Junk or Not

Xue Yi felt his heart racing. He urgently needed to take a couple breaths of pure oxygen to calm himself.

Xu Conglong calmly asked, "First question. If Xiao Qingruo is a spy who plans to betray Holy Might Manor, what would you do?"

Xue Yi's expression was ugly. "This... she shouldn't be, right? The young miss grew up in the manor under your tutelage as your personal disciple. If she is a spy... then haven't I chosen to follow the wrong person?"

"What if this is true?" Xu Conglong insisted on a clear answer.

Xue Yi smiled bitterly. "If it's true, then I have no choice. Betraying Holy Might Manor means I'll certainly be killed by the people in the manor. Betraying the young miss means she'll also kill me. Either way, I can't escape death. I'll just follow whoever lets me live a bit longer. The result is the same for me."

"So you want to straddle the fence?" Xu Conglong frowned, dissatisfied with this answer.

Xue Yi explained, "No, it's mainly because the Lord's question is too agonizing. In my eyes, Holy Might Manor and the young miss are one entity. Making up scenarios like this is really difficult to choose between. Perhaps only when I'm truly faced with the situation will I know what to pick."

Xu Conglong considered this and felt it made some sense. He nodded slightly and didn't continue to torment him.

After a moment, he asked, "Second question. If Xiao Qingruo didn't have any abilities and was just an ordinary person, would you still be loyal to her?"

"Uh..."

Xue Yi was dumbfounded.

He was really stupefied this time, not pretending!

What does this mean?

Could the Lord have seen through her already?

He looked baffled and replied in disbelief, "How is this possible, my Lord? The young miss is... is the most outstanding cultivation prodigy in the history of the Divine Dynasty!"

Xu Conglong emphasized, "I'm asking hypothetically."

"Uh, well..."

Xue Yi thought for a moment.

He must have run into a ghost today!

Did Xu Conglong actually doubt Xiao Qingruo or not? This was worth careful consideration!

Logically, Xu Conglong was Xiao Qingruo's master. If he doubted her, he could test her anytime and immediately find out.

But he didn't!

Or perhaps he had tested her, but failed to find anything!

From this perspective, Xu Conglong probably still didn't know Xiao Qingruo was useless. He was just testing Xue Yi's loyalty with this question.

But there was another possibility... the Lord actually did know, but deliberately feigned ignorance, wanting to take advantage of Xiao Qingruo's false identity to benefit Holy Might Manor!

If this was the real scenario, then this Lord was quite frightening!

Xue Yi's thoughts turned sharply. Deviously, he replied, "The Lord's questions are increasingly difficult to answer. I've known since I was little that the young miss has peerless talents. If she has no abilities, wouldn't everything these years have been but a dream? Upon waking from the dream, whether to still be loyal to her... I'm not too clear on that either."

Once again he didn't directly answer the question.

But this time Xu Conglong wasn't unhappy. Instead, he nodded slightly. "Given your status, this is indeed about all you could know."

Xue Yi pretended to be surprised. "Does the Lord's words mean..."

Xu Conglong sighed. "This girl Qingruo has too many secrets. Even I can't see through her. Sometimes I feel she truly is the rarest prodigy in the world, but other times I feel she doesn't have any abilities at all."

From this statement, it could be seen he had noticed something off from how Xiao Qingruo had "never fought with anyone."

But Xiao Qingruo's "system" had fabricated a perfect illusion, making the Lord feel he was just overthinking.

Xue Yi basically understood the other's mental state.

But he had to pretend not to know. He replied, "How could that be? The young miss's abilities are plain for all to see. Just this morning, she nearly fought with the Second Young Lady and Eldest Young Master because of me. That aura was definitely not fake."

"But in the end no fight broke out, right?" Xu Conglong retorted.

"Well..."

Xue Yi looked baffled. "If you doubt the young miss's abilities, why not exchange a couple moves with her to clarify?"

