He Was Playing the Tiger

"Heh! Not bad instincts."

The moment those words rang out, the two Men in Black were first dumbfounded, then their scalps went numb in an instant. Every hair on their bodies stood on end as a powerful sense of life-or-death danger rose in their hearts.

They could not tell where the voice had come from. They hurriedly stood back-to-back, drew their broadswords, and swept their wary eyes through the darkness.

Very soon, they saw him.

Out of the darkness came a youth in a long blue robe, with delicate features and his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at them with an indifferent expression.

The youth looked utterly ordinary, and they could not sense even the slightest fluctuation of cultivation from him.

Standing there, he was exceptionally unremarkable.

So unremarkable that, if not for this particular place and the dead of night, with no one else around but them, the two Men in Black were certain they would not have spared him a second glance in any other setting.

Yet it was this ordinary youth who, in the lead Man in Black's vague perception—

Seemed to be the source of that deadly danger.

And besides—

When had this youth come up behind them?

They were Innate Grandmasters, High-Grade Grandmasters with Seventh Level Cultivation. Yet if the other party had not spoken, they would have remained completely unaware of him.

The two Men in Black exchanged glances, and each saw deep fear in the other's eyes.

This youth is far too strange. Just who is he? Could he be some old monster skilled in preserving his looks?

To appear beside us without a sound and make me sense mortal danger... could he be the Lin Family's hidden guardian?

An Eighth Level Grandmaster, or even the ninth level?

The two Men in Black were on extreme alert.

Every muscle in their bodies was taut, True Qi racing through them at high speed, ready to erupt at any moment.

"Who are you?"

One of the Men in Black asked in a low voice.

"Me?"

"Just an ordinary guard of the Lin Family, watching over the Library Pavilion."

Chu He spoke slowly, without the slightest change in expression. His voice was calm and natural.

It was as though these two Men in Black were not criminals with ulterior motives, but merely two ordinary strangers who had come to ask him for directions.

"An ordinary guard watching over the Library Pavilion?"

The lead Man in Black's mouth twitched. His face darkened, utterly unconvinced. He felt that Chu He was treating him like an idiot.

Who the hell could tell him what kind of ordinary guard could stand behind them without a sound?

And after seeing two people obviously dressed like would-be criminals, still remain completely composed, hands behind his back, every inch the demeanor of an expert.

Even if he were beaten to death, he would not believe that the other party was merely an ordinary guard.

"Who exactly are you?!"

"Are you the Lin Family's hidden Old Ancestor, their guardian?"

"Having cultivated to your realm, there should be no need for you to lie, right?!"

The lead Man in Black spoke in anger and embarrassment.

He thought Chu He was deliberately toying with them out of boredom.

"Alas!"

Chu He shook his head and sighed.

These days, no one believed the truth. It was too hard.

There was not even a shred of basic trust between people.

"The Library Pavilion is the place I guard. You cannot break in. Leave now, and I can pretend nothing happened tonight. After all, I am only the guard of the Library Pavilion. There is no need for us to fight to the death."

Chu He did not bother explaining further and spoke calmly.

Judging by their auras, these two Men in Black were merely at the Innate Seventh Level.

Meanwhile, the Nine Transformations Golden Body Technique he cultivated had already reached the Second Revolution, Eighth Layer, equivalent to an Innate Eighth Level expert.

Moreover, because his Cultivation Method was so powerful, and he possessed a body full of special secret techniques and Martial Skills, his strength was likely even greater than that of an ordinary Innate Ninth Level expert.

Based on the comparison of their auras, Chu He felt that killing these two Men in Black would be an easy matter.

Just like earlier, he had come up behind them without a sound. If he had not revealed himself voluntarily, neither of them would have noticed him. Had he attacked then, they would already be corpses.

The reason Chu He had not taken the initiative to kill them was that he did not want to stir up trouble for no reason.

Had he not seen it in those web novels? The protagonists were ruthless; if anyone showed them even the slightest disrespect, they would glance over and glare them to death.

Then people would come seeking revenge, one after another. Although the protagonists suffered no harm and killed everyone who came for revenge—

That kind of life, killing from beginning to end, was not what Chu He wanted.

It was far too troublesome.

Why bother?

He only wanted to sign in peacefully.

Until he became invincible, then come out and enjoy life.

That was why, when he saw these two heading straight for the Library Pavilion, intending to enter and lie in ambush inside, he had no choice but to reveal himself and give them a warning, telling them to stay away from the Library Pavilion.

Afterward, they could lie in ambush wherever they pleased.

They could trouble whoever they wanted.

As long as they did not come wreak havoc in his Library Pavilion.

The two Men in Black exchanged a glance, their expressions uncertain and suspicious.

Dressed like this, out in the middle of the night, sneaking about like ghosts, they were obviously up to no good.

Once their tracks were exposed, people should have been shouting to kill them.

Though they were talking, their bodies had long since prepared for either escape or a bloody battle.

Yet now, after discovering them, an unfathomable existence suspected to be the Lin Family's Hidden Ancestor was actually saying he would let them leave, pretending nothing had happened.

How could they dare believe it?

If they had encountered a junior lacking in strength, saying such a thing out of fear for his life would have been understandable.

But if it were a powerful Lin Family Old Ancestor, it made no sense at all.

They asked themselves: if they encountered a thief weaker than themselves in their own home, there was no way they would generously let him go.

They would have cleaved him with a single stroke.

"Then, could the reason be..."

"This fellow is not some Hidden Ancestor at all. Perhaps that boyish face really is his actual age. He is bluffing us."

"He is not very strong, but he has some special secret technique or treasure that can conceal him from our senses and stir up unease within us, making us wary."

"He—"

"Is playing the tiger to scare people!"

The two Men in Black communicated with their eyes.

A moment later, they pieced together what they believed was the truth.

Then, the way they looked at Chu He began to change.

"Good boy, you nearly fooled us!"