That's right. This was Cheng Shi's plan.
In a trial teeming with an uncountable number of people, trying to actively locate Xiao Qi's true body was pure fantasy. Even though a Beast Tar's body couldn't stray too far from its tad beasts, accomplishing this amid such chaos and so many false targets was like looking for a needle in the sea.
So to deal with the "problem" that was Xiao Qi, they had to think differently. For example...
Make his real body co to them.
Before learning that Xiao Qi was apparently using tad beasts to offload his emotional burden, Cheng Shi couldn't conceive of a good solution. Now he had one. Not only had he thought of it, but fate had even stuffed the key to breaking this deadlock into his hands.
The [Corruption] container.
If Xiao Qi got his hands on it and felt how this "tool" could drain his raging emotions and desires, this emotionally unstable Beast Tar would treasure it above all else. With it, he could reclaim every fragnt of strength scattered across his tad beasts. He'd no longer need to weaken and dull himself just to keep his emotions sowhat stable. He could beco a "complete" Beast Tar.
And under the container's absolute calm, Xiao Qi would logically conclude that now was the ti to permanently deal with Cheng Shi.
After all, the tool had fallen from Cheng Shi's hand. Add Xiao Qi's long-standing grudge and obsession... Cheng Shi simply couldn't find a single reason the man wouldn't co to kill him.
And this was the full stop Cheng Shi was putting on this stale old grudge.
'I can overlook past deceptions, but I won't let you keep getting in my face over and over.'
'When it cos down to it, on the path of [Deceit], what the hell are you, Du Qiyu?'
'Even if [Deceit] really is a garbage bin, what garbage goes in it isn't for you to decide.'
And so Cheng Shi used a hunt born of conjecture to cent the killing intent already in his heart. He talked about the future being none of his concern, but in truth, he was exploiting the future too.
"What's next? History has been witnessed. The rest is garbage ti. It's your call."
Now that they knew how Keinlaur had "lost" this battle, Sun Miao had lost all interest in the trial's remaining ti. The three-way lee wouldn't end in a single day. Once the Elental Judges were scattered too, once the teor fire rain ceased, none of the three devastated nations would accept defeat gracefully.
They'd only sar the scorched battlefield with thicker blood, trying to redirect the fires that had depleted their own national strength toward the other two. But no matter how hard the Grand Tribunal and Tower of Logic fought, history's inevitability had already been written. The blood and fire on this battlefield had carved the victor's na.
Cheng Shi glanced in the direction Xiao Qi had fled, then up at the crimson sky lit by the teor fire rain. Without hesitation, he charged back into the valley that had just been flattened — even cratered — by the impacts.
"Two teors never hit the sa crater. Since this area has already been washed by fire rain, now is the perfect ti to scavenge!"
Sun Miao blinked, instantly understood, and followed. He assud this was part of Cheng Shi's fishing plan. After all, if you didn't value the tool you'd dropped, what reason would the other party have to pick it up?
And this Fate Weaver was committing to the act fully. His deception was ticulous. He even feigned running in the wrong direction, deliberately veering away from the Fear Heartwood to give Du Qiyu enough ti. This way, when Du Qiyu picked up the heartwood only to see Cheng Shi arrive a step too late, the Beast Tar's killing intent would burn all the brighter.
Sun Miao, believing he'd seen through Cheng Shi's complete plan, couldn't help but marvel:
'A great reputation is truly never undeserved. Zhen Xin had a good eye. This Vice President Cheng is worthy of...'
'Wait. Hold on. Where are you going?'
Sun Miao, trailing behind Cheng Shi, froze. Because he suddenly realized Cheng Shi wasn't taking a roundabout path at all. He'd genuinely gone off-course, completely ignoring the Fear Heartwood.
He frowned, checked their current position, looked in the direction Cheng Shi was heading, pondered for a mont, then the realization hit. Every trace of admiration on his face went rigid.
"You're going after the Startled Bow in Delvo's hands?"
Sun Miao nearly laughed from anger. His nostrils flared as though he had words to say, but ultimately it was contempt that escaped his lips.
"I thought that at such a critical mont in the baiting operation, you'd at least keep so pressure on the Beast Tar. But you're just going to scavenge for real!?
Vice President Cheng, is this right?"
"?" Cheng Shi didn't even look back. "What's wrong with it? Didn't I tell you this was the best ti to scavenge? I'm not lying."
"..."
"But if you yourself won't even go back for a tool you dropped, what makes you so sure the Beast Tar will!?"
At this, Cheng Shi laughed.
"A Beast Tar might not care about those things. But Xiao Qi definitely will.
I don't know any Beast Tar. I know Xiao Qi. Anything that's mine, he's interested in. Otherwise, the surna Du wouldn't be...
Never mind. Ancient history isn't worth telling. Speaking of which, Vice President Sun, use that brilliant brain of yours and recall — where exactly did Delvo die? I'd rather not let Xiao Qi stumble upon the real Startled Bow by accident."
Sun Miao's face darkened. At this point he had no choice but to trust Cheng Shi, so he relied on his formidable mory to lead them back to where Delvo had been pulverized into ash.
But this ti, they found no loot in the scorched crater. Only a set of fresh footprints.
Seeing this, Cheng Shi knew imdiately that his spur-of-the-mont prize had been snatched.
His face turned dark. He examined the tracks underfoot carefully, wanting only to confirm the person who'd taken the Startled Bow wasn't Xiao Qi. Sun Miao was studying the prints too. After a mont, he frowned:
"War Machine Pawn treads and scholar boots. The Tower of Logic's people were here first. They beat you to it."
"The Tower of Logic?" Cheng Shi's brow furrowed. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't fathom how the Tower of Logic had reacted faster than him. Surely they wouldn't have risked the bombardnt just to grab this bow?
For what purpose?
"Is any Grand Scholar in the Erudition Presidium a trap specialist?"
Cheng Shi asked in bewildernt. That seed the only explanation he could co up with.
"It's not necessarily the Erudition Presidium that needs it. It could be for research. But regardless, the bow is gone. Let it go.
Once sothing falls into the Erudition Presidium's hands, it never cos back out.
We still have ti. Why don't we go check on—
Where are you going now?"
"The fake one might still be there. I want to see whether Xiao Qi wants that fake bow more, or my Fear Heartwood."
Watching Cheng Shi charge back into the scorched wasteland yet again, Sun Miao's eyelid twitched violently. He drew several deep breaths and followed anyway.
'Who was it that said a great reputation is never undeserved... By "never undeserved," they didn't an "undeservedly empty," did they?'
...
Reviews
All reviews (0)