It was evening.
Li Huowang walked silently on a meandering forest path. According to the directions he had received from the nuns at the Benevolent Nunnery, this path would lead him to a continuous mountain range. The Ao Jing Sect that he was looking for, was located within these mountains.
Ever since he had fully awakened in the Zephyr Temple, he had been living with others. He wasn't really accustomed to solitude.
"It's so peaceful," Li Huowang mumbled to himself, observing the sparse foliage around him. The further he walked, the more barren the land became. The tranquility of the environment gradually helped calm his restless heart.
Li Huowang raised both hands and stretched lazily. After a sigh, he lifted his right foot and continued walking.
Night fell as he hurried along, forcing him to retrieve a glowing stone to light his way.
However, before long, he decided to put away the glowing stone; the moon had risen, and with no clouds in sight, its bright light was enough to illuminate the forest path clearly.
Under the white moonlight, Li Huowang continued his solitary journey. His legs were beginning to ache from walking all day.
If I manage to survive, then I have to learn how to ride a horse.
By the time the full moon hung high, he was too fatigued to continue. He leaned against a tree and pulled out a hard steamed bun to nibble on. He intended to take just a few bites before sleeping.
At that moment, Li Huowang suddenly stopped chewing and focused his eyes on a point in the darkness; he sensed something there.
Besides his sense of pain and taste, Li Huowang's other senses had also surpassed an ordinary person's. He could clearly feel that he was being watched by something.
"Who's there?" he exclaimed.
At that moment, a yellow figure timidly crawled out from the forest. It was a large dog with a yellow body and pale legs. It did not seem to be in good condition—it had lost quite a bit of its fur, had many ticks clinging to its body, and it was so emaciated that its rib cage was visible.
"A dog?" Li Huowang looked around at the desolate surroundings; this did not seem like a place where one would find a dog.
The dog stared at the cold steamed bun in Li Huowang's hand, its lips quivering and its tail wagging toward him.
"I don't care what you've turned into. Go away!" Li Huowang's brows furrowed as he placed his hand on the Profound Records. Whether it was a real dog or not, he just wanted to continue his journey without any complications.
The dog backed away cautiously, but it did not give up. Instead, it began to wag its tail even more vigorously.
Seeing this, Li Huowang violently shook the bronze bell, frightening the dog and causing it to flee into the forest.
Just as he was about to store the bell, his expression suddenly froze. "Damn! Why now of all times!"
In the pitch-black forest, the dog's ears drooped as it carefully stuck its head out from underneath the leaves, only to witness an inexplicable scene. The person sitting under the tree was smiling cordially, and talking to the bright, round moon in the sky.
"Dad, you're back? Yes, I know. I'm fine."
"Yes, I know that you two are not some hallucination. My brain was just a bit fuzzy earlier. Now... I'm able to tell the difference."
The dog paced around for a long time, and observed that the person did not show any signs of hostility. Then, it turned its gaze to the half-eaten steamed bun that had rolled onto the floor.
Just as it was about to cautiously move toward the bun and bite into it, the person spoke up, making it once again shrink back.
"Mom, I'm not eating the oranges. There's no need to remove my restraints; it's good that both my hands are tied up."
"Right, have you exchanged the gold for money and paid off all our debts? That's good."
"Mom, you have a lot more white hair now. Go and dye it. Weren't you fond of perming your hair?" Li Huowang chuckled and reached out one hand as though trying to touch the moon. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
"Ah, don't ask me any more questions. All I can tell you is that gold was clean. Did you sell the jade pendant as well? No? Why not?"
The dog cautiously circled around Li Huowang. When it noticed that he did not pay any attention to itself, it once again moved forward carefully, then quickly picked up the bun and ran away. It was simply too hungry.
The dog ran into the forest and choked on the bun while eating. After it recovered, it once again came back to the side of the main path and looked over longingly.
Its acute sense of smell allowed it to know that the person still had more food in his bag, and even had meat!
"Sell the jade pendant, and buy back our house; it can only be called home when we own the house."
