Day and night tour

Chapter 474 The Game Isn't a Deception
Zhou Xuan glanced at the incense-burning Taoist priest, which further confirmed his guess.

If this incense-offering Taoist priest is real, then when he pays attention to the Medicine Buddha, his expression would definitely not be so completely absorbed as it is now.

"There's something fishy going on in this fake."

Zhou Xuan observed from the sidelines.

The Medicine Buddha then continued to explain how the five methods of their Buddhist kingdom led them to the Well Kingdom.

"Outside the Kingdom of Well, there is a layer of blue covering. Under that blue covering, the Kingdom of Well is almost invisible in the starry sky."

"The Buddhist Kingdom's search teams and expeditions have passed through the Well Kingdom countless times in the starry sky, yet they have never seen this vibrant nation."

That layer of blue disguised the Kingdom of Jing as a dilapidated, filthy, and lifeless land. Our Buddhist Kingdom didn't even want to glance at the Kingdom of Jing.
However, hundreds of years ago, this blue veil broke, and some edges and corners were damaged, revealing a small part of the Kingdom of Well. The Buddhist Kingdom called these damaged areas "leaks."

"Within those loopholes, our Buddhist Kingdom saw flowers, boundless vitality, and azure blue. Thus, the Seeking Waves team began its landing in the Well Kingdom."
These loopholes in the state of Jing are not open all the time; they open once every few decades or a hundred years or so.
The most recent opening was three years ago, and it was during this opportunity that our Five Styles of Buddhism infiltrated the Kingdom of Well.

Zhou Xuan stared wide-eyed—he had personally witnessed the blue package that the Medicine Buddha Bodhisattva had mentioned; it was a layer of blue, thin film-like substance that completely enveloped the Kingdom of Jing.

With this layer of blue, it's almost impossible for outsiders to get in, and it's also unlikely for insiders to get out.

The incense-burning Taoist priests were able to leave the Jing Kingdom because of the "Ancestral Crow Cloud Pattern".

Zu Ya has the ability to teleport and change his appearance, allowing him to enter and leave the Well Kingdom.

"The three-headed stone Buddha of the past was said to have a narrow passage between the Kingdom of Well and the Kingdom of Buddha. Now it seems that in addition to the passage, there are also gaps?"

Zhou Xuan turned to look at the incense-burning Taoist priest—the old priest had a smile on his face, and the "tension" he had felt earlier had vanished.

It's just like two people.

These changes in expression, while reflecting a dramatic shift in emotion, did not involve significant variations in facial features or gaze.
If it weren't for the various unusual behaviors of the incense-burning Taoist priest not long ago, which attracted Zhou Xuan's attention and made him devote 100% of his energy to the old incense-burning priest, he probably would have missed these clues.

"The fact that the old incense burner was so nervous just now shows that he knows that the way the Medicine Buddha came to the Kingdom of Well is quite problematic and will also involve him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so nervous."

"However, the Medicine Buddha's claim about the loopholes in the Well Kingdom is by no means a lie."

Within this stage, the consequences of lying are severe; telling a lie is tantamount to death.

"The Medicine Buddha didn't lie. Those five people, plus that Six-Eared Warrior, entered the Kingdom of Well by exploiting a loophole. This method of entry into the Kingdom of Well can't be called aboveboard, but it certainly has nothing to do with the old incense offerings."
So here's the question... why are the old worshippers so nervous?

Zhou Xuan immediately lowered his eyes and began to ponder carefully.
The more he pondered it, the clearer his thoughts became, and one idea suddenly shone brightly in his mind.

"By the way, if that loophole wasn't naturally formed in the Kingdom of Well... but rather... man-made... then the incense-burning Taoist priests' anxiety and the Medicine Buddha's explanation of the loophole in the Kingdom of Well would also make sense."

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan suddenly opened his eyes and focused his mind on the secret realm—the only place where he was completely safe at the moment.

Originally, the stage was a safe area for him, but the fact that the "fake incense-offering Taoist priest" could come and go as he pleased made the stage not an absolutely safe place.

Upon entering the secret realm, Miss Wall was quite surprised by Zhou Xuan's arrival and asked, "Xuan, weren't you performing a colorful opera outside? Why are you in the secret realm at this time?"

"There was a big surprise."

Zhou Xuan asked Miss Wall, "Could you call the engineer in? In a way that won't be noticed by others?"

