"I recognize this piece of wood with the scar on it!"
The spirit dancer held up a piece of firewood bearing his own name and stared fixedly at the Roving Exorcist Disciple. "Brother Ma, I remember this piece of wood was yours, wasn't it? Why did you vote for me? Aren't we on the same side?"
"Who's on your side?" The Roving Exorcist Disciple shook his head with a sneer. "Besides, did you think I didn't know you had the last two Offering Plates?"
"You... how did you know?"
The spirit dancer's mouth hung open in shock, disbelief written all over his face.
Only then did the Roving Exorcist Disciple sneer. "Because when you entered the temple, you went in alone, but came out holding a gold plate. I thought that was strange!"
"Then last night, after I fell asleep, I discovered a shadow sneaking into my house, trying to steal my Old Almanac!"
"At first, I thought it was one of Ye Qianfan's people!"
"But the more I thought about it afterward, the stranger it seemed. The rain was so heavy last night, and anyone could tell something was wrong with it. Why would they risk coming out to steal the Old Almanac?"
"They'd already read everything in it. What good would stealing it do?"
"And then..."
"I pretended to roll over and stuck a Tracking Talisman on that shadow. To my surprise, that fellow ran into your room. Later, I figured it out. Spirit dancers have doubles, don't they?"
"That's why you could go into the temple alone and still come out with an Offering Plate!"
"But you're also an exception. Whenever you let your double take your place, the Evil God doesn't count you as a person, so naturally, he doesn't eat you!"
"I didn't want to