33: Chapter 33 The Truth

"Windwalker?" Ye Liuli's voice trembled slightly; she couldn't believe her ears. "Are you sure?"

Under the effects of the truth cookie, Shadow Blade could neither lie nor remain silent. His mouth seemed to have a will of its own, uncontrollably answering every question.

"Sure. His codename is 'Shadow,' and he is a mole we at [Dark Night] planted in [Dawn]. He has been undercover for three months."

Chen Ergou frowned. "Three months? Isn't that when [Dawn] was just founded?"

"That's right." Shadow Blade sneered, though the smile was somewhat stiff because his facial muscles were also not under his control due to the influence of the truth cookie. "From the very beginning, every move you [Dawn] made was under our control. Your tactics, your deployments, your weaknesses... we knew them all clearly."

Ye Liuli's face turned livid. Three months, three whole months! Her most trusted deputy was actually an enemy mole! For these three months, every action and every tactic of [Dawn] had been leaked to [Dark Night]. She had been like a fool, played in the palm of someone's hand. Every time a dungeon run failed, every time their tactics were countered, she thought it was her own fault, not knowing that the true culprit was standing right beside her.

"Why?" Her voice was as cold as ice. "Why would Windwalker betray me?"

Shadow Blade hesitated for a moment, but under the powerful effect of the truth cookie, he still revealed the truth: "Because he was originally one of [Dark Night]'s people. He joined [Dawn] just to dismantle you from the inside."

"Then what is his true identity?"

"The younger brother of the [Dark Night] guild master."

Ye Liuli closed her eyes. So that was it. No wonder Windwalker was always so enthusiastic, so considerate, and always able to give "perfectly timed" advice at critical moments. It turned out that everything was a calculation. Every smile and every word of concern from him was a carefully designed disguise.

"Anything else?" Chen Ergou continued to ask. "What other plans does [Dark Night] have?"

Shadow Blade's face turned very ugly, and his mouth uncontrollably opened: "Three days from now, we will launch a full-scale attack on [Dawn]. At that time, Windwalker will open the city gates from the inside, and we will coordinate from inside and out to wipe out [Dawn] in one fell swoop."

"What?!" Ye Liuli opened her eyes abruptly, her phoenix eyes filled with cold murderous intent. Three days from now? A full-scale attack?! If she didn't know this news, [Dawn] would be wiped out in three days!

"You..." Her voice carried suppressed anger. "Good, very good!"

Chen Ergou looked at Ye Liuli's expression and felt a bit worried. He knew that Ye Liuli must be feeling terrible right now. Being betrayed by the person she trusted most—he hadn't experienced this feeling himself, but he could imagine it. The anger and pain of being deceived and used were enough to make anyone break down.

"Guild Master Xiguang," he said softly, "calm down. Now is not the time to be angry; we need to think of a way to deal with this."

Ye Liuli took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She knew Chen Ergou was right. Now was not the time to be emotional; she had to be calm and find a way to resolve this crisis.

"Shadow Blade," she looked coldly at the bound assassin. "Do you have anything else to say?"

Shadow Blade gave a bitter smile. "I've said everything that needed to be said. What do you want? Kill me?"

Chen Ergou and Ye Liuli exchanged a look. "Tie him up first," Chen Ergou said, "then... we'll go back and put on a good show for Windwalker."

Ye Liuli nodded, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. Windwalker, since you want to play, I will play along with you to the end!

Chen Ergou took a few ropes out of his backpack and tied Shadow Blade up tightly. Shadow Blade wanted to resist, but the effect of the truth cookie was still active, and his body was limp, unable to muster any strength at all.

"Stop struggling," Chen Ergou patted his shoulder. "Cooperate obediently, and I guarantee you won't lose a piece of flesh."

Shadow Blade glared at him fiercely but couldn't speak. The three of them left the forest and walked towards Novice Village. On the way, Ye Liuli remained silent, and Chen Ergou did not disturb her. He knew that Ye Liuli needed time to digest this news.

"Chen Ergou," Ye Liuli suddenly spoke, her voice slightly hoarse. "Thank you."

"Thank you for what?"

"If it weren't for you, I might never have known Windwalker's true face." Ye Liuli said. "Three days from now, [Dawn] would have been wiped out."

"No need for thanks!" Chen Ergou chuckled. "We're friends!"

Ye Liuli looked at him, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, but her eyes held a hint of complex emotion. Friends... this word seemed to have always been very distant in her life.