Chapter 403: This Interrogation Went Too Smoothly

Received guilt, passive value, 1.Received fear, passive value, 1.Received request, passive value, 1.

Xu Xiaoshou had already lost count of how many times over this period Xu Xiaojian had uttered phrases like "sorry" and "apologies."

This guy might be on the verge of losing his mind...

"Calm down."

Xu Xiaoshou handed over a Dān Yào, but seeing how quickly his wounds were healing, he hesitated and put it away.

"You seem... quite extraordinary?"

"Yes, I'm not simple at all!"

Xu Xiaojian nodded vigorously. "My body has all sorts of strange traits, and I don't fully understand them myself, but whenever I get injured, I can recover rapidly."

Xu Xiaoshou was taken aback; the guy's response was so quick that it surprised him.

"So, as long as I don't kill you, you won't die?"

Xu Xiaojian shuddered at the words, his voice filled with terror. "I will die, I will die! Even though I can heal fast, the pain from injuries is several times worse than what a normal person feels!"

"If things keep going like this, I really will die!"

"Bro, let me go..."

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath.

"We can talk from a bit farther away. First, stop hugging me..."

Before he could finish, Xu Xiaojian sprang back with a whoosh.

Glancing at his pant leg, the guy suddenly lunged forward again, wiping it with his bloodstained sleeve before retreating.

He looked up at Xu Xiaoshou, pointing with his hand as he explained, "Snot."

Xu Xiaoshou: ...

What on earth did this guy go through while I was away?

He was still so tough and arrogant at the entrance of Chéngzhǔ Fǔ.

Sure, he didn't have much backbone in front of me, but he wasn't this subservient.

"Thank you."

Xu Xiaoshou said, squatting down to be at eye level with Xu Xiaojian, trying to make his voice as gentle as possible to avoid scaring him.

"I'll ask a question, and you answer, okay?"

"Okay."

Xu Xiaojian nodded dully, his eyes lacking any spark.

"Are you a killer?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"Yes, I was a killer for a while, but I could only rely on some minor tricks to kill people, and I didn't earn much."

"Minor tricks? Like your ability to transform?"

"Yes, I can transform. I can change into anything in the world—it's a special ability, similar to... innate attribute power?"

"Similar..."

Xu Xiaoshou pondered this.

This ability is no ordinary thing—in fact, innate attribute power comes from the ways of heaven.

Such a bizarre ability is truly rare.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't have believed anyone could have it.

No wonder when Xu Xiaojian turned into a stone, even Fú Zhī didn't notice.

"You're not human?" he asked again.

Xu Xiaojian hesitated for a moment.

But as he slightly lifted his gaze and accidentally caught sight of Ā Jié standing there, his whole body shrank back.

"I actually don't know."

"I also feel like I'm not human, because my abilities are too strange, but I really don't know anything about it."

"I can turn into stones, or knives, swords—anything."

"Sometimes, when the time comes, a special power surges through my body."

"With that power, I can kill a lot of people, which is why I became a killer."

Xu Xiaoshou nodded slowly. "So, right now, you have no power and are at everyone's mercy?"

"Yes."

The information panel didn't trigger, meaning this guy wasn't lying.

Well, that makes sense.

If he dared to lie, he wouldn't have spilled so much just from a single question.

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at Ā Jié and thought to himself that he'd underestimated this one again.

It turns out this is basically a walking interrogation tool. If I catch someone in the future who won't open up, just toss them into the Yuán Fǔ, and they'll turn into another Xu Xiaojian?

As Xu Xiaoshou pondered, the information panel kept showing "Received fear."

He couldn't help but chuckle.

He'd thought the interrogation would be tough, but it was going so smoothly that he was stunned.

"How often does your power appear?"

Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"It's uncertain—I have no idea when it will come next."

Xu Xiaojian shook his head, his eyes full of confusion.

"So, once your power returns, will you come after me to assassinate me?"

The question made Xu Xiaojian nearly jump out of his skin.

He replied in panic, "No way, absolutely not! Even if my power comes back, I wouldn't be a match for you, bro..."

He glanced at Ā Jié, his eyes filled with deep fear. "And even less of a match for it."

"What level is your power?"

"Wángzuò."

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked. Wángzuò level?

This guy actually has Wángzuò-level power— no wonder he dared to steal the Tiān Shū Jī Pán.

"You're lying to me!"

He suddenly realized something and said gravely, "If you can't control your power, how did you dare to attack Chéngzhǔ Fǔ tonight and even steal the 'Tiān Shū Jī Pán'?"

"No!"

Xu Xiaojian trembled as he spoke. "The Chéngzhǔ Fǔ night banquet was my only chance—I had to take it."

"As for the power, I can't fully control it, but each time it's about to appear, I can sense it a little."

Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes. "So, it's coming soon?"

Xu Xiaojian hesitated, then nodded.

"Yes, probably in the next day or two."

"This mysterious power shows up every month, but the exact time is unclear, and it doesn't last long. All I can sense is just a hint of it..."

The more Xu Xiaoshou heard, the stranger it seemed. Such a mysterious power appears monthly, at fixed times, but can't be controlled...

What kind of creature is this guy, exactly?

Suddenly, as if a thought struck him, Xu Xiaoshou looked Xu Xiaojian up and down and asked suspiciously, "Do you bleed?"

"Huh?" Xu Xiaojian was startled.

"When the power appears."

"No."

"I see..."

With that, Xu Xiaoshou had to set aside his doubts for now and stop dwelling on it.

He changed the subject. "The Tiān Shū Jī Pán."

"It's here, it's here."

Xu Xiaojian gagged a little and spat out a square, lustrous jade spirit box.

The spirit box shimmered with flowing light, adorned with translucent spirit patterns that carried an aura of profound heavenly principles.

This aura was likely due to the markings of Tiānjī techniques.

Xu Xiaoshou had seen similar traces on Fú Zhī's nested spirit arrays, though not as intense as this.

In the center of the spirit box was a deep groove, which seemed to be the key feature.

The groove was profound, with a sense of devouring everything, making it feel as if one's soul might be pulled in at first glance.

Xu Xiaoshou quickly looked away and withdrew his focus, his mind flashing with confusion.

This groove didn't seem like something intentionally made; it looked more like it was added later.

Glancing again at the deep mark, Xu Xiaoshou inexplicably detected a faint trace of sword energy within the strong heavenly aura.

At that, his pupils contracted.

"A groove?"

"A sword mark?"