Chapter 77: Full Preparation
Xia Feng and Bai Long exchanged disdainful glances.
After several heated exchanges, Xuanwu interjected in a low voice, "Enough. Bai Long, if you take on the disguise mission, we'll be short one third-level spiritual master on the frontlines. How are we supposed to fight then?"
Bai Long froze, then frowned. It was true—the third and fourth-level spiritual masters on the battlefield were evenly matched, and losing even one could tip the scales.
Xuanwu turned to Xia Feng. "Kid, right now, only you and Bai Long have the ability to disguise. But I still think this risk isn't worth it. Even if you successfully infiltrate their inner circle, let's be honest—it won't make much difference in the end. Everything still hinges on Li Hongdou himself."
The Old Man spoke earnestly, and Xia Feng understood his point. Yet, he shook his head. "Director, I get what you're saying. But I still don't trust Mushroom to handle this alone."
"X-Xia Feng… I can actually do it by myself," Mushroom mumbled beside him.
Xia Feng shot her a glance, and she immediately fell silent.
Seeing Xia Feng's unwavering resolve, the Old Man knew persuasion was futile. After a brief pause, he retrieved a cross-shaped necklace from his sleeve and tossed it to Xia Feng. "Dragon Feast Order. If necessary, channel your spiritual pressure to destroy it. The resulting force field can withstand the full power of a fourth-level expert."
Xia Feng caught it reflexively, his eyes gleaming. This is a damn good item.
The Old Man's not so bad after all.
The group spent some time finalizing battle strategies before dispersing. Before parting, Director Xuanwu issued one last warning:
"Remember—do not let the birth ceremony succeed. Do not let the king bind the Moon Red Carp. No one knows what abilities that thing possesses. The uncertainty is too great."
"Don't worry, Director. I'm the most reliable person here. That ceremony won't happen on my watch!" Xia Feng thumped his chest in assurance, then set off with Mushroom ahead of the others.
Watching Xia Feng's retreating figure, Bai Long's frown deepened. "Commander, do you honestly believe that guy and that girl can pull this off?"
Bathed in the setting sun, Xuanwu sat motionless in his wheelchair, his gaze fixed on the forest's depths. After a long silence, he sighed and shook his head.
"I hope they succeed. We don't have a better option."
Bai Long smirked. "In my opinion, that Xia guy's disguise skills are too flimsy. I'd rather bet on us forcing our way in than rely on him."
"You really don't need me to come?" Mu Qingtong's voice was calm.
"I want you to come, but what identity would you use? Right now, you're supposed to be a corpse killed by the Eight-Faced Man."
Xia Feng stroked his chin. "Well, if the Eight-Faced Man were some lust-driven demon, he might spare you. But that shriveled old dwarf looks like he's way past those urges. Capturing you alive wouldn't make sense."
"Okay, you can shut up now."
Clad in a black dress, Mu Qingtong stood gracefully in the twilight. Xia Feng waved as he bid farewell. "Let's move."
With Mushroom on his back, he vanished swiftly into the shadowed forest.
Mushroom's arms looped around Xia Feng's neck, her soft, light-green curls half-veiling her delicate face. After a long silence, she suddenly whispered, "Feng… what did you do with Goddess Mu?"
"What?" Xia Feng stumbled, nearly crashing into a tree. Thankfully, his reflexes kicked in, and he adjusted his course without breaking stride.
"What did you just say?" He wondered if he'd misheard.
Mushroom's slightly chubby cheeks flushed as she mumbled, "I asked… if you've done that with Goddess Mu."
Xia Feng's brain short-circuited for a second. "Of course not! What, are you worried I'd defile your precious goddess?"
"N-no!" Mushroom hurriedly shook her head, biting her lip. "I was just curious. Aren't you and Goddess Mu engaged? A lot of couples get pregnant before marriage these days."
Pregnant before marriage?
Xia Feng's mind conjured an image of the Witch of Destruction—elegant in her black dress, yet with a swollen belly, gazing at him tenderly.
Damn, that's just my imagination, right?
His eyes drifted downward, only to find countless severed heads and limbs piled around her dainty slippers. She stood atop a mountain of corpses, blood cascading like rivers through a wasteland of the apocalypse.
The woman in black smiled gently at him—until that smile twisted into something grotesque.
Xia Feng jolted back to reality with a shudder.
"No, no, I'd better go find my unborn wife!" Xia Feng's eye twitched slightly as he shook his head. "You're overthinking it, Mushroom. Miss Mu and I are only engaged in name. We're not that close."
"Not close?" Mushroom looked puzzled. "But Goddess Mu treats you differently from everyone else."
Xia Feng raised an eyebrow. "Differently?"
Mushroom thought for a moment. "Goddess Mu is really popular at school. She smiles and acts gentle with everyone, but it's weird—someone so approachable has no friends. She's always alone."
She tilted her head. "But lately, I've noticed she walks with you a lot. Why you?"
What else? She's here to get scolded.
This Witch of Destruction has no drive without a little verbal provocation, Xia Feng grumbled inwardly.
"I think she might have ulterior motives. Goddess Mu… she's definitely not as simple as she seems."
"..."
Xia Feng hesitated. For all her social anxiety, Mushroom was oddly perceptive. Had she sensed that Mu Qingtong didn't belong in this world?
"So, Feng…" Mushroom concluded solemnly, "I think Goddess Mu might be in love with you."
"What?"
Xia Feng instantly retracted his earlier assessment. Mushroom wasn't just introverted and socially awkward—her judgment of character was terrible.
As the two talked, seven or eight hours slipped by. Soon, the shadow of Pingshan Hospital loomed once more through the dense trees.
Xia Feng had already replicated the Eight-Faced Man's appearance, build, voice—everything. Using the Vermilion Bird Magic Armor to mimic the outer form, he donned a black robe and the blood-stained "8" mask.
Aside from lacking the original's memories, he was nearly identical.
Moreover, the Evil Demon Heart allowed him to infuse the armor with a sinister aura, perfecting the disguise.
The final risk? A fourth-level spiritual master might pierce through his mimicry and glimpse his soul. But he'd prepared for that too.
By overlaying the Qingtong Mask's concealment, even a soul probe would reveal only emptiness. Its undetectability was absolute.
With this, he had room to maneuver.
But his real insurance?
The black crow's feather—originally meant to counter the Life Star God's threat. Yet the Life Roulette Game had proven harmless, even exploitable. So he'd kept it.
That feather could instantly transport him and anyone he touched into the Evil Dragon's realm. His ultimate escape.
"Halt! Who goes there?"
As Xia Feng neared Pingshan Hospital, searchlights snapped on, flooding the perimeter with light.
"Mushroom," he murmured, lips quirking. "Showtime."
"Ready!"
(End of Chapter)