Ni Ni Layan stood frozen. They had just survived an encounter with an expert at the peak of the Soul Palace realm. Through mere words... it felt like a dream, a pure hallucination.
The words hadn't been clumsy.
No—they were eerily organized, cruel, and precision-targeted at specific regions of the human psyche she hadn't even known existed.
But she felt a wave of shame and humiliation looking at Morse, who was still shielding his face. She had been unable to defend him. Why? Because that cursed sexual arousal had paralyzed her right as the assassin approached.
Morse wiped his tears and began to sniffle.
Sniff,
sniff.
"He was a very kind man... sniff... What a pity... he's a total fool too."
"Whaaat?!"
Her jaw dropped as she saw a sinister smirk break through his "foolish" face.
"I really don't want to grow old and become senile,"
Morse added casually.
"My mental faculties would be bullied."
You bastard, you deserve to die! she thought. Were you lying this whole time? But she caught herself. Wait, don't rush to conclusions.
Could he just be incredibly lucky and trying to look like a flawless mastermind when he's actually just an idiot?
But it was impossible. The timing... how every word he uttered reacted perfectly with the one before it to serve his goal.
"Stop lying! You're lying right now!" she hissed.
"Lying? I've been truthful the entire time," Morse replied. "You're the strange one. Think about it—I didn't say anything, yet you keep drawing conclusions without me uttering a single word to confirm what's in your head."
This was the pinnacle of manipulation: you don't need to act to deceive your target; you simply lead them to conclude exactly what you want them to without saying it.
In truth, Morse had known from the start that Servant Xian would betray him. Why? Because he was the one who ordered him to do it.
Servant Xian had told him he was ready to sacrifice his life, knowing Bing's vileness. He wanted to fulfill one last request before he died. So, Morse had sent him a message via one of his hidden robots:
(Bing will use his usual method with you: temptation first, then force. Accept his temptation. He will send an assassin... I will be able to handle it.)
And indeed, Bing had appeared, offering Xian the chance to betray Morse. Xian agreed instantly, smiling during his final moments. Even as Bing left the room and ordered his execution, Xian died with a smile, praying from his heart for his master's survival.
Morse hadn't witnessed his loyal servant's final moments, but he would make sure Bing witnessed his smile when he crushed him.
"So... was everything you said about your mother a lie?" Ni Ni Layan asked, stunned.
Morse shook his head. "You're so dense. Even though you're stuck to my side, you still don't realize that lying isn't my style."
The girl was speechless. "Then... how?"
In truth, Morse had never told a single lie in his life—not even now. He didn't see lying as a solution to begin with. To him, the truth itself cannot change; only the "camera angles" do.
The eyes of experts can detect the lies of those weaker than them by observing fluctuations in their energy paths and the rhythm of their heartbeats. Therefore, Morse always relied on nothing but the truth to deceive.
"Do you know, Ni Ni Layan, what is both the most dangerous and the most beneficial thing for a human to possess?" Morse asked.
It was an incredibly strange question. "What do you mean?" she replied.
"Doubt. Doubt is the most dangerous and the most useful thing. It's a simple word, 'but',... 'what if' or 'maybe'... Doubt can even make you question your own self, wondering if you truly exist at all."
"But—"
What...? She had... she had just uttered the exact word he expected.
"See? Doubt can lead you to discover the truth, or it can trap you in a lie. Or, even more dangerously, it can make you fall from one pit into an even deeper one."
True. It was all true. Even though Morse never explicitly said he had deceived the assassin, she had drawn that conclusion herself.
The reason was simple: if the assassin hadn't left yet and was still listening, the seed of doubt in his heart would be so immense that it would blind him to the truth that was standing right in front of him.
In the original novel, Xing Xi's character was a vengeful spirit haunting Shen Li Xuan—Bing's fiancée, who eventually became Ni Ni Layan's servant. But what Morse had discovered was even deeper: Xing Xi was actually the grandfather of one of the story's most powerful figures—Tian Er Mingshi.
Known as the greatest mistress of seduction in history, legends in the novel claimed her beauty and charisma could make mountains bow in submission. She was meant to be one of Ni Ni Layan's fiercest rivals. But now... she was merely a hostage held by Bing to exploit Xing Xi.
"You definitely knew that assassin was coming," Ni Ni Layan remarked. "How? It's as if you've known him for ages and knew his every weakness."
To Morse, the answer was simple. "I know him from the novel... Want to know something else? Its rating is 'R'."
In truth, the inhabitants of this world had no idea what an "R" rating meant. Ni Ni Layan simply turned away from Morse, heading to the bath. Being around him these days was becoming increasingly... irritating.
Inside Morse's mind, he recalled the tragic fate of Tian Er Mingshi—how she had tried to complete the teachings of the first Demonic Sect Master to ascend to the higher realms, only to suffer a Qi deviation that left her crippled. She had vanished from the story after that.
The assassin's situation was dire. Had Morse not been the former Young Master of the family, privy to such deep lore, he would have been dead by now. But right now, his priority was his cultivation level. He needed to reach the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment at the very least.
He checked the system interface: {Early Stage of Foundation Establishment: 800 Points}
"Damn... that's expensive," he muttered. But he had a solution. When he bathed with Ni Ni Layan previously, his points increased by 100 in just half an hour. Four hours of bathing with her would be enough for a breakthrough.
It was a brilliant plan.
Suddenly, amidst the steam of the bathroom, the door swung open. Ni Ni Layan was there, and the shadow of Morse appeared at the doorway as he began to strip.
"What are you doing?!" she shrieked. "There's no time. I need to get points now," he replied bluntly.
Ni Ni Layan remembered that over a week ago, she was the one bullying him to gain points. Now, the tables had turned. He was the one bullying her for his gains. This was not a good omen for her.
The next morning, in the Huanglu Forest of Jian County, a massive white tiger with thick fur stood its ground. Swoosh!
A wave of energy pierced through its internal organs, passing right through it. It slumped to the ground, dead. Ni Ni Layan watched as Morse tested his new cultivation level. His performance was impressive, but she found it hard to concentrate; the concentration of Yang energy radiating from him had become significantly more potent.
"What do you think? A full-grown, Level 2 Xunlin Tiger," Morse said.
"Good... good enough, I suppose," she replied.
This was achieved without training in any combat techniques. He was hesitant to ask the Phoenix to teach him her methods, or to buy techniques from the System. A Phoenix's techniques were top-tier and would undoubtedly cost an astronomical amount in the Store. He needed something immediate.
"What level are your techniques?" he asked. Ni Ni Layan thought for a moment.
"I can only use 5% of my abilities, but most of my techniques are at the Sovereign Level."
Morse opened the System Store and searched for the cheapest Sovereign Level technique. {System level too low to access these items}
He lowered his search to Heaven Grade. {System level too low to access these items}
Transcendence Level? Integration Level? {System level too low to access these items}
Finally, Morse gave up. He spent the afternoon clearing beasts in the forest, quickly adapting to his new strength. He had already gathered a substantial amount of spirit stones from the valuable beast cores.
On their way back, they stumbled upon a mysterious, vast cave radiating an aura of a Level 3 beast—an Earth Grade monster.
"Don't tell me you're thinking of going in," Ni Ni Layan said, her voice laced with concern.