Reality. A Daoist temple in an unknown province.
Peak players — no, peak con artists, rather — all had their quirks. Take Zhen Xin, who had a sister running around causing chaos everywhere yet insisted on keeping the Museum spotless. Or Long Jing, who constantly dread of taking the stage yet never once stepped onto it in the Rest Area. Or Li Jingming, whose temple appeared to have thriving incense traffic yet never opened its doors to any pilgrim besides mory devotees...
But today, the Dragon King had "broken his vow." Cloud Field Temple had a visitor.
On the wooden table before the main hall sat two cups of tea — one brimming, one drained dry.
Every ti Li Jingming poured himself a cup, the impolite guest across from him would reach over, steal a pour from his tea bowl, and top off his own cup.
The Dragon King was helpless. The guest was having the ti of his life.
Only when the pot ran dry did the guest pat his round belly and remark: "diocre flavor."
"..."
Li Jingming said nothing. He picked up the teapot to go refill it, but the guest across from him waved frantically:
"Don't bother, don't bother! I couldn't drink another drop. Let's talk business.
That thing I ntioned last ti — my plan to infiltrate the Jie Shu Organization — there's been a change."
Long Jing. That's right — the Dragon King's guest was Long Jing!
Riding high after clearing the trial, Long Jing knew there was a bomb buried on the road ahead, waiting for him. Rather than let himself beco the Joker's clown yet again, it was better to bring things into the open himself — refra an accident as part of his plan, and at least salvage so dignity.
As for what that "accident" was — naturally, it was getting caught by Cheng Shi and Zhen Xin during the trial while impersonating Su Yida.
Seeing his one-man show about to beco an ensemble cast, Long Jing was far from happy. But being unhappy wouldn't help — he could hardly admit those two jinxes had beaten the truth out of him.
So Long Jing tweaked the story slightly and presented his "plan."
"Jie Shu is a smart man. The more I thought about it, the more I realized going in alone was risky. So when I ran into those two tricksters during the trial, I figured I'd bring them along to broaden their horizons.
That's when I ca up with a new plan: the Joker Encirclent!
I'll play Su Yida. Cheng Shi plays Mo Shu. Zhen Xin plays Zhao Xishi. The three of us surround Jie Shu.
That way, everyone around Jie Shu is one of ours, and his secrets beco the Joker's secrets.
But here's the thing... Dragon King, you know how it is. To play a role well, you need to understand the role. I have a solid grasp of Su Yida, but Cheng Shi's understanding of Mo Shu and Zhen Xin's understanding of Zhao Xishi is still a bit lacking.
Don't let the fact that they've had conflicts fool you — the whole 'enemies know each other best' thing is true enough, but what they know is all surface-level. Jie Shu's sharpest skill is reading people, and if the details slip — the show falls apart.
So I ca here to get so mory items for those two."
Li Jingming looked mildly surprised, then said thoughtfully:
"Cheng Shi is back? And Zhen Xin knows too?"
Long Jing's teeth itched with frustration, but he forced himself to act as though he were vouching for the two jinxes.
"That's right. My plan needs so cover. Their trickery is a notch below mine, but they're serviceable enough."
Li Jingming nodded: "Then doesn't that an I no longer have to work exclusively with you?"
"???"
Long Jing was floored. He blinked rapidly, utterly blindsided by this Dragon King's true colors.
'We've both got "Dragon" in our nas — how can you betray the family?!'
He panicked: "I designed this plan! I was the one who shared the intel with you first! And now you want to burn the bridge after crossing it?!"
Li Jingming chuckled softly:
"Not burning bridges — renegotiating terms.
You're asking for too much. That's unreasonable in a buyer's market.
Also, stay away from the Fate Weaver. Don't let him infect you with his bad habits."
"..."
On that last point, Long Jing agreed.
'Cheng Shi, that greedy bastard. Squeezing the Dragon King is one thing, but now he wants to lay his hands on my President Gong's assets too?'
He was seething, but he had no leverage. All he could manage was a surly mutter:
"Those two tricksters won't be as honest as . If you actually go to them, you won't just get scamd — you'll get fleeced... conned out of a pile of items. Think that's really a good deal?"
Li Jingming shook his head with a laugh: "I don't trust any trickster. mories are best committed to mory in person."
"Huh?" Long Jing straightened up, startled. "What are you going to do? Buy my Su Yida identity?"
Li Jingming laughed heartily:
"No, no, no!
I'm interested in Su Yida, but only his relationship with Jie Shu — not his identity.
I believe your plan has a hole in it. And I can help you patch it."
Long Jing frowned: "A hole? What hole?"
"You!"
Li Jingming shifted the teapot's spout until it pointed at Long Jing.
"You are the biggest hole.
Followers of Folly can infer many things from a single detail. The mont Jie Shu learns that Su Yida went through a trial involving identity verification, he'll suspect that Su Yida's identity has been compromised.
Once the seed of doubt is planted, no matter how well you perform, you'll always be the biggest weakness."
Long Jing's face fell. Li Jingming continued:
"That's why I said you're the biggest flaw.
But the fix is simple. Jie Shu already knows you've had your eye on his organization. So the best way to clear your na is for you — Long Jing — to also join that organization!
When Long Jing and Su Yida appear together, no one will ever suspect Su Yida's identity again."
Long Jing slamd his palm on the table and jabbed a finger at Li Jingming:
"You said you didn't want Su Yida's identity!
I see — now that those two are involved, you can't hold back either? Dragon King, oh Dragon King — I had you all wrong.
I will absolutely never sell you Su Yida's identity!"
Long Jing spoke with iron resolve and made as if to leave. But Li Jingming sat still as a stone, not saying a word.
Long Jing's stride faltered. His face reddened with embarrassnt. Seeing that the other man wouldn't budge, he cleared his throat pointedly: "Ahem... I'm leaving?"
"I won't see you out."
"!!!"
Long Jing's face crumbled. Flushed with humiliation, he spun around, dropped back into his seat at the tea table, and growled: "I want a higher fee."
Li Jingming smiled: "I'm not buying Su Yida's identity. On the contrary — I'll even compensate you."
"?"
'There's a deal like that?'
Long Jing's face lit up for one second — then collapsed again, because he had already guessed what Li Jingming was after.
If Su Yida needed to appear alongside Long Jing, and Li Jingming didn't want to play Su Yida, then the answer was obvious:
He wanted to play Long Jing!
'Son of a — the Dragon King wants to impersonate
again?!'
Seeing the realization dawn on Long Jing's face, Li Jingming chuckled: "I'll go and commit the mories to mind personally. In exchange, I'll use items at my disposal to purchase a temporary ID credential for President Gong. How does that trade sound?"
"..." Long Jing's face was awash with disgust. He looked the Dragon King up and down. "Can you even pull it off?"
Li Jingming gave a faint smile, his gaze drifting past the main hall toward the mountains of folded scrolls piled in the storeroom:
"Don't worry. I rember everything."
"..."
Long Jing fell silent. After a long pause, he nodded.
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