Chapter 584: Little Receiver Bent Waist

"No, no… this isn't happening!"

When Xu Xiaoshou recognized the people in front of him, his face contorted as if he were constipated, clearly showing his discomfort.

"Is heaven forsaking me?"

Who else could be standing before him but the Storyteller and Luo Leilei?

But how could these two be here? Shouldn't the Storyteller be strictly adhering to the words of the so-called Saint Servant Second-in-Command, helping him keep an eye on those red-clothed figures in the Sword-Leaving Prairie? And now, they're here? What the heck! How am I, Xu Xiaoshou, supposed to live now? Are they all crazy? Why is everyone targeting me? Xu Xiaoshou cursed silently, feeling the deep malice of the world against him. In front, the wolf-like Nightwatch; behind, the tiger-like Storyteller. Even if he managed to pass this hurdle, would he still have to endure seventy-nine more trials to successfully escape the White Cave?

"Heh heh, heh..." Xu Xiaoshou let out a couple of dry laughs, then suddenly felt it was inappropriate and changed to a nervous "Hehehe."

"Old man..." Before he could finish, the Storyteller, with a beaming face, interrupted: "Little brother, have you forgotten? You're not in your disguised state right now!" Xu Xiaoshou's smile froze instantly. "That's right! Damn it all, why did I turn off 'Transformation' just now? Why?!"

"No need to blame yourself," the Storyteller said. With a delicate orchid gesture, he gently stroked his chest. "The suspicion, as it were, wasn't my doing. It was all my little sister's work." He gestured with his hand to the side, and Xu Xiaoshou's gaze followed, landing on the girl beside him.

"Xu Xiaoshou…" Luo Leilei looked him over as if he were a monster, her eyes filled with surprise. "Long time no see?"

"Cough, cough." Xu Xiaoshou suddenly started coughing violently, choking on his own saliva.

"Luo Leilei, long time no see."

*Why did you have to trick me like this!* The last thought died in his throat.

Xu Xiaoshou managed a strained smile, forcing the corners of his mouth upward in a show of friendliness.

"What kind of spiritual technique is that?" Luo Leilei blurted out, completely unabashed.

"What spiritual technique are you talking about?" Xu Xiaoshou secretly glanced at the Storyteller, not answering directly. Even though the red-robed man still wore a beaming smile.

But Xu Xiaoshou knew what outrageous things he had done earlier. Reprimanding, scolding, interrupting, ordering, insulting—he had tried almost every 'death-seeking' method that would lead to a terrible end on the Storyteller. Oh no, not just once! Given the circumstances, it was hard to imagine how the Storyteller could maintain such a generous smile after learning the full truth. Or rather, Xu Xiaoshou leaned more towards a second theory: the Storyteller, at this moment, perhaps didn't know what expression to use other than a smile to mask his true emotions. Which meant that beneath the facade of clear skies, there were dark clouds, raging storms, and terrifying thunder. A single misstep, a single wrong word, could lead to his immediate demise!

"God, save me! I, Xu Xiaoshou, am still just a child!"

Luo Leilei, facing him, knew Xu Xiaoshou's feigned ignorance was too profound, so she went straight to the point: "It's that technique that can even deceive the Storyteller Senior…" The moment the word "deceive" was uttered, the Storyteller's facial expression subtly stiffened. Xu Xiaoshou instantly stopped his thoughts and roared, interrupting her: "Transformation! It's called 'Transformation,' and it can mimic anyone's appearance, just like the effect you saw before."

Luo Leilei was startled, clearly stunned by the shout. Then, a slight smile touched her lips. "Oh, is that so?" She tilted her head and asked again, "Transformation… how did you learn such a special spiritual technique?"

"Heh." Xu Xiaoshou let out a heavy sigh. Seeing no reaction from the Storyteller, he immediately didn't even want to answer.

Luo Leilei's voice started up again: "After all, that's something even the Storyteller Senior can…"

"Talent!" Xu Xiaoshou suddenly roared: "It's like a talent, or a bloodline limit… *pah*… no, it's like a spiritual physique or a saint physique, do you understand that kind of explanation?"

"I can't teach you, and you shouldn't expect me to!" Xu Xiaoshou added.

"Oh, talent, then." Luo Leilei's smile widened. She seemed to know how to communicate with the seemingly incommunicable Xu Xiaoshou.

"Then, how are you able to control the Four Swords?" she asked. "Even Brother Shuangxing couldn't maintain it for so long. And it looks like you haven't received the Four Swords' full recognition, but only their approval, right?"

Xu Xiaoshou's facial muscles began to twitch. *You little girl… you mark my words! This is definitely revenge! Just as expected, women… Hmph, you're still holding a grudge from Black Cliff at Tianxuan Gate?*

"Sword Will." Xu Xiaoshou said dejectedly: "I have Sword Will, so the Four Swords are more receptive to me. Plus, being a Grandmaster, I can maintain it longer. But now I've reached my limit; I can't hold on any longer. Do you want this sword?" As Xu Xiaoshou spoke, he picked up one of the Four Swords, intending to throw it over.

