Chapter 433: The Buddha Speaks

The Underworld Live Show wanted me to impersonate Lu Xing, but my face, voice, and age were all vastly different from his. Before the livestream started, I hadn't exchanged for any disguise or concealment spells, and the Underworld Live Show didn't offer any hints. This left me full of doubts.

What exactly made me similar to Lu Xing? Or rather, what did we have in common?

It wasn't until I saw the half of the Fate Manipulator Token in Lu Xing's hand outside the train that I finally understood. The only Fate Manipulator Token in all of Jiangcheng that gathered the Eight Characters Divine Fiends was split between us. We each held half.

He had the tribulation fiend, Death God, ten evils, and Yuan Chen. I held the Red Luan, General Star, Heavenly Physician, and Nobleman.

As the train was about to depart, I could clearly see through his fingers that the Eight Characters Divine Fiends characters on his token had melted away, merging into half of the character for 'death' on the front.

I quietly reached into an inner pocket. My half of the token was hidden there, carried on me at all times just in case.

Hooking my fingers around it, I pulled my half out. Looking down, I found that the Eight Characters Divine Fiends on it had also vanished. Just like the one in Lu Xing's hand, it only bore half of the character for 'death'.

'With our eight characters linked, this token was originally one entity. Even if it's broken, the halves should still affect each other.' I had previously obtained definitive audio evidence confirming that Lu Xing was in the Shuangfo District. He might have even met the Two-Faced Buddha himself. The changes to the Fate Manipulator Token were likely the Two-Faced Buddha's doing.

'I think I understand now. Not just anyone can board this train; it isn't easy for a living person to get on. The altered Fate Manipulator Token must act as a ticket.' The Two-Faced Buddha had modified the token and given it to Lu Xing, likely wanting him to board this train to complete some task. The Underworld Live Show learned of this, so it gave me the livestream mission to impersonate Lu Xing and take his place on the train, thereby ruining the Two-Faced Buddha's plan. On the surface, this was my livestream, but in reality, it was a clash between the Underworld Live Show and the Two-Faced Buddha.

'Two Lu Xings appearing at the same time will definitely draw suspicion. The conductor said she has ways to verify identities. Once I'm exposed, there will be no room to maneuver.' I watched the shrinking line and Lu Xing, who stood at the very back with a cold expression. 'To prevent the worst-case scenario, I have to stop it at the source.'

The corners of my mouth curled up. I already had a plan in mind. He was in the open while I was in the dark—that was my greatest advantage. Even if Lu Xing racked his brains, he could never guess that I would steal his name and board the train before him.

The train had started to move, and the doors were slowly closing. Lu Xing seemed to know how eerie this train was; he stood at the end of the line, waiting until the very last moment to board.

Once everyone else had boarded, the conductor closed the Yellow Leather Notebook. Every name in it now had a matching person. She called out to me, telling me to follow her into the October 29th Carriage.

I nodded and deliberately slowed my pace, falling a half-step behind her, keeping most of my attention on the door.

The doors were closing very slowly. Lu Xing timed his entry perfectly. But just as his front foot landed on the floorboards, his back foot was still hanging in the air, and he hadn't yet steadied himself.

I seized the opportunity. Casting all caution aside, I lunged from the corner and delivered a full-force kick squarely to his chest!

The sudden, immense force sent the unbalanced Lu Xing flying out of the carriage. The penetrating knife wound on his chest and abdomen hadn't healed to begin with; blood seeped out as the wound tore open. But that wasn't the most important part. Completely stunned, Lu Xing sat hard on the ground and watched the train doors close right in front of his eyes. His mouth twitched. Even as the train drove off, he still hadn't recovered from the shock.

'What a pity. He gripped his half of the Fate Manipulator Token too tightly. If only he had let go...' Just as this thought crossed my mind, a sudden chill crept up my spine. Turning my head, I happened to see the conductor's pale face.

"Is your name really Lu Xing?"

The conductor's chilling tone made it hard for me to even breathe, but I couldn't afford to lose my composure now. "That's right. If you don't believe me, you can ask the two people who boarded with me."

The conductor stared at me for a long time before stepping aside. "Go on in. That empty seat is yours."

Following where she pointed, I walked briskly over. After finding the seat, I obediently sat down and lowered my head, imitating the people in the October 28th Carriage.

A blue shadow drifted past me. The conductor didn't make things difficult for me again; she walked away.

'I finally have a seat. The situation is stable for now. The next step is to fish for intel about the Two-Faced Buddha from these disabled passengers, then figure out a way off the train.' I already had a detailed plan in mind. If everything went smoothly, I would make it through tonight's livestream safely.

With my head lowered, I observed the surrounding passengers. Having just boarded, most of them looked dazed, as if they had lost their memories and didn't even know why they were here.

However, a small minority were exceptions, like the few people sitting near me. Their behavior differed not only from the passengers around them but also from the people in the other carriages.

How should I put it? These people felt more like living human beings with actual emotions.

Sitting to my left was a boy around seven or eight years old. His round face looked like an apple, and he had large, endearing eyes. The only incongruous thing about him was his arms—he only had a left hand. His right arm was amputated from the elbow down.

"Little guy, why do you keep staring at me? Do I look a lot like your dad?"

The boy didn't catch the joking tone in my voice. He blinked and replied, "No."

His serious tone amused me. I was about to say a few more words when a man and woman sitting across from me scolded him, "Lu Ming! What did I tell you before?"

"Oh."

The boy lowered his head, looking a little wronged. I looked up at the man who had spoken. "Are you this child's father?"

"My name is Lu Wenchang. The little guy is quite mischievous, please bear with him on this journey." The man spoke very politely. His gaze was full of doting affection as he looked at the child, and he leaned closely against the woman next to him.

"Then this must be the child's mother?" I wanted to fish for information, so I acted very enthusiastic.

The woman leaning against the man ignored me. It was still the man who spoke: "My wife, Chang Feifei. Please don't misunderstand, she has a problem with her throat and can't speak."

"No worries, I just thought the little guy was cute and wanted to tease him a bit. Where is your family of three heading so late at night?" I asked knowingly. Based on my guesses, their current state should be just like Liu Xin's—they hadn't recalled those terrifying memories yet. Not wanting to provoke them, I patiently coaxed them.

"There's a Buddha Assembly in the Shuangfo District tonight. Word is that a buddha child will also be there. Our family is going to fulfill a vow."

'A Buddha Assembly? A buddha child?' The man had revealed crucial intel the moment he opened his mouth. Their deaths on October 29th were likely arranged by the Two-Faced Buddha; this was just one link in the Buddha Project.

I glanced at the numerous disabled passengers in the carriage, feeling a twinge of pity. "Does your whole family believe in Buddha?"

"There are many kinds of Buddhas. The Buddha we believe in might not be the Buddha you have in mind." The man and woman leaned against each other. When mentioning the Buddha they worshipped, his voice was filled with deep devotion.

I naturally knew exactly what kind of Buddha they believed in, but I didn't point it out. I glanced at the little boy, then at the mute woman. "If the Buddha you worship is a benevolent Buddha, and very responsive to prayers, then why did your wife and son end up like this?"

"It's precisely because my wife and son are like this that I must believe in the Buddha to repay my sins." The man hadn't recognized the Two-Faced Buddha's true nature at all, yet he spoke with absolute conviction. "The Buddha says that because my wife and son planted the causes that led to their disabilities in the past and failed to repent, it became fixed karma. Now that the causes and conditions have matured, the karmic retribution has manifested. If we want to change this, we can only believe in our Buddha, follow the path of good, and turn away from evil."