Chapter 124: Why

Chapter 124: Why

"The True Scripture of the Fire Sect?" A bewildered Li Huowang reached out to take the peculiar book encased in translucent wax.

Peering through the hardened wax, Li Huowang made out the title inscribed upon it.

He immediately realized his mistake; what Jiang Yingzi had spoken of was not a true scripture, but a book of maxims.

The True Maxims of the Fire Sect was the name of the tome.

Though the healing process was excruciatingly painful, Li Huowang also understood the immense utility of such an artifact.

"Why are you giving me this?" Li Huowang asked in astonishment.

"I thought my benefactor might want it, so I specially brought it for you. That said, this book is not easy to practice; you must first learn a rather unusual script."

Yingzi reached out her hand, and the wax shell on the book cracked open, revealing the contents within.

"This is..." Li Huowang's brow gradually furrowed.

It was a script formed from various circles, large ones enclosing small ones, and tiny dots nestled within the smaller circles. Each circle was distinct from the rest.

He could not comprehend a single stroke; it was a writing system Li Huowang had never encountered before.

"To understand this book of maxims, my benefactor must start from scratch. Only by mastering the gong, shang, jue, zhi, and yu of the Heavenly Fire Script can it be properly utilized."

With that, she pulled a hand-copied illustrated book from her hands. "This is a translation between the Heavenly Fire Script and common vernacular. My benefactor may peruse it."

Li Huowang flipped through it swiftly, finding the records exceedingly detailed. The handwriting was elegant and delicate, looking as though Yingzi had written it herself.

Since she had gone to such lengths, Li Huowang no longer declined. Truth be told, he truly needed this right now.

However, he had no time to read it at the moment; he would study it slowly once he escaped this wretched place.

After putting the two books away, Li Huowang asked Yingzi, "You gave me these two books without permission. Won't you get into trouble if they find out?"

Yingzi lowered her head and gently shook it, saying nothing at all.

Li Huowang nodded in silent understanding, his gaze turning profoundly serious as he looked at her.

"I won't ask about your hidden troubles. If others respect me by an inch, I shall respect them by a yard."

"I still keep my word. As long as you help me with all your heart, I will still take you and escape from this demonic lair."

"Mm!" Hearing this, Yingzi could not help but nod, a secret joy blooming within her.

"Benefactor, what do you need me to do? I can help you with anything," Yingzi asked, a hint of eagerness crossing her face.

Casting a vigilant glance around, Li Huowang lowered his voice and continued, "Yingzi, since our goals are the same, you are one of us now. I truly need your help at this moment."

Having said that, Li Huowang leaned close to her ear and whispered something, to which Yingzi nodded in agreement from time to time.

Half an incense stick later, the two walked out of the cave one after the other.

Over the next two days, accompanied by Yingzi, Li Huowang explored the entire cave, leaving no hidden corner unvisited.

Hand Three had not broken his word; throughout this time, no one came to trouble Li Huowang. Even if they crossed paths, they merely stared or passed by.

By the third day of Li Huowang's wandering, he had thoroughly memorized the entire layout of the cave in his mind.

"Benefactor, is it all memorized? What should we do next?" Yingzi, who had been silently following behind him, asked in a hushed voice.

With a resolute expression, Li Huowang stared at the cave before him for a long while, then turned and walked back the way they came.

"Let's go back and talk first. Beware of walls having ears."

Yingzi now followed silently behind Li Huowang like a young book attendant.

As he walked, Li Huowang was fraught with worry, his expression shifting between solemnity and ferocity, as if pondering something deeply.

He had barely walked halfway when he was intercepted. The person was none other than Hand Three, his body charred black.

As a chillingly eerie smile split his face, flakes of charred skin crumbled and fell to the ground.

"Young friend Xuanyang, it is already the third day. Have you made any headway?"

"Do you need this old man's assistance? If you feel the previous method won't work, to be frank, I have thought of another approach today."

Before the other could finish his words, Li Huowang immediately stopped him, lest his words foul his ears.

"I don't need it, I said so! I will find the method myself!"

Pulling Yingzi along, Li Huowang strode back toward their quarters.

Seeing this, Hand Three did not stop them. He stood in place, his eyes flickering as he watched their retreating figures.

When the flimsy wooden door was closed once more, shutting out everything outside, Li Huowang finally let out a breath of relief.

Living in this treacherous den of dragons and tigers was truly torturous, like dancing upon the very lips of a beast.

"Benefactor, what are we doing next?"

Hearing Yingzi's words from behind, Li Huowang drew a deep breath and was about to say something when his expression instantly froze.

"Damn it, it's happening again!" Leaning against the wooden door behind him, Li Huowang slowly slid down to the floor.

"Benefactor? Benefactor, are you alright?" Yingzi quickly and cautiously approached him.

At this moment, Li Huowang stared blankly at the young woman before him. After a slight struggle in his expression, he whispered softly, "Mom? You're here? I don't want to eat oranges. Can you go out for a while? I have some things to handle."

"I know, I understand perfectly well. That side is an illusion. Don't worry about my illness anymore. I'm a bit thirsty; could you go to the boiling water room and pour me some water?"

"I don't want the water from the thermos, I just want boiling water."

"Benefactor...?" Seeing the raving Li Huowang before her, Yingzi asked hesitantly.

A moment later, Li Huowang, who had just been smiling, suddenly adopted a profoundly grave expression.

His eyes, devoid of any focus, darted around. "Yingzi, quick, tie me up, tie me to the bed!! I'll explain once I'm lucid again!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than his expression rapidly shifted again. "Dad, why are you here too? Don't you have to go to work today?"

Yingzi stood rooted to the spot, watching the red-robed Daoist babbling nonsense at thin air, yet she did not follow his instructions to bind him.

"Mom, thank you, don't feed me, I can drink it myself." Li Huowang raised both hands toward the empty air, pouring an imaginary liquid into his mouth.

Watching Li Huowang's wide-open mouth, Yingzi's trembling right hand reached into her robe and pulled out a mass of iron thorns woven from various rusted iron nails.

Looking at Li Huowang before her, Yingzi hesitated for a moment, then put the iron thorns back.

"Alright, alright, alright, I'll peel the oranges myself when I eat them, you don't need to come over."

When Yingzi pulled her single arm out of her robe once more, a small bottle of medicine appeared in her hand.

The rust-covered iron thorns were dropped inside, hissing and sizzling as they corroded.

Soon, the corroded iron thorns, continuously emitting black smoke, were brought by Yingzi right in front of Li Huowang.

"Wu wu~" Mantou curiously trotted over, looking puzzled at the scene before him that he could not comprehend.

"Bang!" Yingzi's right foot lashed out fiercely, kicking Mantou straight into the air.

Coughing up blood, Mantou struggled to his feet, swayed for a few moments, and finally stumbled and collapsed onto the ground.

"Mom, stop peeling them, I've eaten enough oranges."

Li Huowang reached out and took the smoking iron thorns.

At this moment, Yingzi stood in place, watching Li Huowang on the brink of death, her body trembling violently with agitation.

The iron thorns crept ever closer to Li Huowang's lips, yet at the very brink of contact, they abruptly halted.

The three mangled, flesh-torn fingers clutching the iron thorns loosened their grip ever so slightly, allowing the jagged thing to sweep past Li Huowang's cheek, clatter to the ground, roll a short distance, and come to a dead halt.

At this moment, not a trace of madness lingered in Li Huowang; he fixed the one-armed girl before him with a gaze of absolute, chilling indifference. "Why?"

(End of Chapter)