The Storyteller and Luo Leilei were both startled at the same time. Clearly, the "Saint Servant Second-in-Command" from the ancient scroll space had left quite a shadow in both their minds.

"Wait, don't move!" Luo Leilei immediately halted Xu Xiaoshou's action and said: "Let me ask another question… Brother Shuangxing also has Sword Will, and he himself admitted he couldn't maintain it as long as you. So, what's the difference?"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know whether to lower his hand or keep it raised, so he simply held it diagonally in mid-air and said helplessly: "Not durable? That's his problem, not mine."

Luo Leilei: "…"

*Received Curse, Passive Value, 1.*

Her gums itched, and she said bitterly: "Xu Xiaoshou, you…"

"Ask away!" Xu Xiaoshou simply relaxed completely. He understood. "I'm busted. Whatever you want to ask, I will tell you everything, holding nothing back. Finally, if you can let me live, I'll be extremely grateful. If not… it doesn't matter! None of it matters!" Xu Xiaoshou declared loudly and righteously: "But before that, please allow me, Xu Xiaoshou, to offer my deepest, twelve-thousand-percent apologies to the Storyteller Senior."

Ignoring their reactions, Xu Xiaoshou immediately bowed deeply, beyond ninety degrees.

"I'm sorry!!!" Only when his head nearly touched his knees did he straighten up and say: "This junior was wrong earlier, I shouldn't have deceived the Storyteller Senior. But there's a reason for it, it's a long story, and I can't explain it clearly in a short time. I won't go into detail here. I only ask that Senior consider the relationship between my master, Old Sang—who is also the Saint Servant Second-in-Command, Wuxiu—and the Saint Servant Leader—that masked man—as well as the friendship between Lei Shuangxing… that guy… and Luo Leilei, and spare this junior's life!"

"Thank you very much!" Xu Xiaoshou bowed once more.

Luo Leilei's mouth twitched uncontrollably as if in a spasm. *Unbelievable! Xu Xiaoshou, should I call you a true man who can bend and stretch as needed, or simply say you're utterly shameless! You can even drag Brother Shuangxing into this? Are you just making things up because he's not here? Why don't you drag Senior Cen into it too?*

"Oh, that's right!" Xu Xiaoshou seemed to remember something and added: "And Senior Cen Qiaofu, since the day this junior met him at the Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace, I've admired him greatly. I hope Senior…" Noticing the Storyteller's gaze becoming increasingly unpredictable, Xu Xiaoshou quickly shifted his focus. He looked at Luo Leilei and said: "How about you, you can convey my regards to Senior Cen. Tell him it's been a long time, and I miss him dearly. When we meet again, we should definitely drink…"

His 'Perception' ability showed him the Storyteller's face had turned as dark as ink. Xu Xiaoshou's voice gradually trailed off.

"…and make merry."

"Cough, cough."

"Did I say too much?" He muttered to himself, as if in a soliloquy: "It's fine. Although there was a very special reason, I did still deceive the Storyteller Senior. If Senior wants to kill me or carve me up, just say the word. I, Xu Xiaoshou, will have no complaints!"

With that said, Xu Xiaoshou directly lifted his head high, closed his eyes, his face showing a willingness to die a thousand deaths without regret. His 'Perception' was at its peak, and 'Disappearance Art' coupled with 'Ascension in a Single Step' were fully ready. The moment anything seemed off with the Storyteller, he would immediately abandon his rhetoric and turn to flee.

*Received Gaze, Passive Value, 1.**Received Liking, Passive Value, 1.*

The Storyteller stared intently at him. Although his face was no longer beaming, it was now covered in a frosty chill. However, a sudden message that popped up in his information bar made Xu Xiaoshou's body tremble uncontrollably. *Liking… liking?*

He froze on the spot. Even his thoughts couldn't quite process it. "Liking?"

*What the heck kind of liking?! Are you sick? I, Xu Xiaoshou, have gone to such lengths. A normal person would either lash out in fury and resolve the issue directly, or treat me as a junior and, out of consideration for my two bows, dismiss me as if I were nothing. What does this… liking… mean?*

Xu Xiaoshou was trembling with fear. Facing the Storyteller, he felt even more agony than facing ten Nightwatches.

The emotions of a "Saint Servant" were impossible to grasp. You never knew how they were one moment, or how they would be the next. Nightwatch admired him, so Xu Xiaoshou could accurately gauge his thoughts and thus manipulate him. But facing the Storyteller… forget about gauging! A single "liking" nearly brought Xu Xiaoshou to tears.

*I'm sorry, if there was anything I did just now that you liked, could you tell me… I'll change it!!!* Xu Xiaoshou roared in his heart, *I can't afford to provoke this red-robed pervert!*

"As expected of the person Brother has taken a liking to!" The Storyteller held it in for a moment, then finally gently shook his head and clapped, exclaiming in admiration. "Little girl Luo, are you sure you haven't mistaken him? Is he really Wenming?" Compared to other issues, even the reprimand he received from the Saint Servant Second-in-Command disguised by Xu Xiaoshou in the ancient scroll space, the Storyteller seemed more concerned about this one question.

