"Is that so? Senior Li, where's the jade pendant, then?" Bai Lingmiao asked, casting a confused gaze at Li Huowang. She had no idea what he was talking bout.
Li Huowang was stunned when he heard her say that. How come she doesn't know when I gave it to her?
Even though it was a long time ago, Li Huowang could still remember the jade pendant that represented the Imperial family of the Liang Kingdom, and it was inside Xuan Yang's quarters within the Zephyr Temple.
However, Bai Lingmiao had actually forgotten it—no, she thought that it didn't exist.
Something's wrong here! If Ji Zai had turned everything he had experienced on that huge wooden ship into a "Lie," then there was definitely something strange here!
Why did Ji Zai turn that into a "Lie"? Why did Ji Zai make it so that he never obtained the jade pendant?
This meant that quite a few more memories were altered, or worse, some past events were altered after Doulao lost those Heavenly Daos.
Li Huowag looked at Bai Lingmiao's eyes covered in white silk. "Miaomiao, go and summon those who had traveled with us from the Zephyr Temple. I need to talk to them."
Bai Lingmiao was confused, but she nodded. "All right."
Soon, those who had been with him in the Zephyr Temple. They were all equally confused as to why Li Huowang had called for them.
Li Huowang swept his gaze across them before showing them a drawing of a jade pendant.
"Have any of you seen me bringing this jade pendant out of Zephyr Temple? Do you remember anything about it?"
"What is that? A jade pendant? I've never seen anything like that. I don't think it's something we'll obtain throughout our lifetime."
"Yeah, and even if we had that jade pendant, we would have sold it long ago to fund our travels."
Li Huowang realized just then that everyone had also forgotten about the jade pendant's existence. Bai Lingmiao wasn't the only one affected.
"Master, is that jade pendant important? Where did you lose it? I can go and help you find it," Lu Xiucai said, wanting to show his worth.
Li Huowang shook his head and dismissed them. "It's fine. You can go now."
Ji Zai hadn't said anything about it, so Li Huowang found it suspicious.
However, it was just a guess on his end. He still needed to take further action to confirm it.
The others thought that Li Huowang was purposely being mysterious toward them, but they still obliged and left.
Bai Lingmiao wasn't sure what Li Huowang was planning on doing, and she was worried that the lotus root was losing its effectiveness.
"Miaomiao, bring me a messenger pigeon. I need to contact someone," Li Huowang took out a bamboo slip with the moon engraved on it.
Li Huowang was planning to find none other than Liu Zongyuan from Moongate.
He thought it would take several days for Liu Zongyuan to arrive, but the latter actually arrived at midnight on the same day.
It seemed that Liu Zongyuan was incredibly motivated these days. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
"Aiya, Senior Er Jiu, long time no see. Your status has been elevated, and I truly couldn't have seen that you're related to the emperor. I was wondering why you weren't really active in the Surveillance Bureau, so your relationship with the emperor is the reason behind it," Liu Zongyuan praised, sounding more respectful than usual.
The Surveillance Bureau was outside the jurisdiction of the emperor, and the former never really cared about the emperor's identity.
However, Liu Zongyuan's rank was low—low enough that the friend of the emperor had a higher status than him.
"Sit. It's been a long time since we saw each other, and I need your help as well."
"Say no more. We survived a mission together, so I will definitely do you a favor," Liu Zongyuan said, patting his chest with pride.
Staring at Liu Zongyuan's wooden mask, Li Huowang pondered over his questions before asking, "Do you still remember how the Sitting Oblivion Dao wrecked the Sacred Mountain Ghost Eye in Shangjing?"
"Of course. It was such a large-scale event. It would be hard to forget it."
"Good, now tell me everything you remember about it. Don't leave out a single word!"
"All right, I can tell you that much at least. It was just half a year ago, after all..." Liu Zongyuan proceeded with his recount.
Li Huowang was finally convinced that something was wrong.
It was one thing for his comrades to forget about the jade pendant, but Liu Zongyuan's recount was drastically different from the truth as well.
It seemed that upon losing the two Heavenly Daos, everything about Doulao and its history was altered. Li Huowang suddenly remembered Ji Zai's words.
"What is real and what is fake? Are you sure that everything you're touching is real? What about everything you've experienced so far? Are you sure they're real? If so, then how are you going to prove it?"
The side effects of a Heavenly Dao changing hands from one Siming to another were far more serious than he had imagined.
He thought that such an event would only bring about the manifestation of Natural Disasters, but he couldn't have been more mistaken.
Does that mean that history changes itself every time there's a Natural Disaster? How come I never noticed that until now? Li Huowang suddenly discovered something extremely important about the world.
The past of this bizarre and crazy world was not set in stone. They would change whenever there was a change in the controllers of the Heavenly Daos.
Simings and Twisted Ones... Li Huowang ignored Liu Zongyuan and paced in the room. The cogs in his mind turned rapidly as he recalled every single detail in his past. Li Huowang then remembered what they had written on the walls of the Surveillance Bureau.
"Find the Surveillance Bureau to purchase almanacs. Those who had printed it themselves would be exiled along with the three generations of their family."
Li Huowang unsheathed his spine sword and examined it carefully.
"Uh... Senior Er Jiu, is everything alright?" Liu Zongyuan couldn't help but ask. He found Li Huowang's behavior to be quite erratic and odd. He wanted to approach Li Huowang, but he hesitated and remained frozen in the end.
Li Huowang ignored Liu Zongyuan and talked to the hilt of the sword. More specifically, he was staring at the shrunken head of Zhuge Yuan as he asked, "Senior Zhuge, do you think it's possible that the Qi Kingdom that you saved was just a part of a changed history that was brought about by the swapping of the Heavenly Daos between the Simings?"
Chapter 611 - Li Sui
"People are good by nature at birth. Their natures are similar, but their habits will inevitably diverge. If not taught the right way, their nature will deteriorate. The right way of teaching is to attach importance to thoroughness.."[1]
Li Sui sat at the front of the classroom and happily nodded along with the teacher's lesson. Her voice was the clearest and loudest in the entire Cowheart Mountain private school.
While the teacher was in the middle of a tea break, Li Sui proudly proclaimed to a village soldier learning to read beside her. "I've learned this passage. Father taught me what this means!"
However, the village soldier didn't pay attention to what Li Sui was saying at all, and his attention was on Li Sui's face, which seemed to be shining.
It wasn't just him; everyone in the private school stole glances at her nonstop.
Compared to them, who had spent the majority of their lives working in the fields, the young girl in a flowing dress was like a fairy from the heavens.
Some of the young men looked like they couldn't care less about reading, and their eyes were almost always glued to Li Sui.
Thus, the private school was densely packed with people, even though it usually had quite a few empty seats.
Master Wu, the teacher of the class, was dumbfounded as well.
"Ahem, young lady, can you cover your face a little?"
Master Wu had no idea where the beautiful young girl had come from, but the white-haired lady boss had told him not to neglect her.
Master Wu was confused. Li Sui's appearance and demeanor suggested that she knew how to read.
Li Sui looked confused as she asked, "Why would I cover my face? Don't I look human right now?"
Master Wu was stumped, and then his face darkened as he turned away before teaching the class using the textbook in his hand.
Soon, the moon rose, and the class came to an end. The large group of people dispersed and returned to their own homes.
However, quite a few of them decided to follow Li Sui toward the Bai Family Estate. Even if they couldn't talk to her, staring at her graceful figure from afar was enough pleasure for them.
Li Sui was delighted by the revelation. At last, the people were no longer afraid of her, and she didn't have to wear a straw cloak every day.
Li Sui was already planning on chatting with the people in the village the next morning.
"Mother, I'm back!" Li Sui charged toward Bai Lingmiao, who was standing at the door.
Li Sui was about to drag her inside the house to look for Li Huowang, but Bai Lingmiao stopped her, saying, "Wait, your father is discussing something important with an esteemed guest."
"Something important? What is it?" Li Sui asked, blinking her large eyes.
