Chapter 847: The Truth in the Mist

The Truth in the Mist

Thus, while Zhang Jizu was still leading others in circles around the southern stronghold, the resurrected Cheng Shi had already secretly used the page and slipped into the mist.

But he encountered the exact same predicament as the squinting Mr. Zhang: he could not distinguish direction or destination in the mist. He walked for a long time, exploring until others began stepping into the mist, yet he still hadn't found where the exit was.

After confirming that he had exhausted all methods and could not reach that Theater of Faith, Cheng Shi had to start thinking about where the key to solving the puzzle lay.

Of course, when the Clown viewed the mist of the Land of Piety as a riddle rather than a terrain, the answer quickly surfaced before his eyes, because his line of thinking almost perfectly coincided with Zhang Jizu's.

This mist was clearly demanding a ticket from outsiders, and this ticket was very likely the secrets within people's hearts.

Thinking of this, Cheng Shi was very conflicted.

He had far too many secrets in his heart—so many that he had no idea which one the mist would choose to broadcast. But regardless of which one it was, Cheng Shi did not want to share these secrets with everyone.

So he decided to skip class and consult with Brother Mouth again.

He said to the Lips of Envoy Envoy Yu Xi: "Since we've already made one deal, why not make another? Brother Mouth, do you have a way to help me bypass this socially suicidal segment that I absolutely must speak through?"

The Lips of Envoy Envoy Yu Xi said it did; it could pay that secret on Cheng Shi's behalf, but on the condition that all gains from this trial would belong to it.

Cheng Shi was stunned for a moment. He wondered, besides the Ear of Secret-Peering, what else could there be in this trial worth Brother Mouth's such high regard?

The Clown couldn't think of anything, but he realized one point: how could things belonging to his own mouth not be considered his own?

So he agreed without any psychological burden, and then Brother Mouth told him: "Just go ahead and do it; I'll handle the secret."

The Lips of Envoy Envoy Yu Xi agreed so readily that it made Cheng Shi feel a bit unaccustomed. His heart skipped a beat, and he feared for a long time, always feeling that he was about to be deceived again.

But no matter how many times he questioned it, the Lips of Envoy Envoy Yu Xi remained silent. Thus, having wasted too much time, Cheng Shi had no choice but to trust this broken mouth one more time.

However, the Clown still faced another difficulty: now that he had lost the help of the Gravekeeper, how was he supposed to safely pay this ticket?

The answer was actually quite simple: since no one could resurrect him, he would resurrect himself.

Fortunately, Cheng the Steady always had the habit of keeping a backup plan. When he first entered the mist to explore, he had encountered the corpses of the scavengers he had previously hoodwinked. Just in case, he had picked one up and put it into the Coffin of Molten Fire, and now it was time for this corpse to exert its remaining value.

Cheng Shi stood the corpse up in a fixed position, then faced the corpse and slowly backed away until the time difference for a chain heal to return was sufficient. Only then did he stop, take out the Verdant Horn Crown, and release a chain heal imbued with the aura of revival toward the corpse not far away.

At the same time, he chuckled aloud to break the silence, "sacrificing" his own secret to this mist.

Originally, according to Cheng Shi's script, he would fall to the ground dead, and the chain heal, having just turned back, would strike his body directly, resurrecting him perfectly.

Although it was a pity to waste the Verdant Horn Crown's resurrection count on himself, compared to obtaining the Ear of Secret-Peering, losing one chance to stay alive was a small price to pay.

And according to the agreement, Brother Mouth would also pay its secret when he died to exchange for the ticket to clear the mist, but... as mentioned earlier, this was according to the plot of Cheng Shi's script.

The actual situation was slightly more complicated than expected.

Because when he broke the silence and spread his arms to "offer his neck for the slaughter," that eerie fluctuation did indeed appear behind him, but after appearing, it paused abruptly. It did not kill Cheng Shi, but instead skipped the step of harvesting life and turned directly to broadcasting the secret in his heart.

Thus, the biggest secret in Cheng Shi's heart was exposed to the public just like that.

When Cheng Shi heard that sentence, his face turned pitch black. He clenched his fists and questioned Brother Mouth why it was still his own secret that was broadcast.

The Lips of Envoy Envoy Yu Xi retorted righteously: "This is not your secret, but... my secret."

"..."

Cheng Shi was dumbfounded.

If you say it's right, it seems wrong everywhere; but if you say it's wrong... it actually makes some sense.

After all, Brother Mouth had self-awareness, which meant that his experiences and encounters were also Brother Mouth's experiences and encounters, so it wasn't wrong for it to say it was its secret.

But the problem is, this reaction of yours makes it look a bit like a free ride, Brother Mouth!?

"If I had known it would be like this, why would I have made a deal with you?" The Clown was anxious.

"At the very least, I saved your life."

"But what I wanted to save was the secret!"

"I said, that is my secret."

"..." Although Cheng Shi's face had always been black, when he heard Brother Mouth say "At the very least, I saved your life," a flash of imperceptible brilliance flickered in his eyes.

The Lips of Envoy Envoy Yu Xi indeed had a connection with this mist. No, it should be said that "fragments" similar to Brother Mouth probably all had a connection here. They clearly had something they were hiding from him, and being able to stop the ghosts in the mist from harvesting life was the most powerful evidence.

Thus, Cheng Shi became even more curious about the treasure inside the Theater of Faith.

He composed his emotions, stepped over the scavenger corpse in front of him, and walked toward the clearly visible Theater of Faith in the distance.

Yes, the scavenger had died again. The second secret everyone heard in the mist was not a player's secret, but the secret of this scavenger.

Clearly, this was a smart man. He had seen through Cheng Shi's lie, but compared to living meaninglessly on the periphery, he preferred to let his life shine brilliantly once.

And now he had done it, and shone brilliantly twice.

After walking out of the mist, Cheng Shi finally arrived at the entrance of the Theater of Faith. That great door was placed right before him, as if he could step inside with a casual push.

But upon reaching it, Cheng Shi stopped his steps and lowered the hand he had raised to push the door.

For some reason, he felt his heartbeat was a bit fast and his thoughts were somewhat chaotic. He seemed to perceive that the secret behind this door was not as simple as he had imagined, which suddenly gave rise to a panic of "fear" of seeking knowledge.

So he asked Brother Mouth again. This time, Cheng Shi asked:

"Should I push this door open, Brother Mouth?"

The Lips of Envoy Envoy Yu Xi didn't make a sound for a long time. Cheng Shi wasn't in a hurry either, waiting patiently; he always felt that Brother Mouth would respond.

Sure enough, after a long time, seeing that Cheng Shi still hadn't made a move, the Lips of Envoy Envoy Yu Xi sighed.

"Why did you come?"

"?" Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and pondered, "To reunite you, Brother Tongue, and the Ear..."

"Clown."

"???"

No, don't go around insulting people for no reason. I can still tell the difference between a professional title and a derogatory tone.

Cheng Shi's face turned black again. He frowned and pondered for a moment, then changed his words: "To piece together that mask that might exist, to figure out the story that happened to you..."

"Do you believe it yourself?"

"I..." Cheng Shi stalled. His expression changed several times, and he didn't speak again.

"Think clearly before going in. They are still spinning in circles in the Land of Piety; the Clown has plenty of time."

"..."

Cheng Shi was silent, but he didn't think for too long. Soon, his gaze became firm, and then he pushed the door open and walked straight in. ===== CHAPTER 848 =====