Why did Six Thousand bring Li Huowang along if he was just going to double-cross him?

Six Thousand needed a "prop" to sell the exorcism story. Li Huowang, in his Daoist robes, was the perfect decoy to hold the family's attention while the real con artist made his escape with the girl.

How did Li Huowang know to wear a false face and swap with the girl?

Li Huowang had previously encountered the Zuowandao's face-changing tricks. He learned that the best way to beat a trickster is to use their own tools against them. He prepared a disguise in advance, anticipating a double cross.

What is the significance of the Zuowandao's one rule: "getting cheated is what you deserve"?

This is the sect's core philosophy. There is no honor, no hierarchy based on seniority, no loyalty. Every member is a mark to every other member. This makes them completely unpredictable and completely ruthless — and it also means that the only way to survive is to never trust anyone.

The Art of the Con

1,283 words

When he heard that "Six Thousand" was about to speak of the Supreme of the Zuowandao, Li Huowang focused his attention completely. "I respectfully ask the senior for clarification — how did he become the Dice?"

"Because he completely gambled away a small country, that's how. See that? An entire nation's people were fooled by him. He's not called Dice for nothing, he's the big boss." Six Thousand stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes filled with yearning.

"If he could cheat the entire Great Liang Empire, then couldn't he pull Doumu down from her seat and sit there himself?"

As Six Thousand was lost in this fantasy, a stately mansion appeared before the two of them. "It's here."

"How are we going to cheat them?" Li Huowang's expression grew tense.

Six Thousand looked him up and down, taking in his Daoist robe, then chuckled. With a wipe of his hand over his own body, the ragged beggar was instantly transformed into an old Daoist of immortal bearing. He laughed warmly and strode straight through the entrance. "Play it by ear."

When a servant tried to block them, Six Thousand didn't even look at him. His face was a mask of concern tinged with anxiety. "Your mistress has been possessed by evil spirits today! If you want her to live, don't block my way. Take me to her at once!"

The servant was taken aback, momentarily unable to fathom how this man knew what was happening.

"Move aside! The Supervisory Heavenly Office is handling official business! What are you dawdling for?" Six Thousand pushed the servant, who instantly flew backward and slammed against the wall.

With that, Six Thousand charged into the compound, Li Huowang following.

Whether it was the mention of the Supervisory Heavenly Office that did the trick, they soon found themselves in the inner courtyard.

There, they saw a doorway plastered with talismans, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.

"Out of my way!" Six Thousand pushed through the crowd and entered.

Li Huowang followed. Inside, a young girl was tied to a bed, trembling in sheer terror.

The other people in the room seemed to be the girl's family, their faces etched with pain and worry.

"Alas! The evil spirit has pierced her heart!" Six Thousand rushed to the bedside, pulled out a trident-shaped Daoist bell from his robes, and began shaking it vigorously around the girl.

"Everyone, do not panic. We are from the Supervisory Heavenly Office. Your daughter will be fine soon," Li Huowang interjected, picking up the conversation thread.

"Thank heavens, you immortals have finally come! Please, save my daughter!"

Seeing that the master of the house was so panicked that he readily believed them, Li Huowang was about to add something more when a burly man with a hint of murderous intent in his eyes walked up to him. "The Supervisory Heavenly Office, you say? Show me your token."

Li Huowang looked up at the man, who was a full head taller than he was. He nodded calmly and reached into his bosom.

Just as his fingers touched something and he was about to pull it out, Six Thousand's voice came from the other side of the bed. "Disciple, come quickly! Assist your master!"

Hearing this, Li Huowang immediately assumed a grave expression. He quickly ran behind Six Thousand, formed a hand seal with a rapid mutter, and pressed his palm firmly against Six Thousand's back.

The moment Li Huowang slapped him, Six Thousand seemed to be injected with adrenaline. The veins on his forehead bulged.

He pulled out a red string coiled with yellow talismans. With a flick of his finger, it connected directly to the girl's hair.

"Lingbao Tianzun, comfort the body! Disciples, stabilize your souls! Five viscera, profound and dark! Azure Dragon, White Tiger, in ranked array! Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, guard the form!"

As he finished the chant, the girl's eyes rolled back, and her trembling intensified, as if something was trying to tear its way out of her.

Suddenly, Six Thousand pulled a small coin tower from his robes and pressed it between the red strings. A white light flowed from the girl, down the strings, into the tower. The rice-grain-sized bells on the delicate structure began to ring violently.

