The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

"Hahaha……"

Dao Shuo gasped for breath, looked at Su Qi, his eyes flashing, and asked, "Why? Dao Cheng, why did you suddenly attack me?"

He still clung to a sliver of hope, attempting to slip through the cracks.

"Why? You should know the answer to that yourself, shouldn't you?"

"No, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about..."

Before he could finish speaking, Su Qi suddenly slapped Dao Shuo across the face, stunning him with a loud crack. Dao Shuo had already scouted the area and found no one nearby, so as long as he didn't make too much noise, there wouldn't be any problem.

Do you understand now?

Feeling the burning pain on his left cheek, Dao Shuo, who hadn't suffered such humiliation in a long time, was instantly filled with rage. He glared at Su Qi and was about to speak... *slap!* Another slap landed heavily on his right cheek.

"Hmm, very good, now it's symmetrical." Su Qi tugged at his hair, looked him over for a while, and nodded in satisfaction. "Sorry, I'm actually a little bit of a perfectionist, and I feel a little uncomfortable seeing that only one side of your face is red."

Dao Shuo was jolted awake by the slap. He dared not glare at the other person anymore, nor dared to speak recklessly. He could only look down at the ground, unable to hide his fear, and asked, "What exactly do you want to do to me?"

"You're from the Xuanzhen Sect, aren't you?"

He trembled, hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "I'm not."

Taoism hates traitors the most. If he answers yes, he will surely die without a burial place. Compared to that, being slapped is nothing.

"Oh ho, you're really stubborn until you're pushed to the limit, aren't you? Do you think I knew nothing and would do something like this to someone as high-ranking as you in Taoism?"

Dao Shuo remained silent, determined to fight to the bitter end. After all, denying it offered a sliver of hope, while admitting it meant certain death. If the other party had no evidence to prove his identity, he would still have a chance to live.

"Let's play a game," Su Qi said instead of pressuring him directly. "Ten questions. I'll ask you, and you answer them seriously. I'll judge whether your answers are true or false. If you get even one wrong, I'll let you go on the spot and apologize to you."

"Hmph, who knows if you'll keep your word."

"Hey, I, Daocheng, have always treated people with sincerity, so how could I go back on my word? Besides, you don't have any other choice now, do you?"

Dao Shuo was silent for a while, then said, "You can judge whether the answer is true or false. This kind of game is meaningless."

"No, of course you should judge whether it's true or false, because it's what you said, and you know best whether it's true or false, right?"

Is this guy an idiot?

He stared at Su Qi in disbelief, feeling utterly unable to comprehend the other's reasoning. If he were to answer the question himself, and judge the truth himself, the outcome would be a foregone conclusion. Was the other deliberately letting him go? Or was he simply toying with him?

But regardless, just as the other party said, he had no other choice.

"Okay, I'll participate in this game."

It's a game we're guaranteed to win anyway, only a fool wouldn't participate.

"Then the game officially begins. First question: Do you prefer married women or young girls?"

What kind of question is this?

Dao Shuo was silent for a moment, then said, "Young girl."

"You're lying, you prefer married women. Second question, have you ever slept with a man?"

What a despicable question!

His face suddenly turned extremely ugly. He really didn't want to answer, but under Su Qi's cold gaze, he finally said, "No."

"It's still a lie. I didn't expect you to be so experienced. So, my third question: If your wife and mother both fell into the river, and you could only save one at a time, the other would surely die, who would you save?"

Dao Shuo's face turned pale and then red, and he said coldly, "Mother."

"Tsk, a liar's tale, utterly depraved. Your mother would have given birth to a piece of char siu rather than you. Fourth question: cross-dressing or streaking, if you had to choose one, which would you prefer?"

"..."

……

A moment later, the ten questions finally came to an end. While Dao Shuo was being bombarded with increasingly bizarre questions and was furious, he was also horrified to discover something—the other party had never been wrong in guessing the truth of the answers!

How is that possible? Most of the ten questions were ones that only I knew the answers to, extremely difficult to guess, yet he got them all right ten times in a row. There shouldn't be such a coincidence! Could he read minds? Or could he distinguish between truth and falsehood?

He was filled with doubt and suspicion, and became increasingly wary of Su Qi.

"Judging from your expression, you seem to have realized it..." Su Qi chuckled. "That's right, I can tell whether what you're saying is true or false, so you'd better not try to get away with it and try to deceive or mislead me with lies. Now, it's time to reveal the barrier."

"But before that, I want to make it clear that from now on, if you tell me another lie, I will stab you in the back."

