Chapter 401: Grasping the Throat of Fate, Then Cheating and Deceiving

Xu Xiaoshou stared intently at the number "2," chuckling softly to himself.

What a self-incriminating move!

He hadn't expected the thief to be so bold—stealing the item and then lingering nearby, perhaps not far from the two of them at all.

But...

What kind of technique could allow two highly vigilant individuals to notice nothing?

Could it even deceive a Wangzuo?

Xu Xiaoshou's gaze returned to the ground, fixing on the pit in the earth.

That spot should have held the Tian Shu Ji Pan, but now it was completely empty.

"Is there something odd about this?"

Fu Zhi followed his line of sight to the pit.

Under their scrutiny, however, nothing unusual appeared.

Aside from the sand and gravel, there was nothing else.

Fu Zhi glanced at it briefly and looked away, while Xu Xiaoshou kept staring as he spoke.

"Fu brother, what do you think is the greatest distance in this world?"

Fu Zhi was taken aback.

Here we go again?

He tilted his head toward the sky. "The stars and the vast sea?"

"No."

Xu Xiaoshou denied it. "The greatest distance is when you're right in front of me, yet I pay you no attention at all."

Fu Zhi: ???

His face turned green, and goosebumps erupted all over his body.

What on earth is this? Weren't we supposed to be catching someone?

How did this turn into flirting out of nowhere?

And the problem is, I'm not some young girl—will this even work on me?

Wait a minute.

Does this guy have that kind of preference?

Fu Zhi instinctively stepped back, a hint of panic in his eyes.

"Received suspicion, passive value, 2."

Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself that it was indeed as he expected.

The thief hadn't run far at all—in fact, was right nearby!

But...

He was invisible!

Xu Xiaoshou didn't let his guard down. If it were Xu Xiaojia, that was a being the system didn't even classify as human.

Not seeing him was completely normal.

Xu Xiaoshou paced around, seemingly lost in thought, but in reality, he had fully extended his "perception" to catch every subtle movement in the vicinity.

Since he couldn't see or touch the thief, he'd make the thief come out on his own!

"Fu brother, if you were the one who stole the item, what would your next plan be?"

Fu Zhi had no idea what scheme Xu Xiaoshou was plotting, but seeing that he seemed to have a direction, he played along. "Of course, I'd run, but if I weren't strong enough, I might hide for a while first, wait for the storm to pass..."

As he said this, his eyes lit up.

"Hide in the banquet hall, wait for things to calm down, and then leave the Chengzhu Fu with the crowd?"

"Brother Xu, you're brilliant!" he exclaimed in admiration.

Xu Xiaoshou wagged a finger. "No."

"Hmm?"

"Still not?"

Fu Zhi felt like his thinking had been guided in the right direction, but Xu Xiaoshou denied it again. Curious, he asked, "Then, Brother Xu, what would you do?"

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled lightly, circling around the pit.

"If it were me, I wouldn't leave!"

Fu Zhi was puzzled. "Not leave? Wait for death?"

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head.

"Fu brother, don't forget, the most dangerous place is often the safest."

"If it were me, I'd definitely first cultivate a technique for disguise and hiding, one that even a Wangzuo couldn't detect, before entering the Chengzhu Fu."

"Then, after stealing the item, I'd just stay nearby, wait for everyone else to panic and start searching everywhere."

"At that point, I could casually reveal myself again, walk into the banquet hall, and blend in as an ordinary guest!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Zhi hadn't reacted yet, but the information bar went wild.

"Received suspicion, passive value, 2."

"Received curse, passive value, 1."

"Received insult, passive value, 1."

"Received admiration, passive value, 1."

"Received awe, passive value, 1."

"What kind of disguise and hiding technique could fool even me and Liu Jing?"

Fu Zhi was still fixated on those minor details, but Xu Xiaoshou had already stopped paying attention to him.

He hadn't said those words for Fu Zhi's benefit anyway.

And since the information bar was reacting so intensely, that meant his guess about the hidden person—or rather, Xu Xiaojia—was spot on.

A faint "click" sounded, barely audible amid the whisper of the wind stirring the sand and gravel—even Fu Zhi couldn't notice it.

But Xu Xiaoshou was different.

His "perception" had already covered the surrounding area, and with his full focus, not even a fly's wingbeat could escape him.

"A grain of sand?"

What had just moved was clearly a tiny, unremarkable grain in the pit.

Yet, that very ordinariness stood out to Xu Xiaoshou as an uncontrollable twitch.

You're panicking!

Now that he'd pinpointed the thief's exact hiding spot, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but marvel.

It was right in the pit!

This guy had some serious mental fortitude!

He and Fu Zhi had been chatting right nearby, and even Liu Jing had come over earlier, yet the thief hadn't shown a single sign of movement.

Just for that level of composure, I'd call you the strongest in stealth—simply "stealth master" for short!

He squatted down, eyeing the unusual grain among the stones in the pit.

At that moment, the information bar fell silent.

It was as if it had vanished completely—if Xu Xiaoshou hadn't been fully alert, he might have thought it was all his imagination.

Without hesitation, Xu Xiaoshou picked up the grain of sand.

"Received curse, passive value, 1."

"Received insult, passive value, 1."

"Heh."

Xu Xiaoshou laughed.

Cursing me?

What else can you do besides that?

Dare to make a move? If you had the strength to take on the two of us, you wouldn't be reduced to a grain of sand, playing dead here!

Fu Zhi watched as Xu Xiaoshou picked up a stone from the pit, confused. "Brother Xu, what's your new idea?"

"Nothing."

Xu Xiaoshou clicked his tongue in amazement. "Fu brother, if you caught the thief, what would happen to them?"

"Heh."

Fu Zhi sneered. "Anyone who dares to steal my Tian Shu Ji Pan would face bone-crushing, soul-scattering—those would be the light punishments!"

"Received curse, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou could clearly feel the grain of sand in his hand tremble again.

He laughed once more.

Who could handle this?

You're already caught!

Xu Xiaojia must be feeling utterly desperate right now, right?

Xu Xiaoshou had no intention of exposing it directly. He stood up and said, "As you said, Fu brother, that guy definitely can't escape the Chengzhu Fu."

"I suggest we search the flower sea thoroughly—maybe the thief has transformed."

"Who knows, this stone in my hand might just be their disguise!" he joked.

"Received curse, passive value, 1, 1, 1, 1..."

Fu Zhi's mouth twitched, thinking it was nonsense. "Brother Xu, you're joking—a broken stone..."

But after thinking it over, he realized it made sense, so he took out a transmission jade slip and immediately summoned people to search.

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. "The net of heaven is vast, leaving no one uncaught. That guy dared to steal from the Chengzhu Fu, so their fate is sealed."

"Let's go, we'll head to the banquet. Next, we can just wait for good news from Xiao Hong and Protector Liu."

Though Fu Zhi was still uneasy, he knew rushing wouldn't help.

"Alright."

He agreed.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded with a smile and casually tossed the grain of sand into his Yuan Fu.

Instantly, the frantic, unending "curses" in the information bar stopped.

"A Jie, keep an eye on him."

"If he tries to transform, beat him senseless!"

"Damn it, how dare you trick me? And make me take you into the Chengzhu Fu... If you're discovered, I'll be in deep trouble too!"