Bai Lingmiao glanced at the window on the second floor; she didn't say anything as she pulled Li Sui into one of the doors to an inner room.
"You've been wearing these clothes for a while," Bai Lingmiao said, "It's about time you start wearing new clothes."
"Why should I start wearing new clothes?"
"Because these clothes easily get dirty. Li Sui, you're a young lady, so you can't be so dirty."
"Is that so? What's a young lady?" Li Sui asked curiously as she followed Bai Lingmiao inside one of the inner rooms.
Bai Lingmiao remained patient as she explained many things to Li Sui, allowing the latter to learn about many things that Li Huowang had never taught her.
Soon, Li Sui was naked and was thrown into a large wooden tub by Bai Lingmiao.
The new clothes that Li Sui was going to wear were brought outside by Bai Lingmiao, who scrubbed them clean diligently.
Li Sui copied her and rubbed her own human skin.
Bai Lingmiao chuckled upon seeing Li Sui's actions, and she patiently taught Li Sui how to wash clothes.
"Li Sui, I'm actually really happy that you're willing to call me 'Mother,'" Bai Lingmiao said. Li Sui's head was being propped up by her tentacles as she stared at the white-haired girl with some confusion.
"I really want to have a child with Senior Li, but... I can't," Bai Lingmiao said with a hint of sadness on her face. "If my child ends up like Puppy's daughter or covered in white fur like me, then... it's going to be bad for both the child and Senior Li. I've suffered that kind of pain before, though. I know that even if others say good things about us, we are ultimately different from others. I don't want my children to suffer like me."
Bai Lingmiao reached out and untied Li Sui's long hair before washing it gently in the water.
"Your appearance is a bit strange. I was a bit disgusted at first, but then I realized that Senior Li and I don't look much better, so I didn't care anymore."
"Mom, what are you talking about? I don't understand."
"It's good that you don't understand. Sometimes, I really envy you, not having to think about so many complex things every day."
Like a real mother and daughter, Bai Lingmiao helped Li Sui wash her hair while talking about many things to her.
Although Li Sui didn't quite understand what Bai Lingmiao was saying, she was still happy to be with her mother.
Her mother would listen patiently to her, and she told her about many things, including topics that her father wasn't willing to discuss with her.
After the comfortable bath, Li Sui put on her human skin, attached her human head, and tied up her hair. Then, she finally put on Bai Lingmiao's clothes.
"Not bad. Our bodies are the same in some parts, so we can wear each other's clothes," Bai Lingmiao said, staring at Li Sui with satisfaction.
"Wait, don't move; let me apply some rouge on you," Bai Lingmiao said. She was about to turn around when she stopped and looked toward the window on the left, "Didn't you promise that you wouldn't get too close to Cowheart Village?"
"Saintess, the Chief wants to see you. He wants to have a good talk with our White Lotus Sect." A deep voice came from outside the window.
Bai Lingmiao sighed softly, "I'll go, but not now."
"And due to the rumors, many of the hidden White Lotus followers had decided to emerge from hiding and pay us a visit."
"How annoying. I'm finally back at the village after a long time, so why are you rushing me like that? What if I end up running away?" Bai Lingmiao asked. Her tone changed drastically, and the figure outside the window dared not respond.
"Li Sui, let's go find your father!" Bai Lingmiao exclaimed, looking a bit impatient as she pulled Li Sui toward the bedroom.
Just as the two of them arrived at the bedroom door, Liu Zongyuan stepped out from the inside while bowing repeatedly toward the bedroom.
When he turned around, he caught a glimpse of a black tentacle slipping back under Li Sui's skirt. His expression changed drastically at the sight, and he immediately reached into his arms, exclaiming, "What kind of evil spirit are you?!"
Li Sui's new clothes were torn apart as black tentacles sprang up in the air. A figure with a skinned beastly face and a mouth full of sharp teeth stood before Bai Lingmiao, growling at Liu Zongyuan.
However, Liu Zongyuan was familiar with Li Sui's true face, and he realized just then that he had made a mistake.
"What's wrong?"
Liu Zongyuan smiled and hurriedly said, "Oh, Brother Er Jiu, your... your spirit beast is amazing; it can even shapeshift. I almost failed to recognize it."
He rushed to the stairs and glanced behind him to see Li Sui and Bai Lingmiao entering the bedroom together. He shuddered with horror and hurriedly walked downstairs.
1. Three Character classic, a classic text used to teach basic literacy in the past ☜
Chapter 612 - Cowheart Village
"Ah~ Let me tell you, the Shangjing capital is huge! You can walk on foot for days and nights without being able to go to the other side of it!"
"Do you know how big the road to the capital is? It's wide enough for more than twenty carriages to run side by side!"
"And the girls in the capital... Tsk, tsk, I don't even have to talk about their appearance. Their voice alone is enough to make your bones go weak."
"The people in the capital eat like it's New Year's Eve every day. Even the vagrant dogs raised by the roadside can eat meat every day!"
Puppy was sitting proudly on a large boulder beneath the big tree in the middle of Cowheart Village. He bragged about his journey to the capital unabashedly toward the villagers.
These villagers had never been a hundred miles away from the village throughout their lives, so Puppy's words were truly astounding to them. They couldn't even focus on eating the food in their bowls, as they imagined the capital described by Puppy.
Puppy was pleased by their shocked reactions, and a sense of superiority rose in his heart. He waved his hand like a commanding general and said, "Hmph, the capital really is just like that, and I'm actually looking down on it. If we're talking about extravagance, then nothing beats the Imperial Palace!"
"Even the pillars and roof edges of the palace are lined with gold, while the ground is covered with jade stones. Imagine how much money they spent to build the entire thing."
"Hey, listen. The Imperial Palace is a forbidden place for many people, but I can enter it freely. Do you know why? Remember that simpleton? I'm talking about the head of our Cowheart Village's militia. He's become the Emperor of the Great Liang. I hope you guys haven't forgotten that he's my senior. In other words, I, Cao Cao, am considered a relative of the emperor."
"Hmph! What a load of bullshit. The more you talk, the more outrageous it gets!" Master Wu exclaimed. He had been eavesdropping and couldn't beat it anymore. In Master Wu's eyes, the emperor couldn't be blasphemed. After all, he might end up passing the imperial exams and become a disciple of the emperor.
"You brat, watch your mouth! You can say this here, but your head will go flying if the authorities somehow hear what you're saying!"
"Ah~! You're just a teacher, so you must be thinking that you know everything just because you have some ink in your belly. Well, guess what? You know nothing!"
"This is absurd! Hey, brat! You better not come to my school in the future!"
"Heh, what a joke. When did I, Lord Cao Cao, ever participate in your class? I wouldn't go, even if you beg me to go."
The people nearby quickly intervened in the heated argument, and the two soon stopped fighting.
"Hey, Puppy, if your senior is already the emperor and the Shangjing capital is so great, why did you return?"
Puppy took a mouthful of food, and his expression was tinged with contempt as he said, "Gao Zhijian begged me to stay there with him. He said the Shangjing capital was too big, but there was no one for him to talk to."
"But am I someone who forgets my roots? I told that fool—Simpleton, don't blame your junior for being indifferent to fame and wealth. Even if you are the emperor or an angel from the heavens, I'm not going to go somewhere if I don't want to go there!" Puppy exclaimed, feeling a bit pleased upon seeing the looks of admiration that the crowd directed toward him. He had already figured it out. His appearance meant that everyone in the capital would look down on him; Puppy knew very well that he was a freak compared to ordinary people.
Puppy's skin had always been thick, so it would have been fine for him to stay in the capital despite the potential bullying.
However, his daughter would inevitably become an outcast and the target of everyone's gossiping once she grew up.
Knowing that, why would Puppy stay in the capital?
Zhao Wu and Xiaoman had no intention of staying in the capital either. Puppy assumed that they shared the same sentiment as him.
At least, Cowheart Village was their territory as disabled people; no one dared to look down on them here.
