Chapter 390: Zhuge Yuan

Chapter 390: Zhuge Yuan

"Brother Zhuge, this Zuo Wang Dao truly believes he is me," Li Huowang said with a grave expression, turning his head to look at Zhuge Yuan beside him.

He never expected that this Zuo Wang Dao would steal not only his spindle but also his weapons, and completely disguise himself from the inside out.

"This guy must have done it when I was caught in a hallucination in the water earlier. Perhaps my sudden onset of hallucinations were caused by this Zuo Wang Dao!"

Recalling carefully, when he had awakened from what he thought was the White Tower prison, there happened to be a fool standing nearby—perhaps that person was a projection of this Zuo Wang Dao.

"And more! I saw someone inside my belly too! Maybe that person was waiting for you right there!" The monk reminded him with great concern.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Hongzhong walked over, circling the corpse several times before placing his hands together in prayer, mimicking the monk's ritual.

Now that everything was resolved, the entire sequence of events wasn't hard to deduce. However, Li Huowang couldn't understand why the other party wanted to impersonate him. If they were targeting him, then assuming his appearance and meeting him face-to-face would surely expose them immediately!

"Whoosh," Zhuge Yuan opened his folding fan, and the words "Born to excel" appeared before Li Huowang's eyes. "No need to worry. They're after me. On this Xing Island, they dare not confront me directly, so they used your identity to approach me."

"The opportunity was good, except perhaps they didn't expect you to arrive on the island so quickly."

Seeing Zhuge Yuan leave, Li Huowang bent down to retrieve his belongings from the corpse of Zuo Wang Dao and hurriedly followed him. "This is really a crime. If it weren’t for me coming here, Brother Zhuge probably wouldn’t have had these troubles."

He hadn't imagined that this time Zuo Wang Dao wasn't targeting him at all, leaving him momentarily unaccustomed. After all, past Zuo Wang Daos would attack him like wolves upon seeing meat—never ceasing until death.

Hearing the apology in Li Huowang’s voice, Zhuge Yuan smiled slightly. "It's fine, no worries. I'm used to it. It hasn't stopped happening since that wealthy Zuo Wang Dao died at my hands. This kind of thing has never ceased."

Li Huowang turned his gaze toward the corpse of Zuo Wang Dao gradually disappearing into the morning mist. Thinking about being targeted by the entire Zuo Wang Dao organization, where anyone near him might be an imposter, made him feel suffocated.

Then he turned back, looking at Zhuge Yuan with a complex expression. Facing such fierce retaliation from Zuo Wang Dao, the man remained so composed and calm—it showed just how powerful he truly was.

"He is absolutely far stronger than Dan Yangzi back then. No! He might even surpass Dan Yangzi after becoming immortal!"

While Li Huowang pondered this question, Zhuge Yuan frowned slightly, studying Li Huowang closely. "Brother Li, is there something alive inside your body? Would you like me to help remove it?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Sui's tentacles emerged from Li Huowang's navel, wrapping around his eyeballs, and looked curiously at Zhuge Yuan.

Li Huowang reached out his finger, wrapped it around them, and pushed them back in. "Nothing serious. Just Heitaizi. Although it's slowly eroding my body, it's the only thing that can suppress the illusions caused by Xin Su."

"I see. I read about this method in some random book, but seeing it with my own eyes is the first time."

Zhuge Yuan nodded understandingly, took a step forward, then paused. "You haven’t expelled the Heitaizi from your belly yet, have you? Are you planning to swallow another one?"

Li Huowang blinked, surprised by the question. "Yes, I do plan to try once it can no longer bear the burden."

"Don’t even think about it. Back then, when I read that book, it said if you actually did that, Xin Su’s fate would be terrible."

Hearing this warning, Li Huowang felt immense gratitude. Had it not been for this reminder, he might have tried it someday.

After this small incident, their relationship became much more harmonious. For the first time, Li Huowang encountered someone who didn’t pry into his secrets, making him feel extremely relaxed.

They walked for nearly half an hour before a quiet and elegant two-story bamboo house came into view.

All the buildings were painted in a lush green, perfectly blending with the bamboo forest, as if they had grown directly from the earth alongside the bamboo.

"My humble abode is simple; please don’t mind, Brother Li," Zhuge Yuan said, pushing open the bamboo door and leading Li Huowang inside.

There were no locks anywhere in the bamboo house, but one could be certain that no thief could ever enter.

Stepping into the bamboo house, the scent of books filled the air. Walls were adorned with paintings or calligraphy, though Li Huowang couldn't tell how skilled the artists were.

Among all the paintings, one stood out most notably—a white sedan chair carried high by four yellow-skulled skeletons, while ahead, a white weasel held a lantern guiding the way.

Apart from this painting, others mostly featured portraits—men and women, young and old. Clearly, Zhuge Yuan excelled in portrait painting, capturing likenesses with remarkable realism.

At that moment, Zhuge Yuan sat cross-legged on a mat and skillfully prepared tea. "Brother Li, which tea do you prefer? Dingshan Sugu or Junzi Yin Zhen?"

"I’m fine with either," Li Huowang replied, sitting on a low seat opposite him, watching Zhuge Yuan brew tea.

Though he had many things to say, seeing how focused Zhuge Yuan was, he decided politely to wait until he finished.

Although he couldn’t quite grasp what purpose the strange pouring between different cups served, he clearly sensed Zhuge Yuan’s expertise in tea ceremony.

"Three infusions of Junzi Yin Zhen. The tea from Xing Island is excellent, but the water is rather ordinary. Please don’t mind."

Taking a sip of the pale green tea, Li Huowang had barely opened his mouth when all the tea utensils were removed, replaced by a square chessboard placed before him.

Without waiting for him to speak, Li Huowang picked up a black piece and placed it casually on the board, eagerly asking, "Brother Zhuge, why did you help me? Are you perhaps also a Xin Su like me?"

The moment he asked, Li Huowang's heart leapt to his throat, his pulse racing as he watched the other speak.

*Thwack!* A white stone fell onto the board, and unexpected words escaped the other's lips. "Not so. Though both belong to the 'Heart' generation, I am not a Xin Su. I am a Xin Pan."

"Xin Pan?" A deep sense of disappointment welled within Li Huowang. On the boat, he had indeed considered that Zhuge Yuan helped him because they were kindred spirits.

In such a chaotic and bizarre world, having a powerful elder guide would make everything easier. But life rarely went according to one's desires.

Li Huowang shook off his thoughts and asked again, "Which Pan? The one from peaches?"

Zhuge Yuan held his teacup in his left hand, using the lid to press down on the tea leaves, closed his eyes, and sipped gently. "The one from 'Clear window washing inkstone sitting', the 'serpent and worm coiled' kind. Brother Li, now it's your turn. Place your stone."

(End of Chapter)