Li Huowang had never seen the leader of the Mo family before, but he was certain that the man in front of him was the leader, especially since he had a black bird on his shoulder.
The bird was filled with life, but something was wrong with it. Li Huowang noticed that while it looked normal, it had a strange warping sense.
Li Huowang turned his attention to the man instead of the bird. The man was wearing a cotton overall and dressed just like a woman. For some reason, he was also wearing a smiling clay puppet head.
Despite his weird attire, no one noticed him. More importantly, he had three shadows.
Liang Yuxuan whispered to Li Huowang, "Daoist, that's him."
As Li Huowang approached, the man also made his way towards him.
He could now see him more clearly. The man before him didn't have his Ten Emotions and Eight Sufferings. It was as if he wasn't human at all!
"Are you the leader of the Qi Kingdom's Mo family?"
The man's clay puppet head moved slightly. "What's the Qi Kingdom Mo family? The Mo family has always been a single sect. There is only one of us."
Since there was no Liang Kingdom in the Qi Kingdom, there was naturally no divergence between the Liang Kingdom's Mo family and the Qi Kingdom's Mo family.
The man bowed to Li Huowang. "Mo family leader Meng Sheng greets Daoist Li."
Li Huowang did not avoid it but instead accepted it, "I've heard that you came to help me?"
"Indeed. The Qi Kingdom is in danger. The rules of our family dictate that we must save the world if it's in danger."
Li Huowang pondered before asking, "How many people do you have?"
"We have 342 families."
Li Huowang silently calculated.ย Since each familyย has roughly three people, they appear to have more than a thousand people.
"What is the Mo family's specialty?"
"Machinery and protective rituals[1]."
Meng Sheng removed the doll's head, revealing a wooden mesh made from dovetail joints that formed an empty skull. The person was indeed not human.
Li Huowang frowned when he saw the doll in front of him. "You're not even meeting me in person to offer assistance?"
Just as Li Huowang finished speaking, a dwarf suddenly emerged beneath the doll's head.
"Meng Sheng, leader of the Mo family, greets Daoist Li!" The dwarf greeted Li Huowang again.
"Call everyone here if you want to help me. You can't save the Qi Kingdom alone."
"I understand. I will call for them now!" Meng Sheng leaped into action as he donned the doll head and reattached it to the main body. With a swivel, the doll headed off.
Li Huowang frowned after Meng Sheng disappeared. "You said they are an evil sect. Is it because of the techniques they cultivate? I didn't sense anything evil from him."
From that short interaction, Li Huowang sensed that the Mo family was far weaker than the Sitting Oblivion Dao.
Liang Yuxuan explained, "No, the Mo family only uses some evil entities or treasures for their cultivation. They do not need sacrifices nor evil deeds to cultivate."
"Then why are they evil?" Li Huowang was confused. The Mo family seemed much milder than the Righteous Monastery, an orthodox sect.
"Daoist, did you remember what I told you last time? They are not that easy to cooperate with."
Liang Yuxuan hesitated as he tried to explain it better to Li Huowang. "Daoist, did you know where the saying 'stuck in a rut'[2] came from?"
Li Huowang found that Liang Yuxuan always avoided the point and didn't give a straight answer. "Just tell me. Stop talking in circles."
"Stuck in a rut describes someone who resists change and refuses to adapt. They will always adhere to the outdated rules. There's also another meaning to it. It means that the Mo family will always cling to their rules. The Mo family will always abide by their own ancient rules, steadfastly following them when interacting with others, themselves, or addressing any matter. However, these rules were only suitable in the past. Abiding them now is nothing short of being evil."
"Such as?" Li Huowang realized that they were not considered evil because of their cultivation methods, but rather because of the rules they followed.
"For instance, the Mo family has the peculiar tradition of capturing officials and braising them over a small fire until they turn into a slurry. They then consume the concoction with rainwater.
"Another unusual custom is that when a family member reaches adulthood, they must consume an evil entity and choose one of the Immortals to be their guardian. After that, they are required to sacrifice their first child to their chosen guardian.
"Furthermore, the Mo family strictly adheres to the rule of not marrying outsiders. Parents and children marry each other, brothers and sisters marry each other, and grandchildren and grandparents marry each other, following a cyclic pattern that repeats every five years. There are many other rules, but I don't know all of them since I am not a part of their family."
Li Huowang remained silent for a very long time. "Which fucking century did these rules come from?"
It was impossible for such rules to exist even a few thousand years ago. That was why the Surveillance Bureau labeled them as an evil sect. It was impossible to turn them into a righteous sect!
Liang Yuxuan was crestfallen. "I'm afraid you would have to ask their leader for more details."
Li Huowang regretted allowing the Mo family to intervene. The situation would go out of control when a large group of those weird rule-abiding dwarves were here.
"Find an empty space outside of the You Capital for them to stay at. Make sure that they are far away from us!"
"Yes."
"Also, ask your men to think about how we can use the Mo family in this situation!"
"Yes!"
Li Huowang was worried not only about the Mo family but also about the other evil sects. It would be impossible to stop them from arriving due to how the situation was evolving.
Keeping evil sects in check and using them to save the Qi Kingdom was beyond Li Huowang's expertise. He had the feeling that Gao Zhijian would be much better suited for this.
"I don't have enough people that I can use," Li Huowang mumbled. ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฅ.๐๐จ๐
It wouldn't be easy to restore the Qi Kingdom. He had finally encountered obstacles that even he found hard to surpass.
Li Huowang returned to the Liang Kingdom and saw that the old eunuch was already waiting for him.
Without waiting for the old eunuch to say anything, Li Huowang guessed what it was. "Go back and tell Gao Zhijian to stop nagging me! I've already heard what he has to say. I don't want to revive the Qi Kingdom to destroy the Liang Kingdom!
"I just don't want to see the people suffering there! I don't need much. I simply want them to survive and have something to eat every day! As long as that is achieved, I won't return!"
1. The original text here is ๅ่, a specialized field of traditional practice in warding off bad luck. The term combines "ๅ" (yร n), which means to dislike or dispel, and "่" (shรจng), which means to win or overcome. Typically, these practices involve rituals, charms, talismans, or specific behaviors believed to counteract negative influences or evil spirits. They can also be used for evil, in which certain items are placed or buried in different parts of a house to curse the inhabitants. โ
2. The original text ๅขจๅฎๆ่ง is literally translated as "to cling to the rules like ink." Mo can be the surname or the word for Ink. โ
Chapter 831 - Rescue
"Heaven and Earth, all things change... The sun and moon rotate while the Heavenly River swings in the sky. Spring and autumn come and go, and the four seasons change without fail. Grass, trees, wood, and the fruits of it all. Sacred crossing..."
Bai Lingmiao sat on the white lotus throne, her upper body split in half. All four of her hands formed a lotus seal, making her look like a tree.
The other devotees of the White Lotus Sect surrounded her and chanted the same mantra as her. All of them sported an expression of mercy and reverence. The white lotus motif on their forehead flickered from time to time.
The phenomenon wasn't happening at just this one location. The devotees of the White Lotus Sect in every corner of the world had set aside their work and were chanting simultaneously. The sheer number of devotees in the sect was enough to fill the entire Liang Kingdom with the sound of their collective chants.
The magnificent scene made everyone else show respect or reverence towards them. They even softened their tone when they spoke.
The ceremony ended after one division. Bai Lingmiao opened her eyes, and the hall gradually grew silent.
Everyone looked at her hopefully, waiting for her to announce something. They were ultimately disappointed.