After his boasting to the villagers, Puppy felt relaxed and refreshed. He walked toward the Bai Family Mansion with an empty bowl in his hand.
When he entered the courtyard, he saw Lu Xiucai walking out of the mansion with oil stains at the corners of his mouth.
"Good morning, Xiucai. Have you eaten anything yet?"
Lu Xiucai's eyes were full of disdain at Puppy's free-spirited attitude. Puppy had never really strived for progress. Whenever he was free, he'd go run and brag to the others. Lu Xiucai believed that he'd soon leave Puppy in the dust.
Puppy would certainly regret his actions once Lu Xiucai became an expert as strong as his master in the future!
Puppy didn't take Lu Xiucai's actions to heart. He hummed a tune as he walked into the hall.
He saw Yang Xiaohai and his wife tidying up the bowls and chopsticks.
After a year, Yang Xiaohai had grown a head taller, and it was probably due to the good food in Cowheart Village.
Puppy noticed that Yang Xiaohai had become almost as tall as him, and he looked even more energetic, too.
Puppy threw the bowls and chopsticks onto the table, asking, "How's it going? Has Simpleton helped you find your parents yet?"
Yang Xiaohai shook his head and replied, "The eunuch told me to go back and wait. They'll send someone to inform me once they've found them. However, it might take a while."
"It's been so long, and he still can't find two people? It seems that this emperor isn't very capable," Puppy said smugly, and then he left with his hands behind his back.
After Puppy's departure, the pear-faced woman said, "It's okay, don't be impatient. They will eventually be found."
"Yeah, I'm not in a hurry," Yang Xiaohai said.
And that was when he felt a pair of hands wrapping him from behind, pulling him into a soft embrace.
Yang Xiaohai struggled and broke free. He cast a guilty gaze at the ceiling and blushed before saying, "What are you trying to do here?! Senior Li is upstairs!"
The pear-faced woman smiled innocently, "Don't blush; I haven't even done anything yet."
Yang Xiaohai glared at her, and then he carried the pile of bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen.
"What's with that reaction? Am I not your wife?" the pear-faced woman asked, carrying a bucket of water into the kitchen.
"No! I never said that you're my wife," Yang Xiaohai said. He threw the bowls and chopsticks into the pot of boiling water to clean them.
Yang Xiaohai received no response and noticed that the kitchen had become too quiet.
He turned around and saw that the pear-faced woman was leaning against the kitchen door and was silently shedding tears.
"Are you... are you disgusted with me? Do you find me disgusting because I was rescued from a bandit's den? If that's the case, then just tell me. I'm not going to stop you."
Yang Xiaohai was at a loss for words. He realized that he didn't want to see her being so sad.
"No.... no, I just... I just don't... I just don't know what to do."
The pear-faced woman smiled and wiped away the tears on her face. She then walked into the kitchen and casually closed the door. "Ignorance is fine; I'm going to teach you everything that you need to know."
Chapter 613 - Yang Xiaohai
Clang~ 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
The trembling sound of the gong echoed from afar. The kitchen door was suddenly pushed open, and Yang Xiaohai rushed toward the direction of the sound while pulling up his pants in a hurry.
The long gong attracted everyone's attention in Cowheart Village. When Yang Xiaohai arrived at where the sound was coming from, he saw a group of eunuchs in front of a neat convoy.
They were in the middle of delivering various goods to the village.
There were live pigs, cows, sheep, bolts of silk and satin, as well as piles of gold and silver.
The other villagers were amazed, and they started whispering among themselves.
"Did I hear it correctly? Are these gifts from the emperor to us?"
"No, they're not for you; they're for the Daoist master."
"Wow, could it be that Puppy wasn't lying? Is the emperor really his senior? Wouldn't that mean that we're related to the emperor, too?"
"What's going on? What's happening?"
Yang Xiaohai squeezed through the crowd and saw Senior Li talking to an old eunuch with a golden whisk. "Go back and tell Gao Zhijian not to worry about Cowheart Village. I'm here, and everything is fine. Cowheart Village isn't that poor as well, so tell him to spend his time learning to become a competent emperor rather than mulling over what to send here. After all, his subjects will have a better life if he gets better at his job."
"Yes, I'll convey the message to His Majesty." The old eunuch with a powdered face bowed respectfully to Li Huowang.
The old eunuch noticed Yang Xiaohai's glance, so he excused himself from Li Huowang and walked up to Yang Xiaohai.
"Kid, you're Yang Xiaohai, right?" asked the old eunuch with a kind smile.
Yang Xiaohai nodded in confusion.
The old eunuch glanced at the bustling crowd. "It's crowded here. Let's find a place to talk about your parents."
Yang Xiaohai's mind buzzed. He was suddenly overwhelmed with fear at the idea that he was about to face the truth.
"Let's go." The pear-faced woman appeared and followed the old eunuch somewhere else.
It hadn't been that long since New Year's Eve, so the fields were still frozen. The old eunuch stopped between the field ridges and extended over a piece of paper from his pocket. "Here, take a look for yourself."
Yang Xiaohai retrieved the paper with trembling hands, and he hesitated for a moment before he handed it back to the old eunuch, "Can you read it for me, please? I'm too scared to read it."
"Oh, what's there to be afraid of?" the old eunuch asked. However, he still reached out his hand with long nails and grabbed the piece of paper. Then, he said, "The letter says that your parents are not from Great Liang but from Hou Shu. That's why it took us so long to track them. We investigated the three generations of your family and found out that your family are all boat people."
"Sir, what are boat people?"
"Boat people are those who live permanently on the sea without their own land. The women gather pearls while the men fish with nets. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes... I understand," Yang Xiaohai said, but he looked confused as he nodded.
"Then... how did my parents lose me?" Yang Xiaohai asked. The pear-faced woman beside him rubbed his arm gently.
The old eunuch glanced at Yang Xiaohai's face before looking down at the paper in his hands. "There was a shortage of fish and pearls a few years after you were born. Your father couldn't feed you, so he decided to sell you."
Yang Xiaohai's face turned pale, and he would have fallen to the ground if the pear-faced woman next to him hadn't supported him. "Sir, is that really the truth? They sold me just like that?"
Yang Xiaohai had been thinking about many different scenarios while waiting for the results of the investigation. However, he didn't expect that the truth would be so brutally simple.
"What do you think your father could have done? Your family had nine children, and it's normal to sell a child to ease the burden on everyone. My family couldn't support all of us either, so we were castrated and sent to the palace as eunuchs," the old eunuch said, and then he stuffed the paper into Yang Xiaohai's hands. "Your mother has been pearl diving her entire life, so she's already deaf and weak. She's probably going to die soon. Your father is still out fishing at sea. Out of your father's nine children, two were sold, three have died, so only four are remaining. Half a year ago, your elder brother went out to fish, but he never came back.
"Anyway, they are all boat people and are fishing and diving in a certain region. The location is written on the paper. If you want to find them, find someone literate to help you. We have other things to do, so we'll be leaving first."
With that, the old eunuch left with his golden whisk, leaving Yang Xiaohai and the pear-faced woman by themselves between the field ridges.
Yang Xiaohai stared deeply at the piece of paper, even though he couldn't read the majority of it.
After a while, he folded the paper neatly and put it away. He then looked up at the woman and smiled wryly. "You see, I thought I was the descendant of someone important, just like Senior Gao. It turns out that I was wrong, and my parents sold me away to ease some of the burden on them."
Yang Xiaohai then turned around and was about to return to the village when the pear-faced woman pulled him from behind.
"Don't hold it in. Cry it out."
The pear-faced woman's words had just fallen, but Yang Xiaohai was already squatting on the ground, crying in frustration.
Yang Xiaohai had always been a steady and sensible individual in the eyes of his seniors, but Yang Xiaohai had never really wanted to be that kind of person all this while.
However, none of his seniors noticed that fact—no, no one noticed it except for the pear-faced woman.
