Era of Magic and Martial Arts

Chapter 612 - 587: Hidden Motives? Masterful Concealment! (Double-Length)

Gong Qi urged:

"Hong Ya, serve a bowl for little junior brother first."

Hong Ya, however, ignored him. After serving everyone first, she left the lid of the porridge bucket half-open, and then brought out a bowl of porridge that had been prepared in advance and handed it to Feng Mu.

Feng Mu, along with his senior brothers and sisters, was slightly surprised.

Hong Ya, unfazed, smiled and said:

"Little junior brother, drink this bowl. I scooped it out in advance, letting it cool so it’s just right, not too hot for your mouth."

Feng Mu took the bowl of porridge, his gaze flicked to the bowls in the hands of his senior brothers and sisters, his eye corners twitching slightly.

Each bowl of porridge looked the same, but the health bars appearing on his retina had subtle differences.

His bowl was called—Senior Sister’s Caring Porridge [1/1].

Their bowls were called—Little Sister’s "Caring" Porridge [1/1].

Feng Mu gently stirred the white porridge in his bowl with a porcelain spoon, and took a couple of light sips.

"Is Master not having breakfast?"

He suddenly spoke, his gaze drifting towards the tightly shut door at the east side of the courtyard.

Hong Ya was also holding a bowl of pre-cooled porridge, drinking as she blinked her big eyes, her tone full of filial piety:

"Master probably didn’t sleep well last night, let’s let Master sleep a bit longer."

She completely forgot who it was that forcibly woke Master up last night; the key point is, she hadn’t decided which bowl of caring porridge to bring to Master.

Feng Mu muttered an acknowledgment, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, the whites of his eyes subtly expanding beneath the lenses.

Seemingly casually he looked down to drink the porridge, yet subtly activated [X-ray Insight lv3].

His vision pierced through the wooden door, through the brick wall, but became blurred as soon as he entered the room.

The room seemed covered in an impenetrable layer of thick ink, only a vague silhouette sitting by the bed could be seen, holding some sort of object and examining it closely.

It looked like Master, yet somehow seemed off.

The object in the hands appeared to be a book, otherwise, it couldn’t possibly be a human head, right~

"Strange, why can’t I see clearly?"

Feng Mu was filled with doubt.

Lv3 of X-ray Insight could penetrate 20 centimeters of dead objects, and Master’s door wasn’t triple-thick; it couldn’t possibly be 20 centimeters thick, right?

So why couldn’t he see clearly?

Feng Mu’s pupils contracted, abruptly retracting his gaze, the porcelain spoon tracing gentle ripples across the porridge surface.

Because that shadowy silhouette by the bed seemed to sense something and was slowly turning its head, its gaze aligning towards his direction outside the wall.

Feng Mu’s heart felt a chill:

"Could it be the takeout Master picked up? But Master went to bed last night and didn’t go out again?"

"The door and window are in the same direction, so it’s unlikely he slipped out the window. Did I guess wrong, isn’t it Master, or is there another exit in that room?"

Feng Mu was unsure. After joining the sect, he had never been to Master’s room.

While pondering, the door opened with a creak.

Li Guishen, draped in a gray cloth jacket, walked out slowly, the dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced than usual, suggesting he really hadn’t slept well.

"Master!"

Hong Ya called crisply, quickly serving a bowl of hot porridge: "Here, drink this."

Li Guishen accepted the bowl, sipping a bit, barely perceptibly frowning.

His gaze swept across the disciples, finally landing on Feng Mu, then he took out a few thread-bound booklets from his bosom, their covers yellowed and curled.

Feng Mu quickly put down his chopsticks and bowl, accepting them with both hands, catching a whiff of musty and mildewed smell.

He glanced down at the faded words on the covers, carefully tucking them into his robes, as Li Guishen’s instructions reached his ears:

"Take these martial arts techniques and ponder them well, practice diligently and do not slack."

All the senior brothers and sisters silently complained in their hearts:

"Little junior brother is already so driven, Master, you’re really pushing him even harder, you’re going to drive us to despair!"

