"Yingzi, I have another question. Other than the self-mutilating rituals recorded within the Profound Records, does the Ao Jing Sect have any other kinds of power or techniques?" Li Huowang finally asked the most important question.
When she heard this question, Yingzi was slightly troubled. "Yes, but I cannot teach them to you right now; you need a specific item to use those techniques, similar to the Profound Records. Senior Shou San would never give it to you."
Every single ability they have requires the use of a book? This sect is weird.
Li Huowang thought to himself.
"Who wrote these books?" asked Li Huowang.
"I've heard that it was the elders within the cave who wrote them. Every single book within the sect originates from them," replied Yingzi.
Elders?
Noticing Li Huowang's confused face, Yingxi continued, "Everyone needs a book to use their corresponding powers, but I've heard that the elders don't require them; they are able to use their powers at whim. However, I've never seen such a scene with my own eyes."
"Oh... So that's how it is." Li Huowang nodded.
It seems that Shou San is not the leader of the Ao Jing Sect. At most, he's somewhere on the middle level in the hierarchy.
"Do the elders reveal themselves regularly?" Li Huowang asked another question.
"No, they don't usually meddle in worldly affairs. They have only ever come out once throughout the four years I have been here," replied Yingzi.
"Wait, since those Elders don't need the Profound Records to use their abilities, doesn't it mean that they are able to use Ba-Hui's power anytime they need it?" asked Li Huowang.
However, he shook his head when he thought about it. "That can't be right. Summoning Ba-Hui requires one to pay a heavy price. Ba-Hui is only interested in extreme pain, so it shouldn't be that easy borrowing its strength."
Yingzi was concerned as she looked at him. "Sir, why are you asking these questions?"
Li Huowang was startled. He quickly regained his composure and calmly said, "You know that I am making a deal with them. This is the first time I have made contact with the Ao Jing Sect, and so I would like to know more about them. This time around, I don't want to get fooled."
Even though Li Huowang wanted to use Yingzi to gain more information about the Ao Jing Sect, he still couldn't trust her enough to inform her about his actual plans.
She had suffered within the Ao Jing Sect for four years, and this time around, she was even sent as a fodder! Logically speaking she would not align herself with the Ao Jing Sect and would never betray him, but he did not want to bet on it; he would never gamble with his life, even if the chances of her betraying him were slim at best.
There was too great a risk in telling her what he planned to do. If she wanted to save herself, she could sell him out to Shou San and cause everything to fall apart.
"Sir, are you really going to make a deal with them? They... They are not good people," warned Yingzi.
Li Huowang nodded. "Of course I know they are not good people and that it could be dangerous, but that doesn't mean that they are useless. The deal they offered was fair enough, and so there's no need for me to refuse it."
Li Huowang did not lie. He had decided to find a method to induce maximum mental pain while searching for the method that the Ao Jing Sect would use to heal him.
He didn't care if he needed to cooperate with them or steal it as long as he could get rid of Dan Yangzi.
Li Huowang continued talking to Yingzi up until midnight. Through his talk, he learned a lot of information about the Ao Jing Sect and now had a rough understanding of it.
The Ao Jing Sect rarely interacted with the outside world. Their highest edict was to steal Ba-Hui's power regardless of the method and ultimately replace Ba-Hui, following in the steps of their Sacrificial God.
Yingzi also told him that while the Ao Jing Sect was bloodthirsty and cruel, they always adhered to their rules strictly.
They would wash their torture tools and arrange them methodically after they used it.
Breaking a rule within the Ao Jing Sect was considered a grave sin, since they are necessary for the order of the sect.
Li Huowang even found out that the Ao Jing Sect was quite a massive sect. Unlike the Righteous Monastery and the Benevolent Nunnery, the Ao Jing Sect in the mountain here was merely one of its branches. There were five more places just like the one Li Huowang was staying at right now.
On the thirteenth day of the sixth month each year, all the branches would gather to share their findings.
Late into the night, Li Huowang was deep in his thoughts. Yingzi's information not only gave him a better understanding of the sect, but also how difficult his current situation was.
"Both the methods are equally hard to use successfully... "Li Huowang mumbled to himself.
"Both methods?" Yingzi was confused.
Compared to how she had been on the verge of breaking down a few hours ago, she was much more emotionally stable now.