The pear-faced woman hugged Yang Xiaohai and patted his back gently to comfort him.
Yang Xiaohai vented for a long time before standing up once again and walking toward the village with the pear-faced woman.
"Hey! Xiaohai, where are you going? Look at these fat sheep; let's roast one tonight!"
"I can't forget the taste of that roast lamb back when we were in Qing Qiu. I had no idea that sheep is so delicious once it's roasted."
"All right! Senior Cao, there are so many people of us, so you should roast a few sheep rather than just one!
Yang Xiaohai smiled along with everyone else. When he arrived at the kitchen, he took out his butchering tool and started sharpening the blade with a whetstone.
"Ah." He accidentally cut his finger, and blood flowed profusely out of the wound.
"What's wrong?" the pear-faced woman asked upon hearing Yang Xiaohai's cry. "Don't move; I'll go get some medicine for you."
The pear-faced woman turned around and was about to leave, but Yang Xiaohai stopped her by raising his bleeding finger. "I want to go see my family."
The pear-faced woman nodded gently and said, "Okay. I'll go wherever you go.
Chapter 614 - People
"Xiaohai, are you really going to leave? It hasn't been that long since we returned, and you're leaving again? Isn't that kind of unnecessary?"
"Xiaohai, Hou Shu is really far. There's also the sea to the south of it. The journey and return trip will probably take you at least a year."
When the others who had come out of Zephyr Temple together with Yang Xiaohai heard his plans to visit his parents, they all tried to dissuade him.
They had endured hardships together, so they were aware of the risks that one would have to take by traveling such a massive distance.
They were all concerned, as the journey was lengthy, and no one could say what Yang Xiaohai would experience on the way.
Yang Xiaohai remained silent, but his belongings were already on his back. In the end, he stared at Li Huowang sitting nearby and asked, "Senior Li, what do you think? Should I go or not?"
"Your limbs belong to you, so it's not up to me to decide whether you want to go or not. Puppy, give him your scepter so he can protect himself on the road."
"Huh?"
"Hurry up. Also, bring a carriage over for him. It's such a long way, and his shoes will wear out with all that walking."
Soon, Yang Xiaohai's luggage for the journey had increased significantly. The carriage was filled with so much dried food that it would last them all the way to Hou Shu.
"Take this bag of silver. You can use it to fund your journey as well as to handle certain issues on the road."
Yang Xiaohai was at a loss for words upon feeling the weight of the bag of silver. "Senior Li, I can't take these. I..."
"Just take it. The village is not going to run out of money anytime soon. Unfortunately, I'm still recovering from my injuries, so I can't go with you. Since you want to go, then go. The world has become more peaceful these days, but you should still protect yourself with the talismans you've learned to draw. Don't forget to practice using that scepter, too."
Yang Xiaohai knelt and kowtowed toward Li Huowang a few times before he jumped onto the carriage with the pear-faced woman.
Soon, the carriage started moving away from the village. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Puppy was holding his daughter in his arms; he took a step forward and shouted, "Xiaohai! Don't forget to visit Sun Baolu once you're in Qing Qiu! Tell him I got married and that I have a daughter now!"
"All right, Senior Puppy!" Yang Xiaohai exclaimed.
When Yang Xiaohai could no longer be seen, everyone dispersed in groups.
On the way, Puppy couldn't help but grumble, "Who's going to cook for us now that Xiaohai is gone? Zhao Wu, how's your cooking?"
"Look at my legs. Do you really think that I can cook?" Zhao Wu asked, leaning on his crutches. He glared at Puppy as if he were worthy of disdain.
"That's too bad. What should we do now that no one can cook? Xiaoman, can you cook?"
"Get lost."
"Since no one is going to cook for all of us anymore, we should stop the communal pot from now on," Li Huowang said. His words attracted everyone's attention. Eating together was an old habit that was made from their arduous journey, but Gao Zhijian had become the emperor, Sun Baolu had back at home, and the Lu family had already settled down in Shangjing; several people had died along the way as well, which meant that they no longer had enough people to fill up the table with dishes.
"We have our own families now, and we don't lack money anymore. From now on, let's cook our own meals and stop going to the Bai Family Estate to eat."
Bai Lingmiao smiled slightly at Li Huowang's words.
"No, Senior Li..." Puppy said, sounding anguished. He wasn't willing to part with the days when they could just open their mouths to eat. Those days were just too comfortable for Puppy to let go.
"Stop talking nonsense and just do it," Li Huowang said. With that, he led Li Sui toward the Bai Family Estate.
Puppy scratched his head and looked at Zhao Wu beside him. "Hey, you're still single, so no one is going to cook for you in the future. You better try and persuade Senior Li to change his mind."
"Don't count on me to back you up. I can cook for myself," Zhao Wu said. He then ignored Puppy's astonishment and limped his way toward the warehouse.
Although it was called a warehouse, it was actually an uninhabited house that was cleared out to store the things that Gao Zhijian had sent over to the village.
Gold, silver, cloth, and various gifts filled up the house.
Zhao Wu placed the abacus on the table and began taking accounts.
This was Zhao Wu's job, and he was the only one who could do something like this throughout the village. His family's business was selling rice, so he grew up around abacuses. In other words, no one could match him when it came to calculations and taking accounts. When they were still in the middle of their arduous journey, they barely had any money, so Zhao Wu didn't really have to do any calculations and accounting.
However, Cowheart Village's population had exploded, and they had also received an influx of money and grain. Zhao Wu's talent could finally be shown to the world.
Zhao Wu used an abacus to keep track of everything—the village's expenditures, purchases, and what was purchased. Of course, Zhao Wu also tracked the amount of old rice available for consumption and how much new rice they needed to replace the old rice. He was just one person, so his job was extremely exhausting. However, Zhao Wu was more than happy to do it, as he didn't feel like a useless person incapable of lifting even a finger.
Five hundred pearls? Why did Gao Zhijian send so many pearls? There's no one in the village who needs them. Zhao Wu shook his head gently and made a comment with his pen.
It took Zhao Wu an entire day to take everything into account. When it was nightfall, he felt his stomach rumbling, but he still hadn't heard Yang Xiaohai calling them for dinner.
Zhao Wu stiffened and realized that he actually had to cook for himself from now on.
Yang Xiaohai had left the village, after all. Ah, it really feels strange for someone to leave all of a sudden.
Zhao Wu picked up his crutch and limped toward the kitchen. He was planning on grabbing something edible to eat so he wouldn't be late for Master Wu's evening class.
Zhao Wu's heart burned with pride when he recalled Master Wu's evaluation of himself yesterday. Master Wu had told him that he had the highest aptitude for literacy in the entire Cowheart Village.
Master Wu hadn't lied. Zhao Wu could recognize eight hundred words, so he could be considered somewhat literate.
It's really dark. Where's the oil lamp? Zhao Wu fumbled around in the kitchen. His hands found a cool, soft spindle-shaped object. He picked it up and stuffed it into his arms. Sweet potatoes will do. I'm going to eat them on the way, so I won't be late.
Zhao Wu picked up the pace. When he reached out for the fourth sweet potato in the steamer, he ended up touching a bony hand in the darkness.
"Ghost!"
Bang!
The wooden door to the kitchen was blown apart.
Li Huowang, covered in wriggling black tentacles, stood by the door with a spine sword in his hand. His face was filled with killing intent as he scanned the kitchen.
"Senior Li! There's a ghost in here! There's a ghost in this room!" Zhao Wu exclaimed. He didn't even pick up his crutch as he frantically crawled behind Li Huowang.
"Quiet down!" Li Huowang warned. He took out a green glowing stone from his pocket and threw it into the dim kitchen.
Soon, he saw a man dressed in tattered clothes. The man was cowering in a corner, and his shoulders were trembling as if he was eating something.
"Turn around!" Li Huowang exclaimed, holding his sword horizontally.
