Wang Beiwang turned around. The person asking was a man with frosted temples, dressed in plain cloth. Looking closer, he saw that the man's features had been subtly altered.
His eyebrows had been thickened with charcoal, his face dusted with a light layer of gray, and the scar on his left cheek appeared to be fake rather than real.
A major criminal wanted by the imperial court? Experienced as Wang Beiwang was, he suspected there was something wrong with the man's identity. He was either a wanted fugitive or a spy from the Northern Dynasty.
With the two nations at war, it was standard wartime procedure for the Northern Dynasty to send spies into the capital to gather intelligence and secretly cause trouble.
Elder Xu had once served in the military in his youth. When Wang Beiwang studied swordsmanship under him, he would occasionally hear Elder Xu recount stories from his years in the army.
"Yuanshi Tianzun?" the man asked again.
Given Wang Beiwang's personality, he would normally have investigated the other man's identity. But right now, though he was not a wanted criminal, he was even more sensitive than one.
Better to avoid trouble when possible. Wang Beiwang turned to leave, but then recalled the foolish ruler's instructions and came back, saying:
"That's right, I'm Yuanshi Tianzun."
Then the two simply stared at each other, with neither saying another word.
Wang Beiwang waited for the man to ask, "Where is Yuanshi Tianzun?" But the man refused to speak.
In the silent standoff, the man with graying temples muttered, "How could a fool like you possibly be Yuanshi Tianzun? Who taught you to say that?"
Wang Beiwang sneered. "With your shifty eyes and rat-like face, you don't look like someone who could have anything to do with Yuanshi Tianzun either."