Xinxin froze for a split second, clearly not expecting Shen Nianzu to ask such a question. His face turned pale, and under the scorching sunlight, he looked particularly thin and fragile as though he could pass out at any moment. "I–It's because… I…" he stammered, unable to finish the sentence that was stuck on his throat.
Seeing him hemming and hawing, Shen Nianzu's patience soon reached its peak. The most fatal trait to have for the players in the Cycle aside from fear and carelessness, it was hesitation – for you had no idea what a second of hesitation could cost you. It could be a limb, or even a life.