The Pawn and the Puppet Master

The four umbrella holders pressed together so tightly that if the one in front didn't step forward, the one behind would immediately trip. Their bizarre movements, combined with their four tattered black umbrellas, made them look like a single entity—a strange mushroom whose roots were fused together while its caps split open at the top.

This was the first time Li Huowang had seen anyone dressed like this among the Fa Sect. The unease in his chest grew steadily, because he couldn't feel any gazes aimed at him from these four figures.

Just as Li Huowang expected them to say something, the shadows of all the Fa Sect worshippers suddenly converged, centering on him. On the ground, they rapidly formed a command talisman larger than a house, billowing with black vapor.

The moment the talisman appeared, black clouds roiled in the sky. In an instant, daylight dimmed, plunging nearly to the darkness of night.

Feeling the atmosphere thicken until it could almost solidify the air, Li Huowang understood this would be a brutal battle. The Fa Sect had long prepared thoroughly to ambush him. From the moment he had kidnapped Taishan Shi, they must have marked him as a thorn in their side.

His gaze steady, Li Huowang slowly drew a deep breath. Peng Longteng, carrying the giant halberd, gradually materialized behind him.

Just as the tension reached its breaking point and Li Huowang prepared to fight for his life, Xuanpin's figure, draped in a red robe, rose from the earth.

"Don't move. I'll get you out of here."

Xuanpin muttered to Li Huowang, and then six withered hands with long, slender fingernails extended from beneath the red robe. They began forming hand seals and chanting incantations. The six hands worked in perfect coordination, forming seals that Li Huowang couldn't understand. And the incantation Xuanpin chanted was equally unintelligible.

"... ... ..."

But what Li Huowang could see was a stretch of emerald bamboo forest, spinning rapidly from the edges of his vision like a painted scroll, covering all the surrounding Fa Sect members.

Once they arrived in the emerald forest, the sky outside brightened, and the oppressive tension vanished instantly. Li Huowang, who had been moments from danger, was now free.

Li Huowang glanced at Xuanpin with some surprise. He had to admit—the man was actually reliable for once. It finally felt like having an ally.

"What kind of divine power is that? It's incredibly convenient. If you want to escape, you can just leave anytime. But this ability of yours—last time you didn't need to chant, so why did you need to chant this time?"

Xuanpin turned around, giving Li Huowang a complicated look. "No comment. Since you've said I like to keep secrets, do you really think I'd teach you?"

Hearing this, the goodwill Li Huowang had just built up towards him immediately dropped. This guy wasn't even bothering to cover up his evasiveness—he just said it straight out. But considering Xuanpin had just saved him, Li Huowang held back his dissatisfaction.

"Who were those umbrella holders just now? They didn't look easy to deal with."

Xuanpin raised three of his left hands, fingers moving rapidly as if calculating. "Unknown. At least, I can't calculate it."

"Even you don't know?" Li Huowang's brow furrowed tightly. This meant the man was extremely difficult to deal with. And worse, he was now being targeted. He could be ambushed by the Fa Sect again at any moment. From now on, he would have to be even more secretive in his actions. But this wasn't a long-term solution—after all, you could be the thief for a thousand days, but you couldn't guard against thieves for a thousand days.

"You don't need to worry about the Fa Sect's ambushes. I have a task for you. If it succeeds, the Fa Sect's foundation in the Four Qi region will be uprooted along with it."

Hearing this, Li Huowang slowly turned his head to look at Xuanpin, waiting for him to continue.

"The scouts I sent before are all dead. But the lamas from Zhongyin Temple recalled their souls. The information in Taishan Shi's mind was correct—the Fa Sect indeed has a major plan."

"They want to gather us all together, then sacrifice us to heaven and the gods, wiping us out in one fell swoop."

"Hmph!" Li Huowang snorted coldly. "They sure think big!"

"No matter what they think, now that we know, we naturally have to find a way to ruin their plans. My idea is to turn their scheme against them."

"Oh? Go on."

"I won't tell the lower ranks about this. We'll follow the Fa Sect's plan, and I'll make as much noise as possible. Once I've drawn the Fa Sect's attention, you'll strike east while appearing to strike west—take people and destroy the Fa Sect's plan."

"Me? You saved me specifically just to make me do this?" Li Huowang pointed a finger at his own chest.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to? In the past, weren't you thinking of turning the tide and saving the common people from their suffering?"

"Of course I want to, but I always feel like you're treating me as a pawn again?"

Li Huowang frowned. He could sense some concealment in Xuanpin's words. And this wasn't the first time the man had done this.

Xuanpin's six hands retreated back into his robe. "Pawn or not, we're both trying to deal with the Fa Sect."

"Is that so? Then tell me—what are you doing to deal with the Fa Sect? Why does it have to be me? Why don't you go yourself?"

"Alas. I'm not as strong as you anymore. Living so long and still being outdone by a young man—I'm truly ashamed."

"Don't give me that. You're still hiding things, aren't you? Fine. Then I'm not doing this. Find whoever you want!" Li Huowang finished speaking and turned to walk out of the bamboo forest.

Just as he was about to leave, Xuanpin's voice came from behind. "Wait." His tone had become authoritative.

Li Huowang stopped in his tracks.

"Do you really not know why I won't tell you? Do you think I should tell you?"

Li Huowang turned around, facing Xuanpin. "Why not?"

"For others, knowing is merely knowing. But for you, merely knowing will cause some unpredictable influence on the matter."

"Is it because I'm Ji Zai's Heart-Pan? Or because of my Heart-Element ability?" Faced with Li Huowang's questioning, Xuanpin did not answer.

"Just say what you can. Give me a rough idea! Otherwise, I'll suspect that I'm out there fighting for my life while you people are scheming behind my back!"

Xuanpin hesitated for a long time before finally speaking. "We're helping."

"Helping who?"

"There's a struggle below, so naturally there's a struggle above. Do you still remember a question you once asked me? Why not solve the trouble at its source?"

Li Huowang's pupils suddenly contracted upon hearing this. "You can meddle in the White Jade Capital? You can contact those Simings?! You can help the Simings?"