Upon hearing this, Bai Buzhi was immediately puzzled because, based on his understanding of Huo Sining, she shouldn’t be interested in the Dao Men sect: "Why are you asking such a question?"

Huo Sining hesitated for a moment and then recounted the events she and Su Qingqing encountered at the auction in Philadelphia. When she mentioned that Su Qingqing called Yin Zeyan, and Yin Zeyan said that Lu Huairu was accompanying him at work, Bai Buzhi’s expression instantly became serious.

"Are you at the Gu family’s old house or your villa? I’ll come over, and we can talk in person."

Bai Buzhi interrupted Huo Sining and suggested meeting in person to discuss.

Huo Sining immediately understood that Bai Buzhi didn’t want to talk about this over the phone, so she nodded quickly and said:

"I live at the villa, come over."

Since Su Qingqing was the one who discovered this matter, Huo Sining didn’t deliberately avoid her. Upon learning Bai Buzhi was coming, Su Qingqing was also unsettled and uncertain.

Although she hadn’t mentioned Lu Huairu to Huo Sining during this time, this suspicion had lingered in Su Qingqing’s mind. But because of the Beast Head issue, Huo Sining was already overwhelmed, so Su Qingqing didn’t bring it up at this crucial moment. What Su Qingqing didn’t expect was that Huo Sining would actually inquire about it.

If Su Qingqing knew that Huo Sining had once seen Lu Huairu’s true nature in the temple of the Magic Capital and knew that Lu Huairu wasn’t as kind-hearted as he seemed, Su Qingqing wouldn’t have been so surprised.

In fact, Huo Sining has always suspected that Lu Huairu had ulterior motives when he followed Fujiwara Seiho to Philadelphia, and that their painstaking efforts to attend the auction were all for that Classic of Mountains and Seas.

The Liang Family, the Zhou Family, and that Fujiwara Seiho, along with Lu Huairu, all came for the Classic of Mountains and Seas, which makes Huo Sining cautious and thoughtful. What secret does the Classic of Mountains and Seas hold that attracts so many people?

Huo Sining had some vague guesses, but they hadn’t been verified yet. She was more concerned about the issue of Lu Huairu. Is there really two identical Lu Huairu in this world, or is it just Lu Huairu’s trick? Huo Sining needed to figure this out because back in that temple in the Magic Capital, if it wasn’t for Master Miaoshan stopping her, she and Qibao might’ve already fallen for Lu Huairu’s trap and gotten harmed by him. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Because of this previous incident, Huo Sining was very wary of Lu Huairu, and coupled with her fragmented memories related to the Jiaoren Wei Yang, she had little love for Taoists. Therefore, she harbored deep hostility toward Lu Huairu. She couldn’t rest until she figured out his motives.

Bai Buzhi arrived quickly. After pulling into the courtyard, the old man took a box from the trunk and carried it into the house without saying a word. Huo Sining was curious but mindful of being outside, she swallowed her words.

Once inside, just as she was about to ask, Bai Buzhi waved his hand at her, indicating her to remain silent.

The old man proceeded to pull the curtains and close the door, then turned on the living room lights. He opened his box, took out some strange items, and began tinkering with them.

Seeing this, Su Qingqing was utterly confused, like a monk scratching his head, and instinctively glanced at Huo Sining, seemingly wanting to ask what was happening.

Huo Sining was equally bewildered; her questions were blocked by Bai Buzhi, leaving her feeling stuck and a bit uncomfortable.

Upon hearing the commotion downstairs, Yue Shuwen, Qibao, and Zhong Xiaoyao, who were previously nestled upstairs, ran out from their rooms to investigate. Seeing Bai Buzhi fiddling with something in the living room, the three couldn’t suppress their curiosity and gathered around, eagerly watching and whispering to Huo Sining, asking what was happening.

Huo Sining chuckled wryly, shrugged, indicating she had no idea what was in Bai Buzhi’s gourd.

After some tinkering, the mystery was quickly revealed.

Bai Buzhi placed a wooden carved effigy on the sofa, then used a sharp knife to cut the tip of his right index finger. He mixed the prepared cinnabar with his fingertip’s blood and drew strange symbols on a piece of yellow paper.

Then he lit a stick of incense, waving it over the talisman paper while muttering incantations, finally pressing the talisman paper onto the forehead of the wooden effigy.

In an instant, Huo Sining felt a strange golden light symbol emerging from the talisman paper, and then the golden light enveloped the effigy from top to bottom.

Soon, the golden light infiltrated the effigy, and the talisman paper seemed to have completed its final mission, instantly burning to ash, leaving no trace of dust.

The incident happened so suddenly that Huo Sining and her companions stood in the living room, momentarily unable to comprehend what was happening.

However, it was at this moment that the sharp-eyed Su Qingqing gasped, abruptly raising her hand to point at the effigy on the sofa: "What... what’s happening? Why is it like this?"

Hearing Su Qingqing’s bewildered exclamation, those in the living room were at a loss, each following her pointed direction to look.

Their glance was surprising; in the blink of an eye, the effigy on the sofa had disappeared, replaced by a white-bearded man dressed in Tang attire, whose facial features and smile mirrored the Bai Buzhi standing in the room.

Two Bai Buzhi, one standing, one sitting. If it weren’t for having seen the effigy on the sofa earlier, even Huo Sining might struggle to tell which was real and which was fake.

Witnessing this, Huo Sining’s heart thudded; she realized what Bai Buzhi meant.

"Mr. Bai..."

Huo Sining was a bit dazed, opening her mouth to ask something but unable to figure out where to start.

Not just her, but Yue Shuwen, Qibao, and others in the room were rendered speechless, while Su Qingqing gaped in astonishment.

Nobody understood the situation; it was just a talisman, yet how did it manifest into a living person?