Chapter 945

Trap? Just walk through it.

At the same time Lin Xi learned of the enemy’s movements, Cheng Shi and Chun’s field of vision also revealed a tamed beast—a dense forest tree rabbit.

Perhaps believing a tamed beast they had once traveled with would seem more familiar, Du Qiyu once again drove a rabbit to stop ahead on their inevitable path.

The rabbit immediately knew it had drawn the attention of these two experts, but it never expected that after glancing at it, Cheng Shi changed direction, ran half a loop, and led Chun around it.

This left Du Qiyu frozen in place, his face dark as he slammed a fist into the ground, then had no choice but to drive another avian tamed beast after Cheng Shi, for this was the only chance he could seize in this conflict—a chance to escape before the [Decay] Chosen One.

Lin Xi tampered with me!

This wasn’t what Lin Xi said—it was his own guess.

When he saw Lin Xi’s utterly unafraid posture toward betrayal, he knew Lin Xi must have cast some invisible [Decay] secret art upon him; otherwise, in a game where even friends couldn’t be trusted, why wouldn’t he fear betrayal?

After all, his true body had never once approached the man—and precisely because of that, Du Qiyu dared not vanish from this conflict outright, fearing some unknown method had already been applied to him by Lin Xi.

Only by gripping a man’s throat can you make him obey; Du Qiyu didn’t understand much, but he deeply felt this truth.

This “cooperation” born of a chance encounter had become an unbreakable shackle around his neck, which was why he panicked, secretly sending warnings to Cheng Shi, hoping Xiao Shi and Chun could kill this [Decay] Chosen One.

Of course, if both sides could cripple each other, that would be even better; if not, he was “willing” to temporarily side with Xiao Shi.

Though Xiao Shi wasn’t exactly an easy person to deal with, compared to the cruel and venomous Lin Xi, at least he and Xiao Shi had no mortal grudge.

That deception may have cost Xiao Shi his chance to “succeed,” but didn’t he meet a great father, after all?

He said it himself—think carefully, wasn’t there some contribution from me in all this!?

Besides, on the high ground before, neither side faced the other directly; if I stick to my claim of being Zhao Xiaogua, maybe I can still bluff my way through?

Isn’t it better to be friends with disgusting Xiao Shi than to be Lin Xi’s “tamed beast”?

What if Xiao Shi really doesn’t recognize me?

At this moment, Du Qiyu was utterly different from his state at the start—he no longer resented Cheng Shi for not recognizing him; instead, he prayed the man would absolutely not recognize him.

Thus, amid this contradictory anxiety, a bird circling overhead swiftly dove toward the running pair, its cry guiding them toward the ambush.

“Lin Xi is beneath a rotting log in the western mountain shade. If you come this way, you’ll step into the plague trap he’s laid directly ahead.”

Detour! Quickly detour!”

“Descend rapidly from the other side of the high ground—he hasn’t had time to set traps there yet.”

Listening to the bird’s chirping, Cheng Shi sneered inwardly, yet feigned great delight: “Ah Gua? How are you here? Are you here to help us?”

“......”

This utterly false warmth made Du Qiyu feel nauseous—and a flicker of fear, for if Xiao Shi had no intention of targeting him, he would never put on such a revolting act.

Such feigned emotion could only mean Xiao Shi had already marked him as one of his enemies.

But I’m willing to treat you as a friend again—why are you still performing in front of me!?

Du Qiyu grew furious—he seemed easily angered—but circumstances forced him to respond swiftly. Faced with dignity versus survival, he gritted his teeth and chose the latter, controlling the bird to draw closer to Cheng Shi, crying in a “heartbroken” voice:

“Xiao Shi—you recognize me, don’t you?”

Cheng Shi’s smile brightened further: “Of course I recognize you, Ah Gua!”

“Fuck!” Du Qiyu’s true body slammed a fist into the ground, his eyes brimming with hatred—but the tamed beast flying low beside Cheng Shi still played the “tragic” role.

“I... I know you recognize me, Xiao Shi. Yes, I’m Xiao Qi. I took on Ah Gua’s identity because I couldn’t face you.”

“I didn’t know about what happened back then—it was Rong Jiao’s lies that misled me. You know our relationship was the closest—I always wanted you to be adopted by Dad... by Master Du.”

Hearing this, Cheng Shi’s expression grew cold. He sneered: “I didn’t want to.”

“......”

A single “I didn’t want to” left Du Qiyu speechless.

Chun, running ahead of Cheng Shi, faintly sensed the tension between them. Her gaze sharpened, and a thread of killing intent surfaced in her eyes as she looked at the bird.

Like Lin Xi, she despised all traitors.

“Should we eliminate him?” Chun suddenly asked.

This question drew no response from Cheng Shi, but terrified Du Qiyu—the bird flapped its wings upward, then dove back down, full of sorrow.

“Xiao Shi... I know you hate me...”

“I don’t hate you.”

“......”

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Hidden afar, Du Qiyu’s face turned liver-colored, his eyes blazing, his fists bloodied from pounding the ground. His groveling earned not forgiveness, but cold mockery—this was more unbearable to his pride than death.

But as long as he lived, there was still hope—so Lin Xi must die.

“If you don’t hate me, good. I... didn’t come here seeking your forgiveness. After all, I am a [Deception] believer. In this moment of [Void] Unity, I must obey my Lord’s divine decree and annihilate all [Annihilation] enemies.”

“I deliberately drew near Lin Xi to serve as your eyes. Do you remember what I said? I would watch over you from the shadows, protect you.”

“Believe me—only the northern high ground is free of Lin Xi’s traps. Only by going there can you catch him off guard. He still doesn’t know you’ve arrived, but as you grow closer, he’ll grow alert. Change course, Xiao Shi—this opportunity won’t wait!”

Cheng Shi frowned, pondering Du Qiyu’s motive.

Clearly, in Cheng Shi’s view, the man had no reason to suddenly help him.

Divine decree was just an excuse. Fulfilling their decrees brought rewards, but failing brought no punishment—so if Xiao Qi’s motive was piety...

That would be ridiculous.

A [Deception] believer’s piety consists only of offering lies. Thus, his arrival must be another deception.

From the forest message to the early warning—this old friend who seemed to have allied with Lin Xi—was he defecting, or performing?

Cheng Shi leaned toward a combination of both. He understood these liars too well: they never acted without benefit. But judging from Xiao Qi’s performance in this game, could this half-baked tamer really pull off the fisherman’s gain after the clam and the sandpiper fought?

Had he been hiding his true strength all along?

Cheng Shi wasn’t sure. The only thing he was certain of was that before any confrontation, he would never follow a stranger’s orders. He kept his direction and speed unchanged, instead asking Chun ahead of him:

“Can you handle Lin Xi’s traps?”

Chun nodded without turning back: “Simple. Just walk through them.”

“......?”

“The [Decay] plague excels in spread, not intensity—it won’t kill quickly. With my [Prosperity] talent as backup, I can endure until I annihilate all the plague myself.”

“So you just stay behind me.”

“But [Annihilation] traps are troublesome—we must watch out for that stinking rat tossing us into a world about to vanish.”

“Fortunately, [Annihilation] is his second faith—he has few tools for traps. As long as I’m cautious, my flag will warn me of [Annihilation] energy.”

“Cheng Shi, you don’t need to do anything now—just disrupt him as much as possible when I fight him. I’ll personally stab that dagger back into his heart!”

Saying this, Chun reached into her chest and gripped the already rotten dagger.