"No, don't leave any money aside for my medical expenses. Just find a place, and then tie me up with an iron chain."
"Mom, I'm not lying. Ah, please don't cry. I really haven't fallen ill again."
"Woo~" The dog tilted its head at Li Huowang. It could not understand what he was doing. It cautiously crept toward him, then wagged its tail incessantly. "Woo~ woo~"
At that moment, the dog noticed that Li Huowang had finally taken notice of itself, and began to wag its tail even more energetically.
"Hehe, who sent this rag doll? It's ugly, just like a dog... Dog! Hold on! The dog is still around!"
Li Huowang had been calm until just a moment ago, but suddenly stood up. His expression became twisted as he bellowed at the dog, "I told you to scram! Do you want to die?!"
This sudden outburst caused the dog to be scared out of its wits as it whimpered and ran back into the forest. When it timidly stuck its head out again, it saw the person talking to the moon remorsefully.
"Mom, don't be afraid; this has nothing to do with you. I'm not having an episode. Just that there are some things I need to settle on that side."
"Really. Why don't you guys leave for now, and come back to visit me later. I need to settle some matters on that side."
"Alright, alright, I know. There's no 'that side'. Right, that's all a hallucination. I will do my best and cooperate with the medical treatment."
"Woof~" The dog barked at the red-clothed Taoist.
At that moment, Li Huowang suddenly became alert, and his unfocused eyes looked left and right.
Something's wrong. There's movement.
He slowly unsheathed his sword and vigilantly scanned his surroundings. Even though his expression was guarded, it soon became irritated.
"I can't explain! I have no choice! Go first! You guys go first!" Li Huowang's anxious cries echoed into the distance.
That night, Li Huowang did not sleep a wink. In his hallucination, he tried one method after another to protect himself against the threats in reality.
But when the hallucination gradually faded, he realized that his methods had been ineffective.
He was standing in the center of a small river while hugging that dog he had seen last night. At this moment, it was affectionately licking his chin.
This situation suggested that some things he was not aware of must have happened last night.
Ah... looks like I really can't do without any company.
Li Huowang carried the dog toward the shore.
Chapter 116 - Ao Jing Sect
"What do you want to be called?" Li Huowang stared at the dog wagging its tail. Even though it was still skinny, at the very least its ears were free from the dense mass of ticks after Li Huowang had taken care of it for a few days. Both of its ears were a bloody mess from being bitten by ticks; it would take some time to heal even with Li Huowang giving it some pills.
"Uuuu~" The dog sat on the ground as it stared at Li Huowang curiously. It stared at its surroundings alertly before lowering its head and gently placing its skinny head underneath Li Huowang's hand as it attempted to get some headpats.
Seeing this, Li Huowang gently patted the dog's head and smiled.
He had previously thought that something was wrong with the dog a couple of nights ago. But after he was trapped in the hallucination one too many times, his opinion of the dog had changed.
If the dog had been an enemy, then it would've acted when Li Huowang was trapped in the hallucination.
For the time being, even though he didn't know where it came from, he had concluded that it was just a normal dog.
Li Huowang took out a steamed bun from his bag and threw it on the ground. Seeing this, the dog immediately pounced toward the steamed bun and ate it happily.
"Since you like steamed buns so much, I should just call you Bun." Li Huowang nonchalantly gave it a name.
"Woof woof!" Bun excitedly leaped into the air, as if it was reacting to Li Huowang's words.
Li Huowang extended his right hand, using his barely grown out fingernails to gently groom the fur on the dog's neck. "Since you don't have a home, you can just follow me. Having you by my side will also be convenient for me. At the very least, you can help me stand watch during the night and talk to me during the day. You can even accompany me when I'm trapped within a hallucination. It's better than nothing. I also want to see if I could accidentally end up hurting someone here while I'm trapped in my hallucination, so I suppose you will be my first test subject."
By the time Li Huowang finished talking, Bun had just finished eating. Then, Bun licked its lips while staring at Li Huowang expectantly.