"It's nothing, go to bed." Li Huowang stood up and walked to a stone bed.
Seeing this, Yingzi silently followed him.
However, Li Huowang had no time to think about such trivial things in this dangerous situation. He could also use this opportunity to test what her true intentions were. As much as he hated Dan Yangzi, Li Huowang could still use his master as a safety net if he encountered dangerous situations.
That night, the intense barking of a dog woke Li Huowang. He quickly lit the oil lamp and saw that Bun was barking toward the bed.
When Bun saw Li Huowang was awake, it quickly stopped and started wagging its tail. "Uuuu~"
At that moment, Yingzi also sat up groggily. "Father, what's wrong? Why is our dog barking?"
It was only after a moment that she realized her mistake and was embarrassed. "Sorry, I dreamt that I was celebrating the new year with my family."
Her acting was very good. She made it look like she had indeed just woken up.
Li Huowang took one look at her and scanned the cold cave. Then, he extended his right hand and pinched the back of Bun's neck before picking it up and placed it on the stone bed.
"It's alright, go to bed." Li Huowang hugged the dog as he went back to his bed.
"Mmm ..." Yingzi lied down beside Li Huowang once more.
Soon, the room was once again plunged into darkness as Li Huowang listened to the regular breathing sound coming from Yingzi.
"Is it really okay for a woman like you to lie down on the same bed with me?" asked Li Huowang. He had just finished saying that when he heard the sound of clothes rustling behind him.
"I can't be considered a little girl anymore. So what if I lie down on the same bed as you? If you want to, then just use me," Yingzi's voice rang out. At the same time, the oil lamp was reignited, allowing Li Huowang to see her naked body.
Her breasts were gone. All that was left in their place were two large scars on her chest. Various injuries and scars covered her body, with some of them still leaking pus.
Chapter 121 - Yang Na
Li Huowang was shocked when he saw the state her body was in.
"These... Did they do all this to you?" Li Huowang's voice was trembling; at the same time, his hatred for the Ao Jing Sect became even stronger.
"They only did a part of it in the beginning. Later, I did most of it myself in order to assimilate into the sect and become one of them," Yingzi calmly wore her robes back before continuing in a voice filled with ridicule, "I've already sacrificed so much and had thought that I was already one of them; however, turns out that's not the case. In their eyes I'm nothing more than a disposable pawn."
Li Huowang wanted to console her but didn't know what to say. He could lie back down on the bed.
"Don't worry. I will take you out of this accursed place. You can start over," said Li Huowang.
However, Yingzi did not answer him.
Li Huowang knew that his words didn't have any power; if she didn't will it herself, her life would never get better.
Splat~
At that moment, a wet tongue started licking Li Huowang's face—it was Bun who had been lying on his chest.
Li Huowang patted Bun and stared at the dark ceiling.
When he woke up on the second day, someone had already sent in their breakfast which consisted of sweet potato congee paired with multigrain biscuits.
First, Li Huowang fed some of the food to Bun. After he confirmed that it was not poisoned, Li Huowang ushered Yingzi to eat alongside him.
Li Huowang had decided not to ask her anything else today. Her position within the Ao Jing Sect was relatively low, and so she would only know some of the things that would be considered common knowledge anyway. He probably had a higher chance of learning new information if he went out on his own.
He had even thought about an excuse in case Shou San asked what he was doing outside. He would just say that he wanted to learn how the members of the Ao Jing Sect inflicted pain onto themselves.
Under Yingzi's guidance, Li Huowang started roaming around inside the cave system.
Li Huowang was able to roam freely without any sect member intercepting them. All they did was stare at him. He wasn't sure if this was because of their adherence to their rules or the Flesh Book given to him by Abbess Jingxin.
With his heightened senses, Li Huowang was able to detect a sense of alertness and curiosity from the sect members. There were also some unidentified emotions intertwined with that curiosity.
However, Li Huowang soon decided to ignore them; he was more and more repulsed by the things he had seen within the cave system.
If the Eighteen Layers of Hell described in Buddhism truly existed, then this place was precisely it.
Flaying, chopping in half, dismemberment, lopping off body parts, death by thousand cuts, and various other torture methods that he had never seen before.
Li Huowang's stomach started to churn due to the intense stench of blood assaulting his nose.
