Chapter 1438: Dragon and Phoenix Vying for Favor, Exchanging Bodies; Hiding the Head and Exposing the Tail, Heavenly Secrets Emerge

"This is the jade talisman for entering Xing Jie. Just leave a trace of your ling yuan in it, and crush it when you need to use it."

"This is the life-saving sound-recording pearl that Lord Shou mentioned. I hope you never have to use it—keep it safe."

"As for this ring, it's full of teleportation array disks, all made by Lord Shou. I only kept a few for myself; the rest are for you, all to protect your life."

"This batch is all dan yao. I've noted their effects. They come from... well, you might not have seen it, but in Xing Jie, there's a third-grade dan-refining cat—I'm telling the truth... Oh, you've seen it?"

"And these, these, and these others, are my personal contributions..."

Li Fugui seemed like a bottomless pit, pulling out batch after batch of supplies.

When the table was piled high like a mountain, and there were still many items in the spatial rings that couldn't be taken out, Zhu Yike was deeply moved.

"Lord Shou..."

He didn't even look at Li Fugui's personal contributions before putting them away.

Then, gazing at the treasures from Lord Shou, his eyes reddened, and hot tears welled up.

"Lord Shou's great kindness, Zhu Yike will never forget it for as long as I live!" Zhu Yike bowed down on the ground.

Li Fugui took a deep breath and pointed at himself: "What about me?"

"You? We're just helping each other, isn't that what we should do? We're all from Tian Shang Di Yi Lou, so why be so nitpicky?" Zhu Yike looked at him in confusion.

Me, nitpicky?

Li Fugui was stunned and frustrated.

This was basically emptying his entire stash!

Now that he had been separated from Hua Cao Ge, it was hard for him to get resources from there right away.

To help Zhu Yike survive under Dao Dian Zhu, he had turned out his whole collection, and this guy just brushed it off with a single sentence?

"Enough, stop arguing."

Lord Shou's voice intervened just in time, quashing the signs of internal conflict. "Don't dismiss small acts of kindness, especially when Li Fugui has given so much."

Zhu Yike was immediately overcome with gratitude, cupping his fists in respect: "Lord Shou's words are like a sudden enlightenment. Zhu Yike thanks Li Fugui!"

Li Fugui: "..."

Could you be any more insincere?

Zhu Yike turned his head and said: "Lord Shou, since you're here now, does that mean my task of escorting Xiang Yi is over?"

"No."

Li Fugui shook his head.

If it could end this early, he wouldn't have had to spend so much money and effort to come here and meet this troublesome person.

At the same time, Lord Shou's voice appeared: "Li Fugui is right. My main body is seriously injured and recuperating in Xing Jie."

"My avatar was drawn into the Shen Guan ruins and can't leave for now."

"What you're speaking to is just a strand of my avatar's spiritual thought, attached to Li Fugui's body, surviving by absorbing ling yuan..."

Zhu Yike was greatly shocked and interrupted abruptly: "Lord Shou's noble body, with the essence of dragons and phoenixes, how could it condescend to attach to someone as disreputable as Li Fugui? That's beneath you!"

"Instead, attach it to me! I, Zhu Yike, guarantee that Lord Shou can freely absorb ling yuan to your heart's content!"

Everyone was stunned.

Oh, you sly old Zhu, is that the point of what I said?

Li Fugui was also stunned.

Oh, you Zhu Yike, your flattery skills are on par with your Jin Men stealth techniques—if not even better!

"I'm disreputable, but aren't you a coward hiding in the shadows? What's the difference for Lord Shou on either of us?" Li Fugui slammed the table and stood up.

"That's right, we're both Tai Xu, but is there no difference between one Tai Xu and another? You think there isn't?" Zhu Yike glanced at him sideways; ten Li Fuguis tied together couldn't match one of his fingers.

"I'm in the shadows, you're in the open!" Li Fugui glared in anger.

"I operate in the open but can vanish into the shadows anytime; you're blatantly obvious, and the enemy could grab you in a heartbeat." Zhu Yike refused to back down.

"You're talking nonsense!"

"You're spouting blood!"

"You son of a—"

"You big—"

"Enough!" Lord Shou roared, and the entire room fell silent again.

Soon, the two men rushed to admit their faults:

"Lord Shou, I was wrong."

"No, it was my fault. I shouldn't have argued with this troublesome person, Li Fugui."

"No no, I was wrong first. Zhu Yike is naturally dim-witted and incomplete; I should have been more understanding..."

"No no no, the fault is mine. I shouldn't have..."

"Both of you shut the hell up!" Lord Shou roared again, his emotions nearly collapsing. How could they be so noisy?

These two were fine when apart—each clever and accomplished in their fields.

How did they turn into a mess when together?

All they do is bicker... Why don't you two actually fight? How come you won't even touch each other, just trading insults?

"Yes, Lord Shou."

