When they realized their direction of travel had turned toward the west, the expressions of both the South Island Master and Yun Huizhou turned solemn.
In the evening, two gyrfalcons descended from the sky, each landing on one of the South Island Master’s shoulders.
The South Island Master tilted his head and removed a slip of paper from a small wooden tube attached to the leg of one bird.
Soon, the South Island Master finished reading the message. He looked at Lian Li and Yun Huizhou and said, “The people from the Martial Arts Alliance wanted to investigate the cause of the Blind Diviner’s death, but they were blocked by his disciple. It seems the disciple knows something; Zhao Rong has already sent Zhao Honglan to investigate privately. Also, Bei Heng calculated something.”
“Oh?” Lian Li was surprised. “What did Uncle Bei calculate?”
Wasn’t Uncle Bei notoriously inaccurate with his divinations? Why would the Grandmaster and the others go out of their way to write it on a note and tell them?
“He said ‘a great surge,'” the South Island Master said.
“…” Lian Li asked, “A great surge of what?”
To be honest, his first reaction was a surge in the stock market, but then he remembered that stocks didn’t seem to exist here.
“I don’t know.” The South Island Master shrugged. “The things Bei Heng calculates are quite elusive.”
Lian Li and Yun Huizhou exchanged a glance, neither knowing how to respond.
After all, both of them were in agreement that Uncle Bei was inaccurate in everything he calculated.
However, it seemed their Master didn’t think so. Their Master believed that Uncle Bei’s calculations were accurate; it was just that Uncle Bei himself couldn’t see through them, and neither could anyone else.
Furthermore, seeing as the Grandmaster had specifically sent a message, he likely shared the same opinion as their Master. In that case, their Senior Uncle and Uncle Xi probably felt the same way too.
Could it be that Uncle Bei was actually very accurate?
After a moment, the South Island Master added, “Bei Heng also calculated ‘thirst.'”
Lian Li: “…”
First “a great surge,” then “thirst”—what on earth?
There was absolutely no way to connect the two.
The three of them looked at each other, clearly unable to decipher the things the North Island Master had calculated.
The trio continued to follow in silence. Lian Li recalled the time they went to Linjiu City for the martial arts tournament and what the North Island Master had calculated for them then.
What was it back then? It seemed he said that “troublesome matters will surely occur.”
Because Yun Huizhou had told him that the North Island Master was inaccurate, and because he later won the tournament, Lian Li hadn’t taken it to heart.
Thinking back on it now, he did win the tournament, but troublesome matters certainly did occur.
First, there were the inexplicable Zhang Ning and Zhou Yu, and then there was the fact that the graves of the original host’s parents were neglected.
How… could those not be considered “troublesome matters”?
Moreover, back then, Uncle Bei had said that troublesome matters would surely occur during their trip out; he never said the trouble would happen during the tournament.
Looking at it from this perspective, how could one say he wasn’t accurate?
Lian Li had an epiphany! The North Island Master was very accurate; it was just that his results were too abstract, which gave people the impression that he was inaccurate.
Taking advantage of a moment while they were out hunting together, Lian Li shared his thoughts with Yun Huizhou.
Yun Huizhou was also stunned. “If you put it that way, have I been wronging Uncle Bei all these years?”
Lian Li said, “It seems that way. However, it’s mainly because Uncle Bei’s calculations are too abstract; his accuracy can only be seen by working backward from the results. If only we knew what the Blind Diviner had calculated.”
Yun Huizhou gave an “mm” in response. He looked toward the direction where Monk Suixin and his group were and suddenly said, “Do you think it’s possible that Monk Suixin knows what the Blind Diviner calculated?”
Lian Li froze, not knowing how to answer. He felt that if things followed the tropes of a novel, Monk Suixin’s abnormal behavior at this point in time was definitely related to a major event about to happen. Therefore, there was a high probability that Monk Suixin knew—perhaps he was even the one who killed the Blind Diviner.
But he had no evidence, and people wouldn’t accept “novel tropes” as proof.
However, the person in front of him was Yun Huizhou. After thinking for a moment, he still said, “I think there’s a high probability. Perhaps the Blind Diviner’s death…”
He didn’t finish his sentence. After all, when even the Martial Arts Alliance had no clues, it was quite unreasonable for him to directly suspect Monk Suixin.
Yet, the feeling in his heart that his suspicion was correct grew stronger and stronger.
Yun Huizhou looked at him and said, “Regardless of whether it’s true, the fact that Monk Suixin is running toward the west means he’s likely involved with the Demonic Cult. Let’s assume this result first and then work backward.”
Lian Li lowered his head and gave a soft “mm.” He felt that Yun Huizhou believed his words.
After following Monk Suixin and the others for five days, the insect responsible for tracking suddenly began to spin in place, though its antennae remained pointed in a single direction.
This strange situation had occurred several times during their period of tracking. All three of them knew this meant they were getting closer.
The trio also stopped, assuming that the group ahead was taking a temporary break to rest. They decided to take the opportunity to rest as well.
However, this time, the group stayed stopped for much longer than before.
Previously, they would stop for two ke at most, but this time, their rest had already lasted for three ke.
During this period, aside from focusing on tracking Monk Suixin’s trio, Lian Li had been reflecting on the fragmented plot and the things the North Island Master had calculated.
Previously, he had mistakenly thought that Miss Su’s martial arts marriage recruitment was the event where Yun Huizhou got involved in a struggle and was ambushed. But he later realized that the timing was far too early; Yun Huizhou shouldn’t have met with disaster at that point.
In other words, there was likely a plot point coming up involving a struggle for something.
And it would be a very important, major plot point—or at least a precursor to one.
Furthermore, Monk Suixin and his group had been heading west. Everyone knew exactly who resided to the west once one passed the border.
Therefore, it was very likely that Monk Suixin’s current business was the precursor to the major plot point that was about to occur.
While Lian Li was thinking, Yun Huizhou walked up to him with a waterskin and handed it over. “Drink some water. Your lips are so dry they’re starting to peel.”
“Oh, okay.” Without looking up, Lian Li took the waterskin and gulped down several mouthfuls.
Only when the water hit his mouth did he suddenly realize how thirsty he actually was. Now that he had this drink, he felt like a person in the desert suffering from extreme dehydration who had finally found water—he had finally come back to life.
It was this train of thought that gave Lian Li a sudden flash of inspiration.
The desert seemed to be in the direction one traveled when heading west after passing the border.
And doesn’t a desert mean a lack of water? At the very least, for those unfamiliar with the desert, it was very difficult to find a water source.
Doesn’t a lack of water mean “thirst”?
If the plot took place in the desert, so far away… if the West Island Master hadn’t followed them there, and Yun Huizhou was struck by a scheme and the medicine he carried couldn’t solve it, perhaps the delay in treatment was indeed what led to the decline of his martial arts.
