Chapter 129 Hunting (4) "Unfortunately, fear is useless, I will not allow it..."

Xiao Yinshi stood at the top of the stairs on the second floor, his exceptionally tall figure making his attendants behind him appear rather short. He looked down at Feng Tan with his dark eyes, his expression gloomy, and his whole being exuded an indescribable sense of terror.

After Feng Tan finished chewing the last piece of xiaolongbao, she looked up at him with a cold and indifferent gaze, clearly having anticipated his arrival.

If the first ambush fails, the second counterattack will be swifter and more ferocious, leaving no escape.

Having clashed with Xiao Yinshi so many times, she was quite familiar with his sinister nature.

Arslan had never experienced the intrigues of the court, so he was naturally not as shrewd as Feng Tan. He subconsciously picked up the long sword at hand, stood up and protected Feng Tan behind him, and coldly rebuked, "Xiao Yinshi, forced love is never sweet. If you truly love her, you should feel sorry for her suffering and let her walk the path she wants to walk!"

Xiao Yinshi walked down the steps step by step. His still-healing ankle wound slowed his pace. He looked at Feng Tan, his eyes dark and deep, and a cold laugh escaped his throat. "Everyone has their own path. How to love someone is my path."

Xiao Yinshi's path was a dead end; didn't he realize this himself? He had long ago realized it. His love lacked Arslan's broad and selfless nature; his love was selfish and narrow. His wish in his ninth reincarnation was simply to see Feng Tan every day.

He had painstakingly sought only this person, disregarding whether it violated the laws of nature or her wishes. Like a moth drawn to a flame, he faced death to live, glimpsing the ways of nature, yet unaware of why nature intended for him. He had spent his entire life searching for an answer, and that answer lay within Feng Tan.

Feng Tan severed his tendons, so he should be given a chance to know the truth.

With his strikingly handsome face, Xiao Yinshi's thin lips uttered words of utter indifferent coldness: "Feng Tan, are you afraid?"

When he first fought with Xiao Yinshi, he asked Feng Tan, "Are you afraid?" At that time, Feng Tan had no one to rely on and answered, "Yes." Later, in the waters off Linzhang, he asked her again if she was afraid, and she answered, "No." Because at that time, she was a useful person to Xiao Yinshi, and he would not discard the sharp knife in his hand.

Now, Feng Tan has no bargaining chips left. All she can do is buy Arslan an hour. She's not afraid of what Xiao Yinshi might do to her; what she fears is something happening to Arslan. She has few ties left in this world, and Arslan is the pure white Gesang flower in her heart. She won't allow Arslan to die at Xiao Yinshi's hands.

With a blank expression, Xiao Yinshi had clearly suppressed all his outward emotions. Feng Tan looked at him and replied, "I'm afraid."

Upon hearing this reply, Xiao Yinshi gave a very light and brief laugh, saying, "Unfortunately, fear is useless; I will not allow him to live."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Rakshasa Army poured into the inn. Zhu Qi, the leader, led two soldiers and charged straight at Arslan. Zhu Qi's longsword was aimed at Arslan's back when Feng Tan kicked a chair to block the impact. Then he leaped towards Arslan and grabbed the sword that was about to pierce his back with one hand.

Zhu Qi's pupils contracted sharply. Even after dissipating the force, she still managed to injure Feng Tan. She gripped the sword, and blood gushed down the blade, blooming into a bloody flower on the ground.

Arslan was terrified. He stared at Feng Tan with wide eyes, but was then struck down by the Raksha Army from behind, his knees buckling and he fell to his knees. He was already at his limit, and the Raksha Army pinned him to the ground, their broadswords about to pierce his chest.

Feng Tan shouted, "Stop!"

Xiao Yinshi waved his hand, signaling the Luosha Army to press their broadswords against Arslan's neck. His dark eyes returned to Feng Tan, as if they were bottomless black holes trying to suck Feng Tan in. "Do you want him to live?"

Feng Tan's forehead was already covered in cold sweat. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her voice trembled as she asked, "What do you want to do?"

Xiao Yinshi walked up to her, picked up her bloodied hand and examined it carefully for a moment, then gently stroked the deep, bone-revealing wound, which made Feng Tan tremble with pain.

After seemingly having comforted her enough, he slowly took the gauze handed to him by the attendant and bandaged Feng Tan's wound. He then gave a slight smile and said, "I need to know if you are the source of my destiny?"

Feng Tan looked at him in disbelief. How could he have come to this understanding? This man's cunning was as deep as an abyss, unfathomable and unfathomable.

Xiao Yinshi keenly sensed Feng Tan's emotional change, then chuckled softly. As he leaned down, his thin lips touched Feng Tan's neck, and he spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Where did you get your inexhaustible sniper rifles, your paradoxical views that violate worldly ethics and morality...?"

Feng Tan turned her head to meet Xiao Yinshi's eyes, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Arslan looking in her direction, his eyes bloodshot as he shook his head: Don't do anything unworthy for me.

Zhu Qi kicked Arslan in the chest, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood. With the new wounds adding to the old ones, he trembled in pain.

Feng Tan closed her eyes and uttered two words to Xiao Yinshi, "System."

