Chapter 339: Getting Rich

Faced with the Disciples of Forgetfulness' rebuttal, Xin Chi seemed to be trying to defend himself.

But Li Huowang wasn't listening. He already knew that Xin Chi's act of personal revenge would ultimately backfire, and he could imagine how the Disciples of Forgetfulness would manipulate them using his identity.

However, more important than watching the other side suffer was figuring out his next move.

After careful consideration, Li Huowang decided what to do next.

"This task is too dangerous. Both allies and enemies are against me. Instead of getting further entangled, it's better to stay out of it for now."

"I'll wait for them to start fighting, then I'll make my move. In this cursed place, no one can be trusted! The only person I can trust is myself; at least I won't lie to myself."

Glancing again at the four figures who had regrouped and were slowly moving away in the distance, Li Huowang, still invisible, grabbed a tile, flipped off the beam, and slowly followed them.

He saw that the other three had stopped arguing with the person disguised as himself, the Disciple of Forgetfulness. Xin Chi must have swallowed his pride and been forced to acknowledge that the Disciple of Forgetfulness was legitimate.

However, judging by Xin Chi's cautious demeanor, he was likely on constant guard against this Disciple of Forgetfulness.

Putting aside their suspicions about identity for the moment, the four of them now seemed to be searching for something.

Li Huowang knew what they were looking for: Ji Xiang. Since the collapse of the Buddhist hall, Ji Xiang, who carried a golden abacus, had disappeared, which was highly unusual.

"Since what they're looking for is gone, where could Ji Xiang be now?" Seeing the four start heading towards a side hall, Li Huowang quickly picked up his pace to follow.

Just as Li Huowang was about to enter, a hand clapped him on the shoulder.

Li Huowang instantly broke out in a cold sweat. He was clearly invisible, yet someone could still see him!

Gripping his sword, he spun around to see a man dressed as a scholar standing behind him.

"Whoosh~" The scholar's folding fan opened, revealing four bold calligraphic characters written in a flourishing style: "Heaven-sent Talent."

"Your name is Er Jiu, isn't it? How very odd. Your Five Elements, Fire and Metal, are still present, but why are the remaining three gone?"

Li Huowang frowned, staring at the man whose origins were unknown. His vigilance was at its peak.

In this strange place, the man's identity could be many things. The most likely possibility was that he was a Disciple of Forgetfulness playing tricks.

Or worse, this person could be the infamous Disciple of Forgetfulness, whose true identity remained unknown. Li Huowang decided that if the man made any sudden move, he would immediately unleash a powerful attack.

"Don't the knives stuck in your face hurt? Why don't you pull them out? Besides, those are the Loan-Blade Man's knives. If you've borrowed his knives, he'll seize your good fortune."

With a flick of the scholar's fan, the rusted blades embedded in Li Huowang's face flew out. Then, with another flick, the wounds on Li Huowang's face quickly sealed shut.

The moment the scholar moved, Li Huowang's fire-steel was already pressed against his skin.

"Who exactly are you?" Li Huowang asked, staring at him, enunciating each word.

Seeing the deep wariness in Li Huowang's eyes, the scholar sighed and paused, seemingly deep in thought.

After a few breaths, the scholar spoke again. "Never mind."

"This humble one has some other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first. Since you've joined the Bureau of Celestial Observation, make sure to live well. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss."

With that, the scholar bent down, took a black spindle from his robe, and placed it on the ground. "This humble one will leave you something. This is more useful than the mask on your face."

After placing it down, the scholar did nothing else but give Li Huowang an approving nod, then turned and walked out of the Temple of Buddha Bones.

"Until we meet again, Er Jiu. This humble one is Zhuge Yuan. If you encounter trouble you can't resolve, remember to find me on Apricot Island in the West Sea. Although my abilities are limited, I will do my best to help."

The scholar left. Li Huowang stood still, pondering the strange feeling the scholar had given him. After thinking it over carefully for a long time, he belatedly realized it was an extremely rare act of kindness in this world.

This direct expression of kindness was a first; he had only ever experienced it in his hallucinations.

Even Abbess Jingxin had never shown such direct kindness, as she always kept her benevolence hidden within her heart.

After a brief moment of doubt, Li Huowang shook his head vigorously, his gaze firming.

"No! That scholar definitely has an ulterior motive! I can't be tricked by him. I've already suffered enough losses; I absolutely cannot fall into the same trap again."

Li Huowang glanced at the spindle wrapped with black thread on the ground, then turned and walked towards the side hall.

Everything that had happened and everyone he had encountered during this assignment today made Li Huowang feel very uneasy.

Yet he couldn't pinpoint exactly why it felt strange; it was like trying to see flowers through a fog, always obscured by a blurry layer.

When Li Huowang re-entered the side hall, he was instantly stunned.

The four people from earlier had now become six, with another Xin Chi monk and another Hong Da appearing beside them.

Watching them standing there arguing intensely, Li Huowang smiled. "This is interesting."

Li Huowang brushed the dust off himself, straightened his Daoist robe, sheathed his sword, stepped over the side hall's threshold, and joined them.

Seeing Li Huowang walk in, the Li Huowang already inside widened his eyes and slapped his forehead. "Great, another one!"

"This one is the real Er Jiu,"

"This one is fake; he's a Disciple of Forgetfulness."

Both Xin Chi monks used their mind-reading ability to give two completely different answers.

Li Huowang studied the two Xin Chi monks, unable to tell for a moment which one was impersonating the Disciple of Forgetfulness and which was the real monk who had framed him.

The hall instantly erupted into chaos. With an extra Xin Chi, the method of distinguishing true from false had become useless, and no one could tell who was real and who was fake.

Several times, arguments nearly escalated into physical conflict, but thanks to the interventions of others, they managed to avoid coming to blows.

Li Huowang, at this moment, was ironically the least concerned among them. He didn't need to distinguish between real and fake; he was just there to watch the show.

Only when they had fought to a conclusion would it be his turn to act.

Looking at the chaos before him, Li Huowang's lips curved slightly upward. He was beginning to understand the mindset of the Disciples of Forgetfulness.

When things had no bearing on him, this scene was genuinely amusing.

"Enough!" An angry, raspy voice made everyone stop talking and turn their heads towards the hall entrance.

It was Ji Xiang, carrying a shriveled head, reduced to half its original size, as he walked in.

His sparse eyebrows twitched with rage, and his expression was extremely grim.

He walked before the crowd, examining the two identical Li Huowangs, two identical Hong Das, and two identical Xin Chi monks.

Staring at them, Ji Xiang raised the head in his hand and slowly opened his mouth. "What are you still playing at! This is Fa Cai's head! Fa Cai died a long time ago!"

This statement instantly plunged everyone present into despair, as if they had fallen into an ice cave. Fa Cai, one of the Three Primal Ones, had died just like that. How powerful was the person who killed him?