Chapter 137: Sitting Forgetfulness Dao

Li Huowang, gripping his sword with one hand, solemnly bowed to the abbess standing before him.

"Thank you, Master Abbess, for this sword! As long as I live, I will repay your kindness many times over!"

Li Huowang was not a man of many words; he focused more on actions than pronouncements. He knew very well who treated him well and who treated him poorly.

Hearing this, Master Jingxin's tone immediately turned displeased. "Who said I gave it to you? This is a sale! Don't think about defaulting. Thirty thousand taels plus interest, not a single penny less—you *will* pay it back."

"I know you can't come up with the money right away. So, here's the deal: whenever you're flush with cash in the future, just send some over via the postal station. A thousand taels of gold wouldn't be too much, and half a string of copper coins wouldn't be too little."

"Alright, alright, the business is settled. You can go now. I won't keep you for a meal; I doubt you're used to our vegetarian food here at the nunnery. Next time you visit, remember to bring more pastries." With that, Master Jingxin turned her bulky frame and waddled back inside.

Seeing this, Li Huowang quickly stepped forward to stop her; he still had other questions.

"Wait, Master Abbess, I have a few minor things to ask."

"Ugh, you're such a slowpoke, child. Hurry up, I'm ready for a nap after eating." Master Jingxin seemed impatient.

Standing still, Li Huowang pondered for a few seconds before asking, "Master Abbess, I'm new to the jianghu and know nothing about the various factions throughout the land. Could you tell me a bit about their taboos and power levels?"

"What's there to tell?" The abbess scratched her belly impatiently. "You're a Xinsu. When you encounter people from other sects, what else can you do but run?"

"Just like that?" Li Huowang was clearly surprised.

"Of course, just like that. What, do you expect to go over and chat with them? Didn't you already suffer a loss at Zhèngdé Temple?"

"You're a Xinsu, and to others, you're no different from a red ginseng spirit. No matter what sect or what person, if you can win, fight; if you can't, run."

"Don't even think about joining other sects. No sect has ever accepted a bewildered Xinsu as a disciple, not even Ancí Nunner. If anyone tells you otherwise, they definitely have ill intentions."

Master Jingxin's words struck Li Huowang like a lightning bolt.

"Is there really no one else trustworthy besides you?"

"No. Who would help you for no reason?" The three layers of fat on the abbess's chin jiggled as she shook her head.

Although he had suspected it, Li Huowang still felt deeply disheartened when he heard this news from Master Jingxin. He knew his path ahead would likely be anything but peaceful.

After carefully processing this information, Li Huowang brought up another question that had accumulated during his journey.

"Master Abbess, could you tell me a little about Ancí Nunner's cultivation methods? How do you gain supernatural abilities?"

For days, other than knowing that the Ao Jing Sect gained abilities by sacrificing to Ba Hui, he had been completely clueless about why certain people in this world acquired supernatural powers.

"Hah," the abbess yawned. "What's the point of asking? Even if I tell you, you can't cultivate it. Haven't you noticed that Ancí Nunner is full of nuns?"

"No matter, please enlighten me anyway."

"Sigh, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but that kind of cultivation method can't be spoken. It has to be written in Nüshu script, and besides, you're a man..."

Since things had been explained so clearly, Li Huowang didn't want to make things difficult for her.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Abbess. Until we meet again." Li Huowang bowed once more, then turned and walked toward the door.

Just as he lowered his head, holding the long sword in both hands and examining it carefully, the abbess's voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

"Wait a moment! You interrupted me just now, and I almost forgot. I just remembered there's a group of people you really need to be particularly wary of."

These words immediately made Li Huowang perk up his ears. He quickly turned around and said, "I'm eager to hear the details."

"Remember this clearly: that group of people is called the Zuo Wang Dao."

"Zuo Wang Dao?" Li Huowang instinctively furrowed his brows. He felt as if he had heard these three words somewhere before. However, after careful thought, he realized he had no memory of the Zuo Wang Dao.

"Sigh, I'm talking to you! Why do you always zone out, child? If you don't want to listen, I won't say anything more."

"Master Abbess, please enlighten me. Why specifically mention them? Could it be that this Zuo Wang Dao group isn't hostile towards Xinsu?"

"No."

"When others rob or kill you, there's always a reason. But the Zuo Wang Dao are a completely different matter."

"Those Zuo Wang Dao, they're a bunch of tricksters who love to play games with money."

"Hmm?" Li Huowang was momentarily confused.

"The Zuo Wang Dao aren't bandits who rule mountains, nor are they a cultivation sect. No one knows what they truly are. The only certainty is that they love to play pranks, and for the sake of their games, they have no taboos."

"Besides playing games with money, what these tricksters love most is playing tricks on people."

"For example, they once pretended to be the Emperor's eunuchs and tricked an entire city of men into castrating themselves. They did it simply because they found it amusing and entertaining."

Even after the abbess's explanation, Li Huowang still didn't quite grasp what she was trying to convey. He asked with a hint of hesitation in his voice, "A group of deceptive gamblers? But... what does that have to do with me?"

Given how many factions coveted him, why was the abbess telling him something seemingly so irrelevant out of the blue?

"Sigh, have you forgotten you're a Xinsu who can't distinguish between truth and falsehood? If they encounter you, what do you think they'll do?"

"If they ever find out you're a Xinsu, things won't be so simple."

"Even if that's the case, why would I be tricked by a bunch of ordinary gambling tricksters? And why are you so anxious about it, Master Abbess?"

The abbess closed her eyes and shook her head. "They are not just a bunch of gamblers. I don't know where they get some of their supernatural abilities, but they are very strange and troublesome."

"Furthermore, their specialty is illusionary magic, which is incredibly powerful; it can even deceive me."

"Last time, a Zuo Wang Dao sneaked into Ancí Nunner, trying to trick us into breaking our vows. Fortunately, we discovered them, and in the end, they found their way back and converted to Buddhism."

"Remember this: people of the Zuo Wang Dao are not afraid of death. Never let them cling to you, or they'll multiply and cling even more."

"They dare to deceive even you?"

"Yes! They not only dare to deceive me, they even try to deceive gods! I heard that a century ago, a group of Zuo Wang Dao dedicated over thirty years to plotting, and they actually managed to trick the Xǐshén."

"The Xishen? The one from the Hu family's ancestral temple??" Li Huowang's pupils contracted slightly.

"No, that's 'Xishen' (喜神), I'm talking about 'Xǐshén' (囍神)." The abbess used her grimy fingernail to scratch at the fat on her body.