Soon, he walked out from the area filled with the sound of flesh being torn apart and screams. He had barely caught his breath while leaning onto a wall when he saw a small figure run by with a pinwheel in his hands. The little boy was wearing a pair of shoes and a hat made from tiger skin as he happily raised the pinwheel in his hand. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
"Dad, you are so slow," said the young boy.
Behind the boy was one of the sect members. He raised his scarred hands as he chased after the boy. "Son, you are just a fast runner."
Seeing the both of them leave, Li Huowang's face contorted with disgust. "These damned lunatics! Don't they have any conscience?"
Yingzi, who had been leading the way, took a glance at Li Huowang before continuing on her way. "Sir, you seemed like you were interested in the other books of the Ao Jing Sect. If you want, I can give you my book. How about it?"
Yingzi had expected a reply but there was none. When she turned around, she saw that the Taoist in red robes was holding onto his head with a pained look on his face.
"Damn! It's here again!" Li Huowang suddenly felt everything around him disappear. He knew that the hallucination was starting once again.
"Sir? Sir, what's wrong?" Yingzi quickly approached him.
At that moment, Li Huowang saw with his very eyes as Yingzi's figure turned into that of a nurse.
"Roll your tongue back in. Don't bite on it," instructed the nurse.
When the nurse saw how Li Huowang was staring at her in a daze without talking, she sighed and left.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang was looking at the sun high in the sky, blanking out and not knowing what to do.
"Wait! I'm still outside back in reality! It's extremely dangerous!" Li Huowang blurted out.
Realizing the danger he was in, he spoke urgently, "Yingzi, listen to me; quickly bring me back to the room and tie me up—"
"Huowang," a voice interrupted Li Huowang.
Hearing this voice, Li Huowang raised his head and saw Yang Na's crying face. She was still wearing the same simple outfit which consisted of a white sweater and a pair of jeans along with a small satchel on her waist.
"Huowang, can you react to my voice now? Are you awake? Do you recognize me?" Yang Na ran over and grabbed his hands.
Li Huowang was thrown into confusion when he felt the familiar warmth. He instinctively froze up and pretended that he still hadn't come back to his senses.
Seeing this, the excitement in Yang Na's eyes soon turned to disappointment; even after calling out his name a few more times, there was no response.
Tears welled up from her eyes and stained her long lashes. Her soft voice was trembling, "Huowang, you big liar. You had said that we will go to university together! I'm already in the first year and yet you haven't even woken up!"
When he heard this, Li Huowang felt a pang in his heart. Even though he knew that this was a hallucination, he couldn't help himself from speaking. "Nana, I'm sorry."
When she heard those words, Yang Na was ecstatic and launched herself into his embrace while crying. "I'm so sorry. I really wanted to visit you earlier, but ever since you appeared on the news, my parents forbade me from coming to meet you. Today, I finally had a chance to come and see you."
Li Huowang gently hugged her before pushing her away. "Nana, your father is right. Don't come here anymore. I'm afraid that I..."
The second half of his sentence was something he had previously buried deep in his heart; even so, he still had to say it. "...I am afraid that I might end up thinking that this side is the real one."
When Yang Na heard what he said, she couldn't believe her ears. She felt like she had been plunged into a frigid lake. She had never thought that when Li Huowang finally became coherent after a long time, these would be the first words out of his mouth.
Amidst her frustration, she took her satchel and swung it at Li Huowang numerous times while crying and screaming, "Did you ever consider my feelings before you said those words? Why do you want me to leave you as well!? My parents, my brother, my friends, and now even you! I'm so tired from trying to persevere for so long, so why did you have to say it as well?! Didn't you say that you loved me and that you never wanted me to give up on you?!"
Chapter 122 - Chocolate
From the sensation of the satchel hitting his face, Li Huowang could feel the pain that caused Yang Na's outburst. He too felt the same pain, and so he raised both his hands and hugged the girl.
"Nana! Please stop. I beg you," said Li Huowang.
Feeling the embrace of the one she had been yearning for, Yang Na gradually calmed down and rested her head on his shoulder while crying.
At that moment, they looked just like they did a few years ago, sitting at the top of their school and staying up all night until sunrise.
Time slowly passed as Yang Na continued to remain in Li Huowang's embrace. She wished for the flow of time to stop at this moment.
But, she soon felt a pair of hands on her waist gradually pushing her away. In response, she hugged Li Huowang even tighter; she didn't want to let him go.
