Li Xi forced a bitter smile. "Man is the knife and the cleaver, I am the fish and the meat. You're not the first to ask about this. The day after Delabonte died, someone posted a bounty in the mercenary hall. I went and told them what I knew. I think that person knows more and in more detail than I do. You should go ask them."
As Soros stared at Li Xi, Li Xi was also staring at Soros. Neither knew who was telling the truth or who was testing whom.
Hearing Li Xi's words, Soros remained unfazed. "Not enough. Think harder. If you still can't satisfy me, I'll have to resort to some means."
He moved the sword in his hand, then scanned Li Xi from head to toe, as if searching for a spot to strike.
"This is all I know. If I said I killed him, would you be satisfied?" Li Xi wore a look of helplessness, completely resigned to being at Soros's mercy.
"You know, if you say that, I might actually believe you. Then tell me, why did you kill him?" Soros chuckled, clearly convinced in his heart that Li Xi was the killer.
"Why did I kill him? I didn't kill him, so how would I know why I killed him? Why don't you make up a reason for me?"
"I think you did it for that five gold coin loan. That sum wasn't insignificant to you back then. It's possible you took a desperate risk to avoid paying it back."
"Heh, I killed a Level Three expert for five gold coins. Are these high-level warriors that cheap?" Li Xi retorted with a furious laugh.
"High-level warriors are just that. In your eyes, maybe they're only worth five gold coins. In my eyes, perhaps only five copper coins. The point isn't the strength of the person, but their identity. Did you take anything from him after you killed him?" Soros's eyes were fixed on Li Xi's expression, trying to find confirmation of his suspicions.
"Anything? What things?" Li Xi feigned ignorance.
"Things like this." Soros produced a black token from his spatial ring. One side bore a devil with two horns, and the other had two crossed, blood-dripping daggers.
Li Xi's face contorted in alarm. "You're from the Assassin's Alliance?"
Soros's gaze fell on the ring on Li Xi's finger. He said nonchalantly, "If you say so. Given that you're not telling the truth and not cooperating, I'll have to kill you and search myself. Don't blame me if I make a mistake."
Seeing Soros about to make a move, Li Xi panicked. "Wait, wait! I really did kill him, all for those five gold coins! I saw this token too, and I took it. He had it hidden in his pillow. I originally wanted to join you with the token, but I couldn't find your location for a long time."
Adhering to the principle of leniency for confession, Li Xi spilled everything like beans.
"You wanted to join us? Why?" Now it was Soros's turn to be bewildered. They were an illegal organization on the continent, oppressed by major divine cults, treated like rats by everyone. Those who joined them were invariably heinous criminals or individuals with other serious flaws. This was the first time he had encountered someone actively seeking to join.
"Because I can do missions and earn money. You know I do missions alone. Many missions in the mercenary hall are beyond me. I heard you often do missions solo with high commissions. Isn't that perfect for me?"
"Then it seems there's been a misunderstanding. Brother, you're one of us."
"Of course! I didn't know Delabonte was from the Assassin's Alliance before I killed him, or I wouldn't have done it." Li Xi chuckled, masking his mistake.
Soros smiled, but his hand never left his sword hilt. "Since we're all family, tell me, besides this token, did you find anything else?"
Li Xi thought for a moment, then shook his head firmly. "Besides the token, only a few gold coins. I really didn't find anything else."
"Nothing at all? No letters or anything?" Soros's eyes narrowed, as if releasing sword energy.
"What kind of letters? Were they about paying protection fees to the City Lord's mansion, or about forcing good women into prostitution and human trafficking?" Li Xi continued the pretense.
Soros said nothing, just watched Li Xi, signaling him to go on.
Li Xi inwardly sighed, impressed by how long he and Soros had been acting. It turned out to be about some letters, but he genuinely hadn't taken them. The most likely scenario was that they were burned by his Fireball Jutsu.
Now that Soros wasn't responding, the interrogation wouldn't proceed, as Li Xi didn't know the content of the letters and couldn't steer the conversation.
"I really didn't take those. After killing him, I burned the body to destroy evidence. I didn't notice any letters."
Soros slowly drew his sword, his eyes fixed on Li Xi's legs. "I advise you to think again. Besides what you've said, did you take anything else? As long as you tell me honestly, we're family."
"Alas, you don't believe me even when I tell you. Since that's the case, our conversation ends here."
Seeing that Li Xi showed no signs of tension and instead seemed to be interrogating him, Soros felt bewildered. He reconfirmed: his poison was still effective, and Li Xi couldn't move an inch. Yet, why did he have such a relaxed expression, and the feeling of the hunter and the prey switching roles?
Soros cautiously probed, "What, do you have any trump cards you haven't revealed?"
"Of course, because his trump card is me."
A figure covered in small, rice-grain-like, dark red scales, with two broad, long dragon wings on its back, appeared behind Soros at some unknown time.
