In the end, only Su Fu and Houchu remained in the restaurant.
Su Fu’s eyes curved with delight as she praised: “You did great—looked completely convincing. This time, let’s split it fifty-fifty. Don’t worry, I always keep my word.”
They had long since formed an alliance, communicating through the Serpent of Temptation—a true god-level relay.
No one but the two of them could hear a single word.
In fact, from the moment Su Fu realized she was the traitor, she had started looking for a helper.
There was no choice—with this rule set, a traitor needed a scapegoat.
Otherwise, with so many rounds of elimination, it would be her turn eventually.
Besides, the rules had already stated: A vote may be held every thirty minutes. Correct votes will eliminate the traitor; incorrect votes will eliminate the voter.
For the traitor, the key was in that second part: incorrect votes would eliminate the voters.
That was a blatant hint on how to take out opponents.
In short—they’d won!
Houchu looked at the hand resting on his shoulder, making no move, just lowering his gaze.
[“Banquet over.”]
[“Congratulations to the Traitor camp for their victory.”]
[“Please accept your reward.”]
A second later, a silver coin appeared out of thin air, floating before Su Fu.
This coin was slightly larger than a normal one, with a blurry profile on one side, and on the reverse, a withered tree from which a hazy figure hung.
Su Fu wondered—’could that figure be Judas?’
She reached for the coin, its touch cool and the edges unusually smooth.
She flicked it lightly with her thumb and forefinger—a crisp “ding” rang out through the restaurant.
“The Paradise Pantheon is really generous,” Su Fu said with feeling.
A divine artifact that could make anyone believe you, no conditions attached—truly invaluable.
The Saint and Saintess, already eliminated, were still a bit indignant.
The Saint figured it out, but too late: “Damn it, we were tricked by Su Fu—she was the traitor all along!”
“The real question is, why didn’t Houchu say anything?” The Saintess couldn’t understand, “He could have just explained and cleared everything up, but he just kept backing away.”
“Wait a minute—” The Saintess realized with shock, “Were the two of them working together?”
They looked at each other, their expressions complicated.
Houchu… had actually cooperated with Su Fu?
The Saint cleared his throat, changing the subject: “But how did Su Fu pull it off?”
“Exactly,” the Saintess agreed, “I checked her parchment myself—it was genuine.”
“If it was an illusion, it was incredibly subtle. How about… we invite them for another round?” the Saintess suggested.
The Saint’s eyes wavered: “The High Priestess won’t notice, right?”
The Saintess thought it over and said: “Don’t worry, it’s just friendly competition—between us and Houchu.”
They shared a smile—good enough excuse.
“Come on, let’s go invite them!”
Su Fu and Houchu had just finished the game and returned to the villa when Dai Li and Jiang Nanchen rushed up eagerly.
“Hurry, hurry, tell us—who was the traitor in the end? Number one or number two?” Dai Li asked excitedly.
Jiang Nanchen interrupted angrily: “That traitor actually framed me, made me her scapegoat!”
Su Fu hesitated: “Well, the traitor… was me.”
“Uh… is it possible that…”
Dai Li: “???”
Jiang Nanchen: “!!!”
Just then, Shen Yan’s prompt sounded: [“Student Su Fu, your teammates from the last round enjoyed playing with you and invited you to the next match. Will you accept?”]
[“From Alexander and Emilia”]
[“Accept/Reject] (Please decide within ten minutes”)
“What?” Su Fu was stunned, “Another round?”
‘Seriously? Were the Saint and Saintess hooked now?’
She glanced at Houchu, who was also looking at a prompt.
“They invited you too?”
Houchu nodded, “So, should we…”
Su Fu originally wanted to refuse on instinct, but then she thought, during these long nights, it really wouldn’t hurt to have some entertainment.
So what was she waiting for?
“Let’s go!”
As for cultivation?
She swore that she would definitely cultivate properly tomorrow.
Definitely!
Once they started, they played three rounds in a row, going straight into the late hours of the night.
In the end, it was Alexander and Saintess Emilia who surrendered first: “No, no, I can’t do this anymore. If we keep going, the High Priestess is going to catch us.”