However, her strength was nowhere near his and she was soon pushed away. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
The girl's eyes were still red from crying. Li Huowang opened his mouth but no words came out. He felt distraught.
After giving some thought, he calmly said, "Nana, please promise me something; promise me that you will live on even if I were to die one day."
"No!" Yang Na was adamant. "Don't decide that for me! My thoughts are mine alone! My choices are none of your concern. I will continue to wait for you until the day you wake up!"
As soon as she finished saying those words, Yang Na grabbed her satchel and stormed off.
However, she stopped just as she passed by the door. She hesitated for a few seconds before turning back. Then, she took out a small pack of chocolate from her satchel and coldly passed it to Li Huowang.
As he stared at the beautifully wrapped chocolate, Li Huowang asked Yang Na, "What day is it? Why are you giving me chocolate?"
However, Yang Na just continued to cry while ignoring him. Then, she opened up the wrapping around the chocolate before unceremoniously shoving the alcoholic chocolate down Li Huowang's mouth.
Li Huowang laughed as he tasted the sweet chocolate. "Nana, what are you doing?"
Since this was just a hallucination, he no longer wanted to argue with her. At the same time, since he was inside the hallucination, he had no control over what he was doing on the other side either, and so there wasn't much he could do.
As Li Huowang smiled, the tense atmosphere within the ward became mellow.
"What are you laughing at? Stop laughing!" Yang Na swung her satchel onto Li Huowang's shoulder.
"Ouch! Be a little gentle, it hurts!" Li Huowang hissed in pain and held his shoulders.
"Tsk, you are feeling pain from just this? Why weren't you in pain when you got shot in the face? Look at how you look right now," Yang Na said as she took out a small mirror from her satchel and placed it in front of Li Huowang.
This was the first time he had seen himself in the hallucination in a long while. He was still a young boy, but his face that was originally filled with hope was now split in half by a scar. The scar ran from the upper left of his face to his lower right and completely disfigured his face. His entire look had been changed due to it.
Li Huowang gingerly touched his own face, feeling the rough sensation of the scar. He knew how he got it—it was from the sniper bullet grazing his face back at the kindergarten.
Looks like the hallucination is quite logical.
Li Huowang silently thought to himself.
After a while, Yang Na took the mirror back and frowned at him. "What are you thinking? Are you thinking that I will abandon you just because your face has been disfigured? I didn't even do so when you had turned into a psycho, so don't even think that I will give up on you now. In fact, I don't care about it in the slightest."
Hearing this, Li Huowang shook his head and smiled. Then, he took the pack of chocolate sitting atop the white sheets and popped a piece of it into his mouth. He took another one and offered it to Yang Na, "Have one. I remember that you were a massive fan of snacks."
However, Yang Na shook her head. "You can eat it. Outside, I can buy it anytime I want, but here, it's almost a delicacy for you."
Li Huowang nodded and ate another piece, the sweet taste enveloping his tongue. "Yeah, I haven't tasted this in a long time..."
Li Huowang's eyes were filled with a sense of yearning and nostalgia. Since he could never go back to his old life, he could only use the hallucination to relieve his yearning for his old life.
Yang Na was heartbroken when she heard him. She held his hands gently and said, "If you want to eat it, then I will buy it for you everyday! Now that I'm in university, my father gives me a lot of money to use as living expenses. He gives me 2500 a month! And I take part-time jobs during breaks as well. I can buy any chocolate you want... but I don't know whether you will even be coherent the next time I bring chocolate for you..."
Yang Na's words instantly caused the atmosphere to grow cold.
Li Huowang swallowed the chocolate and was about to console her when he suddenly started coughing.
"Aiya, I have been telling you since elementary school to eat slower and to not talk while eating. See, you just choked on the chocolate. Let me pour a glass of water for you," said Yang Na as she took the cup on the table and walked out.
Cough-cough!
Meanwhile, Li Huowang started coughing even more vigorously. At the same time, he felt a burning pain radiating from his esophagus to his stomach.
This ain't right! Something's happening to the other side!
Li Huowang raised his head and stared coldly at Yang Na's disappearing back. "Who are you? What did you feed me?!"
Soon, an intense pain burst forth from his stomach, causing him to start shouting, "AAAA!"
It was almost as if a living hedgehog was running amok within his body.