The Heavenly Mater had personally requested that the ceremony be performed every day. Its purpose was to bring the Void Home down to earth through the earnest prayers of the devotees.
The devotees bowed to Bai Lingmiao as they sat up from their cushions and left. The bustling hall grew quiet again. ๐ฏ๐ง๐๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ๐ค๐๐ฎ๐ต.๐๐ค๐ข
Bai Lingmiao sat up from her cushion and was about to pick up her white shoes when a familiar voice came from her back. "Do you think the ceremony will work? I don't think so. I doubt that the Void Home would descend here even if they were to chant ten thousand times."
Bai Lingmiao shook her head lightly. "We are all devotees of the White Lotus Sect. The Heavenly Mater told us it would work, so it will work. We have to believe."
Even though she didn't want to admit it, Bai Lingmiao believed that the Void Home was real. What if it really existed and her family was residing in the Void Home?
"Hmph! I don't know what you are doing right now."
"We are doing what we must do." Bai Lingmiao reached the door to find that some of the devotees, the ones with the white donkey motifs tattooed on their backs, had prepared a palanquin for her.
She sat on it, and the devotees held up the palanquin. They took her towards an alleyway in the distance.
The alleyway was messy and dirty, with people swarmed by flies while rats incessantly fed on their flesh. It was full of people who could not die, even if they wanted to.
When Bai Lingmiao disembarked from the palanquin, the people somehow sensed her. They wriggled their dirty bodies and raised their dirty hands towards her white dress.
Everyone longed for her. Their eyes filled with desire as they gazed at the Saintess. They wanted her to grant them death.
Bai Lingmiao looked at them with immense sadness and benevolence. All of them were living humans, yet their existence was now even more miserable than that of a ghost.
She extended her arms and waved them above their foreheads, her heart brimming with thoughts of mercy. Every time her hand passed by someone, they would fall to the ground with a smile.
Waves of people died in Bai Lingmiao's hands. Amid the crowd, Bai Lingmiao appeared even purer to the people, even if her upper body was split into two.
Too many people in the Liang Kingdom wished to die. Many of them had traveled there in hopes of being reincarnated.
Bai Lingmiao didn't know how many people she had granted death to, but she felt that it was worth it every time she saw them smiling after being released from the shackles of life.
However, no matter how many people she sent off, countless others were still suffering, particularly those who had already been reduced to ashes...
After dealing with the people in the alley, the merciful Bai Lingmiao continued to pray to the Heavenly Mater.
"O merciful Heavenly Mater, please grant the embrace of death to the people again.."
She wasn't sure if the Heavenly Mater heard her, but she persevered and prayed daily.
Why hasn't the Heavenly Mater returned Death to us?
Bai Lingmiao questioned her from time to time. If the Heavenly Mater had it, she should've given it back.
Perhaps something happened to the Heavenly Mater?ย Bai Lingmiao thought it was possible and wanted to do something.
"Heh. What could we mere mortals do if she encountered a problem?"
After hearing the Second Deity, Bai Lingmiao returned to her palanquin. Instead of returning to her hall, she went to the Surveillance Bureau.
"Helping or not is one thing. Being able to do so or not is another thing."
Bai Lingmiao's excitement surged as she saw a figure in red robes appear before her. She almost called her Sui Sui but stopped in time. "Chief, thank you for meeting me."
"Saintess, is there an issue?" Xuan Pin waved her arms, and both Bai Lingmiao and Xuan Pin shrunk to the size of a grain of rice. No one could hear what they were talking about now.
"The Natural Disaster is still in effect. Is there anything the Surveillance Bureau is doing to mitigate it?" Bai Lingmiao asked. The Surveillance Bureau was typically in charge of dealing with Natural Disasters.
"Is there anything the White Lotus Sect could do to help? Just let me know and we'll do our best."
Xuan Pin paused. "What did the Heavenly Mater say?"
Bai Lingmiao's face darkened as she lightly shook her head. "The Heavenly Mater asked us to have the ceremony every single day. We received no further response even when I used the Twelve Merit Jade Lotus."
"Something happened to the Heavenly Mater."
Xuan Pin's words made Bai Lingmiao's heart skip a beat. "What?"
"Usually, a Siming who obtains a Heavenly Dao dispels the Natural Disaster within half a day. However, this Natural Disaster has lasted for over a few months. I fear that something might be wrong with the Siming holding onto this particular Heavenly Dao."
Xuan Pin continued, "I also fear that the Heavenly Dao of Death might not be the only one being affected. The Heavenly Mater is still in charge of the Heavenly Dao of Mercy."
"If Death and Mercy are gone, then... what can we do to end the Natural Disaster?" Bai Lingmiao asked earnestly.
Xuan Pin pondered and asked, "Did you say that the Heavenly Mater requested you to conduct the ceremony every day? Could you elaborate on what the ceremony entails?"
Bai Lingmiao did not hesitate to reveal every step of the ceremony since Xuan Pin was Li Sui.
Xuan Pin recorded something on her long robes with her slender fingers. She scrutinized it carefully after writing down the steps of the ceremony. "I think I know why she wanted to have the ceremony. She needs it to escape. The Heavenly Mater is being trapped. If she manages to move a bit, the Heavenly Dao of Death should return. Maybe we could try and help the Heavenly Mater by combining the forces of the Surveillance Bureau and the White Lotus Sect."
Chapter 832 - Ceremony
The Heavenly Altar of the Liang Kingdom was a three-tiered building with a rounded roof. The top was covered in gold and azure blue tiles. The nine golden dragons within the hall were exceedingly dazzling.
Within the building was a single bronze tree that pierced through the azure blue roof and into the skies. Eight smaller altars surrounded the larger one. There were Daoists wearing bronze masks staring at the sky on the surrounding altars. All of them were waiting for the command of the Chief.
The devotees of the White Lotus Sect were outside the building, completely surrounding the altar. Clad in white robes, they stared at the building with reverence. Most of them were so excited that their hands were trembling.
A gentle wind blew past, causing the white ribbons on their foreheads to flutter in the wind. It looked like a sea of white just outside the altar.
All of them were looking at Bai Lingmiao, who was now in the Heavenly Altar. She was getting nervous with so many eyes on her.
She forced herself to calm down and focused on what she needed to do. Their mission was related to the death of the people in the world. They couldn't be reckless.
"Don't worry. I managed to invite a powerful individual this time. We can succeed."
Bai Lingmiao nodded after Xuan Pin assured her that everything would be alright. She calmed down a little.
The Surveillance Bureau naturally prepared everything for such a ceremony. You just need to focus on yourself.
Bai Lingmiao kept reassuring herself again and again.
Everyone was here, and nothing had happened yet. Time slowly passed as everyone painstakingly waited.
Just as the sun was in the middle of the sky, a bell tolled from the distance. Xuan Pin revealed three sets of arms and started making seals with all of them.
The devotees of the White Lotus Sect chanted deeply. The ceremony was starting in earnest now.
"Start the ceremony!" Huangfu Tiangang, who was now blind, pointed his sword at the sky. The eight Daoists at the smaller altars waved their cherry-wood swords and scattered red talismans into the air.
Purple flames lit up each of the altars, instantly engulfing Shangjing in a specific energy. The people of Shangjing all started chanting involuntarily.
Xuan Pin waved his arms and sent illusions throughout each corner of the Liang Kingdom. She instructed everyone to start chanting.
Everyone who could speak began to chant, no matter what county they were from. ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐๐ฃ๐ฏโด๐ท๐ฆ๐.๐๐๐
With the allure of being rewarded with food, everyone chanted earnestly. Soon, everyone in the Liang Kingdom was chanting. The entire Liang Kingdom temporarily became part of the White Lotus Sect. It was the largest ceremony ever conducted.