The man turned around and froze. The sweet potato that he was about to shove into his mouth fell to the ground. Then, he trembled all over and prostrated on the ground. He kowtowed nonstop to Li Huowang, pleading, "Master, spare my life!"
Chapter 615 - Newcomer
Li Huowang found it suspicious that someone had suddenly appeared in Cowheart Village.
"Li Sui, help me find out his background."
"All right, Father."
Li Sui's tentacles flew out and quickly dragged the ragged man out of the kitchen.
The tentacles pierced the man's seven apertures and probed his innards thoroughly.
The moonlight rose just then, allowing Li Huowang to see the man's face. The man's face was unshaven, and he looked extremely emaciated. Every single one of his ribs was clearly visible under his tattered clothes; he was hugging a small pumpkin and two sweet potatoes.
"Bleck!" The man bent over and vomited as soon as Li Sui's tentacles were outside of him
"Father, he's human. There's nothing else but a lump inside his belly. I think he's just an ordinary person."
Li Huowang stared at the miserable-looking man and finally dropped his guard. Still, he found it difficult to believe that someone would go to great lengths to sneak into Cowheart Village just to steal a few sweet potatoes.
Li Huowang put away the spine sword and asked, "Why did you come to our Cowheart Village?"
"I-I've been running away! I'm starving. Master, please spare. I really am about to starve to death. I won't dare to steal again," the man said, trembling on the ground. He was so scared that he dared not lift his head.
Li Huowang saw that others were converging on his location. He took a few breaths and pointed at Puppy, saying, "You go ahead and handle this. Feed him and let him decide whether to stay or not."
Without waiting for Puppy's reply, Li Huowang retracted the tentacles and returned to the Bai Family Estate.
Puppy's courage grew, as Li Huowang had already confirmed that the man was no threat.
With his hands behind his back, he walked up to the man. The white and black patches on his face frightened the man.
"Fleeing, huh? You've suffered a lot on the road, right?" Puppy asked.
"Yes, yes!" The man nodded repeatedly. He took out a sweet potato from his arms and was about to put it into his mouth when Puppy snatched it away.
"Hmph, you obviously haven't been hungry before. Are you trying to kill yourself by stuffing yourself like that? You can only eat porridge for now! After two days of porridge, you can then transition to eating dried food."
Puppy pointed at the two village soldiers and said arrogantly, "You two, yes, you two. Go and cook him some porridge. Didn't you hear what your godfather just said? This matter is under my jurisdiction."
Everyone soon heard about a refugee's arrival in the village, so they curiously gathered around.
Under the gaze of the villagers, the man devoured three bowls of porridge. He wanted to eat more, but Puppy stopped him.
"Enough, you're going to die if you drink more," Puppy said, forcibly taking away his bowl. Then, he sat down on a stool and asked, "Now that you're done eating, you better start talking. Where are you from?"
The man seemed afraid as he looked around, but he instinctively licked his lips when he saw the pork gel candy in the hands of Puppy's daughter. "I... I'm from Xi County."
"Xi County? Where is that? I've never heard of that place. What disaster has befallen your home? Why are you fleeing?"
The man's expression suddenly twisted in fear, and his figure trembled violently as he exclaimed, "A Natural... Natural Disaster! The Heavenly Dog devoured the sun, so the demons and ghosts from the eighteen layers of hell came out. They... they kill people on sight! I hid in a temple and barely managed to escape with my life. However, I could barely find any survivors after the Natural Disaster, and there was a three-year drought prior to that, so there was no food left for the survivors to consume.
"I had no choice but to flee and look for a way to survive."
Puppy nodded in understanding and said, "Oh~ So that's how it is, a Natural Disaster, huh? I know that. We encountered one before, and it was really scary. Fortunately, it didn't last long."
"'It didn't last long'?" The man's voice changed, and his eyes became filled with indignation as he exclaimed, "Why did we have to suffer that Natural Disaster for dozens of days?! How come it didn't last long for you guys?!"
The people nearby sucked in a cold breath. A Natural Disaster lasting for dozens of days would indeed be extremely devastating. It was no wonder that the man had to flee.
"Are you not from the Great Liang? Natural Disasters in the Great Liang don't last long," Zhao Wu said, frowning.
"What? Great Liang? Where's Great Liang? I haven't been running for that long, so how come I'm already in a different territory?" the man muttered, looking bewildered.
"You're not from Great Liang?"
"No, I'm from Great Qi." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
The crowd broke out in discussions.
"Great Qi? Where's the Great Qi? Isn't Qing Qiu to the left of Great Liang and the sea to the right? Where's Great Qi?"
"Is it above or below?"
"I have no idea, but it's impossible for him to be from the Great Qi. However, I heard that there was a dynasty called the Great Qi a thousand years ago."
Li Sui in her human skin memorized their words. She lifted her skirt and went home.
"Father! Father!" Li Sui exclaimed as soon as she entered the house. She eventually found her father cutting open his scalp to check its healing progress. "Father, there's a man from Great Qi here. Did we go there before?"
"What? A man from Great Qi? Are you sure you heard him right?" Li Huowang couldn't even wipe away the blood on his head. He jumped over the window and rushed toward the kitchen.
Under the coercion of the torture instruments that Li Huowang showcased to the man, the latter dared not conceal anything and told him everything he knew.
Li Huowang compared the man's words to what he knew about the Great Qi and confirmed that the man was indeed from the Great Qi. He hadn't lied to them at all!
Someone from the Great Qi suddenly found themselves in the Great Liang, Li Huowang thought for a while before saying, "How did you get here?! Are there any Twisted Ones around here?"
"What Twisted One? I... I-I just walked down the road," said the man with a pale face.
"Take me to that road!" Li Huowang urged. He dragged the man away toward the dirt road at the village entrance.
Soon, Li Huowang found himself at a fork in the road at the foot of Cowheart Mountain.
"I-I walked down that road. I saw that the woods here were denser, so I followed the wheel tracks and found your village."
"Come, let's keep going," Li Huowang said. He had no idea what was going on, but he felt that things weren't so simple.
They hadn't walked far before they came to a halt. There was no road up ahead; it was just a dead end.
The man was so scared of Li Huowang's torture instruments that he looked like he was about to cry as he frantically explained, "I-I-I swear to the mountain spirits! I didn't lie to you at all. I really walked down this road."
Just as the man was about to continue speaking, Li Huowang heard a slight movement from his left ear. He shoved the man away and rushed into the woods on his left.
Soon, he saw an old man with ragged clothes and an unusually large belly standing beneath a big tree. The ragged old man was holding a sharp stone and was swinging it at the bark of the tree before him.
A large piece of bark was peeled away, and the ragged old man carefully peeled off the soft and moist green inner layer of the bark.
Tears streamed down the ragged old man's face as his trembling fingers shoved the tender bark into his mouth, which only had a few teeth remaining.
Chapter 616 - Refugees
Niu San squatted down in the middle of the crowd to slurp up the congee in his bowl.
The congee was watery, but there were wild vegetables, radish leaves, and sweet potatoes inside of it.
Niu San was crying as he ate. The congee tasted delicious—it was so delicious that he could swear that he had never eaten something as delicious as this before.
He licked the bowl clean and walked out from the crowd to make his way toward the food tent.
Niu San was skinny, but his tall figure attracted the militia's attention.
"What are you doing? Stand there!" a few militia members shouted at Niu San while pointing their spears at him.
"Good sirs, didn't they say that we can have two bowls to eat? Can I have another?" Niu San asked gingerly.
They gave him another serving of congee. Niu San bowed and thanked them before returning back to the crowd to eat.
Niu San used to have a decent position in the military, but he was more than ready to lower his ego just to eat something.
He licked the bowl clean again. It was a good meal overall.
Having eaten his fill, Niu San's mind cleared up, and he swept his gaze across Cowheart Village.
The village was pristine and brimming with life. It was a fresh scene compared to the scenes of destruction that the Natural Disaster had left in its wake.
Niu San found it strange. As far as he could remember, less than ten percent of the Qi Kingdom's population survived the Natural Disaster.
