Chapter 441: Tongue Bright as a Lotus, Stealing the Sky and Changing the Day

Innocent?

The five people in front staggered, almost falling over.

You, a killer, shouting about innocence here—how can the deceased Zhang Taiying face his next life?

This battle might involve some unfairness or unexpected twists, but as for innocence, not a single person is innocent!

The few in front instinctively wanted to retort.

After all, Xu Xiaoshou's words were just too shameless!

Anyone would find it unbearable.

But...

What could they say in response?

After carefully thinking it through, the five felt their heads suddenly grow foggy.

"How could this be?"

"It's clearly a bunch of nonsense, so why, after thinking it over, can't we find even one point to refute?"

"This..."

Something was wrong!

None of them were ordinary people, and they quickly realized they had fallen into Xu Xiaoshou's verbal trap.

But when did they step into it?

Thinking it over again, they still couldn't tell!

What was even more shocking was that they suddenly discovered Xu Xiaoshou didn't seem to be joking at all.

Every time he finished a question, they would refute and verify it, only continuing once they confirmed the answer was true.

In other words, Xu Xiaoshou had no chance or possibility to lie.

Yet, his conclusions were so absurd, yet somehow convincing.

Qiu Xuan felt his mind turning to mush.

He wasn't the type for mental games anyway.

This twist from Xu Xiaoshou left him completely unable to fight back.

But once his thoughts were fully tangled and aligned with Xu Xiaoshou's logic, he had nothing left to say in rebuttal.

"Maybe..."

"Maybe Xu Xiaoshou is right?"

"After all, the Sheng Shen Hall's rules really are like that—they only restrict Wang Zuo from acting, but don't say a mere Xiantian can't kill a Wang Zuo..."

The group collectively froze.

You make a damn good point!

But in normal circumstances, who would think a Yuan Ting Jing peak kid could scheme and even kill a Wang Zuo?

"No!"

Shou Ye was dizzy for a moment too.

But he snapped back quickly.

Xu Xiaoshou indeed had no opportunity to lie; every step of his argument was confirmed by the group.

That meant what he said was genuine.

But not lying didn't mean telling the whole story!

Shou Ye narrowed his eyes.

Xu Xiaoshou was too formidable.

The group had probably only seen the glow of his talents and completely overlooked how terrifying his wisdom and strategy were as a person!

"Selective telling?"

A flash of insight hit Shou Ye's mind, and he figured it out.

His path from Bai Yi had given him different experiences, so he mastered many interrogation and coercion techniques.

Among the past Wang Zuo criminals, there were plenty with exceptional cunning.

The scariest thing about them wasn't their raw power, but that even if you had solid evidence they did something, they could talk circles around you and leave you stunned.

"Selective telling!"

It sounded simple, but weaving a complete lie was tough.

This kind of false-yet-true story, pieced from real events with gaps filled by enemy intelligence errors, was impossible to refute if it logically held up.

That's what led to this:

The group clearly felt Xu Xiaoshou was crazy for claiming "I'm innocent," yet because he stuck to objective truths, they had no way to counter.

"Good one!"

Shou Ye blurted out right there.

He seriously sized up Xu Xiaoshou again, gaining a clearer understanding of the young man before him.

If this guy could really pull off deceptions that seemed real and hid the truth in plain sight...

Then, they absolutely couldn't let him control the narrative.

"Not bad."

Shou Ye chuckled in praise: "No, it should be said, it's brilliant."

"Indeed, Zhang Taiying attacking you in the city lord's mansion was his fault, and he deserved to die."

"Your... self-defense counterattack in the city lord's mansion, which basically blew the place to bits, might even mean, by the rules, the city lord's mansion can't trouble you."

"On the contrary, they have to compensate you for the harm you suffered here... that kind of harm from a Wang Zuo to a Yuan Ting Jing..."

Shou Ye clicked his tongue; he couldn't even spot any harm on Xu Xiaoshou, but he still said, "Provide compensation!"

Fu Zhi's face turned green on the spot.

After all this, my house got blown up, and I have to pay the bomber?

What kind of judge acts like this?

This is ridiculous!

Xu Xiaoshou didn't expect Shou Ye to be so accommodating and suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.

"No need to go through all that trouble, but... if compensation is really on the table, it's not entirely out of the question, heh, heh..."

"Cursed, passive value, 4."

"Don't get too excited."

Shou Ye cut off Fu Zhi's urge to speak and said slowly, "Now, your argument is done. It's my turn to ask you some questions."

"What?"

Xu Xiaoshou looked at him, thinking that what was coming had arrived.

Shou Ye sighed deeply; he really wanted to know how Xu Xiaoshou would wriggle out of the next questions.

"You know, Hong Yi's duty is to hunt Gui Shou."

"The battle just now might fool others, but that thick stench of Gui Shou can't fool me!"