Amidst the intense pain, everything around him started to shift back—the warm sunlight and bright hospital ward started to fade. Soon, Li Huowang was back in the Ao Jing Sect's cave. At the same time, he saw blood on the floor in front of him, the very same blood that he had just coughed up.
At this moment, Li Huowang was red-faced and had veins bulging on his head. He grabbed his neck with both hands while kneeling on the ground like a shrimp.
Blegh!
Soon, a massive pile of items were vomited out, consisting of blackened blood, bits and pieces of flesh, small black tentacles, and... rusty nails.
Chapter 123 - Who Was It?
The clump of rusted nails almost resembled an assassination weapon. Seeing what he had vomited, Li Huowang instinctively knew that this was the 'chocolate' he had eaten in his hallucination.
After a moment, he raised his right arm only to feel a stinging pain from his shoulder. When he checked, he saw a massive gash, so deep that it revealed his white bones.
That was where Yang Na had hit him with her satchel just now!
"Someone tried to kill me while I was stuck in the hallucination!" Li Huowang instantly realized what was happening.
He endured the pain and scanned his surroundings with bloodshot eyes. Around him, he saw rows upon rows of members of the Ao Jing Sect, all standing still like gravestones, watching him.
Seeing this, Li Huowang growled and unfurled the Profound Records on the ground, his blood dripping from his lips onto the blood-red bamboo slip.
Jiang!
At the same time, Li Huowang unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the sect members surrounding him.
"What is the meaning of this? Is this what you mean by adhering to the rules? Do you think that I'm some pushover?!" Li Huowang roared in anger.
Li Huowang's voice echoed throughout the cave, but no one answered him. They just stood there motionless, staring at him with eyes filled with curiosity and mocking laughter.
Just as Li Huowang was about to go all out against them, Yingzi ran out from the crowd and tried her best to take him away.
"Sir, let's go. Let's quickly leave this place. Don't look at them anymore," Jiang Yingzi's voice was filled with panic as she tried to haul his bloody body away from the place.
Hearing this, Li Huowang just stared at Yingzi, his gaze as cold as when he had been glaring at the others.
After a moment, he took out a few Blood Nourishing Pills from the gourd on his waist and popped them into his mouth.
After a while, Li Huowang ignored the gazes of everyone in the Ao Jing Sect and returned to their cave with the support of Yingzi.
The pain in his body was still fresh. Li Huowang knew that his stomach was a mess after having eaten a bunch of rusty nails. But there was nothing he could do other than rest on the bed, and wait for his reinforced healing to kick in and help him recover.
After calming down, Li Huowang inspected his body and found that not only had he sustained internal injuries, but there were slash wounds on his body as well.
They were in the same spots that Yang Na had hit him with her satchel.
As Yingzi saw Li Huowang's wounds, she felt conflicted. After thinking for a bit, she took out a wax-covered book from her bag. "Sir, let me heal you; however, you will need to endure some pain."
Just as she approached him, Li Huowang swung his right arm and threw away the wax-covered book in her hand.
"You were the only one beside me just now. Tell me what happened?" asked Li Huowang.
Yingzi gripped the edge of her robes tightly while panicking. "I... I can't say... otherwise, they will kill me..."
At that moment, Li Huowang stared at her lowered head and realized that he had never really seen what she looked like.
"Raise your head and look at me," commanded Li Huowang.
On the other hand, when she heard his command, Yingzi became nervous. She kept lowering her head and averting his gaze, afraid of looking directly into Li Huowang's eyes.
"What are you afraid of? Were you assigned to me just so they could spy on me? Was everything you said yesterday fake? What's your goal, you self-mutilating bastards?" Li Huowang pressed on.
"No, it's not like that. It really isn't..." Yingzi's breathing started becoming erratic; it was as if she was enduring something.
"Since you are not one of them, then who was the one who injured me just now?! Talk! Didn't you say that you always adhere to the rules? Is this one of the rules as well? Will all of you die if you don't do something wicked?!"
By this point, Yingzi was so shaken and conflicted that she started bleeding from how hard she was biting her lips.
Just as she was about to say something, there was a knock on the door.
Li Huowang and Yingzi turned around at the same time. Standing at the door were two members of the Ao Jing Sect, one of them wearing black and the other white. Both of them were at least two meters tall. They just stood there motionlessly without uttering a word.
