Just as Blue Peach was lost in his own wild thoughts, Lu Furong spoke again.
He said, "Lord White Lotus, we've stayed in this place for quite a while. If we keep lingering, it might bring trouble.
"You and your companions should leave first. We'll split up, and after my two fellow companions and I test that Cloud Knight, we'll meet up somewhere else later!"
Hearing this, Nero finally remembered that there was still a Cloud Knight here who didn't know whether he was truly foolish or just pretending.
To be able to dress like this and come into contact with these planters of the Secret Transmission of the Medicine King, he could be considered quite skilled.
And for these three from the Secret Transmission of the Medicine King to accept a Cloud Knight dressed like this, they were equally matched opponents.
The Cloud Knight noticed the green-headed fishman turn to look at him. As a not-so-professional undercover agent, he felt a bit uneasy and took half a step back, not knowing what to do.
Although this green-headed fishman seemed to have a good relationship with the general's distinguished guests, it didn't make him feel at ease.
After all, before this, he had never heard of or seen this guy. And in just a few minutes after entering, this fishman had gone from being an ordinary outsider to becoming a "Lord." No matter how you thought about it, it felt a bit too absurd.
The Cloud Knight stared at that green fish head, feeling as if some dark, blasphemous aura was seeping out from behind it.
That face, which looked foolish but seemed to hide a strange intelligence, along with those dead fish eyes that weren't even looking in the same direction, made the head appear even more terrifying, as if some indescribable horror from an endless abyss was silently watching him.
Like some bizarre creature that had never been recorded even in the countless myths and strange tales of the ancient Xianzhou…
Before he realized it, cold sweat seeped out from his skin, rolling down through the gaps between his armor and body. The Cloud Knight's legs began to tremble.
But after a brief hesitation and moment of daze, the Cloud Knight gritted his teeth and gathered his courage again.
To be honest, he didn't have such grand ambitions. If there really was something wrong with this guy, then he could only die here. He just hoped the general's distinguished guests wouldn't be deceived by this person and would avenge him.
It was just a pity… he hadn't had the chance to go to Buyehou for a cup of tea today.
After all, while Nero himself wasn't often seen, his standee at Buyehou was very common.
Although the standee couldn't compare to the real person's beauty, just taking a glance at it every day could still make one feel refreshed.
The most important thing was that whenever one felt anxious or panicked, looking at that figure would have a miraculous effect.
It was as if an invisible hand brushed over him, like the finest, lightest silk soothing the body and mind.
At times like that, the chaotic thoughts in his mind, the anxious and fearful emotions, or even negative ideas and stubborn obsessions would all be calmed.
Though he didn't know the reason, it could be summed up as "looking at something beautiful makes people feel better."
This was also thanks to Miss Tingyun, who had suggested making custom standees of Nero for Buyehou's promotion, allowing them to easily see that cool, gentle face like melting snow.
Thinking of this, the Cloud Knight couldn't help but feel a bit down and sighed softly.
The day before yesterday, the standee wore a plain ruqun. Yesterday, it wore a black and gold brocade robe. Who knew what it would look like today…
But… it wasn't completely hopeless…
He lifted his head and met the pair of fish eyes on the green head, which seemed to flicker with a strange light.
'What if… this guy is actually a good person?'
After all, being able to get along so well with the general's guests, if that were the case, maybe his future still held hope.
Nero had no idea how many thoughts flashed through the Cloud Knight's mind in that brief moment of eye contact.
He simply waved his hand and said, "You guys go first. Leave this Cloud Knight to us."
"This…" Lu Furong seemed a bit hesitant, but considering that this person had received the Medicine King's blessing right before his eyes, he quickly relaxed.
"Alright." Lu Furong nodded and said, "We brothers and sisters have been preaching in Exalting Sanctum for several days. We might have already attracted the attention of the hounds… It's safer if you handle it."
With that, Lu Furong turned to leave.
After all, the Secret Transmission of the Medicine King wasn't something that could be openly seen on the Xianzhou. The sooner they slipped away, the safer it would be.
"Wait!" Nero called out to Lu Furong. "You still owe me a slap!"
"Ah?" Lu Furong looked at Nero blankly. "What slap?"
"Of course the slap we agreed on! You didn't forget, did you?" Nero said as he rolled up his sleeves.
"After all, I didn't rely on copying your so-called scripture. None of my companions used it either, which proves your scripture isn't useful, right? At least not as useful as my own method."
"In that case, it counts as me winning, right?"
"Since I won, according to the agreement, you need to take a slap from me."
"Don't worry, I won't use much force. I won't swing wide either, just a very, very light slap~"
"No, that counts too…? And your friends passed just because of a word from you, right? That already counts as cheating, doesn't it?"
Lu Furong's eyes widened. It wasn't hard to see how shocked and indignant he felt.
But since he was under someone else's control, he didn't dare say these words out loud and could only mutter them in his heart.
Squinting his eyes, Lu Furong thought, 'After that intense argument earlier, being targeted was already something I expected… After all, we're all in the same organization, he probably won't just kill me outright.'
'Sigh… now I can only hope he really does as he says and goes a little easy.'
'At the very least, I'm a Vidyadhara and have been in the Secret Transmission of the Medicine King for quite a long time… Even if my overall strength might not match this guy, I shouldn't be crippled for life by a single slap, right?'
'At least judging from the aura he showed earlier in the courtyard, he doesn't seem to have the strength of an envoy…'
After thinking it over, Lu Furong bravely stepped forward, walked up to Nero, and looked down at him.
Nero slowly floated up, then stretched out his hand, his palm about three centimeters away from Lu Furong's face.
"What do you think about this distance? You can accept a slap like this, right?" Nero asked.
Lu Furong looked at Nero floating in midair, then at the distance between the palm and his face, and nodded, indicating no problem.
In this situation, there was no room to exert force at all.
Lu Furong's impression of this person began to rise sharply. 'Looking at it this way, this guy is actually quite... '
Something completely unexpected happened.
His thoughts were instantly cut off, unable to continue at all. He only felt something pushing his face, dragging his body as it began to spin.
The scenery in his vision moved rapidly, turning into countless dense, colorful lines.
Bang!
When he came back to his senses, Lu Furong found himself lying on the ground.
He struggled to stand up, feeling his left eye was a bit blurry, his left ear ringing nonstop. His nose felt like it was filled with water, and his body itched, as if something was sliding down along his skin.
Lu Furong's mind hadn't fully caught up yet. He instinctively reached out to touch, and in an instant, his palm was dyed red... he had touched his own blood.
Not far away, Blue Peach covered his mouth.
Lord White Lotus had only lightly touched him, yet Lu Furong was completely sent flying, and blood immediately flowed uncontrollably from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
At this moment, Blue Peach's mood was not very good. The blazing flame he had just ignited in his heart was quietly extinguished.
There was another person whose mood was equally bad. The undercover Cloud Knight had also seen this scene, and at this moment, his feelings could be summed up in one sentence... "I'm finished!"
Blue Peach and Lu Furong truly deserved to be good brothers who worked together. At this moment, he decisively stepped forward, supported the unsteady, "half-smashed-brain" Lu Furong, and said to Nero with a bright smile,
"Lord White Lotus, I've already thought it through!"
"Since your friend is going to use Peach Blossom, then I won't use it anymore. From now on, my codename will be Blueberry!"
As a mature worker, Blueberry deeply understood the principle of knowing when to advance and when to retreat. As a mature man, he also knew that a true man must be able to bend and stretch.
He wasn't admitting defeat, he was just following the experience he had gained through years of struggle.
'After all, since you've already hit him, you can't hit me anymore!'