Chapter 152: Suspicion

Seeing Li Huowang eating in the main hall, Lu Zhuangyuan, who had his hands on his hips, instantly seemed to shrink a head shorter, his face naturally breaking into an ingratiating smile.

“Young Daoist Master, please don’t be amused. That wasn’t an argument; it was merely the Pear Garden disciples discussing opera amongst themselves. Heh heh, you live and learn, don’t you?”

Li Huowang’s lips curled slightly. “How was it? You had an argument with the locals, they didn’t make things difficult for you, did they?”

Lu Zhuangyuan was just then brimming with joy with nowhere to share it. Seeing Li Huowang engage him, he immediately rolled up his sleeves, raised his right foot onto a stool, and instantly began to boast endlessly.

“Young Daoist Master, as you know, I’ve been singing opera for over thirty years. Could an old man like me be intimidated by three youngsters in their twenties?”

“When I first got there, they tried to give me a tough welcome. We're all opera singers, what could an old man like me be afraid of? *Clap clap clap!* I just plonked myself down on their box and shouted, ‘Your opera is off-key!’ Heh heh, guess what happened?”

Li Huowang chimed in cooperatively, and Lu Zhuangyuan immediately continued his endless story.

“Ha! Those three young lads were stunned on the spot. The youngest one even asked, ‘Where is it off-key?’”

“He even wanted me, an old man, to teach him. How could I just teach something like that to anyone? I simply sat there, giving him the cold shoulder. He didn't even offer me a cup of tea; he could dream on.”

“Oh, you wouldn't believe how they looked at me then – utterly respectful! They all called me ‘old senior’!”

“However, to be fair, I wasn't just talking nonsense. Their tune really was pitched too high. As an old senior, I have to support the younger generation, don't you agree?”

Listening to Lu Zhuangyuan’s vivid boasting, Li Huowang realized that with such eloquence, it would be a shame if he didn’t become a storyteller.

Li Huowang finished his meal just as Lu Zhuangyuan finished his story.

With a beaming face, he picked up his teacup, let out a comfortable sigh, and felt deeply satisfied.

“Master Lu, what opera were they singing? Why did it sound so strange?” Li Huowang asked, sweeping the last bite of rice into his mouth.

“Oh, they were performing ‘Da Nuo Drives Away Twelve Ghosts.’ It’s an old opera, said to have been passed down for thousands of years. It’s an ancient play, which explains the peculiar singing style.”

“Who is Da Nuo?” Li Huowang asked, using his chopsticks to pick his teeth.

“I don’t know either. From the lyrics those three youngsters sang, he sounded like an immortal.”

“They said that in this region of Later Shu, many years ago, it was a ghost kingdom where people were like livestock, born only to be eaten.”

“Later, Da Nuo arrived and drove away the twelve most powerful ghosts from the ghost kingdom. He also taught the ancients to stand upright and walk, to speak and write, and to use fire.”

“So it’s a mythical story...” Li Huowang’s eyes narrowed slightly, and the three masked figures who performed the Nuo opera came to mind.

“Is the person from last night related to these Nuo opera performers?”

It was understandable for Li Huowang to suspect them; as soon as he entered the town, he had seen them performing that strange Nuo opera and the creepy "playing with teeth" act.

“Wait, ‘playing with teeth’?” Li Huowang recalled the copper coin mask worn by the person last night. If the mask concealed their teeth, it would fit perfectly.

With this thought, he glanced at Lu Zhuangyuan. “Master Lu, when those three young men performing the Nuo opera spoke to you, did they take off their masks?”

“No, they were so busy when they saw me that they didn’t even remove their makeup; they respectfully served me tea!” Lu Zhuangyuan said, his face full of pride.

“It was really them? But there were clearly only three. Did the person last night deliberately mislead me?” Li Huowang’s brows gradually furrowed.

“Daoist! Daoist!” A loud voice interrupted Li Huowang’s thoughts.

He looked up to see the disheveled monk standing at the entrance, looking at him with a happy expression.

“Where were you? Why are you only coming out now? I looked for you all morning and couldn’t find you.”

Li Huowang put down his chopsticks, walked up to him, and scrutinized him. “Looking for me? Is something wrong?”

“Of course there is! Come on, I found a fun place!”

The monk’s words brought back some unpleasant memories for Li Huowang. The last time the monk said that, he ended up leading Li Huowang to the Flesh and Blood Buddha.

However, it was precisely that time that Li Huowang was able to see through Zhengde Temple’s disguise. In a way, the monk was half his savior.

Glancing at the intense sun outside, Li Huowang stepped out. “Alright, let’s go.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sudden movement behind him.

“Hehehe...”

“Hehehe...”

Li Huowang instantly turned his head towards the two low laughs.

It was Danyangzi and Jiang Yingzi, standing together in the corner, both pairs of their faces bearing eerie, mocking smiles.

“Daoist! Hurry up!” the monk, already out on the street, urged Li Huowang under the sun.

“The monk? Could it be him?” Li Huowang pondered, looking at the distant figure.

Although he had probed several times yesterday, the monk’s sudden appearance here was indeed a bit abrupt.

“Is it an illusion? But such things aren’t very effective on me to begin with. And now that my perception has increased so much, if he were fake, I should have detected him long ago.”

“Wait, why am I letting those two illusions affect me? They’re both fake.” Li Huowang’s mind began to reel, and he fell into self-doubt.

“Daoist! Hurry up, what are you dawdling for?”

Seeing the monk almost hoarse from shouting, Li Huowang took a deep breath and walked over.

Whether it was truly him or not, Li Huowang decided to conduct further tests.

If it was the real monk, that would be ideal. But if he was fake, it would be the perfect opportunity to act, to uncover his true purpose and whether there was someone else behind him.

The person’s escape last night had made Li Huowang’s approach to dealing with matters a bit bolder.

The street in the afternoon was still crowded, likely due to the town being a border settlement. Mules, horses, and camels constantly brushed past Li Huowang.

“Monk, where are we going?” Li Huowang asked, his hand subtly resting on the *Daqian Lu* he was waiting for.

“Not far, we’re almost there. Look, just over there.”

Li Huowang followed the monk’s finger and saw three people wearing wooden masks performing opera.

“Heh heh, how about that? Never seen it before, have you?” the monk said excitedly.

“Nuo opera. Is this the ‘good show’ you were talking about?” Li Huowang’s face showed a hint of speechlessness.

“If you’ve seen it, then watch it again. This kind of opera can only be seen here, nowhere else! You won’t be able to see it again later. Oh, look, they’re packing up.”

The monk’s face was full of regret, but Li Huowang’s spirits lifted, because he saw the three performers taking off their masks.