Chapter 427

"I'm not sure if I'm having a hallucination or if I've been influenced by Qing Wanglai."

Back in the imperial capital, Li Huowang wearily arrived at Fengyang Tower and ordered a serving of the signature Yipin Su for Li Sui inside his belly.

At this point, he could only accept the reality that Su Lin and Meng Qi had lost contact.

But from a rational standpoint, this simply couldn't happen.

These two may not be particularly strong in conventional combat, but when it comes to their origins, artifacts, and hidden cards, even the true body of Fusheng Tian might not have the power to prevent them from replying at all.

Not to mention Su Lin—whether it's traditional possession, cross-border assassination, systems, panels, or super-evolution, it wouldn't be surprising if a hundred thousand grandfathers popped up in a day.

At least, that's what Li Huowang believed.

According to Zhongli's words, the chat group has a special property that avoids external interference, just as when he himself was influenced by Su Lin, he still saw the chat group.

That makes no sense.

But what if they were influenced? Shouldn't he go straight to Da Qi to find them now?

"Brother Li, no need to worry—I have a guess about this matter." Zhu Ge Yuan waved his folding fan: "There are only two possibilities."

Li Huowang's expression brightened. "Brother Zhu Ge, what are the two?"

"Can't say." Zhu Ge Yuan shook his head.

Li Huowang's face froze. He sighed helplessly: "Brother Zhu Ge, how come even you've turned into a riddler? Come on, it's already this late—Qing Wanglai and the others are taking me to assassinate Su Tianfu tomorrow."

Whether killing Su Tianfu or betraying Qing Wanglai isn't particularly important now; what matters is who caused last night's car accident.

Qing Wanglai certainly has no good intentions—that madman is full of malice.

Su Tianfu is unclear.

For that bunch of mad Confused Siming who can arbitrarily disrupt history and the future, only after Ji Zai appears can I give Qing Wanglai a few piercing blows inside Baiyu Jing; otherwise, many actions I take won't mean anything.

"Brother Li, everything is just one step away—don't rush. Do what your own judgment tells you."

Zhu Ge Yuan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly opened them. "If my prediction is correct, Brother Li, everything will soon become clear, and those two should be unharmed."

Li Huowang pressed his hands to his head, trying to calm his chaotic thoughts. "Yes… I should think about what I can do myself."

Li Huowang nodded, but gradually fell silent, unsure whether he was doing something in the other world or pondering the problem.

"Red Center Boss, I say just go straight ahead and kill, kill, kill! The Dice Boss is in the city, Huangfu Tiangang is in the city—take them out, solve today's problems first."

Illusion Zuo Wang Dao grinned and sidled up, as if Li Huowang's punishment meant nothing to him. "Ji Zai exists—you just need to get stronger, right? After all, someone's got your back."

Zhu Ge Yuan's gaze sharpened as he looked at Illusion Zuo Wang Dao. "These matters are for Brother Li to decide. Don't you understand the principle of observing without speaking?"

"Heh, I'm just being helpful~ Aren't you always giving him advice from the sidelines too?"

Illusion Zuo Wang Dao spread his hands and laughed. "I'm doing this for Red Center Boss's sake—so many worlds are interesting. If he dies, won't I lose all the fun? Don't worry, I've long since broken ties with the Dice."

Illusion Hong Zhong still tried to debate with Zhu Ge Yuan, but Zhu Ge Yuan simply made the other two illusions gag him and pin him to the ground.

"Efficiency is everything." Zhu Ge Yuan glanced at Li Huowang, still lost in thought—probably dealing with matters in the other world.

Sure enough, when Li Huowang returned to normal here, Li Sui had already used Li Huowang's body to order over a dozen servings of the signature Yipin Su, and it was already afternoon.

"Suisui…"

"Dad, I saved you a portion. This place isn't as good as Uncle Wei's."

Black Taishui does feed on flesh, but somehow, Li Sui had been raised by Li Huowang to eat normal food—though blood food remains the most efficient and nutritious.

"Later, come with me into the palace. Hide inside my Mingquan. If anything's wrong, pull out the artifacts and talismans in my belly." Li Huowang said.

He was going to find the Dice—or rather, search for Zuo Wang Dao hidden in the palace. If all else fails… there's still someone else. Amon?

Li Huowang narrowed his eyes and tapped lightly several times on the greasy, oil-stained black wooden table. The surrounding sounds gradually grew clearer.

"What are you playing at?" Li Huowang said coldly.

Behind him, the waiter carried up a plate of delicate pastries, pushed up his monocle, and said:

"What are you talking about? I'm just working hard to earn a few copper coins."

Li Huowang didn't believe a word of it—not unless the sun rose in the west.

"Including this Two of Characters, Zuo Wang Dao is mostly under my control." Amon placed the pastry before Li Huowang. "Try it—this piece, you'll especially like."

