Chapter 135: Sword

Chapter 135: The Sword

"Haa... haa..." Li Huowang panted heavily, struggling up the mountain path, the oil-paper parcel in his hand swaying with every arduous step.

To be honest, the mountain trails of Henghua were truly treacherous; there were no proper steps, just uneven, pitted ground, and no matter how many times he had walked it, he still couldn't get used to the ordeal.

His sweat-soaked clothes chafed against Li Huowang's tender skin, causing a stinging pain.

"Woof! Woof woof!!" Mantou, who had already dashed ahead to the mountain gate of Ance Nunnery, turned back to wag his tail at his master.

By the time Li Huowang dragged his heavy, exhausted legs to the gate, he found Mantou already sitting and waiting for him; a dog's stamina was far superior to a man's.

"Stop following me, get down!"

Clearly, Mantou didn't understand Li Huowang's words; he wagged his head and tail, coming close to his master and affectionately licking Li Huowang's fingers with his tongue.

After resting for a while against the Nüshu couplets at the mountain gate, Li Huowang, having caught his breath, covered his nose and walked toward the distant, roofless temple.

Ance Nunnery was just as it had always been: filthy, foul-smelling, and dilapidated.

However, the swamp of half-rotten food that had previously filled the nunnery was mostly gone now, though whether it had been eaten or simply rotted away was unclear.

"Why did you bring a dog up here? The nunnery's waste is used to feed the pigs, and it certainly can't be used to feed your dog."

The nun Miaoyu, approaching from the opposite direction, spoke to Li Huowang, her tone full of wariness.

"Senior Sister, is Abbess Jingxin here?" Li Huowang asked, patting Mantou's head with his hand.

Miaoyin was just about to open her mouth when a greedy expression suddenly flashed across her face. "Give me a portion of the pastries in your hand, and I'll tell you."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Li Huowang said with a faint smile, cupping his hands in a polite greeting before turning to walk toward Abbess Jingxin's quarters.

Winding through the dilapidated temples, Li Huowang finally stood before his destination.

The wall that should have been demolished had been rebuilt, and inside the room, Li Huowang could see Abbess Jingxin.

Compared to before, she had returned to her normal state; her fat had once again stretched her skin taut, and wrinkles had reclaimed her forehead.

The only things unchanged were her two pitch-black eye sockets and her toothless mouth, which had sunken inward.

"Ah... mung bean cakes! Did you buy them from Fushou Zhai at the foot of the mountain? Their mung bean cakes are unparalleled, not to mention the wife cakes and the red bean paste mooncakes."

Watching Jingxin drag her massive bulk, supporting herself on the ground with her grimy black hands as she crawled toward him, Li Huowang handed over the pastries he was carrying.

Toothless, Abbess Jingxin grabbed the parcel and, without even unwrapping the brown oil paper, shoved it into her mouth, grinding it hard against her red gums.

As he reached into her mouth to help her unwrap the oil paper, Li Huowang asked, "Abbess, thank you for your guidance before. If it weren't for your help, I'm afraid I would have been dead long ago."

At that moment, Abbess Jingxin didn't stop at all, focusing all her attention on the parcel of pastries, her mouth completely full.

Li Huowang was in no hurry; he stood quietly to the side, watching Abbess Jingxin eat.

This parcel of mung bean cakes weighed three and a half catties, enough for an ordinary family to eat for a long time, but for the Abbess, it posed no challenge at all.

Just as there were only a few pieces left, Abbess Jingxin forced herself to stop, wrapping the remaining cakes in the oil paper and setting them aside.

"Your master is gone? Let me take a look." Abbess Jingxin reached out her hands, their nail beds caked with black grime, toward Li Huowang.

After carefully feeling around Li Huowang's abdomen, she slowly withdrew her hands.

"Hmm, not bad. Your master is indeed gone. Those fellows from the Zoroastrian sect are actually quite useful."

Glancing at Danyangzi, who was not far away, Li Huowang nodded in agreement. "Indeed, I must thank you for your help with that, Abbess."

"If you're so thankful, why didn't you buy more? Are these three and a half catties of pastries just meant to pick my teeth?"

Abbess Jingxin complained dissatisfiedly, picking up the remaining pastries to greedily sniff them before tucking them into the folds of her fat.

"Very well, I will definitely bring more on my next visit."

"That's a promise, and I'll remember it. I hate it most when people don't keep their word when it comes to food."

The tone of their conversation had clearly changed from before, becoming much more familiar.

"By the way, Abbess, you previously asked Junior Sister Bai to pass on a message for me to return. Is there something you need me to do?" As soon as Li Huowang said this, Abbess Jingxin fell into deep thought.

After pondering for a long while, she finally spoke again. "Where are you heading next?"

"To escort the other martial brothers and sisters home."

"And after that?"

"To find a way to resolve the issue with the Heartless." As he said this, Li Huowang's tone was exceedingly calm, yet resolute.

Abbess Jingxin was not at all surprised by Li Huowang's answer. "You child, you are truly stubborn. Go ahead and search, perhaps once you hit a dead end, you'll turn back."

"We'll see when I hit that dead end. If I remain trapped between reality and illusion, it won't be much better than death."

"Mm, well said, well said..."

Seeing her reaction, Li Huowang's heart stirred. "Regarding how to break free from the Heartless, does the Abbess have any guidance to offer?"

"What guidance could I possibly give? If I could, my son wouldn't have gone mad. If you want to keep searching, I won't stop you. How about this, I'll sell you a weapon for self-defense on the road."

"A weapon?" Following Abbess Jingxin's finger, Li Huowang looked toward the pitch-black corner, where a long sword leaned diagonally against the filthy wall.

Li Huowang walked over and reached out to grab it, nearly failing to lift it; the sword was incredibly heavy.

Carrying the sword, Li Huowang approached Abbess Jingxin and gently pulled the hilt. In an instant, an overwhelmingly dense aura of murderous intent filled the entire room.

A wave of heat surged into Li Huowang's mind, making his eyes redden and his body tremble uncontrollably; he felt something continuously flowing from the hilt into his body.

Using all his strength, Li Huowang sheathed the long sword once more. Everything slowly returned to normal as he panted, his heart still racing with lingering fear.

"It's a weapon from the School of the Military, so a bit of murderous aura is normal. Ordinary people using it might end up consumed by it, but since you are the Heartless, you're fine. This little bit of aura can't possibly dispel your delusions."

"This sword can kill men and slay demons; it's perfect for self-defense on the road. From now on, don't use the Record of a Thousand Worlds anymore; it just hurts to watch."

Li Huowang stared in awe at the long sword in his hands. Even though he knew nothing about such matters, just from that brief moment, he knew this sword was extraordinary and undoubtedly a treasure.

"Abbess, you just said you'd sell this sword to me? But I can't afford it right now."

"You can write an IOU. Thirty thousand taels of gold should be enough, with interest, of course. And also, just in case—and I mean just in case—you actually find a way to break free from the Heartless, you must tell me."

Li Huowang looked at the Abbess before him with a highly complex expression. He could tell that the first part was just said in jest; what she truly wanted was the latter.

(End of Chapter)