"Spill it—how did the Gui Shou aura come about?"

Shou Ye's eyes flashed with a dangerous glint as he said coldly, "You wouldn't try to pin this on the dead Zhang Taiying, would you?"

Five gazes locked onto Xu Xiaoshou in unison.

"Under scrutiny, passive value, 5."

"Under expectation, passive value, 5."

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou's pores stood on end.

Truth be told, that's exactly what he planned.

But with Shou Ye putting it like that, if he admitted it, his defense would be utterly weak and impossible to recover from!

But if he didn't admit it...

Burn the bridge after crossing? Shut the door and release the wild beast? Or directly throw Tan Shen under the bus?

Xu Xiaoshou knew he wasn't a good person—in fact, sometimes his mind flashed with vile ideas that only despicable people would have.

But at that moment, he truly couldn't bring himself to do it!

Countless ways to wipe the slate clean and distance himself flashed through his mind in an instant.

But each one came with the cost of loss.

"Loss..."

That wasn't what Xu Xiaoshou wanted.

Maybe living meant struggling for something—be it righteousness, sentiment, or that last bit of warm blood in his heart!

"Zhang Taiying..."

Xu Xiaoshou's face turned cold as he murmured softly.

He suddenly scoffed, calmly lifting his gaze and staring straight into Shou Ye's eyes. "If I say, yes?"

The air fell dead silent.

The heavy atmosphere pressed down like an invisible Mount Tai.

At that moment, even Qiu Xuan felt the murderous chill from Shou Ye.

Shou Ye said word by word, "Then I can only say, your skill at lying with your eyes wide open isn't any weaker than all your other abilities combined!"

"Ha!"

Xu Xiaoshou burst into laughter, almost wiping away tears.

"That's just how people are, right?"

He spread his hands.

"Thinking you're brilliantly clever, walking others' paths and leaving them none, forcing those you look down on to accept the answers you've already decided in your mind, then slitting their throats and reporting the results."

"Isn't that how it is?"

Xu Xiaoshou laughed as he bent forward.

Finally, he straightened up, his smile fading, his gaze sweeping coldly over the five. "I bet this kind of tactic isn't just your go-to, Shou Ye, but all of you here have used it plenty, haven't you?"

"I'm just curious—since you already have your answers, why bother with all this extra talk?"

"If you want my head, just take it. Why play the big bad wolf?"

Under the moonlight, Xu Xiaoshou's carefree demeanor left the group stunned.

Fu Zhi looked at Xu Xiaoshou and suddenly felt a jolt in his heart.

Xu Xiaoshou was too unusual.

With Shou Ye's direct evidence, he knew everything Xu Xiaoshou said was likely false.

But in this situation, the young man's words still pierced straight through the dark corners of his own heart.

From a nobody rising to city lord—how could that be achieved through honest hard work?

How many times had Fu Zhi resorted to any means for a goal when he was young?

And now, Shou Ye's aggressive stance and preconceived judgments, compared to Xu Xiaoshou's desolation and helplessness...

Wasn't this just like how he used to frame and kill his enemies?

"This guy..."

Fu Zhi was in utter admiration.

If this were someone who had seen through the world's illusions, he could understand.

But Xu Xiaoshou was so young! What had he gone through to see right through the flaws in Hong Yi's strategies in such a situation?

If Xu Xiaoshou survived tonight, he was destined to become a dragon!

Fu Zhi prided himself on reading people well.

Even without that skill, he knew Xu Xiaoshou's future wouldn't be simple.

He wanted to protect him.

But...

"As for the Gui Shou, what a pity."

"Xu Xiaoshou, whether you can break free from this today depends on you. I have a family to think of, so I can't risk my life for this, old brother!"

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the five, their faces flushing red.

Clearly, they all understood this approach.

But hearing it unspoken and having it pointed out were two different things.

Shou Ye froze on the spot.

His momentum halted and completely dissipated.

He was Hong Yi, but even Hong Yi didn't use such tactics against Gui Shou.

Even Bai Yi wouldn't allow killing those Wang Zuo prisoners who could lie their way out without solid evidence.

Fine.

This Xu Xiaoshou had some real skill!

"You don't need to beat around the bush anymore, kid. Say what you want."

Shou Ye sighed.

"Do I still need to say it?"

Xu Xiaoshou shot back.

"Tell me what you want to say, and stop wasting words!"

Shou Ye's temper flared up again.

Think you're something now?

Earlier, when I didn't give you a chance, you nearly made everyone choke on their blood.

Now that I'm giving you a chance to defend yourself, you're playing hard to get?

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent for a moment.

In his heart, he felt a slight relief.

If he wasn't planning to hand over Xing Gugu, or Tan Shen, or A Jie, then the Gui Shou aura that appeared tonight had to be from Zhang Taiying, no matter what.

That was unchangeable!

