You're not Cheng Shi

On the other side.

While Cheng Shi was having a unique heart-to-heart talk with the Magician, Zhang Jizu, far away in Morning Cheer, also gained some insights.

He remained hidden in the actors' office area, gathering usable information about the Circus.

Compared to the long-established Dusk Play, Morning Cheer lacks some historical depth, but this does not mean that the scale of the new force is smaller than that of the traditional forces. On the contrary, the circus park in the East City is larger and has more variety than that in the west of the city.

Their main selling point is replacing the old with the new, which has attracted countless young people in the country.

The leader of Morning Cheer is a woman named Flord. She was one of the circus performers who left the Dusk Play, and coincidentally, she was also a Clown.

She led a group of passionate young people to create Morning Cheer, and within a few decades, she elevated Morning Cheer to a level comparable to Dusk Play.

During the years of Morning Cheer's rapid development and her personal peak, this charismatic woman quietly moved behind the scenes and selected her most favored successor, Maxford, to take over the Clown position and become the new pillar of Morning Cheer.

With their combined efforts, Morning Cheer made rapid progress, forcefully entering the public eye and becoming one of the twin stars of the Kanliwal circus.

In the Circus, people often talk about Mrs. Flord, saying that she is decisive, efficient, and a strong woman with a high level of enthusiasm for life who can easily inspire others.

Furthermore, Flord and young Maxford were both mentor and friend, and had a very good relationship, spending long hours together almost every day. However, in recent days, they seemed to be seeing each other less often.

It wasn't that Flord was too busy, but rather that Maxford often rehearsed alone behind the scenes, refusing to see anyone. Perhaps sensing that Maxford was under too much pressure, Flord didn't disturb him.

With the final showdown imminent, it's logical that the Clown is putting in so much effort.

But in Zhang Jizu's view, all of this was still too unstable.

If any circus performer has a problem, a backup act can be made during the performance. However, if Clown has a problem, it's hard to say whether the backup Clown has the same talent or can become the soul of the show that leaves a lasting impression on the audience.

To be honest, it's a bit of a failure in risk management that such a large Circus failed to produce a second Maxford.

Zhang Jizu squinted and quietly left the actors' office area, intending to wander around elsewhere.

Just as he was trying to avoid the actors' gaze and leave via a side path, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

The person who arrived was not an NPC, but a player. However, Zhang Jizu never expected that one of the two teammates who disappeared in this game was actually her!

Yes, it was her.

This is a female player, and a very easy one to spot. Just by looking at her wispy, gradually turning blue wolf-tail hair and her intriguing, flickering eyes, you know this woman is not to be trifled with.

Poison, the Chosen of God of [Filth and Decay], a wicked creature that fascinates many players yet also makes others grit their teeth in hatred.

She was still wearing that very familiar outfit: a long-sleeved sweatshirt that covered her upper body completely, with the hem extending over her shorts, revealing only her two long, fair legs.

Her appearance caused Zhang Jizu's eyes to narrow into slits.

He didn't dislike Poison, and there was no friction between them. Besides, Poison had been his comrade-in-arms before, and they had beaten up Mo Shu together.

He just didn't understand why Poison would disappear and become a lone wolf in this situation, only to then come looking for him at this crucial moment.

But he soon figured out the reason.

Poison finger was held to the lips, eyes half-closed in a smile, and a soft "shh" was emitted. Then, the eyes darted around, and the figure tried to lean into Zhang Jizu's arms, saying as it approached:

"Young Priest, I haven't seen you lately. Are you... deliberately avoiding me?"

Zhang Jizu immediately realized that this [Filth and Decay] Chosen of God one was not looking for him at all, but for Cheng Shi!

She mistook herself for Cheng Shi.

That makes sense. According to the most basic logic, if one of the two Zhang Jizu is Cheng Shi, then it's highly likely that it's the one next to Hu Wei.

Poison understands desire best. She might not understand Cheng Shi, but she could certainly understand the Grand Marshal. That's why she trusted the Grand Marshal once, and in doing so, she found "Cheng Shi".

However, Zhang Jizu was not Cheng Shi. Seeing the Poison about to be poured into his arms, he narrowed his eyes, took out Scalpel without hesitation, and held it against the spot where the Poison was about to fall on his forehead.

The Poison's tilting motion paused, stopping abruptly on the tip of the knife; her control over her body had reached an unbelievable level.

Then she lifted her eyelids and looked at "Cheng Shi" pitifully, saying:

"I'm so tired, can I lean on your shoulder for a bit, just for a moment, please?"

Zhang Jizu chuckled and shook his head:

"There are no shoulders, but there are plenty of empty cemeteries. If you really feel tired, perhaps sleeping underground can be a complete relief."

So, are you interested, Miss Poison?

"???"

He is not Cheng Shi!

Poison was startled; she immediately straightened her tilted body, as if a reversed pointer had instantly returned to its original position.

A flicker of surprise crossed her face, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled meaningfully:

"Willing to distract the Grand Marshal for the sake of a junior Priest, you and him... have a good relationship?"

Zhang Jizu also smiled:

"It's alright, but probably not as close as your relationship with him."

Poison lowered her head shyly. "It's not as close as you think..."

"?"

When people are speechless, they are truly speechless, because you never know whether what the [Filth and Decay] Believer in front of you is saying actually means the meaning you understand it to be.

Zhang Jizu thoughtfully examined the Poison, and indeed, he could see the undisguised exhaustion in her expression. He was very curious: how could such a wicked woman, who manipulated desires and knew best how to "flatter" the desires of others, be so tired?

Furthermore, the other party didn't seem to have survived a fierce battle; rather, they appeared to have experienced something that left them physically and mentally exhausted.

He waited for Poison to ask something, but Poison remained silent.

It wasn't that she didn't want to, but she really had no other options in front of Zhang Jizu.

She knew this Chosen of God [Death]; aside from guarding his little Cemetery and surviving to the end, this player who "purely didn't want to die" had no other desires.

Although not wanting to die can be considered a desire, this desire is self-sufficient thanks to Zhang Jizu's Gravekeeper. As a result, her methods are simply ineffective against this player driven by "pure desire."

Unable to extract anything from Zhang Jizu using her Faith as an advantage, she could only sigh and try to communicate with him in another way.

She looked at Zhang Jizu, mimicked his expression by narrowing her eyes like a fox, and then asked with a smile:

"Do you know that the little Priest is just Fool's Game?"

"?"

Zhang Jizu's eyes narrowed again.