Chapter 973

Are you happy? I was lying to you.

“Lord Yuxi, why... why must you disguise yourself as Xiao Shi to test me?”

Du Qiyu clearly cared deeply about this question, which once again made Cheng Shi marvel at the depth of his obsession.

Fortunately, he had prepared in advance; his rehearsed response could handle nearly any question.

“Tests must begin with what is close at hand, for faith always sprouts from the smallest things.

Everyone undergoing the test must confront their own heart—so you should know better than I do why I took on Cheng Shi’s form.

In this regard, his performance far surpassed yours.”

This was the second time Cheng Shi had mentioned his own superior performance; it seemed like self-aggrandizement, but it was actually one of Cheng Shi’s psychological tactics.

Repeatedly bringing up the very thing Xiao Qi disliked about himself was a form of self-division—emphasizing sensitivity precisely when it was most sensitive made outsiders unconsciously assume the person didn’t care about the impact of mentioning it.

Xiao Qi thought the same way—he didn’t believe the real Cheng Shi would repeatedly flaunt himself in front of him at this moment; this was probably just Lord Yuxi’s “objective” evaluation.

But he could not agree with this evaluation.

More importantly, before this, Xiao Qi had already decided Cheng Shi was not Cheng Shi—he was Yuxi.

Thus, Cheng Shi’s maneuver was merely redundant backup, offering only minor auxiliary support.

After hearing Xiao Shi’s name twice, Du Qiyu grew curious.

“So... did Cheng Shi pass your test?”

“You could say that. His devotion to faith was far purer than that of humans like you, who harbor ulterior motives—thanks to his good father.”

“...”

Hearing this, even with the [Defilement Vessel] enhancing him, Du Qiyu clenched his fists in hatred—he clearly despised being reminded of Xiao Shi’s father.

Yet Du Qiyu did not truly anger, nor did he refute or press further; instead, he silently guided his tamed beast in the opposite direction into the dense forest, and respectfully said:

“Forgive me, Lord Yuxi. For my own safety, I cannot hand the vessel to you directly—I hope you understand my predicament.”

“Clap, clap, clap—”

Cheng Shi suddenly clapped his hands, smiling wryly as he looked directly toward Du Qiyu’s true location, nodding in appreciation:

“Good. It’s precisely this caution of yours that makes me take notice of you.

But to think you can hide from me is sheer overconfidence.”

Seeing that Lord Yuxi had instantly spotted his position, Du Qiyu felt no fear—only a sense of inevitability.

Of course—how could he possibly deceive a Messenger, especially one of [Deception]? To hide or deceive Him was like showing off swordplay before a master.

Wait.

[Deception]...

For some reason, Du Qiyu suddenly frowned and slowed his tamed beast’s pace through the forest.

At that exact moment, Cheng Shi let out a soft hum and turned his gaze away:

“Don’t make pointless little moves, and don’t let my appreciation fall to the ground.

I look forward to the day you pass the next test and return to me—but today, this is enough. My time is limited.”

This sudden warning caused Du Qiyu’s furrowed brow to slowly relax—he realized he had overthought everything.

If even the tiniest motion escaped a Messenger’s eyes, how could He possibly be deceiving?

What Du Qiyu didn’t know was that Cheng Shi had no idea what Du Qiyu had done in the forest—he merely predicted the man wouldn’t follow the rules, so he vaguely hinted at it.

Yet this vague, ambiguous warning nearly sealed Xiao Qi’s fate.

Du Qiyu respectfully surrendered the vessel, handing the life-saving object that could elevate his power to its peak to his tamed beast.

Under the vessel’s influence, calmness had guided him to the most rational decision—but the moment the vessel began to drift away, the furious, restless, insatiable Du Qiyu returned. He glared darkly at Lord Yuxi in the center of the forest, terrified yet daring not to act, and roared with suppressed rage:

“My lord, if you admire me so much, can’t you give me another chance?

What right does that dog Xiao Shi have to be stronger than me!?

I should have performed far better in this trial—it was your test that turned me into this!

As compensation, shouldn’t you give me another chance!?

Believe me, my lord—I can do better than Xiao Shi!”

Though his voice was loud, it meant nothing.

Driven by fear, Du Qiyu shifted his position repeatedly; his tamed beast’s expression changed again and again, its steps toward Lord Yuxi halted again and again, even turning back several times.

Clearly, the tamer was suffering violently from the loss of his “essential item.”

He could not deny Lord Yuxi’s identity, yet he refused to lose the vessel so useful to him; he feared punishment for breaking the rules, so he grew increasingly frantic, repeatedly crossing the line of the rules, even spewing profanities.

Most crucially, there were no living beings left in this forest to help him split his emotions.

Cheng Shi had already cleared this forest during preparation—otherwise, why do you think he fled here? He did it on purpose; even his escape route had been written into the script.

Thus, the true clown began his performance. Du Qiyu’s rage piled higher and higher, especially with only one tamed beast to share his emotions—he was nearly out of control. Within seconds, he began denouncing everything, cursing heaven, earth, and the gods, almost ready to curse Lord Yuxi and [Deception] together.

The phrase “blaming heaven and others” found its most brilliant expression here—but to Cheng Shi, this spectacle had lost all appeal.

For Cheng Shi now, the furious Du Qiyu was no longer an opponent. The moment the man handed over the vessel and, freed from its influence, felt fear...

The [Death Laughter Ring] was fully charged—and had already written Xiao Qi’s final ending.

He could not escape. He could not hide.

This was the script Cheng Shi had prepared for his childhood friend!

But simply killing Xiao Qi was not Cheng Shi’s goal. The “Strike at the Heart” plan focused on “striking at the heart”—so this story was far from over.

Lord Yuxi made no move, only his gaze grew colder, his eyes toward the tamed beast darkening steadily.

This change made the sensitive Du Qiyu even more hysterical—but he had no choice. To gain the chance of a second test, to survive under a god’s hand, he could only urge his tamed beast to hurry back and return the [Defilement Vessel].

These few short steps became the greatest torment of the trial for the tamer; returning the vessel that could grant godhood plunged Du Qiyu into emotional collapse.

“Give me another chance, Yuxi! You must give me another chance!”

His mouth was defiant, his temper foul, his heart terrified—Du Qiyu had lost all semblance of humanity.

Yet his torment was far from over—it had only just begun.

For the instant Cheng Shi took back his [Defilement Vessel] from the tamed beast Xiao Qi, his lips curled into a bitterly ironic smile, and to the frantic Du Qiyu he spoke seven words:

“Are you happy?

I was lying to you.”