There was no way everyone could have escaped the Natural Disaster, so how come Cowheart Village seemed unscathed? That's strange. Is there someone strong protecting this place?
Just then, he saw a strange "crack" appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the fields.
A man in a red Daoist robe popped out of the "crack," and Niu San became certain of his suspicions at the sight.
The Daoist glanced at them before entering the fenced-up village. The Daoist then started talking to a young man with vitiligo.
The bizarre-looking young man then walked toward him and pointed at the few people around him, "You, you, you, and you. Come here!"
The bizarre-looking young man pointed at four people with bigger figures than the average people, including Niu San.
"Listen here, Senior Li is a magnanimous man, and he hates seeing people who are suffering! That is the reason he decided to feed you here for free! But there are too many of you for us to manage, so he told me to choose four people from your group to help supervise everyone in your group! The four of you better manage your people properly! If you need to use the toilet, go to the woods and do your business there! You better not harm anyone, too! If anyone disagrees with you, pull them to the side, and we'll reduce their congee ration by half!"
"Yes!" the four people exclaimed at once.
Puppy was overjoyed by their obedience. He nodded to dismiss them, and the four returned to their group.
Puppy then looked at Li Huowang and said, "Senior Li, we're committing good deeds here, and we don't have a shortage of food, but can we really sustain this? More and more people are coming here."
Li Huowang looked at the refugees and whispered, "There aren't going to be that many of them. The majority of the Qi Kingdom's population has already perished."
Li Huowang knew, as he had gone into the Qi Kingdom and noticed only a few survivors in a ten Li radius.
Just then, the sound of horse hooves came from a distance. Li Huowang turned and saw Chun Xiaoman with several other people on horseback. She was holding the reins with her remaining arm, and she jumped down the horse upon spotting Li Huowang. "Senior Li, you're right. We've also seen refugees in the other villages and counties."
"Did you see anyone wearing a white cloth on their head?"
"Yes, but there aren't that many of them. I think there are only about five of them."
Li Huowang's heart sank. It was not a coincidence that the Qi Kingdom's people had appeared here. Gao Zhijian was the Emperor of the Qi Kingdom, after all, but he was now connected to the Dragon Vein of the Liang Kingdom.
The Qi Kingdom's past had disappeared, but its people still found their way into the Liang Kingdom
Zhuge Yuan's method saved the lives of the Qi Kingdom's people, but Li Huowang didn't expect that they would be saved like this.
It would have been great if only the civilians were transported here, but people with supernatural powers were transported as well. Li Huowang knew that he had to inform Gao Zhijian of these changes as soon as possible.
Li Huowang pondered over his next course of action. After a while, he nodded and took out a letter. "Take this to Shangjing. Give it to either Gao Zhijian or the Surveillance Bureau."
"Understood," Chun Xiaoman said. She put away the letter and disappeared into the woods.
Li Huowang sighed. The majority of the Qi Kingdom's population had died, so the Dharma Sect from the other side had to have suffered a similar fate. Otherwise, they'd become a plague for the Liang Kingdom. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Regardless, the fact that there were survivors from the Qi Kingdom's Dharma Sect was problematic. After all, they could become a massive headache later down the road.
"Senior Li, are you thinking about dealing with them?" Bai Lingmiao asked softly as she walked up to Li Huowang.
Li Huowang crossed his arms in front of his chest and swept his gaze across the refugees. "Yes. Even though there aren't that many of them, they're desperate and hungry. These survivors are fit and powerful as well, so if we let them be, the Liang Kingdom might fall into chaos once again. After all, these refugees will most likely start committing crimes to survive, or they might join the Dharma Sect of the Liang Kingdom."
Bai Lingmiao bit her fingernails as she thought. Moments later, she suggested, "Senior Li, what do you think about this? I have some authority in the White Lotus Sect. I can absorb some of the refugees into the White Lotus Sect. What do you think?"
Li Huowang was surprised. "White Lotus Sect? Is that your own idea, or is it the idea of your higher ups in the White Lotus Sect?"
"Senior Li, I'm the Saintess of the White Lotus Sect. I'm the higher-up."
Li Huowang stared deeply at Bai Lingmiao and concluded that it was about time they discussed the White Lotus Sect.
Bai Lingmiao's suggestion was a great idea. The White Lotus Sect was much more amiable than the Dharma Sect, which tried to summon God Yu'er.
"All right, but tell your people to work double time. I think the Dharma Sect is already trying to recruit these refugees."
"Okay!" Bai Lingmiao nodded and ran into the village.
After a while, she returned to the entrance, but Li Huowang was nowhere to be found. In the end, she decided to return to the Bai Family Estate.
Upon entering the estate, she immediately saw Li Huowang sitting on a bench.
It seemed that he had been waiting for her.
"Sit, let's talk." Li Huowang patted the empty space next to him.
Bai Lingmiao sat down and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Tell me honestly. Are you hiding anything concerning the White Lotus Sect from me?"
Chapter 617 - White Lotus
Bai Lingmiao was taken aback by Li Huowang's question. "Senior Li, I haven't lied to you. We've been through such a tough journey, and you know how well I've been treating you. Is there any reason for you to be suspicious about me?"
"I know, but there have been times when the people close to me had lied, either out of ill will or good will. I'm sensitive to such things at this point."
Bai Lingmiao sighed, "Senior Li, what do you want to know? I will tell you everything, but can you please stop being suspicious of me? It feels uncomfortable."
Li Huowang held her hands gently and pulled her closer, "Are there any hidden dangers to becoming the Saintess?"
"None."
"Is that so? Then why were you chosen to become the Saintess? Did the Heavenly Mater choose you to become her Twisted One?"
Bai Lingmiao was confused, "Senior Li, what's a Twisted One? I don't think the Heavenly Mater needs something like that."
"No! She needs one. She's a Siming, so she definitely has a Twisted One! Tell me everything that happened without leaving out any details. We will face any troubles together."
Bai Lingmiao remained silent for a very long time before she began. "When Senior Lian took me away on that day, we met with the leader of the White Lotus Sect's branch. They saw me and were thrilled upon seeing me because I was exuding the aura of the Heavenly Mater. They all kneeled and worshiped me."
"I thought I'd met some liars, but I suddenly felt the presence of the Heavenly Master after they drew some runes and texts on me," Bai Lingmiao said with a devout expression.
"Senior Li, I'm not sure if you know, but it turns out that my family was wrong. Those worshiping the Heavenly Mater do not need to sacrifice humans. The Heavenly Mater is a good God."
Hmph! Li Huowang did not believe it at all. The Heavenly Mater had probably gotten robbed of her Heavenly Dao related to human sacrifice, which is why she no longer needs human sacrifice. It's not related to whether she's good or not.
While Li Huowang was thinking about the Heavenly Mater's motive, Bai Lingmiao continued with her recount. "She's a really good God, and She even told me that you were in trouble. The Heavenly Mater also said that She could teach me some techniques; She also allowed me to teach them to the White Lotus Sect members so that we can save you."
"Senior Li, I'm sure you know that we owe Her at this point. If it hadn't been for Her, you would have been in a lot of trouble."
"You were the one who saved me, so I owe you not Her."
"But my powers are from the Heavenly Mater. I couldn't have saved you if it hadn't been for her."
Li Huowang knew that it was useless to argue, so he changed the topic, saying, "Tell Her that regardless of Her goal, we're allies fighting against God Yu'er. We can form an alliance for now. Once the issue is over, we can talk about the terms."
Li Huowang was no longer naive. Bai Lingmiao was praising the Heavenly Mater a lot, but he knew that the Simings were nothing but trouble. He didn't want to place Bai Lingmiao's life under the Heavenly Mater's control.
Bai Lingmiao nodded and said, "Don't worry, Senior Li. I think that our situation is fine right now. I'm happy, and my parents are also happy living in the Void Home of the Heavenly Mater. Once I die, I'll return to the Void Home and meet them again!"