Having said that, he drew his long sword, its razor-sharp blade pressed against Dao Shuo's neck, his entire body radiating murderous intent. He stared coldly into Dao Shuo's eyes and said, "Now, let's reveal whether my judgment of the answer was right or wrong. If you say I'm right, then I've won; if you say I'm wrong, then I'll untie you, bow my head, and apologize. But no matter what... if you lie, I'll stab you. And where that stab will be, whether it's in the head or the brain, will depend entirely on my mood."

A threat... a blatant threat...

Because it was too sharp, the blade had already cut a bloody gash on the neck.

Feeling the biting cold on his neck, Dao Shuo's whole body stiffened, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he trembled with tension as he was tied to the chair.

What should I do? Should I win or lose? If I win, will this guy stab me to death? Wait!

In his utter turmoil, he suddenly realized a crucial problem. The other party had said that if he was wrong, he would untie the ropes binding him and bow his head in apology, but had never mentioned letting him leave… So, even if he won the game, what would be the point?!

Chapter Seventeen Persuasion

"You... won."

Ultimately, faced with the choice between being stabbed to death or losing face for Su Qi, Dao Shuo resolutely chose to survive. After all, he wasn't an idiot; how could he risk being stabbed for a moment's pleasure? But... being treated like a fool by the other party made him so angry that he wanted to kill the guy in front of him on the spot.

Unfortunately, he can't.

"I'm pleased that you've finally learned the valuable quality of honesty." Su Qi nodded with satisfaction and lowered the knife from his neck. "Now you should understand the situation clearly. So let me ask you formally: Did you yield to me and then turn against me?"

Dao Shuo remained silent. Although he had lost the game and learned that his opponent seemed to have the ability to see through falsehoods, it did not mean that he would give up and obediently confess to Su Qi.

The next moment, without warning, Su Qi swiftly stabbed the man in the left thigh, and blood spurted out—although the other man didn't speak, Su Qi already knew the answer just by sensing his emotions, and of course there was no need to show mercy.

A sharp pain shot through Dao Shuo's face, and he was about to cry out when Su Qi grabbed a dirty, smelly rag and pressed it against his mouth and nose, forcing him to stifle his scream.

"Waaaaah... Waaaaah..."

His face flushed red as he struggled desperately, the chair beneath him creaking, blood flowing down his thighs and gradually pooling on the ground.

"Lord of the Palace, my mercy is not a reason for your arrogance. I advise you to have some self-awareness and not make me, a kind-hearted person who sweeps the floor with utmost care and cherishes moths, do such a cruel thing."

As Su Qi spoke, he pressed Dao Shuo down tightly, covering his mouth and nose until the latter's face turned a deep purplish-red, his eyes rolled back, and he nearly died. Only then did Su Qi finally release him, allowing him to catch his breath.

"Oh, and just one more thing, excessive bleeding can be fatal. I don't know how long you can hold on without anyone bandaging you up."

After saying that, she stuffed the rag into his mouth again, ignoring his struggles and glares, and walked back to the table to watch an exciting action movie.

Blood! I'm bleeding! I'm still bleeding! Help me!!

Looking at his thigh, which was pierced by a long sword and was still gushing blood, Dao Shuo felt a deep sense of fear in his heart, but because his mouth was gagged, he could only make muffled whimpers.

After that, he could only watch helplessly as his life slipped away, feeling the pain, his body gradually becoming weak and cold, his consciousness becoming blurred, and the fear of death rising rapidly like a tide, gradually engulfing his consciousness.

The time seemed to drag on endlessly, yet it also felt like only a short while. Su Qi finally came over again and pulled the rag out of his mouth. "How was it? How did it feel to face death? Do you still want to be stubborn and keep it up until you die?"

"I...I said...Quickly...Quickly help me stop the bleeding..."

Dao Shuo chickened out. He thought he was a warrior, but he found that he was more afraid of pain and death than he had imagined.

"Oh? You confessed so quickly? I thought that as a psychic who knows about the existence of souls, you wouldn't be so afraid of death."

"Would you let me go if I died?"

"Of course... no. I will hand you over to the Taoist family. As a family of psychics with a two-thousand-year history, they should have some knowledge of how to torture souls, right?"

"Heh, what else can I do? I just ask you to give me a quick death so that I can return to my great soul after I die."

Dao Shuo's face was ashen. When Su Qi drew his sword without hesitation, Dao Shuo's last hope vanished, and he knew he probably wouldn't survive this ordeal. Given the Daoist methods of torture, he knew he couldn't possibly endure it once the attack was launched; it was better to confess sooner rather than later and avoid further torment.

