Fake / The Remote Heaven Society

Everyone else wore expressions of disbelief, but only Si Ming, who came from Earth and had no preconceived notions, found these words quite reasonable. It was as if he could hear the sound of doors to other new worlds being pushed open, or as if the fog ahead was being cleared away, revealing many paths leading to the unknown.

Si Ming asked doubtfully, "That shouldn't be the case. You invited us to Russia, and you knew that one of the tasks was to investigate Rust Disease. Why did you still send Yu Shuying and me here?"

Lin Qingtong paused for a moment, then revealed a helpless expression, and said, "If I don't let you complete the mission, the Mohist School will send other Mohist Knight Guard to investigate the truth. I originally thought that compared to those famous masters, you two underage kids would be easier to deal with, plus the mission of defeating the Thousand Ren Society, so it would take two or three years to find out the truth. Who would have thought..."

Unexpectedly Yu Shuying was so ruthless that she resolved the Thousand Ren Society in less than five days. At this rate, the secret of the Rust Disease would be exposed in no more than ten days, forcing her to take action ahead of schedule.

Having shot herself in the foot, Lin Qingtong could only blame herself for the outcome.

Chapter 253 Fake

"Although a mistake was made, it's not too late to make amends."

Lin Qingtong switched to using her metallic left hand to wield the sword. With a casual swing, as if warming up, she caused a howling wind, like a beast's roar, as if a category 13 typhoon had struck. Such terrifying power caused the expressions of everyone present to change slightly. Even Si Ming was secretly shocked. In terms of strength alone, her opponent was probably even stronger than him.

Just as Lin Qingtong was about to make her move, Zhu Hao coughed twice and said, "Sigh, it's all my fault. If I had paid more attention to you, I might have noticed something was wrong with you and prevented you from going down the wrong path today."

"Master, although I admit you don't really care about your disciples and are only focused on your studies, I don't think I'm going astray. It's your thinking that's outdated and out of touch with the times. The purpose of practicing martial arts is to make the body stronger, but if technology can also make people stronger, what's the difference? You hold onto the airs of Spirit Transformation Grandmaster and look down on those martial artists who become stronger by replacing their limbs with mechanical prosthetics; it's nothing but arrogance."

Zhu Hao shook his head and said, "You've misunderstood a fundamental issue. Practicing martial arts isn't just about making the body stronger; mental strength is equally important. Don't mistake me for an old scholar who refuses to improve. I don't deny that using technology is a form of enhancement, but this method lacks the 'cultivation' element. Only physical strength increases; the mind remains untempered. Using a weak mind to control a powerful body easily leads to getting lost in the pursuit of power and going astray."

Lin Qingtong disagreed. "What's wrong with a martial artist pursuing strength?"

"Subduing others with force is certainly frightening, but winning people over with virtue is even more admirable. I regret not teaching you the true meaning of martial arts—martial arts is about stopping war. Force is merely a means, stopping war is the goal. You have put the cart before the horse. Do you still think you haven't gone astray?"

Lin Qingtong's expression froze, and she was speechless for a moment.

Wei Chunxi said, "Your words are sharp. As expected of Spirit Transformation Grandmaster who has fought against Military School strategists for many years, you know that winning hearts and minds is the best strategy. Are you deliberately stalling for time to take the opportunity to heal your injuries?"

Undeterred by being exposed, Zhu Hao coughed up blood and said, "You must be Ma Shijiu."

Wei Chunxi remained noncommittal. "Oh, what's the reason?"

"In terms of ability, someone skilled in detoxification is naturally also skilled in poison production, especially since you were already researching epidemics. As for timing, the timing of your joining the Black Earth Gang was too perfect. I found it strange before, because you should be very busy with your position, but you immediately agreed as soon as I extended the invitation. And then there's the auction thing, I initially thought it was just a coincidence, cough cough cough..."

After stopping his cough, Zhu Hao gave a wry smile, "Of course, all of this is hindsight. Before the incident, none of this would have been enough to arouse my suspicion. Looking back now, I realize how slow I was to believe it."

Si Ming glanced at the rat demon man being escorted and said, "You snatched the 'Sea-Upholding Demon Dragon Art' not only to study the secrets of the Demon Race's bloodline, but also to try and establish contact with the Demon Race in order to lure us into your trap, right? I just don't understand, aren't you afraid that Yu Shuying will use her Mind-Reading Technique to see through the secret?"

Wei Chunxi laughed and said, "Mind-Reading Technique can only determine the truth or falsehood of language, not the truth or falsehood of facts. If the person being mind-read doesn't know the truth, or even mistakes false information for the truth, the mind reader will also be fooled."

Si Ming nodded, looking at the rat demon man with a look of despair, and said, "So, this guy was actually a discarded pawn? The Demon Race is so generous, willing to sacrifice a Ghost Rank Demon Race for a cultivation Cultivation Method?"

"Its leader, Duke Black Tortoise, has a bloodline of water, and the 'Sea-Upholding Demon Dragon Art' happens to be a water-element martial art. It meets all the requirements and is more valuable to it than those national treasures. Of course, there is another reason: this guy is too weak. Even Duke Black Tortoise thinks he is a burden, so he wants to take this opportunity to kick him out and replace him with a more capable subordinate."