Li Guishen ignored his disciples’ internal complaints, continuing his advice:

"If these martial arts really help in breaking through [Blood and Flesh Initial Solution]... Remember that enlightenment and come back to share it with your senior brothers and sisters."

An instant silence fell around the stone table, Feng Mu could feel several heated gazes directed at him.

Evidently, after last night, the senior brothers and sisters’ minds had become quite active.

If some martial arts practices at "Perfection" can greatly ease the breakthrough of [Blood and Flesh Initial Solution], then wouldn’t practicing those techniques to "Minor Achievement" or "Great Success" also offer some benefit?

The key lay in identifying the right martial arts techniques.

They knew they didn’t have that capability, but little junior brother had already proven he did.

They didn’t hope to reach little junior brother’s level; after all, they’ve all been chronically constipated; they just hoped for a bit of help in easing things, literally saving their lives.

Feng Mu grinned, giving his senior brothers and sisters a warm smile, saying it all without words.

He quickly finished the porridge in his bowl, stood up to leave, then suddenly paused, as if remembering something, and nonchalantly asked:

"By the way, do you all know where to get Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills or Genetic Needle?"

........

Du Changle didn’t sleep a wink the entire night.

He sat in his study, his obese body sinking deeply into the chair.

At the center of the desk, a foldable phone glowed with a dim cold light, beside it lay a violently broken SIM card chip.

"Mission failed... they all died?"

Du Changle’s voice rose in the deathly quiet study, hoarse like sandpaper scraping over rotten wood, trembling with disbelief.

The Maitreya Buddha-like round face had no traces of the false smile, the corners of the mouth no longer lifted, but rather pulled into two knife-carved marionette lines, flared nostrils exhaling heat.

This was no longer the smiling Buddha but a fierce Yaksha.

"I initially thought, just two small ants I could easily crush, never expected them to be man-eating ants; what a pain it brings me!"

Losing a squad of White Masks was akin to losing an arm for Du Changle! The White Masks bred by Hidden Sect, though numerous in number, few were completely subdued by him, willing to work for him without question.

Besides, the team of White Masks with baby faces was the most handy for him.

Du Changle’s eyes filled with murderous intent as he chewed on two names:

"Feng Mu! Wang Cong!"

Yet beneath the murderous intent, a deeper, ice-cold fear crept along his spine,

"You two really hid deep, surely Li Hanyu was deceived."

A simplest to its core logic: The deeper someone hides, the grander their scheme, and such people usually don’t play the dog for others.

Du Changle firmly believed this.

Because he himself was such a person.

Thinking further, was the truth about Qian Huan’s explosion really the work of those two Prison Chiefs?

Li Hanyu believed he avenged his son, but is it really so, could it be...

Du Changle was terrified by his own thoughts, the truth he grasped before now became confusing and blurry.

Du Changle felt a cold tinge inside:

"What role exactly did Wang Cong and Feng Mu play in the Second Prison, were they each harboring hidden intentions, or were they colluding in a playact?"

Du Changle’s mind swirled with suspicions, unable to confirm any, the only certainty being that those two were definitely problematic, and his plan to take over the Second Prison might not be so easily realized.

Du Changle’s face was grim, suddenly picking up his phone, fingers scrolling frantically through the contacts, finally pausing over "Mr. Wang Xinfa - Member of Parliament."

He attempted multiple times to make the call, but each time, his fingers froze an inch away from the screen.

This call cannot be made!

Sure, informing Mr. Wang was the simplest solution, but it might also implicate himself, triggering the member’s suspicion, an outcome outweighing the benefits.

The persona he built over decades couldn’t be easily ruined by two ants!

"So, the best approach would be..."

Du Changle changed his mind, a sinister light flickering in his eyes,

"I should seek out Li Hanyu, find ways to enlighten this woman?"

Du Changle weighed pros and cons in his mind, restoring his Maitreya-like smile.

If Li Hanyu didn’t believe him, at most she’d see him as a petty agitator, no big deal; but if she did believe, even half of it...