Chapter 262: Change

Chapter 262 Change

Hearing that his youngest son had been hung up for so long by him, yet still spoke such heretical words, Lu Zhuangyuan was instantly furious, smoke rising from his seven orifices.

"You little—!" Just as Lu Zhuangyuan raised the rattan whip to lash his face, Li Huowang, walking over, caught it with one hand.

Li Huowang had known this fellow, Lu Xiushuai, for quite some time now, and had gained a certain understanding of him.

As far as he knew, this lad had always been of a weak disposition; he would absolutely never speak such words. There must be something wrong here.

Li Huowang stepped forward, carefully examining Lu Xiushuai hanging upside down before him. His wide-open eyes were filled with hatred and killing intent, completely like an injured beast.

Having experienced so much, Li Huowang had seen and tasted enough; such a gaze could never be conjured by a dull-witted youth.

For some reason, seeing those eyes gave Li Huowang a very familiar feeling.

Pondering carefully, Li Huowang suddenly turned his head to look at the tall, headless female corpse behind him.

Peng Longteng. He suddenly realized that Lu Xiushuai's current state was nothing less than a perfect miniature version of Peng Longteng.

With a hint of surprise on his face, Li Huowang placed the Purple Tassel Sword before himself to examine it.

Lu Xiushuai had become like this merely after using this sword once.

Although the sword was useful, Li Huowang had always underestimated its side effects; it was only because of his Heart Essence that he felt none of it at all.

"Back then, the Abbess said that while the things of the Military Faction possess malevolent energy, this energy cannot disperse the confusion of the Heart Essence. But she did not tell me back then what consequences an ordinary person would face upon touching such a weapon."

And now Lu Xiushuai had helped Li Huowang resolve this doubt: what consequences would an ordinary person face after encountering this weapon.

He turned his head again to look at Lu Xiushuai, re-examining those eyes brimming with malice.

"Could it be that Peng Longteng was not like that from the beginning, but rather, like Lu Xiushuai, became this way after being influenced by something?"

Li Huowang tried hard to recall every detail about Peng Longteng previously. If one removed the green tattoos dancing like dragons and phoenixes on her face, judging solely by her facial features, she looked completely like an unmarried maiden awaiting marriage.

Yet it was such a woman who slaughtered thousands without even blinking an eye.

Through Lu Xiushuai's transformation, Li Huowang understood the Military Faction a bit deeper.

Obviously, people like Peng Longteng were ordinary people in the past.

But to gain powerful strength, whether through cultivation or otherwise, their bodies were forced to acquire certain things, and it was precisely these things that caused their temperaments to change drastically.

Li Huowang recalled what the monks of Zhengde Temple and the Flesh-Blood Bodhisattva had done, as well as the stench-filled Anci Nunnery.

"It seems that no matter how they cultivate, they eventually absorb certain things, which affect their own personalities and behavior."

"The Abbesses' was corruption, the monks' was lust. Then what is the Military Faction? Brutality? Bloodlust? Or slaughter??"

Seeing Li Huowang standing there with furrowed brows pondering the question, Master Lu clearly sensed something was off. He disregarded his anger, a trace of worry appearing on his aged face.

His youngest son didn't look like he was simply disobeying authority; the trouble seemed much greater.

Even if Lu Xiushuai had hit and cursed him, no matter how you put it, he was still his own son.

"Little Daoist? What is wrong with my son? Could he be possessed by an evil spirit? Can you think of a way to cure him?"

Li Huowang, pulled back by the inquiry, examined Lu Xiushuai once more before turning to Lu Zhuangyuan to speak the truth.

"I don't fully understand Lu Xiushuai's condition either, but based on the general situation, if his temperament can gradually become calmer, there might still be hope. If not, then Master Lu, I advise you to prepare yourself."

Li Huowang's words stopped there, the meaning self-evident.

Hearing this news was like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky; Master Lu stumbled, nearly losing his balance.

Before anyone could react, Lu Zhuangyuan knelt directly in front of Li Huowang.

Li Huowang spun quickly, dodging the kowtow with a slightly frowning expression. "Master Lu, you are trying to shorten my lifespan."

"No, no, no!" Lu Zhuangyuan got up, waving his hands repeatedly. He spoke with a touch of panic: "Daoist Master, this is all my fault. If I hadn't started it, he wouldn't have been bewitched and tried to steal your sword!"

The onlookers gathered silently listening to Lu Zhuangyuan speak, the atmosphere growing heavy.

Glancing once more at the upside-down Lu Xiushuai, Li Huowang let out a light sigh and turned sideways to look at Bai Lingmiao beside him. "How about you give it a try?"

"Boom, boom, boom~" Rhythmic drum sounds rang out.

"The sun sets west and the sky turns dark~ Every household closes their doors, magpies and crows rush to the big trees, sparrows and pigeons rush to the eaves, the road shortens and the galaxy brightens, the small house breaks and the journey becomes hard, ten families have nine locked, only one family's door remains unshut..."

The divine tune began to sing, the Ritualists were invited down, incense sticks glowing with dark red fire points were inserted down his throat, yet Lu Xiushuai showed no reaction whatsoever.

"Senior Brother Li, the Immortals say Lu Xiushuai is doing very well."

Li Huowang snorted coldly. These Immortals were just like that; they had many tricks to torment their own people, but when facing real problems, they were just showpieces.

Grief-stricken and angry, Lu Zhuangyuan trembled as he turned around and slapped Lu Xiushuai across the face.

"He deserves it! This isn't your fault, he deserves it! Such a grown man, actually stealing chickens and dogs!! This is his karma!!"

Lu Xiushuai's angry curses grew louder. Although there was an interlude at night, the road still had to be traveled.

During the day, Lu Xiushuai was still bound, though not hanging upside down from a tree, but tied to the ox cart.

Although a layer of gloom covered everyone's faces in the Lu troupe, for battle-hardened Li Huowang, even if Lu Xiushuai died, it wasn't considered a major event.

Li Huowang already had enough troubles of his own; he had no spare heart to worry about others.

Day by day the road was traveled, and people gradually adapted to Lu Xiushuai's new changes.

Lu Xiushuai was finally untied, because he was not Li Huowang. As long as a person was weak enough, their hatred appeared so ridiculous.

The change in personality did not increase his strength much; after all, he was still a thin, weak youth. Facing Lu Zhuangyuan's smoking pipe and his own older brother's fists, he could only obediently continue the journey.

Master Lu discovered that although his youngest son had become much more irritable, regarding other matters, there was not much change.

For instance, he would still tell those vulgar jokes with Gouwa, still tease his niece Xiuer, only his voice had become much louder.

However, regarding the matter of his own father hanging him up to beat him, he still hadn't gotten over it. He always stared coldly at his back.

Yet he only stared at Lu Zhuangyuan; he dared not even glance at Li Huowang, who had also beaten him.

(End of Chapter)