Chapter 48: Escape

Chapter 48: Escape

With a creak, the wooden door slowly opened to a narrow slit, and Li Huowang peered through the gap, casting a wary gaze outside.

The soft afternoon sunlight filtered through the swaying leaves, dappling the ground with shifting shadows; it was profoundly quiet out there, with nothing amiss save for a distant sweeping monk wielding his broom.

Yet, to Li Huowang, who had now fully awakened to the truth, this serene tableau was an entirely different scene.

"Hmph! It's all an act, they can't fool me! They're doing this to keep me placated, to make me willingly partake in whatever Universal Salvation Feast they speak of!"

Hardly had the words left his lips when a thought flashed through his mind.

"Wait, why are they doing this? I'm just an ordinary man, and they are so powerful; if they want something, why not just use force?"

This question was destined to remain unanswered for now, but Li Huowang didn't need the answer anyway; all he wanted was to flee this wretched place as far as possible.

Just as Li Huowang was still wondering if the distant sweeping monk was there to keep watch over him, the monk, seeing no fallen leaves left to sweep, picked up his broom and turned away.

"The monks of Zhengde Temple haven't noticed anything unusual about me. This is the only advantage I can exploit right now," Li Huowang calculated silently.

There was no one else outside now, but Li Huowang did not leave; instead, he waited in silence for something.

As time ticked by, sweat began to bead on Li Huowang's palms.

"Clang... clang... clang..." The muffled tolling of the bell instantly reverberated throughout Zhengde Temple, sending a jolt through Li Huowang's entire body.

Having stayed here long enough, Li Huowang knew this bell signaled the hour of the rooster, which also served as the dinner summons for all the monks in the temple.

With a creak, Li Huowang stepped out of his quarters with a placid expression, falling in step with the monks he met along the way as they headed toward the dining hall.

His presence here was entirely reasonable; over the past few days, he had gone to eat just as he was doing today.

Compared to his living quarters, the dining hall was noticeably closer to the main hall where pilgrims gathered; since they were using illusions, they surely didn't want ordinary folk to witness their horrific and sinister side.

Along the way, Li Huowang noticed quite a few monks stealing glances at him and whispering among themselves, seemingly still discussing the events of the afternoon.

Their eyes held mockery, hostility, and curiosity.

But Li Huowang knew it was all fake; these monks were merely putting on a show.

"They're all in league with Xinhui; there isn't a single good person in the entire Zhengde Temple, they all want to harm me!!" Li Huowang concluded with absolute certainty.

Walking at a moderate pace for about half an incense stick's time, Li Huowang saw the dining hall bustling with shaven heads; instead of fleeing outright, he followed the crowd inside.

Filling his wooden bowl with rice, Li Huowang sat calmly on a bench and began to eat the vegetarian dishes before him.

Today's menu featured taro soup, stir-fried konjac with fried tofu, blanched baby bok choy drizzled with oil, and potatoes stewed with squash.

Though completely devoid of meat, the flavors were quite passable.

However, after experiencing that incident, Li Huowang had completely lost his appetite.

To deceive them, Li Huowang dared not show any abnormal behavior and continued to eat in large, hearty mouthfuls.

"Smack!" A hand clapped onto his shoulder, making Li Huowang flinch violently. "Little Daoist, you're here too? Hey! Why were you running off in such a panic earlier?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Li Huowang turned his head with his cheeks stuffed, and as expected, saw the grinning face missing a front tooth.

It was the old monk he had met on the road; if not for him dragging Li Huowang to see some stone statue today, things wouldn't have come to this.

The old monk squeezed his way to Li Huowang's side, holding his bowl of rice, and sat down. "Let's eat together."

Li Huowang cast a peripheral glance at the seemingly normal monks around him, chewed the food in his mouth, and continued eating with his head bowed. "Suit yourself."

"Daoist, where are the others from your group? Tell them not to stay at the inn and come eat here; let me tell you, the food here is free!" The oblivious old monk remained as brash and carefree as ever.

But this time, Li Huowang, eager to escape, couldn't be bothered to humor him.

Finishing his dinner at his usual pace, Li Huowang let out a satisfied burp and walked out of the dining hall.

Back on the stone-paved path outside, the old monk followed him again. "Don't go yet, let's chat a bit more; the monks here are dull as ditch water."

Licking the food residue from his gums with his tongue, Li Huowang looked at him with a hint of impatience. "Stop following me, go back to sleep."

"Sleep? What hour is it? Let me tell you something--"

The old monk's words were cut short as he saw the little Daoist, who had been perfectly fine just a moment ago, turn deathly pale.

Immediately after, Li Huowang whispered to the old monk in a hushed, urgent voice: "Run! As fast as you can! This temple is dangerous!"

In the next second, Li Huowang pushed off the ground with both feet, sprinting toward the main hall with all his might.

His sudden dash immediately drew the attention of the other monks, who all turned to look, but he ignored them and kept running wildly.

Li Huowang's heart pounded furiously, his nerves taut as a bowstring, his eyes constantly scanning for any place where that old bastard Xinhui might appear.

Ten zhang! Five zhang! One zhang!!

As Li Huowang burst out from the side door, a cacophony erupted around him; the sound of footsteps, chatter, and the clacking of wooden fish instantly flooded his ears.

He was now back in the incense-filled main hall, jostled and bumped by the common folk who had come to worship.

Standing in the center of the bustling crowd, Li Huowang was momentarily stunned; the naturally expressive faces around him seemed to be silently telling him something.

Panting slightly, Li Huowang suddenly thought of something and whipped his head around to look back at the side door.

It was completely empty; there were no pursuers in sight.

In the distance, neither the welcoming monks greeting guests nor the monks interpreting fortune slips cast so much as a glance in his direction.

To Li Huowang, everything was so normal, so normal... that it felt abnormal.

"Could it be...? Were those really just my hallucinations? Were all those disgusting things just figments of my imagination?"

But Li Huowang quickly dismissed this absurd notion, shook his head vigorously, and strode rapidly toward the temple gates.

He couldn't gamble on this, not even with the slightest sliver of a chance.

Leaving the temple was incredibly easy, just as easy as entering it had been.

Li Huowang rushed there at top speed, arriving at the inn.

Seeing Li Huowang after days apart, the living ingredients were exceptionally affectionate and swarmed around him.

"Senior Brother, why are you back? Are you done with the temple business?"

"No time for pleasantries, pack your bags quickly, let's go! We need to leave this place right now!"

"Alright, I'll go notify Troupe Master Lu."

"We can't wait for them! We're leaving right now! Hurry, hurry, hurry!!"

"Senior Brother, where are we going?" Bai Lingmiao asked, her face full of confusion.

"Out of the pass!"