Chapter 447: Change

Chapter 447: Transformation

As Lu Xiucai’s mouth grew increasingly filled with filthy and obscene words, he stubbornly remained standing at the doorway, not moving an inch. Chun Xiaoman looked over to Bai Lingmiao beside her, puzzled. “Lingmiao, did you know all along that he would act this way?”

Bai Lingmiao, watching the conflicted silhouette of Lu Xiucai in the distance, let out a soft chuckle. “Do you really think I was just joking when I called him useless at everything? He can’t be good, and he’s even less fit to be evil. This guy is only worthy of being a scoundrel.”

At that moment, Gouwa, holding a bowl of food in his hands, descended the stairs.

Seeing Lu Xiucai’s ranting and abusive behavior, Gouwa’s face turned pale with shock. He quickly set down the bowl and rushed forward to block him. “Oh my goodness! Xiucai, what are you doing? What on earth are you doing?! There’s no need for this!”

Blocked by Gouwa, Lu Xiucai became even more agitated, raising his short blade and lunging toward the door. The thin Gouwa struggled several times to hold him back.

After Gouwa’s persistent persuasion, Lu Xiucai finally calmed down. Under his pulling, he sat down by the side and began eating. While eating, he solemnly swore to Gouwa: “Gouwa, I’m telling you, this isn’t over! All those things that old bones did to me, I’ve got them all stored in my heart! Someday, I’ll definitely chop him up!”

“Come on, you’ve been hungry all day. Eat quickly. You can chop your father anytime, but if the food gets cold, it won’t taste good.”

Lu Xiucai greedily devoured the large bowl of food. As he ate, he suddenly noticed that today’s meal was unusually rich.

He picked up a piece of fatty meat the size of an egg with his chopsticks, dipped it in rice, and put it in his mouth, savoring it joyfully.

Chewing the delicious fat, Lu Xiucai looked at Gouwa in surprise. “What’s going on? Has the village celebrated the New Year early?”

“Nope, Master Li has returned! So the village held a banquet to celebrate.”

“Oh? Really? My master has come back?” Lu Xiucai was thrilled. He was about to rush outside, but then thought to himself whether he should seek permission from the senior female master who had taught him his new divine power.

But when he looked toward Bai Lingmiao, he found that the white-haired girl and the woman covered in black fur were nowhere to be seen. A side door nearby stood open.

Walking through the dim corridor, Bai Lingmiao stumbled slightly, nearly falling, and complained while clutching her knee. “This place is so dark.”

Chun Xiaoman, walking over to help her, replied, “Not that bad. It’s not that dark. Tomorrow I’ll hang more oil lamps on the wall. By the way, aren’t you going to tell Master Li about the divine techniques left behind by the White Lotus Sect?”

A trace of irritation appeared in Bai Lingmiao’s eyes. “What difference does it make if I tell him? You might think these spirit possession techniques are amazing, but to him now, they’re nothing. He’s far more powerful than you imagine.”

“Really? Is Master Li that strong now? That’s great!” Chun Xiaoman couldn’t help but feel happy for Li Huowang.

“Great? Do you really think it’s a good thing for a madman to become even stronger? Think about what he used to do,” Bai Lingmiao said, walking inside until she reached the deepest, darkest chamber.

“But didn’t Master Li tell you he’s no longer going crazy?”

“Does he say it, and you believe it? Then you’re even crazier than he is. Anyway, I don’t think it’s good. When he was lying in bed earlier, whenever he mentioned hallucinations, he changed the subject—like he was hiding something.”

“Let’s wait and see. We don’t want him to panic. He hasn’t run around recklessly recently. Let’s observe how he truly is before making any decisions.”

“Lingmiao, you really care about him.”

“What else can I do? Marriage means following your husband, whether it's a chicken or a dog. Back then, he didn’t think I was a burden. How could I now think he’s crazy?”

“If he’s gone that far, we can only try to find a way to cure him.”

The stone door opened, and Bai Lingmiao stepped inside. The white jade lotus on the cabinet emitted a soft, feminine glow, illuminating the entire room.

Under this light, Bai Lingmiao looked up at the mural on the wall, depicting a double lotus pulled by six white donkeys.

Since the strange chanting sound last time, the double lotus had never disappeared again—it had become clearer and clearer. She didn’t know what it meant.

“Could it be related to the White Lotus Sect’s Mother of the Unborn?” Bai Lingmiao speculated, but after searching through every book in the secret chamber, she found nothing about the double lotus.

Thus, she couldn’t determine whether this matter was good or bad for her.

Now, the White Lotus Sect had only her left. Its future changes—whether good or bad—would directly affect her own rise in power.

“If only I could find out where that strange chanting came from. Maybe I’d get some inspiration,” Bai Lingmiao murmured to herself.

But that was clearly difficult. In recent days, when she went out to perform spiritual rituals, she had specifically asked about the origin of the strange chanting. But she received no answers.

The only clue she could get from the immortal realm was that the sound was chaotic and disorderly. Although they didn’t say so explicitly, Bai Lingmiao sensed that the immortals themselves seemed afraid of that chanting.

Thinking it over, Bai Lingmiao picked up three incense sticks, bowed to the double lotus, and placed them in the small incense burner.

She wasn’t sure if it would work, but she decided to try. At least according to the records in books, the Mother of the Unborn didn’t mind offerings from others.

“Lingmiao, what about those ritual diagrams used for sacrificing people to heaven in the corner of the wall?”

Chun Xiaoman’s voice brought Bai Lingmiao back to reality. She looked at the books selected from the corner. “What else can we do? Burn them.”

“You really mean it?”

Bai Lingmiao’s voice was full of disgust. “Burn them! Seeing such disgusting things makes me sick! Bai Lingmiao keeps her word.”

A lamp oil flickered in midair and fell onto the books. Immediately, flames roared up.

Under the orange-red glow, within the double lotus on the wall, a shape that was upside-down and inside-out began to faintly appear.

Neither Bai Lingmiao nor Chun Xiaoman noticed this eerie and unsettling scene.

(End of Chapter)