“You… what do you mean?” Zheng Yingxiong asked.

“Pavlov’s dog.” Qi Xia said. “Simply put, every time you feed the dog, you ring a bell. Over time, just ringing the bell will make the dog salivate.”

“This…?” Zheng Yingxiong seemed to understand this principle, but also felt something was off somewhere.

“Now we need to add another layer to this theorem.” Qi Xia said. “As long as the dog starts salivating, humans will start frantically ringing the bell as if possessed.”

“Ah?”

“Since we’ve already forcibly associated the bell ringing with feeding, let’s make their association even tighter.” Qi Xia said. “From now on, you are the ‘Giant Bell.’ As long as you speak, they can obtain their ‘Echo.'”

Zheng Yingxiong felt that Qi Xia was indeed worthy of being the master he had acknowledged. His way of thinking far exceeded his imagination.

He would use “Spirit Smell” to announce these people’s “fragrance,” and make them truly obtain the “fragrance.” But in the end, no one would know that in fact, “Spirit Smell” had never been activated from beginning to end.

Qi Xia was very similar to Wan Cai, who once ruled “Jade City,” but not entirely the same. His thinking was beyond Wan Cai’s.

Zheng Yingxiong organized his thoughts, then said: “As long as I say it… they’ll believe?”

Qi Xia shook his head: “Making them believe your words isn’t a simple matter, because you need to pay attention to the timing and frequency of your words. As long as the other party becomes suspicious once, it will be very difficult for you to gain their trust again afterward. After all, some teammates are very difficult to deal with.”

“Like Chen Junnan.” Zheng Yingxiong said.

“Right, like Chen Junnan.” Qi Xia said. “To deceive him and make him believe he’s truly obtained his ‘Echo’ will require some effort from you.”

“Okay…” Zheng Yingxiong nodded with a heavy expression. “You just said this is the first part of the task. Is there a second part?”

“Yes.” Qi Xia said. “When you’re proficient at the first part of the task and have truly helped our teammates obtain their ‘Echo,’ you can begin the second part. But similarly, if you fail repeatedly in the first part, then forget the second part I mentioned.”

“The second part of the task is, when encountering the enemy, to announce that the ‘Echo’ on the enemy has disappeared.” Qi Xia paused and continued. “But this second part is very difficult. As long as you can succeed once, it’s fine. It doesn’t matter whose ‘Echo’ you break. And I don’t mind you attempting it multiple times.”

After hearing this, Zheng Yingxiong didn’t speak for a long time, as if unsure whether he could do it.

“Qi Xia…” Zheng Yingxiong called out. “Logically speaking… if this method works, shouldn’t you first make me believe that I’ve obtained the ‘fragrance,’ and then have me tell them ‘I’ve smelled the fragrance’? Why tell me the truth directly?”

“Zheng Yingxiong…” Qi Xia said. “Do you think you don’t have the ‘fragrance’ right now?”

“Huh…?”

“You can smell the strange odors here, but we cannot.” Qi Xia said. “You’ve never doubted whether you’re what you call a ‘fragrance bearer,’ because in your memory, you simply don’t know what it feels like to lose the ‘fragrance.'”

“So I’ve always carried ‘Spirit Smell’…” Zheng Yingxiong blinked. “It’s just that in this place of chaotic scents, there’s no way to utilize my ‘Spirit Smell.'”

“No way to utilize it?” Qi Xia chuckled. “Isn’t it being utilized right now?”

“Huh…?”

“Fake utilization is still utilization.” Qi Xia said. “Only you can accomplish this task, so please.”

“I’ll do my best.” Zheng Yingxiong said with a serious expression.

“By the way, you can go find Tiantian first.” Qi Xia said. “I’ve already found a way to make her ‘Echo’ just now. Go deepen the power of her ‘Echo,’ and also practice your lying skills.”

“Okay!”

After seeing Qi Xia leave the room, Zheng Yingxiong immediately took several deep breaths.

The upcoming task was very strange for Zheng Yingxiong. For nearly ten years or more, every single day he had been judging the “scent” on others. What he had to do next was no different from before, except that he had to lie.

Clearly smelling nothing, but truly having to pretend he smelled something.

Because he had never done this before, even Zheng Yingxiong himself didn’t know what his success rate would be.

He only remembered that someone had once knelt before him, begging him to lie so that he could obtain food.

But Zheng Yingxiong hadn’t agreed, and that person became the first soul to die under Wan Cai’s hands.

If he had known there would be such a day… if he had agreed back then and learned to lie in advance, would everything have been different?

Zheng Yingxiong came back to his senses and carefully contemplated the upcoming tactics.

The first priority was naturally to find Tiantian. Practicing on someone who already had the “fragrance” would definitely be the best situation. The lies would come more naturally, and there wouldn’t be any sense of guilt.

But what next?

Qiao Jiajin was currently severely injured and lying on the ground, so he didn’t need to be considered a priority target.

If he had to say who in the entire team would be easiest to succeed with and easiest to deceive, Zheng Yingxiong immediately thought of Han Yimo.

Although they were both adults, Han Yimo gave Zheng Yingxiong a strange feeling. That person seemed to have gone crazy long ago, and now his mind was full of a madman’s logic, so he should be easy to persuade.

Next would be Lawyer Zhang, but the reason Lawyer Zhang would be easy to deceive was different from Han Yimo’s. She wasn’t stupid. It was just that because he and Lawyer Zhang had just acted together, and he had exposed the person pretending to be Chen Junnan right in front of her, Lawyer Zhang currently had very high trust in him. What he said should also be believed.

However, after separating from him, Lawyer Zhang seemed to have fallen into some kind of game. He hadn’t seen her for quite a while.

Finally… would be conquering the “peak” that was Chen Junnan. To make Chen Junnan believe his words would really require careful planning. Perhaps ordinary methods were no longer applicable.

Zheng Yingxiong could only secretly feel grateful that he didn’t need to use this method to deceive Qi Xia. Otherwise, even “planning” would be futile.

He adjusted his mood and searched through several rooms, successfully finding Tiantian.

At this moment, Tiantian was chanting something with her eyes closed, occasionally opening her eyes to look around, as if confirming her results.

“Sister?” Zheng Yingxiong called out tentatively.

“Huh? Little Brother Yingxiong.” Tiantian turned around and called out. “How did you come here…?”

“I was in the room next door just now… and suddenly smelled a very fragrant scent…” Zheng Yingxiong said. “Sister… did you ‘Echo’?”

“Me…?” Tiantian smiled. “Yes, Little Brother Yingxiong. You found out. I wasn’t quite sure just now, but if even you’re saying this, then it should be correct.”

“Mm.” Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “Sister, I smelled the fragrance of ‘Skillful Objects.'”