"Okay, I don't hate you to the point of wanting to torture you even if it kills me. So let's begin. Tell me everything you know. You know I can see through lies, so you'd better not waste my time."

……

Next, Su Qi treated Dao Shuo's wounds, and the latter, who had given up hope, recounted the whole story.

Through his narration, Su Qi's doubts were cleared up one by one. For example, Dao Shuo was indeed a spy planted by Xuanzhen Dao, and Dao He was also a spy planted by Xuanzhen Dao to disrupt the selection of the spiritual child and seize the Daoist sect's secrets. The reason they targeted him was to stifle geniuses. There were also questions about the Three Corpse Gu Divine Pill and the fact that Dao He's family members were taken hostage.

According to him, although the Three Corpse Gu Divine Pill can alleviate the symptoms by taking the so-called antidote, there is no real antidote. That is, people who have taken the Three Corpse Gu Divine Pill must take medicine regularly for the rest of their lives to suppress the Three Corpse Gu in their bodies, otherwise it will flare up every Gengshen day. Even if they can endure the excruciating pain with their willpower, they will be devoured by the rampaging Three Corpse Gu and die after a maximum of three times, their souls scattered.

Furthermore, although he threatened Daohe with Daohe's family, he himself was not in charge of that matter and therefore did not know their location. Meanwhile, the Daoist family, misled by Xuanzhen Dao, believed Daohe to be an orphan and were also unaware of their whereabouts.

"This is troublesome..."

After listening to Dao Shuo's words, Su Qi frowned slightly. Originally, because of Dao He's identity as a spy, he tried his best not to get involved with the Daoist family. However, neither developing the true antidote for the Three Corpse Gu Divine Pill nor rescuing Dao He's family outside could be easily accomplished by him alone at this moment. The best choice was to rely on the power of the Daoist family.

"Give it a try."

After thinking it over for a while, Su Qi still took Dao Shuo, whose arms were tied behind his back, and quietly left the Kanli Palace.

……

Not long after, taking advantage of his status as a rising star of Taoism, Su Qi went to the Great Training Ground, called Dao He out alone, and took him to a secluded pond.

He changed back into his little Taoist robe, stood by the pond under the willow tree, gazing at the firelight in the training ground not far away, his back to Daohe, hands clasped behind his back, and said, "Daohe, I thought only a man as upright and unrestrained as me would dare to defy them. I never expected that you, this honest boy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, would have already begun to rebel against the Taoist school."

Daohe, who had just stopped, felt a jolt of surprise upon hearing this, but he tried his best to remain calm and asked with feigned confusion, "What nonsense are you spouting now? Did you call me out just to say this?"

"Don't pretend anymore. Do you think I really didn't notice what happened at noon?"

He stiffened, a hint of panic in his eyes, but remained expressionless as he said, "I don't understand what you're talking about. It's just a fasting pill; is it really necessary to call me out like this? You're being too stingy."

Without saying much, Su Qi directly pulled Dao Shuo out from behind the willow tree, tying his arms behind his back and gagging him. Dao Shuo was in a coma. He had refined the mother Gu of the Three Corpse Gu Divine Pill on Dao He's body. As long as he was within a certain range, he could control Dao He's life and death. Su Qi was afraid that he would suddenly cause some trouble, so he knocked him unconscious.

"Dao Shuo!?" Dao He exclaimed in shock. "Dao Cheng, why is he here? And in this state? Did you do this? Are you out of your mind!?"

Su Qi didn't answer, but turned around, stared at him quietly for a while, and said seriously, "Daohe, do you want to continue?"

"..."

"You know who he is, right?"

Su Qi could sense Dao He's emotions. Besides shock, doubt, worry, and disbelief, he also felt joy and pleasure. This was because he knew Dao Shuo's identity, which was why he felt pleasure at Dao Shuo's disheveled state.

"I..." Faced with his friend's all-seeing gaze, Daohe hesitated for a moment before finally dropping his pretense and sighing softly, "That's right, I know who he is. His height, build, the habit of twitching his right pinky when he's smug, and that lingering smell of medicine on him... Although he always covers his face and changes his voice when he sees me, there are just too many flaws in him."

"So you should understand what the situation is now."

Do you want to help me?

"Of course, shouldn't friends help each other?"

“Too reckless…” He shook his head. “My problems are not so easy to solve, and the Taoists will not tolerate me as a traitor. If this continues, you might be dragged into it too. So after killing him to silence him, let’s leave it at that.”