The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

The plane arrived at Jiangzhou Airport. Chen Dong, in a daze, was led off the plane by Murong Qing.

"Are you sure you don't need to rest?" Murong Qing asked. "You look out of it."

Chen Dong smiled and shook his head. "I'm fine. Just mentally drained. I'll be better in a bit."

'I never imagined I was the one who built that underground tomb, not to mention those Divine Artifacts. The more I think about it, the more I feel I need to find time to go to Qianzhou and buy back the one I sold. When I forged those Divine Artifacts, I even incorporated Li Wang's sword into them. If she ever remembers, she'll probably kill me.'

Feeling mentally exhausted, Chen Dong opted against flying with his powers and hailed a taxi instead.

Chen Dong and Murong Qing both got into the back seat. As soon as they were in, Chen Dong said, "Driver, to Qixing Noble School!"

The driver gave Chen Dong a strange look. Not only was he dressed far too lightly for the middle of winter, but his accent wasn't local. The driver said kindly, "School's out for the holidays. What are you going there for? It's not exactly a tourist destination."

He continued, a nervous, conspiratorial look on his face. "Let me give you a secret tip. There's an extremely powerful church there. If you're just tourists, I strongly advise you to stay away!"

Chen Dong raised an eyebrow. "A church? I used to live around there. How have I never heard of it?!"

The driver, animated by the conversation, took on the air of someone sharing a great secret. "That's where you're out of the loop! This mysterious church grew incredibly fast. It only popped up recently, and all the rich and powerful people in the area are members."

Chen Dong chuckled, unconcerned. 'Probably just another scam,' he thought.

Murong Qing, however, was intrigued. She immediately asked, "Sir, what's the deal with this church you mentioned?"

Murong Qing, who delighted in hunting down fugitives, sensed an opportunity. A mysterious church like this was bound to have a wanted criminal or two hiding out.

The driver waved his hands dismissively. "Oh, I don't know all the details. Those people aren't in the same world as us common folk, and they're scarily fanatical! Even if I wanted to check it out and join, there's no way in. But let me tell you, those people are loaded. I hear the benefits for members are amazing!"

From this, Chen Dong could tell the driver was just repeating hearsay.

Murong Qing, however, pressed on curiously, "What kind of church is it? What's its name, and who do they worship? Buddhas, Daoist deities, or Jesus?"

The driver chuckled, a hint of pride on his face. "That, I do know! I made a special effort to find out. It's called the 'Illusory Sect'!"

The moment Chen Dong heard the name, a sharp pain shot through his temples. He cried out in disbelief, "What?"

"The Illusory Sect! Is something wrong?" the driver asked, surprised.

Chen Dong felt he was being paranoid. A name alone didn't mean anything. But the coincidence was uncanny: this church was located right at the elementary school Li Wang attended, and that school was very close to the Li Family Manor.

Li Xu, Li Wang... Chen Dong's heart sank with worry. 'Don't tell me that little girl Li Wang is behind this!'

The driver was still talking. "As for what kind of church it is, I'm not too clear. But I do know a little about who they worship. I heard they worship a little girl. Legend says this girl has all sorts of ridiculously incredible powers. Anything you pray for, you get. It's uncannily effective!"

At the mention of a "little girl," Chen Dong slapped his forehead. 'That settles it. It's definitely that little rascal, Li Wang!'

Murong Qing was still animatedly discussing it, gesturing with her hands. "A little girl? A living one? Don't most religions worship a fictional being, like the Master of Light and Shadow? Or someone who's already dead, like Jesus?"

"Heh! You'd think so, but she's really alive. They held a ceremony a while back, and I got a peek from a distance. The little girl is absolutely adorable."

"How effective can a little girl be? It has to be a scam, right? Can you ask her for a baby?"

"Ha! You hit the nail on the head again! I heard someone actually did pray for a child and succeeded! If not for things like that, the church would've been shut down by now!"

"Hearing you say that, it almost sounds like a normal church, doesn't it?"

The more Murong Qing listened, the more confused she became. She pulled out her phone and checked, but found no bounties related to this religion.

As the driver continued his spiel, the taxi arrived at their destination.

Chen Dong scanned the QR code to pay the fare. Good grief, over a hundred! He briefly wondered if the driver charged extra for conversation, but paid it readily anyway.

The balance in his account shrank once again.

Chen Dong and Murong Qing stood at the school gate. It was open, even during the holiday break. 'So that's why that little rascal Li Wang sent me the school's location,' Chen Dong thought.

The two ambled onto the school grounds. Chen Dong sensed a large crowd gathered in the main lecture hall. Li Wang's own classroom was empty, so he headed toward the lecture hall.

Before he even reached the hall, Chen Dong heard devout, resounding chants from within:

"All in this world is illusion; only our Lord is truth!"

"May joyous law illuminate our bodies, as worldly senses consume our souls!"

"The Void gives birth to all, yet we restrain the self. Our Illusory Lord uses the six senses to discern truth from falsehood!"

"May our Lord's light shine upon the masses!"

"We follow!"