"Of course, we people of the Flesh and Blood Dynasty have our own language and way of communication, so we are absolutely safe."

After Miss Wall finished speaking, she blew a whistle, but Zhou Xuan could not hear it.

He only saw Miss Wall moving her mouth.

When the whistle ended, the engineer's consciousness appeared on the black water of the secret realm.

She called out to Zhou Xuan, "Boss Xuan, why aren't you outside watching the fun? What are you doing here?"

"Still watching the show? Don't you know there's a ghost standing right next to us?"

"A ghost?" The engineer was very surprised; she hadn't found anything outside.

"You can't really call him a ghost. Judging by that person's level of cultivation, he's more like a living Yama."

Zhou Xuan said, "That incense-offering Taoist priest is a fake."

"fake?"

"His attitude toward the Buddhist kingdom was ambiguous—but the true Taoist priests, on the other hand, were ruthless and decisive in their approach to the Buddhist kingdom."

Zhou Xuan recounted all the suspicious points he had noticed: "Furthermore, I deliberately mentioned Baoshan Temple, but the Taoist priest didn't react."

The real Taoist priest who offered incense had slaughtered more than half of the monks in Baoshan Temple; he couldn't have been unresponsive. Therefore, the Taoist priest offering incense was someone else in disguise.

Miss Qiang didn't seem to care and said, "Ah Xuan, you're so capable. Since you've discovered that the incense-offering Taoist priest is fake, just kill him directly."

The problem is that we can't kill them.

Zhou Xuan smiled wryly.

The engineer calmly analyzed, "A person who can freely enter and leave the stage must indeed be of a very high social standing."

“He not only had free access to the stage,” Zhou Xuan recalled, “the incense-offering Taoist priest was brought in by the leader of the Longevity Cult.”

The Longevity Cult Leader and the Crippled Monk, these two imperial envoys from the heavens, received the latest instructions from the heavens—if Zhou Xuan cannot refine a better pill than last time tonight, the heavens will kill Zhou Xuan and take away the Azure and Red Fish.

The two of them did not believe that Zhou Xuan could refine a better pill than before, so they prepared for a fight. However, fearing that they would be outnumbered, they sought out a Taoist priest to provide support.

Zhou Xuan had already grasped the gist of these events from the few words the incense-offering Taoist priest uttered when he first arrived at the stage.

in other words,

It was the leader of the Longevity Cult and the Crippled Monk who went out to invite Taoist priests for incense offerings, but ended up inviting a "ghost" instead.

Zhou Xuan said, "The Daoist cultivation of that crippled monk and the Longevity Cult Master was no longer at the level of ordinary gods, yet they couldn't see through the disguise of the fake incense-offering Daoist at all."

This demonstrates that the level of the fake Taoist priests is far higher than that of the Longevity Cult Leader and the Crippled Monk.

"Then the counterfeiters must be several stories high in skill."

Miss Wall clicked her tongue in amazement, while the engineer, recalling Zhou Xuan's golden token, said...

“Boss Xuan, I remember you have three golden tokens given to you by the Witch God, which can summon the Witch God. Why don’t you go and find the Witch God?”

"Of course I've thought about it, but this method won't work under the current circumstances."

Zhou Xuan said, "That fake incense-offering Taoist priest is standing right next to us. I guess he's keeping an eye on me too."

If I touch the golden token, he will kill me—if that happens, I'll be done for before the Witch God even arrives.”

"Yes, how come I didn't think of that?" The engineer felt that Zhou Xuan's thinking was very thorough. With a powerful enemy at their side, they really had to be careful with their words and actions.

Miss Wall was puzzled. Knowing Zhou Xuan's temperament, she figured that since he had entered the secret realm, he must have a plan. So she said...
"Ah Xuan, stop beating around the bush. We're not the type to think things through. If you have any good ideas, just tell us. The engineer and I will cooperate with you exactly as needed. No empty talk."

Zhou Xuan paced back and forth in the black water, held up two fingers, and said, "Two paths. First, let that incense-offering Taoist priest go."

"Let him go? Will he even leave?" the engineer asked.

Zhou Xuan said firmly, "There is a 99% chance that they will leave. I am so sure because I have my own reasons. Let me tell you."

He immediately cut to the chase.

