"Then make this the condition to force Hao Yunsheng’s hand: he must submit to you. If he refuses, it means he’s planning to harm us first and already has a way to break the deceit. In that case, we might as well just flip the table. With all the Thunder Talismans we have, we can just take him down!" A vicious glint flashed in the Book Listener’s eyes.
Sunshine Boy hadn’t expected the Book Listener to be so ruthless and decisive. He nodded. "Alright! If he still refuses to cooperate, we’ll find a chance and take him out! It’s not like any of us are getting out of this alive anyway!"
"Let’s get him!" the Foodie chimed in, suddenly energized.
After a brief discussion, the three of them returned to the door of the main hall.
The Captain and Hao Yunsheng were still in the distance, speaking in low voices.
As the pale white of dawn began to stain the eastern sky, the Book Listener suddenly cried out, "Look at the temple gate."
Everyone looked over. The four lanterns at the gate were gone.
In their place stood four Guards.
Just like the day before, they wore coarse red clothes and white sashes, and carried White Tassel Spears. A Hanging Red Tassel Double Fish Pattern Jade Pendant dangled from the sash of one of the Guards.
His face was shriveled as if drained of all blood, like a Puppet Cultivator. They could vaguely recognize the face of the cowherd.
The men looked at each other, a chill running down their spines.
The eyes of a few Night Guards who had been close to the cowherd turned red, but they didn’t dare say or do a thing.
"I never thought I’d see the Lantern Soldiers again..." the Book Listener said in a low voice.
"You’ve seen them before?"
"Only from a distance. Thousands of lanterns, flying in formation at night, illuminated the entire winding road up Pann Mountain. A Middle-Grade Daoist Practitioner told us they were the Lantern Soldiers, and that a thousand of them could transform into a fire dragon. He said not to provoke them, so we took a detour."
Someone gave a light cough. The Captain and Hao Yunsheng returned.
The Captain bluntly smacked Hao Yunsheng on the back of the head, knocking him forward a half-step. Hao Yunsheng’s face flushed red as he lowered his head, not daring to speak.
The Captain sighed. "As your leader, I’ll be the first to admit my mistake. I just questioned Hao Yunsheng thoroughly, and he finally told me the truth. He read more in that ancient book than he let on. He says the master of this place is called the Deceitful Mother. She constantly lures people here to use them to complete the Grand Rite of the Five Goddess. During each rite, the Deceitful Mother chooses one person to become the Deceitful Infant, though the book doesn’t say why. It also doesn’t specify how to break the deceit. It only says that if you become the Deceitful Infant, the Deceitful Mother will protect you, which makes it more likely that you can break the deceit."
Before anyone could speak, the Captain cut in, "Let me be blunt. From this moment on, no one is to complain about Hao Yunsheng. That’s the promise I made in exchange for this information. He made a mistake, but he just turned twenty. He’s still just a kid who was too scared to speak up. Now he’s told us everything he knows, and no one is to question him."
The blacksmith spoke up, "Then have him swear to the Deceit that he’s told us everything he knows."
The Captain shot the blacksmith a sideways glance. "Are you saying you don’t trust me?"
The blacksmith fell silent.
Sunshine Boy said, "Swearing to the Deceit is a bad idea. Then have him swear on his own Fate Grid and Life Mansion."
"You don’t trust me either?"
"I trust you, Captain. But I don’t trust him," Sunshine Boy said.
The Captain’s face darkened. "Sunshine Boy, I am the one leading this team, not you."
"Are you saying that the three dead Night Guards aren’t Hao Yunsheng’s fault, but yours?" Sunshine Boy asked with a smile.
The Captain’s face went dark.
The Book Listener stepped in, smiling, to smooth things over. "Let’s stop arguing. Since Hao Yunsheng understands the Deceitful Land and Deceitful Demons so well, he should be the one to become the Deceitful Infant. Don’t you all agree?"