"I suppose you can't understand what I'm talking about. Let's go, we are almost there." Li Huowang patted Bun on the head and stood up while staring at his destination, the mountain range in the distance. As he stared at the mountain range, the lighthearted atmosphere disappeared. As he thought about what the nuns had told him about the Ao Jing Sect, his face gradually turned gloomy.
The Abbess had told him that they might have a method to get rid of Dan Yangzi. However, it was a dangerous sect, as evidenced by the fact that the Profound Records originated from there.
Li Huowang hated being passive like this, but he had no choice—either he could trust them or choose death.
"Let's go."
A Taoist in red walked alongside a yellow dog toward the mountain range in the distance.
Throughout their journey, Li Huowang truly experienced the meaning of 'easier said than done'; the mountain looked quite close, but it was in fact very far away.
After two days, they finally arrived at the foot of the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain was a town... or at least what used to be a town. The houses were all in ruins, there were a lot of skeletons, and there were cobwebs covering almost everything. All this indicated that the town had experienced a deadly disaster.
Li Huowang felt an intense disgust when he saw a small skeleton that had been sliced in half with only its top part still remaining intact.
Whoever did all this was inhumane! They were even worse than Dan Yangzi!
He slowly walked through the village as a thought popped up in his mind.
Was all this done by the Ao Jing Sect?
Even though he had never met anyone from the Ao Jing sect, Li Huowang's impression of them started to change.
He walked around for half a day and found that everyone in the town was dead. The only living things found in the town were the rats that were hidden in the corners and nibbling on something.
When the rats saw Li Huowang and Bun approaching them, they too scurried away.
There was nothing Li Huowang could do; everyone in the town was already dead and he wasn't even sure if he would be able to protect himself.
Thus, he increased his pace and quickly exited the town.
After exiting the gloomy town, he saw a curved path ahead of him. The path snaked out the mountain. Since it was the only path into the mountains, it was likely that the Ao Jing Sect was located at the end of the path.
Li Huowang looked at Bun with its tongue sticking out and gently used his legs to tap its abdomen before they started climbing up the mountain.
Staring at the sparse foliage on the mountain, Li Huowang became much more alert; there was no saying how the other side would react when they found out that he was a Strayed One.
"Woof woof!" At that moment, Bun started barking toward the right side of the forest.
Seeing this, Li Huowang immediately placed his hand on the Profound Records.
Shruff shruff~
At that moment, a hedgehog ran through the path and in the opposite direction.
Without letting his guard down, Li Huowang cautiously looked toward the direction the hedgehog had run off to. Then, he slowly walked toward the area and found several temples in ruins.
"Is this the Ao Jing Sect's Cross Temple?" Li Huowang mumbled to himself as he examined a symbol on the temple ruins. It was not the cross he was familiar with. This cross was akin to a skinny, black clover. In fact, it looked more like a dehydrated clover, twisted and dry.
Staring at the overgrown grass in front of the temple, Li Huowang had a bad feeling in his heart.
Ao Jing sect being decimated would be an even worse situation than being attacked by them.
Maybe they aren't the ones who attacked the town and killed everyone in it? Maybe they were attacked by whoever did it?
Li Huowang looked quite gloomy when he walked further inward.
This time, he concentrated on finding every single hiding place in the surrounding forest. As expected, he found a gathering spot of the Cross Temple. It was an empty space with a statue of the deity worshiped by them.
On the altar was a large black cross. Another statue sat on the black cross, depicting a figure being burned alive. The statue was very detailed and looked very much alive. The shimmering fire, the molten skin and flesh, as well as the curled and singed hair. All the details were quite immaculate.
But the statue did not have a head. Everything above its neck had been obliterated.
Did the Ao Jing Sect offend someone it shouldn't have?
Li Huowang was worried.
The Ao Jing Sect should be quite strong considering that it could offend the Benevolent Nunnery and still survive. He also knew about the prowess of the Profound Records.
What kind of being was capable of destroying the Cross Temple of the Ao Jing Sect?
