Chapter 995: What Does He Think He Is?

So, what exactly is the matter?

Xu Xiaoshou carefully probed, steeling himself for the worst—ready to yield but not to die.

"A matter of... blasphemy against the sacred," Shui Gui said with a smile, his fate hanging in the balance.

"What? Slaughter a saint?" Xu Xiaoshou's eyes suddenly lost their spark.

"Mm."

"Excuse me, I'm leaving!"

Shui Gui nodded, and Xu Xiaoshou turned to go.

What the hell is this? Slaughter a saint?

You should go to Ba Zun An for that—he's the god!

Why talk to me? Am I, Xu Xiaoshou, up to that? Do you think I'm all-powerful?

Shui Gui watched Xu Xiaoshou walk away, this time not using his abilities to hold him back. Instead, he smiled and said, "Don't you want to hear the details first, then decide whether to stay or cooperate?"

What's the difference between "staying" and "cooperating"... Xu Xiaoshou was going crazy inside.

But Shui Gui had already said that much, and even without forcing him to stay, it didn't feel right to just leave.

—He couldn't leave without hearing it all out, could he?

"I can listen to the details, but forget about slaughtering a saint. I can handle killing chickens or dogs, but that's about it," Xu Xiaoshou sighed heavily.

Shui Gui chuckled at that. "I'm not asking you to actually slaughter a saint. All you need to do is some minor acts of irreverence—nothing serious."

But that's a "saint" we're talking about!

Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself, You make it sound so easy, but I might be risking my life to help, and you call that trivial?

"This 'saint' you mentioned—is that a person's name, or..." At this point, Xu Xiaoshou still held a sliver of hope.

"What are you thinking!" Shui Gui ruthlessly shattered his illusion. "It's the Ban Sheng of the North Domain Jiang Shi. I want to kill him, and you just need to lend a small hand."

Xu Xiaoshou: ...

His face turned pale.

So it really is a Ban Sheng!

You're really bold!

Wait, how are you even bold enough? You're just Tai Xu, so how dare you plot against a Ban Sheng?

Ban Sheng are transcendent beings—they're the gods of the Sheng Shen Continent.

How could a mortal body truly slaughter a saint?

"The Ban Sheng of the North Domain Jiang Shi..."

Xu Xiaoshou took a few deep breaths, remembering something, and still unwilling to give up, he said, "I recall there's a Ban Sheng successor from the Jiang Shi named Jiang Xian. Did he offend you? You're talking about this Ban Sheng successor, right? He should... have some connection to a 'saint'?"

"Yes, it's him..." Shui Gui nodded, making Xu Xiaoshou overjoyed.

After a pause, he continued, "The one I mean is the Ban Sheng himself behind that successor. Our target this time is him."

Xu Xiaoshou was once again speechless and choked up.

Damn it, get lost!

Why mess with a Ban Sheng for no reason?

Couldn't you just go along with the out I gave you? I'd even help you kill the Ban Sheng successor for free—no payment needed. Can't you just let me off the hook?

Shit...

"I'm only at Zongshi level..." Xu Xiaoshou said, his eyes blank and his tone pleading.

"You're no ordinary Zongshi—don't sell yourself short!"

Shui Gui waved his hand, producing a wanted poster, his eyes full of encouragement and admiration.

"Look at this—the Three Incense evaluation puts your combat strength at Zhan Dao level.

"And in my view, you can even toy with Tai Xu. Your power goes far beyond Zhan Dao.

"You're young and talented—you should surpass the legends of Ba Zun An, achieve Zongshi-level blasphemy, Wang Zuo-level slaughter of saints, and Zhan Dao-level destruction of the five great Sheng Di Shi Jia!"

After a pause, Shui Gui looked up, his eyes gleaming and his expression vivid with excitement.

"Wow! Just imagine, what a beautiful scene?

"Once this is over, your notorious name as Xu Xiaoshou the saint's slave will spread across the five domains, eclipsing the Eighth Sword Immortal and becoming the benchmark for the new generation of youth.

"Countless people will strive to become you, to surpass you, fueling their ambitions, and you will go down in history, remembered forever..."

Xu Xiaoshou felt his head spinning from all this.

"Stop, stop." He quickly cut in.

"What?" Shui Gui turned with a smile. "Am I wrong?"

Wrong or not? Can you even reflect on whether that's even human talk?!

Xu Xiaoshou nearly slapped that ghostly face, but he didn't dare—because after one slap, his own life would be on the line.

After zoning out for a while, he said blankly, "Shui Gui, do I, Xu Xiaoshou, look like some hot-blooded, naive kid?"

The sudden shift in topic left Shui Gui stunned for a moment.

"Well, not really?"

"...Then do you think saying all that to me is useful?"

