Chapter 136: Sword

“Hoo… hoo…” Li Huowang panted, struggling to climb the mountain, the oil-paper package in his hand swaying with each step.

Truth be told, the mountain path up Heng Hua Mountain was incredibly difficult. There were no proper steps, only uneven, pitted ground, and after several attempts, he still couldn't get used to it. The sweat-drenched clothes chafed Li Huowang’s tender skin, causing him pain.

“Woof! Woof woof!!” Mantou, who had already reached the gate of An Ci Nunnery, turned his head and wagged his tail at his master.

When Li Huowang finally dragged his heavy legs to the gate, he saw Mantou already sitting there waiting for him. Dogs definitely had more stamina than humans.

“Why are you following? Go away!”

Mantou evidently didn’t understand Li Huowang’s words. It wagged its tail, came closer to Li Huowang, and affectionately licked his fingers.

Leaning against the couplet on the nunnery gate, Li Huowang rested for a while. Once he caught his breath, he covered his nose and walked towards the distant, half-collapsed temple.

An Ci Nunnery was as always: dirty, foul-smelling, and dilapidated. However, the half-rotted swamp of food that had been there before was mostly gone, though he couldn't tell if it had been eaten or had simply decayed away.

“Why did you bring a dog up here? The nunnery’s excrement is for feeding pigs, not for your dog.”

Nun Miaoyu approached Li Huowang, her tone full of caution.

“Sister Miaoyu, is Abbess Jingxin in?” Li Huowang stroked Mantou’s head.

Miaoyu was about to speak when her face suddenly contorted with a greedy expression. “If you give me a portion of the pastries in your hand, I’ll tell you.”

“I’m afraid that won’t do. This is a gift,” Li Huowang said with a slight smile, bowing his hands to her before turning and walking towards Abbess Jingxin’s quarters.

Weaving through the broken down temple buildings, Li Huowang stopped in front of his destination. The wall, which should have been demolished, had been rebuilt, and Li Huowang could see Abbess Jingxin inside the room.

Compared to before, she had recovered to her normal state. Her flesh had once again stretched her skin taut, and wrinkles had reappeared across her forehead. The only things that remained unchanged were her two dark eye sockets and her toothless, shrunken mouth.

“Ah~ mung bean cakes! Are they from Fushou Zhai at the foot of the mountain? Their mung bean cakes are absolutely divine, and their wife cakes, and red bean paste mooncakes too.”

Watching Jingxin drag her corpulent body and crawl towards him with her grimy hands, Li Huowang quickly offered her the pastries he was carrying.

Abbess Jingxin had no teeth. She grabbed the package of pastries and, without even unwrapping the brown oil paper, put them directly into her mouth, grinding them with her red gums.

As he reached into Abbess Jingxin’s mouth to help her unwrap the oil paper, Li Huowang asked, “Abbess, thank you for your previous guidance. If it weren’t for your help, I fear I would have died long ago.”

Abbess Jingxin didn't stop eating; her entire attention was focused on the pastries, her mouth full. Li Huowang wasn't in a hurry. He stood quietly by, watching Abbess Jingxin eat the pastries.

The package of mung bean cakes weighed three and a half catties, enough to last an ordinary family a long time, but it posed no challenge to the abbess. When only a few pieces were left, Abbess Jingxin reluctantly stopped, wrapped the mung bean cakes in the oil paper, and set them aside.

“Your master is gone? Let me see.” Abbess Jingxin stretched out her hands, her fingernails full of black grime, towards Li Huowang.

She carefully probed Li Huowang’s abdomen for a while before slowly retracting her hands. “Hmm, yes, your master is indeed gone. Those folks from the Aojing Cult are quite useful.”

Li Huowang glanced at Dan Yangzi, who was not far away, and nodded in agreement. “Indeed, for that, I must thank Abbess for your help.”

“If you’re so grateful, why didn’t you buy more? Is three and a half catties of pastries supposed to just get stuck in my teeth?”

Abbess Jingxin said, picking up the remaining pastries again and greedily sniffing them, then stuffing them into the folds of her fat.

“Alright, I will certainly bring more on my next visit.”

“You said it. I’m remembering. When it comes to food, I hate it most when people don’t keep their word.”

Their tone of conversation was clearly different from before, having become much more intimate.

“By the way, Abbess, you previously asked Senior Sister Bai to tell me to return. Is there something you need to instruct me on?” As soon as Li Huowang asked this, Abbess Jingxin fell into deep thought.

After a long period of contemplation, she finally spoke again, “Where are you going next?”

“To take my other senior and junior siblings home.”

“And after that?”

“I will search for a way to resolve the Heart Element.” Li Huowang’s tone was calm but firm when he said this.

Jingxin was not surprised by Li Huowang’s answer. “You are truly stubborn, child. Go ahead and search. Perhaps you’ll turn back when you hit a wall.”

“We’ll see when I hit a wall. If I remain stuck between reality and illusion, that situation is hardly better than death.”

“Hmm, well said, well said…”

Seeing her reaction, Li Huowang’s heart stirred. “Regarding how to get rid of the Heart Element, does Abbess have any guidance?”

“What guidance could I offer? If I could offer guidance, my son wouldn’t have gone mad. If you want to keep searching, I won’t stop you. How about this, I’ll sell you a weapon for self-defense on your journey.”

“A weapon?” Li Huowang followed Jingxin’s finger and looked towards the dark corner of the room, where a long sword leaned against the filthy wall.

Li Huowang walked over and tried to grasp it, nearly failing to pick it up; the sword was incredibly heavy.

Holding the sword, Li Huowang returned to Abbess Jingxin. He gripped the hilt and gently drew the blade. In an instant, an intensely thick malevolent aura filled the entire room. A surge of heat continuously rushed into Li Huowang’s head, making his eyes red and his body tremble uncontrollably. Li Huowang felt something transmitting from the sword hilt into his body.

Li Huowang used all his strength to sheathe the long sword again, and everything slowly returned to normal. He panted, still shaken.

“It’s a military weapon, a bit of malevolent aura is normal. Ordinary people can be possessed by it, but you are a Heart Element, so it’s fine. This small amount of malevolent aura can’t dispel your confusion.”

“This sword can kill people and slay evil spirits. It’s perfect for self-defense on the road. Don’t use it often after that; it looks quite painful.”

Li Huowang looked at the long sword in his hand with awe. Even though he knew nothing about such things, just from that moment, he knew this sword was extraordinary, definitely a valuable item.

“Abbess, you just said you wanted to sell me this sword? But I can’t afford it right now.”

“You can write an IOU, can’t you? Thirty thousand taels of gold should be enough, with interest. And just in case—I mean, just in case—you really find a way to get rid of the Heart Element, you have to tell me.”

Li Huowang looked at the abbess in front of him with a complicated expression. He could tell that the former part was just for show; what she truly wanted was the latter.