“We’ll fight again tomorrow!”
Su Fu could only sigh in regret as they ended the session.
The next day, Jiang Nanchen and Dai Li joined in as well.
After a full day of fierce, familiar battling, everyone, now experienced, played even more intensely, plotting and countering each other with endless reversals.
“Jiang Nanchen, stop shooting that Cupid’s Arrow everywhere!”
Dai Li protested angrily, “We’d already found the traitor, but you started shooting arrows everywhere, and that person just went crazy for love and volunteered to take the blame!”
“Heh, and you’re talking about me?” Jiang Nanchen shot back, “How many scapegoats did you charm with the goddess’s allure? And then you slipped away yourself?”
The more they argued, the more animated they became.
Su Fu hurried to mediate: “All right, all right, stop arguing, let’s just play another round!”
As soon as she spoke, the two of them turned to her and asked, “And you, Su Fu, I don’t even want to talk about your Illusion Technique. How is that not cheating?”
If Su Fu was on their side, she’d be carried straight to victory—absolutely exhilarating.
But if she wasn’t… Heavens, it was pure suffering.
Off to the side, Houchu poked his head in: “So, are we going for another round or not?”
“Yes!” everyone replied in unison.
On the fifth day, Su Fu created a small group and sent two words: “Play now?”
On the sixth day, “Play?”
On the seventh day, “Play?”
After four days of continuous play, everyone’s image was ruined.
Saint Son Alexander’s hair was a total mess, Saintess Emilia was utterly devoid of elegance, and Jiang Nanchen kept rubbing his eyes, as if that would help…
“Another round!” Emilia gritted her teeth, “This time I’ll catch the traitor for sure!”
Su Fu was about to agree, when a message arrived from High Priestess Olivia: [Su Fu, get ready. Tonight the Judgement Court will be in session.]
[Also, Supreme Lord Tikir would like to meet you in advance. He’ll probably come this afternoon. When are you available?]
Seeing this, Su Fu was a little dazed.
She’d been having way too much fun these past few days.
It was the morning of the seventh day; if not for Olivia’s message, she’d probably have played all day again.
Su Fu looked at the group and quickly waved her hands: “I really can’t play this time, I’ve got something this afternoon.”
Emilia said quietly, “How about just one last round?”
Su Fu: “Damn it!”
She was inwardly indignant— ‘Saintess, you’re tempting me! But… one last round?’
She thought about it—one should always see things through to the end.
With gusto, she declared, “Bring it on!”
In the afternoon, Su Fu first went to the Tree of Life to recover, then headed to the Revelation Court to meet the head bishop.
This time, the meeting place was the Council Hall.
All around were pure white divine pillars, and the ceiling was a massive dome depicting the Paradise Pantheon’s creation scenes.
As soon as she entered, she saw a tall figure in red robes standing with his back to her.
It must be a divine projection, so this was Supreme Lord Tikir, whom Olivia mentioned?
Almost simultaneously, the man turned around.
Supreme Lord Tikir appeared to be around fifty, with short silver-gray hair, a prominent nose, and ocean-blue eyes.
He wore a red bishop’s robe with a cross-shaped badge, set with a sapphire.
Su Fu thought, the Paradise Pantheon really did love sapphires.
“You must be Su Fu?” Supreme Lord Tikir’s tone was exceedingly kind.
Su Fu gave a polite bow, “Yes, Your Excellency the head bishop. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“No need to be so formal.”
Tikir smiled, then coughed lightly, “Ahem, I asked to see you because—Olivia tells me you wish to take away the Serpent of Temptation?”
He continued, “What a good child, I completely agree. So, I plan to bring this up in the Judgement Court session later. At that time, as long as you and the Wisdom Fruit both pass a court vote, you can take it with you anytime.”
“It’ll make it easier for you to take it away. What do you think?”
The thought of finally sending off that snake put Tikir in a great mood.
Heavens, only God knew how annoying that snake was!
It couldn’t be killed, nor could it be sent away.
Now that someone finally wanted to take it, he had to seize the chance to send it off once and for all.
