Those Who Keep Company with Ink Turn Black

If communication is interrupted due to insufficient energy before the speaker has finished speaking, it is indeed fatal. For example, a common trope in TV dramas is that a dying person wants to reveal the truth, but always dies when they say the key words, forcibly leaving suspense. Unsuspecting viewers might even think that the Laozi had a bad relationship with the protagonists—"Even if I die, I will keep you in suspense and disgust you."

Or, just as someone is about to reveal the truth, they will be killed by a bullet or a hidden weapon. In such cases, the character usually dies very quickly, without lingering in the arms of their loved ones and refusing to close their eyes. Usually, they die as soon as they are hit, fully demonstrating their hatred for spoilers - whoever dares to spoil the plot will die instantly!

Si Ming pondered, this is almost turning into an anti-Japanese spy drama. Because of the backward communication tools, they have to be careful and cherish every opportunity to use them, and they also have to guard against being eavesdropped on by the enemy...

"Wait a minute, eavesdropping!"

Si Ming was shocked to discover something he had overlooked. As a result, his excitement aggravated his injuries. His body parts protested, "We need to rest," and he demonstrated with pain throughout his body, causing him to gasp for breath several times.

"Eavesdropping? Indeed, that possibility cannot be ruled out."

For someone as clever as Yu Shuying, a single keyword was enough for her to understand everything. Therefore, she couldn't help but frown. "He was unprepared for us before, which allowed Si Ming and his group to accidentally enter the Barbarian Continent. Now that He has suffered a loss at our hands, He will definitely be more vigilant. Even if He isn't eavesdropping, He will still prevent us from opening the time tunnel."

But then he quickly changed the subject, saying, "Even so, we can't just give up and waste a chance to make contact."

Si Ming thought about it and agreed. The other party might intervene, or they might not, or they might not be able to. But they would have to try to find out the result. Success would be a gain, and failure would be no loss. There was no reason not to give it a try. At most, they could use some code words to prevent eavesdropping during communication.

At this moment, Si Jingyu suddenly said, "You didn't consider the worst-case scenario: that the other side deliberately pretends to be unaware, but accelerates the collapse and contraction when our reinforcements pass through the spacetime tunnel, causing them to disappear into the void turbulence."

Upon hearing this, Si Ming frowned. He hadn't considered this possibility. In that case, it would no longer be "no loss even if you fail," but rather involve taking a certain risk, even a life-threatening one. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Yu Shuying, but she looked away, not daring to meet his gaze.

Si Ming immediately understood. Yu Shuying must have considered this possibility but deliberately kept it to herself. If Si Jingyu hadn't exposed it, he would probably have been kept in the dark until the accident happened, or perhaps no accident happened at all, and he wouldn't have needed to know.

"You..."

"We can inform them of this risk when we contact them, so they can be prepared. Whether they are willing to take the risk is up to them," Yu Shuying added decisively.

Si Ming sighed, speechless. This was Yu Shuying's style of doing things. Compared to Si Jingyu, she was bolder and more adventurous. For example, she liked to exchange pieces when playing chess. It was just a difference in style, neither good nor bad.

Moreover, Yu Shuying has changed a lot compared to the past. At least she knows how to keep Si Ming from knowing and how to "patchage" things up. In the past, she would have said it directly, regardless of what others thought, and she would never have patted things up or consulted the person in question.

Si Jingyu said, "Actually, when using Aniruddha Heavenly Eye for location tracking, if you have the person's belongings on you, you can use that to lock onto the target and avoid missing them."

Si Ming didn't dwell on the previous topic and asked, "Any item is fine, or are there any requirements?"

In reality, there is no such thing as an appraisal technique that can list the data of an item and specify that it belongs to a certain person.

Ultimately, how should ownership of property be defined? Should it be based on property ownership under current law, or should it belong to whoever has it in their possession?

The Dragon Scale Sword was originally Xiao Xuan's personal sword, but Xiao Xuan disliked using swords and rarely used it. Now, in Si Ming's hands, it shines brightly. The Imperial Dragon Heaven-Defying Sword Art has become his signature martial art, and he has even deduced sword moves that were not recorded. Moreover, it has been passed down among the "Dragon" members of the Heaven's Will Palace for many generations. So, whose property is it really?

Si Ming didn't believe in any item binding system in reality, nor had he ever heard of Blood-Drip Recognition.

Si Jingyu explained, "The more residual aura of the target on the item, the easier it is to lock onto it. This method essentially uses aura to locate the target; the item itself is not important. If it has a spiritual imprint, that's naturally the best, ensuring absolute certainty."

"Aura and spiritual imprint?"

Si Ming scratched his head, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him, and he thought of an item.

Chapter 853 One Mohist.

"Would this headband be okay?"

What Si Ming was holding was the hairband that Saintess Tu Wangyue had personally taken off and thrown to him before they entered the time tunnel. At that time, the Saintess had explicitly stated that if they encountered danger, they could use this item as a medium to contact her.