Just then, Li Huowang found something. He wiped off the cobwebs below the altar, revealing a sentence carved into it. "The Sacrificial God is eternal. The Mother of all Beings, the Gateway of Creation, is the basis of the Heavens and the Earth! From nothing to something, birthing the Heavens and the Earth."
Li Huowang once more raised his head after reading the words and stared at the statue sitting on the black cross. "Is he the Sacrificial God?"
Chapter 117 - Ba-Hui
After thoroughly inspecting all the temples, Li Huowang returned to the mountain path.
He patted Bun's head and continued walking without a word.
The buildings in the Ao Jing Sect's Cross Temple were densely built. Soon, Li Huowang found another building. This temple was intact, or at the very least, the head of the statue of the Sacrificial God here was not destroyed.
However, the head of the Sacrificial God was burnt black, subjected to the wrath of the very same fire.
What was intriguing was that the face of the Sacrificial God was not one of pain, but one of envy and yearning. Its eyes were burnt black, but they still stared longingly at the top of the Temple.
Li Huowang followed the gaze of the statue and saw an abstract image, one composed of various colors and shapes. He deduced that the Sacrificial God yearned for the thing depicted in the image at the top of the temple, but he had no idea what that thing was.
"Uuuu~ Woof! Woof woof woof!"
When he heard Bun barking, Li Huowang tensed up. He swiftly turned around to look toward the direction Bun was snarling.
It was a door at the side of the temple. The light could not penetrate in here through the doorway, making it look pitch black inside. Within the darkness was an oversized gray robe.
Li Huowang had learned from the nuns that the people from Ao Jing Sect often wore large robes to cover up the wounds on their body.
At this moment, Li Huowang only saw the bottom part of the robe; the top part was still hidden in darkness.
Sensing that something was amiss, Li Huowang immediately threw the Flesh Book that the Abbess had given to him into the darkness. "I am Xuan Yang from the Zephyr Temple! I come here seeking help from your honorable sect!"
Li Huowang introduced himself to the robe in the darkness, but there was no response.
Just as Li Huowang thought the thing was not a living person, the robe slowly moved out from the darkness.
Just one look at the figure's face was enough for Li Huowang to be certain that it was someone from the Ao Jing Sect; the man's scarred face was devoid of any skin.
Just as the nuns at the Benevolent Nunnery had told him, the people from Ao Jing Sect wore large robes and tall hats. The hat was huge, covering the eyes and nose of the man. Li Huowang only saw a glimpse of the man's jaw, which was a mess of blood and flesh.
Li Huowang gulped as he stared at the man alertly.
Looks like they can still be talked with. At the very least, they did not attack me the moment they saw that I'm a Strayed One.
Li Huowang glanced at the bulge in the robes where the man's hands would be and then gently stated his intention once again.
The man did not reply to Li Huowang, but it was clear that he understood Li Huowang's purpose in coming here. He quietly walked out of the Cross Temple.
Li Huowang took a deep breath and nervously followed after him, both of them slowly entering deeper into the mountain range.
Staring at the large robed man in front of him, Li Huowang felt that something was missing.
Didn't they say that the Ao Jing Sect uses the Profound Records? Why is he not carrying one? Or has he hidden it in his robe?
Li Huowang ruminated on it as they went deeper into the mountains. Soon, he saw other members of the Ao Jing Sect.
All of them wore the same type of robe. Whenever they saw Li Huowang, they would all fix their gaze on him even though their eyes were hidden by the tall hats.
On the other hand, their strange surroundings caused Bun to be afraid; it lowered its head and tail while staying close to Li Huowang as they continued to walk.
Under their intense gazes, Li Huowang finally arrived at a gourd-shaped cave.
Upon seeing the cave, Li Huowang recalled unpleasant memories. He hated caves.
However, this cave was not as dark as the Zephyr Temple. It was well illuminated. The crackling sound of burning torches illuminated the cave brightly.
The heat from the torches raised the temperature of the cave, causing Li Huowang to feel unreasonably irritated.
