Mutated Tao

Li Huowang sat on the ground with an expression filled with hesitation and struggle. After staying still and pondering for a long time, he finally picked up the brush and began to write on the paper in front of him.

However, he had to take long pauses after every few characters. One reason for this was that he was not used to writing with a brush. But more importantly, Li Huowang had already started to forget how to write a lot of the common characters.

Li Huowang understood what this meant—he was slowly becoming more like Dan Yangzi.

After writing a long passage, Li Huowang ended his letter in large words—Li Huowang’s final work.

After he finished this, he dried the paper and handed it to the plump nun beside him. "If my fellow disciples come looking for me, please pass this letter to the tall one among them. He can read."

Next, he passed the sacred text, the gourd containing the lifespan pills, and the bronze bell to her. “Please pass these three items to them as well. They know how to use the gourd and bell. As for this sacred text, it can be a memento for them.”

Miao Yu[1] glanced at the three items, then looked at the Profound Records hanging from Li Huowang’s waist. “How about that?”

Li Huowang placed his hand on the bamboo slip that had brought him endless agony, and then shook his head. “I’m not passing this to them. This thing is ominous, and I wouldn’t feel good about leaving it behind to them. It’s better for it to go with me.”

After he had sorted everything out, Li Huowang turned to look at Jingxin, “Abbess, everything is prepared.”

Abbess Jingxin nodded and started walking toward the depths of the Benevolent Nunnery. The loose skin on her body hung low like a skirt as it was dragged along the ground.

She walked ahead, while Li Huowang followed behind her while clutching his abdomen. They remained silent as they continued walking.

They walked through the ‘swamp’ of rotten food, then went past a few more dilapidated temples. Soon, a short, black pagoda appeared before them.

When she saw that pagoda, Jingxin finally spoke up, “You really want to do this?”

Li Huowang nodded. “What you said earlier reminded me. Actually, the thing that I have always wanted was complete eradication of Dan Yangzi. As for whether or not I would survive…”

Li Huowang chuckled softly before continuing, “…thinking back, I never really cared about my own life.”

Li Huowang pressed on his abdominal injury, exhaustion plastered across his face. “Abbess, truthfully speaking, after going through so much, I am already very tired. I don’t want to see my mom suffer, nor do I want to constantly endure the feeling of Dan Yangzi slowly taking over my body. All I really, truly want is to rest.”

As he had expected, fear did not blossom in his heart when he thought of his imminent death. On the contrary, he felt somewhat relieved, “Ah, I am so worn out.”

Hearing all this, Abbess Jingxin nodded and brought him toward the pagoda. “Alright, as you wish.”

“Thank you, Abbess. Of all the people I have met in this world, you can be considered to be the only good person,” said Li Huowang.

“I am a nun, so it’s natural for me to be compassionate,” said Jingxin humbly.

“Abbess, since you’re a Buddhist disciple, can I ask you a question?” asked Li Huowang.

“Ah? What is it?”

“Do you believe that in this world people become ghosts after they die?” asked Li Huowang.

“You’re about to die shortly. In your opinion, would it be better to become a ghost, or to dissipate completely?” countered Jingxin.

"I feel that living as a human is already tiring enough. We should rest after death and stop causing trouble." Li Huowang replied very calmly.

Hearing this, Jingxin tilted her head slightly and looked at Li Huowang with her sunken eyes. "Are you sure that you have no attachments left? Is there nothing within this mortal world that would cause you to show some reluctance?"

Li Huowang's expression froze as he thought of many things. "I do. But now, me being with them would only bring them harm."

Hearing this, Abbess Jingxin did not say anything else, and continued walking toward the black tower.

As they approached, Li Huowang heard a rustling sound; it was akin to leaves rubbing against one another.

He looked toward the direction of the sounds, and finally managed to identify their source—cockroaches. There were countless black bugs squished together inside the tower.

Jingxin did not stop, and directly brought Li Huowang into the pile of cockroaches. It was very unpleasant to have cockroaches climbing all over one’s body. However, right now, Li Huowang did not mind all this; after all, he was determined to meet his death. Thus, he could only push aside the crawling bugs to keep up.

