Mo Li was remarkably composed. Though his expression shifted, he never made any reflexive movents.
He pinched several book pages between his fingers and swept his surroundings with a grave gaze. When he saw that the people around him were Hu Wei and Cheng Shi, he quietly tucked the pages away.
Cheng Shi filed this away, enriching his ntal profile of the Arbiter known as the Chief Grand Secretary. This man looked even more steadfast than the Grand Marshal.
He seed perpetually confident. Whether that confidence was genuine or feigned, Cheng Shi couldn't say.
Seeing Mo Li stand down, Hu Wei released him. He drove his greatsword into the ground with two light taps, then spoke rapidly:
"Go Lis is chasing us. We need to escape her lair imdiately."
The instant Mo Li heard that na, his pupils contracted sharply.
He clearly knew of Go Lis.
"The Sin Brood Mother! This [Birth] attack dragged us into her lair?"
Hu Wei looked faintly surprised: "You've heard of her?"
Mo Li's expression was solemn: "Yes. I was fortunate enough to hear that na once, but she'd long since been subrged in the Sea of mory. Why would this place..."
"Grudge!" Cheng Shi seized the opening to interject. "Stop wasting ti— we'll talk while we run!"
With that, Cheng Shi sprinted toward the next stillborn infant. Hu Xuan followed close behind, leaving space for Hu Wei and Mo Li to confer.
Both n were sharp enough to realize Cheng Shi had deliberately given them room to compare notes, sparing them the trouble of catching each other up separately.
Hu Wei didn't hesitate. He tossed Mo Li over his shoulder and charged after them, rattling off everything he'd deduced in one breath as they ran.
After hearing it all, Mo Li combined it with his own knowledge of Go Lis and returned a single word:
"Legit."
Hu Wei instantly picked up speed.
And now, in this mont, the Chief Grand Secretary's terrifying support capabilities finally revealed themselves.
Cheng Shi, running point, couldn't even tell what tune the other had sung— he only felt his body suddenly beco weightless. More than that, under the Secretary's blessing, a single casual stride now carried him farther than five steps before.
That much was still comprehensible. Speed buffs ca in countless forms— the chanism might vary, but the concept was universal.
What happened next, however, made Cheng Shi realize he'd underestimated the Chief Grand Secretary.
Because the distant stillborn-infant prison was now hurtling toward him at breakneck speed!
What had been a one-sided chase suddenly beca a two-way rush!
"Holy..."
In barely a dozen seconds, the infant was right in front of him.
Cheng Shi raised a brow— he seed to grasp Mo Li's intent— and without hesitation tore open the fetal shell with bare hands, releasing the person inside...
An acrobat.
!!??
Long Jing!?
How could it be him!?
He hadn't left!!
Cheng Shi's gaze hardened. His heart lurched.
'Well, well, well. The number-two on the [Deceit] ladder had snuck the ultimate sleight-of-hand right under everyone's noses. He'd never left the hall at all— he'd used [Deceit] techniques to drift from the stage's center and hide among the crowd!'
'So that's why there was an extra stillborn hanging overhead. It was him!'
Yes— Long Jing truly hadn't left. He'd fooled everyone so he could keep gathering intelligence inside the venue. But who could have predicted that Cheng Shi would deploy an indiscriminate crowd-control attack!
That single move had swept even Long Jing— who'd thought he was sitting pretty on top of the world— straight into Go Lis's Grudge!
Cheng Shi almost laughed in spite of himself. He kept up his act of montary confusion, and he wasn't the only one— everyone present except Hu Xuan, who knew nothing about the diocre Person gathering, froze for a beat.
Long Jing's consciousness snapped back and he leaped clear of his restraints. But when he saw a group of familiar faces staring at him with odd expressions, this acrobat— renowned for his tumbling evasions— stumbled upon landing and nearly twisted an ankle.
Hu Wei regarded the Prisoner with a half-smile and cold scoff:
"Is this your next circus act?
"The unsteady look suits you— it's quite funny."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Hearing this, Cheng Shi turned back in shock, almost thinking the Prisoner had possessed Hu Wei.
Long Jing broke free and sighed with relief— until he spotted Cheng Shi in the group. The heart he'd just lowered shot right back up!
This person... Judging by everyone's attitude, they'd clearly accepted this "Cheng Shi." But the question was: was this "Cheng Shi" the sa "Cheng Shi" from before?
If so, then... where had this impostor co from?
