Chapter 112: On the Road

Chapter 112: On the Road

"The Heavenly Book, the Dao Bell, and the Gourd." Inside the An Ci Nunnery, Li Huowang was taking inventory of the items he had previously entrusted to the nuns.

Since he was setting out to seek the Zoroastrian Cult, these belongings, along with his last testament, naturally could not be left behind; he might well need them on the road.

At this moment, it truly felt like a dream to Li Huowang that there was actually a way to deal with Danyangzi, even if that method was likely exceedingly slim.

Just as he was about to gather his things and leave, Li Huowang noticed that his belongings had undergone some subtle changes.

"Is this... a bite mark?" Li Huowang traced the corner of the Heavenly Book with his fingers, casting an inquisitive glance at Miaoxin beside him.

The plump nun, who was currently devouring her food with ravenous abandon, immediately averted her eyes toward the rafters with a guilty conscience.

"Master Miaoxin, you've bitten so hard you left teeth marks. Have you figured out what this Heavenly Book truly is? Honestly, if you could help me decipher it, I would be deeply grateful."

"No, I didn't bite it; those marks were already there. We at the An Ci Nunnery have helped you so much, you mustn't go slandering good people."

Watching her clumsy attempt at deception, Li Huowang shook his head in helpless resignation.

Immediately after, he picked up the gourd and gave it a shake; it was surprisingly empty, and the lifespan pill inside had actually vanished. Li Huowang cast another glance at the plump nun beside him.

At this moment, she had buried her head even deeper into the food, eating in large, greedy mouthfuls.

For some reason, despite having been robbed, Li Huowang felt not the slightest hint of surprise.

He had actually thought to entrust his possessions to these insatiably greedy nuns; he should have foreseen this outcome long ago.

Li Huowang slung the three items over his back, and with a faint trace of helplessness on his face, patted the plump nun's fleshy shoulder.

"Master Miaoxin, may our paths cross again."

He then turned and walked toward the door, but just as he reached the threshold, he suddenly halted and twisted his head to look back at the nun.

The moment he turned around, he saw the nun who had been stealing glances at him shove her head deep into the food.

Seeing Li Huowang slowly walk back and just about to speak, Miaoxin spoke first, her tone completely unabashed.

"I ate that thing. It didn't taste very good. If you have the guts, go complain to the Abbess!"

Looking at the nun's brazen, unrepentant demeanor, Li Huowang chuckled.

"Don't think I'm that petty. I came back to ask you something. Do you know about the Zoroastrian Cult?"

Chewing on the food dregs in her mouth, Miaoxin's expression turned somewhat confused.

"Didn't I tell you the Zoroastrian Cult's Cross Temples are all in the great mountains to the west? I told you exactly which territory they're in, why don't you just go find them yourself?"

Li Huowang shook his head. "I'm not asking for the location. I want to ask you what kind of sect the Zoroastrian Cult is. What is their background, and what sort of people are they?"

Hearing this, the round-faced Miaoyin instantly scrunched her features together, looking exactly like a steamed bun.

"You even possess the 'Record of the Myriad Worlds,' yet you don't know what those things are? Simply put, they are a bunch of freaks."

"Freaks? Funnier than you lot? Hahaha." Li Huowang couldn't help but burst into laughter at this.

A hint of displeasure flashed across Miaoxin's face. "I'm not joking with you! Those guys are incredibly weird. You've used the 'Record of the Myriad Worlds,' so you must know a thing or two about their cultivation methods."

"Those fellows don't sit in meditation or chant sutras, nor do they cultivate like everyone else. They like to torture themselves, claiming it pleases their Gu God."

"Gu God? Isn't it Ba Hui? Or does that entity have two names?" Li Huowang was somewhat surprised by the name of the deity she mentioned.

"Who cares what they call it. Anyway, those guys like to wear tall hats and big robes, all to hide the wounds on their bodies. Last time I saw one, he didn't even have skin left."

"Even though the Abbess gave you a personal letter, they might not give her face. Be careful yourself; we have a grudge against them."

Li Huowang had only asked casually, but he hadn't expected to actually uncover some details.

"What kind of grudge?"

"It's all because of the Abbess's son. They also like to capture the Pure of Heart. I don't know what for, but after the Abbess's son was snatched back, he went completely mad."

After saying this, Miaoxin looked Li Huowang up and down, shaking her head and clicking her tongue in pity.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I almost forgot for a moment that you're one of the Pure of Heart too. It's going to be dangerous for you to go there."

"Senior Sister, you think I want this? The problem is, I have to have a choice."

Li Huowang finished with a sigh of emotion, then turned and walked toward the gates of the An Ci Nunnery.

After Li Huowang left, Miaoyin continued to sit there gulping down food, muttering to herself as she ate.

"When he was writing his last testament, I saw his heart was full of the will to die. How did he change so fast, rushing off to find the Zoroastrian Cult? Did one of you pluck his heartstrings?"

"I'm too lazy to pluck a Pure of Heart's strings, don't drive yourself crazy. I reckon it was Abbess Jingxin who pulled them."

"Oh~ I see." Various different voices echoed back and forth inside Miaoxin's head.

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With his cheeks swollen high, Zhuangyuan Lu led the Lu Troupe hurrying along the road. Haggard and disheveled was no longer enough to describe their current state; ragged and tattered was more fitting, and everyone's face looked grim.

On the cart, Zhuangyuan Lu's wife was now clutching her daughter, leaning over a wooden chest and sobbing uncontrollably.

A pipe stem polished shiny by use was forcefully slashed through the air in an arc.

"Cry! All you know how to do is cry! How many days has it been? I told you to smear soot on your face and you wouldn't! My silver was all robbed by those big-headed soldiers! Did I cry? What? Isn't my silver more important than your purity?"

"Father, I beg you, stop talking!" Juren Lu had somewhat red eyes, his face full of suppressed grievance, looking like he had nowhere to vent his anger.

Looking at his son's state, Zhuangyuan Lu let out a deep sigh.

"Don't worry, they didn't rob all the money. This old man might not be good at anything else, but I have a knack for hiding money. Those soldiers at most searched two places; there are still three places they didn't find."

As he spoke, Zhuangyuan Lu took out a copper key from his waist and reopened the large wooden chest on the cart.

After his calloused hands fumbled around for a moment, he pulled out several pieces of silver of varying sizes from a hidden compartment.

Picking out a piece of broken silver slightly larger than a soybean, he tossed it onto his daughter-in-law with a reluctant look on his face.

"Our Lu family has wronged you. Take it, and when we reach the market, buy whatever you want."

Luo Juanhua, who had just been weeping in grievance, instantly broke into a beaming smile the moment she touched the silver, carefully tucking it into her small pouch.

"It's not for me to use. I'm saving it for Xiu'er's dowry."

Zhuangyuan Lu saw it all but said nothing. Every time his daughter-in-law felt wronged, she always put on this act, not extorting something before she was done; he was long used to it.

(End of Chapter)