Chapter 264
Chapter 264
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 264
>Chapter Title: Changes
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Hearing his youngest son spout such outrageous words after being hung up for so long, Lv Zhuangyuan was instantly so furious that smoke seemed to pour from all seven orifices.
"You little—!" Just as Lv Zhuangyuan raised the rattan strip to lash it across his face, Li Huowang stepped forward and grabbed it with one hand.
Li Huowang had known this kid Lv Xiucai for quite some time now and had a decent understanding of him.
From what he knew, the boy had always been soft-natured and never would have said something like that. There had to be something wrong here.
Li Huowang stepped forward and carefully examined the upside-down Lv Xiucai. His wide, bulging eyes were filled with hatred and killing intent, just like those of a wounded wild beast.
After all he'd been through, Li Huowang had seen plenty, and this was no dull-witted boy's glare.
For some reason, seeing those eyes gave Li Huowang a strong sense of familiarity.
After pondering it carefully, Li Huowang suddenly whipped his head around to look at the tall, headless female corpse behind him.
Peng Longteng. He realized it now—the current Lv Xiucai was exactly like a pint-sized Peng Longteng.
With a hint of surprise on his face, Li Huowang held the purple-tasseled sword in front of himself and examined it.
Lv Xiucai had turned out like this after using the sword just once.
The sword was incredibly useful, but Li Huowang had always underestimated its side effects. It was just that his heart's purity made him completely immune to them.
"The abbess once said that while the soldier schools' weapons carry baleful aura, it can't pierce the fog of heart's purity. But she never told me what happens when an ordinary person touches one of those weapons."
And now Lv Xiucai had answered that question for him—what happened when an ordinary person touched such a weapon.
He turned his head to look at Lv Xiucai again, scrutinizing those eyes brimming with malice.
"Could it be that Peng Longteng wasn't always like that, but became that way after being influenced, just like Lv Xiucai?"
Li Huowang racked his brain, recalling every little detail about Peng Longteng. If you ignored the elaborate azure tattoos dancing across her face like dragons and phoenixes, her features alone looked just like those of an innocent young maiden waiting to be wed.
Yet a woman like that had butchered thousands without so much as batting an eye.
Through Lv Xiucai's transformation, Li Huowang gained a deeper understanding of the soldier schools.
Clearly, people like Peng Longteng had once been ordinary folk.
But to gain immense power—whether through cultivation or some other means—their bodies had been forced to absorb certain things. And those very things were what caused their personalities to change so drastically.
Li Huowang recalled what the monks of Zhengde Temple had done with the Blood Flesh Bodhisattva, as well as the stench-filled An Ci Nunnery.
"It seems no matter how they cultivate, they all end up absorbing something in the end, and it warps their personalities and behavior."
"The nuns absorbed rot, the monks lust—what do the soldier schools absorb? Brutality? Bloodlust? Or slaughter itself?"
Seeing Li Huowang standing there, brows furrowed deep in thought, Lv Zhuangyuan clearly sensed something was off. He set aside his anger, a trace of worry creasing his aged face.
This didn't look like mere defiance anymore. The trouble seemed far bigger.
Even if Lv Xiucai beat him or cursed him, blood was still thicker than water—he was still his son.
"Young Daoist? What's wrong with my son? Is he possessed? Can you find a way to cure him?"
Pulled back to reality by the question, Li Huowang gave Lv Xiucai another once-over before turning to Lv Zhuangyuan and telling him the straight truth.
"I'm not entirely sure what's going on with Lv Xiucai either, but from what I can tell, if his temperament gradually softens, he might still have a chance. If not... well, Lv Zhuangyuan, I'd advise you to prepare yourself."
Li Huowang's words hung heavy with implication.
The news hit Lv Zhuangyuan like a bolt from the blue. His body staggered, nearly collapsing.
Before anyone could react, Lv Zhuangyuan dropped straight to his knees in front of Li Huowang.
Li Huowang twisted away quickly, his expression twisting in discomfort as he dodged the kowtow. "Lv Zhuangyuan, you're going to shorten my lifespan doing that."
"No, no, no!" Lv Zhuangyuan scrambled up, waving his hands frantically. With panic in his voice, he said: "Daoist, this is all my fault. If I hadn't started it, he never would've lost his senses and tried to steal your sword!"
The onlookers gathered silently, listening to Lv Zhuangyuan's words as the atmosphere grew somber.
Li Huowang glanced once more at the upside-down Lv Xiucai, let out a soft breath, and turned sideways to Bai Lingmiao beside him. "Why don't you give it a try?"
"Thump-thump-thump~" Rhythmic drumming began.
"The sun sets in the west, blackening the sky~ Households shut their doors tight, magpies and crows flock to the great trees, sparrows and swifts dart to the eaves. The high road shortens as the starry river gleams, the small hut cuts off the hardships of the way. Nine out of ten homes are locked tight, leaving just one door unbarred..."
The divine tune was sung, and the Bei clan spirits were summoned. Incense sticks glowing with dark red embers were inserted down his throat, yet Lv Xiucai showed no reaction whatsoever.
"Senior Brother Li, the immortals say Lv Xiucai's doing just fine."
Li Huowang snorted coldly. These immortals were all talk when it came to messing with their own—useless when faced with real problems.
Trembling with grief and rage, Lv Zhuangyuan spun around and slapped Lv Xiucai across the face.
"It's his fault! This ain't on you, Daoist—it's his own damn fault! A grown man stealing like a thief!! This is his retribution!!"
Lv Xiucai's angry cursing grew even louder.
Though an incident had cropped up that night, the road still had to be traveled.
During the day, Lv Xiucai remained bound, though no longer hanging upside down from a tree. Instead, he was tied to the ox cart.
A pall of gloom hung over every face in the Lv Family Troupe, but to Li Huowang, who'd weathered a hundred battles, even if Lv Xiucai died, it wouldn't count as much of anything.
Li Huowang had more than enough troubles of his own. He had no spare energy to worry about others.
Day after day, the journey continued, and everyone gradually grew accustomed to Lv Xiucai's new change.
Lv Xiucai was eventually untied in the end—not because he was Li Huowang. As long as a person stayed weak enough, their hatred just came off as laughably pathetic.
The shift in personality hadn't made him any stronger. He was still just a scrawny youth. Faced with Lv Zhuangyuan's pipe or his elder brother's fists, he could only obediently keep marching.
Lv Zhuangyuan discovered that while his youngest son's temper had grown much more volatile, he hadn't changed much in other ways.
For instance, he still traded vulgar jokes with Gouwa and still teased his niece Xiu'er—just louder now.
But he still hadn't gotten over his father hanging him up and beating him. He always stared coldly at Lv Zhuangyuan's back.
Yet he only glared at Lv Zhuangyuan. He didn't dare so much as glance at Li Huowang, who'd hit him too.
(End of chapter)