Remembering how the Sacrificial God was shrouded in flames, Li Huowang postulated that fire might be an important element in the Ao Jing Sect.
After entering the cave, they walked for another half an hour before they finally saw the Master of the cave.
A man, whose entire body was burnt black, was lying down on the cold floor. Rather than saying that he was a man, it was more like a burnt corpse. But the gaze coming from the body was all it took for Li Huowang to know that it was no corpse.
At the same time, looking at this burnt man also answered Li Huowang's previous question. Another blood-red Profound Records was splayed open on his chest. It had been placed on his chest for so long that the bamboo slip had sprouted roots and ingrained itself into the man's flesh.
The bamboo roots had pierced through his body and burst forth from his back in various directions, their tips bloody.
At that moment, Li Huowang saw the man who had guided him here respectfully pass the Flesh Book to the burnt man. From the looks of it, the man was someone with a high position within the sect.
However, the burnt man did not read the Flesh Book written by Abbess Jingxin. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on Li Huowang.
He stared for a very long time before speaking, "You've been noticed by Ba-Hui?"
Being able to converse was a good start. Li Huowang nodded. "Yes."
"Every Strayed One has excellent potential because they have a much easier time approaching the Abyss of Worldly Suffering. It's a shame that almost all of them turn crazy in the end," the burnt man said with pity.
He then stared at the Profound Records hanging on Li Huowang's waist. "I am Shou San, pleased to make your acquaintance. May I know how you attain Cang-Qiang Ascension? You should know that even we have a hard time doing so. Not everyone is able to pull it off."
Even though he was being complimented, Li Huowang was not happy at all.
Cang-Qiang Ascension? Is that the name of the ritual that requires the highest amount of both physical and mental pain to pull off?
After thinking for a moment, Li Huowang decided to tell Shou San about his use of the Profound Records while hiding some of the details.
"Hoho, using it against the Eighteenth Lunar was an overkill, but at the very least, you obtained something out of it," exclaimed Shou San.
However, Li Huowang was not here to discuss these things. Having confirmed that a proper conversation was possible, he told Shou San about the reason for his visit.
"I accept," said Shou San.
Li Huowang experienced a brief moment of joy until the conditions were laid out before him.
"But there is a condition. I need you to perform the Cang-Qiang Ascension in front of us," said Shou San.
"Why do you need an outsider to teach you guys?" Li Huowang was confused.
"I have never seen a Strayed One performing a Cang-Qiang Ascension. Also, I want to see if it is possible to rob a part of Ba-Hui's power," explained Shou San.
"Rob... Ba-Hui's power?" Li Huowang thought he had misheard.
"You've seen Ba-Hui before, so you should know just how strong it is. Have you ever thought about taking its strength for yourself as soon as you lay your eyes on it?" asked Shou San.
Hearing this, Li Huowang finally realized what the abstract image at the top of the Cross Temple represented. It was Ba-Hui! It was only because they were unable to fully describe what Ba-Hui looked like that they used that image as a placeholder.
At the same time, he realized that while they used pain to obtain power from Ba-Hui, they did not worship it. Instead, they worshiped the Sacrificial God.
And the Sacrificial God they worshiped also yearned to rob Ba-Hui of its strength.
Chapter 118 - Pain
Because of the Profound Records, he had thought those from the Ao Jing Sect worshiped Ba-Hui.
However, that was not the case. He had been wrong... dead wrong.
After failing to figure it out for a moment, he asked Shou San, "Why do you think you can rob Ba-Hui's power? Don't you realize just how strong it is? You are nothing but ants in front of it."
Even though Li Huowang was incapable of recalling what Ba-Hui looked like, he still remembered just how strong it was. Ba-Hui was not an entity a few mortals could take on.
However, Shou San's eyes were filled with determination when he looked at Li Huowang. "And why not? The Sacrificial God could do it, and so can we."
Li Huowang recalled the statue of the man being burnt at the Cross Temple. "Your deity was once a mortal?"