In Zhou Xuan's view, the Kingdom of Jing has a loophole that opens randomly every few decades to a hundred years, and some people from the Kingdom of Fo entered the Kingdom of Jing through that loophole.

“However, I think this is not a loophole, but a backdoor opened by the people of Jing Kingdom for the people of Buddha Kingdom.”

"However, the Five Styles of the Buddhist Kingdom did not know that this was a backdoor; they thought it was just a loophole in the Well Kingdom."

Zhou Xuan continued, "And the person who opened the back gate of the Well Kingdom was that fake incense-offering Taoist priest."
Fearing exposure, he disguised himself as a Taoist priest and infiltrated the stage.

That is why the incense-burning Taoist priests get nervous when the Medicine Buddha tells them how their five forms came to the Well Kingdom.

He was nervous that the pharmacist's story would reveal his secret connections, but the pharmacist and his companions thought the loophole was just that—a loophole—and were unaware of the fact that the Taoist priests had used connections.
The Taoist priest who had been burning incense finally relaxed.

At this point, Zhou Xuan added, "I don't know the true identity of that fake incense-offering Taoist priest, but I imagine he must be a very important figure in the Jing Kingdom."

"He still wants to maintain his position and his dignity. As long as the 'backdoor' affair isn't exposed, he'll leave peacefully and keep to himself."

After this series of explanations, Miss Wall and the engineer finally understood why Zhou Xuan was so certain that as long as he was willing to let the fake incense-offering Taoist priest go, the other party would definitely leave.

The engineer slapped his forehead, somewhat annoyed, and said, "Boss Xuan, we were both watching the excitement outside just now. Why did you get to see so much more excitement than me?"

They both had the same eyes and both watched the spectacle, but Zhou Xuan gained several orders of magnitude more information than the engineer.

Miss Qiang said from the side, "In that case, Ah Xuan, just let that fake incense-offering Taoist priest go."

"I'm a little reluctant to let him go."

Zhou Xuan looked at the fake incense-burning Taoist priest as if he were looking at a piece of juicy, fatty meat.

He said to Miss Wall, "Ah Wall, do you think that the only people testing me are those from the Sky Dome? Not only them, the Witch God is also testing me."

"The people of the Heavenly Vault are testing whether you are a genius alchemist, one in ten thousand. What is the Witch God testing you for?"

"He wanted to know if I could really deal with the Buddhists."

Zhou Xuan said, "I signed a cooperation agreement with the Witch God a few days ago, but I haven't paid any attention to the Buddhist people these days. I feel that it would be exhausting to capture a few nameless Buddhist people, not only to work myself to death, but also to prove my abilities."

"When I'm going to stir up trouble, I'm going to stir up a huge mess. This incense-burning Taoist priest is the huge mess I'm going to stir up."

He made a grabbing motion and said to Miss Wall, "Only by catching this fake incense can I give the witch god a perfect answer."

"Then we can't catch them, can we?"

Miss Wall sighed, and the engineers were also at a loss. Zhou Xuan's "ambition" was too much for them.

A figure far stronger than the leader of the Longevity Cult, they were "unable to offend him but could avoid him," while Zhou Xuan was thinking about how to take him down.

Whether or not they can be caught depends on one thing.

Zhou Xuan said.

"What is it?" Miss Wall and the engineer asked at the same time.

"A god of drama among mortals."

In the current situation, Zhou Xuan's methods, whether it's the Valley Scripture gained after the temple's popularity surges or the Mountain and River Map tattoo, are extremely useful in dealing with the likes of the Supreme Master of Escape and the Medicine Buddha.

However, these methods become inadequate against fake Taoist priests whose level of cultivation is far superior to their own.

This echoes the teachings Yuan Buyu gave Zhou Xuan when he was learning his skills: "Methods are methods, and incense offerings are incense offerings. Skillful and versatile methods can make up for the difference in the level of incense offerings, but if the level of incense offerings is too far apart, then even the most exquisite methods will be of little use."

Zhou Xuan's methods were not very useful, and he couldn't use the three golden tokens that could summon the witch god. So his only reliance was the legendary Ninth Incense Stick of the Play Master - the God of Play in the Human World.

"But, Boss Xuan, didn't you say that after you burned the eighth incense stick, the ninth incense stick couldn't burn for a long time?"

"It's precisely because it can't burn that I sought you out in the secret realm to discuss this."

