Testing Each Other

Liu Xu had wanted to speak, but after hearing Xu Bai's words, she did not understand what he meant.

There was still one more thing to do—what thing? She thought Lin Fenghua was already dead, and Xiao Yue's revenge had been taken. Yet a casual remark from the mysterious man before her left her baffled.

"This isn't a place to talk," Xu Bai said.

They had just killed someone and were still chatting away at the scene of the crime—only the two of them could do such a thing.

Next, they began arranging the room, making everything appear reasonable before preparing to leave.

"The marks on his wrist..." Liu Xu stared at the corpse's wrist, considering how to handle them.

"The red cord is over there. There were already marks on his wrist before; I tied him along those marks." Xu Bai walked to the window and pushed it open.

Neither hesitated any longer. They left through the window.

The night outside was dark, as though ink had been splashed across the sky.

The streets lay silent and empty. Only Xu Bai and Liu Xu's footsteps rang out, lending a trace of bustle to the desolate road.

After leaving the Lin Residence, the two continued onward.

Neither spoke. They maintained the silence they should have kept until they were far from the Lin Residence, when Xu Bai finally stopped.

"You said earlier that there was one more thing." After some thought, Liu Xu spoke first.

Though both had covered their faces to conceal their identities, Liu Xu still decided to break the silence.

Clang—

Xu Bai said nothing. With a ringing sound, the long saber left its sheath at his waist and slashed straight at Liu Xu's neck.

Hearing the wind split, Liu Xu turned her pale fingers. A brush appeared in her right hand, while a book surfaced in her left.

As its pages fluttered, they encircled Liu Xu's body.

Clang!

Another ringing sound followed. Xu Bai's saber never touched Liu Xu. He sheathed it with a backhanded motion, looking utterly composed.

"You were testing me." Liu Xu stared intently at Xu Bai, her brows faintly furrowed.

In that instant, she had felt an urgent sense of danger and had been forced to reveal her trump card. Now, yellowed pages swirled around her, adding a touch of eerie strangeness.

The saber had not fallen, yet she had exposed herself.

"I had to find out who you were." Xu Bai rested a hand on his saber hilt.

A brush and book pages—he already knew what sort of background this woman had.

—A scholar.

Only scholars used such things. Coupled with the fact that she was a woman of enchanting charm, Xu Bai did not need to think long before recalling the woman in white.

The two descriptions matched perfectly. The likelihood was high.

"Then I don't know who you are." Liu Xu gripped her brush tightly, eager to make a move.

Since you used this method to test me, then I want to test you too.

Otherwise, how could I swallow this anger? "This place may be secluded, but if we truly fight and attract others, neither of us will be able to hide our identity," Xu Bai said leisurely.

That slash earlier had indeed carried the intent to kill and silence her.

But after considering it again and again, he gave up on the idea.

Before knowing the other party's strength, acting rashly could lead to serious consequences.

If they had been out in the wilderness, he could have tried it. But in Sheng County, if their fight caused too much of a commotion, it would inevitably bring unnecessary trouble.

Besides, this person had also helped kill Lin Fenghua. She was already on the boat.

He, Xu Bai, loved nothing more than pulling people onto his boat.

"So this is the thing you meant? That's very unfair." Anger colored Liu Xu's voice.

She was furious! He had tested her out in one go, while she knew absolutely nothing about him.

"That has nothing to do with me. You were the one who got impatient and pulled out your weapon." Xu Bai spoke blandly.

He truly could not be blamed for this. Who would have thought that with a single probe, she would bring out the real thing?

Of course, that was exactly what he wanted.

He was still hidden in the shadows, while this woman had already stepped into the light.

"The Nether Blacksmith couple, and the Extreme Life Sect members and Bureau of Surveillance clerk—were they killed by you?" Liu Xu suddenly changed the subject.

Xu Bai raised a brow but did not answer.

"Other than the wounds from concealed weapons, there was also that exquisite saber technique. Though I did not see your concealed weapons, the saber at your waist and the move you used just now have already proven where you come from." Liu Xu spoke with a smile.

The Wheel of Heaven turned; who had Heaven ever spared?

You tested me just now, but I also found clues from your saber technique.

Now we're even. This round wasn't a loss.

Although he had covered his face and she had not learned his true identity, she had at least figured out who the martial artist behind everything was.

"Do you know that what you just said was very dangerous?" Xu Bai narrowed his eyes.

"You wouldn't want to make a move here, would you?" Liu Xu pointed at the street.

—Return unto him what he had done unto her.

Xu Bai: "..."

"I don't mean anything else. Seeing you act for Xiao Yue today, I think you're a real man. But there's one thing I don't understand." Liu Xu did not continue provoking Xu Bai and shifted the topic in another direction.

"What?" Xu Bai asked.

"Why did you kill the Bureau of Surveillance clerk? Do you know that this is a serious matter?" Liu Xu's starlike eyes were full of confusion.

Her encounter with this man today had been purely coincidental.

But that coincidence only deepened the doubts in her heart.

Someone who could act for the sake of an ordinary little girl could not have a bad heart.

As she had said before, she wholeheartedly approved of killing the Nether Blacksmith couple and the Extreme Life Sect members.

But she could not understand why he had acted against a Bureau of Surveillance clerk.

If the clerk had encountered him in action, the clerk would likely have helped him instead. So why had he done the opposite and killed the clerk? Liu Xu took this opportunity to ask.

"Do you know anyone from the Bureau of Surveillance?" Xu Bai did not answer, instead asking a question in return.

"No." Liu Xu shook her head.

"If you meet anyone from the Bureau of Surveillance in the future, tell them that the clerk had lined his own pockets and colluded with the Extreme Life Sect. He deserved to die." Xu Bai said.

At this moment, both sides were sounding each other out.

Xu Bai happened to take this opportunity to reveal Iron Calculation Immortal's matter.

As Liu Xu had said, killing someone from the Bureau of Surveillance would eventually bring trouble.

Then he would reveal the truth and use Liu Xu's mouth to pass it on to the Bureau of Surveillance.

As for how they handled it afterward, that was beyond his control.

If the Bureau of Surveillance was upright and impartial and could uncover Iron Calculation Immortal's background, then Xu Bai would naturally be safe.

If not, he would make other plans. From the moment he killed Iron Calculation Immortal, he had already considered the consequences.

"Lining his own pockets and colluding with the Extreme Life Sect?" Liu Xu was slightly surprised.

That was something she had not expected.

"If I encounter anyone from the Bureau of Surveillance, I'll explain it to them," Liu Xu said.

She seemed to feel that this was not clear enough, so she added another sentence.

"If it was an act of chivalry and righteousness, then it should not suffer injustice."

"An act of chivalry and righteousness... I'm leaving." Xu Bai stroked his chin, then turned and walked into the night.

Liu Xu did not follow him again. She also intended to return home.

At that moment, Xu Bai had already reached the corner of the street when he suddenly poked his head out from behind the wall.

"Oh, right. There's one more thing."