From the eyes of the poisoned Li Xi in front of him, Soros glimpsed the figure behind him. He spun around and drew his sword in a fluid motion. However, the sword was only half-drawn when a powerful, whistling whip kick struck Soros's sword.
Soros's fighting style focused on speed and lacked significant power. The Dragonkin's single kick sent Soros and his sword flying. Unable to withstand the immense force, Soros coughed up a mouthful of blood in mid-air and crashed into the forest, as if trampled by a giant's foot.
"I couldn't even get a proper confession out of you. I don't know what to say." The Dragonkin looked at the poisoned Li Xi with an expression of disdain.
"You can call me an idiot, a fool, a big dummy, a second-rate, a third-rate punk, a little hooligan, I don't mind any of that. Just open up your mind and curse me with all your might," the poisoned Li Xi retorted defiantly.
The Dragonkin fell silent. Cursing him would be cursing himself.
"You lie here for now. I'll go deal with him." To ease the awkwardness, the Dragonkin pursued in the direction he had kicked Soros.
Not far away, he saw Soros struggling to stand, leaning against a large tree, blood still flowing from the corner of his mouth. It was clear he had sustained serious internal injuries.
"That's why assassin-type fighters are afraid of heavily armored warriors. You can't break through their defenses, and they can cripple you in one move."
The Dragonkin hovered in the air, fanning his dragon wings, and watched Soros. He didn't intend to attack immediately.
"Who are you?" Soros looked at the Dragonkin in the air, calculating his attack.
"My name is Mourinho, the nemesis of sin, a good person who draws his sword when he sees injustice, specializing in dealing with scoundrels like you who stab people in the back."
Soros showed no fear. "I'm from the Assassin's Alliance. Stranger Dragonkin, you'd better think carefully about the consequences before you act. Killing me will only bring endless pursuit."
"How much are the consequences worth? Send people to chase me, I'll be delighted. Let's see if I can't finish off you vermin who always hide in the sewers."
After his declaration of justice, he formed hand seals and pointed at Soros.
"Water Style: Water Whip Wave."
Like the breath of the Deep Sea Cold Dragon from before, a white, highly compressed, high-speed water beam shot towards Soros. Everything it touched seemed to be sliced in two by a swift blade.
Despite his injuries, Soros's speed had barely decreased. With his four-level ability for brief flight, he moved like a clumsy lion chasing a nimble deer. Li Xi's Water Whip Wave couldn't hit him.
Seeing Soros move faster than his attack, Li Xi retracted the Water Whip Wave.
"Earth Style: Falling Sky Cover."
This time, Li Xi held nothing back. Predicting Soros's movements, at the moment he was about to turn and change direction, a giant pot lid thirty meters in diameter descended from the sky, trapping Soros inside.
Li Xi knew that this colossal pot lid wouldn't be able to contain Soros for long; he would break it quickly.
So, Li Xi flew over and added a little something, just as he had speculated.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet."
The fully unleashed Flame Bullet was almost the same size as the pot lid, engulfing the entire lid in raging flames.
"I refuse to believe this 'Air Fryer' combination technique won't kill you."
After the Flame Bullet, some parts of the pot lid had cracked due to the intense heat.
"Stranger Dragonkin, don't get distracted. Always watch your back."
Just as Li Xi was about to attack the pot lid again to decisively end the fight, Soros's voice suddenly echoed from behind him.
This voice rang in Li Xi's ears like a death knell, catching him completely off guard. Under his powerful Dragon Eyes, he had witnessed Soros being trapped under the Falling Sky Cover. It was impossible for him to emerge silently from under his nose.
Li Xi couldn't hear the sound of Soros's sword as he lunged from behind, as Soros's speed exceeded the speed of sound. However, he could feel a killing intent more chilling than millennia of ice, causing every hair on his body to stand on end.
Soros's speed seemed to have increased significantly. Li Xi couldn't react to such an improvement. He had been brimming with confidence in his attack moments ago, only to be suddenly counter-attacked.
When an assassin closes in, life and death are often decided in an instant, especially considering Soros's demonstrated mastery of poison.
In that instant, Li Xi's heart pounded violently, propelling blood throughout his body. Adrenaline surged, and his brain operated at peak speed. This was the closest Li Xi had been to death since his transmigration; he hadn't even felt this way when encountering the Flame Demon.
The tension, coupled with the inability to react at the brink of death, caused the dormant bloodline within him to boil. Two small tomoe suddenly appeared in Li Xi's eyes.
The Sharingan had awakened. The one-tomoe Sharingan emerged at Li Xi's moment of life-or-death crisis. All movements in his vision seemed to slow down slightly, enhancing his dynamic vision, but this slight improvement was of no help to Li Xi.
"I don't even know what to say to you," a voice emanated from within the seal in his abdomen.
Just as Soros's sword was about to pierce Li Xi, a blue flame erupted from Li Xi's entire body. This flame appeared to be extremely hot, even transforming into claws that actively swiped at Soros.