Chapter 396 - Seize Fate by the Throat, and Deceive Even the Pit
Xu Xiaoshou gave the two a deep look and suddenly laughed.
That was a confession without the need for interrogation.
He did not expect that person to be so bold and stay nearby even after stealing things. Perhaps they were not far apart at the moment.
But…
What kind of technique could the thief use to make two guys, who were so alert, not even aware of it?
Could a Sovereign Stage hide from the sky?
Xu Xiaoshou returned his gaze to the pit on the ground.
That should be the place where the Cardinal Wheel was originally embedded. There was nothing left now.
“Is there something weird?”
Fu Zhi followed his gaze and looked at the pit.
Despite the scrutinizing gaze of two people, they still could not see anything.
There was nothing but gravel.
Fu Zhi shot a glance and looked away, but Xu Xiaoshou kept his gaze as he continued talking.
“Brother Fu, what is the furthest distance in this world?”
Fu Zhi was astonished at the question.
Were they doing this again?
He looked up at the sky. “The sea of stars?”
“No.”
Xu Xiaoshou dismissed his answer. “The farthest distance in this world is if you stood in front of me, but I still cannot notice you.”
Fu Zhi was confused.
His face turned green. He felt goosebumps rising on his body.
What was all of this? Were they not supposed to be arresting the thief?
He was talking tom like he was almost flirting or something.
The problem was that he was not a little girl. What was the point of him telling him all this?
Hmm?
No, something was amiss.
Could this guy have special preferences in that area?
Shuddering at the thought, Fu Zhi backed away quickly, feeling panic rise in his throat.
Suspected, Passive Points +2.
That affirmed the suspicions in Xu Xiaoshou’s heart.
The thief did not run far and was even close by.
It was just that…
He could not see him.
However, that did not bother Xu Xiaoshou in the least. If it were Xu Xiaoji, he was a guy who was not even considered a human by the system.
It was completely normal if he could not see him.
Xu Xiaoshou paced around, seemingly lost in his thoughts. In fact, he extended Perception to scan all the subtle movements in his surroundings.
Since he could not see or touch him, he could only let this guy come out by himself.
“Brother Fu, if you stole something, what would be your plans after that?”
Fu Zhi did not know what Xu Xiaoshou was plotting. When he looked at him, he seemed to have a direction to investigate the matter. He played along. “Of course, I would run away from the scene. If I was not strong enough, I would hide for a while and wait for the storm to pass.”
His eyes lit up as he spoke.
“The thief would hide in the banquet room first. When the attention dies down, will he leave the City Lord Mansion with everyone else?”
“Brother Shou, you are a genius!” he exclaimed in surprise.
Xu Xiaoshou stretched out a finger and shook it. “No.”
“Hmm?”
“Am I wrong?”
Fu Zhi felt that his thoughts had pointed in the right direction, but Xu Xiaoshou still did not agree with him. He asked curiously, “If it were you, what would you do?”
Xu Xiaoshou chuckled lightly and wandered around the pit.
“If it were me, I would not leave!”
Fu Zhi wondered, ‘If you don’t leave, wouldn’t you be waiting for an imminent death?’
Xu Xiaoshou shook his head in disagreement.
“Brother Fu, don’t forget that the most dangerous place is also the safest.”
“If it were me, I would first perform the art of disguise and concealment. I would not enter the City Lord Mansion until the Sovereign Stage could not detect my presence.”
“After the theft, I would have stayed nearby and waited until other people were sent into a flurry and form a search party.”
“At that time, I would reveal myself, walk into the banquet room, and meet others like an ordinary guest!”
Fu Zhi was still mulling over his words and had yet to react. As soon as Xu Xiaoshou spoke, the Information Bar had gone crazy.
Suspected, Passive Points +2.
Cursed, Passive Points +1.
Insulted, Passive Points +1.
Blown Away, Passive Points +1.
In Awe, Passive Points +1.
“What kind of art of disguise and concealment can deceive Liu Qing and me?”
Fu Zhi was still struggling with these small details, though Xu Xiaoshou had completely ignored him.