"Disciple, take the tower! I have protected this girl's soul with it. Do not move it!" Six Thousand tossed the bundle of red string into Li Huowang's hand.

The moment Li Huowang held the small tower firmly, Six Thousand began pulling the girl — who was now emitting black miasma — further away, the red string paying out behind them.

The line grew longer and longer until, soon, Six Thousand and the girl had vanished from sight. Li Huowang was left alone, clutching the delicate tower, with the red string trembling in mid-air.

Everyone in the room watched Li Huowang and the small tower in his hands with extreme tension.

They had heard clearly — this tower held their daughter's soul. Under their collective gaze, Li Huowang found himself unable to move so much as a muscle, forced to wait with them for Six Thousand's return.

Time passed. The sound of the small tower's bells gradually faded, and the onlookers grew increasingly anxious.

Li Huowang himself seemed anxious, and the others were too afraid to ask any questions, fearing they would break the young Daoist's concentration.

"Master! Master! Something terrible has happened!" A breathless servant rushed in.

"Master, that old Daoist just kept running. When he got to the city gate, he just cut the red string off your daughter and disappeared into the woods! We couldn't catch him even on horseback!"

"What?!" The master of the house's face was a mask of shock. His wife had already fainted dead away. Then, every eye in the room turned to Li Huowang, still holding the tower.

Li Huowang looked back at them. He loosened his grip on the tower, lifted it to take a look, and found it was completely empty.

He understood the game in an instant. Everything Six Thousand had said was a lie. There had never been any intention of cooperating with him.

He had brought Li Huowang here to set this stage, so that Li Huowang would stay and reassure the family. He was nothing more than a tool in Six Thousand's con.

Surrounded by a solid crowd, three layers deep, Li Huowang smiled faintly. "Don't worry."

With that, he grabbed his own face. A single pull, and the boyish features came away in his hand, revealing the face of a young girl beneath.

The girl stared at the family for a moment before her eyes rolled back and she collapsed in a faint.

Fifty li away, Six Thousand was still running. He was laughing, his tears streaming down his face at the thought of the look on that kid's face the moment he realized he'd been tricked.

"Kid, remember this for your next life! We're the Zuowandao! There's no rule about seniors looking after juniors here! The Zuowandao has only one rule: getting cheated is what you deserve! Hahaha!"

"Senior Six Thousand, was that girl really worth so much joy?" Li Huowang's voice came from inside his arms.

"What?" Six Thousand barely had time to react before he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

He struggled to throw the girl in his arms away. When he looked down, he saw a Vajra Pestle protruding from its own chest.

He looked up again, and found, to his utter shock, that the young girl who had just torn off her face was now wearing Li Huowang's.

One more chapter, please wait.

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Reading Guide Decoding

Li Huowang Learns the Only Rule of Zuowandao

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

Zuowandao (坐忘道) The name of this sect comes from the Daoist concept of zuowang, meaning "sitting in forgetfulness" — the practice of emptying the mind of distractions to reach a meditative state. In this novel, however, the name has been twisted into its opposite: instead of forgetting distractions, the sect destroys the very concept of truth as a distraction. Their foundational text is known as the Scripture of Deception. Their only rule is that if you get tricked, it is your own fault, not the trickster’s.

Opener (引子) This is a specific con-tactic term in the Zuowandao vocabulary. It refers to the initial, seemingly harmless step of a long con that the mark willingly accepts. By agreeing to the opener, the mark makes every subsequent step feel like their own natural choice, even when it leads straight into a trap. In this chapter, Li Huowang accepting Six Thousand’s "demonstration" is the opener — he walked into the con because it sounded rational.

Heart-Bottle / Xintuo (心陀) The girl who appeared to be the victim in this chapter is called a xintuo, which appears to be a term for a specific type of human asset or "container" used by the Zuowandao. It’s not fully explained here, but the casual way Six Thousand refers to her suggests she’s valuable but interchangeable — a piece in the game rather than a person.

Opener (引子)

A Zuowandao term for the first, harmless-looking step of a long con. The mark willingly accepts it, making the eventual trap feel like a natural consequence.

Scripture of Deception (骗经)

The foundational text of the Zuowandao, teaching the art of lying as a path to enlightenment.

Xintuo (心陀)

A term used by the Zuowandao for a human subject or asset serving as a "heart-bottle" — a container or tool to be used in a con. The exact nature of the term is left ambiguous.

