Chapter 624: Treatment

Chapter 624: Healing

In a dense grove of trees, tentacles with suction cups and barbs emerged from Li Huowang’s left arm, tightly wrapping around a trunk, while another tentacle burst from his right abdomen, entwining itself around a second tree.

"Grab hold! Don’t let go!" Li Huowang said, pulling out a short blade and slowly slicing along the edge of the tentacle base. Crimson blood, thick with agony, gushed from the wound.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, but Li Huowang did not dare to slacken. He gripped the knife and plunged it into his own body, beginning to cut slowly—his aim being to sever entirely the connection between himself and Li Sui.

It was during a great calamity that Li Sui had fused with a steamed bun; he never imagined such an ordeal would befall him as well.

The maturity of Li Sui had so completely clouded Li Huowang's mind that he had forgotten she was a malevolent spirit—a Black Tai Sui capable of possessing human bodies!

He could not allow her to remain inside him for long; otherwise, her instincts would devour his flesh and claim his entire body as their own.

“Hah…” Li Huowang trembled from pain. The agony was no less than being flayed alive, because what he was cutting wasn't just external tentacles, but internal organs as well—this was like peeling skin off bones.

"Dad, are you in pain? Should we take a break?" Li Sui’s voice echoed in Li Huowang’s mind.

"No way!" Li Huowang shook his head violently, continuing his work with the blade.

The rapid healing ability bestowed upon him by Ba Hui had become a curse here. If he paused now, the wounds he had painstakingly severed might reattach themselves.

"Sui Sui, I'm sorry—it's all my fault," Li Sui’s voice carried a trace of guilt.

"It's okay! It has nothing to do with you! Stop talking! Tighten the tentacles! This is just a minor nuisance! I won’t be defeated by this! It’ll be over soon!!"

This process was excruciating, akin to trying to separate two conjoined twins by hand.

"Amitabha Buddha, dear traveler, what... what are you doing?" When the abbot Chan Du of the Zhengde Temple in Dachi entered the forest, he was met with an extraordinary sight.

That red-robed Taoist who rarely spoke was suspended midair by his own tentacles, wielding a blade and carving into his own flesh?

Fine droplets of blood fell from his body, staining the ground beneath him crimson.

Upon learning of Li Huowang’s predicament, Chan Du clasped his hands together and bowed respectfully toward him. "Amitabha, dear one, why didn’t you speak sooner? We could have helped."

Li Huowang stopped cutting and looked at the old monk before him. "You? Really? Do you even know what kind of trouble I’m in?"

"Amitabha, the Buddha of the Southern Happy World, Pusa Sheng Shou, seeks to save all beings. Our bodies are merely rotten shells. You are a great good soul, and the Buddha will protect you."

"Pusa Sheng Shou?" Li Huowang frowned, studying the old man more closely, sensing something amiss. He hesitated and asked, "You're not suggesting I give birth to Li Sui like a eunuch gives birth to children, are you?"

"Nonsense, dear one. Just put on your clothes and come with me."

Chan Du led the clothed Li Huowang to two other monks. After a brief exchange, they instructed him to sit cross-legged on the ground. Then, the three of them began rhythmically tapping wooden fish around him.

"Sila sanga mukha khe ya... du lu du lu pha jaya di... i li li..." As the chanting grew, Li Huowang felt his scalp begin to itch.

When he reached up to scratch it, he found he had peeled off his own scalp. Soon after, his whole body began to disintegrate and melt.

Looking down at himself, Li Huowang suddenly understood how those vase girls were made.

As Li Huowang slowly separated from Li Sui’s body, Chan Du removed his Buddhist beads from his neck and tossed them into the pile of grotesque, blood-soaked flesh before him.

In the next moment, a radiant Buddhist symbol appeared on Li Huowang’s body. Immediately, the separation of Li Sui accelerated dramatically until she was completely severed from him.

As the chanting faded, Li Huowang returned to his original form—but this time, Li Sui was finally free from him.

With hollow eyes, Li Huowang reached out blindly. “Sui Sui, give me an eyeball!”

Taking the eyeball from the tentacle, he shoved it into his eye socket. Everything familiar reappeared before him once again.

Looking down at his body, which had fully healed, Li Huowang couldn't help but sigh inwardly. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

“Amitabha, dear one, what are you saying? A favor for a favor. It’s repayment for the rice you once gave us.”

Li Huowang walked over to where Li Sui lay, staring at the tentacled, skinless dog. “How are you? Are you alright? Did anything get lost?”

"Dad, I'm fine!" Li Sui threw her arms around Li Huowang, grinning happily.

"Dear one, is this the demon you subdued? Very good. All things have souls. At the Zhengde Temple, many demons have taken refuge in Buddhism."

"Taken refuge in Buddhism?" Li Huowang looked at him with disdain. "After taking refuge, they behave like pigs, cows, and sheep, helping monks cultivate their spiritual practices, don’t they?"

Chan Du chuckled at Li Huowang’s mockery. "Your body isn’t stable yet. Be careful not to move too much these days."

"Right, I understand." Li Huowang picked up his belongings and turned to leave the woods. Chan Du and his two monks followed behind.

Having been so helpful, Li Huowang’s opinion of the man improved greatly. “Abbot, don’t blame me for my rudeness earlier. In Daliang, there’s also a Zhengde Temple, and I’ve had issues with them. It’s unavoidable that it would affect you.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“I have a friend named Xin Su. Those monks went mad and insisted on keeping my friend. Compared to them, your level of cultivation is still low.”

Chan Du frowned slightly and shook his head. “Dear one, that’s wrong. If I were in your place, I’d do the same.”

Li Huowang’s expression darkened. “Why? Isn’t Xin Su human? Can you just kill him?”

“Amitabha, very good indeed. Xin Su is certainly human. But for the sake of all living beings, he must be eliminated. Otherwise, he will cause even more harm.”

"And besides, Xin Su is full of treasures. If we keep him and dissect him into magical tools, we can gain enough grain to save countless people. What do you say, dear one?"

Li Huowang stared at him for a while before falling silent, then walked ahead without another word.

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Next chapter updates at 11:30 PM.

(End of Chapter)