Those words were not meant for Fu Zhi’s ears.
Since the Information Bar had such a violent reaction, it meant that the hidden person, or Xu Xiaoji, had the same plans he had guessed.
A faint sound mixed with the sound of gravel from the subtle breeze. It was so light that even Fu Zhi could not notice the difference.
It was different for Xu Xiaoshou, who was on high alert.
His Perception had already covered the surrounding area. When his mind was completely focused, even a fly flapping its wings would not be able to escape his beady eyes.
‘Sand?’
The item that had twitched just now was a piece of inconspicuous gravel in the pit.
The same unremarkable gravel trembled uncontrollably when Xu Xiaoshou turned his eyes toward it.
It was panicking.
After finally determining the specific hiding place of this person, Xu Xiaoshou still could not help but marvel in amazement.
It was really a pit.
That guy had such a resilient heart.
He and Fu Zhi were chatting near the pit, and even Liu Qing just came over and walked around, but he still did not show the slightest movement.
With this level of focus, Xu Xiaoshou was ready to hand him an award for being the person with the best stealing technique.
He squatted down and studied the qualities of that gravel in the pit.
This time, the Information Bar did not flash any updates at all.
It was as if he had disappeared. If it were not for Xu Xiaoshou’s mindfulness and constant state of alert, he would truly think that it was just an illusion.
Without further ado, Xu Xiaoshou pinched the gravel.
Cursed, Passive Points +1.
Insulted, Passive Points +1.
“Heh.”
Xu Xiaoshou smiled.
‘Are you scolding me?’
‘What can you do other than scolding me?’
‘Do you dare to move?’
If he had the strength to contend against the two of them, he would not disguise himself as a piece of gravel and pretend to play dead there.
Fu Zhi watched Xu Xiaoshou squeeze a stone from the pit and wondered out loud, “Does Brother Shou have any ideas?”
“None.”
Xu Xiaoshou sighed with emotion. “Brother Fu, if you catch the thief, how will you punish him?”
“Heh.”
Fu Zhi sneered coldly. “He who dares to steal my Cardinal Wheel…. I shall crush his bones until they turn to ash and torment him until his soul disintegrates, and that is the lightest punishment!”
Cursed, Passive Points +1.
Xu Xiaoshou could feel the gravel in his hand shaking again.
He laughed again.
Who could stand this?
Xu Xiaoshou would have pinched him to death.
Xu Xiaoji must have been feeling desperate and hopeless at that moment.
Xu Xiaoshou did not intend to reveal what he knew. He stood up straight before saying, “According to Brother Fu, that guy has no chance of escaping the City Lord Mansion.”
“I suggest conducting a thorough search in the sea of flowers. Maybe this guy can morph forms.”
“Who knows, perhaps this stone in my hand is a morphed form,” he said teasingly.
Condemned, Passive Points +1, +1, +1, +1…
Fu Zhi felt that Xu Xiaoshou was taking it too far and twitched the corners of his mouth. “What a joke, Brother Shou. A pathetic stone like this…”
Nonetheless, he thought about it carefully and found that there was a reasonable point. He immediately took out a communication jade scroll and summoned people to come and conduct the search.
Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. “The net of Heaven has large meshes, but it lets nothing through. Since that guy dared to enter the City Lord Mansion and steal from it, he is doomed to face his end.”
“Let’s go. Shall we head to the banquet first and then wait for the good news from Fu Yinhong and Guardian Liu?”
Although Fu Zhi was in a dilemma to catch the thief, he knew that he could not rush the search.
“Alright.”
He agreed with Xu Xiaoshou.
Xu Xiaoshou smiled and nodded. He casually tossed the gravel in his hand into the Yuan Mansion.
Suddenly, the intense, never-ending Condemned notification that had flooded the Information Bar disappeared.
“Aje, keep an eye on him.”
“If he dares to morph forms, you can beat him to death!”
“Damn it, how dare he lie to me? He wanted me to bring him into the City Lord Mansion in the first place… If he was caught, wouldn’t I be guilty by association?”