The dead couldn't speak, so his words would inevitably sound weak.

But because the dead couldn't testify, even if his words were weak and Shou Ye was suspicious, they'd have to wait for another chance to pin anything on him.

Would he give them that chance?

Maybe...

If he was pushed too far.

Without overthinking, Xu Xiaoshou refocused and looked at Qiu Xuan.

Since any explanation would be futile, the only thing he could do was add a bit of color to that futility.

Speaking was an art.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know if Shou Ye had any mind-reading interrogation techniques, so to be safe, tonight he could only say true facts and ambiguous answers.

As for saying "Zhang Taiying is a Gui Shou," that would never come from his mouth.

You all figure it out yourselves!

That way, it'd be more satisfying.

"Never mind the rest, I'll just ask you this."

Xu Xiaoshou stared at Qiu Xuan and pointed to the scorched flower field ground. "Do I have the strength to kill a Wang Zuo?"

Qiu Xuan was taken aback.

This topic shifted so abruptly...

He glanced at Shou Ye, who was frowning but nodded slightly, signaling to go along with Xu Xiaoshou's defense.

"Barely."

Qiu Xuan gave a noncommittal answer.

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. "Then let me ask another question. If I compress over a thousand fire seeds right now and blast them straight at your face with no defense—remember, no defense at all..."

"Would you die?"

Qiu Xuan was stumped.

He actually started pondering the possibility, and his heart skipped a beat.

"I wouldn't die."

From behind, Fu Zhi gave a firm answer.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded calmly and lightly patted Qiu Xuan's shoulder.

"Brother, have some confidence—it really wouldn't kill you."

Qiu Xuan: "..."

"Cursed, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou's gaze swept over the group as he said slowly, "Back then, Zhang Taiying didn't die either. He just lost two arms, two legs, half his body shattered and melted, beyond recovery, that's it."

"Gulp."

Qiu Xuan's face was dark one second, and the next, he unconsciously swallowed.

What's the difference between that and death?

Xu Xiaoshou smiled. "I guess you're all thinking, what's the difference between that and death?"

"But I can tell you very seriously, there is a difference."

"At least, as long as he's not dead, the Gui Shou form can be released!"

As he spoke, Xu Xiaoshou looked at Shou Ye.

"If I could have blown Zhang Taiying up in one go, why would another realm rise after the explosion, and why would I still be trapped for so long?"

"And if I were a Gui Shou, why would it take me that much time to deal with Zhang Taiying?"

"The explosion didn't solve the problem, so I just followed up with a few sword strikes."

"If I wanted to release a Gui Shou, why bother waiting through all that and blowing up the city lord's mansion just to slowly transform?"

Xu Xiaoshou's tone grew heavier. "Am I some kind of psychological freak or thrill-seeker that I'd play like that?"

Shou Ye: "..."

You keep defending, go on!

See if I buy it...

But damn, the kid actually made some sense!

So, after the explosion, Zhang Taiying couldn't hold on and activated his Gui Shou form?

As Hong Yi, Shou Ye knew how secretive Gui Shou parasites could be in the human world.

Even if the host was only at Xiantian level, a Wang Zuo might not detect it.

So, could Zhang Taiying have been a Gui Shou parasite lurking for decades...

A hint of doubt crept into Shou Ye's heart.

Xu Xiaoshou's story was too seamless!

"You said Zhang Taiying transformed into a Gui Shou and took your attacks, so how did you, at most Zongshi peak... wait, let's say Wang Zuo level for you..."

"How did you defeat him in his Gui Shou form? You should know the power in that state."

Xu Xiaoshou should know?

The group was stunned.

From the sound of it, had Xu Xiaoshou fought a Gui Shou before?

"Under suspicion, passive value, 4."

"You're wrong."

Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself that he hadn't directly said Zhang Taiying turned into a Gui Shou—it was all your own inference.

He continued correcting Shou Ye's mistake. "It wasn't that he turned into a Gui Shou and then took my over-a-thousand fire seeds attack, but because of his arrogance!"

Glancing at Qiu Xuan, Xu Xiaoshou said, "Because of his arrogance, he got blown to pieces and then decided to activate that special form. That's the correct sequence."

Qiu Xuan's face turned green right then.

Arrogant? What's that got to do with me? Why are you looking at me?

Shou Ye wasn't swayed. "Special form... What did Zhang Taiying's Gui Shou look like?"

"What did it look like..."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed, picturing Zhang Taiying's special form—the three-headed, six-armed Di Ji illusion—in his mind.

Then, it merged with the ancient wild bull head that had emerged when Xing Gugu transformed into a Gui Shou.

"It was really special—a crack on his waist and back with a bull head popping out, his body becoming huge, maybe several dozen zhang tall, over ten zhang... pretty strong."

Pretty strong...

Shou Ye's mouth twitched.

"So, you finished him off while he was weak during the transformation?"

