Chapter 289: Chen the Blind Man

Li Huowang heard Chen Xiazi's words, and the retort he was about to utter caught in his throat.

"What does he mean? Does he suspect I'm a Zuowangdao follower? Did he not call for reinforcements at all?" Li Huowang's mind raced, and the Big-Headed Doll who had previously invited him to join the Celestial Monitoring Bureau instantly became highly suspicious. Without Li Huowang's control, the You Lao Ye, previously suspended in the air like jellyfish, all stopped moving, remaining motionless.

"No!" Li Huowang's expression hardened. He violently shook his bell, and the eight You Lao Ye instantly flew towards Chen Xiazi, their movements accompanied by the ringing sound. "I need undeniable proof! I can't be led into another trap!"

Though blind, Chen Xiazi seemed to sense the You Lao Ye's positions. He dodged an attack with a swift backward bend, then quickly pulled an Eight Trigrams mirror from the bamboo basket on his back.

"Heaven clear, earth bright; yin turbid, yang clear!"

A gentle light emanated from the mirror, sweeping fiercely through the air like a long sword. Any You Lao Ye caught in its path vanished instantly. Another sweep severed two more You Lao Ye at the waist. As he prepared to aim the mirror at the remaining You Lao Ye, he suddenly felt a surge of killing intent directly above him.

In a flash, Li Huowang, radiating intense killing intent, closed the distance. His sword was now only half a *zhang* from Chen Xiazi's neck. Yet, in the next moment, Chen Xiazi's head retracted into his body like a turtle's, vanishing from sight. Just as Li Huowang's initial thrust ran out of force and before he could gather new strength, a large hand emerged from the now-empty collar of Chen Xiazi's robe, firmly seizing Li Huowang's sword-wielding wrist.

Li Huowang sharply pulled his hand back, but instead of freeing himself, he found Chen Xiazi clinging on even more tightly, using Li Huowang's own momentum against him. Capitalizing on Li Huowang's pulling force, Chen Xiazi thrust the bamboo staff he held directly at Li Huowang's chest. However, his attack failed. The remaining You Lao Ye returned to aid Li Huowang. For a time, the two engaged in a fierce, back-and-forth struggle, with the situation remaining tense.

This stalemate wouldn't last, though, as Li Huowang had prepared a contingency.

"Brother Li! We're here to help you!" Bai Lingmiao, Gao Zhijian, and the others, who had been waiting in the distance, pulled out their weapons and charged at Chen Xiazi. If Li Huowang alone was a formidable opponent, with four more combatants, Chen Xiazi stood no chance. The outcome was sealed.

"Thwack!" A long needle wrapped in white fur pinned Chen Xiazi's right hand to his staff. Instantly, his five fingers, like melting wax, slid down to his elbow. Unable to hold his weapon, Chen Xiazi's heart seized with panic. The next instant, a sense of dread washed over him as a strong, blood-tinged gust of wind rustled his hair.

"This is bad!" his heart pounded.

"Zhijian! Don't kill him!"

The moment Li Huowang's voice rang out, Chen Xiazi felt the powerful gust of wind swerve and slam into his arm. With a sickening crunch of bone, Gao Zhijian's spiked mace savagely crushed Chen Xiazi's arm. Chun Xiaoman rushed forward, kicked the staff from Chen Xiazi's grasp, then deftly caught the chains Gao Zhijian threw to her, swiftly binding Chen Xiazi.

"Did you see that? Huh? This blind man is now at the mercy of Grandfather Cao Cao!"

Li Huowang ignored Gouwa's boast and walked directly to Chen Xiazi. "Are you an official or just a commoner? Now we can have a proper talk."

"Cough—*pthwack!*" A gob of bloody phlegm flew towards Li Huowang's face, but he effortlessly dodged it. Gao Zhijian's massive fist smacked Chen Xiazi across the face, leaving his nose crooked and several teeth missing.

"Don't be so rough," Li Huowang said, stopping Gao Zhijian from striking again. He turned back to Chen Xiazi. "I'll ask one more time: who are you?"

"I am your great-grandfather!" Chen Xiazi retorted, his face flushed. Li Huowang simply looked down, extracting a small, willow-leaf-shaped knife, as thin as a cicada's wing, from his torture kit. "If you won't tell me, I'll find out myself. Hold his head still so he can't retract it."

With a muffled scream from Chen Xiazi, the willow-leaf knife sliced diagonally into the skin of his lower jaw. Li Huowang carefully peeled back one layer of skin, then began on the second, his focus as intense as a seasoned artisan. As time passed, Li Huowang's expression grew increasingly grim. He had almost completely peeled back Chen Xiazi's face, yet he had only found that single layer of skin.

"You... you're really not a Zuowangdao follower?" Li Huowang asked, looking at Chen Xiazi, who was barely clinging to life. He had initially suspected Chen Xiazi was trying to sow discord, but with undeniable proof now before him, Li Huowang had to admit he seemed to have made a grave error.

"I... I'll send you to your grandma's!"

Seeing the weakened Chen Xiazi still cursing him, Li Huowang's heart tightened. He quickly turned to Bai Lingmiao, who stood nearby: "Miaomiao, quick! Please ask the White Immortal to heal him immediately!"

After a hurried scramble, Li Huowang finally watched as the face he had peeled off was sewn back onto Chen Xiazi.

"My deepest apologies, senior. In that situation, I truly couldn't tell. Zhijian, quickly untie him."

If Chen Xiazi was indeed genuine, it meant the Big-Headed Doll was compromised, or even a Zuowangdao follower themselves, suggesting this entire encounter was a trap.

The heavily injured Chen Xiazi, now unbound, immediately rolled away from Li Huowang and his companions like a startled monkey. Weak and disoriented, he leaned against the wall, his expression shifting as he looked toward the source of approaching footsteps. "What new tricks are you Zuowangdao playing now? Do you actually think I'll believe you? Don't be foolish!" With that, he struggled to stand, but his injuries made it an almost impossible task.

"Senior Chen, please hear me out," Li Huowang said, blocking Chen Xiazi's path.

"What explanation could there possibly be for this situation? Do you mean to tell me that was a misunderstanding? You want me to trust you? Fine! Get out of here! The further you go, the more I'll believe you!"

The two speaking suddenly fell silent, both turning in unison to look at the distant village temple. There, within its circular archway, a figure stood askew. It was the Clay Bodhisattva. Half of his body was cloaked in darkness, the other half illuminated by moonlight. He stood motionless, his face a gaping black void, staring intently at Li Huowang and his companions.

"That's it! Do you see?! You've beaten me like this, and those mud demons have seen it! They're going to seize this chance to kill me while I'm wounded! Now we'll all die together!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than, from behind the Clay Bodhisattva, the Eighteen Arhats from within the temple slowly emerged. With every step, a layer of mud on their bodies cracked, revealing pairs of faintly visible compound eyes hidden within the fissures.