However, regardless of what Li Huowang said, Shou San continued to talk to himself, "The monks always say that the Buddha was once a man and only a man will eventually become a Buddha. I agree with this viewpoint. Ba-Hui might be strong in the present, but that won't always be the case!"
Li Huowang digested the unexpected information and took a deep breath. "Alright, I don't care what's going on between your sect and Ba-Hui. Let's get back to the topic. Do you really have a method to get rid of Dan Yangzi?"
Shou San nodded. "As long as you perform the Cang-Qiang Ascension once more, we will get rid of your Half-Immortal Master."
Li Huowang remembered the moment he had summoned Ba-Hui's strength through the Profound Records. His face slightly contorted as he recalled the intense pain he had to go through. Experiencing the highest level of both physical and mental pain at the same time was not something easy. Li Huowang had the urge to commit suicide every time he recalled the experience.
Li Huowang calmed himself down and talked slowly, "I would love to, but it's easier said than done. I can't do it right now."
Summoning Ba-Hui was difficult, especially since it required the resonance of intense physical and mental pain. It was very rare to encounter a situation in which the summoner would experience the necessary levels of pain.
"Hoho." Shou San chuckled as he became more welcoming. "No worries, I will help you on behalf of Abbess Jingxin."
Li Huowang felt chills run down his spine when he saw the smile on that burnt face; Those words were filled with hidden meaning.
Looking at the man he had only just met, Li Huowang finally opened his mouth after considering the proposal, "Senior Shou San, let's not talk about this for now. I need to know how you plan on getting rid of Dan Yangzi? I have the Profound Records too so I know that there's nothing on it that can help someone, much less get rid of a Half-Immortal."
Li Huowang did not trust the Ao Jing Sect, especially after the warnings given to him by Abbess Jingxin.
"Hoho, young man, your thinking is too shallow. The Profound Records require the assistance of other items. In order to approach the Abyss of Worldly Suffering, one must experiment with many things. In the past, we were also doing things as you are doing right now. As they say, suffer from illness for long enough and you can be considered a doctor. In terms of treating people, no one is as good as us," said Shou San.
Hearing the word 'illness', Li Huowang reacted unconsciously. "Illness? I'm not ill, and this situation is not caused by an illness either. A part of Dan Yangzi is in my stomach and he's already a Half-Immortal at this point."
Hearing this, Shou San stared at Li Huowang mockingly. "That is an illness. It's an illness where the Taoists want to become Immortal so badly that they turn crazy."
It was not very convincing coming from someone trying to steal Ba-Hui's power. However, even though Li Huowang was suspicious about their words, he did not question them openly. He was here to request their help in getting rid of Dan Yangzi, not engage in a debate with them. As long as their technique worked, he wouldn't mind even if they called Dan Yangzi a bitch.
"Have there been cases like this in the past? Have you treated them before?" Li Huowang asked another question.
"Naturally. All branches of the Taoist sects talk about killing the Three Poisons[1]. The Upper Poison: Peng Ju; the Middle Poison: Peng Zhi; the Lower Poison: Peng Jiao. Those who seek to achieve Immortality must first remove the Three Poisons. Without desires, the mind becomes clear and peaceful. With enough merits, one can become an Immortal," explained Shou San while shaking his head.
"Of course, I do not believe in any of these shitty explanations myself. I've seen many so-called Half-Immortals and possessive spirits in my life, but never a true Immortal," continued Shou San.
Then, Shou San raised his burnt hands and revealed his bloody fingers while pointing at Li Huowang's head. "Taoists like you crave Immortality to the point of insanity, cultivating themselves until they become neither human nor monsters. They seek only external strength but fail to realize what true internal strength is."
Li Huowang decided to ignore that comment. Instead, he patted the torture tools at his waist. "Senior, I can settle the physical pain part, but how will you help me with the mental pain?"
Shou San was overjoyed when he heard him; Li Huowang had agreed to his conditions!
Shou San raised his head and one of the gray-robed sect members understood his signal. The sect member then walked into one of the smaller caves.