After today, he would be truly free—never again needing to worry what tricks that snake was up to.
At this thought, Tikir found Su Fu more and more pleasing to the eye.
What a wonderful young lady.
Who knew that Su Fu would instead show a shocked expression: “Huh? When did I ever say I wanted to take away the Serpent of Temptation?”
Tikir: “!!!”
His vision darkened, and he almost lost his balance, “Didn’t…?”
He instinctively looked to Olivia, silently asking what was going on.
Olivia was just as shocked and turned to Su Fu, “Didn’t you already arrange things with the Serpent of Temptation? Didn’t she ask you to take her out?”
That’s what she’d thought.
But Su Fu looked even more astonished: “High Priestess, you know what that snake’s been up to?”
Olivia quickly waved her hands, “No, no, actually, this is all the Serpent of Temptation’s wishful thinking. I had no such intention.”
Su Fu’s face was earnest, “The Serpent of Temptation is one of your garden’s prized employees. How could I just take her away?”
“What’s more… She’s so used to living here, maybe she wouldn’t adapt to the outside world, right?”
Tikir: “!!!”
‘The sky was falling—no! Just take it!’
Olivia looked troubled—so she’d misunderstood?
But if that was the case, what now?
At that moment, the Serpent of Temptation went berserk: “No! No! I’m leaving with you! You promised to teach me the Dragon Transformation Art! I want to become a dragon! A dragon! I don’t care! If you don’t agree, I’ll… I’ll seduce everyone! I’ll throw this place into chaos!”
Su Fu hurried to persuade her, ‘Think carefully—this is Eden, such a wonderful place. Following me will only bring you hardship.’
She sighed helplessly, ‘I’m just a student. How could I possibly support you?’
The Serpent of Temptation immediately screamed at Tikir, “Then give her money! Anyway, I want to go with her! I want to study the Dao with her! If you don’t agree, I’ll—”
“I’ll give you nightmares every night, and turn your dinners into snake bile! I’ll make all of Eden’s guards fall in love with me! I’ll reveal your secret letters to the Pope in the Vatican!”
“……”
Tikir’s vision darkened, nearly fainting on the spot.
‘Shut up!’
‘Hurry and shut up!’
If the Serpent of Temptation really made those things public… the sky would fall!
He’d pay, he’d pay—what’s a little money, if he could finally get rid of that serpent?
Absolutely worth it.
“Stop wailing!” Tikir hurriedly looked at Su Fu and asked, “How about it, do you need Contribution Points? Is one hundred million enough? Besides that, I’ll do my best to help you acquire the Wisdom Fruit this time.”
He thought a moment and continued, “You’ll also get to use the Angel Feather Pen once, no conditions. Whenever you wish!”
“And of course, if you can get into Genesis Academy and reach the Central Star System, Paradise and the Revelation Court will welcome you.”
Faced with this string of “upkeep fees,” Su Fu was satisfied.
Contribution Points were as good as universal currency—a must-have.
The Wisdom Fruit would be securely in hand.
The most valuable, of course, was the Angel Feather Pen.
This pen had once saved the world; being allowed to use it once was truly a gift!
As for the last item—though it sounded a bit like an empty promise, she’d need access to the Central Star System to get into either sacred site anyway, so it wasn’t unreasonable.
“Since that’s the case…”
The two exchanged a smile—everything understood without words.
“Since the head bishop trusts me, I’ll accept the responsibility!” Su Fu said sincerely, “Then, for this Judgement Court, I’ll be counting on your help.”
Tikir, thinking of the Serpent of Temptation leaving today, couldn’t hide his grin.
“Don’t worry! You’ve made a tremendous contribution to the Paradise Pantheon; you deserve the highest honor.”
“I’ll personally vouch for you at the Judgement Court. You can rest assured.”
In his good mood, Tikir became generous: “Also, I’ll personally arrange enough resources to help you support the Serpent of Temptation, as thanks for your selfless devotion.”
“Happy cooperation, Su Fu.”
“Happy cooperation, Your Excellency the head bishop.”
Su Fu nodded slightly, thinking, this old man really knows how to behave.