Bai Lingmiao, who was in the array's center, felt something unusual happening. She appeared closer to the invisible thing she had always faintly felt.
As the Twelve Merit Jade Lotus was placed on the bronze tree, it emitted a bright white light that illuminated everything around it.
Bai Lingmiao held her breath and sat underneath the bronze tree. She closed her eyes and started chanting, "Heavenly Mater, the people of this world need you. We are here to help if you are encountering any dangers!"
Xuan Pin began chanting, joining the chants of the White Lotus Sect and smoothly slithering in like an eel.
"??????????????????????????????"
Bai Lingmiao didn't know what happened next since she was focused entirely on the white light. She tried her hardest to get in contact with the Heavenly Mater.
In the sea of chants, Bai Lingmiao was already infinitely close to the Heavenly Mater, but there was a barrier barring her from reaching her.
In the past, she would've met the Heavenly Mater already, but something was currently blocking her. Time passed, and the situation did not change. In fact, it became worseโshe couldn't sense where the Heavenly Mater was.
Bai Lingmiao refused to give up in that field of chaos. She worked harder to get close to the Heavenly Mater, and her efforts paid off! She faintly sensed the Heavenly Mater.
She kept calling out for the Heavenly Mater, but it seemed as though the latter was dead. A veil separated them, and the Heavenly Mater didn't move one bit.
"???????????" Xuan Pin's chanting could be heard, bringing clarity to Bai Lingmiao's thoughts and making her quicken her pace.
Not only that, Bai Lingmiao began seeing threads on her body that were connected to the Heavenly Mater.
Bai Lingmiao raised all four of her arms and pulled on the threads to approach the Heavenly Mater.
She slowly got closer and saw that the Heavenly Mater was covered in large blobs of darkness. They were the reason the Heavenly Mater could not move!
Bai Lingmiao gingerly touched a dark blob and felt an intense desire for death surging into her. It washed away everything within her except for the notion of suicide.
Bai Lingmiao opened her eyes listlessly. She saw that she was not in the Heavenly Altar anymore. The bronze tree had disappeared too.
The conjoined lotus, still glowing white, was causing her to float. It didn't allow her to fall.
Everything was reversed now, with the skies below her and the earth above her. A massive jade door appeared in front of her like a mountain.
However, Bai Lingmiao thought nothing was important anymore. She grabbed her hairpin and tried to stab her own neck. The sharp pin had almost sunk into her white neck when a beast claw covered in white fur grabbed her hands.
"Li Sui!" The Second Deity bared her fangs and shouted at Xuan Pin, who was blocking off the other evil entities.
"We have an issue here! Where's your helper?! I thought you said you found some powerful allies!"
There were evil entities everywhere that surrounded Baiyu Capital. It was chaosโthe evil entities wanted the Twelve Merit Jade Lotus and tried to approach it incessantly.
Just then, several rifts shot upwards from below. The rifts tore the evil entities apart.
Li Huowang flew upwards and stabbed one of his swords into the gate to anchor himself in place.
Xuan Pin's ally was naturally Li Huowang.
"What's going on?! Why are you guys so close to the Baiyu Capital for no reason? Don't you know that it's dangerous here?" Li Huowang shouted at them as he sensed the gazes coming from the other side of the Ox Tail Gate.
Xuan Pin waved her arms and disintegrated the evil entities in front of her before explaining, "This place is closer to the Baiyu Capital!"
"Li Huowang, help us now!" The Second Deity growled as she stopped Bai Lingmiao from biting her own tongue by grabbing both of her jaws.
Chapter 833 - Return to the Throne
"Li Huowang, come and help us quickly!"
Li Huowang whipped his bronze coin sword to wrap Bai Lingmiao in red threads before pulling her toward him.
He looked at her and made her hairpin and teeth turn soft. Now, she couldn't harm herself.
"Come! Let me bring you back!" Li Huowang removed his spine sword from the Ox Tail Gate to bring Bai Lingmiao back down to earth.
It was too chaotic here. They needed to leave so that they could talk safely.
Bai Lingmiao suddenly gripped his arms tightly. "Wait... wait, don't go! She's right there! We are just a little bit away!"
She then vomited out black gas from her mouth.
"Be careful! That's the Heavenly Dao of Death! Don't touch it!"
Li Huowang quickly dodged it and noticed Bai Lingmiao's condition deteriorating. He prepared himself to move away from the Baiyu Capital.
Bai Lingmiao pushed him away and slowly turned under the shining sunlight. "Just... just a little bit left! I saw her! She's in a lot of distress!"
"Wait, we might have a chance!" The Second Deity's beast-like eyes were also stained with some suicidal compulsions. She had sensed part of Bai Lingmiao's thoughts.
"What chance? This place is too dangerous. It would be the same if you came here again!"
Li Huowang was worried about her life and tried pulling her into his embrace. However, the Second Deity pushed him away with her claws.
Li Huowang wanted to try again, but Xuan Pin blocked him.
"Father, you are here to help. You don't even know what she's trying to achieve. It's best if you don't try to decide for her. She has her thoughts and worries, so it's best not to place yourself before her."
Li Sui's unexpected remark took Li Huowang aback.
Still, he slowly nodded when he saw Bai Lingmiao striving to do something on her own. She was working hard to achieve her own goals. "Fine! I will help!"
Li Huowang glared at the evil entities surrounding them and helped Xuan Pin to block them.
In the field of chaos, Bai Lingmiao followed the thread and immersed herself in the black mist to get closer to the Heavenly Mater.
Death continued to take over her senses, but she could slightly move since someone else was sharing the burden with her. The Second Deity was here to help her.
It was a long and painful process.
Bai Lingmiao almost gave up a few times, but every time she remembered the people shouting in the burning fire and the half-decayed civilians, she pressed on.
She finally had the chance to end the Natural Disaster! She wouldn't let herself be the reason for failure, especially when the opportunity to end it was right in front of her. The civilians were enduring a living hell!
Bai Lingmiao bit through her lips as she smashed the softened hairpin into her heart. It broke apart in a pile of mush as she pulled on the thread.
She got closer and closer until she finally saw the Heavenly Mater.
The threads on her were undeniably connected to the Heavenly Mater and attached to her wrist and ankle. Bai Lingmiao couldn't determine if she was the one controlling the Heavenly Mater or if it was the other way around.
The suicidal compulsions in her heart were slowly replaced with mercy, causing tears to stain her white eye covers as they slowly slid down her cheeks.
"Heavenly Mater, please help them! They are suffering so much! It's too terrible! Please let them rest in peace!"
Heavenly Mater heard her words. Bai Lingmiao raised her arms to wipe her tears, and Heavenly Mater moved too.
The spinning white lotus above Bai Lingmiao's head suddenly stopped, making her plummet downwards.
Li Huowang and Xuan Pin quickly swooped down and caught the falling Bai Lingmiao.
Sensing the gazes around her, the weakened Bai Lingmiao smiled. "The Heavenly Mater... has returned to her throne."
Li Huowang's happiness was evident. "Does that mean that... Death is back?"
As he was thinking about falling down faster to see if it was true, an uncertain voice came from the Baiyu Capital.
"... Li... Wang..."
Li Huowang raised his head in alarm and stared at Baiyu Capital. "Who's calling me?!"
"I believe... Everything you say... I... believe... them."
Li Huowang didn't manage to catch what the voice was talking aboutโit was too late. The stars and clouds were slowly concealing the Baiyu Capital. No more voices came.
They fell rapidly, and Li Huowang soon saw the Heavenly Altar below him. He also saw the group of White Lotus Sect devotees.
Li Huowang stomped on his own feet rapidly to slow down his descent before landing firmly on the ground.
The White Lotus Sect somehow got the news faster than Li Huowang. He had just stabilized himself when the devotees around him kneeled on the ground and cried.
"The Heavenly Mater had returned to the throne! The Void Home is real!"
"May she bless us all!"
"The White Lotus saves us all from the muddy chaos! The Heavenly Mater has returned!"
Bai Lingmiao looked at everyone and stumbled out of the palace. She disregarded her frail body as she stumbled forward.
She went straight to the alley where they placed the people who could not die.
This time, the alleyway was silent. The once audible groans and moans had ceased, leaving only the faint buzz of flies.
Bai Lingmiao pushed away the hands that were holding her up and walked into the alley. She saw the dead people and cried, but this time, out of happiness.
Death had returned. She was ecstatic.
It wasn't just the people here. Those who had turned into ashes could die now. Those who had their flesh separated from their body could finally rest in peace.
More importantly, she had set out and completed what she intended to do. She did it, and she felt good.
More importantly, she accomplished what she had set out to do. She stayed committed and saw it through, leaving her with a profound sense of satisfaction.
Xuan Pin hugged Bai Lingmiao, her large red robes surrounding them both.
"Mother, you are amazing. You ended the Natural Disaster and saved so many people."
Bai Lingmiao turned around and cried in Xuan Pin's embrace, finally releasing all the pent-up stress in her heart. She was still young and would only turn eighteen this year.
Xuan Pin turned around and looked at her father before pointing at Bai Lingmiao.
Li Huowang shook his head and took out the spine sword. He swung open a rift and returned to the Qi Kingdom.
"Sui Sui, take care of your mother for me."
Chapter 834 - Help
Dressed in a silk brocade and a hat, Puppy squatted down underneath a tree, slurping braised meat noodles from a bowl.
The braised meat noodle had chili in it. He was sweating as he ate.
Zhao Wu took a bite of a white bun and patted Puppy with his shoulder. "Hey, where do you think Senior Li is transporting that food to? Is he selling it or something? Did he say that he would give the food back?"
Zhao Wu was in charge of the village's finances. He felt uneasy when he saw the numbers in his ledgers slowly disappearing.
"I don't know. He's a god now. He's flying everywhere," Puppy said, huffing indignantly.
Puppy saw his food getting transported out from his house and yet saw no monetary returns. He felt his heart ache when he saw Li Huowang's wasteful actions.
"What will happen to us if there's a famine? What if we don't have any food?" Zhao Wu estimated that their food would be emptied out within a few days.
Puppy finished his noodles and licked the bottom of the bowl clean. "I did ask him about it. Guess what he said."
"What did he say?" Yang Xiaohai joined their conversation, holding onto his own bowl of noodles.
"He said there's no way we would have that many famines here. Didn't the big guy send us money? We can buy food with it. At worst, we could ask the villagers to each hold a bowl and walk to Shangjing to request food. There's no way the Emperor would ignore us that way."
Zhao Wu didn't believe it. "Are you sure that was what Senior Li had said? I don't think that's how he usually talks. Are you sure that you didn't exaggerate it?"
"Well, he did say it like that. I just added some details here and there."
"You damn blabbermouth. You always exaggerate the details."
Puppy was hurt by Zhao Wu's words and retorted, "Zhao Wu, I've heard you still haven't given up on Xiaoman. You even requested the peddler to send her letters. How many words are you even capable of writing in those letters?"
It was Zhao Wu's turn to panic as he tried to beat Puppy with his crutches. "Stop trying to butt into other people's business! I can now read and recognize many words. The teacher even said I could go take a test to become an official!"
Just as they were quarreling, Yang Xiaohai saw someone approaching the village and ran up to them. "Senior Bai! You are back!"
Upon seeing Bai Lingmiao, Puppy and Zhao Wu stopped fighting and went up to greet her too.
"Senior Bai, did Xiaoman not return with you?" Zhao Wu raised his head and stared at the White Lotus Sect's procession.
"Move away! I was the one who sent someone to call her back!" Puppy pushed Zhao Wu away to complain to Bai Lingmiao.
"Senior Bai, Senior Li has gone crazy again. Please take care of him. He has almost emptied our coffers!" Puppy then exaggerated the details as he described what Li Huowang was doing.
"Don't worry. He won't do that with me here."
"Yes! Please scare him a bit when you find him. Just say you won't live with him anymore if he keeps this up! We might be rich, but we cannot be so wasteful. Even a mountain of silver and gold wouldn't be enough for us if we lived like this!"
Bai Lingmiao shook her head lightly and tilted her body slightly. Her procession split apart, revealing multiple carriages carrying heavy loads of food behind her. The carriages were so heavy that they left deep prints on the path.
Soon, the bags of food were sent into the hidden room. The empty room was slowly getting filled back up again.
"Senior Bai, where did you get this food from?" Puppy was astonished by the sight.
He wanted to ask them to place the food outside since Li Huowang was bound to come back and take it away. Moving them in and out would just be a waste of time and energy.
However, Puppy decided not to say anything since it would help slow down their wasteful expenditure. "Senior Bai, where did you get all this food from?"
"The devotees of the White Lotus Sect donated it to us. Our followers come from all walks of life, not just the impoverished. Also, don't tell him I brought this."
Puppy thought that both of them were crazy for being so wasteful. "Do you not want to tell him to stop?"
"Since this is something he intends to do, I will support him. He is my man, and I will help him achieve his goals."
Puppy scratched his white and yellow face as he pondered. He felt that they had turned slightly bizarre after the New Year. With some caution, he asked, "Are you sure you guys are fine?"
Bai Lingmiao shook her head and sat back on her palanquin. The devotees then took her out of the village.
"Are you heading back now? It's not every day you come here. How about having a meal with us first? Xiaohai, go and slaughter a pig!"
"Maybe next time. The Heavenly Mater finally returned to the throne. There's still a lot of work to do in the White Lotus Sect. I will send someone to replenish the granary from time to time. Please coordinate with them."
"What would Li Huowang say, though? Wouldn't he find it weird that the granary is constantly full and the food never runs out? I wouldn't be able to explain it without revealing that you're sending food."
Bai Lingmiao didn't slow down on her way out of the village. "Don't worry, I know him well. As long as there's enough food, he won't pay attention to the minor details."
"Also, Senior Zhao Wu, Xiaoman told me you shouldn't send those letters anymore. She doesn't know how to read."
The procession of the White Lotus Sect left the village as Puppy and Yang Xiaohai made fun of Zhao Wu.
***
Li Huowang bent down as he walked into an underground room. He saw Miao Guihua and a monk diligently watering the ground to keep the room moist.
The monks and the civilians were carefully plucking the mushrooms before placing them into a grass basket.
Their faces had clearly improved. Despite having just one hot meal and one preserved meal per day, they could at least eat actual food now.
The underground room was massive, with baskets full of soil mounted on the walls. The soil was rich black soil used for agriculture, allowing the mushrooms to grow rapidly.
He quickly looked around and found the person he needed to see. He walked towards the depths of the underground room and saw Chan Du diligently gathering mushrooms.
"The abbot of the Righteous Monastery is now picking mushrooms. Don't you need to help people give birth to sons?"
Chan Du straightened his back. "Amitabha. Benefactor Li, everyone is starving to death here. Who would want to give birth to a child?"
"Let's go up to talk." Li Huowang raised his chin and gestured upwards before leaving the place.
In an abandoned ruin, Li Huowang asked, "Are your people keeping a close eye on the Mo family? Have they done anything?"
Chan Du shook his head. "They might be an evil sect, but they are smart. They know what they shouldn't do. The Mo family is good at machinery and construction. With their help, the You Capital is gradually returning to its former state."
Chapter 835 - Who Was It?
Li Huowang calmed down a little after hearing what Chan Du had told him.
Li Huowang would not touch them as long as they didn't interfere with him, no matter how evil they were.
"Good. What about the issue with the food? We should be much better off now with the mushrooms and goat milk, right?"
Li Huowang felt disappointed when Chan Du shook his head. "Benefactor Li, don't forget that every surviving human in the Qi Kingdom is rushing here thanks to the food. We still don't have enough food to feed everyone. More importantly, fewer people are dying. It's difficult for the pigs to grow on just feces."
Li Huowang nodded. "We have no choice but to endure. Didn't you say the black soil could grow crops three times a year? As long as we endure until the first harvest, we should be able to tide over the biggest issue of the Qi Kingdom. I will continue sending food periodically until the Qi Kingdom can stand on its own. Also, I've had time to think about what to do with the Dragon Vein of the Qi Kingdom."
Chan Du perked up his ears when he heard what Li Huowang was talking about. "Benefactor Li, do you have a way?"
"I don't, and I will never do. I will deal with the famine, but I won't deal with the Dragon Vein."
Chan Du's eyes went wide with shock. He thought he had misheard.
Li Huowang ignored him and continued, "I am from the Liang Kingdom. I have to think about my people first. The Qi Kingdom must be rescued by someone from the Qi Kingdom. If you all want to survive, you need to unite and work out a solution instead of forcing the responsibility on an outsider like me. Besides, your predicament has nothing to do with me. I'm helping you because I can't bear to see everyone die. That's all."
Chan Du looked at Li Huowang with shock, as if he were a stranger. "You... Benefactor Li, do you wish to see everyone die?"
"Don't threaten me with those words. This has nothing to do with me. Why am I the one who has to manage the Qi Kingdom? I don't owe you anything."
He continued, "We have to look at this realistically. I want to help you and save their lives, but there are things more important than you. If you don't want to accept this, find a way to deal with it yourself. Don't place all of your hopes on someone else."
"Benefactor Li, think about it! If you save the Qi Kingdom, the entire place will be yours! You could have the entire Qi Kingdom for yourself!" ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐๐ป๐ผ๐ฏ๐๐.๐๐ผ๐บ
"Let me repeat myself. I'm just a Daoist. Go try to tempt others with those words."
Chan Du stood motionless, stunned by what he had just heard. Still, he had no choice but to eventually accept it. He bowed and left in a hurry, as if he were going to discuss the situation with someone else.
Li Huowang looked at Chan Du disappearing in the distance and said nothing.
He wanted to help, and saving others was naturally good, but he didn't want to be the one leading them. He had to push them a little to maximize their chances of success. Li Huowang could save his own time and effort if they did come up with a method.
He stomped the ground hard and left the Righteous Monastery. He followed the broken road to walk out of the city, wanting to see how the crops were doing.
He saw several new houses had been constructed on both sides of the road in the You Capital.
Black lines on the ground had been drawn using a carpenter's ink marker. The black lines sectioned up the entire You Capital.
The laborers hired by the palace were busy clearing up the rubble within those lines. They threw out everything except for the gold, silver, and bronze. There was a small stall nearby where officials accepted those precious metals. A catty of gold earned the laborers a catty of rice, and ten catty of silver earned them a catty of millet.
Li Huowang noticed that the Qi Kingdom's palace was attempting to revive the monetary system.
Li Huowang looked at several other laborers fixing the potholes on the road.
Everything was being done systematically. He had to admit that leaving it to the professionals was a good idea.
The people were still thin, but they weren't in despair anymore. Li Huowang realized that his efforts were paying off.
He followed the road and walked out of the city. He saw the black soil was being covered by lush greenery.
Rows of green crops were being grown on the fertile black soil. The farmers painstakingly watered and provided nutrients for the plants, caring for the crops like their children.
The fields were large and there wasn't an end to them. Li Huowang was sure there would be a magnificent sight when the crops were ready to be harvested.
He saw an old farmer kowtowing to him. He pulled the farmer up and asked, "Is the soil alright?"
"Bodhisattva! Please relax. We would not dare to delay planting the seeds you gave us! Those seeds will provide the food that will save us!"
Right after, the farmer expressed his frustration. "Still, we have no idea who the incorrigible thief is who has been eating the leaves of our sweet potatoes! They pluck some every time we don't watch over them. We've sent men to find them but have yet to do so!"
Li Huowang thought that was normal. This was a large piece of agricultural land and there was a famine. It was inevitable that someone would try to steal some food for themselves. He didn't mind as long as they didn't destroy the fields.
The old farmer suddenly shouted, "Everyone! Come here! The merciful Bodhisattva is here to look at us mud legs!"
Upon hearing him, the farmers put down the work in their hands and surrounded Li Huowang excitedly. Li Huowang was getting annoyed by them.
As he was getting ready to walk away, an old man blocked him. The old man seemingly had no control over his body, standing in place without knowing what he wanted to say.
Li Huowang was still focused on the old man when several hands covered in calluses reached behind Li Huowang's back and stole his two spine swords, bronze coin sword, and purple-tassel sword. They took them all.
"Stab him!"
The farmers surrounding Li Huowang suddenly pulled out sharp objects from within their clothes and stabbed Li Huowang.
However, Li Huowang had projected his image and dodged it. His real body was three meters away.
The next instant, a hidden dagger stabbed deep into Li Huowang's body and tore his organs up from inside.
Li Huowang grabbed the dagger forcefully as killing intent burst forth from him. He opened his mouth and bit into the invisible figure that was stabbing him.
"Who dares to try and kill me?!"
Chapter 836 - Ambush
Swish!ย A black dagger stabbed towards Li Huowang's chest.
Li Huowang turned around and glared at the dagger. It floated just an inch away from his forehead before he twisted both the dagger and the attacker into a rope. ๐ง๐๐๐๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐๐ท๐๐.๐ค๐ฐ๐
Although he defeated every enemy relatively quickly, many of them remained. It was not a pretty sight for himโall the people surrounding him were somewhat strong.
They also took away his weapons. It was clear that they had planned it beforehand.
One of the farmers caught sight of the twisted flesh and promptly let out a sharp whistle. Seemingly on cue, another elderly man swiftly swept his legs, causing a cloud of black soil to scatter into the air. Subsequently, another person forcefully pushed the air with their palm, creating a miniature sandstorm.
As Li Huowang was busy killing the attackers, he lost his target. The sand somehow came alive and tried to bury itself into Li Huowang's eyes.
The moment he got distracted, a hook shot out from the sand and latched onto his left leg. It tore off his legs just like that.
"Who the fuck are you guys?!" Li Huowang opened his eyes and let the sand batter his eyes all it wanted.
He swiftly turned around with his single remaining leg toward the direction the hook had come from.
A skinny man was grinning while looking at the leg on the hook. Just then, Li Huowang pounced out from the sandstorm and slapped the top of the skinny man's head. His head rolled on the ground like a ball.
Li Huowang ignored the arrows being shot into his torso as he picked up his leg. He reattached it and stomped onto the ground before running towards the spot the arrows had come from.
"Who are you guys?" Li Huowang grabbed the archer by the ears and tore him in two, just like a piece of paper.
Li Huowang's eyes were bloodshot from the assault of the sandstorm. His eyes were hurting a lot. It felt even worse than someone poking them out with red-hot iron.
The more his eyes hurt, the angrier he became. He finally snapped when someone tossed a flying guillotine and enveloped his head with it.
"Fire!" Li Huowang shouted as burning flames burned off his skin.
Several metal spikes melted before they could even touch him.
The metal spikes melted even though they were far away. The flying guillotine had long since been burned to nothingness.
The sandstorm grew stronger in an attempt to extinguish his flames, but it couldn't extinguish them.
Li Huowang glared at the sandstorm and turned it into reeds. With fuel near him, Li Huowang's flames surged forward like a fiery tsunami.
"Burn! Burn all of them!"
As the sandstorm slowly turned into reeds, various scenes unfolded in Li Huowang's eyes.
The fire burned fiercely as several people staggered out of the burning reeds. As they scattered, they stepped on the cracking black soil, which was turning into porcelain from the flames.
Half of the burning people were the ones who had ambushed Li Huowang, while the other half were the Bai family.
A lady fell before Li Huowang and stared in a single direction. "My daughter..."
"AAAAAAH!" As the burning flames continued their advances, several burnt corpses fell to the ground. All of them had died.
Li Huowang was still burning up when he panted out of exhaustion. He suddenly remembered something and started searching the corpses.
His anger boiled over after he went through all the corpses. All four of his swords were gone! Their goal had been to take away his spine sword, preventing him from returning to the Liang Kingdom.
Li Huowang looked around and found no other traces. Everything around him had been burned to ashes, and he couldn't discern anything from the ground.
He didn't know why they wanted his weapons, but he could not return to the Liang Kingdom without Zhuge Yuan's spine sword. He would be trapped here forever!
Just then, someone hastily approached him. It was Chan Du, the abbot of the Qi Kingdom's Righteous Monastery, along with other people from the Qi Kingdom.
As they looked at the scorched ground surrounding Li Huowang and the flames still engulfing him, they grasped the situation. The atmosphere was filled with an eerie silence, broken only by the crackling of Li Huowang's burning skin.
Li Huowang glared at Chan Du. The latter clasped his hands together and nervously explained, "Benefactor Li, we did not do this! You are our savior! We would never return your kindness with animosity!"
"Ha! Who says so? They even took the spine sword that I need to return to the Liang Kingdom! You knew I wouldn't help you with the Dragon Vein, so you devised this plan to trap me here! Or did you want to go to the Liang Kingdom to get food for yourself?"
"Daoist, you are going too far!" The leader of the Mo family stood up. "The Mo family might do other things, but since we have set rules, we would never break them. Your words are an insult to us!"
"Scram!" Li Huowang shouted, his fire burning brighter. The leader of the Mo family scampered back into the group of people.
"Monk!" Li Huowang approached Chan Du. The fire coming from Li Huowang was causing Chan Du's robes to roll up.
"You said that the Qi Kingdom is mine, didn't you? Everything here belongs to me, correct?"
"Yes! This is the Qi Kingdom of Benefactor Li! You have shown great grace and compassion to the Qi Kingdom, so this is naturally yours!"
"Fine!" Li Huowang shouted, causing everyone to step back in fear.
"I don't care how you do it, but you must find my sword! Find it! Otherwise, I will burn all the food I brought here!"
Li Huowang extinguished his flames and ran towards the Righteous Monastery.
"Benefactor Li, you can't do that! A lot of people would starve to death!"
Li Huowang turned around and glared at him. "What? I thought you said that the Qi Kingdom was mine. Is this place really mine if I can't even do what I want with the food? Were you just trying to trick me into staying here with your words, all to keep me here?"
Li Huowang ignored them and left. "Also, you guys can't use the spine sword anyway! Don't forget how you came here last time! You're not Twisted Ones, so you can't travel to the Liang Kingdom with a spine sword!"
Li Huowang walked past the guards and reached the granary that the Righteous Monastery had been guarding. He sat on the food and waited.
He could light up his body and turn the food into ash at any moment. However, even Li Huowang wasn't sure if they were the perpetrators.
Although he didn't believe Chan Du would do something like this, he had gone through a lot in this world. As a result, he always considered the worst-case scenario.
The entire incident was too bizarre. He had told Chan Du that he wouldn't involve himself with the Dragon Vein just half a division before the ambush happened. It had been too fast.
And the "farmers" had cooperated a little too well. They were also strong. It was too illogical for Chan Du to gather these kinds of men within half a division and achieve such a result.
Chapter 837 - Search
The problem right now was that no one else in the Qi Kingdom was capable of it. Other than the area around the You Capital, which was doing relatively well, the other places were still stricken with famine.
Since it was impossible for another group of people to live in a community outside of the You Capital, Chan Du and the others were naturally the only suspects.
Even though the sun did not move, Li Huowang slowly kept track of the time.
The fourth division had just passed when he heard rapid footsteps outside of the granary. It was Chan Du, but he had returned empty-handed. ๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐.๐๐ ๐ฆ
Chan Du was unflustered when he greeted Li Huowang. "Benefactor Li, the Gan family has managed to divine where they are and found out where your sword is! Please follow us. You'll get to see the people who tried to assassinate you with your own eyes!"
Li Huowang jumped down from the sacks of grain. "Abbot, remember that monks can't lie. I hope you're not pushing me into another trap."
Chan Du frowned but remained silent as he led Li Huowang outside.
"If you located the Gan family, why didn't you tell me before?"
Chan Du remained silent and continued to lead the way.
Li Huowang and Chan Du arrived outside the city and saw the soldiers, the Mo family, members of the Minglun Hall, a Daoist from the Luo sect, and two members of the Ao Jing Sect. Each individual was armed with their respective weapons.
Li Huowang's body lit up again. "What are you thinking of doing?"
"Daoist, we are naturally here to help you recover your weapon."
Li Huowang sighed in relief because the worst-case scenario did not happen.
"Let's go. Where are they right now?" Li Huowang ran first. He was unaware of the situation but determined to retrieve his swords quickly.
"There's a village to the southwest. They should be there."
Li Huowang ran faster, but a question popped into his mind.ย Who else in the Qi Kingdom could do this if it wasn't Chan Du and the others?
Li Huowang was unable to figure it out.
The Qi Kingdom had fallen, and everyone was busy figuring out how to obtain more food for themselves. Who would run all the way here to ambush me? Did they go crazy from starvation?
Li Huowang only snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed he had arrived. The village lay in ruins and was utterly desolate.
Everyone scattered and surrounded the village.
Li Huowang checked his Shimmer Mirror and saw that there was indeed someone inside the village. They came to the right place.
It was clear that the people inside the village weren't villagers. The regular villagers were all heading towards the You Capital to find food. They wouldn't stay here and starve.
With a single order from Li Huowang, everyone stormed into the village, causing the once peaceful atmosphere to be consumed by a frenzy of bloodlust.
Li Huowang had already burned most of the assassins to death during their ambush, so there weren't many of them remaining. The six people inside the village were overwhelmed, and the battle ended quickly.
"Daoist, your sword!" Chen Yurong gave the spine sword to Li Huowang with both hands.
Li Huowang grabbed the sword but frowned. "This is not Zhuge Yuan's spine sword! This is my own spine! I need the other one!"
They all turned to the two living assassins.
"Where's the other sword?" Li Huowang's lips trembled as he fished out his torture tools.
The two assassins looked at each other and closed their eyes simultaneously.
Sensing that something was wrong, Chan Du stuffed his prayer beads into their flesh, but it was too late. Their bodies exploded.
"Shit!" Li Huowang roared. They were dead, and the trail ended with them.
Li Huowang looked at Chan Du again. "Find them! The Gan family excels at divination, right? Ask them to find out where the other spine sword is! It's the key."
However, Chan Du's answer plunged him into cold water. "Benefactor Li, the Twisted One's spine sword cannot be divined."
Li Huowang frowned and paced around, his gaze eventually falling on the corpses. "Do we have anyone from the Fangxian Sect?"
"Benefactor, what's the Fangxian Sect?"
"Damn it. It's do or die now!" Li Huowang grabbed one of the dead assassin's heads and carefully shaved off their hair to reveal their scalp.
Li Huowang closed his eyes and took a deep breath before muttering, "I can see it! I can see it!"
He repeated it before he opened his eyes and cracked open the scalp. He dipped his fingers into the assassin's brain, searching for the information he needed as if it were a book.
Li Huowang's intense rummaging made the brain swiftly break down and turn into soup. Unfortunately, no words or images emerged in Li Huowang's mind even though the brain had been entirely pulverized.
"Fuck!" Li Huowang threw the skull onto the ground and stomped on it. His cultivation could do nothing right now!
Li Huowang was about to fly off the handle when he found something bizarre with the exploded corpse.
"Wait a minute." He calmed down and inspected the corpses as he thrust his fingers into the stomach of the corpse.
"Benefactor Li, did you find something?" Chan Du asked.
Li Huowang said nothing as he frowned. He checked the other corpses by opening their stomach and rummaging it around.
He did this for all six corpses and became very moody.
One of the Minglun Hall members, Liang Yuxuan, couldn't hold back any longer when he saw Li Huowang inspecting the sixth corpse. "Daoist, did you find something?"
Li Huowang tore off an organ from the corpse. "Do you know what this is? It's a stomach."
He cut open the stomach. The putrid stench made Liang Yuxuan step back as he held onto his nose.
"Look at the contents of the stomach. He was eating really well before he died. Look, this is an egg." Li Huowang picked off some yellowish goo from the stomach.
He then took a whiff at the stomach. "And it seems that they had drank some wine before they died."
After explaining that, Li Huowang noticed that Liang Yuxuan was still confused. "You still don't understand? Something's wrong with what they've eaten!"
Li Huowang pointed at the first corpse. "He ate chives dumplings."
He then pointed at the second corpse. "This person ate scallion tofu."
Whenever he pointed at a corpse, he would name a single dish. Eventually, he pointed at the last corpse. "This person ate a scallion omelet. Now, isn't this interesting? I didn't bring any of the necessary ingredients into the Qi Kingdom. How could they have eaten such dishes?"
Indeed. Food was scarce here. No one here was able to eat omelets or drink wine.
"Unless..."
Liang Yuxuan had just opened his mouth when Li Huowang cut them off. "Unless they were not from the Qi Kingdom!"
Li Huowang's body deflated when he said that. He muttered to himself in disappointment. "Yeah, I should've known they were not from the Qi Kingdom..."
Chapter 838 - Secret
Li Huowang was devastated, no longer displaying the energy he had moments ago. "They are not from the Qi Kingdom... They really aren't from the Qi Kingdom..."
Chan Du realized what had happened when he heard Li Huowang's muttering. "I see. So that's what had happened." ๐๐ป๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฃ๐ค๐๐๐ต.๐๐ค๐ข
Chan Du pondered a bit before clasping his hands and asking Li Huowang, "Benefactor Li, do you know where they came from? Did you have any conflict with them in the past?"
Li Huowang nodded but said nothing. He sat on the ground for a long time.
He had previously wanted to know who the assailants were, but now he wished he didn't know.
Chen Yurong couldn't stand the silence and asked. "Daoist, what should we do next?"
Li Huowang raised his head, his blurry eyes refocusing. "What else can we do? Find a way to get back that sword! I want to go back and ask that bastard personally!"
Li Huowang refused to believe that Gao Zhijian would send people to attack him like this.
It was impossible for him to send assassins after Li Huowang! Gao Zhijian used to be a simple and honest brute who wielded a club as he followed Li Huowang.
There was no way Gao Zhijian sent assassins after consulting Li Huowang only once. He needed to ask Gao Zhijian personally to find out what had happened!
"Daoist, you are right. No matter if they are from the Qi Kingdom or not, we need to find your sword back. This concerns your ability to return to the Liang Kingdom as well as the survival of the Qi Kingdom."
Another person interrupted, "But there's no more survivors. How can we find the sword now?"
"We have a way!" Li Huowang's voice made everyone shut up. "Even if the Gan family is unable to find the sword, there are other beings who can find it. For example, Shangji Guankou!"
He had once used one of Shangji Guankou's secrets to find Shai Zi, the Twisted One of Doulao. He was sure he could locate his spine sword if he found Shangji Guankou again.
"Daoist, I have to interrupt you for now. Everything in this world has paused.[1] There's no longer any feng shui. It would be difficult to find Shangji Guankou."
Li Huowang raised his head and stared into the sky. "Who said I will be finding it in the Qi Kingdom? I can just go find the Siming in charge of the Heavenly Dao of Secrets!"
"Si... Siming?! I don't think that's possible!"
"Who says so? I can do it since I'm Ji Zai!"
He recalled how he had encountered the Siming before and turned to Chan Du. "Prepare for the Samgharama Ceremony! I need to find your Buddha, and I need a catalyst to do that!"
Chan Du hesitated. "Benefactor Li, the Samgharama Ceremony is not simple. It would consume a lot of resources even during regular times. I'm afraid it might not be prudent to do so now..."
"Are you going back on your words now?" Li Huowang glared at Chan Du.
Chan Du sighed and fiddled with his prayer beads before finally nodding. "Amitabha. This old monk heeds your words. The Qi Kingdom is yours, and your words are the rules."
The Samgharama Ceremony was soon conducted in the Righteous Monastery. It was still the same as the previous one, with the Great Equal Assembly being conducted in the outer circle and the Samgharama Ceremony being conducted in the inner circle.
Li Huowang slowly closed his eyes amidst the wriggling flesh.
He didn't know how long it took, but the voices around him and his senses gradually disappeared.
When Li Huowang opened his eyes again, he saw the Five Dhyani Buddhas in all their glory, hanging above his head like the moon.
Under the moonlight, Li Huowang's physical flesh slowly escaped his control.
Li Huowang tore off his own eyes and shouted at the Buddhas while his body was still intact, "I'm not here to see you! I'm here to see another Siming! The one from before that controls secrets!"
Just then, Li Huowang slowly regained control of his body. He was currently blind, so he couldn't confirm whether the Five Dhyani Buddhas had left.
"Are you here? Are you there? I'm Ji Zai! Do you still remember me? I was the one who ran at the forefront last time! All of you owe me one! I have some trouble in the mortal realm, and asking for some secrets from Shangji Guankou shouldn't be too much, should it?"
Li Huowang had barely finished speaking when he suddenly felt a sensation of something brushing past him. It felt as if strands of hair had grazed his skin.
"You are here. Who are you?"
Li Huowang bent down hastily to pick up his eyes. He plugged them back in before he looked up.
He saw nothing. It was the same as when he was blinded.
However, Li Huowang could clearly feel the strands brushing past his body.
Li Huowang extended his right hand, attempting to grasp the strands of hair, but his hand returned empty.
"What is this?"
Li Huowang was asking that question when the strands brushed past his head. The questions in his heart were answered.
"Seen yet unseen, thus it's called Yi. Heard yet not listened, thus it's called Xi. Grasped yet unattainable, thus it's called Wei. Individually, the three cannot be questioned, hence they merge into one. It's without a fixed form, and it's not obscured below. It is intricately subtle and cannot be named, thus returning to a state of nothingness. This is the form of the formless and the image of the non-existent."
"Yi Xi Wei? Are you the Three Ancient Ones?" Li Huowang's body abruptly jerked, and he woke up from his dream. The sight that greeted him was a bunch of naked monks around him.
Li Huowang suddenly found that all the questions in his heart had been answered, and his doubts had completely vanished. It was as if he had always known the exact location of Zhuge Yuan's spine sword!
Li Huowang didn't care which Siming was in control of secrets, but he knew he needed to take his sword back now!
"Let's go! I saw it! Everyone, let's depart now!" Li Huowang ran outside impatiently.
One of the senior monks wiped the sweat off his chin and looked at Chan Du with confusion. "Abbot, I thought the Samgharama Ceremony was used to meet the Buddhas. How did he meet the Three Ancient Ones?"
Chan Du stared at the unmoving Buddha statue and shook his head. "I do not know either."
No one dared to ignore Li Huowang's order in the Qi Kingdom. Those with even an ounce of strength followed Li Huowang's orders and marched out.
Li Huowang held onto the image of his spine sword and moved faster.
They arrived at a place with numerous hills. The culprits were hiding among the complicated terrain.
When they got close to the location, Li Huowang used his cultivation to sink into the ground as if it were water.
The others separated and formed a large encirclement. They slowly closed in to prevent the assailants from escaping.
They approached silently, with everyone holding their breath as they prepared themselves for a battle to the death.
The air was filled with tension as they neared their target. Many of them were already chanting their techniques in preparation.
However, they stopped when they got close. There was nothing in the middle except for a green grassy field.
1. As in there's no day and night, and no changes to the seasons. As such, there's no feng shui either. โ
Chapter 839 - Someone Familiar
The sight of the empty grass field stunned everyone. It was utterly desolate.
However, the Daoist had firmly affirmed that there was someone here. Could he have been wrong?
Everyone looked down and waited for an answer from Li Huowang, who was currently underground.
Li Huowang was equally confused.ย What's going on? The spine sword should be here!
Li Huowang had a bad feeling.ย What's going on? The Three Ancient Ones aren't part of the Sitting Oblivion Dao. Could the Three Ancient Ones also trick others?
As he pondered, his surroundings underwent a sudden and rapid transformation. The lush green grass swiftly morphed into trees, and the plains became a forest that continued to stretch outwards.
A group of armed people walked out from the center of the forest. Their leader, a man with a single eye, was holding onto Li Huowang's spine sword!
It wasn't that they weren't hiding here. Li Huowang and the others had arrived a bit early!
Li Huowang thrust both arms upwards and grabbed the single-eyed man's legs. They sprung their encirclement and everything exploded into action.
The tranquil forest turned into an intense battlefield, descending into utter chaos. Li Huowang ignored everything as he pursued his top priorityโtaking back the spine sword!
The ground turned soft, and Li Huowang dragged the man downwards. The next moment, just as both of them had sunk into the ground, the entire layer of earth exploded.
The man with only one eye leaped up, his veins bulging across his body. He held onto the spine sword and stabbed Li Huowang.
Instead of dodging, Li Huowang recklessly charged ahead.
The spine sword phased through Li Huowang's body, and then he held onto it so firmly that the man could not move it.
Li Huowang glared at the single-eyed man. "Give me back my spine sword!"
"Bullshit! It's mine now!" He kicked Li Huowang's abdomen.
"Split apart!" Li Huowang shouted, and the man's head cracked open like a watermelon.
Even though the man's pale brain slid down onto the ground along a translucent fluid, he refused to let go of the sword.
The two of them continued to pull onto the spine sword. Li Huowang's body was slowly cut up, and his flesh fell onto the ground too. Blood splattered around and turned the grass red.
Li Huowang swung his other spine sword and cut off the fingers from the corpse. Only then did he manage to release himself and Zhuge Yuan's spine sword from the grasp of the man's corpse.
Li Huowang stood there with the spine sword in his chest. He was about to pull it out when the sword sunk into his body.
Li Huowang understood that the spine sword was not disappearing into his bodyโsomeone was trying to pull it out from the other side!
He turned around, shocked to find the same one-eyed man standing behind him! The man, now without most of his fingers and head, was standing there motionlessly.
The headless man swung upwards with his fingerless hand and threw the spine sword high up into the air. It flew up high before descending, piercing the man's severed neck. The blade sank so deeply that only the hilt remained visible at the neck's opening.
Li Huowang was even more furious when he saw Zhuge Yuan's shriveled head on the decapitated man's body.
"You are finished!" Li Huowang pulled at the air and began tearing the man in half. However, the tearing abruptly stopped halfway, and the man's body rapidly regenerated. Even his decapitated head jumped up from the ground and landed on his neck. It had covered the spine sword completely!
The revived man smiled cruelly. He moved his body slightly to reveal a woman. The woman appeared to be around twenty-three years old, with jade-white skin and a beautiful face.
She was wearing a green jacket. While it was a bright color, it seemed dull due to her attractive face. When Li Huowang caught sight of her, he couldn't help but feel a peculiar sense of familiarity.
He was sure this was the first time he had seen her, yet he felt that he knew her. He was very confident that he had worked with her in the past.
He only understood the feeling when the woman spoke.
"Aiyaya~ Boss Hong Zhong, long time no see. Do you still remember me?"
Li Huowang remembered her! It was one of the Liang Kingdom's Sitting Oblivion Dao members, Bei Feng! He had thought she was dead, but here she was, working for the royal palace of the Liang Kingdom!
"Bei Feng!?" Li Huowang spoke and realized his voice had turned into that of a woman! He looked in front of him and saw Bei Feng in his original body! ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฃ๐ธ๐ซ๐ฎ๐.๐๐๐ถ
Li Huowang looked down and saw the green jacket before realizing what had happened.ย Bei Feng switched bodies with me!
He was now in a regular woman's bodyโhe was trapped inside a useless body!
"As long as I kill Hong Zhong, I will become Hong Zhong instead." Bei Feng, now in Li Huowang's body, chuckled.
Bei Feng had just said that when everyone around her turned and charged toward him with their weapons. They intended to kill him while he was in the woman's body!
At that crucial moment, Li Huowang's memories of being in the Sitting Oblivion Dao resurfaced. Out of nowhere, the woman began scolding the surrounding people with a furious expression.
"You bunch of fools! I haven't had the chance to switch bodies yet! Are you stupid? Why are you blindly trusting someone just because of their words? Don't let Hong Zhong deceive you!"
Their weapons stopped just a single inch away from her body. Everyone looked at Li Huowang before looking at the woman before them. They started to hesitate.
"Hehehe~ Boss Hong Zhong. We haven't seen each other in a while, but you seem better at trickery now. You must've been practicing hard."
"Hehehe~ Boss Hong Zhong. We haven't seen each other in a while, but you seem better at trickery now. You must've been practicing hard."
Li Huowang and Bei Feng spoke the same words at the same exact time, and now everyone was confused as to who was who.
"Interesting. This is really interesting..." Li Huowang and Bei Feng spoke and laughed simultaneously.
The winner would now be determined by a game of deceit.