"Yes, Lord Shou."

In the room, just the two of them stood straight and proper, each turning their head to stare at the wall, not daring to say another word.

"Shake hands and make peace."

As soon as their eyes met again, sparks flew in the air, but they had no choice but to reach out and grasp each other's hands.

"Crack... crack..."

They started wrestling!

Bones were about to shatter!

"Fine, fine, if that's how you want to play, then we won't discuss business until you break those hands."

Only then did the two quickly loosen their grip.

"We wouldn't dare."

"We wouldn't dare."

"If you wouldn't dare, then both of you smile for me!" Lord Shou snapped.

"Heh heh..."

"Hee hee..."

"Just that? Don't you have anything else to say?" Lord Shou sneered.

"Uh, good brothers?" Zhu Yike forced a smile and used his other hand to slap heavily on Li Fugui's shoulder.

Li Fugui grunted in pain, feeling his shoulder blade crack, but he squeezed out a smile and hugged back. "For life!"

Zhu Yike grunted, his eyelids twitching; that sneaky Li Fugui had hidden needles in his palm, you thief!

"Ha ha ha, no fight, no friendship."

"Heh heh heh, no scolding, no bond."

"Lord Shou, we're getting along great... Ow!"

"Cough! Yes, yes, we're the best in the world!"

Lord Shou fell silent for a moment, then said dryly: "Since you two get along so well, just keep hugging and don't ever separate."

In the room, the two bodies clung tightly together, neither willing to let go first, with only a red triangular undergarment left in disarray on the floor.

"Where was I?"

Lord Shou's attention had been completely distracted, and it took a while to remember the main business. He continued: "The situation has changed!"

"Now that Zhu Yike has the Xing Jie access jade talisman, you have a way out. We can turn the tables and go fishing."

"Zhu Yike, take Xiang Yi to Chang De Town in Qing Yuan Shan and find a place called 'Cao Shi Iron Smithy.' There's an 'absolute genius' left there by Ba Zun An. Go with the 'Ba Zi Order.'"

"Ba Zi Order?" Zhu Yike asked, his face pressed against Li Fugui's.

"It's in the second spatial ring I gave you." Li Fugui gritted his teeth, almost wanting to bite off the guy's earlobe.

"Oh, that's fine then." Zhu Yike nodded immediately, glad he didn't have to let go first.

Out of sight, out of mind, Lord Shou continued: "Anyway, the situation there is still unclear. We'll adapt as we go. Maybe Ba Zun An's favor will be useful, maybe not, but if anything goes wrong, escape to Xing Jie immediately."

"Yes, Lord Shou." Zhu Yike finally felt he had a backbone.

Lord Shou is still the strongest; this clears things up and shows a way forward.

He remembered something and asked: "Xiang Yi has a martial arts ban on her; she said only Kui Lei Han can remove it. If it can't be removed in the end, can I take her into Xing Jie?"

"No!" Li Fugui refused flatly.

"Li Fugui is right." Lord Shou added, "If things go south, abandon Xiang Yi. She won't die no matter what; she'll just be trapped. Our operation fails, and we go back to square one, that's it."

"But what if we hook a big fish, and it's too heavy to handle?" Zhu Yike thought of the unfathomable Dao Dian Zhu's terror.

Who could swallow that fish?

If only Lord Shou's true body were here...

"Then we'll need the Ten Zun Seats to deal with the Ten Zun Seats!"

Lord Shou had clearly thought this through. "Later, I'll transfer to your body. Whether we can handle this fish depends on how much face Ba Zun An has."

Zhu Yike's eyes lit up: "Great!"

Li Fugui was baffled, feeling like Lord Shou had stabbed him in the back, tears welling up. "Lord Shou..."

"You're still in the shadows and can be useful in many ways. Zhu Yike is already out in the open; this is his only path." Lord Shou didn't bother with their silent rivalry; explaining once was enough.

Li Fugui whimpered: "Lord Shou, this isn't safe for you..."

"The worst is losing one spiritual thought. Now, get moving!"

Li Fugui had no choice but to release Zhu Yike, pull out the silver needle, and follow Lord Shou's earlier instructions to transfer the spiritual thought to Zhu Yike.

"Heh heh heh..." Zhu Yike raised his eyebrows and laughed smugly.

Li Fugui was too tired to argue with this guy. "You better not die too soon; this is a Ten Zun Seats struggle."

"Don't worry." Zhu Yike mumbled through gritted teeth. "My life is tougher than yours, Li."

"Xiang Yi."

Dong Dong walked into the beast skin shop and looked around, not seeing anyone. "Where's that Li guy?"

"He's meeting someone."

"Xiang Yi, do you really think we can see Lord Shou here? After his battle with the Saint Emperor, he must be either dead or gravely injured!"

"People like Xu Xiao Shou are beyond our understanding." Xiang Yi shook her head, her tone full of emotion.

