Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 49
>Chapter Title: Pure Heart
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“Clop clop clop.” The black donkey’s hooves kept striking the hard road, producing crisp sounds nonstop.
The others, looking somewhat panicked, jogged alongside the donkey cart.
As they ran, they kept glancing back from time to time, as if afraid something was chasing them.
“Senior Brother Li, why are we rushing out of the city like this?” Gouwa asked, wiping sweat from his brow.
“Zhengde Temple has been open in the middle of the bustling city for so long, and it’s always been packed with people. What do you think that means for why we need to get out?” Li Huowang’s expression was frighteningly grim.
Hearing Li Huowang’s rhetorical question, Xiaoman, covered head to toe in black fur, spoke up.
“Since Zhengde Temple can coexist in the same city as the imperial palace without issue for so long, that already says it all. Whether the rulers of West Capital City are in cahoots with them or have been infiltrated, we can’t trust the local authorities here.”
Li Huowang nodded.
It was one thing for ordinary folks like him to be fooled, but for him to believe that every single authority figure in such a vast nation had been duped? No way in hell. There had to be some shady deal going on.
“Anyway, we’ve stayed here long enough, and we’ve delivered the message to Zhao Wu. Our next step was to leave the city regardless.”
“Rustle.” Li Huowang spread a map out on the donkey cart.
Maps like this weren’t available anywhere else, but he’d finally found one in West Capital City—even if it was still pretty crude.
Li Huowang’s fingertip slid slowly across the map, tracing their upcoming route.
Spanning Siqi, Later Shu, and Qingqiu, the ultimate destination was Bai Lingmiao’s hometown in Liang Kingdom.
“Yeah, let’s head to my place. There aren’t any terrifying monks like that where I’m from. The monks back home are all really kind.”
Hearing Bai Lingmiao’s words, Li Huowang glanced up at her before looking back at the map.
Truth be told, he didn’t trust anyone right now. He couldn’t tell whether the monks she spoke of were genuinely kind or just another illusion.
For a group of ordinary mortals like them, facing off against these unfathomably powerful beings left them far too vulnerable.
They kept going like this until nightfall, stopping only when they were utterly exhausted.
Li Huowang stared at the campfire before them, growing anxious in his heart. Their pace was way too slow.
Honestly, he wasn’t short on silver. Worst case, he could pawn that jade pendant and get everyone a horse apiece.
The problem was, none of them knew how to ride.
“We can’t keep going like this. No more main roads—they make it too easy to be tracked. After dinner, we head into the woods.”
“Senior Brother Li, for your noodles—since we’ll be traveling hard, I loaded them up with lard to keep hunger at bay.”
A steaming bowl of noodles was placed before Li Huowang, bits of minced meat bobbing up and down in the broth.
Sitting quietly beside him, watching Li Huowang devour the noodles, Bai Lingmiao rested her head on her knees and said,
“If the monks at Zhengde Temple aren’t good people, then what about your issue, Senior Brother Li? Do you have to find monks specifically? What about nuns?”
Gulping down a mouthful of noodles, Li Huowang blew gently on his bowl before slurping down a big swig of the broth.
“No worries. It’s a minor hassle. Compared to those pursuing monks, it’s nothing.”
Since the monks had deceived him, everything they’d told him before needed a huge question mark.
Maybe they couldn’t deal with Danyangzi at all, or maybe Danyangzi wasn’t what they’d claimed.
Whether Danyangzi existed or not could be dealt with later.
“Is it not enough noodles? I can get you more. There’s still plenty in the pot.”
Li Huowang shook his head, handed the bowl to Bai Lingmiao, and stood up. He walked over to the Fool, stood on tiptoe, and smacked his big bald head.
“Come on, stop eating. Come with me into the woods to relieve ourselves.”
“Oh...”
In the little grove, Li Huowang and the big Fool stood side by side, fertilizing the saplings in front of them.
He twisted his head first to glance back at the campfire, then leaned in close and murmured some instructions to him.
As night fell, Zhengde Temple began to close its gates.
The monks filed in one after another for evening recitation, filling the entire temple with their rising and falling chants.
Jian Dun walked slowly through the temple grounds, right hand twirling his prayer beads, left fist clenched behind his back.
Soon, he arrived at the Hall of Five Buddhas and saw the abbot inside, focused on stringing prayer beads.
“Abbot, I just checked—Benefactor Xuanyang has left.”
Seated cross-legged on a cushion, Abbot Xin Hui lifted the prayer beads from the water basin and held them up in the air to inspect.
After a moment, he set the beads down on the floor and picked up an infant from the cradle beside him.
“Sigh, poor thing. If we hadn’t found you in time, your father would’ve drowned you.” He gently cooed at the baby girl.
“Abbot, Benefactor Xuanyang has left.”
“This old monk isn’t deaf yet. No need to shout—mind you don’t wake the child. Knock.”
“Thock thock thock thock~” The sound of wooden fish gongs echoed around them, lending the Hall of Five Buddhas a solemn air.
Xin Hui carefully placed the child on the ground and gently wrapped the freshly made prayer beads around her body.
Then, accompanied by the rhythm of the gongs, Xin Hui began chanting softly—not scriptures, but something else.
“Moon hides the jade hare~ Sun hides the crow hey~ Naturally turtle and snake~ intertwined hey~”
As the incantation rose, the prayer beads on the infant’s body came alive, tightening around her.
“Intertwined coils, life made firm, yet able to plant a golden lotus in fire hey~”
Xin Hui formed a lotus mudra with his hands and thrust it forcefully toward the child.
Her cries gradually turned to laughter, growing louder and louder until even the five giant Buddhas in the hall had upturned lips.
“Cluster the five elements, invert their use hey~, merit complete, become Buddha or immortal~.”
The gong sounds faded. The sharp-eyed Jian Dun hurried forward a few steps and held up a prepared flower vase beside Xin Hui.
After some fiddling from Xin Hui, a vase girl identical to the one in Danyangzi’s hut was complete.
Having finished, the cross-legged Xin Hui picked up a thread and began stringing more prayer beads.
“Since he’s gone, go bring him back.”
“Yes, this disciple obeys.”
“Be careful. The boy may know nothing at all, but his potential is not to be underestimated.”
“That villain Danyangzi may be worthless in other ways, but his luck is something else. Who knows where he found such a rare pure heart.”
(End of chapter)