The sage was determined to die.

There were a total of seven scholars from the small country who had been relegated to this place.

Although they did not end up killing each other and ultimately benefiting the Chu people, their current situation is still not good.

Gradually, the conversation between the two turned into a conversation between the three.

Gongsun Yang and the other three lay on the grass with their eyes closed, resting. It was unclear whether they were genuinely tired or simply didn't want to get involved, as they did not join the discussion.

"That red...that man," one of them dared not call Ji Bai by his name directly, worried that the other might overhear, "Although that man didn't show any hostility towards us, who knows if it wasn't just a disguise? After all, they are the examiners, and we are just the examinees."

"You've all heard about the rules of Heaven, haven't you?"

Another scholar also emphasized, "The first rule is not to trust the red guard. The woman's clothes are red, but the man is all red. Such an obvious clue means that not a single word he says should be believed."

"That's right." The third person who joined later nodded and whispered, "If he really wanted to save us, he could have just let us go. Instead, he's teaming up with that woman to enslave us. I'm afraid it was all a scam from the beginning."

"One plays the good cop, and the other plays the bad cop."

"So... what should we do?"

The three fell silent.

The night wind rustled through the puppet forest, squeezing out a whistling sound as it passed through the dense foliage, like a cry or the call of a wild ghost.

"I know a shortcut, let's escape." The man's eyes gleamed. "If we take the shortcut, the Chu people shouldn't find us. Even if we all die, it's better to take a gamble than to be used up here."

.

Two people decided to go, while one person hesitated repeatedly and still couldn't make up their mind.

The woods were vast, and the wind was so strong that it drowned out the two people's deliberately soft footsteps.

As the two walked further and further away, Ji Bai opened his eyes from the darkness. He remained in the same position, with his arms crossed behind his head, leaning against the tree trunk to rest, without speaking a word.

I couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

I genuinely wanted to save you.

After a while, he turned his head in the darkness and looked at the old woman who had never closed her eyes, the true guardian of the Puppet Forest, and who had not stopped the two from escaping.

"You didn't stop them?" Ji Bai asked.

The old lady squinted and said, "With just these few people, when will we be able to cultivate that literary talent?"

She looked at Ji Bai, a hint of smugness in her voice.

"Although I can't read, there's one saying I do know."

"You have to cast a long line to catch a big fish."

……

No one was chasing them.

The two bypassed the area where the Chu people were stationed and ran out of the woods along a side path.

The tension that had been building up completely dissipated the moment they successfully escaped. Looking at the forest receding into the distance, the two almost burst into tears of joy.

"We're saved!"

The two, who were not particularly close before, hugged each other excitedly. Having gone through two life-or-death experiences together, their relationship had clearly been greatly strengthened.

The two relaxed and didn't notice that the scene was a little too quiet at the moment.

Just as they were about to start discussing where to go next, they heard applause behind them.

Chu Xi, leading a group of scholars from the State of Chu, had surrounded them from behind without them even realizing it.

The two snapped back to their senses, turning around in disbelief, their eyes wide with shock: "W-what are you doing here?"

Chu Xi yawned slowly, smiling to reveal two canine teeth, and said, "Touching, so incredibly touching. At first, my brother said someone would run out from this direction, and I didn't believe him, but I lost to him again."

As soon as he finished speaking, he picked up the sword he had obtained from the mountain of books, and in a few quick steps, he appeared in front of the two men like the wind. They almost instinctively walked in opposite directions, but before they could take a step, a long sword pierced through the heart of one of them.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Xi drew his sword instantly after killing one person, letting the warm blood splatter on his face. The blood covered his face like cracks, as if it were a mask, making his face look eerily ghostly.

The surviving scholar collapsed to the ground.

Chu Xi squatted down, laughing as she wiped the blood off her sword with the other person's collar, her tone natural: "Tell me, what did you experience inside?"

He glanced at the corpse on the ground, then looked at the other person with a smile and said, "You're not as lucky as him. If you dare to tell a single lie, I guarantee you'll die a thousand times worse than this man."

As soon as she finished speaking, the long sword was precisely placed in the other person's mouth, seemingly to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide. Then, Chu Xi reached out her right hand and touched the other person's right hand.

The cries of agony were silenced.

The wrist of this scholar from a small state was broken by the prince of Chu.

……

Half an hour later.

Chu Xi wiped the blood off her body and returned to Chu Ze's side.

Chu Ze didn't even look up, but frowned and said, "Next time, let someone else do this kind of thing."

Chu Xi felt a surge of emotion. He tugged at the corners of his mouth, grinned mischievously at his brother, and said, "Brother, I'm not a child anymore. If I can't cook, surely I can kill someone, right?"

"What I mean is—"

Chu Ze looked at his younger brother speechlessly and said, "Finding water in the Book Mountain is not easy. The water we store is for drinking, not for you to use for bathing."

"Stay away from me for the next few days."

Chu Ze commented on his younger brother: "He was covered in blood and smelled terrible."

Chu Xi looked as if she had been struck by lightning.

The two brothers did not discuss the issue for too long. Without Chu Ze's prompting, Chu Xi took the initiative to explain what questions she had asked.

The man struggled for a long time before he died, but under Chu Xi's influence, he confessed everything in detail.

Chu Ze's brows furrowed more and more as he listened.

Chu Xi sighed and said, "Brother, you also think what he said is strange, right?"

Chu Ze pondered, "Are you sure he wasn't lying?"

Chu Xi affirmed, "I didn't lie."

Chu Ze took out the compass again. This time, the compass was very quiet, with no unusual display. He had sensed something was wrong from the moment he first saw the person dressed in bright red.

As expected, the result was exactly what he anticipated.

Chu Xi waited quietly for her brother's interpretation.

Chu Ze said with a stern face, "That red figure should be an examiner from another place."

"As for Ji Bai, the scholar from Qi mentioned by the examiner," a glint flashed in his eyes, "if I'm not mistaken, he has already won the Wenxin Award."