Chapter Overview

This chapter is a masterclass in Zuowandao operating procedure — a layered, prankish, and utterly ruthless con-within-a-con that forces Li Huowang to prove he’s been paying attention. Li Huowang finally meets "Six Thousand," a rank-and-file Zuowandao member who initially seems like a helpful senior. He takes Li Huowang under his wing to demonstrate the art of a real scam: impersonating the Supervisory Heavenly Office to shake down a wealthy family. But this "demonstration" is actually a classic Zuowandao bait-and-switch — Six Thousand uses Li Huowang as a prop to hold the family’s attention while he makes off with the "cursed" girl. The whole setup looks like Li Huowang has been left holding the bag. But the punchline is that Li Huowang, having learned from his previous encounters with the sect, turns the tables in the most literal way possible: by hiding under a false face. It’s a short, tight chapter that confirms Li Huowang is no longer a mark — he’s learning to play their game.

Key Plot Points

Li Huowang learns the origin story of the Dice, the highest-ranked Zuowandao member. The man who holds that title earned it by single-handedly conning an entire small nation into nonexistence. Six Thousand fantasizes that if he could pull the same stunt on the Great Liang Empire, he might be able to pull Doumu the goddess off her throne and sit there himself.
Six Thousand brings Li Huowang to a wealthy household to pull a con. He transforms from a ragged beggar into a sage-like Daoist with a mere gesture.
Using false claims of a haunting, Six Thousand bullies his way inside and performs an elaborate exorcism ritual involving bells, talismans, red string, and a miniature coin tower, which he claims is protecting the girl’s soul.
Six Thousand passes the coin tower to Li Huowang and flees with the girl, leaving Li Huowang to hold the tower and reassure the family. The girl’s family watches him with desperate hope.
A servant bursts in with bad news: Six Thousand fled beyond the city gate, cut the red string, and vanished into the woods. The coin tower is empty — it was a prop. Li Huowang realizes he was the "anchoring prop" of Six Thousand's con.
Instead of panicking, Li Huowang smiles and tells the family not to worry. He peels off his own face, revealing a young girl’s face beneath. One of the family members faints in confusion.
Li Huowang’s voice emerges from Six Thousand’s own arms, causing the fleeing conman to realize in horror that the "girl" he was carrying was actually Li Huowang in disguise. A Vajra Pestle protrudes from Six Thousand’s chest.

Reading Guide

This chapter is a real turning point for how you should read Li Huowang. Remember how he used to stumble into traps like a moth into a flame? Not anymore. The Li Huowang that faces Six Thousand here is one who already knows the fundamental rule of Zuowandao: every interaction is a trap, and the trap is only visible from the inside out. He doesn't fight the con — he rides it, waiting for the exact moment when the trickster thinks he’s already won. The moment Li Huowang smiles and tells the family not to worry is when he fully steps into the role of the trickster himself. Keep an eye on how he uses the very same tools the Zuowandao uses against him: false faces, misdirection, and patience. He’s learning their language, and that’s far more dangerous than any new cultivation technique.

Also, pay attention to the setting details. The mansion, the terrified family, the elaborate exorcism ritual with talismans and a coin tower, the "possession" diagnosis — all of this is a masterful impersonation of a common Daoist folk exorcism performed by the real Supervisory Heavenly Office. The Zuowandao's real weapon isn't their martial skill; it's their ability to copy the entire aesthetic of authority and religion, down to the last bell.

Quick Q&A

Lore recap (TL;DR) drawn from this chapter's Cultural / Xianxia Notes — same text as the FAQ structured data on this page.

Why did Six Thousand bring Li Huowang along if he was just going to double-cross him?: Six Thousand needed a "prop" to sell the exorcism story. Li Huowang, in his Daoist robes, was the perfect decoy to hold the family's attention while the real con artist made his escape with the girl.
How did Li Huowang know to wear a false face and swap with the girl?: Li Huowang had previously encountered the Zuowandao's face-changing tricks. He learned that the best way to beat a trickster is to use their own tools against them. He prepared a disguise in advance, anticipating a double cross.
What is the significance of the Zuowandao's one rule: "getting cheated is what you deserve"?: This is the sect's core philosophy. There is no honor, no hierarchy based on seniority, no loyalty. Every member is a mark to every other member. This makes them completely unpredictable and completely ruthless — and it also means that the only way to survive is to never trust anyone.