Chapter 1173: Chen Shi

Chen Shi's world collapsed.

Chen Shi knew everything.

It is widely known that 【Silence】 is silent yet delights in eavesdropping; its followers mostly draw near its will, so they take great interest in others' secrets.

If a follower of 【Silence】 overhears your secret, don't panic—at least they won't broadcast your secret like some 【Deception】 loudspeaker.

Even Chen Shi, though noisy, would never casually reveal your secret to the world.

So the good news is your secret remains a secret.

The bad news is one person's secret has now become two people's secret.

Chen Shi heard Cheng Shi's secret, and the method of "eavesdropping" was naturally the so-called S-class holy relic, the Descended Silent Doll.

This is indeed a holy relic granted by 【Silence】, though its function is not merely to replicate the fleeting moment of "returning to stillness"—it has another purpose Chen Shi concealed: once picked up by someone, Chen Shi can hear every sound the Descended Silent Doll hears.

This sound cannot be blocked by any means of the void or the mortal world—in other words, even if Cheng Shi threw it into his personal space, Chen Shi would still hear it crystal clear.

But Chen Shi originally had no such intention; he was an upright man who did not take pleasure in eavesdropping on others' privacy, especially the privacy of friends he trusted.

He gave it to Cheng Shi because he believed this was his most valuable possession, and after giving it away, he never once eavesdropped on Cheng Shi's words.

Until he and Ji Yue began searching for Cheng Shi again, he chose a path he believed was right—but he saw not even a shadow of him...

At that moment, Chen Shi's competitiveness stirred; he decided to sneakily cheat—he promised himself he'd listen just once, and only for ambient sounds, just enough to confirm where his brother-in-law was, so he could find him before Ji Yue and tell her he had gone astray.

It was merely his perverse amusement, with no special purpose—but when he happened to hear Cheng Shi mutter, "I am indeed not a pure player; my name is Envoy Yu Xi...," Chen Shi's world collapsed.

How could this be!?

How did my brother-in-law become Envoy Yu Xi!?

His pupils shrank sharply; in extreme shock, he forgot "do not listen to what is improper," and listened to every last detail of Envoy Yu Xi's entire plan.

He once thought Cheng Shi was deceiving Luo Luo Bosi—but by the end, even Luo Luo Bosi had begun to hesitate, and Chen Shi knew he could no longer deceive himself.

My brother-in-law is not human.

He is a god!

He is the emissary 【Deception】 will elevate in this game, the greatest beneficiary of this era!

No wonder he knew Envoy Yu Xi, no wonder Envoy Yu Xi was the Firebearer's hope, no wonder he said Envoy Yu Xi was hard to find... of course he was hard to find!

If he were easy to find, how could I have heard this truth known to no one else!?

Chen Shi was stunned, but beyond shock, he showed no other reaction.

This is what sets him apart from other players; most players, upon learning this game already has a "winner," would feel complex emotions—jealousy, envy, resentment, defiance...

But Chen Shi would not. The first question that came to his mind was not about 【Faith Game】, nor about the Firebearers' future, but whether his sister was good enough for her brother-in-law.

Would she still have status in the family?

Would she be tricked to death by her brother-in-law?

That would be too intense—oh no, such a family tragedy must not happen!

Chen Shi steadied his nerves and decided to bury this secret deep inside him.

As long as he didn't speak, no one would know Cheng Shi was Envoy Yu Xi; thus, every day the man appeared as a player would be a day of "family happiness."

I've sacrificed so much for this little family!

But the truth is, once someone learns a secret, their desire to share it becomes infinite.

Just as his expression was when he met Ji Yue—wanting to speak but unable to—and his nonsensical replies when she asked him, all revealed Chen Shi wanted the Firebearers to know Cheng Shi was their hope.

Yet he still held back, holding back with great difficulty, even speaking less than before.

Ji Yue found this strange, but she did not press him, because she found this version of Chen Shi far easier to get along with than the one who chattered incessantly.

In the following days, the trials entered a dull phase; Ji Yue had come for the God-Making Plan, and now, through Cheng Shi, she knew of Envoy Yu Xi's existence, and through Chen Shi, confirmed Envoy Yu Xi was the key to the God-Making Plan—so she devoted herself entirely to how to meet Envoy Yu Xi, taking no other action.

Chen Shi was the same; his goal had been to investigate Envoy Yu Xi, and now that he had uncovered Envoy Yu Xi's true identity, his mission was complete.

Thus, these two Firebearers wandered the town for several days, sometimes together, sometimes mutually annoyed, until the town held no more novelty for them; each found a place they liked and prepared for the final reckoning.

But just then, a figure suddenly appeared before Chen Shi.

He stared at that familiar face, eyes widening, and cried out:

"Wei Mu!"

"You're still in the trial!?"

"I knew you'd be paired with me—you've clearly gotten dumber!"

"Did you come to ask me for the trial's answer?"

"Wait, no—that's your patron's trial; where would there be an answer?"

"Oh, I get it—you came to ask me for the answer precisely because asking is foolishness, and embodying foolishness is the trial's answer, right?"

The man was indeed Wei Mu.

He still wore his former physical form, smiling at Chen Shi as he shook his head:

"Pretending to be foolish is a skill; your mastery of it fools others easily, but it won't fool me."

"As a smart man, you should know why I'm here."

"I came to ask you for verification—but not for the trial's answer."

"I want to know: is he truly Envoy Yu Xi?"

"!!!!!!"

Chen Shi's pupils shrank sharply; he immediately clapped his hand over his mouth and stammered, "Did you eavesdrop on my dreams? Impossible—I never talk in my sleep!"

Wei Mu glanced at Chen Shi, thoughtful:

"Then it's confirmed—the lie isn't in the identity."

"Tell me. Tell me what you know."

Chen Shi shook his head violently: "I know nothing."

Wei Mu was not in a hurry; he merely nodded and said:

"If you do not speak, the next time we meet, I will tell what I know to that my lord.

Coincidentally, I know little about 【Silence】, yet I alone recognize what an Incarnation Puppet is."

"......"

Even as powerful as Chen Shu had to fall silent under Wei Mu's gaze.

Seeing Chen Shu still say nothing, Wei Mu smiled again: "A secret is a secret when one person knows it, and a secret when two know it; as long as all understand without speaking, how can a secret known by three not be a secret?"

"What do you wish to know?"

"Good question."

Wei Mu smiled, thought briefly, and said, "I wish to know whether my lord the Foolish Actor is gathering the past, or seeking a future that belongs to Him.

Since His identity is not false, the only thing that seems to have deceived me is 'Time'.

So, does He exist in the past, or awaken in the future?

【Foolishness】 is not all-knowing and all-powerful; sometimes, some secrets can only be clarified by 【Silence】."

"......"