Most of the Night Guards, grim-faced, nodded forcefully.
"Right!"
"Hao Yunsheng should do it!"
The Captain raised a hand, silencing the men. "The issue isn’t who becomes the infant," he said slowly. "The issue is how to best break the deceit. Based on the clues we have, having a Fate Master become the Deceitful Infant makes it easier to break the deceit."
Sunshine Boy said, "The Captain is correct. I admit that."
The others looked at Sunshine Boy with curiosity.
Sunshine Boy continued, "If that inference holds true, then another one should as well: if Hao Yunsheng lets me Observe his Fate and Qi, and lets me activate his Fate Grid to fight the Deceitful Demon, that would also make it easier to break the deceit. Let me make one thing crystal clear. If anyone thinks they can just sit back and benefit while throwing me to the wolves, then I’ll burn the whole thing down! If you won’t let me live, then nobody lives! I’m a Fate Master. I might not be able to break the deceit, but I’m damn sure I can drag every single one of you into the grave with me!"
The Captain and Hao Yunsheng’s faces both went dark.
The Book Listener once again stepped in, smiling. "Now, Sunshine Boy, I have to disagree with you there. How can you just assume Hao Yunsheng is unwilling to let you Observe his Fate and Qi? How can you say he’s unwilling to activate his Fate Grid? Let me ask everyone here: if you were in Hao Yunsheng’s place, wouldn’t you agree?"
"We would!"
"We would!"
"We’d all agree!"
Almost everyone clamored in agreement, their eyes fixed on Hao Yunsheng.
Hao Yunsheng lowered his gaze and said nothing. ’I hate Sunshine Boy, and now I’m starting to hate that Book Listener too. I bet Sunshine Boy is too young to see anything anyway. It’s all that old fox, the Book Listener, scheming behind the scenes.’
The Captain shot Sunshine Boy a harsh glare, then turned his gaze to Hao Yunsheng.
Sunshine Boy said, "Hao Yunsheng, choose. I can be the Deceitful Infant, but you have to let me Observe your Fate and Qi. If not, then you can be the Deceitful Infant. Otherwise, keeping a menace like you around—someone who knows so much but says nothing—who’s to say we won’t end up like Denggao?"
A jolt of fear went through the Night Guards.
The blacksmith said, "Since it’s come to this, let’s be clear. If Hao Yunsheng refuses to choose, then I no longer recognize him as a Night Guard. I’ll only recognize the Fate Master."
"I’ll only recognize the Fate Master too!" the Book Listener and the Foodie said in unison.
A few other Night Guards joined the chorus, but nearly half of them said nothing, their eyes fixed on the Captain.
The Captain narrowed his eyes at the blacksmith. ’On the surface, he’s talking about Hao Yunsheng, but he’s really talking to me. This isn’t about refusing to recognize Hao Yunsheng, it’s about refusing to recognize me as Captain!’
The Captain scanned the crowd and suddenly realized that apart from Hao Yunsheng himself, only Hao Yunsheng’s three followers remained by his side.
Everyone else had either distanced themselves or was now standing with Sunshine Boy.
The Captain sighed. "What do you choose?"
Hao Yunsheng gritted his teeth. "I can let Sunshine Boy Observe my Fate and Qi, but he must swear on his own Fate Grid and Life Mansion that he will never, ever harm me."
Sunshine Boy sneered. "What a joke. So you get to harm me, but I can’t harm you? Fine, I’ll swear an oath, but I’ll only promise not to harm you *first*. If you try to harm me, the oath is void!"
"I don’t agree," Hao Yunsheng said.
"Fine, don’t agree. Like I’m scared of you!" Sunshine Boy jeered, turning to walk away.
The Book Listener quickly grabbed Sunshine Boy’s arm and yelled, "Captain, you need to make a decision, now! If he’s pushed over the edge, none of us are getting out of here alive! You all know how stubborn this kid is, and you all know who his father is!"