Chapter 443: The Deity Moved
Li Daoxuan spent one second taking in his surroundings.
Immense joy surged within him. Ha ha ha! Finally, I can interact with my followers in their world.
Wait!
Something wasn’t right.
He attempted to move but found himself paralyzed.
Glancing downward, he realized his arms were fused to his torso—the entire figure was one solid clay sculpture.
Not only were his arms immobile, but his legs couldn’t budge either. They were seamlessly molded as one with the clay body.
The craftsmanship of this statue is utterly primitive!
Just as he mentally criticized the shoddy sculpting skills, Gao Chuwu suddenly exclaimed, “Hey! Did you notice? The Deity’s eyeball just twitched!”
Old Nan Feng chimed in, “This is merely the Deity’s statue, not the Deity Himself. How could it possibly move? If the true Deity stirred, a single slap would flatten this entire dock.”
Zao Ying added, “Exactly! Chuwu, stop talking nonsense.”
Gao Chuwu scratched his head. “But… it really did move just now.”
Witnessing this, Li Daoxuan felt inwardly amused. Apparently, though my body won’t budge, my eyeballs can rotate. Maybe if my lips could move, I could even speak.
What fun to try!
But testing it now would spoil the entertainment. The more tempting it is to move, the more I must resist—watching Gao Chuwu face their skepticism is too amusing.
He quickly locked his gaze straight ahead, eyes frozen in place.
The group stared at the statue for a few moments, saw no movement, dismissed Gao Chuwu’s claim, and refocused on their discussion.
Xing Honglang clasped her fists toward the envoy. “Wang Jiayin is a name we hold in great esteem. May I inquire why he sent you to us?”
Li Daoxuan immediately understood. So this capable-looking man is Wang Jiayin’s envoy. That means he’s the one who insulted me earlier.
The only unidentified person left in the room was the middle-aged monk over there. The monk appeared gentle and compassionate, giving every impression of an enlightened master.
The envoy returned the gesture. “The name of Yongji Xing Honglang is likewise revered by Prince Wang. I’ve been dispatched primarily to discuss the matter concerning Bu Zhan Ni.”
The mention of “Bu Zhan Ni” made everyone in the room raise their eyebrows slightly.
Gao Chuwu gasped: “Huh? Just now, the Deity’s eyebrow lifted faintly.”
Xing Honglang leaned close and whispered, “Chuwu, not now. Otherwise, Wang Jiayin’s men will think you’re a fool and look down on you.”
Gao Chuwu: “…”
Li Daoxuan, feeling like a mischievous child tricking adults, was thoroughly delighted.
The envoy continued, “Prince Wang has learned that Captain Old Zhang Fei, one of Bu Zhan Ni’s five unit leaders, held some grudge against Boss Xing. Regrettably, during a confrontation, Boss Xing accidentally killed Old Zhang Fei…”
Li Daoxuan reflected cynically: How tactfully phrased—”accidentally killed”. Clearly, you’re here as a peacemaker.
The envoy: “We are all forest heroes bravely resisting the authorities. Minor clashes between factions happen frequently among brethren. Yet we must never mistake our true enemy.”
Here, the envoy adopted a noble expression. “Our enemy is the oppressive emperor and his corrupt officials. We must not turn on each other. Therefore, Prince Wang sent me to discuss reconciliation between Boss Xing and Bu Zhan Ni.”
Xing Honglang curled her lips into a peculiar smile: “There’s no need for Prince Wang to worry about that. I, Xing Honglang of Yongji, am not a troublemaker. If Bu Zhan Ni stops provoking me, I won’t take the initiative to hit him. After all, what good would it do? Does he shed gold when hit?”
“Hahaha!” Gao Chuwu laughed: “Exactly, hitting him doesn’t drop anything.”
After he finished laughing, he suddenly gasped “Ah!” and pointed a finger at the statue: “The corner of the Deity’s mouth just raised slightly.”
The crowd: “…”
This time, nobody even acknowledged him.
The envoy said: “Boss Xing, it’s certainly excellent that you don’t take the initiative to hit Bu Zhan Ni. But after Bu Zhan Ni lost his subordinate, he’s unwilling to let it go and is very likely to trouble you again, Boss Xing.”
Xing Honglang said: “Hmph, let him come. I’m not afraid of him.”
The envoy said: “Prince Wang also knows that Boss Xing is a heroine, not one to fear trouble, and will not fear Bu Zhan Ni coming again. But as the saying goes, enemies are better resolved than made. Since you’re both forest heroes, fighting each other only gives the officials something to laugh at. So Prince Wang still hopes to eliminate this grudge.”
Xing Honglang said: “What exactly are you trying to say? Speak clearly all at once, and be quick about it.”
The envoy said: “Prince Wang means that Boss Xing joins us. If you join and become part of the confederation, naturally we’ll be one family. Then Prince Wang would have a reason to persuade Bu Zhan Ni to stop. Everyone would get along peaceably and fight the officials together. Wouldn’t that be best for all?”
The crowd: “…”
After all this, Wang Jiayin wanted to annex their faction?
What an enormous ambition—was he even awake?
The crowd secretly laughed inwardly.
Xing Honglang snorted. She was just about to tell the envoy to get lost.
Suddenly, the Dao Xuan Deity Statue sitting nearby opened its mouth…
Li Daoxuan was going to speak. He could guess that Xing Honglang would refuse, or even declare war on Wang Jiayin outright. But Li Daoxuan knew it wasn’t the best solution. If history didn’t change much, Bu Zhan Ni and Wang Jiayin wouldn’t live much longer anyway. It wasn’t necessary to confront them head-on now.
Wouldn’t it be fine to wait for them to die on their own?
Why bother risking their own people’s lives to fight them?
So Li Daoxuan planned to intervene verbally—and also to test if the mud statue could actually speak.
Once he opened his mouth, he felt the sand and mud inside it cascading down…
The mud-made head had a mouth that was merely a slit in the clay. When not moving, it was okay, but when moving, it shed mud incessantly.
Li Daoxuan said: “Slow!”
When he spoke, he actually managed words. But it wasn’t his own voice—instead, it was a deep, raspy, droning sound, like the Black Mountain Demon’s voice in movies.
That was probably the issue with the mud-man’s vocal cords!
Everyone in the discussion hall was startled into a jump. The crowd turned to look his way simultaneously.
“Look, look, I told you the Deity moved just now!” Gao Chuwu shouted: “The Deity is speaking again now.”
He was still foolishly making a fuss. Xing Honglang hooked her foot around his ankle. Gao Chuwu fell to the ground with a thud. Xing Honglang hurriedly kowtowed deeply: “Greetings to the Deity.”
Zao Ying, Old Nan Feng, and Zhao Sheng also realized it and bowed down together: “Greetings to the Deity.”