The rain from the sky grew denser.

Li Shiwuwu stood under the eaves, gazing longingly in the direction of the Earth Temple outside the town.

His body was quite withered now, and after last night's face-peeling, he could clearly sense that there wasn't much "nourishment" left in the soil.

At most, seven days.

He would end up like a seedling on a parched riverbed under the scorching sun, eventually withering away and being consumed by flames.

"What to do?"

"What on earth should I do?"

He questioned himself repeatedly in his heart.

At this moment, the Faceless Man changed his face to that of a beautiful woman, and his towering figure gradually shrank.

In the blink of an eye, a fair-skinned, beautiful woman in a red dress, exuding an air of world-weariness, appeared before him.

She even took out a pipa, and when she played and sang, it was in a soft Wu dialect that made one's teeth ache from the sweetness.

Li Shiwuwu frowned, "What are you doing?"

"Going out to sing for money, to repay you with gold," the woman transformed by the Faceless Man said with a graceful bow, "Of course, I still need to save money to peel more faces."

Li Shiwuwu asked again, "Do you keep doing these things repeatedly?"

"Yes."

"Then what's the point of it all?"

"The point? I don't know. I've been like this since I was born."

The Faceless Man waved a hand and walked out with the pipa.

Watching the figure leave.

Li Shiwuwu's eyes were dazed.

"The fabricated yet real Seed Immortal Temple, the absurd and bizarre 'Sui,' the state religion that turns humans into beasts, and the inexplicable Ten Aspects Sect from last night..."

"This world is becoming more and more ridiculous."

At this moment, the young man with the sword came in from outside.

He wore a straw raincoat and urged, "Li, come out quickly, this spectacle is rare."

Hearing this, Li Shiwuwu put on his bamboo hat and followed him out.

Today, the sky was desolate, with few people on the street.

Standing on the bluestone slab, Li Shiwuwu looked into the distance.

In the misty rain, he saw a group of figures no taller than an average person's calf, marching in unison, coming into view and heading towards the town.

As they got closer, Li Shiwuwu's eyes widened.

In front of him was a group of "brushes."

Yes, brushes.

To be precise, they were bronze-colored brushes as thick as a baby's arm.

At this moment, they were hopping on the bluestone slab, step by step, not knowing where they were headed.

Moreover, they could speak human language, their voices loud and in unison, like diligent students in an academy.

Just like now.

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"Books are like medicine, reading them can cure ignorance... Reading without realizing it, spring has deepened, an inch of time is worth an inch of gold..."

Listening to the clear recitation, Li Shiwuwu pointed and asked, "What are these things?"

The young man with the sword laughed, "They are Scholar Lords, a type of Sui Beast."

"These Scholar Lords love reading, hence the elegant name 'Scholar Lord.'"

The Basket Woman beside them added, "Daoist Li, do you know what these Scholar Lords will become in the future?"

Li Shiwuwu turned back, "What will they become?"

The woman chuckled, looking at the bronze toad on Li Shiwuwu's left ear, "Naturally, they will become Lord Guan."

"Of course, the proportion is very small, very small. Most Scholar Lords never have the chance to transform in their lifetime."

"As for the cause and effect, Daoist Li, you can ponder it slowly, I won't elaborate."

Hearing this explanation, Li Shiwuwu was thoughtful and couldn't help but be amazed.

So that's the origin of his Lord Guan.

Qian Yuanzi was lucky to have gotten such a one.

Indeed, the group of Scholar Lords arrived at a bookshop in town, barged in as if no one was there, and started flipping through books and reciting.

While they were watching with great interest.

A sudden change occurred.

A gaunt man with long arms and legs, sunken cheeks, resembling a monkey, silently stepped into the water puddle and stood before them.

Then, with a meaningful look, he stared at Li Shiwuwu with a smile in his eyes.

"Tsk tsk, like a banished immortal, clothes unstained, that's you."

"I thought there was some extraordinary genius, came to meet you, but it turns out, it's just this."

The man shook his head, "But, to not waste the trip, I'll just kill you."

As he spoke, his entire being began to twist like light.

Then he took a step forward.

When he reappeared, he was standing behind Li Shiwuwu, less than half a step away, as if he was glued to Li Shiwuwu's back.

"Friend, what does this mean?" Li Shiwuwu's eyes were cold, his tone devoid of warmth.

The man blew lightly on his neck, a playful smile on his face, "You're Li Shiwuwu, right?"

"Don't worry, I have time today."

"And plenty of time to slowly play you to death."

Li Shiwuwu said nothing, but a black iron chopping knife appeared in his hand, and he swung it backward fiercely.

However, the strike hit nothing.

"Get the hell away from me."

Li Shiwuwu roared, lunging forward, trying to shake off this inexplicable man.

But to his horror, the man was like a ghost; no matter what Li Shiwuwu did, wherever he went, the man remained stuck to his back, impossible to shake off.

The old monk and the others were equally stunned and at a loss by this sudden scene.

At this moment, the Basket Woman seemed to remember something, her eyes filled with terror.

She said to Li Shiwuwu, "Li... Daoist Li, I remember now, this man seems to be from the Ten Aspects Sect too."

"Monkey Aspect, Unreasonable Monkey."

"Their cultivation is extremely bizarre, the whole person clings to others like a monkey from behind, and they make all sorts of unreasonable demands."

"Until they torment the person into agreeing."

The woman took a deep breath, "I understand now, this Monkey Aspect man must have been brought here by that Pen Aspect woman from last night."

Hearing this, the man's eyes flashed with killing intent.

"Too talkative, courting death."

His figure vanished, and then he was suddenly clinging to the Basket Woman's back.

Blowing on her neck, he smiled wickedly, "Be good, let me crawl into your belly and see your heart, okay?"

"Since you know about the Monkey Aspect, you should know that with your cultivation, being entangled by me means you can't escape."

"So be obedient, don't struggle."

At this moment, despair filled the woman's eyes.

She trembled as she spoke, "Okay... okay, I agree."

In an instant, the man's hands opened the woman's abdomen, and a beating heart was plucked out alive.

He casually tossed it to the ground, where it rolled into the muddy water.

Then the man's figure dispersed, and when he reappeared, he was once again clinging to Li Shiwuwu's back.

Like a sticky plaster, he said, "Clothes unstained Li Shiwuwu."

"Our game begins now."