The young boy stared tremblingly at the long knife pressed against his throat, its edge sharp and straight, gleaming with a dangerous cold light. He abruptly took a step back, keeping his distance from Yin Xiu.
Yin Xiu did not harbor any malice towards him, but instead focused on cutting his knife in half. The young boy had no weapon to attack him, and his props were ineffective, so he could only retreat in a sorry state.
He knew very well that no matter how many knives he stabbed, he couldn't kill Yin Xiu.
This is the difference between relying on props and having real strength. Without the help of props, even if one has the right to attack, in the face of absolute power, one's insignificant attacks cannot even cause harm to the opponent.
"You! Put your knife away! Otherwise! I'll kill them!" The young boy suddenly pulled out a new weapon and pointed it at the players next to him, threatening them in a menacing voice.
The players, suddenly taken hostage, were stunned. This young boy had panicked and acted recklessly. They weren't even acquaintances of Yin Xiu! What good would it do to threaten him with them?
"They're not my men." Yin Xiu stared at him lazily, thought for a moment, and then sheathed his knife. "Consider this a clear indication of the difference between us. Come on."
The boy was taken aback, as were the players next to him. The threat was clearly ineffective, yet the other party had taken the initiative to back down.
Could this... could it actually be to save them?
A wave of emotion washed over the players. Although she had been forcibly thrown in by her boyfriend and put in danger, now the other had taken the initiative to save them! One had brought sin, the other good—they were such a perfect match!
"Hmph, arrogant man, let's see how you die without your sword defense!" The young boy glared at him, the scars on his face turning ferocious, and suddenly pulled out a long sword and charged straight at Yin Xiu.
Yin Xiu stood there motionless, waiting for the boy to rush over. The instant the long sword was thrust at him, he slightly dodged to the side, grabbed the hilt of the long sword, and pressed the dangerous blade against the boy's neck.
"That's not how you use a longsword." Yin Xiu stared at him coldly. "Even if I used your sword, I would still have plenty of ways to kill you."
Almost in the blink of an eye, the knife he had thrust out was now at his own neck, terrifying the young boy so much that he broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly flung his hand away from Yin Xiu.
His furrowed brows showed that he really couldn't do anything to Yin Xiu, but conversely, Yin Xiu didn't kill him directly either; in fact, they still posed a threat to each other.
The boy's mind raced, and as if he had just thought of something, he pulled a new prop coin from his pocket and held it up. "Alright, I know I can't kill you, but as long as the malicious prop is here, you can't kill me either. Rather than us being stuck here, I'd like to show you something. I wonder if it can ease the tension between us?"
Yin Xiu raised an eyebrow. In fact, he could kill him. As long as he killed the boy quickly enough, the boy would die the moment the malicious intent was released and the item was triggered. He would also become a little wooden figure. However, the next person bound to the item could release him after obtaining the item.
With Li Mo watching over him from outside, he wasn't worried about dying after turning into a little wooden doll. If anyone dared to monopolize the props, his boyfriend would definitely help him snatch them back and hand them over to the right person. It wouldn't be difficult for Yin Xiu to kill him, but the other party suddenly gave up on killing him and even took out a new prop to ease tensions. He wanted to see what other tricks this person had up his sleeve.
Yin Xiu slightly raised his chin, indicating his agreement.
The other person immediately relaxed and then materialized the prop.
In his hand was a small doll that looked exactly like Yin Xiu, even the same knife. But unlike the real Yin Xiu, this little doll had several red threads wrapped around it. Some were tightly wrapped around it, some were broken, and some were teetering on the edge, almost cracking.
Yin Xiu narrowed his eyes, inexplicably recalling the skeletons he had encountered in the Greedy Zone of Bliss City.
Back then, a skeleton said that his last precious connection was about to end, referring to Ye Tianxuan who was about to die. Now, looking at the little doll wrapped in red thread, he instantly understood what was going on.
"Is that my destiny?"
The young boy looked surprised. "How did you know?"
Yin Xiu remained silent.
The young boy could only slowly explain, "As you know, someone like me has killed quite a few monsters and people. I went into a dungeon called Paradise City, cleared out a graveyard, and got this item from a group of skeletons."
Yin Xiu remained silent, not expecting that there were actually props hidden underneath. However, there should only be one, and he wouldn't find any more when he dug again later.
"So what? You didn't bring this out to tell me how much of a connection we still have, did you?"
"No… this prop is actually a little more useful than you think." The boy held up the Yin Xiu doll and pointed to the red thread that was wrapped the most around him. "This thread is wrapped around you the most, so it should be the person you are most connected with. I think it should be your boyfriend. The number of layers of wrapping is many and complicated. He is a very possessive person and not easy to get rid of."
Yin Xiu stared at him silently.
"Although your bond is deep enough, if you wrap it around a few more times like this, he will like you even more and be less likely to leave you." The young boy explained as he wrapped the red thread around his neck twice.
"At the same time... once you untie it, the other person's heart will drift further and further away from you." The young boy smiled and tried to untie the red thread from Yin Xiu, but found that the thread was very complicated, with layers wrapped around it and knots tied, so he couldn't untie it at all. He then frowned and tugged at the other red threads.
"This tiny, fragile thread... is actually strange... It seems there are quite a few strange things around you..."
As he spoke, he ripped the thread off, saying, "Like this, the connection between you two will completely disappear, and the other person will forget you."
The moment the red thread snapped, Ya Ya, who was happily munching on snacks in her underground hideout on the island, paused, tilting her head slightly. "Huh, it seems like I've forgotten something?"
She shook her head and continued eating, not caring anymore; she had to go up and protect Brother Zhong Mu later after she finished eating.
The red thread that had been torn off felt light and airy in the boy's hand, as if it would be lost forever if tossed aside.
Yin Xiu's brows furrowed as well.
The young boy grinned and picked up another thread.
"This red thread... seems to be related to you by blood? Is it your sister's? A broken thread would normally disappear, so why is there still a piece of it on you?" The young boy looked up at Yin Xiu's gloomy eyes. "Are you still clinging to something that has already disappeared?"
Yin Xiu did not answer him, but silently placed his fingers on the hilt of the knife.
The young boy, unaware of his murderous intent, calmly picked up another thread.
"This thread… is half broken. It looks like it could break with a single pull. Is this your friend?" The young boy held up the Yin Xiu doll and stared at the teetering red thread. "This is the first time I've ever seen a thread that's only half broken. If left unattended, it will break completely in a while, but it looks like it can be reattached."
As he spoke, the young boy smiled and pinched the shaky red thread. "If I just rip it off, you and this friend will probably never see each other again, right?"
Yin Xiu suddenly exuded a chill, gritting his teeth, "Then you have no chance of living either."