Yingzi knew what it meant for them to appear here. Her body started trembling intensely as she walked out.
What's going on? They aren't even going to sugarcoat it anymore and just want to capture me?
Seeing the situation, Li Huowang closed his eyes and attempted to recover as much as possible.
If his wounds were to deteriorate any further, then Dan Yangzi would be forced to come out once more.
However, at that moment, he felt a strange sensation on his wounds.
He opened his eyes and saw it was Bun who had secretly walked over with its ears downturned; it was licking the wounds on Li Huowang's body.
"Bun, how about coming with me the next time we go out? No need to guard the room anymore. I really need someone or something to be by my side," Li Huowang patted Bun while mumbling to himself.
At that moment, Bun's skinny body suddenly shrunk a little as it looked toward the door. Seeing that there was no one at the door, Bun continued to lick Li Huowang's wound.
However, Li Huowang had also picked up on what Bun had heard. He had also heard the same scream that Bun did. Li Huowang's heightened sense of hearing had allowed him to hear a minute sound—the sound of a woman screaming in pain.
He knew that the scream belonged to Yingzi; after all, she had been taken away not too long ago.
After considering it for a moment, Li Huowang patted Bun on the head before gritting his teeth to endure the pain as he stood up.
"It's just one thing after another. Can't I get some good rest?" mumbled Li Huowang.
Then, he slowly started hobbling his way out of the cave and toward the source of the sound.
The sound of screaming continued to become louder and louder until Li Huowang arrived at the large cave he had seen just earlier.
At this moment, a naked Yingzi had two massive hooks stabbed in her pectoral girdle as she was hung high up in the cave.
The two sect members in black and white from earlier that had taken her away previously were circling around her, each of them holding a thin blade that they used to slice thin pieces of flesh off her body.
Sou~
At that moment, one of Li Huowang's fingernail flew out and cut the chains that Yingzi was being hung with, causing the bloody girl to fall onto the floor hard.
Then, Li Huowang walked forward and covered her, shielding her from the gazes of the others.
He glared at Shou San with his burnt body and asked angrily, "Does the Ao Jing Sect treat their promises as nothing? Do we still have our deal or not?!"
Shou San was somewhat surprised to see Li Huowang appearing here, but the tone of his reply was one filled with amusement. "Of course. I still have to respect the Abbess's request. Our deal is still effective, and we will naturally honor our words."
Chapter 124 - Treatment
Shou San was quite calm when he told Li Huowang they would honor the deal.
"Fine, I will trust you one more time. I hope that an incident like today's will never happen again! If you push me to the brink of desperation, then I would rather yield my body to Dan Yangzi and have everyone perish with me!" warned Li Huowang.
When he heard Li Huowang's threats, Shou San was visibly unhappy; however, all he could do was silently stare at the red-robed Taoist with wariness in his eyes.
Then, under the gaze of the members of the Ao Jing Sect, Li Huowang carried Yingzi off the floor and pulled her back to their cave.
Once they left, Shou San turned toward one of the sect members beside him. While the sect member in question didn't look any different than the rest, Shou San was very respectful to him. He whispered, "Elder Shen Benyou, you've seen the child; what do you think we should do?"
At this moment, one of the elders that Yingzi had told Li Huowang about the night before was present at the scene.
The man stared in the direction Li Huowang had disappeared to. "No, this Strayed One is unlike the others we have met before. You've seen his powers; he's a lot more dangerous than the other Strayed Ones. Don't provoke him; we will decide on what to do with him after we have probed him further."
"Yes, this underling understands," replied Shou San.
Back in their cave, Li Huowang fell onto the ground, his energy completely spent.
Meanwhile, Yingzi stood there, hesitant; the only part of her body that remained intact was one of her arms. When she saw that Li Huowang was still bleeding profusely from his wounds, she carefully approached him. "Sir, are you alright?"
"Hehe... No worries. I won't die from just this," said Li Huowang.
When she heard those words, Yingzi's eyes became filled with determination as she walked over and grabbed the wax-covered book from the side. She held the book and kneeled in front of Li Huowang. "Sir, please endure it. I will now help you with treating your injuries."
After saying that, she started chanting off the book. Her voice as she chanted was extremely bizarre; it was as if she was imitating the crackling sound of flames.