After walking through the cockroach pile for around half an incense stick worth of time, Li Huowang’s vision cleared up and what he saw shocked him.

Gray rats of varying sizes were entangled with one another, forming large rat clusters that moved around and nestled against each other, eventually forming a huge mountain composed entirely of rats. The rats in the mountain were staring directly at Li Huowang with their red eyes of varying sizes.

Within the quivering rat mountain was a hole; it was almost as if it was meant for someone to enter.

“Is this it?” asked Li Huowang as he took a deep breath and walked toward the hole within the rat mountain.

When Li Huowang was just a few steps away, he paused and turned toward Abbess Jingxin. “Abbess, are you certain that after I die, you will be able to get rid of Dan Yangzi?”

His own life was insignificant; what mattered the most was making that wretched being suffer for eternity.

Only when he received an affirmation from Jingxin did Li Huowang relax and start walking toward the rat hole once again.

In the final moments before his death, the figures of both Yang Na and Bai Lingmiao flashed through Li Huowang’s mind, gradually merging with each other.

Farewell to this damned place!

Li Huowang thought as he was about to walk into the hole.

However, at that moment, Abbess Jingxin’s voice rang behind him, “Since you aren’t afraid of death, then I can recommend one more option. If that still doesn’t work out, then it won’t be too late for you to choose death after that.”

Li Huowang turned back in astonishment. “There’s another method?”

Hope was re-ignited in his previously hopeless heart upon hearing Abbess Jingxin’s words.

In response, Jingxin nodded and pointed at the Profound Records at his waist. “Seek help from the original owners of that thing.”

“Them? Abbess, I’ve never asked you about this thing previously, but where did this ominous object that requires sacrifices of flesh even come from?” Li Huowang looked at the red bamboo slip in astonishment.

“Ao Jing Sect.” Abbess Jingxin replied with an extremely unfamiliar name.

“Originally, they were two separate sects—the Ao Sect and Jing Sect. Later on, they somehow ended up merged. The Profound Records in your possession come from them,” continued Jingxin.

“Ao Jing Sect?” Li Huowang mumbled to himself. He had known about Buddhism and Taoism, but it was the first time he had heard about Ao Jing Sect.

“Do they have methods to separate Dan Yangzi from my body?” asked Li Huowang.

“You can look for them and find out. If there is still anyone in this world who can resolve your peculiar situation, it can only be them, people who are even stranger than you. Of course, even if they really are able to help you, you may not be able to escape them. But since you aren’t even afraid of death, you shouldn’t be afraid of that either,” said Jingxin.

At that moment, Abbess Jingxin used one of her fingers to slice through some of her loose skin, cutting off a piece of skin. Then, she quickly used her blackened fingernail to trace out a few characters onto the piece of skin using Women’s Script.

After she finished writing on it, she walked over to Li Huowang and placed the piece of skin in his hand. “Bring this to them; that way, they won’t do anything to you as soon as they see you. If even they can’t help you, then you can always return here to die peacefully.”

Li Huowang rubbed the piece of skin in his hand gently. He was still filled with disbelief. There was suddenly a glimmer of hope even though he had already been prepared to die.

“Thank you, Abbess Jingxin! If Dan Yangzi’s matter can really be resolved, then I will repay your kindness in future!” Li Huowang grabbed onto this last trace of hope to live, and walked through the pile of cockroaches and toward the outside. “Abbess, it’s a deal! If they aren’t able to get rid of Dan Yangzi, then I’ll return here in two months for you to kill me.”

Shortly after Li Huowang left, a fat nun stepped out from within the rat mountain and came up to Jingxin. “Abbess, why did you decide to help this young Strayed One like that? You even used your Flesh Book[2] like that. That is a huge favor. In the first place, we aren’t even on good terms with Ao Jing Sect to begin with.”

Abbess Jingxin looked toward the direction that Li Huowang had gone with a complex expression. After a long time, she spoke slowly, “Earlier, this kid held my face and called me ‘mom’. He really resembles Yu’er from his younger days, both in his actions and in his way of speaking.”

1. The author wrote Miao Yin here, which we believe is a typo. The names get jumbled up quite consistently ☜

2. The skin she wrote on. It is a term made up by the author. ☜

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