"Doesn't it hurt?" Yan Changshou's smile disappeared as he glanced at Fang Xiu, who remained calm and composed.
"Is it supposed to hurt?" Fang Xiu responded, almost catching Yan Changshou off guard with the question.
"This can't be real! How can you not feel any pain?" he exclaimed, growing increasingly frustrated. Yet, Fang Xiu appeared more at ease as the pain within him intensified.
Seeing Yan Changshou getting more agitated, Fang Xiu decided to explain. "Quit playing games. I was born without emotions. Fear and pain aren't things I experience."
Yan Changshou was stunned. 'No emotions? No pain?'
Reflecting on Fang Xiu's fearless behavior, even in dangerous situations, Yan Changshou started to believe there might be some truth to his words.
That would explain Fang Xiu's fearless attitude and why he seemed to mock him unintentionally. It wasn't on purpose; Fang Xiu just didn't understand what fear felt like.
So, Fang Xiu wasn't lying, but it was still infuriating.
Yan Changshou took a deep breath, trying to keep his cool. "If you don't have emotions and don't feel pain, why did you give me the Genesis Mask and decide to work with me? People like you shouldn't be easy to scare."
Fang Xiu could have given a hundred reasons for such a simple question. "You should know I have connections with the Pokers. That's why your attempts to kill me didn't work. Being able to see the future is valuable to any group."
Yan Changshou nodded, thinking it over. Seeing the future was definitely a valuable skill, and that's why he didn't kill Fang Xiu after getting the Genesis Mask. He wanted Fang Xiu to take down the head of the headquarters, and even more, to use Fang Xiu's foresight.
"The Pokers want to use my abilities, and I want to use theirs to help me become a Specter. Specters had a desire to kill and feels negative emotions, but as a human, I have none. While I've gotten used to it, there was a time when I wanted to feel human emotions."
"You want to become a Specter to feel human emotions?" Yan Changshou looked as puzzled as he felt. "Do you hear yourself?"
Fang Xiu looked at him steadily and said, "You wouldn't get it, and I don't blame you. But with your twisted emotions, you have no right to judge me."
Yan Changshou's face darkened, and violent thoughts began to churn inside him. Now more Specter than human, his heart was a nest of negative emotions.
Normally, anyone else talking to him like that would have met a swift end. But Fang Xiu was different; he was still useful.
Besides, Fang Xiu didn't feel fear or pain, so threats were pointless against him.
"Fine, if you want to become a Specter, why give up the Genesis Mask? With it, you could have achieved perfect Specterization by slowly merging with it."
Fang Xiu looked at Yan Changshou like he was missing the obvious, which only fueled Yan Changshou's anger.
"Isn't it because you told me to?" Fang Xiu replied.
Yan Changshou clenched his fists, struggling to keep his fury in check. "But you said you don't have emotions, so why would my threats matter? Just because I told you to?"
"Not being afraid to die and not wanting to die are different things. The opportunity to become a Specter is right here, so why waste it? Your goal and the Pokers' goal is to make everyone become a Specter, right? So, I'll just wait. Is that a problem?"
Fang Xiu's straightforward response left Yan Changshou momentarily speechless. He seemed to be making sense.
Yan Changshou's face went from pale to red, and after a long pause, he finally muttered, "No problem."
He didn't want to continue the conversation. He could barely contain the Specter power within him, and if they kept talking, he might lose control and attack Fang Xiu, ruining their plans. So, he decided to keep it short and assigned Fang Xiu his task.
Taking another deep breath to calm himself, Yan Changshou got straight to the point. "Fang Xiu, since we share the same goal, I'll get to it. Your task is to kill the head of the headquarters with your scalpel tomorrow night when he hands you the Spiritual Gadget."
"That's it?" Fang Xiu asked.
"The best assassinations are often simple. Remember how Jing Ke tried to assassinate the Qin Emperor with a dagger hidden in a map?*"
"Yes, and he failed," Fang Xiu noted.
"That's why I'm not giving you a map," Yan Changshou retorted.
A brief silence followed. Then Fang Xiu broke it. "What's a Spiritual Gadget?"
At the mention of the Spiritual Gadget, a gleam of greed flashed in Yan Changshou's eyes. He licked his lips like a predator eyeing its prey.
"A Spiritual Gadget is an ancient Specter Gadget," Yan Changshou explained.
Fang Xiu felt a surge of curiosity. An ancient Specter Gadget? Was it from the era that ended with Zhou Qingfeng? Or even earlier?
"If it's an ancient Specter Gadget, why change the name?" Fang Xiu asked.
Yan Changshou shook his head. "There's a big difference between a Spiritual Gadget and a Specter Gadget. Using a Specter Gadget too often can mess with a psychic's mind; it's not great for humans. But a Spiritual Gadget is different. It usually has more power than a Specter Gadget and rarely causes mental pollution. Basically, a Specter Gadget is better for Specters, while a Spiritual Gadget is better for humans."
Hearing this, Fang Xiu's interest in the Spiritual Gadget waned. A weapon that doesn't corrupt the mind didn't seem all that appealing to him.
Yan Changshou sighed slightly. "It's incredible how the psychics of the past could create such powerful tools like the Spiritual Gadget."
'Powerful?'
That word caught Fang Xiu's attention. From Yan Changshou's description, it sounded like the Spiritual Gadget had some extraordinary abilities, impressive enough to earn respect from even a fourth-tier psychic like him.