CHAPTER 218: CHAPTER 216 DECEPTION

Lin Xiao was flabbergasted. This woman actually neutralized the poison I gave her? It seems Shen Jingzhe’s cultivation is even more formidable than I imagined. Damn it. If I had known this was going to happen, I would’ve given her a second dose of poison this morning for double insurance.

But it was useless to think about that now. The urgent matter was resolving the current crisis. To be honest, when Lin Xiao felt the cold edge of the sword against him, he was genuinely afraid. After all, this woman was here to kill him. He didn’t believe for a second she would show mercy. Most importantly, her cultivation level was freakishly high. Lin Xiao’s mind raced as he desperately searched for a way to escape.

In the darkness, it was as if Shen Jingzhe could see right through his thoughts. She spoke, her voice like ice, "I advise you to save your energy. With your paltry cultivation, you have no chance of survival unless I choose to let you go today. If you don’t believe me, feel free to try. See if your hands are faster than my sword!"

Damn her, Lin Xiao cursed inwardly. She’s not just powerful, her IQ is freakishly high too.

He forced a few dry laughs. "Miss Shen, what are you saying? With your incredible power, only a fool would think of running. And I’m no fool."

Despite his words, Lin Xiao discreetly palmed the Xuantian Needle, ready to deliver a fatal blow at a moment’s notice.

"Good that you know your place," Shen Jingzhe said coldly.

Lin Xiao smiled placatingly. "Of course, of course, I’ve always been a sensible person. Miss Shen, how about you put the sword away so we can have a proper chat?"

"I have nothing to chat with you about. I ask you, who exactly are you?"

"Me? My name is Lin Xiao. I’m just a little beggar from Jinling City, an orphan with no parents!"

Shen Jingzhe snorted. "Do you take me for a fool? An orphan beggar with such incredible cultivation?"

"Miss Shen, that’s where you’re mistaken. The reason I have this cultivation is that, by a stroke of luck, I met an expert. He saw my pitiful state, and since I had once saved his life, he took pity on me and taught me some skills. Unfortunately, my aptitude is poor, so I could only manage to cultivate to my current level."

Lin Xiao spoke with such sincerity that Shen Jingzhe found it hard not to believe him.

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "And your skill with poisons? Who taught you that?"

"He did!"

"What’s his name?" Shen Jingzhe pressed.

"Honestly, I don’t know. I asked him before, but he just told me a name is merely a label. Not only do I not know his name, but I also know nothing about his past. After teaching me for five years, he just vanished from the world!"

Shen Jingzhe fell silent again, seemingly trying to determine if Lin Xiao was telling the truth.

Lin Xiao kept his expression neutral, but inwardly he was laughing so hard his stomach ached. I’m a damn genius. I can even fool Shen Jingzhe with these blatant lies.

But just then, Shen Jingzhe spoke again, her voice cold. "No, that’s not right. You’re lying to me!"

Lin Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. "Miss Shen, I... how did I lie to you?"

"I ask you, if your cultivation is so powerful, why are you a beggar?"

Lin Xiao breathed an internal sigh of relief. I thought she’d found a flaw in my story. Turns out she’s just suspicious of my identity.

At that thought, Lin Xiao sighed audibly. "I’m an orphan. I’ve been scavenging to survive since I was a child, living from one meal to the next. I depended entirely on begging, and over time, I just got used to this life."

"Do you have any idea how valuable Martial Artists are in this world?" Shen Jingzhe asked again, her voice sharp. The implication was clear: with such formidable cultivation, why would anyone choose to be a beggar?

Lin Xiao feigned ignorance. "Are they? I had no idea. I did work as a bodyguard for a while, though."

"What happened? Why did you stop?"

"It was too much trouble. It was bad enough being treated like a servant, but my employer also insulted me constantly. Being a beggar is much more liberating," Lin Xiao explained, a wronged expression on his face.

Shen Jingzhe asked coldly, "Then how did you marry Su Qingning? From what I know, she’s the number one beauty in Jinling City. The scions from noble families pursuing her are too numerous to count."

"Speaking of which, I’m full of grievances about that, too. I was just minding my own business, begging at the train station, when the young lady of the Zhao Family—one of Jinling City’s top families—found me. She asked if I wanted to sleep with the number one beauty of Jinling City. Miss Shen, I may be a beggar, but I’m still a normal, red-blooded man. We’re talking about Su Qingning, the number one beauty! Only a fool would say no. I never expected that after I slept with her, the Zhao Family’s young miss would force Su Qingning to marry me."

Shen Jingzhe was silent. Everything Lin Xiao said matched the information she had gathered almost perfectly. It meant he was telling the truth.

But the real question is, if he’s just a beggar, why does Master want me to kill him? And why did she call him a ’bastard spawn’? Could it be that his master has some old grudge with my own? Or... were his master and my master once lovers?

This wasn’t just a wild guess on Shen Jingzhe’s part. She knew her master had once loved a man—loved him madly. Her master had let it slip one time when she was drunk, telling the story through a mixture of tears and laughter. Although she never revealed the man’s name, the look of utter agony on her face suggested she had been hurt deeply.

To this day, Shen Jingzhe clearly remembered the words her master had spoken to her that night.

"Never fall for a man."

Shen Jingzhe had only been twelve at the time and didn’t understand what her master meant. When she asked, what she received in return was an angry slap from her furious and embarrassed master. But after hitting her, her master had pulled her into a tight embrace, sobbing as she explained that men were the vilest, most poisonous things in the world. They were never to be touched, or your entire life would be ruined.

Her master had said more to her that day than ever before, but Shen Jingzhe had forgotten most of it. That one warning, however, she remembered.

Noticing Shen Jingzhe’s prolonged silence, Lin Xiao prompted softly, "Miss Shen? Why aren’t you saying anything?"

Shen Jingzhe didn’t respond.

Lin Xiao suddenly realized she must be lost in thought or trapped in a memory.

A jolt of elation shot through him. This is my chance!

Without another moment’s hesitation, Lin Xiao flicked the Xuantian Needle from his hand.