Chapter 311: Well-Founded and Well-Argued

"Am I... already dead?"

Li Gui climbed up from the ground, trying his best to keep his head still; the slightest shake would bring intense pain.

"Yes, but this poor monk saved you back." Tang Luo said.

"Uh—" Li Gui said, "Many thanks, Master. I want to rest a bit, just a few minutes."

The others also wouldn't rush Li Gui to speak up in this time, to clearly explain what exactly happened.

A few minutes everyone could still afford to wait.

Everyone's gazes kept shifting between Bian Que and Tang Luo.

The dead being able to revive was definitely something Bian Que hadn't anticipated; one look at his ugly expression right now told you that.

"Heh, looks like I misunderstood Master Xuanzang." After a while, Bian Que spoke, "The person wasn't killed by you."

"Naturally not by this poor monk." Tang Luo said.

"Nothing to do with Master Xuanzang..." Over there Li Gui's rest time was quite a bit faster than anticipated; he said, "My death has to do with a mirror."

"A mirror?" Everyone frowned one after another.

There were quite a few mirrors on the Dragon King; if Li Gui's death was related to a mirror, it was not a good omen.

"I recall the Gods' Alliance side, there seems to have appeared a rising star." Someone spoke, "Their ability is related to mirrors."

"Right, I've heard of it, it's the Bloody Mary destiny." Someone quickly chimed in.

Bloody Mary counts as a fairly well-known Western folk horror legend, with many origins; the main prototypes are Mary I, Elizabeth Báthory, and Countess Elizabeth Báthory — these three.

Fresh blood, mirrors, candles are all elements in the Bloody Mary legend.

"Could that Bloody Mary kill through mirrors?"

Everyone looked at Li Gui.

Li Gui let out a light breath, and began describing the scene before his death.

At that time, Li Gui was staying in his own room, trying his best to adjust his state to welcome the upcoming battle, but he wasn't completely sitting in meditation.

Rather, he kept doing some trivial things, which included looking at the mirror in the room.

After looking in the mirror twice, Li Gui dazedly saw a change appear in the room's mirror.

Around the edges of the rectangular mirror, a layer of black enveloped it.

This black was not from the mirror's exterior, but came from within the mirror, just like the scene reflected by the mirror inside was a stretch shrouded in black, with only the middle part having brightness.

Li Gui said at that time, he had already suffered a certain influence.

Not only did he not raise vigilance, but instead curiously leaned closer to look.

Inside the mirror, his face was clearly visible, surrounded by enveloping darkness.

But the more he looked, the more Li Gui felt the person in the mirror became unfamiliar — this is a feeling many people get when staring in a mirror for a long time, especially in a dark environment.

Not just looking in mirrors, including reading words, photographs, even familiar things, all produce this kind of feeling.

From a scientific angle, this is called "saturation" (Troxler's fading / perceptual saturation).

Li Gui's encounter, naturally wasn't any saturation.

Because the closer he got to the mirror, the greater the change in his own face within the mirror.

When Li Gui involuntarily, almost pressed his face completely against the mirror, the person in the mirror suddenly turned into a strange woman.

Opening her mouth at him.

This was the last scene Li Gui saw before death; after that, Li Gui knew nothing.

The final thought before death was "Bad"; at that time he did realize the danger, unfortunately it was too late.

"According to intelligence, that Bloody Mary indeed has some abilities related to mirrors." Kong Ming spoke, "But I don't believe she has the ability to, separated by tens of thousands of li, casually kill through a mirror."

"There must be extremely many limiting conditions, and the price paid probably isn't small either."

Everyone quite agreed with this statement.

It wasn't self-deception, but fact; if those Bloody Marys really could kill unscrupulously through mirrors.

Then the Gods' Alliance would have long since been in all-out war with the Martial World Mythology.

From Li Gui's description, wanting to kill through a mirror isn't a simple matter either.

If not in a confined cramped environment, and Li Gui himself wasn't under mental pressure, he wouldn't have fallen for it so easily.

"Is your destiny still there?" Kong Ming looked at Li Gui and asked.

Li Gui shook his head: "Gone."

When he gradually regained consciousness he realized that although he was saved back, his destiny fragment had already "dropped."

"This is this poor monk's destiny-swapping technique, already demonstrated to everyone." Tang Luo said.

Everyone's expressions varied.

So this is the principle of the destiny-swapping technique; not some profound secret art as imagined, just the destiny holder dies, the destiny drops on its own.

Then saved back by Master Xuanzang, becoming an ordinary god/demon walker, naturally able to accept a brand new destiny fragment.

Achieving the goal of swapping destiny.

Calling it a destiny-swapping technique seems fine too, just why is there a subtle feeling of crudeness?

Just like the "strongest case-solving method in history" Master Xuanzang displayed just now, also giving a subtle crude feeling.

To put it bluntly, there's a big iron gate ahead, the gate has a password, the clue is hidden in the secret room.

It's a very difficult escape room puzzle; a person stands before the gate ponders a bit, turns around and smashes the wall open, successfully leaving the secret room.

