After he spoke, Gu Qiutang—Lower Four of Ye Weiyang, known as the "Immovable Saber"—leaped effortlessly onto the roof, landing shoulder-to-shoulder with Upper Four Jun Buxiao.

Compared to the furtive Jun Buxiao, the Immovable Saber, Gu Qiutang, seemed perfectly normal.

Gu Qiutang wore a Cloud-Sleeved Black Robe, a pair of tattered straw sandals, and a black conical hat, a Black Scabbard Long Saber hanging at his waist. Beneath the shadow of his hat, his sharp, chiseled features were faintly visible. He looked just like a wandering Knight, roaming the world as he pleased.

Jun Buxiao was still laughing. He pranced about on the rooftop, waving his arms, clapping his hands, and cackling with glee.

His jubilant display was the spitting image of a crazed street Actor.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The dazed people on the street below collapsed one by one. Streams of slithering shadows, like creeping insects, merged into the darkness beneath the eaves. They moved through the gloom, finally converging at Jun Buxiao’s feet and disappearing.

’Shadows?’

Zheng Xiu’s pupils widened slightly. He secretly used [Scouting] and [inspiration], and in an instant, a web of clues unfolded clearly before him. He now understood, but his face remained impassive. After sending Yue Yan flying with a palm strike, Zheng Xiu shot her a "vicious" glare, then turned his gaze to the two men before him.

Standing before Zheng Xiu were two members of the Twelfth Moon: Jun Buxiao, Upper Four of "Shadow Puppetry," and Gu Qiutang, Lower Four of the "Immovable Saber."

"I thought Ye Weiyang had a policy of not harming the innocent. Heh..." Zheng Xiu sneered. "Or is infighting your true policy?"

The moment Yue Yan blurted out Gu Qiutang’s name, Zheng Xiu connected all the oddities he’d noticed on their journey, arriving at an absurd yet logical conclusion.

It had been a setup from the very beginning.

Lower Four Gu Qiutang had never been trapped in the Cannibal Painting to begin with. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Someone had deliberately lured Feng Bei to Gongsun Mo’s painting from the start.

’But why Feng Bei?’

At that moment, Zheng Xiu inexplicably recalled Master Dengdeng’s strange words at Yunliu Temple.

—"Reality and illusion, difficult to discern. Black and white, difficult to distinguish. Right and wrong, difficult to judge."

Zheng Xiu frowned. "Did you give the painting to Master Dengdeng? And then deliberately have him give it to Feng Bei?"

At these words, Jun Buxiao struck a flamboyant pose, clapping rhythmically above his head. Grinning, he pointed at Zheng Xiu and turned to Gu Qiutang. "Little Tangtang, is this something he’s allowed to know? I think not, right? Right? Right?"

Gu Qiutang remained silent, ignoring Jun Buxiao. He took a step back with his left foot, his hand slowly settling on the saber at his waist. Beneath his conical hat, his calm gaze sharpened.

Just then, Yue Yan, who had been sent flying, landed back on the roof. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, her eyes filled with a complex, unreadable expression.

"Now, now, don’t you forget which side you’re on."

Jun Buxiao let out a strange cackle, wagging his index finger back and forth as he reminded Yue Yan.

"I... understand." Yue Yan lowered her head and bowed respectfully to Jun Buxiao. "This man deceived me, claiming to be from a collateral branch of the Zheng Family, which led me to trust him too much. From this moment, I am Yue Yan... Yue Yan of Ye Weiyang."

"Hey! This girl gets it!" Jun Buxiao praised, hoisting his giant scissors onto his shoulder. Then he asked, perplexed, "But speaking of which, the Zheng Family has always passed down to a single heir. What rock did a ’collateral branch’ crawl out from? This guy happens to look an awful lot like that Zheng Xiu, but thinking about it, he must follow one of those Paths that can easily alter one’s appearance, like ’facial massage.’ Oh, wait, no. I heard this guy is a Painter, wasn’t he? He doesn’t look like one. But if he really is a Painter, could it be he painted on ’human skin’ and gave himself Zheng Xiu’s face?"

"That must be it!" Jun Buxiao exclaimed in sudden realization, striking a fist into his palm. He nodded, "And that monster Feng Bei actually believed it! Who would have thought that monster Feng Bei would be willing to travel a thousand miles for a mission here? If it weren’t for that, how could we have set this trap so easily? Ah, you know what they say, a hundred schemes are no match for Heaven’s will. And who would’ve guessed that you’d happen to be a Painter! What a coincidence! No wonder that monster was so fixated on this painting! You didn’t actually think there was a Deceitful Object of the Painter Path hidden in it, did you? If there really was a ’Deceitful Object’ of the Painter Path in that painting, do you think it would have ever been your turn?"

With every "monster" this and "monster" that Jun Buxiao used to refer to Feng Bei, Zheng Xiu’s fists clenched tighter. A sharp cracking sound came from the tiles beneath his feet as fissures spread out from where he stood.

The atmosphere instantly froze.

Gu Qiutang slowly closed his right hand into a loose fist. The dust motes dancing in the air suddenly settled. For a brief instant, it was as if a profound silence had fallen over the area centered on him.

Zheng Xiu calmly regarded the two of them. "Why Feng Bei?"

Jun Buxiao tilted his head, pointing his scissors at Zheng Xiu. "Why not that monster?" he asked, puzzled. "Ah—" He feigned a sudden realization. "Don’t tell me you actually started seeing that monster as a ’Human’? She’s not human. Not human. Not human."

Gu Qiutang also spoke up. "You may not be able to accept it, but the Night Lord has his reasons. You traveled all this way with Mystic Feng Bei. Did you not sense it? Mystic Feng Bei is an Omen, something that should not exist in this world. Her very presence is an Omen. She doesn’t belong here..."

"Shhh..."

Suddenly, Jun Buxiao hissed, cutting Gu Qiutang off. "Little Tangtang, if you say any more, you’re going to be punished."

Gu Qiutang lowered his head. After a moment of silence, he said, "Forgive me. No matter who you are, and no matter your relationship with Feng Bei, our actions are for the greater good. Our consciences are clear."

Beneath his conical hat, Gu Qiutang slowly closed his eyes and enunciated, word by word: