Chapter 618: Assembly

Chapter 618: Assembly

Li Sui, clad in human skin, sat with her knees together upon the moss-covered steps of the Bai family estate.

She gazed at the child before her, who held a piece of lard and sugar candy in his small hands, her large eyes brimming with curiosity. “Is this thing delicious?”

The boy, wearing a tiger-head cap and tiger-shoe, appeared to be seven or eight years old—though it was unclear whose child he was from the village. His gaze was fixed on Li Sui’s delicate face, unable to look away.

After waiting for quite some time, he seemed to come back to himself, nodding vigorously, then tugging at Li Sui’s hand and pulling her toward his home.

He led her into his family’s kitchen, mimicking the actions of his mother. With chopsticks, he scooped out a large chunk of solidified lard from the oil jar and tossed it into the sugar container.

Once the lump of lard rolled around inside, coating itself in thick red sugar, a piece of lard candy was complete.

Then, the little boy with the twin ponytails carefully presented the candy to Li Sui.

“Is it good?” she asked, opening her mouth and swallowing it whole. After tasting it carefully, she said, “Hmm... not bad. It has a pork flavor. I like pork.”

“But I prefer meat bones with blood in them—especially those white, soft bone pieces that crunch nicely when you chew. My second aunt and I both love them.”

At that moment, Li Sui suddenly perked up her ears. “My father called me. I should go back. You gave me candy, so next time I’ll treat you to some bloody meat bones.”

With that, her skirt’s tentacles moved swiftly, propelling her forward toward the Bai family compound.

“Father, did you just call me?” she asked Li Huowang, who was arranging yellow paper.

“Yes! Let’s go—we’re about to get busy.” Li Huowang reached out and slung all three swords across his back at once.

“Where are we going?” Li Sui asked as she peeled off the human skin and head she wore, tossing them into a nearby salt jar.

“There’s a guy named Tai Shan Shi who’s causing trouble. We need to find him and kill him.”

As soon as Li Huowang finished speaking, his mouth opened wide, and countless tendrils crawled into his body, making his neck swell grotesquely.

Once they stepped outside, Li Huowang saw Bai Lingmiao standing before him. He addressed the blind girl: “While I’m gone, guard the Ox Heart Village with your people. Don’t let anyone divert attention elsewhere.”

“Mm.” Bai Lingmiao nodded slightly.

Li Huowang gently embraced her before turning and walking briskly toward the village gate.

Just as Li Huowang had left, a pair of white shoes appeared at the entrance. “Holy Maiden.”

“Sigh… Fine, I’ll head straight to the capital city. Make sure this place is protected,” Li Huowang replied.

On one side stood Li Huowang alone; on the other were the abbot of Zhengde Temple and two monks, totaling three; and with Foyu Lu and her four subordinates, there were five in total. This time, nine people would hunt down Tai Shan Shi.

When everyone was ready, Foyu Lu spoke: “If we find this so-called Tai Shan Shi, don’t rush to act yet. First, learn what we’re dealing with. If things go wrong, I can summon help from the Bureau of Celestial Observations.”

Li Huowang clearly disagreed with this overly cautious approach.

“Enough nonsense. Let’s just find him first. Do you have any intelligence from the Bureau of Celestial Observations?” he asked directly.

The Bureau of Celestial Observations, Zhengde Temple, and himself—so many people against just one man.

Li Huowang believed that no matter where this so-called Tai Shan Shi came from, once found, he would surely meet his end. After all, this was the Great Li Dynasty, not the Great Qi, where the Faith Sect lacked such widespread support among the common folk.

Foyu Lu frowned slightly at Li Huowang's impertinent tone and replied impatiently: “We’ll head to Licheng County fifty li away. Our scouts say there’s a gathering of Faith Sect believers there. Let’s catch one of them to see if we can track down Tai Shan Shi.”

There was no time to waste. Everyone mounted the horses from Ox Heart Village and galloped toward the county town.

Riding hard, Foyu Lu approached Li Huowang on horseback from the left.

“Erjiu! Is my Tai Xu Sword useful?” she asked.

“What? You want it back?” Li Huowang didn’t even turn around, gripping the reins tightly. There was nothing more to say about this woman.

“That’s not what I meant. Since you’ve got such a powerful Tai Xu Sword, if you really do run into Tai Shan Shi, you shouldn’t hide behind everyone else.”

“What do you mean?”

“Heh, nothing much. If you’re too scared, fine. Give it back to me, and I’ll let you stay far behind watching from afar.” Foyu Lu smiled faintly.

Li Huowang lightly flicked the reins, and his horse drew close to hers. “Foyu Lu, I don’t care what you plan, but remember—I am now a nobleman attached to imperial power. If you dare pull something sneaky during such an important mission, think about the consequences.”

Upon hearing this, Foyu Lu felt as though she’d been bitten by a fly—this kind of behavior was supposed to be shameful, not praised.

Feeling the tension rising, the abbot of Zhengde Temple rode over to interrupt their conversation.

“Dear companions, please keep the bigger picture in mind. If we truly encounter Tai Shan Shi, I volunteer to go first,” he said.

Hearing the abbot’s mediation, Foyu Lu pulled her reins and distanced herself from Li Huowang. “May I ask your Dharma name, Master? As fellow Buddhist disciples, calling you merely ‘Abbot’ seems rather distant.”

“My Dharma name is Chan Du.”

“Pleased to meet you, Master Chan Du. I am known as Yuse.”

Li Huowang lightly squeezed his thighs, riding up beside Liu Zongyuan, who wore a mask, and asked, “How does this new fortune-teller strike you?”

“Heh, Brother Er, don’t worry. She knows how to behave. She won’t cause trouble for you in such a critical matter.”

Hearing this, his vigilance relaxed slightly, and he continued traveling calmly.

Fifty li sounded like a long way, but riding at full speed, Li Huowang and his party soon arrived at the county gates.

As Li Huowang pulled the reins, his sturdy horse reared up, stopping abruptly before a sea of iron pots and clay jars.

A black tentacle belonging to Li Sui shot out like a shadow, sending everything in front of the horse flying.

Iron pots, boiling water, stones soared through the air.

Seeing the hot pebbles rise into the sky, Li Huowang immediately gripped his sword hilt.

No one but the Faith Sect of Great Qi would foolishly drink soup made from stones.

“Be careful—this place might be a trap. I’ll scout ahead first!”

Foyu Lu looked at the lifeless county town and trembled slightly. Several golden Buddha statues, each the size of a finger, bounced and leaped through the forest of pots and jars toward the city center.

In the time it took to burn one incense stick, while Li Huowang was preparing to act himself, Foyu Lu took out a string of red prayer beads and tied them around her wrists. She chanted a Buddhist gesture and began reciting a strange scripture that Li Huowang couldn't understand.

“Buddha Vipassī saw a person who had passed away, a most wise being, numbering eighty thousand. They followed Buddha Vipassī in seeking the holy life. The World-Honored One taught the Dharma in Deer Park, Kūnāḍa, Su-rū, Kuru, and came to the presence of the Buddha…”

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Next chapter update at 11:30 PM.

(End of Chapter)