"Why does it seem like she foresaw this situation all along? Could it be that she possesses some kind of Divine Arts to foresee the future? Or perhaps, she is actually a reincarnated person who traveled back from the future?"

It was such a coincidence, like someone delivering a pillow when you're sleepy. It was like planting a seed in advance, just waiting for the plot to develop to the point where it needed to be revealed. Si Ming couldn't help but be suspicious.

However, Si Ming thought about it seriously and realized that he was probably overthinking it. Judging from the situation at the time, anyone could guess that the other side must have encountered some problems after such an anomaly in the time tunnel. It was normal for Tu Wangyue to feel that there was danger and to take care of the junior.

Si Ming told Si Jingyu and Yu Shuying about this, and both of them felt there was nothing wrong with it, at least they couldn't see anything suspicious about it based on this alone.

Yu Shuying further suggested, "Since you have doubts about her but are hesitant to make a decision, why not simply make a request to her, but without telling her about the risks? If something unexpected happens and the spacetime tunnel collapses prematurely, you can use her as a tool to eliminate the threat. If nothing unexpected happens, the Holy Maiden was able to defeat the Demon Emperor with her Sacred Sword, which shows that her cultivation is enough to fight against the Netherworld Insect Princess. Either way, you won't lose out."

Si Ming was taken aback. It was indeed a suggestion in Yu Shuying's style—bold and ruthless. However, after thinking about it for a while, he still rejected this tempting offer.

"It's not fair to say it's a good deal. If the Holy Maiden truly gave me this out of concern for a junior, wouldn't I be repaying kindness with enmity? It's unreasonable for someone to be kind to me and then harm them. On the other hand, if she has a problem, wouldn't bringing her here add variables to the situation and put a time bomb on myself?"

The similar speaking styles of the Holy Maiden and the Netherworld Insect Princess left a deep impression on Si Ming. Although, in normal circumstances, the two should have no connection, Si Ming couldn't help but worry that something unexpected might happen.

It must be admitted that people's subjective impressions are very important. If you think of it in a positive light, the Holy Maiden is an elder who cares about her juniors, asks for nothing in return, and is even willing to take precautions against danger. If you think of it in a negative light, the Holy Maiden is a schemer with the treacherousness of mountains and rivers in her heart and the depth of her cunning, who is full of calculations.

Si Ming felt caught in a dilemma. He was worried that the other person was a good person and something unexpected might happen, but he was also worried that the other person was a bad person and he had invited them to his side. He was truly afraid of both sides.

After thinking for a while, I felt a splitting headache, so I simply stopped thinking about it and decided to wait until I recovered. Anyway, there was no rush to open the time tunnel.

Si Jingyu said, "Even without inviting the Holy Maiden, we can still contact her. With this hairband, we don't have to worry about losing our target, and at least we won't waste the opportunity to use Aniruddha Heavenly Eye."

"Let's leave it at that for now. If you have any other ideas, just let me know."

Yu Shuying took the hairband, and seeing Si Ming's "Laozi 'm going to be a lazy bum" expression, she didn't bother him any longer and left the room.

"By the way, I activated the Thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa Formation, and the Buddhist Power in the Wheel-Turning King Sword has been completely depleted. Is it still possible to replenish it?"

If the Netherworld Insect Princess were to suddenly attack, even if Si Ming gritted his teeth and fought despite his exhaustion and injuries, without the Tathagata's Indestructible Body Netherworld Insect Princess, he would be utterly defeated. Although she had been reborn three times and her Foundation had been greatly weakened, she was still an extraordinary being and could not be judged by common sense. After all, according to the data, the Netherworld Insect Queen was the strongest in the world, reaching the limit allowed by the Principle.

Si Jingyu said, "Glazed Temple has a way to quickly replenish Buddhist Power. As long as we make offerings to the relics and use the corresponding magic array, we can transfer all the Buddhist Power in the relics into the sword."

"... This is one of the reasons why the Glazed Temple agreed to the duel even though they knew the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King wanted to whittle down their own high-level combat power. They had already anticipated that I would need to use the Wheel-Turning King Sword more than once when I returned, so they prepared a way to replenish it in advance." Si Ming murmured, gazing at the ceiling.

Si Jingyu comforted him, "Under those circumstances, it was uncertain whether you could even reach the Barbarian Continent. No one could guarantee it. The Glazed Temple probably had no other choice but to take a gamble. Otherwise, their decision would have been too reckless, essentially forcing themselves onto a precipice where they would fall into an abyss if they couldn't jump over it."

"Regardless, since they trust me, I have a responsibility to meet their expectations."

"No, you don't have that responsibility."

Si Jingyu sat down on the edge of the bed, took out a towel, and wiped the sweat from Si Ming's forehead—it was all from the pain. Wu Xiu had instructed that pain could stimulate the body to recover faster than painkillers, although Si Ming thought she was using this opportunity to settle a personal score.