Foolish Game of the Chapter 476: Little Priest, You've Changed

But the tide of battle turned in an instant. No one could have predicted what ca next.

Just as the silent arrow was about to pierce both of Cheng Shi's legs, Poison moved first.

From her prone position, she sprang up and threw herself in front of Cheng Shi's legs, using her own body to block the bolt.

The projectile tore through Poison's right shoulder, punched through her spine, and erupted from her left rear scapula — like a bone shackle pinning the [Corruption] Chosen One to the ground at Cheng Shi's feet.

That alone wasn't the worst of it. The worst was that this was a [Silence] bolt, saturated with [Silence]'s blessing. It instantly sapped Poison's ability to resist, leaving her to cry out in agony.

"Ow, that hurts."

She turned her head toward Cheng Shi. A flash of undisguised pain crossed her eyes, but she forced through the pallor with a quip:

"Your reflexes are still this slow, little priest."

Cheng Shi's pupils contracted violently!

Not from gratitude for her body-blocking sacrifice — but from frustration at his own carelessness. Despite every precaution, he'd fallen for her play!

This [Corruption] assassin was always this uncannily skilled at stirring desire in others.

The desire to protect and guilt — those were desires too!

But still... what kind of relationship would drive a woman to take an arrow for a man?

In any other context, bystanders would dig into this relentlessly. But if soone clarified that the woman in question was Poison, the general reaction would simply be:

'Oh, Poison? Yeah, that tracks. What, she's got a new target?'

This illustrated the [Corruption] Chosen One's reputation among peak players: not exactly good or bad — just deeply bizarre.

Those who loved her loved her to death. Those who hated her ground their teeth to dust.

And unlike other [Corruption] followers who repulsed people, she never deliberately provoked anyone's desires, never encouraged emotional indulgence. She simply found the perfect mont to appear exactly where you needed her most — then made you willingly "offer up" your desire.

Just like now.

She'd t Cheng Shi before, knew him, even understood him to a degree. She knew this player wasn't normal — he never trusted anyone. But neither did his lack of trust make him cold-blooded. At least when he had room to retreat, this priest wasn't heartless.

So she'd reversed roles. From the protected, she beca the protector — throwing herself to save Cheng Shi.

Granted, the attack wouldn't have been fatal. But the instant Poison was pinned to the ground by the bolt, a desire to help surged in Cheng Shi's chest.

Even though that impulse evaporated the mont he rembered who she was, the fact remained: she always managed to pluck the softest string in a person's heart.

Cheng Shi's gaze darkened further. This [Corruption] Chosen One seed to have grown even stronger.

And when Poison caught the flash of hesitation in Cheng Shi's eyes, she knew she was saved.

So she smiled. Pale-faced but radiant — a smile so dazzling it dimd the colorless plaza, like a lotus blooming amid a raging blizzard: breathtakingly, soul-stirringly beautiful.

But the smile froze on her face after exactly one second. Because the Cheng Shi who'd just shown a trace of compassion actually... jumped away.

Right in front of her.

He looked like a clown who'd only just noticed the bolt stuck in the ground before him — leaping back in belated shock, face full of exaggerated fear.

The farcical scene was perford with such consummate realism that nobody could find a single flaw. But Poison knew: this wasn't the real Cheng Shi. He'd used that awkwardly comical retreat to mask his true feelings, distancing himself to reject involvent in this ss through action rather than words.

"..."

In that mont, Poison said nothing. She didn't cast any more pitiful rescue-seeking glances at Cheng Shi. She simply pressed her bloodless lips together and closed her eyes to await death.

She seed disappointed. And despairing.

That wretched image made even Da Yi — engaged in his front-line standoff — furrow his brows. Before getting the information he wanted, he genuinely didn't want Poison to die here.

Cheng Shi, on the other hand, stood like a cold-blooded animal with a heart of iron. Outwardly he looked panicked, but his eyes flickered with amusent. He simply stood there, watching Poison perform, with zero intention of lending a hand.

He didn't know what this woman was scheming, but he knew the Chaleon in the distance absolutely couldn't kill her. If he could, she would never have beco the [Corruption] Chosen One!

Sure enough, just as the [Silence] follower was overjoyed at Cheng Shi's non-intervention, another twist occurred.

The cheerful spectator who'd been watching from the sidelines suddenly hurled his sundial needle at the Chaleon's feet, blocking his advance. Then he vaulted forward to land before Poison, deftly retrieved the needle, and swept it in a wide arc — using the Chaleon's split-second bewildernt to drive him back. He planted the needle like a sword before his chest and declared:

"I've suddenly beco very interested in the information you ntioned. I trust Miss Poison wouldn't mind sharing the secret with one more person?"

He half-turned to Poison with an elegant half-bow, then faced the direction where the Chaleon had vanished:

"Allow

to introduce myself. Jiang Chi.

"If you're rely the Screaming Earl's backup, I'd suggest holding off. After all, with Miss Poison's talents, her fellow hunter here may well end up as her devoted servant. Don't you agree?"

Jiang Chi's voice wasn't loud, yet every word carried clearly across the windswept plaza.

Poison curled her lip in a dismissive smirk, offering no comnt on the "review." The vanished Chaleon likewise gave no response. Seeing himself ignored, Jiang Chi laughed self-deprecatingly and added:

"Of course, if you'd care to warm up in this frigid weather, with this sundial needle in hand, I can at least hold my own for a round or two."

Hearing this, Cheng Shi arched a brow. 'As expected.'

This Jiang Chi was indeed a Pointer Knight!

Pointer Knight — [Fate]'s natural rival, [Ti]'s warrior. A true timing expert who excelled at exploiting every split-second opening.

Cheng Shi had already suspected the man's identity. The mont he'd snapped off that sundial needle, Cheng Shi had guessed his faith was likely tied to [Ti] — which was precisely why he'd chosen to move toward Da Yi instead of staying put to spectate alongside this man.

In a trial that erupted into violent conflict from the very first mont, he had to distance himself from unstable elents first. The question of whether faith rivalries affected team cooperation could wait until the situation stabilized.

But at least for now, the Pointer Knight called Jiang Chi appeared to have sided with Da Yi and himself.

Of course, "sided with" ant the camp that wanted to hear the Gift of Sores' secret — not so Poison-rescue brigade.

Seeing herself saved yet again, Poison cracked her eyes open and smiled once more.

But she didn't acknowledge Jiang Chi. Instead, her gaze drifted back to Cheng Shi, complex and tinged with loss:

"Little priest, you've changed."

Cheng Shi snorted coldly and ignored her.

"You've gotten so hard."

"???"

"Your heart's gotten so hard."

"..."