Chapter 392: Zhuge Yuan

"Brother Zhuge, it seems the Dao of Sitting Forgetfulness truly believes it is me now." Li Huowang, his expression grave, turned to Zhuge Yuan beside him.

He had never imagined that the Dao of Sitting Forgetfulness would steal his spindle and weapons, completely disguising itself as him, inside and out.

"This fellow must have acted when I fell into a hallucination in the water earlier. Perhaps my sudden hallucination back then was also caused by the Dao of Sitting Forgetfulness!"

Thinking back carefully, when he had woken up from the so-called White Pagoda Prison, there had been an idiot right beside him. Perhaps that person was an illusion created by the Dao of Sitting Forgetfulness.

"And there's more! I also saw someone inside my belly before! Maybe that person was waiting for you specifically inside your belly," the monk reminded him with concern.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Hong Zhong walked over, circled the corpse a few times, and clasped his hands together, mimicking the monk performing rituals for the deceased.

Now that everything was settled, the entire sequence of events wasn't hard to guess. However, Li Huowang didn't understand why the other party would impersonate him. If they were trying to deal with him, wouldn't meeting him while disguised as him instantly expose their deception?

"Whoosh," Zhuge Yuan opened his folding fan, revealing the four characters "Heaven gave me talent" before Li Huowang. "No need to worry. They are after me. On Apricot Island, they dare not confront me directly, which is why they used your identity to approach me."

"This opportunity would have been fine, but they probably didn't expect you to reach the island so quickly."

Seeing Zhuge Yuan walk away, Li Huowang bent down to retrieve his belongings from the Dao of Sitting Forgetfulness's corpse and quickly followed. "That's truly a shame. If it weren't for my arrival, Brother Zhuge probably wouldn't have this trouble."

He truly hadn't expected that the Dao of Sitting Forgetfulness wasn't targeting him this time. For a moment, he felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity, as in the past, whenever the Dao of Sitting Forgetfulness encountered him, they would relentlessly pursue him like a wolf spotting meat.

Hearing the apology in Li Huowang's words, Zhuge Yuan smiled faintly. "No matter, no matter. I'm used to it. This isn't the first time. Ever since that 'Prosperity' Dao of Sitting Forgetfulness died by my hand, such incidents have never ceased."

Li Huowang turned to look at the Dao of Sitting Forgetfulness's corpse, gradually disappearing into the morning mist. The thought of being targeted by the entire Dao of Sitting Forgetfulness organization, and that anyone close to him could potentially be a disguised Dao of Sitting Forgetfulness madman, filled him with a suffocating feeling.

Then, Li Huowang turned back, looking at Zhuge Yuan with a complex expression. Facing the intense retaliation from the Dao of Sitting Forgetfulness, the other man seemed so effortlessly at ease. His strength was clearly immense.

"He's definitely much stronger than Danyangzi was back then! No, he might even be stronger than Danyangzi after he became an immortal!"

As Li Huowang pondered this, Zhuge Yuan frowned slightly, scrutinizing Li Huowang's body. "Brother Li, is there something alive inside your body? Would you like me to help remove it?"

No sooner had he spoken than Li Sui's tentacles, wrapped around a two-pupiled eyeball, emerged from Li Huowang's navel, curiously observing Zhuge Yuan.

Li Huowang extended a finger, twirled it, and then pushed it back in. "It's nothing, just the Black Grand-Eldest. Although it's gradually eroding my body, it's the only thing that can help me suppress the Heart-Element's illusions."

"I see. Actually, I read about this method in a miscellaneous book. It's truly my first time seeing it in person."

Zhuge Yuan nodded understandingly. He took a step to leave, then paused. "So, you haven't purged the accumulated Black Grand-Eldest from your abdomen and ingested a new piece yet?"

Li Huowang was startled, somewhat surprised by the question. "Yes, I plan to. I'll try it once the Black Grand-Eldest in my abdomen can no longer sustain itself."

"Don't ever try it. The book I read long ago stated that if one were to do that, the Heart-Element's fate would be tragic."

Hearing this warning, Li Huowang immediately felt a wave of gratitude. If the other person hadn't mentioned it, he might have actually tried it in the future.

After this small incident, the two men's interactions became much more harmonious. Li Huowang, rarely encountering someone who didn't covet him, felt very relaxed.

They walked for about half an hour, until a tranquil and elegant two-story bamboo house appeared before them.

The entire structure was a vibrant green bamboo house, perfectly integrated with the bamboo forest, as if it had grown directly from the earth, just like the bamboo itself.

"My humble abode is rather simple; I hope Brother Li doesn't mind," Zhuge Yuan said, pushing open the bamboo door and leading Li Huowang inside.

The bamboo house had no locks, yet it was certain that no thief would ever dare approach it.

Inside the bamboo house, a strong scholarly atmosphere pervaded. The walls were adorned with either calligraphy or paintings, though Li Huowang couldn't discern their artistic merit.

One painting was particularly distinctive. It depicted not a common object, but a white sedan chair, carried high by four yellowish skeletal figures. In front, a white weasel held a white lantern, leading the way.

Besides this one, most of the other paintings were portraits—men and women, old and young. It seemed Zhuge Yuan was very skilled at painting human figures; their likenesses were remarkably vivid.

By this time, Zhuge Yuan was already seated on a meditation cushion, skillfully preparing tea. "Brother Li, what kind of tea do you prefer? My humble household only has two types: Ding Mountain Plain-Wrapped, or Gentleman's Silver Needle?"

"Either is fine," Li Huowang replied, sitting on a meditation cushion on the other side of the low tea table, watching Zhuge Yuan prepare the tea.

Although Li Huowang had a mind full of things to say, seeing Zhuge Yuan's focused demeanor, he ultimately decided to politely wait until the other man was finished.

While he didn't quite understand the purpose of pouring water back and forth between different cups, he could clearly sense Zhuge Yuan's mastery of the tea ceremony.

"Three infusions of Gentleman's Silver Needle. The tea from Apricot Island is excellent, but the water is quite ordinary. Please don't mind it."

Li Huowang picked up the light green tea and took a sip. Just as his mouth opened to speak, all the tea utensils were swiftly cleared away, and a square chessboard was placed before him.

Without waiting for Zhuge Yuan to speak, Li Huowang simply picked up a black piece, placed it randomly on the board, and eagerly asked, "Brother Zhuge, why did you help me before? Are you also a Heart-Element like me?"

Having asked this, Li Huowang's heart immediately raced, his gaze fixed on the other man as he awaited a reply.

With a "snap," a white piece landed on the board, and an unexpected answer came from Zhuge Yuan's lips. "No, though we both belong to the 'Heart' generation, I am not a Heart-Element. I am a Heart-Pan."

"Heart-Pan?" A deep sense of disappointment welled up in Li Huowang's heart. On the boat, he had wondered if Zhuge Yuan helped him because they were of the same kind.

In this chaotic and bizarre world, having a powerful senior lead the way would make everything much easier. However, things didn't always go his way.

Li Huowang collected his thoughts and asked again, "Which 'Pan'? The 'Pan' from 'Pan Peach'?"

Zhuge Yuan held the teacup in his left hand, using the lid to press down the tea leaves. He closed his eyes and took a delicate sip. "The 'Pan' from 'sitting by a bright window, washing the inkstone, where snakes and worms slightly entwine.' Brother Li, it's your turn. Make your move."