Chapter 399: Acquaintance

Chapter 399: Acquaintance

"Of course it was stolen from somewhere else! Isn't the Way of Forgetfulness about deceiving heaven, earth, and the Fate Keeper?"

Zhu Ge Yuan smiled faintly, snapped his fan open with a sharp *pop*, and began to gently fan himself. "Who told you that? You've been deceived. There are indeed rumors circulating in the martial world about this."

"They just don’t want others to know, so they spread lies, claiming that the powers of the Way of Forgetfulness were all stolen."

"But Brother Li, think about it—can an ordinary mortal really deceive another Fate Keeper’s power?"

"The Fate Keeper of the Way of Forgetfulness? Then wouldn’t that be the false embodiment of everything?" This thought suddenly surfaced in Li Huowang's mind.

After pondering carefully, he asked again, "Brother Zhu, what is the name of the Fate Keeper of the Way of Forgetfulness?"

"Doumu Taiyin."

"Doumu Taiyin? So that Fate Keeper controls the falsity of this world?" Li Huowang couldn’t help but grow more intrigued.

"Was it also there in Baiyu Jing? Did I see it?" Li Huowang pressed his palms against his temples, trying to recall memories from a year ago.

Zhu Ge Yuan seemed to sense something, glanced up at the sun, and snapped his fingers directly in front of Li Huowang. Instantly, Li’s mind cleared, and he forgot what he had just been thinking.

"Brother Li, matters beyond the heavens are best left alone for mere mortals like us. We risk disturbing our own karma and fate if we meddle."

Li Huowang nodded, rubbing his head as he asked with weariness, "None of them are safe?"

"It’s better not to think about it."

Li Huowang had many questions about the Fate Keepers, but upon hearing this, he swallowed his curiosity and changed the subject.

"Brother Zhu, can you teach me this method? If I could learn it, then the Way of Forgetfulness would no longer pose any threat to me."

Zhu Ge Yuan flicked his fan once more, about to speak when someone softly mocked nearby.

"Heh, look at that scholarly fool, still fanning himself in this cold weather. His brain must be diseased."

Zhu Ge Yuan’s expression stiffened. He slammed his fan shut and said to Li Huowang, "This kind of heart is destined not to master such things. But you can learn your own path. As long as your heart grasps the cultivation methods, the Way of Forgetfulness will run faster than rabbits when they see you."

A bitter smile crossed Li Huowang’s face. From what Zhu Ge Yuan said, it sounded like he’d become the nemesis of the Way of Forgetfulness after cultivation. "I hope so. I just want to get rid of these illusions. Everything else doesn’t matter."

"Hehehe, here comes the steaming fish soup noodles—three bowls hot and fresh. Try my old man’s cooking."

Li Huowang picked up his chopsticks, took several bites from each bowl, and tossed them onto the ground. The steamed bun immediately darted forward, licking up the noodles eagerly.

"Brother Zhu, wait a moment. Let the bun eat first."

Zhu Ge Yuan, who had just pulled out his silver needle, nodded knowingly. "Not bad. That’s another way to do it. I wonder why you keep a dog around. What if someone else’s sleeping poison takes effect slowly? By the time you’ve eaten, the dog might already be dead."

"No problem. If I see the bun poisoned, I can cut open its belly and extract everything it has consumed."

Zhu Ge Yuan stared at Li Huowang in amazement, as if wanting to say something, but remained silent.

Seeing that the bun had finished eating, crouching beside him wagging its tail, Li Huowang picked up his chopsticks again. "Brother Zhu, no poison. Let’s eat."

The old woman was right—the fish soup noodles were incredibly delicious, with golden fish roe floating in the milky-white broth. Swallowing them down on this freezing winter day was pure comfort.

Just as Li Huowang hesitated whether to order another bowl, he suddenly raised his head, his brows furrowed as he looked toward the woods on the left.

Zhu Ge Yuan, slowly rolling up his noodles and putting them in his mouth, chewed leisurely before speaking again. "What’s wrong, Brother Li?"

"There’s movement to the south—it sounds like a fight."

"Where did you learn to hear so far away with your heavenly ears?" Zhu Ge Yuan shook his sleeves and stood up, following Li Huowang toward the nearby forest.

Leaves rustled behind them as they drew closer. Soon, they stopped, the scent of blood heavy in the air, staring at the chaotic scene ahead.

Two groups were locked in combat, clearly reaching a critical moment. Everyone was bloodthirsty, using methods Li Huowang had never heard of to kill, with people dying every moment.

Scanning the waistband of one corpse, Li Huowang said while looking at it, "One side is from the Heaven-Watching Bureau. The other I don’t recognize. Brother Zhu, do you know?"

Watching one man pull out a white worm and smear it on a wound, instantly regaining mobility to counterattack, Zhu Ge Yuan shook his head. "I don’t know either. I think one of them is from the Way of Forgetfulness."

"The Way of Forgetfulness? Who?!" Li Huowang reacted instinctively to the word.

"That woman from Miao territory with purple lips."

Upon hearing this, Li Huowang fixed his gaze on the shimmering silver ornaments dancing above her head, his eyes gradually darkening.

But after a moment’s thought, he didn’t move. "Brother Zhu, she looks like a minor player. If we act rashly, we’ll alert the enemy."

Li Huowang’s goal had never changed—he wanted to catch Bei Feng and force him to reveal how to escape the illusion. Everything else was irrelevant. "Brother Zhu, let’s go back. Let’s avoid unnecessary complications."

Zhu Ge Yuan nodded and prepared to leave with Li Huowang.

But just then, someone noticed them. A masked man in the battle shouted toward Li Huowang, "Lord Zhu!"

At the familiar voice, Zhu Ge Yuan’s fan opened instantly. With one foot pushing off the tree trunk, he charged without hesitation toward the black-clad man.

Seeing Zhu Ge Yuan engage the enemy, Li Huowang couldn’t stand by and pulled out his Purple Husk Sword to join the fray.

With Li Huowang and Zhu Ge Yuan joining the fight, the stalemate turned into a one-sided victory. The enemies from the Heaven-Watching Bureau quickly retreated.

Wiping blood from his face, Li Huowang walked over to Zhu Ge Yuan’s side. Just as he arrived, he saw the survivors kneeling before Zhu Ge Yuan. "We bow to Lord Zhu!"

This scene surprised Li Huowang. "Does Zhu Ge Yuan have such high prestige in the Heaven-Watching Bureau? Why did he seem like a plague in the past?"

"Oh, Brother Li, come here." Zhu Ge Yuan helped a masked man to his feet and smiled as he introduced him to Li Huowang.

"This man is my peerless friend. Though he works for the Heaven-Watching Bureau, he is also a national expert of Great Qi!"

"A national expert of Great Qi?"

"Oh, a national expert means he’s among the strongest players in Great Qi. When I mean 'playing,' I mean the Go game—like the black and white stones we played earlier."

"A national expert of Great Qi?!"

(End of Chapter)