Chapter 157-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Inside the manga world.
"Ye... Ye Zheng!"
Wen Xiaoxing's throat squeezed out the name with difficulty. He slumped on the ground, realizing this posture left him completely at someone's mercy. He tried to stand up, but his shoulder suddenly felt heavy. Ye Zheng's hand pressed down on him with an irresistible force.
"How did you get back? You... stay calm. I was just acting on someone else's orders. Killing me won't do you any good!"
Wen Xiaoxing panted heavily while quickly organizing his words. He never expected that after being born for only a dozen days, he would already face the threat of death. Why was this world so cruel to him? Wasn't he supposed to be the darling of fate?
He felt a bit aggrieved, his usually clever and cunning green eyes nearly welling with tears. But he knew Ye Zheng wouldn't fall for that; in fact, she might find him even more annoying and speed up his execution.
The [Fate Singularity] had already collapsed. Wen Xiaoxing instinctively understood that without the blessing of fate, he couldn't possibly defeat Ye Zheng. However, he still had other chips to bargain for some time.
"I... I want to stand up. Lady Saintess, please let go of me first. I can tell you all of Wen Jian's secrets!"
Ye Zheng looked at him and slowly retracted her hand. Wen Xiaoxing immediately jumped up and found his footing.
His gaze discreetly swept over the still-unconscious Percy, praying fervently in his heart that he would wake up soon. That way, Ye Zheng wouldn't easily strike at them.
"Hmm?" Ye Zheng tilted her head as if too lazy to waste words, signaling with her eyes for him not to delay.
Various schemes flashed through Wen Xiaoxing's mind. For the first time, his young and lively face showed a serious expression. He spoke slowly, "Lady Saintess, I am merely a weapon created by the Pope. I had no choice. From the very beginning, the person who wanted to deal with you was Pope Wen Jian".
Ye Zheng let out an ambiguous chuckle. Wen Xiaoxing nervously watched her expression and continued: "He didn't just send me to assassinate you; he also contacted three Archbishops, attempting to fabricate charges against you. They plan to accuse you of falsifying information during your candidacy for Saintess and strip you of your title".
"My life is in his hands. I'm not willing to be just his puppet. Pope Wen Jian is our common enemy. We can completely work together to bring him down. By then, you will be the leader of the Sei Curia!"
Falsifying information? Ye Zheng remembered that she indeed had left a loophole. To avoid being treated as a high-grade tribute by Ye Fanjing, she had someone else take the official test for her to hide her true ability rank. She was young then, and it was inevitable to leave flaws. It wasn't surprising that Wen Jian discovered this.
The matter itself wasn't huge, but Curia Law did not allow any member of the clergy to be dishonest. If the Archbishops stood on Wen Jian's side, the Sei Curia could indeed strip her of her Saintess status according to the process.
Wen Jian was truly sinister. He probably still held a grudge against her and Sierra for acting out a scandal to expose him. He didn't just want to take her life; he wanted to strip her of her status and reputation even after death.
Ye Zheng lowered her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of lazy disdain. "Wen Xiaoxing, is this the only secret you know?" Wen Xiaoxing widened his innocent green eyes and said slowly, "If I tell you everything at once, then the value of my life wouldn't be very much, would it..." This Wen Xiaoxing was indeed as cunning and scheming as Wen Jian, Ye Zheng thought coldly while silently adjusting her breathing.
Wen Xiaoxing stared at Ye Zheng's expression. He had gradually regained his composure from the initial shock and fear. If Ye Zheng really wanted to kill him, she wouldn't have kept him until now. In other words, Ye Zheng wouldn't kill him for the time being.
Even though the [Fate Singularity] had collapsed and it was unknown when it would recover, he, Wen Xiaoxing, was a precious creation in himself. To deal with Wen Jian, Ye Zheng wouldn't kill him rashly. Fate was still favoring him! The two looked at each other in silence, both weighing their options and plans.
"You guys—Ye Zheng, why are you here!"
A sharp, excited cry broke the eerie atmosphere. Ye Zheng turned her head and, as expected, saw Ye Di's blustering face.
According to the plot point, Ye Di, in an attempt to flatter the Crown Prince, wanted to eliminate Percy—the one most likely to threaten Sykes—on his own. Ye Zheng knew that although Ye Di had some ambition, he wasn't someone with strong initiative. He was likely being unconsciously guided by the plot.
After seeing this plot through the manga spoilers, Ye Zheng hadn't intended to interfere with Ye Di dealing with Percy. She was even curious: since she was no longer a member of the Cloud-Soaring Squad, she had no reason to protect Percy. How would this plot progress?
After Ye Zheng had wetted and twisted the 2D world into a Möbius strip, she entered a marvelous state. With a single thought, time inverted under her feet like a flowing illusory river. She returned to the front of the hotel from this morning and used her ability to secretly hang a mirror on the door to warn her past self.
Then, Ye Zheng followed the flow of time forward. After arriving at this plot point, there was a powerful resistance; she could go no further.
She had shattered the [Fate Singularity] that Wen Xiaoxing used to trap her and entered a near-godlike state, only to find that outside the cage were towering walled cities. She had still returned to the predetermined plot point...
Ye Di, standing at the bow of the boat, froze. He was originally here to deal with Percy, but the moment he saw Ye Zheng, his mind went blank. How strange—why did he have no memory of Ye Zheng appearing here? He fell into a strange state of confusion on the spot, momentarily forgetting what he had come for.
Ye Zheng sighed softly, withdrew her gaze, and looked back at Wen Xiaoxing. His expression showed a hint of joy at having escaped death, but when he noticed Ye Zheng's gaze lingering on him again, the lines of his face stiffened.