"Yes." Luo Leilei nodded: "At Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace, besides Xu Xiaoshou, there's no one else who could catch the Leader's eye."

"Good." The Storyteller pursed his red lips and asked again: "Are you done asking questions?"

"Hmm…" Luo Leilei wanted to continue speaking; she still had too many unresolved questions that needed Xu Xiaoshou's answers. But at this moment, the Storyteller Senior seemed to have no patience left. *Never mind.* With a nod, she took half a step back.

The Storyteller's face once again broke into a blossoming smile.

"Wenming, I've finally met you! So you are Wenming!"

Xu Xiaoshou instantly got goosebumps all over. He finally understood that there were things in this world more unbearable than simply dying. *Being alive! Being alive in front of this red-robed pervert, and as a man, that is more painful than dying!*

The Storyteller shook his head with emotion, scenes from the ancient scroll space continuously flashing through his mind. One moment, his eyes were filled with chilling killing intent; the next, an inexplicable admiration. After a long while, his gaze finally settled… on benevolence! Extreme benevolence!

"Wenming, aren't you curious why I, who should have been listening to your instructions in the Sword-Leaving Prairie, am here right now instead?" the Storyteller asked, batting his eyelashes.

"Not curious, not curious…" Xu Xiaoshou immediately closed his eyes, shaking his head like a rattle-drum. "Senior is all-powerful; there's nothing Senior can't do…"

"Just call me Brother." The Storyteller tucked his hands to his chest, looking at Xu Xiaoshou with increasing fondness. *The person Brother admires!*

"What?!" Xu Xiaoshou's eyelids couldn't hold, snapping open immediately, his eyes practically popping out at the sound.

"'Brother,' the Storyteller said with a shy, coy sway of his hips, 'that's how you should address me.'"

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

He turned his head with an incredulous *creak*, directing his gaze towards Luo Leilei. Slowly, he formed a question mark with his eyes. But what he got in return was Luo Leilei's expression of "I can do nothing, you're on your own."

"Bro." Xu Xiaoshou cried, hot tears in his eyes.

"No, no, no!" The Storyteller bit his lower lip and said: "Mimic me, *Brother*."

"Bro."

"Brother."

"Bro…"

"BROTHER!!!" the Storyteller suddenly roared.

With a *boom*, the void instantly exploded, and the world collapsed. Xu Xiaoshou was abruptly so terrified he lost his composure, almost having his bowels loosen from the shock. His body trembled, a shiver shooting up from his feet, coursing through his entire body, and settling at the crown of his head.

"Brother…" Xu Xiaoshou uttered the word with tears in his eyes, feeling utterly humiliated. But a man may be insulted, not killed. What did a little humiliation matter? Bowing to superior power was something Xu Xiaoshou often did. *Everything, for the sake of living… no, of merely surviving!*

He secretly glanced at the completely shattered void around him, yet he himself was completely unaffected. Xu Xiaoshou knew that this single demonstration revealed the Storyteller's strength to be undoubtedly several times greater than Nightwatch's. Such mastery was truly superb. *Cowardly… Yes, correctly cowardly!*

"Mmm-hmm." The Storyteller clasped his elbows to his chest, as if the single address had cleansed his very soul. He vanished from his spot with a *whoosh*. To Xu Xiaoshou's horrified shrinking pupils, he had already gently put one arm around Xu Xiaoshou's shoulder and whispered into his ear: "So, little brother, do you want to know why I could come here from the Sword-Leaving Prairie?"

"No, I don't! I don't want to!" The warm breath nearly shattered Xu Xiaoshou's soul. He tried to pull away, but found himself completely restrained. Not by the Storyteller's grip, but by space, by the Heavenly Dao, by everything in the White Cave. Or, to put it another way, with that embrace from the Storyteller, Xu Xiaoshou was directly cast out by the Heavenly Dao rules of the White Cave. The world is vast, but at this moment, there was no place for him to hide! Therefore, there was no escape!

*Hiss.* Taking a deep, cold breath, Xu Xiaoshou closed his eyes in resignation.

"Yes."

"I want to… I ask Senior to enlighten me. I, Xu Xiaoshou, very much want to know!"

"Senior?" The Storyteller tilted his head, his elegant hair falling to his lips, captivating and alluring.

Xu Xiaoshou's pleading gaze once again turned to Luo Leilei, as if begging for his life. At this moment, he wished desperately that she would set aside their past grievances and come to his rescue. He vowed that he would repay Luo Leilei, even if it meant being her ox or horse for the rest of his days. But after a barely suppressed shiver of disgust, she subtly turned her body away, pretending not to see anything.

Unbidden tears streamed from his eyes. Xu Xiaoshou felt as if life had assaulted him; he found the world to be utterly messed up. Why wasn't one Nightwatch enough? Why did the Storyteller appear, and in the blink of an eye, because of a "Wenming," he adopted such an expression? It shouldn't be like this… It shouldn't be like this!!!

With a suppressed grimace, two words, inflected and trembling, were squeezed out from between Xu Xiaoshou's teeth.

"Brother…"