Li Huowang couldn't bear it anymore. He wanted to correct her, but he realized that Bai Lingmiao's expression had changed.
The familiar presence reminded him of the Second Deity The Second Deity was still alive!
Li Huowang wanted to say something when the Second Deity spoke first, "Why are you so annoying? Do you really like to see Miaomiao shrouded in pain and despair?"
"But it's fake!"
"So what? We believe it! Also, who lets you dictate what is real and what is fake? How do you differentiate between the two?"
Li Huowang was stunned as several thoughts popped into his mind.
Bai Lingmiao's expression returned to normal, and she apologized to the silent Li Huowang. "I actually wanted to tell you that the Second Deity is still alive, but she didn't want me to do so. We're technically two people but in one body. Our upper half is separated, but our lower half is fused."
"Wait, let me ask someone about this," Li Huowang said. He stood up and retrieved his phone from his pocket. Li Huowang soon reached the pond, and he stared at his reflection, shouting, "Ji Zai! I need your help! The future is ever-changing, and this world is still alive, so can you revive Bai Lingmiao's family for me?"
"I cannot."
"Why?"
"I cannot do it directly, or everything will change. Also, it was your doing. If I invalidated what you had done, everything that had happened afterward would change, and even..." Ji Zai trailed off.
"Even what?"
"Good. Carry on," Ji Zai said, staying silent afterward.
"Screw you!" Li Huowang scolded. Ji Zai was his future self, but Li Huowang hated the former. He really wanted to use his cultivation base to manifest Ji Zai's physical body and punch the latter in the face.
"Senior Li, what's wrong?" Bai Lingmiao hurried over in a panic. She panicked upon seeing Li Huowang shouting at his own reflection in the pond.
"Don't worry. I really am cured," Li Huowang said, patting Bai Lingmiao's shoulder.
"Really?"
"Yes, but there's an issue, and it's a bit confusing. Anyway, let's focus on the refugees first. I think that their issue is a bit more pressing than mine."
Bai Lingmao nodded and said, "All right."
They were afraid that the refugees would attack Cowheart Village, but they soon realized that the refugees couldn't possibly attack the village with their malnourished figures. They wouldn't even be able to breach the city walls of Shangjing.
Cowheart Village and its surroundings remained peaceful. Cowheart Village provided the refugees with some straws, tattered clothes, and wood, allowing them to build simple houses around Cowheart Village.
The houses were ugly and crude, but they'd keep the wind out.
Soon, no more refugees were appearing around Cowheart Village. Li Huowang pondered over it and was convinced that the refugees were finally popping up somewhere else instead of around Cowheart Village.
On that same night, a noise woke him up in the middle of the night.
The noise was faint, but he heard it clearly. It was the sound of a wooden fish—a wooden fish that monks usually played.
Chapter 618 - Mercy
Dak, dak, dak~
The wooden fish noises annoyed Li Huowang.
"Li Sui, let's go! Let's see what kind of evil entity has come here!" Li Huowang exclaimed. He grabbed his swords and Li Sui before jumping onto the roof to head toward where the sound was coming from.
Li Huowang soon found the source of the sound. It was a group of monks; the monks were so skinny that their bones were visible under their skin.
The monks were sitting near the entrance of the village, playing with their wooden fish. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
The refugees woke up from the noise, but they dared not to even take a peek.
They buried their heads deep in the fields and trembled in fear.
When Li Huowang appeared, the monks stared at him at the same time. Some of the monks used the eyestalks sticking out of the scars on their heads to stare at Li Huowang rather than their eyes.
"Amitabha. This humble monk meets the benefactor."
Li Huowang stared at the old monk in front of him. The old monk was skinny, but he could still recognize the monk.
The monk's face was similar to the illusion by his side. He was the Abbot of the Great Qi's Righteous Monastery!
"Amitabha. We are here seeking alms. We hope that the benefactor will help us," said the old monk. He then showed his bronze alms bowl, and the noises being produced by the wooden fish abruptly came to a halt.
"Alms? No, I don't want to give any alms. What are you going to do about it?" Li Huowang asked. Li Sui's tentacles burst out of him, and every single tentacle was either holding a talisman or a torture tool. They were clearly trying to intimidate the monks.
A few moments later, footsteps echoed from behind Li Huowang.
Bai Lingmiao led a group of believers from the White Lotus Sect to stand behind Li Huowang.
In addition, the able-bodied people in Cowheart Village rushed out as well
Li Huowang held the numbers advantage against the monks.
Just as Li Huowang thought the Righteous Monastery would fight them, the Abbot stared alternatingly between Bai Lingmiao and the White Lotus Sect before putting away the alms bowl and praying in front of Li Huowang. The monks then left with the Abbot at the helm.
"Senior Li, what's wrong with those monks? And they just left like that, too," Puppy said, sounding confused.
Li Huowang frowned at the backs of the departing monks. Then, he turned to Bai Lingmiao and said, "Tell your people to guard the Cowheart Village's perimeter. I'll go and check what those monks are up to."
Li Huowang was afraid that the monks were plotting something. A thief harboring ill intention was worse than a thief stealing something once.
"Senior Li, be careful. They have many people on their side."
"Don't worry. I'm confident that I can still escape even if I can't beat them," Li Huowang said. He projected his image into the ground and tailed the monks in his invisible state.
Li Huowang couldn't help but admit that he had made a mistake. Since the civilians and the Dharma Sect members of the Qi Kingdom were transported here, then it wouldn't be strange if the other sects throughout the Qi Kingdom were transported here as well.
The monks weren't wearing shoes, so their footprints were visible on the muddy ground.
Li Huowang slowed down and followed them carefully.
Li Huowang walked for two Lis straight, and just as he was thinking that the old monks were planning on circling back and attacking Cowheart Village, he suddenly caught a whiff of roasted meat—roasted human meat. Li Huowang's eyes flashed with killing intent. He looked around before climbing up a giant tree with the aid of Li Sui's tentacles.
Soon, he discovered where the smell of roasted meat was coming from.
There was a tiny clay Buddha on an earthen altar in the woods not too far away from Li Huowang.
A group of refugees in tattered clothes were kowtowing and praying to the Buddha.
However, what sent chills down Li Huowang's spine was the thing beside the Buddha's statue. Several monks with swollen abdomens were sprawled out on the ground. Their legs were high up in the air as blood and amniotic fluid flowed down the ground. Shockingly, the monks with swollen abdomens were giving birth to bony lumps of meat covered in hair!
The lumps of meat still had their umbilical cords, and they'd pulse from time to time as if they were alive.
The other monks carried the meat and placed it into a large cauldron.
The scent of cooked meat wafted into the air as the lumps of meat were tossed into the boiling water.
The praying refugees lined up with broken bowls in their hands. They frantically scooped the meat from the cauldron before eating it with relish.
Li Huowang was absolutely disgusted by the sight.
"Benefactor, this humble Abbot wishes to speak to you." A voice echoed from beneath Li Huowang, and he felt his nape going cold upon hearing it. He had been spotted!
Li Huowang decisively swung his spine sword.
The old monk beneath the tree was split in half, but the flesh fused together rapidly, and the monk returned to normal.
Li Huowang's attack was ineffective against the old monk!
Li Huowang glared at the old monk beneath him, who had the same face as the old monk's illusion next to him.
"What is this disgusting thing that you're doing here?! What are you feeding the refugees?!"
The Abbot looked up and put his hands together along with the prayer beads before saying, "Benefactor, saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. We're saving the people here. We can't save everyone in the world, but we still can save those in front of us."
"By feeding them those disgusting things? Would you even eat what you're feeding them?!"
"Amitabha. Benefactor, we are monks. We cannot eat meat. Anyway, they do not have a choice. It goes against the teaching, but it's the only thing that the refugees can eat right now. Otherwise, they'd starve."
Li Huowang was stunned, and he had no idea what to say.
The Righteous Monastery is trying to save the refugees by using such a strange method to produce food?
