Chapter 16: Head

Chapter 16: The Head

Zhengkun's assault had cracked two of Li Huowang's ribs and left several dark, bruised hollows across his body. Fortunately, it was nothing grave; with the aid of his pills, he could barely mend such minor wounds.

Yet, far more than his injuries, his mind was consumed by the scheme he had set in motion.

It happened to be the first day of the lunar month when Li Huowang, seizing upon another clash with him, casually let slip the intelligence about Lord You that he had gleaned from Bai Lingmiao.

Catching the subtle shift in the man's expression, a surge of quiet triumph swelled within Li Huowang's heart.

In truth, he had no idea what the man would do with such information; he merely wished to test the waters. With time on his hands, he might as well beat the bushes to see what stirred, and now it seemed his gamble had paid off, for the man undoubtedly harbored his own hidden agendas.

Days and nights blurred together in the cavern, and the first day of the second lunar month arrived all too soon. This was the auspicious hour for Danyang Zi to concoct his elixirs, confining him to the alchemy chamber for the entire morning, which also happened to be the precise window when Lord You was absent.

Though the Breeze Temple was neither vast nor insignificant, Li Huowang had long since memorized Zhengkun's routines after living there for so long. Yet the man did nothing out of the ordinary, sitting quietly cross-legged within the Hall of Zhengyi.

Could I have misjudged him? Is he not as greedy as I thought? Li Huowang lay on his bed, pondering where his calculations had gone awry.

Fifteen days slipped by, bringing the first day of the second month, and still, Zhengkun made no move.

Just as Li Huowang began to believe his reckoning was flawed, on the fifteenth of the second month, the Hall of Zhengyi, Zhengkun's usual haunt, stood empty, and the man's patience finally wore thin.

The moment he saw Danyang Zi fire up the furnace, Li Huowang hastened toward the master's quarters, strictly adhering to his original plan.

Yet, just as he neared the cave entrance, Li Huowang abruptly halted his steps; he spotted Zhengkun keeping watch from afar, refusing to step inside.

Watching him stand by the door, cautiously peering about, Li Huowang instantly understood. Someone else was doing the dirty work for him while he stood guard; the man's paranoia ran far deeper than imagined.

After roughly half a shichen had passed, Li Huowang watched as Xuanyin sneaked out from within, looking thoroughly furtive.

Zhengkun cast him a single glance, then drew out black talismans and slapped them onto both their knees, vanishing as swiftly as a gust of wind.

The door was left merely ajar, resembling nothing so much as a trap baited to lure the unwary inside.

Seeing that the other party had already acted as his pathfinder, Li Huowang knew that even if the room had been rigged with defenses, Zhengkun had likely dismantled them. He edged closer slowly; this was his chance.

Danyang Zi's quarters were exceedingly spacious, yet chaotic and filthy, with the foul stench of dead rats hanging thick and suffocating in the air.

Despite the wretched surroundings, Li Huowang's eyes immediately locked onto the object of greatest value: a stone slab shrouded in a net of black thread and copper coins.

As expected, this slab must be the heavenly tome Danyang Zi spoke of. He approached with utmost caution, studying the inscriptions through the mesh of black threads.

Zhengkun was undoubtedly attempting to steal the immortal ascension arts, but judging by the scene, he had failed.

Li Huowang scrutinized the contents of the heavenly tome; the text was profoundly obscure and difficult to decipher. He could barely make out that they were pictographs, seemingly from a far more ancient dynasty.

Although the evolution of Chinese characters over millennia has been relatively minimal, he still found it an arduous struggle to read.

The more he read, the more something felt amiss. Hadn't Danyang Zi claimed that the path to immortality required cultivating both internal and external elixirs simultaneously? It appeared this fellow hadn't been following the text at all.

Joyous steps and universal sounds, the Gandharvas... spreading like clouds to bestow widespread shade and grace... a wondrous form granting all beings bliss and liberation...

Moreover, the more he looked at it, the less it resembled a manual for ascending to immortality; it read far more like a sacred scripture.

Hee hee. A bizarre, tittering laugh sent a chill crawling up the nape of Li Huowang's neck. He spun around swiftly, only to find no one behind him.

On the wall, where a hollow had been gouged out, sat only a narrow blue-and-white porcelain vase, as thick as a forearm.

Something is wrong. Heart pounding with dread, Li Huowang began to retrace his steps; it seemed Zhengkun had not cleared away all the dangers after all.

Don't you move, a sharp, shrill, yet delicate female voice chimed from behind.

Li Huowang slowly turned his head once more, and the sight before him sent an icy shiver down his spine. Perched atop the narrow mouth of that very vase was the pale, bone-white head of a little girl.

She was called a little girl, yet her skin lacked the hue of the living, and the rouge on her cheeks was painted in a terrifying, ghastly red.

Staring at the intensely crimson dot in the very center of her forehead, Li Huowang found the sight increasingly eerie.

In that fleeting instant, it all clicked into place; he finally understood what Danyang Zi relied upon to read the heavenly tome for him. It was this very creature before his eyes.

Are you in league with that man just now? Hee hee, you are in deep trouble. I only need to shake my bell, and my father will return. Tied to her sky-pointing pigtails with red strings were indeed a few copper bells.

Hearing her words, Li Huowang was initially seized with anxiety, but in the next second, his expression suddenly turned placid. Go ahead and call him. It is the perfect time to let your father know that you have been deceiving him.

Catching the flicker of panic on the vase-head's face, Li Huowang sneered inwardly. He had guessed right. Indeed, he was not the only one trying to fool the illiterate baldy; this whatever-it-was had been doing it all along!

If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked; every single soul in the Breeze Temple harbored wicked intentions!

I... I cannot be blamed for this. The characters were written so horribly, I could not make heads or tails of them. Father forced me to read them to him, what else could I do? the vase-head whined pitifully, tears welling up in her eyes.

Watching the vase-girl's thoroughly flustered expression, Li Huowang pondered for a moment before swiftly making his decision.

Very well, let us make a pact of three conditions. I leave this place right now, you pretend you never saw me, and I pretend I know nothing of your affairs. That way, it is better for everyone.

The vase-head wobbled, eventually nodding. Alright then, hurry up and leave. I will just pretend you were never here.

Li Huowang lifted his foot and slowly shuffled toward the door. Since the heavenly tome is a fake, were all those alchemy recipes using human ingredients just something you made up for him?

A naive smile spread across the vase-head's face. Yes, because those were the only things I remembered. I pretended the recipes were written in the book and told Father. Do not worry, they will not kill anyone. I do not want Father to die; I am just afraid that if he finds out I am useless, he will abandon me. Look at me, with no hands or feet...

Just as the vase-head was getting carried away with her tale, Li Huowang suddenly raised his right hand high, gripping the jade pendant tightly, and smashed it fiercely against the vase.

The round jade pendant struck the vase in a flash of white, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. In the vase-head's sheer panic, she tumbled heavily to the ground.

The vase shattered, exposing to the air her tangled internal organs, wrapped in black Buddhist beads and reeking of feces and urine.

Boo hoo hoo... Father!! It hurts, Father, it hurts so much. The vase-head's wails grew increasingly faint.

(End of Chapter)