Floof~
After a moment, the wax-covered book in Yingzi's hand started burning up.
Soon, the flames melted the white wax before it started dripping onto Li Huowang's wounds.
Sizzle~
The sound of flesh being burnt echoed in the cave and at the same time, Li Huowang recognized a familiar scent.
At that moment, Yingzi raised the book above her head. At the same time, the fiery wax on Li Huowang's body came alive and started wriggling around on his body like a worm. As it crawled all over his body, white smoke rose from Li Huowang's body as a trail of burnt flesh was left in the wake of the wax.
The wax cauterized the wounds on his body, and fused together the deep wound that revealed his bones.
Soon, the wax had circled most of Li Huowang's body, and finished healing most of his external wounds.
The price of the treatment was naturally the pain he had to suffer through, especially since his sense of pain had been heightened. It was so painful that he almost bit off his tongue; his entire body was drenched in sweat, making it look like he had just passed through a heavy downpour.
But it was not over.
The white wax slowly snaked its way to his face. When Li Huowang realized what it was about to do, he took a deep breath. "Fuck, this treatment is definitely psychotic."
He took a few rapid breaths before opening his mouth, catching the white wax with his hand, and throwing it into his mouth.
At that moment, Li Huowang finally knew what it would feel like to eat magma. He felt the lump of molten wax slowly sliding down his esophagus. At the same time, the sound of sizzling flesh intensified as billowing white smoke flowed out from all his orifices.
The intense burning sensation was so painful that he rolled on the floor while grabbing at his neck.
After a while, he felt the white wax approaching his stomach, causing him to instantly stop Yingzi with his trembling hand. "Stomach... No need! The wax will not be able to defeat the thing inside my stomach!"
Even though Yingzi didn't know what he meant, she still listened to him. Soon, the fiery wax exited Li Huowang's mouth and slowly made its way onto Yingzi's body before it started cauterizing her fleshless hand.
Ka-chak
At that moment, her hand fell off while the white wax continued to cauterize the open wound, slowly healing it in the process.
Once it was done with its mission, the wax crawled back onto the book and enveloped it. At the same time, the flames disappeared and the wax solidified once again, returning to its original form.
Li Huowang stared at Yingzi who was also covered in cold sweat. "Does it hurt?"
"How could it not? But compared to the day that my siblings died, this pain is nothing..." replied Yingzi.
Hearing this, Li Huowang's eyes fell and he nodded. "Yeah, the pain of the flesh is bearable, but the pain of the soul is not."
Yingzi, who was now left with only a single arm, said nothing as she supported him back onto the bed.
Staring at her side profile, Li Huowang had no idea what she was thinking. The things she had done were conflicting.
Not sure how much I can trust them, but since they swore on it, I suppose they won't do anything in the near future?
Li Huowang recalled what Shou San had said.
After a while, both Li Huowang and Yingzi lied down on the stone bed and Li Huowang immediately fell asleep.
While Li Huowang was asleep, he dreamt of many things; however, he didn't remember anything when he woke up.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Bun excitedly circling around Yingzi as it tried to gain her affection.
"How did you suddenly get so friendly with it?" asked Li Huowang as he sat on the stone stool and ate the breakfast placed on the stone table.
Yingzi's face was complicated as she stared at Bun, her hand patting Bun's white paws. "I remembered something. There was a dog living on my street. The old dog had seven puppies and Bun was one of them. I had thought that all of them had died, but to think that it actually survived."
Li Huowang sighed while staring at Bun excitedly licking Yingzi's hand. "Such a big town, and yet the only survivors are a single dog and a human. What a crazy world we live in."
"Sir, why would they want to kill us? Back then, he had supernatural powers and we were nothing but ants in front of him. Was it just because he just didn't like our looks?" asked Yingzi, her voice trembling as she did her best to suppress her emotions.
Li Huowang sighed. "Who knows. This world often rewards the wicked yet punishes the good."
Li Huowang and Yingzi conversed for some time. After the incident from yesterday, they had gotten slightly closer.
"Right, what is the name of the book you used to treat me?" asked Li Huowang. He could tell that the treatment was very effective. Even though it was very painful and left scars wherever the wax had crawled, Li Huowang saw that his wounds were mostly healed.
Yingzi took out the wax-covered book from her robes and passed it to Li Huowang. "It's called the Fiery Sutra. It's yours if you need it."