Soon, he brought a disheveled girl out of the cave. The girl wore the same type of oversized robe and tall hat as the rest of the people here. The only difference was that her hat didn't cover her eyes.
A girl? Is this related to the technique to induce maximum mental pain?
On the other hand, the girl was even more shocked when she saw Li Huowang as she stared at him intently.
At that moment, a hand pushed her, causing her to fall forward and onto the ground in front of Li Huowang.
The girl lowered her head as she clutched her robes, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Li Huowang looked past the girl's skinny shoulder and asked, "Senior, what is the meaning of this?"
"Take this girl, have sex with her, and let her bear your children. When your child in her womb is almost ready to be delivered, you will slice open her stomach, dig out your child, and then—" Shou San began explaining.
"Stop! Don't talk anymore!" Li Huowang's voice trembled as he interrupted Shou San. In fact, just hearing what Shou San wanted him to do sent sharp pulses of pain through his temples.
He had been conversing so peacefully with them that he had almost forgotten the kind of madness they were capable of.
Now that he knew the method they used for inducing maximum mental and physical pain, he realized that the people from the Ao Jing Sect were no better than Dan Yangzi!
On the other hand, Shou San misunderstood Li Huowang's intention when he told him to stop talking. "Is that so? You think the pain would be too mild? No worries, since you've already been noticed by Ba-Hui, then we can heighten the pain even further with the medicines I have in my inventory."
1. The same as the Three Corpses mentioned by Dan Yangzi ?
Chapter 119 - Yingzi
Li Huowang pulled the girl behind him and carefully enunciated his words one by one, "I will not do such things even if I die!"
"Pft~" One of the Ao Jing Sect members laughed. "Don't be so confident. You are a Strayed One after all."
"So what if I'm a Strayed One? I may be crazy, but I'm not someone as heartless as Dan Yangzi! I will never do the type of things he did!" said Li Huowang.
On the other hand, Shou San looked at the sect member with an unfriendly gaze. "Yan Lu, you think this is funny? Can't you control yourself in front of an outsider?"
Just as the sect member was about to explain himself, his facial features started melding together. Even his fingers and toes started to meld.
He slowly transformed into a wriggling maggot.
"Wrap him up with a cloth and don't let him feel any pain for a month," said Shou San.
This proved that Shou San was right; he was indeed skillful with healing arts.
As the 'man' was being carried away, Li Huowang stared at Shou San seriously. "Find me a cave for me to live in. I will figure out a way to induce maximum mental pain. Also, I need this girl to serve me."
"Hmph. You have a lot of demands. I don't think you will ever be able to find a method better than mine," said Shou San.
However, even though he said so, Shou San still agreed to Li Huowang's demand and ordered his underlings to prepare the cave for him.
Soon, Li Huowang was brought into a medium-sized cave. The walls of the cave were uneven and riddled with holes, but at the very least the cave had all the basic necessities, including a toilet.
Meanwhile, the girl silently followed Li Huowang.
On the other hand, Bun, who had been whimpering from fear behind Li Huowang, immediately started running around in the cave while sniffing every corner of it.
Once they had settled in, Li Huowang removed the sword from his back and placed it on the stone table. Even though he had promised Shou San that he would find a way to inflict maximum mental pain on himself, he actually didn't have a clue about how he would go about it. Without inflicting the necessary amount of pain, he would not be able to summon Ba-Hui.
The Ao Jing Sect would never help him get rid of Dan Yangzi if he failed to fulfill their condition. It was a dead end.
Thinking about this, Li Huowang paced around inside the cave for a while before he laid his eyes on the girl. A sudden thought flashed in his mind.
He had an idea, but things might not go as he expected.
"Don't worry, they won't be able to hurt you when you are with me. Come here, let me ask you something," said Li Huowang as he patted the stone stool.
But the girl didn't move from the door. Instead, she started sobbing. She cried louder and louder until she sat on the floor, her body wracked with grief.
When he heard her woeful cries, Li Huowang sighed.
She had originally thought that she was a member of the Ao Jing Sect, but now she knew that she was nothing more than a tool. It was normal to feel sad, especially at a young age like hers.