“System?” Xiao Yinshi pondered the word, not understanding its meaning. “Explain it more clearly.”

Feng Tan said, “You can think of it as a container that comes from the future. It is formed by belief, and its essence is formless and shapeless. It attaches itself to the person who carries it and flows into the person’s life like water, playing its necessary role when needed.”

Xiao Yinshi paused for a moment, clearly digesting this information, and commented, "Interesting."

Having said that, he moved away from Feng Tan's ear, straightened up, looked at Feng Tan, and said in a calm and collected voice, "The things all came from... the system, so what about me?"

Xiao Yinshi raised his wrist, his well-defined fingers brushing aside his clothes to reveal nine scars on his wrist and the recently bandaged ruptured tendons. He said in a slow, low voice, "Why was I dragged into this?"

Feng Tan looked at Xiao Yinshi and said, "I don't know."

Looking at her defiant expression again, Xiao Yinshi spoke slowly and deliberately, "Zhu Qi."

Feng Tan knew he was no pushover and tried to provoke him, saying, "I'll talk!"

Xiao Yinshi looked at her, her long, thick eyelashes trembling slightly, like a withered leaf butterfly caught in a spider web. Despite trying to hide her presence, the spider web clinging to her body forced her to tell the truth.

He spoke in a low, suppressed voice, his tone coaxing and gentle, but his underlying tone was threatening: "If you're going to confess, you should explain things clearly, Feng Tan."

As the Iron King of Hell who served as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for nine years and was feared by the prisoners of the Imperial Prison, Xiao Yinshi was a qualified interrogator. Just like now, he did not need to torture Feng Tan. He could force her to tell the whole story by holding her soft spot.

But Feng Tan didn't want to. She couldn't be sure what kind of crazy and fierce revenge Xiao Yinshi would launch after learning the truth and realizing he was just a tool chosen by the system. But if she didn't tell, Arslan would be in trouble, and she also knew that Xiao Yinshi meant what he said.

Since that's the case, she might as well tell him that by delaying for an hour, she can ensure Arslan's safety. As for how Xiao Yinshi will react or whether he will mistreat her, she will no longer be afraid.

With no weaknesses around, she was all alone again, so there was nothing to be afraid of.

Feng Tan quickly considered how to organize his thoughts, his words tinged with difficulty, "You are the system's chosen...tool."

But even a tool has its own will. Clearly, Xiao Yinshi's self-awareness has awakened. He did not live this life according to the system's planned route. He was supposed to be Feng Tan's devoted subject, but now he has become the biggest villain in her life.

Upon hearing this, a dangerous spark ignited deep within Xiao Yinshi's dark eyes. "A tool?"

“It used to be,” Feng Tan clenched her fist subconsciously, unsure of what Xiao Yinshi was thinking, “It chose me, and it chose you, but I have already unbound it from you. In this life, you are not bound by it.”

Xiao Yinshi concealed the dangerous ruthlessness in his eyes, his dark gaze settling on Feng Tan's still calm face, and said, "I want to see it."

It's "want" not "desire," making it clear from their words that there's no room for negotiation.

The inn was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Feng Tan refused his request, saying, "No."

The system contains a large number of technologically advanced weapons from the future, which would inspire ambition in anyone who saw them. Moreover, Xiao Yinshi is an emperor who has reached the pinnacle of power. If he wants to go even higher and become the emperor of the entire landmass, taking the weapons in the system would be like adding a pair of powerful wings to the Rakshasa Army, making them invincible.

Xiao Yinshi slowly walked closer to Feng Tan, the shadow pressing down on her face. Her unwavering stance silently demonstrated her determination to fight against him.

Xiao Yinshi lowered his gaze and said in a low voice, "Feng Tan, I have the right to know the whole story. If you refuse, things will not look good."

Xiao Yinshi knew what Feng Tan was worried about. He wouldn't vouch for her unless she told him, and forcing her to tell him would be a kind of fun.

The threat was effective. Feng Tan raised her eyelashes, met the man's dark and cold eyes, and said, "You can know the ins and outs of the matter, but... you can't take the weapons in the system, those are ours."

Xiao Yinshi looked at Feng Tan with a half-smile, "Do you think you have any room to make demands?"

Xiao Yinshi's hostile attitude left Feng Tan with no way to retaliate. In the past, Feng Tan's principle was to avoid falling into Xiao Yinshi's trap, so nothing he said could intimidate her. But now, as she was suffering defeat after defeat and trying to fight for her place, she had no choice but to comply with Xiao Yinshi's demands.

In fact, her worries were completely unnecessary. Since Xiao Yinshi had already been emperor for nine generations, playing power games was no longer important to him. What he wanted now was to keep Feng Tan under his control.

Feng Tan's fighting spirit never wavered in her battle with Xiao Yinshi. Even when she was at a disadvantage, her fighting spirit always made her shine.

Feng Tan said, "Xiao Yinshi, at worst we'll fight to the death."

Hearing the answer that satisfied her, Xiao Yinshi's murderous aura subsided slightly. It seemed that Arslan was far less important to her than the path of reform she was about to take.

Xiao Yinshi's gaze swept down Feng Tan's face, and he promised, "Don't worry, I won't touch your weapons."