The ultimate goal was achieved.

But the method and approach are completely different from what everyone thought.

Although smashing the wall is very strong, it's another kind of "strong method."

"Worthy of Master Xuanzang! Truly a powerful destiny-swapping technique!"

"Unexpected!"

"As expected of the Master!"

Of course, among the Martial World Myth members there was no shortage of sycophants; they spoke up when they should, and afterward they might even get a twenty percent discount.

The rest also reacted, one after another offering congratulations and praise.

Regardless of the process, the result was that the item in Monk Xuanzang's hands could indeed achieve the "purpose" of changing a person's fate, and that was actually enough.

"However, this poor monk must remind everyone," Tang Luo said. "The 'surgery' carries risks; even this poor monk cannot guarantee a one hundred percent success rate for the fate-changing technique. Once it fails, the outcome is thorough death."

The crowd was not very surprised; these words were within expectations.

Being able to resurrect the dead does not mean any dead person can be resurrected.

They also did not believe that if a person were burned to ashes, Tang Luo could still save them.

"Then we don't have to fight?" An An put away her two small axes and asked.

Today's match was both her and Li Gui's fate-seizing battle, and also Tang Luo's stage to demonstrate his "fate-changing technique" to everyone.

With the fate lost, Tang Luo had demonstrated his "enlightenment miracle" in another way, so naturally there was no need to fight.

"No need, no need," Li Gui said. He had even lost his fate fragment; what was there to fight about.

"But where did your fate fragment go?" the Dragon King looked at Li Gui and asked.

The others were also somewhat puzzled; if Bloody Mary had killed Li Gui through the mirror, then how had the fate fragment that should have been in the room disappeared?

Could that Bloody Mary also have the ability to absorb objects through the mirror?

"Don't know," Li Gui wore a blank expression.

Based on the time from Li Gui's death to everyone's discovery, no one had entered his room.

At least not in the surveillance; either that Bloody Mary took the fate fragment away by some means.

Or a traitor had appeared on the Dragon King's ship.

Whether the former or the latter, this was no longer something the Strongest Deduction Method could determine.

"This poor monk feels it was Benefactor Bian who did it." Just as everyone quieted down again, Tang Luo leisurely spoke up.

"You're talking nonsense!" Bian Que's reaction was intense.

"If Benefactor Bian had nothing to do with this matter, why just now were you so anxious to pin the black pot on this poor monk?" Tang Luo said, with reason and evidence.

Bian Que gave a short laugh: "Me pinning the black pot on you, isn't that a very normal thing?" Even more reasonable and convincing than Tang Luo.

Put in the same position, if someone else were Bian Que, they also would not let pass such a good opportunity to strike a competitor.

"That's true." Tang Luo thought for a moment, surprisingly nodded, feeling Bian Que's words made sense, then continued, "But this poor monk still feels Benefactor Bian's suspicion is very great."

"You're trying to pin the black pot on me?"

"Indeed." Tang Luo openly admitted it.

The crowd suddenly understood; no wonder Master Xuanzang was so calm just now, turns out he had dug a pit waiting for Bian Que to jump in.

Just now Bian Que accused Tang Luo, and Tang Luo immediately proved his innocence.

Now offense and defense swapped, it was Bian Que's turn.

"Actually, I was the first to board the ship; while in the room, I had contact with two people, one is the Dragon King, the other is Doctor Bian." Li Gui spoke up.

The gazes looking at Bian Que also faintly carried some suspicion.

"Absurd, ridiculous!" Bian Que flicked his sleeve, about to leave.

Tang Luo moved, blocking in front of him: "It seems Benefactor Bian has no way to prove his innocence."

"Prove you—"

"Since that's the case, then seize him first!" Before Bian Que finished speaking, Tang Luo ruthlessly struck.

Simply reaching out to grab, causing Bian Que to instantly feel a sensation of nowhere to dodge.

"They're fighting!"

"He can really bypass the contract?"

The crowd's expressions turned grave; although Tang Luo had proven Li Gui's death had nothing to do with him, Bian Que bringing up old matters had indeed left a thought in everyone's hearts.

"How dare he..."

Seeing Tang Luo about to grab him, Bian Que's originally somewhat panicked face suddenly turned ferocious; his right palm suddenly turned purple-black, grabbing upward, emitting a whistling sound of tearing air.

Tang Luo's open five-fingered palm stopped, only one step away from Bian Que's crown.

Bian Que leaned his body backward, right hand tightly gripping Tang Luo's wrist, not letting that palm come down.

On the purple-black palm, a trace of cloying black misty qi emanated.

The God-Demon Walkers standing relatively close to the two immediately retreated two steps.

As a healer, Bian Que naturally did not only know how to save people; since ancient times medicine and poison have been inseparable.

The number of people who have died under this poisonous claw technique is not small.

One could see on Tang Luo's wrist, black patterns had already begun to spread.

"Heh, you've shown your hand, Doctor Bian." Tang Luo laughed.

Bian Que's eyes widened, bad!