Chapter 1792: Chapter 1819: Playing Dumb
“Amitabha, I didn’t know the two masters would grace us with their presence. This old monk’s hospitality may have been inadequate.”
Outside the door, Master Lingtai walked in, followed by the two Arhats, Jianglong and Fuhu.
“Hmph.”
Li Xiaobai snorted coldly, burying his head in drinking wine and eating meat. He couldn’t be certain if this old monk Lingtai knew the two reckless creatures, so he refrained from speaking.
Yu Huan Shui glanced sideways at Li Xiaobai. He didn’t understand the sects’ influences in the Immortal Gods Realm, so if the young man didn’t speak, he wouldn’t either.
“Though you two masters have long resided in the deep mountains, you must have some understanding of external affairs. The situation in the Pure Land is grim. This old monk doesn’t understand the grievances between the masters and the Buddha, but if you two lend your hand to help the Buddhist Sect through this calamity, I assure you will regain your freedom and won’t be entangled with the Buddhist Sect thereafter.”
Lingtai was direct, without much ceremony.
Li Xiaobai glanced at him and said, “Who to kill?”
“The Demon Monk of the Eastern Land!”
Lingtai appeared sincere, bowing low.
But Li Xiaobai still felt something was off. The plan of this old monk was to merge sect disciples with creatures, but now all the creatures in the thirty Formations are missing, yet Lingtai didn’t inquire and instead talked about transactions with him.
Resisting the Eastern Land is indeed a top priority for the Pure Land, but what Lingtai should be most concerned about is where all the creatures have gone—after all, battlefields are not arenas, where one or two experts can determine the outcome; it always relies on middle strength for siege.
This old thing is testing him, suspicious of their creature identities!
Thud!
Li Xiaobai put down the bowl and chopsticks, his expression cold.
“It’s been years, yet the Buddhist Sect hasn’t made any progress!”
“They don’t even know when someone sneaks into their own home, still fixated on the Demon Monk from the Eastern Land. I see it’s only a matter of time before this Pure Land is destroyed; saving it temporarily can’t guarantee its safety forever.”
“Uh…”
Elder Monk Lingtai turned to look at the two Arhats, Jianglong and Fuhu, the three of them exchanging puzzled glances.
“Amitabha, this junior is dull-witted. Please, master, enlighten me!”
Li Xiaobai wore an inscrutable look, saying: “What I mean is that someone has entered the Pure Land recently; two great experts have arrived, a man and a woman, targeting the Buddha Lord.”
“Is that true?”
“This old monk has always focused on sect disciples, but has never neglected external pressures. If someone really came in, I couldn’t possibly not know. Recently, only those two from Wuhu entered, who are now the bodies of the two masters; no other cultivators entered!”
Master Lingtai seemed full of disbelief, suspicion growing in his eyes. He was puzzled; from receiving news of Wuhu’s arrival to now two suspected creature beings appearing, the speed seemed too fast, and how all the creatures disappeared without a trace in just one or two hours was beyond him.
He felt this matter was related to Li Xiaobai and Yu Huan Shui, but at present, he must confirm whether the ones feasting before him were humans or ghosts.
“You doubt this seat’s judgment. When I say there are, there are! Two exceptional experts are about to join the battlefield above the sky. Your Buddha Lord could barely hold his own against that fat one; should two more of the same level crash in, the high-level Western scene would instantly splinter.”
Li Xiaobai spoke disdainfully, with great confidence, showing no sign of lying.
The highest level of persuasion often consists entirely of truths, only rearranged to lure the other into drawing conclusions favorable to oneself.
Indeed, two exceptional experts were lurking in the Pure Land, a man and a woman, targeting the Buddha Lord and Liu Jinshui’s battlefield; Li Xiaobai just glossed over the crucial reasons.
“Go investigate.”
Lingtai whispered the order.
Some matters can be faked, but some aren’t known to ordinary people, like the fact that the opponent battling the Buddha Lord is a fat person, known to only a few, even Jianglong and Fuhu didn’t know; only he had seen that hefty figure wielding a golden knife from afar.
“Understood!”
Jianglong and Fuhu received the order, their figures blurring into disappearance.
“Master Wufa is willing to share such critical information with this junior; it seems he still has some feelings for the Buddhist Sect. Do the masters know anything about the creatures disappearing from the external Formation?”
Lingtai personally brewed tea, pouring for Li Xiaobai, and asked.
“I noticed at a glance; your Formation was cracked, the resources set up were dismantled cleanly, how could the creatures continue to stay inside? Naturally, they fled in panic.”
This information hadn’t yet been reported by Jianglong and Fuhu. The two Arhats hadn’t had time to check other Formations; Li Xiaobai breaking the news now would later be verified by the Arhats, boosting the credibility of his Spirit Thought Level creature identity.
“Is that so?”
“Please dine first, master; this junior will go check it out.”
Lingtai bowed and hurried away.
He just found an excuse to leave; unable to determine the true identity of those inside, he needed to wait for Jianglong and Fuhu’s update before deciding.
Gesturing to the waiting monks outside, a dozen yellow-robed elder monks silently stood on either side of the door, ostensibly attending but actually monitoring and semi-detaining; until Lingtai clarified the truth, every move of the two inside would be observed.
Inside the room, a group of young nuns stood on either side, holding trays, heads bowed and unmoving, also there to monitor.
Li Xiaobai and Yu Huan Shui didn’t care, eating meat and drinking wine heartily.
Satisfied, glancing at the nuns and the figures outside, Yu Huan Shui deliberately spoke loudly:
“This old thing is quite sneaky, sending so many to watch us. Isn’t he worried we might get angry and kill all these bald donkeys?”
Li Xiaobai immediately echoed: “That’s exactly his plan: if we don’t act, he monitors us; if we get angry and act, he can observe our strength and cultivation. The monks’ lives are mere playthings.”
“But he has sparked my rebellious nature. No matter what, I won’t act now.”
Yu Huan Shui: “If you don’t act, then I won’t act either.”
Their banter caused sweat to bead on the foreheads of the Buddhist Sect disciples inside and out.
These two gentlemen were too difficult to serve.
Soon after.
Two figures appeared outside, sparking conflict with the elder monks at the door.
“Don’t block the way. Do you know who I am? Be careful, I, Ma Niubi, will teach you a lesson!”
With a creak, the door swung open, and two shiny heads appeared in Li Xiaobai’s view.
One shiny head carried a small golden tree on its shoulder, while the other wore a blank expression, moving stiffly and mechanically, exuding an aura of death.
It was Ma Niubi and Monk Liaowang.
The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment; no need to ask, these two, focused on entering, hadn’t thought of being monitored by the nuns inside, and no explanations were prepared.
Ma Niubi: “Ahem.”
Li Xiaobai: “Ahem!”
Yu Huan Shui: “Ahem?”
“Smelled the aroma of meat and came over—give me, Ma Niubi, an extra set of bowls and chopsticks. For a monk, drinking wine and eating meat is true joy!”