Once, He Had Been Just as Innocent as Him

"Ding! Faced with Xiao Zhan's question, you chose..."

[Option One: Glance sideways at Xiao Zhan and say flatly, "Grown-ups' business is none of your concern, you old man." Reward for completing the task: Belt damage reduced by 50%!]

[Option Two: Hide the truth and lie, telling Xiao Zhan that you were going to listen to music at a brothel. Reward for completing the task: Lie credibility increased by 50%!]

[Option Three: Tell the truth—you were planning to "help support the household." Reward for completing the task: Lie-detection function unlocked!]

"..."

Xiao Lang had never expected this to trigger a task. He had initially looked delighted, but the moment he saw the first option, his expression immediately darkened.

What the hell was "belt damage reduced by 50%"?!

Couldn't it even give him a +1 to his welfare-tier level anymore?

Still, that line suited his style far too well. He would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted.

As for the second option, he was honestly somewhat tempted too, but he quickly realized it was a trap.

The prerequisite for a 50% increase in credibility was that the other person believed him.

What if they didn't believe him?

Five times zero was still zero.

He had nearly fallen for the system's bullshit!

Could the system possibly be named A-Liang?

Only after seeing the third option did Xiao Lang's expression ease considerably.

A lie-detection system!

That was exactly what he needed.

After all, as he rapidly expanded his forces, there was no way to know who had joined sincerely and who harbored ulterior motives.

With this lie-detection function, he could completely deal with those with ill intentions!

"Are you trying to fool me?"

Seeing Xiao Lang's ever-changing expression, Xiao Zhan knew the brat was up to no good.

"..."

Xiao Lang's mouth twitched. You predicted my prediction, huh?

"Are you even worth lying to?"

Xiao Lang shot Xiao Zhan a sidelong glance and said irritably, "I'm going to help support the household."

"Help support the household? What household expenses do I need you to support? Don't you brat have plenty of money?" Xiao Zhan asked in confusion.

"Grown-ups' business is none of your concern, you old man!"

Xiao Lang glanced sideways at Xiao Zhan. After saying that, he wore an utterly satisfied expression.

Without another word, he immediately used the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track Step and slipped away.

After all, he was still no match for his father. Saying something like that would definitely earn him a beating.

"..."

Xiao Zhan stood there in stunned silence. By the time he came to his senses, Xiao Lang had already gone far away. He had Uncle Fu secretly follow Xiao Lang. Uncle Fu was the old man who often woke Xiao Lang up.

After all, far too many unfamiliar faces had recently flooded into Wutan City. Every one of them had at least the strength of a five-star Dou Master. Even though Xiao Lang had become a Dou Master, he was still not safe.

"Hm? I'm being followed again?"

As Xiao Lang walked down the street, he once again sensed someone's gaze tracking him from time to time. There was no killing intent, though. He deliberately used a street mirror to take a look, and only relaxed after discovering it was Uncle Fu.

Still, he feared Uncle Fu would be dragged into danger, so he found him and said, "Uncle Fu, stop following me. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Young Master, I wasn't following you. I merely came out to buy vegetables." Uncle Fu had not expected Xiao Lang to discover him so quickly, and he still tried to argue.

"One minute ago... ten minutes ago... half an hour ago, you even looked several times at Widow Wang, who sells vegetables..."

Xiao Lang promptly recited Uncle Fu's movements.

"..."

Uncle Fu's mouth twitched. Was he really that obvious?

Who exactly was following whom here?

"Ahem, I admit the earlier parts, but I refuse to admit anything about Widow Wang," Uncle Fu said without blushing or skipping a beat.

"So what if you looked? Widow Wang may be old, but she knows how to care for people. At your age, you should find a woman to look after you too." Seeing that it was still early, Xiao Lang sat down as he spoke.

But the moment he sat down, he sensed someone staring at him again. He rose and said, "All right, Uncle Fu. I have something to deal with, so I'll be leaving. Don't follow me."

"That won't do, Young Master. Besides me, someone else is following you as well." Uncle Fu pressed down on Xiao Lang's hand and, without changing expression, used his finger to write on the wooden table.

"I know. They were all arranged by me, so don't get involved. If you insist on following, then just watch from the side." Xiao Lang still cared deeply for the old man who had always taken care of his daily needs.

At first, the person assigned to take care of Xiao Lang had been a maid. But after she saw that he was a good-for-nothing, she mocked him behind his back everywhere. When his father learned of it, he dismissed the young maid and had Uncle Fu attend to him instead.

Uncle Fu had not complained about it. He had even comforted him, so Xiao Lang thought quite highly of him.

He did not want Uncle Fu to be drawn into danger. Although he had the Dou Emperor Pill, using it at a time like this would be far too wasteful.

"Since Third Young Master has put it that way, this old man won't make a nuisance of himself." Uncle Fu nodded. "I'll return after finishing this pot of wine."

"All right. Then I'll go deal with that fellow first." Xiao Lang drained the wine before him in one gulp, then stood and headed toward the less populated alley.

"Third Young Master has finally grown up. I truly should retire." Uncle Fu watched Xiao Lang's retreating figure with a wistful expression. He then lifted his wine cup, narrowed his eyes at the character written on the table, and said coldly, "But this old man also wants to see exactly who wants to harm my Third Young Master!"

"He's finally gone. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have had a chance to strike."

Watching Xiao Lang leave alone, the assassin hidden in the shadows sighed in relief. If that old man had remained, he would have had no opportunity to act—he would not even have dared to act.

That was because he had already learned which Da Dou Shi the Xiao family had. That old man was one of them, and he was a five-star Da Dou Shi!

As a nine-star Dou Master himself, he was no match for the old man at all.

"Fang Chang, are you sure that brat is only a Three-star Dou Master?" the burly assassin asked the assassin beside him, Fang Chang.

"Definitely. If that brat weren't a Three-star Dou Master, I alone would be enough to slaughter him!" Fang Chang said with a savage expression.

"Fang Chang, you're pretty good at concealing your aura. I can't even sense the Dou Qi in your body," the burly assassin said, looking at Fang Chang in surprise.

"I'll tell you after we kill this brat. By then, just like me, no one will be able to sense the Dou Qi in your body either."

Fang Chang said without changing expression, "But you'll have to give me another ten percent of the money!"

"No problem!"

The burly man grinned, clearly tempted.

Being able to conceal one's strength so perfectly was absolutely a divine skill for pretending to be weak before crushing an opponent!

"That brat is actually heading somewhere with fewer people. Heaven really is helping me!" Seeing Xiao Lang enter a sparsely populated alley, the burly man's lips curled into a confident smile.

Those five hundred thousand are mine!

"..."

Seeing the familiar expression and hearing the familiar words from the burly man, Fang Chang could not help but twitch his cheek.

Once, he had been just as innocent as him.