Zhu Hao then asked, "You hate Demon Beast, have a blood feud with Demon Beast, and swore to exterminate all Demon Beast. Why would you choose to cooperate with the Demon Race? Have you already let go of your hatred and decided to forgive them?"

Wei Chunxi said, "I still hate them, and I have never given up on the idea of eliminating them."

"Then why..."

"Cooperating with the Demon Race is merely for my own benefit, it doesn't mean I'll let them go. I don't have any moral fastidiousness; as long as I achieve my goal in the end, what does cooperating with my enemies matter?"

"You've really changed. Where has that chivalrous and compassionate Doctor Wei gone, who tirelessly traveled far and wide to fight the plague brought by the demon tide and dutifully saved countless lives?"

"He died, died on the road to pursuing his ideals. When those foolish philanthropists destroyed my lab researching the demon-exterminating virus, I was utterly disappointed in them. And those pharmaceutical companies that profit from Demon Beast corpses did everything they could to obstruct me, to prevent me from cutting off their source of income. Ha, they're all hopeless bastards. Coincidentally, an organization extended an invitation to me, promising to provide me with a space for free research, as well as abundant resources, and that they would never interfere with my research content or methods. So I accepted their offer."

What is the name of this organization?

Wei Chunxi didn't answer, but said, "You should also realize that the toxins in your body can't be suppressed anymore. This poison was specially prepared for Internal Cultivation masters. It has the effect of devouring True Qi, and that's its only effect. It won't produce any other side effects on the body, but it can't be expelled unless all the True Qi in your body is exhausted. Spirit Transformation Grandmaster might be able to do it, but unfortunately you are injured and weak. This is why we planned to ambush you first, and why I'm willing to waste so much time talking nonsense with you. The longer it drags on, the weaker your skills will become."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed, especially Lin Qingxiang, who discovered that the poison entrenched in his body could not be expelled at all, and was growing larger and larger like a snowball, realizing that the other party was not lying.

Just as the impulse was about to erupt, Si Ming suddenly said, "I have one last question?"

Wei Chunxi chuckled, "Knowing that delaying will benefit us, why bother with all this? Fine, just ask whatever questions you have."

Si Ming shook his head. "This isn't a question for you."

He turned to look at Yu Shuying, who hadn't spoken until now, and asked, "Why didn't you discover their conspiracy along the way? With your Mind-Reading Technique, it shouldn't have been difficult for you to know what they were thinking, right? Don't tell me you didn't find it strange at all, so you didn't use your mind- Mind-Reading Technique."

Yu Shuying avoided eye contact, remaining silent without uttering a word.

"Hahaha..."

Lin Qingtong laughed for a while, then said, "The answer is simple. Her Mind-Reading Technique is fake, or rather, flawed. That's why she goes around publicizing that she can Mind-Reading Technique to prevent others from seeing the truth."

Chapter 254 The Remote Heaven Society

Is Yu Shuying's Mind-Reading Technique fake?

After the initial shock, Si Ming recalled a series of strange scenes that had flashed through his mind, realizing that he had already noticed the suspicious points.

It's not difficult to Zhuge Liang after the event. Just like Zhu Hao, based on the known results, it's not hard to deduce the reasons for the testimony. Among them, what Si Ming cared about the most was Yu Shuying reading psychology books on the train.

For someone who can Mind-Reading Technique, reading psychology books is utterly pointless. Others have to deduce and judge a person's psychological activities through behavioral details, facial expressions, and background information, and the results are not necessarily accurate, while he can directly know what the other person is thinking, rendering the reasoning process worthless.

This is like a student having the answer key for every exam they've ever taken; wouldn't it be pointless for them to then learn the problem-solving methods?

"Her Mind-Reading Technique ability is very weak. To fully understand a target's thoughts, unless the target is simple-minded and has low cultivation, she can only hear fragmented words. That's why she claims to possess Mind-Reading Technique —to instill fear in the target and force them to abandon their mental resistance, making it easier for her to glean more information. Even without reaching the Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, with cultivation at my level, as long as one guards their mind, she can only read the most basic information, such as very vague emotional concepts like happiness, anger, sadness, and fear."

The person explaining was Wei Chunxi, and with each sentence he spoke, Yu Shuying's expression grew colder.

Si Ming disregarded Yu Shuying's feelings and raised a question, "But she has indeed accurately expressed my and many other people's thoughts in the past. It can't all be just a coincidence, can it?"

"Some people, even without Mind-Reading Technique, can still anticipate others' thoughts. How do they do it?" Wei Chunxi pointed to his head. "This thing is extremely important. It can help people do many incredible things. Someone who is proficient in psychology, coupled with knowing fragmented thoughts of another person, can reconstruct the entire thought process without much difficulty."

It's like guessing an idiom. Yu Shuying already knows one of the characters, making the riddle ten times easier for her than for others. Besides, she's very smart. Under normal circumstances, even without "cheating," she can guess the answer from the riddle. Now that she has some known answers to back her up, her accuracy rate can easily reach 99%.