"Hah..." Dong Dong's eyes grew hesitant.

"Why are you sighing?" Xiang Yi looked at her.

"Aren't you worried at all, Xiang Yi?" Dong Dong's expression turned more anxious as she said, "I just think that Li guy doesn't trust us at all!"

"If he doesn't give me the antidote for the poison pill after today, I'm afraid I'll never get it..."

She paused, her tone full of sorrow. "And if I die, Xiang Yi will have no one left to protect her properly. That Li guy doesn't seem like a good person..."

Xiang Yi was startled, then a smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "Do you want me to help you get the antidote?"

Dong Dong bit her lip and finally nodded resolutely. "Without ling yuan, I can't even move an inch. I can't even..."

Tap tap tap.

Light footsteps came from behind.

A Yao, with a dirty face, hugged a small piece of white beast tusk and ran over excitedly: "Xiang Yi, here's some silver elephant jade white tusk. I can use it to make an axle... or something..."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter, as if she had sensed the odd atmosphere between Dong Dong and Xiang Yi, and she shrank back: "Wh-what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Xiang Yi smiled and rubbed her head. "If you like it, buy it."

"I didn't bring any money..." A Yao looked embarrassed and lowered her head.

"That's fine; Li brother has money."

No sooner had she spoken than the shopkeeper and Li brother walked out from the back door, the latter laughing heartily: "Buy it!"

"This little piece of tusk is only worth a few coins. I could buy the whole shop for..."

His voice stopped abruptly.

Zhu Yike had been smiling, but his expression suddenly froze.

He restrained all his emotions, his brows furrowed, and a flash of killing intent appeared in his eyes.

"Good! Very good!"

Everyone in the shop, including Xiang Yi, A Yao, the shopkeeper, and Li Fugui, was stunned.

"Li brother, what do you mean by this?" Dong Dong stepped back, frightened by that murderous gaze.

"What do I mean?" Zhu Yike threw his head back and laughed. "I've been risking my life, dodging and hiding with you three, and now you're asking me what I mean?"

He reached out and grabbed; in the blink of an eye, Dong Dong, who had been by the wall cabinet, was in his hand by the neck.

"I want to ask you—what's the meaning of this Tian Ji Shu aura on you?!"

Zhu Yike was almost scared out of his wits.

He couldn't believe that he might have been under the watch of a traitor the whole way!

He had fed her the poison pill, sealed her ling yuan, and even used the slave seal... He had guarded against everything, and Dong Dong hadn't shown any abnormalities along the way.

Even so, Zhu Yike hadn't let his guard down; the three of them had been under his constant surveillance, unable to communicate.

But after just a short time with that annoying Li Fugui, Dong Dong turned out to be the spy?

If Lord Shou hadn't transferred to him and spotted the issue with a mental message, would he still be in the dark?

But that doesn't make sense...

Lord Shou was in Li Fugui's body before.

That guy was weak, but not so weak that Lord Shou couldn't detect Dong Dong's oddity, right?

So, this Tian Ji Shu aura—did she just pick it up?

Did she use Tian Ji Shu to contact a Tian Ji Shu master while I was away meeting Lord Shou?

Was it Dao Qiong Cang?

But without ling yuan, how did she use Tian Ji Shu?

Zhu Yike turned into Zhu Yike, the king of a hundred thousand whys.

"Thud."

The silver elephant jade white tusk fell to the ground.

Watching Dong Dong suddenly grabbed by Li brother, A Yao seemed to lose her senses, muttering and shaking her head: "Impossible... impossible..."

Xiang Yi remained relatively calm, as if even the sky falling wouldn't affect her.

"You... what are you saying?" Dong Dong felt like she was suffocating, her hands and feet kicking wildly as she struggled to speak.

"I want to know, without ling yuan, how did you use Tian Ji Shu?" Zhu Yike couldn't help but marvel at how powerful Lord Shou was, able to detect that this person had used Tian Ji Shu afterward.

His fingertips moved rapidly.

It started as a stone, then turned into underwear, shoes, socks, hair, hairpins, internal organs, bones... everything.

Finally, it settled on a token.

When it appeared, the entire shop fell silent.

"City exit order!"

A Yao covered her mouth and exclaimed.

Wasn't this the key that Dong Dong sister used to break the siege and escape with her?

"No!"

"I'm not..."

Dong Dong was also shocked. After glancing at the city exit order, she desperately twisted her head toward Xiang Yi behind her, struggling even more fiercely: "Xiang Yi! It's not me! I'm not!"

Zhu Yike was furious and glared viciously at Xiang Yi. "I knew it—I should have just killed you all from the start, and none of this would have happened!"

He crushed the city exit order in his hand.

Then, he pulled out the slave seal jade talisman that had Dong Dong's blood on it and, under her terrified gaze, crushed it without hesitation.

"Boom!"