Chapter 66: Is He Really Xu Xiaoshou?

"He is Xu Xiaoshou!" Shao Yi transmitted via voice, his tone full of solemnity.

"He is not Xu Xiaoshou!" Feng Kong fixed his gaze intently on the figure behind the fake mountain. "Xu Xiaoshou has Ba Jing cultivation, he has Jiu Jing!"

"He has broken through!"

"Heh, what a coincidence?"

"He doesn't dare to turn around! His back matches the description of Xu Xiaoshou too closely! His cultivation is definitely not at Xian Tian level! He's wearing white clothes—assassins wouldn't be foolish enough to wear white!"

Shao Yi fired off his words rapidly. He knew Feng Kong could deduce all this in an instant, perhaps even more than he could.

But he still had to say it. He needed Feng Kong to give him a signal to act.

Even if that signal would lead to his own instant doom, it might give Feng Kong a slight chance to escape.

Is it really as simple as it seems on the surface?

Feng Kong hesitated. He admitted he was intimidated!

Even if this person was ninety-nine point nine percent likely to be Xu Xiaoshou, what if he wasn't?

The large pit in the ground, the vanished main house, and the fact that someone was inside but hadn't responded at all... How could these be explained?!

Could Shao Yi risk his life on a gamble, and expect him to be so cold-blooded?

If this person wasn't Xu Xiaoshou, then he was a terrifying expert who could hide his cultivation even better than they could—possibly even one of those elusive figures from the inner court's thirty-three members!

As long as he didn't act and only saw a back view, he had reason to stay alive.

But if he acted, it would give the other side even a sliver of justification to silence him.

Was it worth it for a Xu Xiaoshou?

Shao Yi waited endlessly for a reply, his heart churning with waves of emotion.

Feng Kong was hesitating!

He actually saw this guy hesitating!

Who would have thought that for a professional assassin, this was such a frightening thing.

Boom!

A silver arc flashed across the sky, and the rain suddenly grew heavier!

The courtyard was deathly silent, filled only with the sound of rustling rain.

The person by the fake mountain said nothing, and the two who had stumbled into this mess were silent too. Perhaps each of them had a mind full of questions, but they both knew...

Whoever spoke first would lose!

...

Received suspicion, Passive Value +1.

Received suspicion, Passive Value +1.

Received suspicion, Passive Value +1.

...

The information panel was flooding with notifications—hundreds in just a few moments!

Who was the mysterious person standing on the fake mountain... Did that even need asking?

It was Xu Xiaoshou!

Why was he wearing white clothes? Because he hadn't had time to change!

Why wouldn't he turn around? Because he was Xu Xiaoshou!

But why was he boldly standing in front of the two of them?

—Because he had no other choice!

Xu Xiaoshou's legs were like jelly right now. If these two attacked immediately, he might not even dodge in time.

Yet, from that earlier observation, he knew that these two... were incredibly patient, meticulous in their thinking, and always planned before acting...

They were definitely trained assassins!

Similarly, these two would think things through—or rather, the one behind them was making sure they thought even more.

The more they thought, the more they'd overthink!

The chaotic state of the courtyard from his earlier rampage had now become his lifeline!

Could he guide their thoughts exactly as he wanted, making them question what he wanted them to question, or even what he didn't, leading to more second-guessing and wild speculation...

Xu Xiaoshou was getting a bit dizzy...

But he knew he had to think—this was his only capital for survival!

In short, these were two smart and highly cultivated experts, and facing them head-on would be like smashing an egg against a rock. He had to outsmart them.

Whether he lived or died depended on his brain.

To bluff them, he needed to take control, letting them infer his identity from the hints he gave...

Leading to questions like:

"Who exactly is he? If he's Xu Xiaoshou, why is he standing so openly in front of us, and why does the courtyard look like this?"

"If he's not Xu Xiaoshou, then he's probably here to kill Xu Xiaoshou too, which explains the courtyard's state. But if we've run into him and his strength far exceeds ours, why hasn't he struck first to eliminate us?"

Xu Xiaoshou's heart and liver were trembling.

His identity had to hover ambiguously between the two possibilities, never letting them settle on a definite answer—just keep them guessing and throwing them off balance.

But could he perfectly predict what they were thinking?

Impossible!

So, he stayed silent too—saying more would only lead to mistakes.

Sometimes, with smart people, using subtraction could have an unexpected effect.

That's why he only gave a vague remark earlier, and it had already triggered the flood of notifications in his mind. He knew that was a small success.

Yet, even with a ninety-nine percent chance of bluffing them, if they decided to make a move, he was as good as dead.

So, how to proceed from here...

Honestly, he had no idea!

Xu Xiaoshou kept his back to them, but his "perception" allowed him to clearly observe their facial expressions—that was his biggest advantage.

The silence continued, each of them with their own ulterior motives, all waiting for the other to speak.

In his mind, the "Received suspicion" notifications had slowed down dramatically, and Xu Xiaoshou grew tense.

These two were even more composed than he'd imagined, leaving him no opening to steer the conversation.

It couldn't go on—he had to speak up. If he waited longer, it would be their turn for the next round of probing.

But... what to say?

Xu Xiaoshou knew his next words could decide his fate, and he hesitated...

"Heh, are you here to kill Xu Xiaoshou too?" he asked, lowering his voice.

Too late, though. He said it with a meaningful tone.

What a joke!

With those two lines, wasn't he just drawing attention to himself like a thief protesting his innocence? Only a fool would think otherwise!

...

Feng Kong's eagle-like eyes stared straight at the person by the fake mountain, not missing a single detail.

Sweat from the back of his head mixed with the rain, a cold chill seeping from outside in.

He still believed this person was Xu Xiaoshou, but why... could this guy stay so steady when he himself was showing so much doubt?

With an extremely subtle glance, Feng Kong signaled to Shao Yi.

Attack!

"Tch!"

A sarcastic light laugh escaped, soft but effectively interrupting Shao Yi's action. The person by the fake mountain seemed to mutter to himself, "Couldn't hold back anymore..."

The two barely caught what he said, but the mockery in his words was crystal clear.

It was like he was playing cat and mouse, with the outcome already decided—he just wanted to see the prey's struggle.

Feng Kong's pupils contracted, his whole body turning cold.

He could see it!

Without even turning around, how could he see the subtle rapport between him and Shao Yi?!

"So, are we going to attack or not?" Shao Yi was going crazy.

Even if he was dense, he knew these two big shots were locked in a psychological battle, but he couldn't get involved—he just had to wait for Feng Kong's signal.

And now...

Damn it, the signal was cut off again!

Oh, hell! Shao Yi was breaking down!