Chapter 2552: Leaving a Hand

Zu An approached the kneeling Shouyang shamans nearby, adopting their posture as he looked forward. “They are not praying to that statue,” he said, “but bowing to someone of noble status.”

The others were startled upon hearing this. They quickly mimicked his stance, adopting the same posture as the Shouyang shamans, and looked toward the platform. Their expressions gradually grew serious, clearly agreeing with his assessment.

“Anyone who can command such reverence from all the Shouyang shamans is exceedingly rare, both in heaven and on earth,” the Wushan Goddess stated gravely, her respect for Zu An deepening. Not long ago, everyone had been completely clueless, yet he was able to deduce so much information from these small details. Though naturally quiet, her heart, which had been calm for many years, now rippled with emotion.

“Could it be a high-ranking Celestial God from the Heavenly Court?” Zu An asked, looking at Wu Hui, hoping he could recall anyone in the Heavenly Court who fit such a description.

Wu Hui flew into a rage. “Nonsense! How could the Heavenly Court harbor such schemers? In my opinion, it's most likely someone from the Shaman race. Only another Shaman could inspire such devoutness from the Shouyang shamans.”

The Mermaid Queen interjected, “The Shaman race is notoriously defiant, with various tribes often looking down on each other. Aside from Empress Houtu and a few Ancestor Shamans, I doubt anyone could command such reverence from all the Shouyang shamans. Are you suggesting they are the masterminds?” Although she was not a true Shaman, her previous role as Saintess of the Chang Clan had given her more exposure to the Shamans, making her instinctively closer to them, so she couldn't help but retort.

Flames flared around Wu Hui, clearly indicating his anger, but he dared not respond. Even though he was the esteemed Fire Official, accusing those particular beings could easily cause a huge uproar.

Zu An, however, began to ponder: Could it really be those specific Shaman beings? Empress Houtu, for instance, seemed somewhat suspicious. He had come to this world because of her, and the Mermaid Queen was most likely sent by her as well. She had clearly known the situation of the Chang Clan but seemed to have deliberately concealed information. Then there was Gonggong, who had previously confronted the Heavenly Emperor at Mount Zhong. Zu An recalled seeing the last Gonggong being sealed in a secret realm, and he had to admit that Gonggong certainly had the demeanor of an evil villain. Of course, there were also suspects on the Heavenly Court side…

“While the scope has narrowed, any accusation against beings of this caliber would be meaningless unless we find further clues,” the Wushan Goddess said, looking at Zu An and wondering if he could bring more surprises.

After the initial surprise of reunion and the sadness of recalling past events, Yun Yuqing finally got a clear look at the two women beside Zu An. “Manman!” she exclaimed, both surprised and delighted, grabbing the Wushan Goddess’s hands. Having arrived in this unfamiliar world, she had been separated from two familiar sisters. How could she not be overjoyed to see an old acquaintance again? At the same time, a thought crossed her mind: the other woman standing by him was also stunningly beautiful. If Manman was already by his side, why was he still allowed to flirt around? The key was that every woman he flirted with was impossibly beautiful, which put a lot of pressure on her.

The Wushan Goddess, who was usually reserved, was unaccustomed to such enthusiasm. She instinctively pulled her hands back and took a step back, secretly thinking, *He truly didn't lie to me. There is indeed a woman named Manman by his side who looks exactly like me. Even this Yun girl, whom he coincidentally reunited with, mistook me for her.*

“Manman, what’s wrong?” Yun Yuqing froze, sensing her distance.

“She’s not Manman; she just looks very much like her. She’s the Wushan Goddess of this world,” Zu An awkwardly explained. “Goddess, please don’t mind…” Before he could finish, the Wushan Goddess smiled. “Why would I mind such a small thing? It’s clear that Miss Yun and Miss Manman have a truly deep affection for each other.” She was also curious: so many exceptional women seemed connected to him. Was there no animosity between them? Could they truly be as close as sisters?

“So you are the Wushan Goddess…” Yun Yuqing quickly apologized to her, while secretly observing her. The way she looked at Brother Zu seemed off. *I really did underestimate Brother Zu after all.*

“This lady also looks a bit familiar. Miss Shang?” Yun Yuqing’s gaze quickly fell upon the Mermaid Queen nearby. Although the queen’s face was covered by a light veil, Yun Yuqing could still make out most of her features from up close.

“She also just happens to resemble Liuyu. She is Chang’e, the Saintess of the Chang Clan,” Zu An explained. With outsiders present, it was inconvenient for him to reveal her true identity as the Mermaid Queen. At his words, Wu Hui and the golden-armored warriors all looked sideways at him. *This guy is quite the womanizer! How does he keep finding lovers who look like each other everywhere he goes?* Even the Wushan Goddess couldn't help but glance at him several times. She had never imagined that even the Chang Clan Saintess, standing right there, would resemble another one of his lovers. This was truly outrageous.

Feeling the pressure from all sides, Zu An felt a prickling sensation on his back. He quickly spoke up, raising his voice: “I just remembered a clue!”

“What?” As expected, everyone’s attention was immediately diverted.

Zu An pointed to the Shouyang Clan Chief nearby. “Does anyone know where his room is?”

“Well…” The Wushan Goddess had been to Mount Shouyang before, but she had never been to the Chief’s room. Wu Hui, however, scoffed, “That’s not difficult. The Chief’s residence is clearly different from everyone else’s, and their clan worships fire…” As he spoke, the flames around him transformed into tiny figures that dispersed across Mount Shouyang. There was no need to search the lower platforms; the Chief would never reside there. Soon, the flame figures flew back, seemingly whispering something into Wu Hui’s ear. “Over there,” Wu Hui said, and even before his words finished, he was already flying towards a particular spot.

Everyone followed suit and quickly arrived in front of a building. The main door was crafted from Shouyang bronze and adorned with two ferocious bronze beast heads, but it stood wide open, revealing the interior completely.

Nine pillars were arranged in a unique star formation, wrapped in the hides of various famous fierce beasts—decorations seemingly used by the Chief to display valor. In the center was a furnace connected to Mount Shouyang’s earth-fire, burning ceaselessly year-round, surrounded by various forging tools. Clearly, as Chief, he was constantly researching artifact forging techniques. However, the entire room was now in disarray, as if it had been plundered not long ago.

Zu An approached the furnace and found a pile of ashes within, from which he could vaguely discern several tortoise shells—items used by the Shaman race for divination. At this moment, his heart sank. He had originally thought that even if the Chief, constrained by the other party’s identity, had forged such a sinister artifact, he wouldn't have been completely unprepared and would have likely left some clues. Now, it seemed the mysterious culprit had anticipated his thinking.

Just then, a strange sound echoed, and everyone instinctively looked up. A string of beast-tooth wind chimes hanging from the ceiling had begun to sway without any wind. As the chimes rang, a rumbling tremor shook the mountain, as if something had been activated.

“Fire Official, look outside…” The golden-armored warriors, who had been guarding outside, reacted first, their faces filled with utter shock.