Chapter 5: The Truth

After he finished speaking, Zhang Chaofeng idly rubbed the ring on his finger, his tone a mixture of mockery and indifference.

"I thought I had hidden myself well enough. This Deceitful Object ring can conceal my Qi, hiding itself in the process. No one should be able to discover it—not even a Cultivator could tell this ring is a Deceitful Object. So, how did you find out?"

"Don’t tell me you have some ability to probe others. Shopkeeper, you truly surprise me. What turned you from an ordinary man into a Cultivator in such a short amount of time?"

As he spoke, Zhang Chaofeng tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair, the mocking glint in his eyes growing more intense.

Shen Bai’s gaze fixed on the ring on Zhang Chaofeng’s middle finger. "Everyone in this world has a flaw," he said coolly. "And flaws are meant to be found. Is it so strange that I found yours?"

To be fair, Zhang Chaofeng had hidden himself exceptionally well from start to finish.

Anyone else would likely have been completely fooled, unable to see through his disguise.

But Shen Bai was different.

Before Shen Bai’s very eyes, words formed from smoke materialized in the air.

That’s right. A Deceitful Object could conceal its Qi—even hide its own presence so that no one could detect it.

But all of that was useless before Shen Bai.

The reason was simple: Shen Bai’s Golden Finger was designed specifically to inspect Deceitful Objects. No matter how well one was hidden, his Golden Finger would still display its information.

’I had always wondered why Zhang Chaofeng seemed unaware that he possessed a Deceitful Object.’

Connecting the dots, Shen Bai suddenly realized something.

During the period when Zhang Chaofeng had vanished, the mastermind from the Upper Evil Sect began to stir up trouble.

Then Zhang Chaofeng reappeared, claiming his village had been massacred. And when they rushed to the village, they encountered the Fox Demon.

Combined with the ring Zhang Chaofeng was now wearing, it was hard for Shen Bai not to connect all the pieces.

Hearing Shen Bai’s words, the interest in Zhang Chaofeng’s eyes grew.

"Shopkeeper, you still haven’t answered my question. What exactly transformed you from an ordinary man into... this? Was it that Lady Painting? It’s true the Lady Painting is a Deceitful Object, but it’s impossible that it alone could have allowed you to cross the threshold into Cultivation."

Shen Bai smiled. "Is that really so important?"

"Not at all." Zhang Chaofeng shook his head. "Just a bit of curiosity on my part. What’s important is what you plan to do now, Shopkeeper. You and I have known each other for many years, after all. To be honest, I’ve always been quite fond of you."

"If you hadn’t brought this into the open today, we could have just let it slide. When that great tomb is opened, I might have even cut you in on some of the good stuff."

Shen Bai laughed. "Do you really think I’d believe that?"

"You’ve been at my pawnshop all this time, and now you pull this stunt. It’s all just to successfully distance yourself from what’s coming, isn’t it?"

"What do you mean by that?" Zhang Chaofeng asked, his interest piqued. "It seems you’ve figured a few things out, Shopkeeper."

Shen Bai spoke slowly, "Whether it’s you returning to the pawnshop, or you slaughtering your own village, and then personally joining the investigation—it all makes people think you’re an innocent victim."

"After the great tomb is opened, you’ll definitely make your move. When that happens, the Observatory will start investigating, and the safest person of all will be you. Am I right?"

"HAHAHAHA!" Zhang Chaofeng burst out laughing. "Shopkeeper, I see now I’ve underestimated you. You’ve not only got the strength, but a sharp mind as well. You’re absolutely right. I would have been the first one to walk away clean. But you shouldn’t have said all this today. It looks like only one of us will be leaving here alive."

"And who do you think that will be? You, or me?"

Shen Bai flicked his fingers. He gripped the hilt of the longsword at his waist, a crimson Sword Qi shimmering around it, ready to be unleashed at any moment.

Zhang Chaofeng held up a hand. "Today is not the day for a fight. Besides, you can’t kill me."

At that, Zhang Chaofeng made a bizarre gesture.

He reached out and ripped open the front of his robes.

There was no flesh and blood underneath, only a body made of straw.

"See? I am not who you think I am. What you’re seeing is nothing more than a scarecrow decoy."

"I’m not foolish enough to meet you in person, Shopkeeper. With the speed you displayed when you killed that Fox Demon, killing me would be child’s play."

"Then what was the point of this?" Shen Bai’s eyes narrowed. "Your cover is blown. You can’t separate yourself from the plot now. In the end, you’ll still be hunted down by the Observatory. There’s no benefit for you in any of this."

"That’s right, there’s no benefit. But as long as I get my revenge, that’s all that matters." Zhang Chaofeng sighed. "Everyone in Shengyun County must die. After I’ve had my revenge, whether I live or die is irrelevant to me."

"If I can live, that’s great. If not, so be it."

Shen Bai stroked his chin. "It seems the letter you left was half-truth, half-lie. Shengyun County really did you wrong."

At the mention of this, the once-calm Zhang Chaofeng’s demeanor shifted.

His face turned crimson, and a furious fire threatened to erupt from his eyes.

"Over a decade ago, my entire family—the old and the young, orphans and widows—were all killed by a supernatural entity. My whole village was slaughtered by it, utterly wiped out. But the Government Office couldn’t find a single clue, not a trace of information. They didn’t even catch the monster."

"When the men from the Observatory came on their inspection tour, I intended to report it to them, but the County Magistrate at the time stopped me. He threatened me, telling me not to report it."

"Tell me, does a county as corrupt as this even deserve to exist?"

Shen Bai fell silent upon hearing this.

Zhang Chaofeng continued, "Back then, the County Magistrate from the County Magistrate’s Office told me that if I reported it, he would make sure I disappeared from the face of the earth. I didn’t even have the right to report what happened! They detained me, forcibly keeping me locked up and preventing me from leaving my house until after the inspection was over."

"Who could right such a wrong for me?"

"That was over a decade ago. It seems the current County Magistrate isn’t the same one, and these aren’t the same constables either," Shen Bai pointed out.

The cold glint in Zhang Chaofeng’s eyes intensified. "They’re all dead. Killed by another one of those entities. Isn’t it hilarious? They failed to find the monster, covered up the incident, and in the end, died at the hands of one themselves."

"That time, thirty percent of the population of Shengyun County died. The people from the Government Office, including that County Magistrate, all died at the hands of that entity."

"In the end, it took the Observatory to step in and exterminate the entity. That part of history wasn’t even allowed to be recorded in the county annals. Only the common folk who survived know the truth."

"Since they’re all dead, your revenge has been served," Shen Bai said. "Why drag the innocent into this?"

Zhang Chaofeng shot to his feet. "This rotten world deserves to be cleansed in blood! After that, I wandered aimlessly. I eventually found the threshold of Cultivation, joined the Thief Sect, and later, the Upper Evil Sect. It was only then that I realized the only way for things to truly start over is for everyone to die."