Acting Beyond Compare

"There are actually people like this?" Xuan Yunzi was stunned. "How could there be such a ruthless and insane being in the Prison Mountain Realm? Moreover, to be able to kill Xie Chong with a blade, he must be a master among masters... Why would such a master do such a thing?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're just utterly depraved," the Snowy Owl said nonchalantly. "What difference is there between those bandits and Yaomo? Killing and torturing for their own selfish desires... I'm not surprised that such people, once they gain power, would choose to become the lackeys and accomplices of Yaomo."

Lin Yu nodded.

"The motive isn't important, but knowing about this guy's existence isn't necessarily a bad thing," Lin Yu sighed. "At least we have a new lead—since there's an accomplice, let's start investigating the accomplice first."

"I really don't know the identities of those accomplices; I know too little about them..."

Xuan Yunzi said helplessly.

"But I have a lead. The person who ordered Jinfu Escort Agency to transport Xie Chong's body is a wealthy old man from Xian Town. He's not tall and has a mole on his left cheek. Although it might be a false identity, we should be able to find something if we follow this lead."

Lin Yu spoke, Xuan Yunzi nodded.

"Xian Town ... that town isn't too far from here," he said, taking out several Talismans from his pocket. "I have a few Divine Speed Talisman here, which you heroes can use to travel. With these Talisman, you can make a round trip in half a day."

"Master, aren't you coming with us?"

The Seagull asked curiously.

"I can't leave here," Xuan Yunzi shook his head. "My five Daoist Daoist temple are the key to restraining the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord. If I leave this area, the Daoist temple will lose their suppressive power, and their control over Double Saw Mountain and the surrounding area will be further strengthened."

"Therefore... I can only trouble you heroes."

Lin Yu nodded and quickly stepped forward to take the Divine Speed Talisman, stuffing them into his pocket. "It's nothing, but Daoist, there's one more thing—where's Xie Chong's remains in your possession?"

Xuan Yunzi was taken aback for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Young friend, you are truly remarkable. How did you guess that I still have the remains of Layman Xie Chong?"

"I can confirm in some way that there must be some Xie Chong's remains on the nearby hills," Lin Yu said calmly. After all, the Little Fire Dragon trio and the Snowy Owl trio all entered the [Instance] nearby, and their quests were all related to "Willow Town," so there was a high probability that there were still "Xie Chong's remains" or similar [Item] there. "Since there are none in the nearby mountain strongholds, then it can only be in Senior Xuan Yunzi's Daoist temple."

Xuan Yunzi sighed, "Indeed, it is within my Daoist temple."

The old Daoist priest turned around, took out a box from under the altar, and opened it to find a gray left thigh inside.

The texture and feel of this left leg were similar to the remains Lin Yu was carrying on his back; the cuts were also smooth and even, and they could be pieced together.

However, the left leg was covered with yellow paper Talismans, seemingly suppressing the energy of that leg.

"Although the heroes and young friend are not villains, but trustworthy individuals, the matter of Xie Chong's remains is of great importance," Xuan Yunzi said hesitantly. "That's why I initially hid Xie Chong's remains...after all, obtaining two out of five would be far too dangerous."

"Even if you young friends are not villains, what if someone targets you..."

Xuan Yunzi was speaking in a low voice when Lin Yu interrupted him.

"There are certainly risks involved... but we have no choice but to take them now," Lin Yu said solemnly. "Senior Xuan Yunzi, we both know very well that the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord is growing stronger every day. It even dares to release its Spider Silk. Given time, can you really suppress it?"

"Moreover, now that we know he has an accomplice outside," Lin Yu said in a deep voice, "If we don't do something, if we don't Xingyi extraordinary measures, what difference is there between us and watching this Yaomo reappear step by step?"

"Only by handing over Xie Chong's remains to me can I lure out the mysterious person who has been secretly setting things up!"

As Lin Yu spoke, Xuan Yunzi hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding.

"Young friend, you are right. Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to take the risk!"

As he spoke, Xuan Yunzi slowly peeled off the Talismans.

Moment...

The same aura of a mangled body as Lin Yu's emerged from behind, and the vigorous blood energy of the two combined, producing an effect greater than the sum of its parts!

"Bang--!"

The left leg flew out of Xuan Yunzi's hand and then instantly returned to the mangled body on Lin Yu's back, where it was instantly pieced back together.

Xuan Yunzi watched this scene with astonishment, tension, and worry. "As expected, once the seal is broken, at this distance... Layman Xie Chong's body will automatically return to one!"

"This aura will likely attract the covetous eyes of the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord —if you're going to Xian Town, you'd better hurry."

But Lin Yu calmly shook his head.

"No rush, Daoist Master, please wait a moment."

Lin Yu turned his head and looked at the entrance of the Daoist temple.

Really...

The next moment, a figure emerged from behind the door outside the Daoist temple.

At the same time, a leisurely voice rang out.

"Sure enough, Xie Chong's body was inside."

Lin Yu looked at the other person and smiled without surprise, "Hello, my dear Senior Brother 'Chen Yuanye'."

"Hello to you too, my dear junior sister."

The figure of the newcomer emerged from the shadows, revealing Chen Yuanye's unshaven face.

"I didn't expect you to see through my disguise so easily," Chen Yuanye said in a low voice. "When did you realize that I wasn't Chen Yuanye?"

"At the beginning," Lin Yu tilted his head and said, "You said you were trapped there for a whole year. Although your clothes and armor were tattered, and you were disheveled and unshaven, that place didn't look like a dark, damp underground place where someone could live for a whole year."

"Where are the traces of your daily life, from eating and drinking to using the toilet?" Lin Yu sighed. "Although your acting is superb, judging solely by your acting, I almost genuinely thought you were Chen Yuanye ..."

As Lin Yu spoke, he couldn't help but admire the other person from the bottom of his heart—this was the best actor Lin Yu had ever seen so far. Every word, every reaction, and every expression of genuine emotion was incredibly real, as if it weren't acting at all.

This acting was even better than most of my improvisational performances—indeed, there are countless geniuses in the Ten Realms, and even in my strongest area, there are still those who can rival me.

It's just a pity...

"But the costumes, props, and set design are all zero, my friend... You can say it's for a week or two, why insist on a year?"

Lin Yu said with some regret.

"Chen Yuanye" shrugged nonchalantly. "There's nothing I can do, because the real 'Chen Yuanye' disappeared a year ago."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu was first taken aback, then suddenly realized. "Oh, I understand... So the one who talked to me underground and accompanied me all the way was the real Chen Yuanye, not someone 'acting'!"

"Of course," "Chen Yuanye" said smugly, "The real thing is much easier to fool people than the fake. All we need to do is fabricate a year of 'past' in his Memory and then release the real thing."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

"Okay... I thought we were a rare acting genius!"