Li Huowang frowned. "Including the Dice?"

"Except for North Wind and a couple of stragglers." Amon nodded, smiling. "Since the God of Light forbids me from touching Xin Su, I sent him to Lei Yinsi."

Was the Dice problem already solved?

Li Huowang suddenly felt unreal—he'd wanted to contain Zuo Wang Dao, stop them from causing chaos, but hadn't expected Amon's efficiency to be this extreme.

"Has the Emperor reverted to a woman's form?" Li Huowang immediately cast a divination, stared at the hexagram, and asked: "Are you certain you eliminated every one of the Dice's bodies?"

"Isn't the Emperor male?" Amon looked puzzled.

"I knew you didn't kill him." Li Huowang immediately stood up to leave. While he slept on the plane, he'd settle matters here.

Before leaving, he glanced back at Amon: "Has Su Lin contacted you recently?"

"Didn't he go to Da Qi with you?" Amon shook his head, adjusting his monocle. "I wanted to go visit, but you all kept me at arm's length."

"Sir, you haven't eaten this plate of signature pea pastry yet? Not taking any?" Amon still played the role of the Two of Characters' waiter, watching the tentacles extend from Li Huowang's belly and then retract, a faint smile curling on his lips.

"What a pity—this is a skill I learned by stealing. It's a shame no one tastes it."

He placed the yellow pastry in his mouth, bit into it, chewed, then spat out a die from his right hand.

"You didn't want it yourself."

"Huh? You ask why I didn't play along with you? Heh…"

"I don't want to invite unnecessary trouble. There'll be plenty more chances to play later—why fixate on this small amusement now?"

"You say I'm not like Zuo Wang Dao… still lacking?"

Amon stood frozen, thinking for a moment, then suddenly laughed. He tossed the die into his mouth like a peanut and swallowed it.

"Red Center… you really know how to play. You found such a fun thing. Heh, not sharing it with us is unfair. Isn't it just our Zuo Wang Dao's fate? Give it all to you—what's the problem?"

The waiter's face twisted rapidly, first becoming the Two of Characters, then the edges of the mahjong tile violently folding inward.

It changed from a rectangle into a cube; the flesh on its face rapidly coalesced, finally forming a six-sided die.

"Hey, you really dare to swallow me? What I said before was a lie."

The six-sided die let out a sneer, then its movements froze. After several seconds, the red dot on its surface flickered dimly and brightly.

He lowered his head, picked up the single eyeglass lens from the ground, and placed it on his own red dot.

"Now it's real—I am the die."

"No, I am the die."

Like the mutterings of a madman, the die stood frozen in place for half a moment. "Interesting. Then we're both dice now."

"Doctor Su, your luggage is packed. We're ready to head to the airport."

Zhao Shuangdian gently tapped on the door, then pushed it open. She scanned the room's anime elements, utterly out of place in the study, and fixed her gaze on Su Tianfu.

He held a Bible in his hands, reading intently, with Bluetooth earbuds still in his ears.

Sensing someone had entered, Su Tianfu removed his earbuds: "Is it time to leave? Sorry, I'll wash my face."

"Doctors Meng and Yi, and Wu Qi are already waiting for you to have breakfast," Zhao Shuangdian said. "You're quite fond of studying theology?"

"Not really. I'm actually more interested in traditional Chinese studies and the I Ching," Su Tianfu sighed, picking up the Bible with its worn cover.

"Come to think of it, I bought this Bible because I heard someone reciting from it while feeding pigeons in the square."

"When I was eighteen, I stayed at Longhu Mountain for two months. I thought my Daoist name was ugly, so I changed it to Tai Chu Dao Ren. They told me it was the same as Tai Chu Shangdi and might cause religious disputes—asked me to change it."

"Then I changed it to Tai Chu Dao Huang. They immediately ordered me to leave the mountain. What kind of nonsense is this? Never mind, let's drop it."

Su Tianfu stood up, his expression as if recalling painful memories.

"What does 'Tai Chu' mean?" Zhao Shuangdian walked to the desk and glanced at the Bible Su Tianfu had just been reading.

Su Tianfu pointed to a passage in the Bible and smiled:

"Here it says: 'There is light and freedom; the voice of worship flows like a multitude of waters. He is the beginning and the end, the eternal Tai Chu Light, who was, is, and will forever be.'"

"I thought it was cool, hahaha. I was a bit childish back then—sorry for the cringe."

When Su Tianfu entered the bathroom and began washing up, Zhao Shuangdian picked up the Bible and began flipping through it. "His model has become even more complete."

Moments later, when the sound of running water in the bathroom ceased, she casually closed the Bible.

But at the first page beneath the cover, she paused. A name had been written there in black marker.

"Su Lin?"

(End of Chapter)