Chapter 632
Chapter 632
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 632
>Chapter Title: Answer
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Chapter 632: Answer
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> Hearing that the Surveillance Division in Yinling City was treating them with such courtesy, the abbot of Zhengde Temple appeared somewhat overwhelmed by the favor and quickly pressed his palms together.
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> “Amitabha. Benefactor, you are a man of great virtue. This poor monk thanks you. However, this gift is truly too generous.”
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> “Hey, it’s nothing, really. It’s just a plot of worthless empty land no one wants.” Facing the old monk, Zheng Boqiao, dressed as a Daoist, was exceptionally warm and enthusiastic.
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> From listening to this old Daoist and old monk going back and forth with empty pleasantries, Li Huowang finally realized what was happening. It seemed the Surveillance Division of Great Liang was recruiting sects and cults from Great Qi.
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> That made sense. These people had come alongside the Great Qi populace as fresh blood and were indeed a major asset in dealing with the Dharma Cult.
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> “Excellent, excellent. Master, then it’s settled. As newcomers, I’ve already reserved a table of vegetarian dishes at Rainflower Vegetarian Hall in Yinling City. I’ve heard the flavors there are quite good. I hope the abbot will grant us the honor of his presence.”
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> “This benefactor is too kind. This poor monk has already taken his meal today.”
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> “Master, just look—the dishes are already prepared. If they go to waste, wouldn’t that be failing the Buddha?”
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> Just as the Fangxian Daoist was pulling Chandu away, Li Huowang, his face etched with impatience, blocked their path.
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> “Hey, Daoist Fang, before you busy yourself with other matters, haven’t you forgotten something? You keep remembering to recruit for the Surveillance Division but forget to interrogate the Dharma Cult’s great shaman?”
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> Back in the capital, he truly hadn’t noticed how chatterbox Zheng Boqiao could be.
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> “Fellow Daoist Li, no need to rush. How long could a vegetarian meal take?”
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> “Are you up to the task or not? If you’re not, I’ll handle it myself.”
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> Sensing the edge in Li Huowang’s tone, Chandu quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
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> “Daoist, the meal can wait for any time. Official business comes first—official business comes first.”
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> Hearing even Chandu say this, the somewhat reluctant Zheng Boqiao, clutching his horsetail whisk, finally walked toward the limbless figure on the ground.
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> “Fellow Daoist Li, the Dharma Cult’s troubles aren’t something that cropped up overnight. Haste makes waste. You don’t seriously think we can wipe out the entire Dharma Cult just from what’s in one great shaman’s head, do you?”
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> Li Huowang, of course, knew dealing with the Dharma Cult wouldn’t be that simple. But seeing the man shirk actual work for something else made his blood boil.
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> Now that the man was finally getting to work, Li Huowang stepped back half a pace and stood together with Li Sui.
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> Once the Buddha Jade Furnace retracted the golden Buddha from his mouth, there was a click from He Xinlai’s jaws. He spat a glob of bloody saliva straight at Zheng Boqiao.
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> Yet Zheng Boqiao didn’t dodge. Instead, he reached out and caught it steadily. With a lift of his hand, he popped it into his own mouth. Li Huowang furrowed his brow deeply at the sight.
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> But that wasn’t all. Zheng Boqiao plucked some strands of hair from He Xinlai’s head and stuffed them into his mouth along with a few white hairs from his whisk, swallowing them down.
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> “What are you doing?” Li Huowang couldn’t help but feel profound confusion at this bizarre behavior.
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> “Refining a pill, naturally.”
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> Zheng Boqiao bowed before the three statues, then scooped up a handful of incense ash from the censer and shoved it into his mouth.
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> “Refining a pill? This is how you refine a pill?”
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> Li Huowang knew pill refining well—he’d learned it from Danyangzi himself—but he’d never heard of a method like this.
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> “Using gold as the vessel is external alchemy, a lesser path. The Fangxian Dao uses the body as the vessel, where all things can become medicine. This is internal alchemy, the superior art of refinement.”
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> With that, Zheng Boqiao approached Li Huowang. He waved the whisk beside him while muttering incantations.
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> As the air around Li Huowang began to quiver faintly, Zheng Boqiao’s hand seals shifted rapidly. He pressed his nose close and inhaled sharply.
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> He drew all the quivering disturbances into his belly. His face turned purple, veins bulging on his forehead.
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> “What are you doing?”
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> A crack split Zheng Boqiao’s tightly shut mouth. In an extremely low voice, he said:
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> “You’re Heart’s Origin. You tell me what I’m doing.”
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> With that, Zheng Boqiao sat cross-legged. Like a statue, he remained utterly still. Wisps of white smoke rose from the crown of his head.
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> At this moment, Li Huowang finally understood what Zheng Boqiao had been up to earlier. He really had been refining a pill.
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> “What kind of twisted methods does this Fangxian Dao practice? Using his own body as a pill furnace. Damned freakish.”
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> Half a shichen later, Zheng Boqiao’s mouth gaped wide. A wriggling pill of flesh, coated in gastric juices, was spat back out.
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> Seeing Zheng Boqiao carry the pill toward him, a flash of panic appeared in He Xinlai’s eyes. He clenched his teeth desperately.
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> However, to prevent him from biting his own tongue, Li Huowang had already pried out all his teeth. No matter how hard he clenched, it was useless. The pill was forced into his mouth.
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> Before long, He Xinlai, having swallowed the pill, rolled his eyes back. His limbless body began to convulse uncontrollably.
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> As Li Huowang waited for the next step, He Xinlai’s body suddenly went rigid. And just like that, he died.
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> Before anyone else could speak, Zheng Boqiao pulled a small feather fan from his robes. With one hand pinching a seal, he began chanting over the corpse.
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> “Head as Taiyi, feet as heavenly pillars. Five viscera as armor, guarding the heavenly gate. Drive the North Dipper, command with a shout. Thousand souls, myriad spirits—all follow my mouth. Urgent as the law command!”
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> In the next instant, He Xinlai’s entire head shriveled flat. The flesh pill he had swallowed earlier leaped from his mouth. Zheng Boqiao caught it steadily in his own.
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> Compared to before, after passing through He Xinlai’s gut, the flesh pill had clearly swelled several times larger.
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> Zheng Boqiao tilted his neck back and swallowed the pill. He closed his eyes, as if sensing something.
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> Seeing that the man truly had skill, Li Huowang stopped fretting and waited quietly to the side.
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> After two full incense sticks had burned, Zheng Boqiao slowly opened his eyes. Li Huowang stepped forward.
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> “Well?”
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> “This man isn’t the Dharma Cult’s leader. If he were, you lot wouldn’t have caught him so easily.”
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> “That said, from his mind, I did glean some useful information—some of their bases in Great Liang.”
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> “From what I saw, they intend to lie low for the time being, avoiding direct clashes with us. Hm…”
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> Li Huowang took another step forward.
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> “And Taishan Stone? How much does he know about Taishan Stone?”
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> Li Huowang hadn’t forgotten what Chandu had said before—among the Great Qi Dharma Cult followers, Taishan Stone was by far the most dangerous.
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> “Hm… Taishan Stone… Give me a moment to think.” Zheng Boqiao began pacing back and forth.
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> After pacing for a while, he slowly came to a halt.
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> “He doesn’t know much. Taishan Stone sought him out. That one’s extremely cautious and didn’t reveal too much to He Xinlai.”
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> “Hm… And besides, a single Taishan Stone from Great Qi can’t accomplish much. What I think matters more right now is how exactly the Dharma Cult hooked up with those lamas from Qingqiu. That’s the real trouble.”
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> ————
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