edge?

"Are you the city lord?" Xu Xiaoshou voiced his suspicion directly.

The air fell silent for a second.

The man sighed. "So, the world has forgotten me already?"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened. "You're really the city lord? Fu Xing's father?"

"I am Fu Zhi."

The hoarse voice settled in the air. The man stood with his hands behind his back, barefoot on the desolate, charred ground, his toenails digging deep into the soil. His scorched, curly hair swayed with the breeze, like withered willow branches in the autumn wind. His tattered clothes hung on him like rags, emitting a foul, unwashed stench as they fluttered.

Xu Xiaoshou refused to believe this was the city lord! This was nothing but a ragged beggar—dressed better than him, even!

"You say you are."

"Go on, say it!"

"Are you?" Fu Zhi hesitated.

Xu Xiaoshou checked his information panel—no reaction?

His heart skipped a beat. "Say you're not!"

"... I'm not?"

"Deceived, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou exhaled shakily, trying to force a smile onto his face, but it came out stiff. Damn it, so he had just blown up Fu Xing's father?

Should he apologize now? Maybe bring up Fu Xing as his brother to get out of this? But...

With such an elaborate nested ling array destroyed like this, and him being a junior who had stumbled into a forbidden area...

No matter how he explained it, he was done for!

Xu Xiaoshou's heart raced. "Stay calm, don't panic!"

"Don't admit fault—absolutely not!"

"If I admit it now and say something like 'family feud mistaken for enemies'... that's suicide for sure!"

He took a deep breath. Since he couldn't fake a smile, he wouldn't bother. "So, you really are the city lord?"

Fu Zhi rolled his eyes.

He didn't know what had gotten into him to even engage in this conversation. After breathing in the fresh, scorched air, Fu Zhi finally regained his composure. Time to settle the score.

He turned back to the young man and asked sternly, "Who are you?"

The shift in his tone signaled a change in his mindset. Fu Zhi's eyes now held a scrutinizing gaze.

And Xu Xiaoshou...

Even after confirming the man's identity, Xu Xiaoshou still couldn't believe it. He looked him up and down—this was straight out of a prison escape scene! Disheveled, clothes in shreds, and just got blasted...

Wait, prison?

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts froze as he latched onto that idea. Had this guy been researching ling arrays here, only to trap himself with overly complex nesting, and couldn't get out? That explosion had freed him?

So, earlier, was he crying tears of joy at being released?

Whoa!

Xu Xiaoshou felt his mind struggling to keep up. But seeing the man gearing up for revenge, he steeled himself, resisting the urge to step back, and silently hyped himself up.

Xu Xiaoshou, hold steady! You're a grandmaster now! At least, act like one!

This person, as the city lord, is facing you, a mere Xiantian realm expert, and hasn't struck first—he's choosing to talk. What does that mean?

Your method of breaking the array has baffled him, that's why he's talking so calmly!

If you show weakness, you'll get crushed in an instant!

With that thought, Xu Xiaoshou's demeanor grew bolder. After all, he was the man who had once suppressed three Wangzuo in mid-air at the Zhang residence. Pretending to be a tiger to eat a pig? Piece of cake!

He clasped his hands behind his back, lifted his chin, and said, "So, you were trapped?"

Fu Zhi was about to demand answers when his words caught in his throat. A flicker of shock crossed his eyes.

How... how did he figure that out?

Is this person really, as he suspected, someone who masters the "Tianji Technique"? Peering into the heavens? Spiritual awareness piercing the void?

Of course—if not, how could he so easily unravel my "Tianji Array" in a way I've never seen?

"No!"

Even though the truth was guessed, Fu Zhi showed no emotion, stubbornly denying it. Who would admit to such an embarrassing situation?

"Deceived, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou nearly burst out laughing. Keep pretending!

It turns out the rumors about the outside world weren't baseless. But probably no one would dare believe that the esteemed city lord of Tian Sang City had isolated himself from the world because he got trapped in his own ling array research!

Maybe even Fu Xing didn't know? What a humiliating affair!

Xu Xiaoshou could hardly imagine how embarrassing this would be if it happened to him, let alone for someone of this status, power, and strength!

Xu Xiaoshou knew better than to press the issue—he wouldn't expose him. Everyone needs to save face; even a cornered rabbit will bite. Why not give him a way out?

But since his guess was correct, did that mean he had the upper hand?

Xu Xiaoshou put on a serious yet faintly smirking expression, staring at Fu Zhi for several breaths before slowly saying, "I understand."

Just those three simple words made Fu Zhi's face flush with embarrassment. He... he really knew?

"Suspected, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou didn't dwell on it. He needed to change the subject quickly. He shifted a few steps to create some safe distance, which also helped maintain an air of mystery.

Gazing at the sky, his eyes lingered on the remnants of the ling array for a while, making his heart twitch. What a mess this explosion had made...

But he didn't show it. After scanning the surroundings, he turned back to Fu Zhi.

This was a man with remarkable composure—he was waiting for Xu Xiaoshou's next words, even after having his embarrassing secret uncovered, without a hint of change.

What he said next could decide his fate!

So, Xu Xiaoshou chuckled and raised a finger. "Your ling array is set up quite well."