In the darkness of the night, the campfire danced.

Before the flickering flames, Li Ziye stared at the Crown Prince of the Southwest, who stood behind Fa Hai, his shock barely concealed.

Zhu Qingge!

Why was he with Fa Hai?

“Brother Li.”

Behind Fa Hai, Zhu Qingge also noticed the young man ahead, his expression complex as he spoke.

Li Ziye snapped back to reality, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and stepped forward, quickly pulling Zhu Qingge away.

Seeing this, Fa Hai’s face revealed a cold smirk, but he did not intervene.

Ten paces away, Li Ziye halted and faced the Crown Prince, his voice grave, “Your Highness, why are you with that Fa Hai? Have you forgotten how he treated Princess Qing Qing?”

“That wasn’t Qing Qing.”

Zhu Qingge’s expression darkened as he said, “Qing Qing is dead. Master Fa Hai has delivered her body to the Southwest Palace. The one who killed Qing Qing was a demon!”

Li Ziye’s expression tensed as he asked, “You mean, it wasn’t the Princess who was a demon, but rather, a demon that took on her appearance?”

“Yes.”

Zhu Qingge nodded.

“Inconceivable.”

Li Ziye’s eyes narrowed slightly as he responded, “Even a great cultivator of the Five Realms who can change their bones and appearance can’t completely become another person. As for disguise techniques, it’s even less likely to be perfect. You’ve been with her for so long; if the Princess was an imposter, you should have realized it long ago.”

“Master Fa Hai said that the Buddhist scriptures mention some demons with extraordinary spiritual gifts who take on human form upon transformation, becoming the first human they see. The woman impersonating Qing Qing is likely such a demon,” Zhu Qingge said, his hands clenched tightly.

Li Ziye listened to the Crown Prince’s explanation, his brow furrowing slightly as he said, “Setting aside whether Fa Hai is deceiving us, even if what he says is true, what brings you to the Desert North, Your Highness?”

“I’m searching for the demon who impersonated Qing Qing.”

A chill flashed in Zhu Qingge’s eyes as he said, “I want to find out if she was truly responsible for Qing Qing’s death.”

Li Ziye fell silent, then after a moment, he said, “Didn’t Fa Hai tell you that the woman was gravely injured and couldn’t have survived the day? Although San Zang took her away, she likely didn’t make it.”

“Master Fa Hai said that the Buddhist disciples would find a way to revive that demoness,” Zhu Qingge stated.

“Do you trust Fa Hai that much?” Li Ziye asked, looking puzzled at the man before him.

“Monks do not speak lies, and besides, Master Fa Hai has no reason to lie,” Zhu Qingge replied softly.

Li Ziye’s brow furrowed again as he said, “Your Highness, that monk Fa Hai is someone who could even strike down his own fellow disciples. You saw what happened that day; if not for San Zang’s life-saving trick, he might have died by Fa Hai’s hand. How can you trust such a ruthless person?”

Zhu Qingge fell silent, then after a long while, he said softly, “Brother Li, I know you’re worried I might be used by others. Rest assured, I will act cautiously and not be exploited.”

“Alright then!”

Li Ziye sighed inwardly upon hearing this and said, “Since you are resolved, I won’t persuade you further. Just be careful, Your Highness, and don’t let yourself be used. Also, a reminder: if a demon consumes human flesh, its blood will gradually turn black. And we all saw that day, Qing Qing’s blood was not black.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Brother Li. Don’t worry, I won’t lose my reason to hatred and wrong an innocent person. By the way, I heard you were ambushed and seriously injured not long ago. How are you now?” Zhu Qingge inquired.

“I’m much better.”

Li Ziye replied, “A few more days of rest and I should be fully recovered.”

“That’s good to hear,” Zhu Qingge nodded.

As the two conversed, in the distance, Bai Wangyu watched Fa Hai and said calmly, “Master Fa Hai, I thank you for showing mercy last time.”

Although he knew that during the battle outside the Imperial Academy, Fa Hai had refrained from killing because of the presence of the Confucian School, proper courtesies were still necessary. As Brother Li would say, there’s no harm in being a bit hypocritical when the situation calls for it.

“Amitabha, monks embrace compassion. Benefactor Bai was merely misled for a moment and committed no grave sin. How could I, a humble monk, strike too harshly?” Fa Hai replied with a smile.

“Embrace compassion?”

At that moment, a hundred paces away, Li Ziye approached with a cold smile, saying, “Master Fa Hai nearly killed his own disciple in front of everyone, truly a display of compassion.”

“San Zang protected a demon and fell into the demonic path. I had no choice but to cleanse the sect on behalf of our master,” Fa Hai replied calmly, glancing at the newcomer.

“What a noble excuse.”

Li Ziye scoffed, “What wrong has San Zang done? Humans have both good and evil within them; are demons only deserving of death? Even criminals are subject to a process of accusation and evidence. Master Fa Hai, on the other hand, acts on his whims, killing whomever he pleases.”

“Amitabha, Benefactor Li, you are attached to form!”

Fa Hai’s brow furrowed as he said, “Buddhism is compassionate, aiming to save all beings. Subduing demons is our Buddhist duty. Moreover, a demon is a demon; how can they be equated with humans?”

“Fa Hai, your hypocrisy is truly nauseating. Your so-called duty is nothing but an excuse for your indiscriminate killing.”

Li Ziye did not hide his disgust as he spoke coldly, “Who gave you the right to kill without any solid evidence? Was it your Buddha? I wonder if it’s your own twisted views or if your so-called Buddha is really like this!”

“Benefactor Li, please mind your words.”

Hearing the young man’s words, Fa Hai said sternly, “If you continue to insult Buddhism, I will not be polite!”

“Heh, how will you be impolite?”

Li Ziye sneered, “Go ahead and kill me in front of everyone if you dare. I assure you, if you lay a hand on me today, the woman who defeated you at the Imperial Academy will head north in half a month and wipe out all your Buddhist disciples.”

Fa Hai’s eyes flashed with cold fury, and even with his profound Buddhist nature, he struggled to suppress his anger.

But indeed, Fa Hai dared not attack the young man in front of so many witnesses.

He had experienced the terror of that woman firsthand. If she truly came, neither he nor any of the Buddhist experts with him would leave the Desert North alive.

“Amitabha, Your Highness, let us depart.”

After a long moment, Fa Hai suppressed his rage and spoke, then turned to leave.

Beside him, Zhu Qingge nodded to Li Ziye and followed.

Behind them, Chang Yu, witnessing the scene, said admiringly, “Instructor Li, you’re incredible, daring to confront a great cultivator of the Five Realms.”

“He’s the one at fault; what do I have to fear?”

Li Ziye smiled and said, “It’s a pity he didn’t dare to make a move, or else the old master would have slapped him to death.”

“Cough, Chang Yu, do you know of a hero named Ke Zhen’e?”

Bai Wangyu coughed lightly and said, recalling the anecdote that Brother Li had told him, which he still remembered vividly.

“I don’t.”

Chang Yu shook his head and asked, “What about him, Senior Brother? What’s so special about this Ke hero?”

“There is.”

Bai Wangyu nodded, barely holding back a laugh, and said, “He never lost an argument, but never won a fight.”