Chapter 171: The Plan

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Just last night,

Bochang obtained the Super Flashlight, capable of dispelling illusions and revealing the true shadows of beings.

If this Tingyun before him is indeed fake, the Super Flashlight should expose her deception.

Of course...

Bochang cannot confront Tingyun directly right now.

At the very least, they need to find a secluded location first.

Then, using the Super Flashlight, he can force Tingyun to reveal her true form and see who she really is.

Considering the unknown strength of the false Tingyun,

for safety's sake,

they must wait for Welt Yang's return.

"With Uncle Yang and Dragonified Bailu on our side, the fake Tingyun won't stand a chance."

Bochang never even entertained the possibility that the fake Tingyun could be an Emanator. Instead, he envisioned a triumphant scenario where they defeat the impostor and extract information about the real Tingyun from her.

As for whether the genuine Miss Fox has truly perished,

after much thought, Bochang believed it was highly unlikely—at least not yet.

After all, as a protagonist character, her death wouldn't be so ambiguous.

"Really, if only March had informed me earlier. She waited until now to mention this."

The longer the delay, the greater the danger for the real Tingyun.

However...

Given how events have unfolded,

Bochang couldn't blame anyone else.

If he truly had to assign blame...it could only fall on himself. Had he chosen to act with Welt Yang and his team initially, they would have immediately noticed the switch involving Miss Fox.

"At that time, I couldn't join them..." Bochang felt somewhat helpless.

The Stellaron Hunters were closely watching him...

Had he accompanied Welt Yang's group to capture Kafka back then,

the Stellaron Hunters would have swiftly abducted Bochang instead.

"Sigh..."

It was too late to dwell on these thoughts now. Bochang decided not to ponder further about Tingyun's situation.

Instead, he focused on enjoying tea, listening to stories, jokes, and even learning from Qingque how to play "Imperial Jade Towers," a popular card game.

Not much time had passed.

Having learned the rules of Di Yuan Jade Tiles, everyone promptly started playing at the teahouse.

The storyteller on stage, witnessing this scene, remained unperturbed and continued his tale. After all...

It was common for people below to use their phones or sip tea while the storyteller narrated onstage. Even though few came specifically to play Di Yuan Jade Tiles at the teahouse, it wasn't unheard of.

As long as they didn't disturb others, the storyteller wouldn't intervene. He simply focused on recounting his stories, akin to a university professor absorbed in his lecture.

The game continued leisurely.

Soon, midday approached.

Bochang had already messaged Welt-Yang, urging him to return quickly.

However...

At that moment, Uncle Yang was still investigating the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and might have encountered unforeseen circumstances, hence he hadn't responded.

After some thought, Bochang decided to first take the fake Tingyun to a secluded area before taking further action.

Conveniently, Bochang also needed a reason to practice and enhance his abilities - specifically, developing the power of the Dragon Talisman.

Just yesterday, he made some progress in mastering its potential.

Now was the time to strike while the iron is hot and thoroughly train, aiming to develop new techniques as soon as possible.

This would also help overcome situations where using the Dragon Talisman might be impractical or awkward.

"If only the system could assist," Bochang sighed inwardly.

Unfortunately...

The "Dating Options" system never intervened; it remained merely an unfeeling choice-prompting mechanism. Once options were presented, it promptly disappeared. No matter what Bochang asked, the system often ignored him, responding inconsistently based seemingly on chance alone.

Hence, Bochang rarely bothered the system, waiting instead for it to spontaneously appear.

Inside the teahouse, Bochang sat sipping his tea quietly, observing Qingque, Bailu, March 7th, and Stelle playing Diyuang Jade Tiles—a dragon race variant of mahjong.

Surprisingly, the young dragon girl excelled at this game, far surpassing March 7th and Stelle who struggled as beginners. The unique layout of Diyuang Jade Tiles, distinctly different from traditional mahjong, made it challenging even just to adapt to their appearance.

If not for Qingque intentionally letting them win, Bochang suspected that March 7th and Star would have had no enjoyable gaming experience.

With a triumphant shout from the mahjong girl, "Hu! I win," the round of Jade Imperial Tiles came to an end.

March 7th checked the time and said, "It's already noon. Let's go grab lunch, my stomach is starting to rumble."

"I know a few nice restaurants near the Exalting Sanctum. Shall we check them out?" suggested Qingque.

Tingyun and the others agreed without any objections.

And so...

everyone followed Qingque towards the chosen eateries.

Throughout their journey, Dan Heng remained vigilant, but there was no sign of the Stellaron Hunters emerging.

Star also didn't detect Kafka's scent.

Of course...

Bochang wasn't entirely confident that the Dog Medal could reliably pick up Kafka's trail.

This was evident from their previous encounter with Blade.

The Stellaron Hunters seemed well-informed about his abilities and equipment, making it highly plausible that they knew how to evade detection by the Dog Medal's search capabilities.

After enjoying a delicious lunch,

in the afternoon,

Bochang followed the original plan and led Tingyun and others to a secluded area within the Exalting Sanctum.

Choosing the location was crucial.

It couldn't be too far or too close to where Welt Yang was conducting his investigation, yet still needed to allow Bochang to utilize his powers effectively.

Thus...

Bochang selected a small martial arts dojo with minimal foot traffic.

His intention was to practice honing his abilities there.

Given Bochang's convincing explanation, Tingyun didn't suspect anything and simply accompanied him throughout the day.

Upon entering the dojo,

Bochang and his group were promptly greeted by the staff members,

just as he had previously mentioned.

This martial arts dojo was relatively unpopular due to its remote location and faced imminent closure.

The staff inside showed minimal courtesy; after guiding Bochang's group to a designated area, they promptly left without further assistance.

Qingque and the others had no interest in watching Bochang train, so they each occupied themselves separately. They set up a card table right within the dojo.

Meanwhile, Bochang began his training undisturbed.

The dojo's architecture was protected by special arrays, ensuring that even intense force wouldn't cause damage.

Bochang conducted a quick test. A regular Dragon Blast failed to inflict any significant harm beyond slightly disrupting the dirt floor. Even the underlying surface was safeguarded by similar arrays. It seemed Bochang would need considerable effort to truly damage it.

Of course...

Bochang had no intention of causing destruction, just as he did at the Seat of Divine Foresight earlier. Instead, he aimed to once again combine the power of Tongue Blossoming Lotus with the Dragon Talisman.

Explosions echoed continuously throughout the dojo.

Pure white lotus flowers bloomed profusely.

Red pillars of flame darted wildly across the space.

Outside observers, peering through the glass window, were captivated. Their eyes widened in surprise at Bochang's relentless attacks. He didn't pause for a moment, firing like an unstoppable artillery barrage. The protective array supporting the arena was nearing full capacity from the strain.

Each passing second consumed energy at a rate that made their eyes twitch nervously.