"Once Mingjiang Prefecture turns from danger to safety, kill Zhou Xuan."
"Bring back the Sighing Mother Wall."
The Saint Heir and Saintess spoke, one after another, making the Painter’s spine tingle with unease.
He immediately waved his hand and said, "Saint Heir, Saintess, this is not our Bone Elder’s style."
"Bone Elder can sacrifice everything for the Blood and Flesh Mystery, including conscience and justice."
"The Nuo God is in deep slumber. The news of Zhou Xuan’s death cannot awaken Him."
"Without the Nuo God, we Bone Elder Association can act recklessly. Remember, remember."
The voices of the Saint Heir and Saintess no longer echoed.
The Painter ground his teeth in frustration and cursed inwardly: What a shitty idea.
He clenched his fists and pondered deeply.
After thinking for a long time,
he finally made up his mind, tore through space, and returned to the City God Main Hall.
"Old Hua, what is the Saint Heir and Saintess’s stance?"
"Young Master, the Saint Heir and Saintess care deeply about Mingjiang Prefecture. They are willing to agree to your terms: you can take the Sighing Mother Wall as long as you help Mingjiang Prefecture turn danger into safety."
"Well, that’s good. Let’s settle it this way."
Zhou Xuan extinguished his cigarette and headed toward the stone house.
The Painter wiped the sweat from his forehead before following Zhou Xuan. After taking just two or three steps, Zhou Xuan suddenly turned back and stared at him.
"Young Master, what’s this about?"
"Old Hua, be honest—what exactly is the Saint Heir and Saintess’s stance?"
Zhou Xuan didn’t believe what the Painter had said earlier.
If the Saint Heir and Saintess truly cared about Mingjiang Prefecture, they wouldn’t have retreated into seclusion to rest; they would have returned here to offer counsel and assistance without hesitation.
Even if they were dim-witted, they could at least rely on their immense popularity and act as formidable enforcers, right?
"Uh..." The Painter hadn’t expected Zhou Xuan to be so astute, and for a moment, he was left speechless.
Zhou Xuan tilted his head thoughtfully and quickly pieced it together, saying just one word to the Painter: "Betrayal?"
"Uh..." The Painter neither opposed nor agreed.
His silence offered Zhou Xuan an answer instead.
"What’s your own perspective?"
Zhou Xuan asked the Painter.
"I will always stand by your side."
When the Painter left the Bone Elder Temple, he had already made up his mind. This statement was a testament to his resolve.
Zhou Xuan uttered the single word and entered the stone house to meet Mr. Feng.
the Saint Heir and Saintess’s stance meant absolutely nothing,
what mattered was the Painter’s stance. As long as the Painter stood with him, his heart felt reassured.
But as for whether the Painter’s words were entirely sincere?
He believed the Painter’s sincerity was absolute.
The human heart is inscrutable, and blind reliance would only lead to ruin. Zhou Xuan dared to make such a confident judgment because inside the Secret Realm, Miss Qiang had halted the Buddha’s Seal calculations. Using the Chain Algorithm, she had calculated the answer for Zhou Xuan.
"Ah Xuan, I’ve already done the calculations for you. The Painter will definitely support you."
"How did you calculate that, Miss Qiang?"
"It’s simple—still the Chain Algorithm. By comparing the Painter’s subtle expressions when demonstrating absolute sincerity in an earlier moment with his expressions now,
the two align perfectly, resembling a single unified expression. In other words, his words from earlier do indeed carry absolute sincerity."
"What was it that Old Hua previously poured absolute sincerity into: a vow to God, or to the Heavenly God?"
"Neither. From the fragments of information I’ve gathered, when the Painter created his very first piece of art, he committed himself entirely to painting with absolute sincerity. Over all these years, he’s never faltered, remaining devoted to the art of Danqing."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan trusted Miss Qiang’s calculations.
"There may be mistaken names, but never mistaken monikers. The reason the Painter is called the Painter is because painting, for him, is more sacred than faith in God."
"Miss Qiang, keep analyzing the Buddha Mantra. I’ve paid a hefty price to help you escape, so you must give it your all."
"Miss Qiang is already giving her all."
When Miss Qiang finished speaking, she shifted her entire consciousness to analyzing the Buddha Mantra.
Zhou Xuan withdrew his mind from the Secret Realm and said to Mr. Feng in the stone house, "Mr. Feng, we meet again."
"Only you, Zhou Xuan, are worthy of my appreciation." Mr. Feng smiled knowingly, but suddenly shook his head, saying, "Still, you won’t get anything out of me. Do you know what the creature inside me, Food Heaven, eats?"
"Meat, blood, bone, soul."
"Correct, and more—it also devours one other thing: memory."
Mr. Feng crossed his arms and spoke solemnly, "I possess Human World No Distance, so naturally I’m proud. I believe that even with Mingjiang Prefecture’s finest, none could pose any threat to me."
"Yet, I am prudent. After each conversation with Mr. Mo regarding our plans, I feed the vital memories to Food Heaven."
"I know who Mr. Mo is, but I don’t know where he is."
"I know that Mr. Mo and I have devised a grand plan to wage war against God using the lives of millions of Mingjiang people."
"But I don’t know the details of the plan."
"All those memories have been consumed by Food Heaven."