Chapter 851: Zen

Chapter 851: Zen

In Great Qi, in Youdu, Li Huowang walked silently along the street. The bustling citizens of Great Qi did not notice him, for today he had borrowed the divine ability of the Forgetful Dao to exchange his face for an ordinary one.

His own face, however, was pressed onto the mechanical body of a Mohist in the Imperial City, used to confuse the senses.

He didn’t know if this method would work, but he would try it anyway.

So far, whether sending people to investigate or having the Qian family consult divination or other sects and factions, nothing had clarified which world had tried to kill him or what their intentions were.

The only certainty now was that the enemy’s world was absolutely not the realm of the Sisheng led by Yu'er Shen. Great Qi had once been occupied by them; he had visited that place himself. Such a world could never harbor living beings in any normal sense.

Without understanding them at all, Li Huowang had no choice but to remain in Great Qi and wait like a rabbit under a tree.

Whether due to the previous disturbance or some other reason, they hadn’t made another move for quite some time.

Since they hadn’t struck, Li Huowang couldn’t just sit around waiting for them either. He continued with his work—saving Great Qi.

The improved complexion of the common folk around him showed that Great Qi was slowly recovering. The reestablishment of both the court and the Heavenly Observation Bureau signified that the forces under his control were gradually expanding.

Survivors within Great Qi had heard the news that food was available in Youdu, and they were slowly making their way toward it. Among them, those who moved fastest naturally possessed certain supernatural abilities.

Perhaps it was the pressure of a shared enemy, or perhaps the promise made during the previous Chan period still held weight, but now Great Qi truly seemed to be firmly under his control.

With the support of Great Qi's people, if such a situation arose again, Li Huowang’s goal would no longer merely be to slaughter them all.

There are always thieves for a thousand days, but never guards for a thousand days.

He must capture their Xin Pan, extract his spine, forge it into a Spine Sword, and then use its power to travel to their world and uncover exactly what was happening.

Just as he was lost in these thoughts, his steps suddenly halted. He saw Miao Guihua, that little girl.

She held several ribs in her arms, standing on tiptoe, surrounded by children in a circle, listening to an old man speak.

Li Huowang removed his disguise and walked over, gently touching her head. “What are you doing here?”

“Bodhisattva!” Miao Guihua called out happily to Li Huowang, her eyes full of affection.

When she heard him ask again what she was doing, she struggled to raise the ribs in her hands.

"Senior Master told me to go outside and collect things that can burn. I saw many bones by the roadside, so I picked them up."

Seeing how the monks from Zhengde Temple could make Guihua do odd jobs, Li Huowang thought this was better. After all, according to their values, people must have worth to live; children without value were only fit to be placed in vases and sold as living hard drives.

"Guihua, bones probably can't be burned as firewood. But tell those monks that they can try grinding bone ash into powder and scattering it on fields as fertilizer."

"Okay, I'll remember!" As Miao Guihua nodded vigorously, the ribs slipped slightly from her arms. She knelt down and hugged them tighter.

"Go now, don't wander off. Even though there are patrol officers in the city, there are more strangers now, and it's not very peaceful."

Miao Guihua looked reluctantly at the speaking old man. "Bodhisattva, can I finish listening before going back?"

Li Huowang stroked her head and looked at the white-bearded elder. "What is this about?"

"He's telling stories from ancient times. When my grandfather was alive, he also told me stories."

Hearing this, Li Huowang stopped walking and sat down beside her to listen.

"Oh~ you’ve lived in such good times! Back then, it was terrible—much worse than now. Nothing was understood, we could only crawl on the ground eating mud. Then Heaven took pity and intervened."

"He told us we could make clothes from cotton and mulberry silk. He taught us how to grow grain, raise chickens and ducks. He even showed us how to use fire. Most importantly, Heaven opened our minds."

"So only then did humans understand shame and rules. From that point on, we became different from birds, beasts, and insects."

Hearing this, Li Huowang frowned. With a sudden fist clench, a woman emerged from the crossroads ahead, waving toward him. “Guihua! Come here!”

Seeing the woman, Miao Guihua immediately forgot about the gathering and ran joyfully toward her. “Mother! Look at all the bones I found!”

“Really? My daughter is so capable! Come, let’s take these bones to the senior master.” The woman took Guihua’s hand and walked toward Zhengde Temple.

Once Miao Guihua was far enough away, Li Huowang asked the white-haired old man, “Old sir, may I ask something? How did you survive when there was no food?”

“Oh.” The old man sighed deeply. “My son and daughter-in-law were filial. They cut flesh from their own bodies to feed me. But they died, and I, this old wretch, am still alive. Truly a sin.”

“You’re lying.” Li Huowang frowned. Instantly, the surrounding people naturally dispersed to resume their tasks. Before long, only two remained on the street.

“Who are you really? What’s your background?” With his sharp perception, Li Huowang clearly sensed something was wrong with this man—and there was no attempt to conceal it.

“My name is Po Dae’er, a minor wandering cultivator, insignificant indeed. Po Dae’er greets Master Li.” Facing Li Huowang’s exposure, Po Dae’er showed no panic, bowing respectfully.

“A wandering cultivator? What do you cultivate?”

“Zen.”

“What kind of Zen?”

“Wild fox Zen.”

“Wild fox Zen?” Li Huowang studied him closely, recalling his earlier actions, feeling oddly familiar.

“Old sir, do you know? I once had a friend who, like you, liked to tell stories.”

“I’m not telling stories—I’m recounting history,” the old man replied.

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that he, a native of Great Qi, kept traveling to other worlds to tell stories, just like you now. Even more important—he was Xin Pan!”

As soon as Li Huowang finished speaking, the ground beneath the old man suddenly gave way, pulling his legs tightly and trapping him.

In the next moment, Li Huowang’s Spine Sword thrust toward the old man’s abdomen.

But just as the blade pierced through flesh, the old man’s head suddenly shook violently, followed by a sudden leap upward.

His head, along with his bloody internal organs and meridians, was ripped out of his body and flew into the air. Li Huowang’s Spine Sword only struck an empty shell.