Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Li Replaces Peach with Dead Branch

“Ha ha ha!” Li Hui faced the young monk with hands joined in laughter, “I have long admired the Earth Store Sect. I heard your sect holds an important position in this grand event, so I specially came to pay my respects and prepared a generous gift. I wonder who I should give it to? Before I left, my master specifically mentioned a few masters and said that I could count on the Earth Store Sect’s brother to assist me. This…”

The little monk’s expression shifted: “Ah, so you are a friend of an acquaintance! I, Qinan, am honored to meet you. May I ask how much generous gift you have prepared?”

“The gift list is here.” Li Hui replied as he reached out, taking a step closer to Qinan, who looked on in disbelief, saying, “Brother, allow me to read it to you. Don’t rush, don’t grab…”

“You!” Qinan’s eyes widened; there was no gift list! Shouting so loudly would surely raise suspicions among the monks behind him. Filled with fear, he felt his hidden Buddhist artifacts rapidly disintegrating, and as he tried to use his powers to shake off the troublesome hands, he found his wrist captured. A force vibrated through him, and he suddenly lost his anger, his legs weakening and body feeling limp.

“Ha ha, we’re old friends, so let’s have a chat in the bamboo building.” Li Hui pulled him toward a nearby bamboo structure. As Qinan just regained his strength, he witnessed colors of black and white swirl, drawing out vast amounts of his energy. He felt like a deflated balloon, completely collapsing.

“Alas! This is the Nine Patterns Three Exotics damage-dealing talisman; it would be a shame to waste it on you! Let’s see if I can at least recover my costs.” Li Hui regretted, patting Qinan down and confirming the danger was gone before starting to strip him of his clothes, leaving nothing untouched, even the undergarments. With a glance, he commented, “No wonder you became a monk; actually, being a eunuch would suit you better. Going without a manhood doesn’t make a difference!”

Qinan was so furious he almost fainted. As a prodigy of the Earth Store Sect, he had never endured such treatment before. He had robbed others but was now being robbed himself for the first time, such an incredible shame!!!

Li Hui ignored Qinan’s thoughts, inspecting the items he had taken. The Buddhist artifacts were all already offered to the Snake’s mouth, and the only Buddha Treasure was similarly compromised!

“It turns out this guy has a collecting habit; he gathered hundreds of robes and monk clothes, it seems like he hasn’t even worn them. Oh? The Earth Store Bodhisattva’s Fundamental Vow written on human skin, how much sin did that accumulate?”

Saying this, Li Hui prepared to destroy the human-skin scripture when Guang Jin hastily stopped him: “Young master, wait! This scripture is something special. It requires the skin of an evil monk who had feasted on scholarly achievements, taken from his chest, and the souls are sealed within. After another eighteen generations of evil monks chant and refine it, reciting it thirty-six hundred times, only then does it become a true scripture of great destruction. If you destroy it now, it will explode immediately, and its power is incalculable; it’s meant to annihilate the souls of men.”

“Such malice? Let it be for now!”

Li Hui turned and exited the bamboo building, leaving as the various great monks watched him with sarcasm, coldness, and jealousy. He continued searching for the Aofeng Sect’s residence, only to be enveloped in an ominous cold, spotting red embroidered shoes approaching.

“Little brother, fate brings us together from a thousand miles away; otherwise, we would never meet face to face.” The Ghost Blood Dress revealed a bizarre smile, the skin on her face so pale it was frightening, as a purple teapot hovered above her, emitting a shimmering green light.

As the green light shone down, Li Hui’s expression changed drastically, and he collapsed straight to the ground, stirring up dust two feet high. He stared wide-eyed, unable to move as a soft laugh echoed in his ear: “You’re quite cautious! Setting up a ritual altar is useless against you. I didn’t expect that even the soul-binding music would be ineffective, so I had no choice but to use this imperial gift, the Peaceful Sea Teapot, to suppress you! I didn’t think it would require a Transcendent Tathagata Buddha artifact to deal with a small ghost.”

Before long, the Ghost Blood Dress tugged at Li Hui’s body, floating him into an extravagant tent.

“Is this the young man with the aura of a sect leader?” Someone moved closer.

“Indeed, it is him. I’ve checked; he is undeniably a body refining cultivator, and he didn’t carry any artifacts. Such confidence!”

“Good! Give me ten days. After ten days, I will completely control him, and we can use him. Go tell Noble Concubine, as long as my needs are met, we can use this young man to replace the prince at any time.”

“Ha ha ha!” The Ghost Blood Dress tossed over a golden bag of treasures, laughing, “You underestimate the Noble Concubine too much; everything has been prepared. Speaking of the Li replaces Peach with Dead Branch technique, it is safest with the Smoke Puppet Sect. But ten days is too long; make it eight days! After eight days, I will come to collect the person. You know what failure means.”

“Don’t worry! My Li replaces Peach with Dead Branch technique surpasses the Smoke Puppet Sect. The prince’s navel blood, hair, nails, and clothes are all here, ensuring we can deceive the world and turn him into the prince’s century-old decoy.” Once the Ghost Blood Dress left, this person hurriedly opened the golden bag of treasures to count its contents. Suddenly, he felt a tremble behind him and quickly turned to look at Li Hui, finding nothing unusual and thinking he was being overly cautious…

“Junior brother, you really are careless.” Su Qing’er sat beside Li Hui and said.

“Enough with the chatter; the Illusion Talisman Formation is in effect; this guy still thinks I’m lying there.” Li Hui’s expression fluctuated as he realized he had been caught. If the Ghost Blood Dress had different intentions and had directly attacked him, even if he could escape, he would be gravely injured.

With the Jade Heart of the Earth Court, the ancient dynasty’s seal bracelet, and original talisman shells, he felt relaxed, but in reality, a powerful artifact could crush him!

“This encounter must serve as a warning; I need to be more vigilant, cautious, and careful, or my life will be in danger.”

“Watch him; I’ll go get that previous monk to make some trouble for him.” Li Hui instructed Su Qing’er before vanishing. Shortly after, he returned with the little monk Qinan.

How unlucky can Qinan be? Just as he had regained a bit of strength to stand, a jolt at the back of his neck caused him to collapse again. It’s important to be polite when meeting someone!

Su Qing’er became excited: “This is fun! I know how to change appearances. Why don’t you shave your head? I’ll plant the hair back on him, and cut off the lump on his forehead to put on you; guarantee no one can tell the difference!”

“Uh, shaving my head is fine, but as for that lump, let’s forget it. Just mold me one out of dough,” Li Hui grinned, adept at playing the monk.

Outside, the atmosphere grew lively as disciples from all sects arrived. Su Qing’er went out briefly and was informed by a eunuch that some sect disciples were drinking with the prince, including Aofeng Sect disciple Li Yingjun, who might stay with the prince tonight.

When Su Qing’er returned, she was laughing heartily: “Hee hee hee, the little eunuch spoke as if it were true! Junior brother, what do you think that royal family is plotting?”

Li Hui was focused on observing Chen Kuisheng from the Smoke Puppet Sect. Although he was only at the mid-Gather Spirit stage, he exhibited a unique talent in performing strange spells, as if he was getting close to a path and causing mysterious fluctuations, like plucking the strings of a zither, subtly shifting the flow of luck.

Hearing Su Qing’er’s inquiry, Li Hui frowned slightly: “The royal family is creating straw men! When the truth comes to light, calamities will inevitably arise for them. If they want to avoid death, they must exhaust their efforts to forge a substitute, and an ordinary substitute won’t do. It must be someone with exceptional roots and immense luck to withstand the calamities.”