Xu Xiaoshou's mouth twitched as he swallowed hard and sighed, "Fine, I'll admit I let you down, okay? Please stop toying with me. I have real business to handle—I don't have time to waste here. If you really want to slaughter a saint, I'll shake things up with Ba Zun An for you. Trust me, he might give you that face."

Shui Gui laughed again, stepped forward, and patted Xu Xiaoshou's shoulder. Suddenly, a sharp pain made him pull back.

He furrowed his brow, realizing this guy was like a porcupine—not out for revenge—so he let it go and returned to the topic. "Believe me, on this matter, Ba Zun An isn't worth a single hair on your head. You're incredible; you just don't realize it."

"Don't feed me any more of that nonsense! I'm not buying it!" Xu Xiaoshou flared up and turned to leave. "Jokes over—stop trying to hold me back, senior. I'm not cooperating."

The deep sea currents parted, and Xu Xiaoshou's figure sped away.

Surprisingly, Shui Gui didn't stop him, wearing a knowing, amused expression. After a long while, he called out, "But even if you don't want to kill him, he's already got his eyes on you."

Xu Xiaoshou paused mid-step.

Got his eyes on me?

For a moment, he really wanted to turn back and talk it out with Shui Gui.

But then he thought, how many Ban Sheng have targeted me already? Could the Jiang Shi Ban Sheng be stronger than the higher-ups in the Sheng Shen Hall?

I've dealt with Ban Sheng Zang Ren before.

Even the Sheng Di-level bigwigs from Void Island have made moves against me in secret.

One more trouble might wear me down, but too many just make it routine.

"Sorry, not interested."

Seeing Shui Gui wasn't trying to stop him, Xu Xiaoshou picked up his pace, almost using Step to Heaven.

Shui Gui watched with a smile and added, "You have the ability to disappear, so you might not be afraid, but he's targeted your friends and family too. Don't you want to stay and chat more?"

In the depths of the sea, it seemed that no matter how far Xu Xiaoshou ran, Shui Gui's words could reach anyone's ears if he wanted.

Friends and family... Xu Xiaoshou thought, I've even lost my closest elder, Sang Lao. In this world, what else do I have to lose? Could a Ban Sheng track down my birth parents from another world?

He didn't look back, walking away with determination.

Shui Gui shook his head with a wry laugh at the sight.

Still so decisive?

"Really, nothing in this world tugs at your heart? What about your little girlfriend? You're not going to care about her life or death?" Shui Gui finally said.

It was as if some sensitive nerve had been struck—Xu Xiaoshou stopped, hesitated for a long time, then used Step to Heaven to return to Shui Gui.

"Little girlfriend?" he asked hesitantly. "Which one?"

"Which one?" Shui Gui's eyes widened in disbelief. "You have more than one?"

"Let's talk business, okay!" Xu Xiaoshou was exasperated.

"The silver-haired one..." Shui Gui said with a playful expression, gesturing two curves in the deep sea with his hands and teasing, "That one—who else?"

It was clear Shui Gui was genuinely curious this time.

Silver-haired... Xu Xiaoshou's mind flashed with a graceful figure, and he rolled his eyes. "That's my junior sister, not my little girlfriend."

"Oh, oh, junior sister," Shui Gui chuckled meaningfully. "As they say, a junior sister is like being close to the water and getting the moon first."

I never realized you were such a flirt... Xu Xiaoshou sneered inwardly and snapped, "Stick to the point. Why would the Jiang Shi Ban Sheng target my junior sister?"

"Shen Mo Tong."

Shui Gui turned serious. "He found me and mentioned the Lei Jia Tong. From what I gather, he wants to collect them all."

"All the Lei Jia Tong?" Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow. Isn't that the same as Yan Wang's goal?

The difference is, Yan Wang is already acting on it, while this Jiang Shi Ban Sheng is just starting.

But the one he should be after isn't my junior sister—it's Yan Wang. After all, Yan Wang has... a lot of Lei Jia Tong!

"You're not lying to me, are you?" Xu Xiaoshou looked suspicious. "Not many people in the world know about my junior sister, but Yan Wang secretly collecting Lei Jia Tong shouldn't be a secret to someone at your level, right?"

A genuine look of approval appeared on Shui Gui's face. "You're sharp as always. I haven't even said much, and you've already guessed the Jiang Shi Ban Sheng's real purpose."

What do you mean? Xu Xiaoshou looked completely puzzled.

Shui Gui didn't beat around the bush. "Exactly—the Jiang Shi Ban Sheng's primary target is Yan Wang. He wants me to help him find people and then seize all of Yan Wang's Lei Jia Tong."

A surge of anger rose in Xu Xiaoshou's heart.

Why is the Jiang Shi Ban Sheng going after Yan Wang involving my junior sister? And now you're dumping this on me? Did you leak the info about her Shen Mo Tong?

But even with that unexplained anger, Xu Xiaoshou didn't lose his cool and blurt it out.