The confused Ye Di followed Ye Zheng's gaze to Wen Xiaoxing and suddenly shouted, "Your eye! Are you some kind of monster that snuck in!" As he spoke, he assumed a combat stance.
At this moment, Wen Xiaoxing's left eye had shattered into green glass shards, which he clutched in his palm. His left eye was now just a pitch-black socket, while his right eye blinked normally, creating a horrifying imbalance.
Hearing the term "monster," Wen Xiaoxing's face darkened completely. He had to find a way to restore the [Fate Singularity] and then throw this rude guy into the worst possible world!
Suddenly, his face tightened. A white cloth was tied diagonally across his face, covering the empty black socket of his left eye. A sharp pain hit the back of his head as the cloth was tied into a firm knot, comically pulling up his facial muscles.
Before Wen Xiaoxing could react, his tightly clenched palm was forced open, and Ye Zheng took the shards from him.
Realizing what Ye Zheng intended to do, Wen Xiaoxing almost stepped forward, only to see Ye Zheng standing by the ship's railing. With a wave of her arm and an open palm, the brilliant green shards reflecting the sunlight cascaded into the unfathomable lake.
Wen Xiaoxing leaned over the railing, staring in disbelief at the shimmering surface of the water, then turned back to glare at Ye Zheng with eyes full of repressed rage.
Having finished this, Ye Zheng clapped her hands as if brushing off dust. Under Wen Xiaoxing's single, murderously wide eye, she gently admonished Ye Di, "Ye Di, you shouldn't be so rude. Apologize to him".
"Huh? Me?"
Ye Di pointed at himself. He wasn't the one missing an eye, and Ye Zheng had just taken the guy's things and thrown them away!
Ye Zheng ignored Ye Di's reaction and looked at Wen Xiaoxing with a meaningful gaze. "I'm truly sorry. I'm not without responsibility for Ye Di's behavior. After the competition is over, I will visit you personally to apologize".
She emphasized the word personally. Wen Xiaoxing struggled to maintain his reason amidst his anger. He understood the subtext of Ye Zheng's words—she had essentially agreed to his request for cooperation.
At least his life was saved for now. It didn't matter if he lost the [Fate Singularity]... Wen Xiaoxing grit his teeth. Once the competition ended, he would definitely get Wen Jian's [Mother of All Things]. This ability was not inferior to fate. He would lie low for now, and one day, he would kill this detestable Ye Zheng!
Ye Zheng's toe touched the unconscious Percy on the ground. She felt the boat was a bit crowded, and even the air was becoming murky. However, it wasn't good to just throw him overboard, so she turned and ordered Ye Di to steer the boat to the shore.
It wasn't until the boat reached the shore that Ye Di realized what was happening. He had clearly come to finish off Percy. Even if he didn't deal with Percy, the competition target, the Deep Blue Giant Eel, was in the waters nearby. Why did Ye Zheng want to return to the shore? Ye Zheng got off the boat alone, ignoring the three boys on board, and walked toward the bank.
She spared Wen Xiaoxing for now not just to deal with Wen Jian. To be honest, she didn't believe Wen Xiaoxing would sincerely help her; he was just trying to save his own life.
More importantly, besides Wen Jian, there was certainly a high-dimensional entity standing behind Wen Xiaoxing. Through his actions and state, she could catch a glimpse of that world's attitude toward her, and perhaps gain some unexpected clues.
Wen Xiaoxing was a very useful monster. Ye Zheng could delay his death sentence, but she was a bit petty and wouldn't reduce his sentence.
Still, this was her first time facing the person behind the System. It was truly a moment worth remembering.
Ye Zheng lowered her head and flipped her palm over. A bright green shard lay in her hand—this was her souvenir.
She had tested him earlier; Wen Xiaoxing cared deeply about these pieces. It seemed they had great research value.
Ye Zheng observed it for a while and tucked the shard into her sleeve. She didn't notice the uneven ground beneath her feet and her body suddenly swayed— A strong hand caught her.
"What's wrong? You look very weak".
"Does it have to do with the strange orders you just gave me?"
Wu Shu flashed to Ye Zheng's side. Her concerned gaze carried a hint of sharp scrutiny as she stared at Ye Zheng's unusually pale face.
Ye Zheng steadied herself, a trace of helplessness crossing her face. This was one of the reasons she hadn't killed Wen Xiaoxing immediately. She had exhausted too much energy; striking rashly might have exposed her weakness.
"Wu Shu, do you remember what just happened?"
Wu Shu's expression froze, her furrowed brow showing confusion. "You suddenly spoke in my mind. It was strange; my reaction at the time was as if I didn't know you. But I still carried out your order, killed Percy, rewound time, and then you came back".
Wu Shu joked, "Since you're so weak, why don't you go rest? Otherwise, I'd be too embarrassed to let you help me win".
"Alright, I was indeed planning to rest".
Hearing Ye Zheng's answer, Wu Shu's expression changed slightly, and her voice grew a bit deeper. "Has it really come to this? Ye Zheng, I care a lot about our agreement".
Ye Zheng looked back at her with a serious expression. "I know".
Wu Shu had fulfilled this promise in thousands of worlds; she certainly wouldn't break her word.
"I will let you win".
Ye Zheng paused. "I have a method with the highest success rate, but it might be a bit... despicable".
If her power were at its peak, she could fully assist Wu Shu in taking down that big fish. But now, Ye Zheng could only think of a less-than-honorable method with a high chance of success. It was up to Wu Shu to choose.
Wu Shu straightened up. "Tell me".
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