"Scheming with every last ounce of my mind, watching the people I plot against step into the snares I lay for them time after time—it really is addictive. But I seem to have become too engrossed. That isn't good."
After a brief surge of emotion, Li Fuchan quickly regained his composure.
This isn't over yet. Quan Yong is still hunting me. There's no escaping him, so I might as well keep squeezing people for money. That will also disguise how deliberately I chose to visit the Gao Household earlier.
Li Fuchan acted as soon as the thought occurred to him.
This time, he would visit the Yuchi Household.
Following the same pattern, Li Fuchan arrived in territory governed by the Yuchi Household and proclaimed himself a disciple of the Peaceful Way Abbey. He said Abbot Quan Yong would arrive shortly, then demanded tribute outright.
Unfortunately, the members of the Yuchi Household did not seem as cautious as Gao Gonglu, nor did they share his concerns about Gao Gongjin.
Seeing that the visitor meant trouble, a middle-aged man came riding the wind within moments.
He wore Civil-Military Sleeves, half armor and half flowing robe, with a Black Gauze Crown on his head. A meticulously trimmed long beard hung beneath his chin. His cheeks were lean, his eyes hawklike. This was Yuchi Yuanqing, currently the most accomplished cultivator of the Yuchi Household.
Yuchi Yuanqing surveyed Li Fuchan coldly. "Fellow Daoist, you had best return whence you came. The Yuchi Household is not somewhere you can come begging for handouts as you please, like the Gao Household."
Naturally, he did not know Li Fuchan had already extorted the Gao Household once. He had merely meant to mock them.
Li Fuchan was not offended. Instead, he smiled. "It seems you doubt my identity, fellow