To be fair, Shui Gui is still the fifth seat of the Sheng Nu—he's one of us. He wouldn't be heartless enough to expose this to outsiders; otherwise, Ba Zun An would be the first to come after him.

After all, Ba Zun An has some connection to the Lei family— he even protected Lei Shuang Xing.

"Explain more. The Jiang Shi Ban Sheng going after Yan Wang is a good thing, so how does it tie into my junior sister?" Xu Xiaoshou frowned, unconsciously leaning closer and lowering his voice.

"Oh, it's deeply connected." Shui Gui smiled, stepping back to create some distance, and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Think about it—Yan Wang's Huang Quan time-space attribute makes him hard to catch.

"If that fails, the Jiang Shi Ban Sheng will settle for the next best thing: go after the other Lei Jia Tong first, then work his way up to complete his goal.

"And in that process, with a Ban Sheng's power, how long do you think your little girlfriend can hide?"

Shui Gui raised his eyebrows with a smile, shrugged, and gave a look that said, You know how powerful a Ban Sheng is.

"My junior sister," Xu Xiaoshou corrected sternly, his heart sinking with those words. "Go on."

Little girlfriend, junior sister... Shui Gui murmured silently to himself before continuing,

"Or think of it another way—if the plan succeeds and the Jiang Shi Ban Sheng gets all of Yan Wang's Lei Jia Tong,

"Will he stop there?

"No, he'll keep searching for the remaining Lei Jia Tong scattered across the continent. And Lei Jia Tong have a way of sensing each other—I'm not sure if you know that..."

Shui Gui drew out his words, saw Xu Xiaoshou nod silently, and knew he was aware, so he didn't explain further. "So, the chance that the Jiang Shi Ban Sheng ends up finding your little gir—er, junior sister through that connection is pretty high, don't you think?"

It's really high!

Xu Xiaoshou almost got swept up in it.

But he's survived this long, and he's pretty skilled at bluffing himself, so how could he be fooled?

"You're right."

He started by affirming to keep Shui Gui steady, then methodically broke it down:

"But no matter what, the Jiang Shi Ban Sheng will focus on Yan Wang first, and since Huang Quan is so hard to deal with, it'll take a lot of time.

"Besides, I'm just a mere Zongshi—what can I do to help? If you want a partner, you should be going to Huang Quan..."

As he said this, Xu Xiaoshou seemed to realize something and suddenly looked up, puzzled. "Wait, the Jiang Shi Ban Sheng going after Huang Quan—why's that your business? You want to slaughter a saint?

"Isn't that something Huang Quan should handle? Unless you two have some shady underground... uh!"

Xu Xiaoshou caught himself just in time, his expression turning odd.

Shui Gui's aura suddenly turned icy. Before Xu Xiaoshou could apologize in fright, he said sternly, "I want to kill him, and it has nothing to do with who he's targeting."

Xu Xiaoshou was taken aback, quickly piecing it together.

Are you crazy?

Are you letting yourself be used as a tool?

He opened his mouth wide, barely holding back the words, and asked, "Why?"

"No reason." Shui Gui snorted. "That old guy is arrogant and bullying, and he doesn't even use polite words when he speaks. Who do I think I am? How dare he act so presumptuously? Even Ba Zun An has to speak nicely to get me to come out—what's he supposed to be?"

Xu Xiaoshou's face was immediately covered in question marks.

Is that it? Just that?

What the hell is this spoiled brat attitude?

So that's the kind of Shui Gui you are? I've really seen a new side of you!

"Yes, senior, your status is so noble..." Xu Xiaoshou played along, full of curiosity. "So, what exactly is your status?"

"I am..." Shui Gui flicked his sleeve, fuming, but as the words reached his lips, he seemed to snap out of it, his face turning cold as he glared back.

"Good one—you're even trying to pry into my words?" He chuckled at Xu Xiaoshou, his face resuming its usual sly smile.

"If you want to say it, say it; if not, forget it. I'm no curious cat," Xu Xiaoshou shrugged indifferently, though he felt a bit disappointed inside.

Clearly, Shui Gui was used to being revered—not some ordinary person.

As he said, mountains of gold and silver couldn't move this great figure, and even Ba Zun An had to offer an "answer" to get him to act.

That Jiang Shi Ban Sheng probably approached him like he would any regular Tai Xu and struck a deal, which left him holding a grudge, right?

Tsk tsk, the disputes among the big shots—I thought they were all about grand principles.

Who knew the root cause could be something so ridiculous.

This could blow up into something huge—maybe a saint's fall, or Yan Wang's destruction, or even the fifth seat of Sheng Nu wiped out.

And if the world knew that such terrifying consequences stemmed from one Ban Sheng just not speaking politely...

"Intent!"

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly shivered.

What a weird world this is!