Chapter 557: A Strange Heart

“We may begin, Sakyamuni.”

A few breaths later, the person in black broke the silence. It sounded like he was speaking to someone, but there wasn’t anyone else in the cave, was there?

It was at this moment Ye Qing’s eyes widened. The person in black’s shadow suddenly started growing darker and darker, writhing as if it was alive. Then, it slowly stood up like a living, breathing person.

“Sakyamuni...”

The person in black bowed his head respectfully.

“This isn’t the time. Guard me,” the shadow ordered.

“As you command,” the person in black saluted him and retreated to the cave entrance.

The shadow stretched its arms wide for a moment before plunging them into its chest. Then, it pulled at its rib cages until a bright red heart was exposed.

The heart was covered in tentacles, and Ye Qing could see that they were connected to every part of the shadow’s body. It was almost as if they were the shadow’s blood vessels, though of course blood vessels weren’t nearly this big or disturbing-looking. The heart itself was beating rhythmically almost as if it was alive.

The next moment, the shadow reached into its chest and grabbed the heart tightly. Then, it started pulling with all its might.

The shadow began shaking violently. It looked like it was enduring some sort of terrible, body-racking pain. The heart’s tentacles were flailing about as if it was extremely unwilling to leave its host.

It took over a dozen breaths before the shadow finally ripped the heart out of its chest completely. The moment it succeeded, the tentacles shrank back into the heart, and the heart stopped beating almost as if it was dead.

The shadow turned toward the Blissful Spring and tossed the heart into its waters. The heart looked like it was flesh and blood, but the moment it entered the Blissful Spring, it slowly melted like it was snow. It did not dye the waters in gory red either. When all was said and done, not a trace of the heart could be seen everywhere.

“It is done.”

The shadow said a little tiredly after it was finished with the bizarre ritual.

“Good work, Sakyamuni.” The person in black stepped back into the cave and flattered the shadow, “With this, our plan is guaranteed to succeed.”

“Just because we successfully poisoned the spring with the Burning Heart doesn’t mean that the plan is guaranteed to succeed. Remember what happened last time? You thought that your plan cannot fail, and yet it did,” the shadow chided the person in black.

The person in black promised, “Don’t worry, Sakyamuni. I’m willing to swear on my life that everything will go perfectly this time.”

The shadow nodded. “Good. If this plan succeeds, then you will be rewarded handsomely.”

“Thank you, Sakyamuni! I promise I won’t disappoint you!” the person in black sounded visibly excited at the shadow’s promise.

“Good. Now let’s go.”

The shadow abruptly dissolved into a pool of blackness on the ground before entering the person in black’s shadow. Then, the person in black leaped out of the cave and disappeared into the darkness.

It’s him?!

Inside the Stomach of the Finger Eating Grandma, Ye Qing was staring at the spot where the person in black had disappeared to in utter shock.

The person in black was none other than Xiong Kuohai.

Previously, he wasn’t able to identify Xiong Kuohai because it was too dark, and he had to stay a safe distance away from him. But it was as bright as day inside the cave, and Xiong Kuohai had unknowingly walked right up to Ye Qing when the shadow—or more accurately, the Sakyamuni masquerading as a shadow—ordered him to guard the entrance. Thanks to this, Ye Qing had a 4k view of the man’s face.

When Xiong Kuohai gifted Joy Bodhisattva what was probably one of, if not the most valuable gifts of her life, even he wondered that the sect leader was looking to make amends with her, much less the outsiders. They thought that Endless Sand and the Buddhist Hall of Joy had somehow gotten in bed before they knew it. Then, Xiong Kuohai did something like this.

It did not take a genius to figure out that the heart wasn’t a normal heart, that the mysterious Sakyamuni was no ordinary person, and that Xiong Kuohai and the Sakyamuni were plotting something big. Something bad. They wouldn’t be sneaking about in this ungodly hour otherwise.

One should not judge a book by its cover, and they should definitely not judge a human by their appearance. If someone had an honest face, then they probably had a dirty, dirty heart inside their rib cages.

On second thought, he should’ve known that Xiong Kuohai was up to something. Just a month ago, Xiong Kuohai had schemed to assassinate Joy Bodhisattva and take control of the Buddhist Hall of Joy. Although Joy Bodhisattva ultimately proved to be the better schemer, and they both agreed to put this matter behind them as quietly as possible, that didn’t mean that the matter was actually over.

If you fail, try again. That was something even a kid knew, much less a full-grown adult like Xiong Kuohai.

Although Xiong Kuohai had left, Ye Qing did not relax his guard or show himself. He continued to hide inside the Stomach of the Finger Eating Grandma and observe his surroundings carefully.

