Chapter 774: Search

Chapter 774: Searching

Seeing the lion dance, Li Huo Wang thought he must have been mistaken, but when he saw the densely packed feet beneath the white cloth, he was absolutely certain—this was the same lion dance he had seen in Qingqiu's underground chamber.

Under the guidance of the Master of the Altar, the two lions performed acrobatics on bamboo poles—leaping, tumbling, jumping, climbing, and bowing with swift grace.

Li Huo Wang could understand why they were performing the ghost-dance (nuo), but he never expected that lion dancing could be part of it.

Observing closely the nuo mask on the Master’s face and the mask atop the lion’s head, Li Huo Wang sensed a slight similarity between them.

As the Master concluded his performance, Li Huo Wang noticed something odd. In past performances, someone usually sang the lyrics, but this time, not a single word was sung until the music ended.

When the lion dancers left and the bamboo poles were removed, Li Huo Wang approached the Master.

“What were you doing just now?”

“Receiving an old guest.”

“What is ‘receiving an old guest’?”

The massive wooden mask of the Master turned to look at Li Huo Wang.

“Something wrong?”

Hearing that, Li Huo Wang stopped asking irrelevant questions and directly stated his purpose.

“How did Xuan Pin help other Commanders-in-Chief fight against the God of Yu'er? I want to know how.”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Mm, I don’t know.” The Master turned to leave, but Li Huo Wang blocked him again.

“Are you truly ignorant or pretending to be? Now that all others in the Sky Watch Bureau are dead, you’re the highest-ranking. If even you don’t know, then no one else in the bureau can possibly know either.”

“Don’t forget I’m on your side now. I seek this method to fight the Dao Sect.”

Through the great mask, the Master looked at Li Huo Wang with eyes full of suspicion.

Xuan Pin doesn’t trust you; how do you think he would trust me? Would he tell you everything? With that said, the Master walked away without looking back.

“Don’t know?” Li Huo Wang frowned deeply. “Why wouldn’t I believe him?”

As the tentacles within Li Huo Wang’s body caused his red robe to rise, the collar quickly lifted, enveloping him in darkness. Soon after, Xuan Pin appeared in place.

When Li Huo Wang’s hand emerged from the wide robe, it had transformed into a dry, bony hand with long nails.

Then, with a gentle gesture, Xuan Pin’s illusion—Shangguan Yuting—appeared beside him, smiling and waving.

Now that his cultivation had reached its peak, Li Huo Wang could replicate all of Xuan Pin’s illusions at will. The only difference was that Xuan Pin was false, while he was real.

Since Xuan Pin had done it, and such a significant act, there must be traces left behind somewhere in the Sky Watch Bureau.

If he wouldn’t speak, then he would find out himself. Though the Master’s identity was that of the Celestial Inspector, so was his own.

With his current rank being the highest in the bureau, no one could stop him.

“First, let’s go to Xuan Pin’s quarters,” Li Huo Wang said, floating upward with Shangguan Yuting, passing through the ceiling and leaving the place.

Soon, Li Huo Wang arrived at Xuan Pin’s residence. As a member of the sect, entering his quarters posed no obstacle, and along the way, he collected quite a few non-gang-related items.

To his surprise, Xuan Pin’s quarters were rather small, even cramped for his tall frame.

Besides four walls lined with bookshelves, there was only a desk with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones—no bed at all.

Everything was disorganized, unsure if it was intentional or due to lack of time to tidy up.

“Doesn’t this guy sleep?” Li Huo Wang walked over to inspect the desk.

Disappointed, he found only scattered star charts with no words—completely unreadable.

“Could it be… hidden in these books?” Li Huo Wang looked around at the towering shelves reaching the ceiling.

“His powers come from Ji Zai, right? Why does he need these books?”

Li Huo Wang flipped through one randomly, discovering a black ink formation slowly moving across the page.

“Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha,” he turned and saw a monk chanting while bowing repeatedly before the bookshelf.

“Xuan Pin probably died in Baiyu Jing. He won’t be reborn. No need to perform a ritual for him,” Li Huo Wang slammed the formation book shut.

“Daoist, I haven’t done a ritual yet. I’m just praying to the Buddha.”

“Buddha? Here?” When Li Huo Wang approached the monk, he saw a reclining Buddha statue tucked inside the bookshelf.

Li Huo Wang took it out, placed it on his palm, frowned slightly—he had seen something like this once before, in the Zhengde Temple.

“Look around. See if there’s anything else,” Li Huo Wang commanded. His illusions scattered throughout the room to search.

With more people, results came quickly.

“Daoist, here’s a bronze wheel of a lama.”

“Here’s a cow-horn talisman,” Peng Longteng spoke up.

More items were found. When a Mahjong tile from the Seat-forgetting Dao was discovered, Li Huo Wang realized the key.

These items seemed connected to various sects, and each matched the sects mentioned by the Master as those Xuan Pin had helped confront.

With all these items found, a sudden insight struck Li Huo Wang. “I should’ve figured it out earlier!”

Clearly, Xuan Pin hadn’t simply gone to Baiyu Jing and told the Commanders-in-Chief he wanted to help.

He must have first contacted them through these sects, arranged a meeting, and then decided on action.

These sect members likely contacted Xuan Pin about this matter, and perhaps they watched during the negotiations!

Li Huo Wang immediately set down the items and headed outside.

He glanced at the rotating mirror beside him. Other sects were either too far or completely vanished. Among the Four Qi territories, the nearest was the Zhengde Temple.

“Let’s go!” Peng Longteng grabbed Li Huo Wang and hurled him eastward toward the Zhengde Temple.

Flying swiftly through the air, Li Huo Wang finally arrived at the temple just before sunset.

He had visited once before, but his mindset was entirely different now.

Besides the couplets and plaques of the Zhengde Temple, it was known for its flourishing incense.

Upon arriving at the temple gate, a welcoming monk noticed him. “Namo Amitabha, Mr. Li, please follow me.”

Li Huo Wang followed him through the crowded pilgrims, entering through a side door. Whether it was the same path as last time, he couldn’t remember.

Eventually, he stood before the five colossal Buddha statues, where he met the abbot of the Zhengde Temple.

Two.

(End of Chapter)