Cheng Shi had happened to turn toward Hu Wei at just the right mont to miss Long Jing's probing gaze. Whether it was coincidence or the Fate Weaver's deliberate timing, nobody could say. In any case, seeing that Cheng Shi didn't engage him, Long Jing shelved his suspicions and chose not to expose Cheng Shi's identity.
From his perspective, this encounter felt less like the earlier clash of con artists and more like a new "partnership."
So he decided to observe and wait.
Cheng Shi hadn't expected Long Jing to get caught either. He'd known he'd eventually et this President Gong again, but not this soon.
So soon that he'd barely finished planning how to handle Long Jing's questions. A thread of tension ran through him, but thankfully the other didn't improvise any scenes. Cheng Shi exhaled quietly with relief.
But the scrutiny ca from all sides, and it was ceaseless. That very glance backward brought Mo Li's gaze onto him. Mo Li studied Cheng Shi for a mont, then asked in asured tones:
"You probably know what I'm looking for, Fate Weaver."
Cheng Shi shook his head with a wry smile, then reached into his storage and produced an object.
When everyone saw the fragnts, confusion filled their eyes. Only Hu Xuan chuckled bitterly and said nothing.
Cheng Shi's expression darkened as he explained: "The Night Curtain Spring Whistle. I used the primordial [Birth] power stored inside it to break your restraints. But now... it's shattered."
Hu Wei's eyes sharpened: "When that whistle reached , it didn't seem to carry this kind of power."
"That's because Hu Xuan wasn't present at the ti. Her arrival amplified the resonance in this [Birth] artifact." Cheng Shi's face was a picture of bitter resignation. "Hu Wei, this was the fail-safe she gave
after I saved her life. And now it's completely spent."
As he spoke, Cheng Shi turned a pitiful look toward Hu Xuan, his expression all but begging: 'Can I get another one?'
Hu Xuan gave a soft laugh and offered no reply, her face pale.
With that, everything clicked into place for Hu Wei and Mo Li.
The chain of events, as they understood it, was this:
Cheng Shi had used the whistle Zhen Yi returned to him to summon Hu Xuan, breaking his own restraints to prepare for escape. But during their flight, Go Lis's Grudge had driven them back.
Their battle against Go Lis had clearly failed. Hu Xuan had used a secret technique to hold Go Lis at bay temporarily, and the two had fled in the opposite direction. Left with no choice, they'd co to rescue the others and pool everyone's strength to find another way out.
Up to this point, Cheng Shi had rescued three people, but the whistle's power was depleted. This ant the remaining two were...
Beyond saving.
And that wasn't even the worst of it. The shadows below the Void seed to be closing in.
Dread gathered beneath their feet. Hu Wei frowned slightly and moved to sprint toward the next prison without a word, but Mo Li grabbed his hand. He turned in surprise to see Mo Li shaking his head:
"There's no ti. One of the two remaining is Yu Mu, and the other is an unknown stranger— most likely the lurker hiding in the audience seats, sa as Long Jing, watching the show from behind the scenes. Without confirming their identity first, freeing them is unwise.
"As for Zhen Yi... this is her trap. She's probably already escaped. We'll settle that score in due ti.
"I've heard of Go Lis. She despises all blasphers. I don't know how Zhen Yi sent us in here, but rember— we broke free of her restraints using [Birth]'s power. Regardless, we are now her targets.
"And once she hunts us down, it won't end until one of us is dead!
"So, Grand Marshal— save your ti. Find a way to retreat first!"
Hu Wei seed tempted but ultimately shook his head after a mont's hesitation.
"I'm the one who invited Yu Mu down here. Even if nobody likes him, I can't just abandon him. You all go ahead— let
try one more ti!"
With that, Hu Wei charged off.
"..."
Watching that hulking figure recede, Cheng Shi felt genuinely conflicted.
'You call him righteous, but sotis he can stand by and watch you die. You call him callous, but he'll pull you back from the brink at the last second.'
'People— what complicated creatures indeed.'
Despite these musings, Cheng Shi's feet followed Hu Wei. Because in his script, this was a secondary plotline: if the Grand Marshal refused to abandon Yu Mu, Cheng Shi would tag along for the performance, banking goodwill. After all, Yu Mu was definitely not getting released.
Even if Yu Mu really was in the second-to-last fetal prison, this [Decay] follower's fate had already been written in stone.
Fixed destiny, authored by Cheng Shi.
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