"Benefactor, the world is ending, and we really cannot find food anywhere. We could only borrow the powers of Buddha to save the people," said the Abbot with a face that was the epitome of mercy. His emaciated face radiated an aura of compassion.
"Ah! He's a kind and merciful person!" the old monk's illusion beside Li Huowang praised the Abbot. "Daoist, he looks like me, and he's a good monk!"
Li Huowang glared at him before turning to the Abbot and saying, "Does that mean that you approached my village to find food? You don't have any ulterior motives at all? You really don't have any food left?"
"Benefactor, this humble monk, and the others were really looking for alms. Benefactor, may I ask why you are hostile toward us? We've been kind toward you, and I do believe that we haven't wronged you at all."
Li Huowang disagreed and retorted, "Kind? Why didn't you say that you were kind when you stuffed those girls into those vases?"
"Benefactor, why are you bringing them up? They were abandoned by their family. If we hadn't saved them, they would've been drowned or buried alive. We simply found a way for them to survive. We're doing kind deeds here."
"Is helping the eunuchs give birth to children a kind deed as well?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't it be? Helping others to have children when they cannot have one is a kind deed indeed."
Li Huowang went silent. He had seen enough. The monks were indeed doing kind deeds—deeds that were kind in their eyes.
Li Huowang was convinced that they'd murder without hesitation if they judged that the action was "kind" overall.
Chapter 619 - Visitors
In the dark woods, Li Huowang and the Abbot were still talking, but the atmosphere had become much calmer.
"Who's your Siming?" Li Huowang asked the Abbot.
"Siming? We're monks. We believe in the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas. We do not believe in Simings."
Li Huowang rephrased his question, asking, "Then, which Buddha do you worship?"
"Amitabha. We pray to Vaicorana from Vajradhatu, the Diamond Realm; Akshobhya from Abhirati, the Eastern Pure Land; Ratnasambhava from ?rimat, the Southern Pure Land; Amitābha from Sukhavati, the Western Pure Land; and Amoghasiddhi from Prakuta, the Northern Pure Land. Together, they're called the Five Dhyani Buddhas."
Five Dhyani Buddhas? Do they control the Heavenly Dao of Flesh? Or is it Life?
Staring at Li Huowang's horrifying visage, the Abbot placed his palms together and bowed to Li Huowang. "Benefactor, saving one's life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Please do give us some alms. Even if you have a history of enmity with us, I don't think you have any history of enmity with the refugees. Can you really watch them starve to death?"
Li Huowang looked at the Abbot and warned, "I will give you food, but you must leave afterward. Do not approach Cowheart Village!"
The old Abbot immediately broke out into a smile upon hearing that Li Huowang was going to provide them with food. "Thank you for your kindness, Benefactor! I will ask the disciples to chant some sutra so that the Buddha will record the great merit and mercy you've bestowed upon us today!"
"No need. I don't think I can withstand the great merit of your Buddha."
Li Huowang didn't trust the Righteous Monastery of the Qi Kingdom. He just wanted to send them away using a bit of food.
Li Huowang passed down his orders and bags of heavy food were soon pushed toward the entrance of the village.
The monks had been putting up a front, but the way they shoved raw rice into their mouths to eat betrayed their facade.
Li Huowang was starting to have some faith in the Abbot's words upon witnessing the monk's desperation.
Li Huowang looked at the Abbot beside him and asked, "You do know that this is not the Great Qi anymore, don't you?"
The Abbot was not surprised. "Amitabha. This old monk knows that, but no matter where we are, Buddha will still be around. Everywhere is the land of Buddha, and everywhere is the land of freedom."
Li Huowang couldn't stand listening to the difficult terms. "I don't care, but you need to know that the members of the Dharma Sect, which caused the end of the Great Qi, have come here as well. If you're as kind as you said, go ahead and kill them whenever you meet any one of them."
The Abbot's eyes widened with shock, and his mustache quivered even though there was no wind. However, he soon calmed down and said, "Amitabha, this old monk understands."
"If you meet the other sects from the Qi Kingdom, remember to tell them that, too. I'm sure that you don't want this world to meet the same fate as the Qi Kingdom, right?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
"Benefactor is right." The Abbot nodded and looked toward the left side of Cowheart Village. Someone was there.
When the moonlight revealed the face of the newcomer, Li Huowang let go of his sword. The face of the newcomer was familiar to him. The newcomer was none other than the former owner of his spine sword, Fo Yulu.
Li Huowang finally relaxed upon seeing Liu Zongyuan and Hong Da walking behind Fo Yulu. The Surveillance Bureau surely reacted swiftly this time.
"Don't worry. They're from the Surveillance Bureau. They probably won't do anything to you if you just talk to them properly," Li Huowang said to the Abbot.
Fo Yulu approached them but ignored the Abbot. She stared at Li Huowang and asked, "Er Jiu, what is happening here? Where did you get these monks?"
Li Huowang had actually instructed Chun Xiaoman to send a letter to the Surveillance Bureau, but since they were here, things had become more convenient for him. After all, he could just tell them directly.
Li Huowang quickly described what had happened. He originally thought that they would question him further, but they accepted it without any hesitation.
"You knew that the people of the Qi Kingdom would eventually appear here?" Li Huowang asked, sounding perplexed.
"The Chief gave us such orders a long time ago," Fo Yulu said. Then, she turned to the Abbot and started talking with the latter.
Li Huowang had just realized that the Surveillance Bureau knew that something like this would happen, but they didn't tell him in advance.
Li Huowang approached Fo Yulu and the others before asking them, "Is the Surveillance Bureau planning to do something big? If they need help, me and my people can help."
The Qi Kingdom's current plight could become the Liang Kingdom's future plight. Li Huowang called the Liang Kingdom his home, so he would do anything in his power to prevent the Liang Kingdom from meeting the same horrible fate.
In other words, he would be helping himself by helping the Surveillance Bureau.
"You?" Fo Yulu scoffed and asked, "Aren't you acquainted with the Emperor? Why do you still care about the Surveillance Bureau?"
Li Huowang was too lazy to explain to her and simply came up with a random reason. "His Majesty has ordered me to help the Surveillance Bureau."
Fo Yulu could still remember how Li Huowang had stolen her weapon, so she was wary of him.
However, she was a Ji Xiang as well, so the Surveillance Bureau took precedence over her personal grudge. In other words, she had to set aside her reservations for now.
"The Chief has personally given us the order to kill members of the Qi Kingdom's Dharma Sect on sight. Three heads are equivalent to one lifespan pill. Also, we have to befriend as many sects from the Qi Kingdom as possible."
"What about the refugees? Did the Chief say anything about them?"
"They are under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Palace. There is no need for us to care about them."
Li Huowang nodded in understanding. The Chief had indeed known what would happen if they connected an Emperor from the Qi Kingdom to the Dragon Vein of the Liang Kingdom. Li Huowang was sure that they were already thinking about this scene a long time ago. However, it was great news for Li Huowang. After all, the Surveillance Bureau wasn't going to ignore them, which would minimize the possible damage that this phenomenon would inflict on the Liang Kingdom.
"Amitabha. Benefactor, are you really from the Surveillance Bureau?" the Abbot asked Fo Yulu.
The Abbot was talking to her, so Fo Yulu's expression became respectful. She showed her identity token and bowed to the Abbot, saying, "I greet the Abbot. I have not renounced my worldly attachments, but I can still be considered as a follower of Buddhism."
"Benefactor, since you're from the Surveillance Bureau, I should let you know about one crucial piece of information. The high-ranking members of the Dharma Sect are still alive, and they must be here, too. We need to find Taishan Shi first. He's the key. He's adept at deceiving and misleading others. If we leave him alone, he will soon gather a large group of devotees who worship Sir Arrogant Stone."
"Sir Arrogant Stone?" Fo Yulu was confused.
Li Huowang frowned and whispered, "Arrogant Stone is just another name for God Yu'er. He's a threat that must be eliminated as soon as possible."