Two hours came and went in the blink of an eye. Slowly, the silence of the night was broken by a clamor of growing noises. The disciples of the Buddhist Hall of Joy must be getting ready to procure the spring water necessary for the feast that was to come.

Some people might wonder why the disciples hadn’t prepared the spring water beforehand. That was because the Blissful Spring would slowly lose its efficacy over a period of six to eight hours after it was removed from its source. When that happened, the spring water would be no different from an ordinary mountain spring water.

Joy Bodhisattva’s Trueman feast was a matter of great importance. Naturally, they could not serve “stale” Blissful Spring to their guests. That was why they had to wait until two to four hours before the feast before they could begin the preparations.

It was now between 5 to 7 am. It wouldn’t be long before the feast began. If they started now, they would be right on time to serve the freshest possible Blissful Spring to their guests.

Still, Ye Qing remained hidden. It was as if he was waiting for something to happen. Then...

A shadow slowly stretched out of a dark corner beside the Blissful Spring. Its muttered under its breath, “I guess I was overthinking it after all,” before disappearing from the cave. The shadow on the ground was gone as well.

“Phew... I knew it. I bloody knew it.”

After the shadow was gone, Ye Qing finally let out a sigh of relief. His face was as white as a sheet, but his smile was as bright as the sun itself.

It was now clear that the shadow—the mysterious Sakyamuni that Xiong Kuohai spoke of—hadn’t left together with Xiong Kuohai. It had been hiding in the darkness this whole time. In fact, Xiong Kuohai must be hiding somewhere in the valley as well.

Ye Qing had to admit that both Xiong Kuohai and the Sakyamuni were extremely cautious and cunning.

If Ye Qing was the careless, honest type, he would have thought that Xiong Kuohai and the Sakyamuni had left. He would have revealed himself and tried to investigate the strange heart they had dropped into the Blissful Spring. After that...

Well, there wouldn’t be an after that.

He didn’t know that the Sakyamuni was hiding inside the patch of shadow, of course. He was just putting himself in Xiong Kuohai and the Sakyamuni’s shoes and predicting their behavior.

If he were them, would he be so careless as to enact a scheme without securing the area at least?

If he were them, what would he do to make sure that someone wasn’t spying on them in secret? That his feeling earlier wasn’t just a feeling?

He suddenly recalled the Life Leech that Yi Pin had tricked using a faux suicide pill. If even a Stranger with the mind of a five year old knew how to play pretend and double check if Yi Pin was really dead, could a schemer like Xiong Kuohai and the mysterious Sakyamuni really be stupider than them?

Finally, he had felt that their brief conversation earlier was completely unnecessary. Which was safer, leaving right after they poisoned the Blissful Spring or lingering in the area and spouting bullshit, achieving nothing except increasing the chances that they might be exposed?

Their behavior was obviously abnormal, and such abnormal behavior could only mean that they were plotting something. If he was someone else, he might have been shaken by the tidbits of information they revealed. He would have been driven by an urgency to check the Blissful Spring as quickly as possible after they left the place.

Of course, his guesses were ultimately just guesses. Maybe Xiong Kuohai and the mysterious Sakyamuni just had the bad habit of acting like cheap, pretentious villains.

That said, it was better to be safe than sorry, wasn’t it? His life was on the line after all. That was why Ye Qing ultimately chose to remain hidden inside the Stomach of the Finger Eating Grandma and not move a muscle.

Admittedly, there were multiple times where he thought that he was being overly paranoid and was tempted to take his leave, but in the end, his caution won out against his impatience. If he was wrong, then all he lost was a bit of time. But if he was right, then his life could very well be on the line.

It was obvious what was the right decision to make. So, he chose to tough it out and play the game of patience.

He was right. The mysterious Sakyamuni really was hiding in the shadows. It really had been laying a trap for any would-be spies to step on. He was right.

Of course, Ye Qing still didn’t take action immediately. He waited a while longer until he was sure that the cunning bastard wouldn’t pull a double back like the Life Leech before he piloted the Stomach of the Finger Eating Grandma out of the valley.

Ye Qing did not return to Flying Snow Park after leaving the valley. Instead, he sought out a stream, washed his body until he was completely clean, and sat down at the rivershore. Then, he looked up at the bright moon in the sky and pondered about Xiong Kuohai and the mysterious Sakyamuni’s plans.

What on earth were they plotting?

What was their aim?

He could not come up with a good plan unless he figured out his enemies’ plans first.

Should he leave, or should he stay?

Should he stay out of the conflict, or should he help out the needy?