Chapter 266 - 168: Contest of Wills

Chapter 266: Chapter 168: Contest of Wills

Did the Gongsun Mo of the past leave?

After the "headache," Zheng Xiu’s Deceitful Object had gained the upper hand. By now, Zheng Xiu had long since freed himself from the influence of Gongsun Mo’s memories; he was no longer being manipulated by them in this World in the Painting. But this was a double-edged sword. Zheng Xiu sat dazedly on the ground, unable to know if the Gongsun Mo of that year had also experienced this moment. Did he slink away in disgrace, or did he have other reasons to stay in the stronghold?

’A trap?’

Zheng Xiu frowned as a thought occurred to him.

The trap he was referring to wasn’t one set by Xie Yunliu, but by the World in the Painting itself.

’What would happen if I just leave now?’

’Death itself isn’t frightening.’

’What’s frightening is losing my true self in this World in the Painting.’

’What if Gongsun Mo’s Human Soul is still hiding somewhere in this world, secretly pulling the strings? If I were in his shoes, I’d probably create a comfortable little world for myself. All the classic tropes—riches and glory, a harem of wives and concubines, a paradise of beautiful women, throwing lavish parties... I’d let myself sink into it, and before I knew it, I’d forget that I am Zheng Xiu.’

’In the end, I would truly become "Gongsun Mo".’

’It was entirely possible.’

Thinking of this, Zheng Xiu sneered in disdain. ’What Richest Person couldn’t withstand a test like this?’

"Go on, get out of here!"

Xie Yunliu waved his hand impatiently, shooing him away.

He had a feeling his sister’s attitude toward the Scholar was strange. ’Leaving him here might not be a good thing.’

"Warrior!"

The other three in the cage had been watching the scene unfold. Finally, Xiao Buping couldn’t hold back any longer. He first shouted "Warrior!" to get Xie Yunliu’s attention, then plastered a smile on his face and said, "You see, the world is a dangerous place, and this Scholar is too weak to even truss a chicken. Why don’t you let the rest of us go too? We could look after him on the road, don’t you think?"

Xie Yunliu scratched his hairy chest and asked, puzzled, "What the hell’s it to me if he lives or dies?"

"So, uh, Warrior... you’re not even considering letting us go too, while you’re at it?"

Xiao Buping was taken aback.

Xie Yunliu chuckled. "You lot are useful to us."

Wen Shishan sneered. "Brother Xiao, why are you wasting your breath on these criminals! If you have the guts, then kill us! If we so much as frown, then my name isn’t Wen!"

Xiao Buping flew into a rage. "Damn it, Wen, I’ve had it up to here with you! If you want to die, fine, but don’t drag us down with you, you hear me? If you’re so eager to die, go find a sturdy beam and a length of White Silk and hang yourself! Hey, Brother Chu, aren’t you going to say something to her?"

Chu Chengfeng was unusually silent today. He kept his head down, lost in thought, paying no heed to Xiao Buping’s words.

BANG!

"That’s enough! All of you, shut the fuck up!" Xie Yunliu, irritated by their bickering, kicked Xiao Buping’s cell. The solid iron bars were instantly dented.

Zheng Xiu silently rose to his feet.

He calmly straightened his lapels, brushed the dust from the hem of his robe, and looked up toward the vaulted ceiling. Cupping his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, he took a deep breath and bellowed, "Xie Luohe! Are you afraid?!"

Zheng Xiu’s voice echoed off the cavern walls.

In an instant.

The rowdy stronghold fell deathly silent.

"Hahaha—"

"Holy shit, the kid’s got balls!"

"Big Leader, you’re gonna take that?"

A sharp whistle cut through the air.

"Fuck, I gotta admire him!"

After a moment of dead silence, the stronghold erupted in raucous laughter. Bandits sleeping in their quarters, standing guard in the watchtowers, forging iron in the workshop, and feeding the horses—all of them poked their heads out to look toward Gongsun Mo. Some laughed out loud, some whistled, others jeered.

Xie Yunliu stared at the Scholar in shock. "Are you insane?"

Zheng Xiu shook his head and smiled faintly. "I’m not insane."

He then shouted at the top of his lungs again, "Xie Luohe, don’t you dare make a bet with me? Are you afraid you’ll lose?"

THWIP.

A long arrow shot down from above, grazing past Xiao Buping’s head and shearing off his hair to expose the pale white of his scalp.

Xiao Buping felt a sudden coolness on his head. He reached up to touch it and his hand came away with another clump of hair.

At that moment, Xiao Buping wanted to cry.

’Why is this happening again?’

’Hold on, the one who cursed you was Gongsun Mo, the one who offended you was Gongsun Mo, and the one yelling his head off now is also Gongsun Mo! So why am I, Xiao Buping, always the one who gets hurt?’

’Don’t you know how important a dashing hairstyle is to a somewhat famous, great Knight who roams the Jianghu?’

’It’s a Martial Knight’s public image!’

’And right now, his, Xiao Buping’s, public image was being repeatedly shaved down—shaved completely flat!’

Outside the cage, the Scholar was still yelling, "Xie Luohe, if you’ve got the guts, make a bet with me!"

Another arrow flew by, neatly shearing off the long left sideburn of Xiao Buping, who hadn’t even dared to breathe.

Xiao Buping froze for a second, then his face crumpled in misery as he wailed:

"Grandpa Gongsun, I’ll call you my grandpa, alright? I’m begging you, please stop talking! Since they’re willing to let you go, just be a good boy and leave! Go! And don’t come back! Never ever come back!"

Zheng Xiu stood with his back ramrod straight. He stopped shouting, his head held high as he stared at the ceiling.

It was as if his gaze could pierce through the stone, meeting the eyes of the woman on the cliff wall above.

The third arrow never came. Xie Yunliu glanced at where it had landed, then smacked his lips. "Huh? My sis wants you to go up."

Zheng Xiu asked, "How would you know?"

Xie Yunliu slapped him hard on the back. "Obviously! She’s my sister! I, Xie Yunliu, am warning you: when you get up there, don’t you dare make my sis angry. Otherwise, even if she’s too proud to get her hands dirty, I don’t have such reservations. I’ll tear you apart with my bare hands!"

Xie Yunliu hadn’t held back with that slap. It landed squarely on Zheng Xiu’s back, aggravating his old injuries. The metallic taste of blood surged in his throat, but he forced it back down.