Li Huowang walked over and carefully propped her up on the stone stool. "They didn't even treat you like a human and yet you still want to stay here? How about helping me? I swear that as long as you help me attain my goals, I will not abandon you while I am alive."
Hearing his words, the girl's eyes were filled with confusion. "Where can I go even if I escape? My house... it's gone... everything's gone..."
"What happened to your home?" Li Huowang's voice was soft. To some extent, he could resonate with her.
"My home was the town at the foot of the mountain..." said the young girl through her sobs.
When Li Huowang heard her say that, he felt his heart ache a little; she might just be the last survivor of that ghost town.
"My father, mother... my three sisters and two brothers... they are all gone... they are all dead..." The girl lowered her head as her tears dripped down her hands.
"What happened to the town? Did someone or something destroy it?" asked Li Huowang. But just as he asked that, he realized that now was not the time for such questions; asking such things right now was akin to rubbing salt in her wounds.
"It's fine; you can just follow me. I have many brothers and sisters that are also trying their best to survive in this world. Later on, when we regroup, you can join us. My group currently only has two girls, and so there's more yin energy than yang. If you join us, then the energy will be more balanced," said Li Huowang.
After he had comforted her for a while, her emotions had finally stabilized. When the atmosphere was right, Li Huowang asked her some questions. "How long have you been here?"
While the Ao Jing Sect did not trust Li Huowang, he didn't trust them either.
He already had experience dealing with elaborate schemes from his time at the Righteous Monastery, and so he didn't want to fall for the same trick. This time around, he was not going to go by their rules. All he needed to do was figure out the method that Ao Jing Sect would use to get rid of Dan Yangzi. Then, he wouldn't have to inflict pain on himself and he would be able to get rid of Dan Yangzi with his own hands.
Hearing his suggestion, the girl nodded. "Four years ago..."
When he saw that she was finally willing to talk to him, Li Huowang gently started to coax her so that she would open her heart to him. "Since you've been here for so long, you must know the place well, correct? Can you tell me about this place? Anything is fine."
Her scarred hands didn't stop scrunching up her sleeves as she started talking, "The Ao Jing Sect originally consisted of two different sects. One worshiped the Sacrificial God while the other worshiped Ba-Hui. Later on, the Sacrificial God absorbed a portion of Ba-Hui's power and the two sects merged..."
"Hmm? Was this recorded in the books of the Ao Jing Sect?" asked Li Huowang. He had a feeling that it was nothing but a fairy tale. He didn't believe it.
"I don't know either... That was what the others said... By the time I entered the sect, they had already merged..." She gingerly looked at Li Huowang before lowering her head once more. She didn't dare to maintain eye contact with him.
"It's fine. You can keep talking. Wait, may I know your name first?" said Li Huowang.
"They... They call me Er Jiu..." replied the girl.
Er Jiu, Shou San, and Yan Lu[1]. Do the names of the members of the Ao Jing Sect represent a combination of a body organ and a number?
Li Huowang was somewhat confused. These names didn't feel like the Taoist names given to full fledged Taoists.
"What was your previous name?" asked Li Huowang.
"Jiang Yingzi..." replied the girl.
"Alright, then I will just call you Yingzi. Have you seen the Ao Jing Sect treat anyone in the past four years?" asked Li Huowang.
Yingzi nodded. "Mm-hmm... I've seen it a few times."
"Were all of them cured?" questioned Li Huowang.
"They should have been. All of them left afterward," replied Yingzi.
Looks like they do have the necessary expertise.
This was good news. At the very least they hadn't lied to him and he might actually have a chance of getting rid of Dan Yangzi.
"Yingzi, I have another question. Other than the self mutilating rituals recorded within the Profound Records, does the Ao Jing Sect have any other kinds of power or techniques?" Li Huowang finally asked the most important question.
1. Literal translation would be Ear Nine, Hands Three, and Eyes Six. The character for the numbers portion of their name was written differently with the same pronunciation ?