He knew his own status and position. Right now he could only temporarily forget the secrets he knew about Xiao Qingruo and have this conversation as a "blank slate Xue Yi."

Xu Conglong shook his head. "It's precisely because I've tried before that I'm even more puzzled. When crossing hands with me, she indeed possessed formidable abilities. But outside, whether by coincidence or her own intention, in all these years she has never truly fought anyone else. This is what puzzles me the most!"

"Ah, is that so?"

Xue Yi was confused.

He was thoroughly and completely confused this time!

So Xiao Qingruo had actually fought with Xu Conglong before!

Not relying on illusions to pretend, but truly exchanging blows!

How was this possible!

With her lowly abilities as a piece of trash, wouldn't Xu Conglong smack her into meat paste with one slap?

Xue Yi was extremely shocked inside.

But he didn't dare show it outwardly. He just acted surprised and said, "Since you put it that way... it does seem to be the case. Could the young miss disdain those weaker than her and is too lazy to bother with them, not wanting to dirty her hands?"

Inwardly, he was secretly afraid.

That little vixen Xiao Qingruo had better not be pretending weakness to trick him!

It made no sense for a piece of trash to be so formidable in fighting!

If she actually had abilities and was deliberately acting weak, that would be more plausible!

After all, it's easier to pretend to be weak than pretend to be strong!

But why would she pretend to be weak?

To seduce him since he was a handsome guard captain? Or did she like getting spanked?

Surely she wouldn't pretend so convincingly!

He had nearly believed her completely!

Xu Conglong's expression was complex. "This girl is too unique. Even I can't see through her."

Xue Yi's mind was in turmoil, but outwardly he just scratched his head awkwardly, not knowing how to continue the conversation.

After a pause, Xu Conglong said, "My third question is to ask you to pay more attention to her for me. Take the opportunity to probe her abilities if you can. Her refusal to go to the Eastern Wilderness this time made me very suspicious that perhaps her abilities can only be displayed within Holy Might Manor, and will drastically decline once she leaves."

Xue Yi looked baffled. "Abilities declining after leaving? What is the reason for this?"

Xu Conglong shook his head. "I don't know. I'm just suspicious without any evidence. In a couple days after you pass the attendant exam, I'll send you on some minor tasks. Pay attention then and perhaps you can discover something."

Xue Yi felt he was nearly spun dizzy.

Right now he was very confused. Was Xiao Qingruo truly useless, falsely amazing, or truly amazing but faking uselessness?

This was a fatal issue involving his circumstances that he had to get to the bottom of!

"My Lord, I'll... I'll try. But I don't dare be too presumptuous, otherwise if the young miss gets angry, I'm afraid I'll be dead without even bones remaining." Xue Yi replied.

Xu Conglong nodded slightly. "Judge the timing yourself when the opportunity arises. If anything seems off, come notify me."

"Yes, my Lord!" Xue Yi accepted the order.

Xu Conglong looked him over a couple more times and asked, "When you return, if she asks what you were doing here, do you know how to answer?"

Xue Yi considered and said, "I'll say the Lord was testing my loyalty and seemed quite satisfied."

"You won't tell her the truth?" Xu Conglong smiled.

Xue Yi smiled wryly. "If I said that, given the young miss's proud and aloof temperament that can't tolerate the tiniest grain of sand in her eye, I'm afraid she would immediately take my life first, then come here to confront the Lord."

"It seems you understand her quite well."

Xu Conglong nodded satisfactorily. "Just know what to do. Right... take this item. Consider it a reward for your 'loyalty'."

Xu Conglong said.

As he spoke, he gestured at empty space. With true energy, he controlled a knife laying horizontally on top of a bookshelf in the corner. Sheath and all, he sent it flying into Xue Yi's hands.

"Thank you, my Lord!" Xue Yi happily said.

Although he didn't know what knife it was, a gift from the Lord certainly wouldn't be lacking!

"You may leave now." Xu Conglong waved his hand.

"Yes, your subordinate takes his leave."