Xu Yi narrowed his eyes. "Elder Tong, what do you mean by this? What would I gain by lying?" He had long known Elder Tong meant him no good, but he had never expected the old geezer to come right out and challenge him so brazenly.
Elder Tong said, "Xu Yi, you're a clever man. There's no need to lie to someone as clever as you. The mysteries of the Imperial Decree Platform mean that you, having been there, are destined to become the focus of everyone's attention. You must have figured that you wouldn't get through this inquiry unscathed, so you made up this outrageous lie."
Xu Yi stared at Elder Tong in surprise. He sighed toward the heavens and said in a heavy voice, "I had meant my heart to face the bright moon, yet the moonlight fell into a foul ditch. Since Elder Tong insists on this, then consider everything I said earlier to be nonsense and lies. If you wish to question me, go ahead."
"Old Tong, what are you doing?" Elder Long demanded through a telepathic message.
Elder Tong replied telepathically, "Brother Long, you don't know the whole story. This man is extremely crafty. I'm not saying for certain that he's lying, but it's worth testing him. After all, he has far too much reason to lie. With us arrayed like this, he must have realized that escape would be difficult. It wouldn't be surprising if he made up such an outrageous lie."
Elder Long replied telepathically, "If he really is lying, how will you prove it? Besides, I'm certain he isn't. Otherwise, how would he know the secret that the Tian Huan Star Domain had been sealed off? How would he know that the Buddha Dao Fruit existed? And how could he have escaped