Zhou Xuan said, "Let's see if we can come up with a way to burn out my last bit of incense so I can use my 'God of Drama' skills."

"Then I think... we should let the fake incense-offering Taoist priest go." The engineer immediately backed down, having no confidence in Zhou Xuan's "discussion."

"I have never seen a human being play a god. It is like a legendary dragon. Everyone has heard of the legend of the dragon, but to actually draw this dragon that we have never seen on rice paper and strive to be accurate is an extremely difficult task."

The engineer was vaguely considering quitting.

Zhou Xuan said, "It is indeed extremely difficult to figure out the last inch of incense in a very short time. Therefore, we need to use a special method to discuss this matter."

"What method?" the engineer asked.

Zhou Xuan said, "The Feynman Learning Technique."

"What's slow?"

“Feynman… um… Feynman was an extremely brilliant scholar from my hometown,” Zhou Xuan said.

"What? There are people with the surname Fei in your Pingshui Prefecture?"

At this crucial moment, the leader of the Buddhist Kingdom interjected, and once he started talking, he couldn't control himself. He said, "I once conducted a population census for Pingshui Prefecture, and there was no one with the surname Fei."

"Stay there."

After Zhou Xuanhui chased away the cerebellum, he said to the engineer and Miss Wall, "The core of this learning method is very simple: it is to continuously simplify our knowledge and then teach it to a child."

"Children don't understand anything, but they will ask a lot of questions out of curiosity. We need to keep answering these questions. At the same time, in the process of answering questions, we can accumulate our knowledge and gain a deeper understanding."

Zhou Xuan said, "The techniques of a magician are, strictly speaking, a kind of knowledge."

Miss Wall and the engineer both come from the "Flesh and Blood Dynasty," a country that worships flesh and blood technology.

If you asked the two of them to interact with people, to deceive them, to outsmart them, even if you tied them together, they still couldn't outsmart the con artists who set up gambling dens in the park.
But when it comes to scientific intuition, these two are quite reliable.

Miss Wall's eyes lit up like light bulbs, and she immediately thought Zhou Xuan's method was feasible: "Xuan, you are so smart, you actually have such a brilliant trick."

"It wasn't my move, it was Feynman's move."

"I really hope to visit Mr. Fei," the engineer said. "A person who can come up with such a learning method must be no ordinary person."

Can an ordinary person win a Nobel Prize?
Zhou Xuan pointed to Miss Wall and said, "The engineer, well, she understands the art of coloring, but she's already been corrupted by knowledge. Asking questions about coloring shows she's trapped in its confines. But you're different. You know nothing about coloring; you're very clear-headed..."

Miss Wall glanced at the engineer: "Engineer, I feel like Ah Xuan isn't praising me."

"I'm just praising you."

Zhou Xuan placed his hands on Miss Qiang's heart, and like a salesman, said, "Miss Qiang, imagine yourself as someone who really wants to learn Cai Xi (a type of traditional Chinese opera), and ask me..."

"What do I ask you for?"

"Ask me questions about Caixi (a type of traditional Chinese opera)."

"Then... um... what is Caixi?"

“It’s a human deception, the most exquisite human deception,” Zhou Xuan said.

The definition of this statement was not actually made by him, but rather said by the engineer when he was learning the art of magic from him.

However, in the days that followed, Zhou Xuan never doubted whether there was anything wrong with that statement.

Is it a scam?

Miss Wall said, "Since it's a scam, why don't you just scam directly instead of setting up a stage?"

"Drama is the greatest deception in the world," Zhou Xuan said. "Dramas depict the ups and downs of officialdom, talented scholars and beautiful women, and even fox spirits and ghosts, but all of these are fake, fabricated."

It was a carefully orchestrated scam by some actors, screenwriters, and directors... No... no..."

Following his own logic, Zhou Xuan began to teach Miss Qiang how to play the game, but as he taught, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Drama is not the same as deception... Although the characters, scenes, and plots in a play are fake, there is one thing—the emotions between people in the play are real."

"So many fake things were just to highlight this last bit of 'real stuff'... So... the magician was never a complete fraud..."

At this moment, Zhou Xuan seemed to be breaking free from his shackles and his preconceived notions about magic tricks—that magic trick masters were the most powerful swindlers.

"No... The magician isn't the most skilled con artist in the world. The magician is the most skilled... director in the world."

(End of this chapter)