"Of course not."

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head firmly.

He wouldn't fall for such a basic trap.

Weak? Who said being weak before transformation meant weak afterward turning strong?

Shou Ye seemed confused, but his words were full of traps—if you stepped in, you couldn't get out.

The old hunter!

Xu Xiaoshou didn't follow his rhythm. "Zhang Taiying did turn into a Gui Shou, but I'm not the same as before either."

"Or put another way, I never thought a thousand-plus fire seeds could take out a Wang Zuo."

"I hadn't tried it, no experience, so I had other... twenty backup plans or so!"

Fu Zhi's face paled.

Hadn't tried it?

Something like that, and you're experimenting?

Who would let you test it? Whose home would you use?

Who dares let you?

"Cursed, passive value, 1."

Shou Ye's heart tightened.

He truly couldn't tell if Xu Xiaoshou was lying or recalling reality.

At least so far, the kid hadn't slipped up, and his understanding of fighting Gui Shou was spot-on.

And that didn't seem like something a Gui Shou parasite could perceive so accurately.

From Hong Yi's internal research, even a Wang Zuo lost their senses when transforming into a high-level Gui Shou and couldn't remember the details.

Shou Ye had experienced and battled those details himself, so he knew Xu Xiaoshou wasn't lying.

"Without the thousand-plus fire seeds, how did you kill him?"

Shou Ye asked the crucial question.

If Xu Xiaoshou couldn't answer this, he was still lying!

Sure enough, Xu Xiaoshou paused, suddenly stammering a bit.

Shou Ye felt delighted.

So, the kid's story wasn't perfect after all—there was a flaw!

"If I heard right, there were two Gui Shou in the barrier earlier."

"The one you described is real; I'll assume Zhang Taiying was a Gui Shou parasite, but the other one must be you, right?"

Xu Xiaoshou was startled.

He almost reached out to touch the old man's forehead.

Dreaming?

Two Gui Shou?

Do you think Gui Shou are that common, or that they'd kill each other?

It's just Xing Gugu, okay? Where did you get the other one from?

Xu Xiaoshou quickly realized this was another of Shou Ye's tactics.

But thinking it over, something didn't add up!

How could this guy make such a basic, shallow mistake—mistaking one for two?

"No!"

"Listen?"

"Did he mix up the frenzied giant too?"

Yes!

It must be that!

The old man couldn't see anything; he was just going by sound.

Xu Xiaoshou finally realized Hong Yi's nose wasn't all-powerful.

It wasn't "perception" and didn't trigger passive info prompts; the only thing it could do was rely on experience to infer and judge!

His heart eased, and realizing he held the absolute intel advantage, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly wasn't afraid of Shou Ye anymore.

"There weren't two; you must have misheard. There was only one."

Xu Xiaoshou said seriously. "The rest was my Ling Ji."

"What Ling Ji?"

"I choose... not to say."

Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't openly confess his "Frenzied Giant."

He shrugged.

"You're not some close relative of mine, and I have many ways to kill Gui Shou. I don't have to explain each one to you, right?"

"Besides, how the Gui Shou got into the city lord's mansion is still a question."

"Maybe, among you all here, there's one... wait, maybe more than one, who's a Gui Shou parasite?"

"And you..."

Xu Xiaoshou saw Shou Ye's eyes growing colder and his voice weakened, but he still forced out the rest.

"Is whether you're really Hong Yi still up for question!"

Good one!

The city lord's mansion's major Wang Zuo were dumbfounded.

Xu Xiaoshou was really bold!

Being interrogated by Hong Yi, he turned around and dropped a bombshell, even concluding that Hong Yi might actually be a Gui Shou parasite?

"Under admiration, passive value, 4."

"Xu Xiaoshou, shut your mouth, you brat!"

Shou Ye was so angry he laughed, pointing a trembling finger at the young man. "You have many ways to kill Gui Shou? Are you Hong Yi or am I?"

"Think a silver tongue can muddle right and wrong, twist black and white?"

"I..."

"You want to try?"

Xu Xiaoshou cut him off, his eyes suddenly serious.

In that instant, Shou Ye unprecedentedly sensed the killing intent in the young man's gaze.

He rolled his eyes skyward.

Impressive!

In all my years, Shou Ye, interrogating so many, you're the most arrogant Xiantian I've ever seen!

"You want to kill me?"

"Not me—it's you who wants to try."

Xu Xiaoshou remained serious.

"Ha, I'd love to see what tricks you have to kill Gui Shou!"

"Heh, plenty. I used a Ling Zhen and Dan Dao earlier, plus compressed fire seeds. How about I show you a Jian Dao strike on a Gui Shou?"

Shou Ye paused.

His eyes narrowed coldly. "Are you sure you're not joking?"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't back down.

"If you don't believe in my strength, then I have to let you try, don't I?"