Chapter 379: Heart Simplicity

"Dad?" Li Sui held up two eyeballs, watching the heart above her head beat rapidly.

She didn't know why her dad's heart sometimes beat so fast; it was fascinating.

Seeing that Li Huowang wasn't responding, Li Sui cautiously extended a tentacle to poke him. When there was still no reaction, she extended another tentacle and tugged downwards.

"Hiss—! What are you doing! Hold still!"

Startled by Li Huowang's reprimand, Li Sui quickly retracted her tentacles.

Having been reprimanded, Li Sui dared not move recklessly. She huddled in place, playing with the black spindle her dad had given her.

She didn't know what a spindle was, but since her dad called it a spindle, she called it a spindle too.

Holding the two eyeballs, she circled the spindle several times, and Li Sui started to feel a bit bored again.

But she didn't want to go out. It was comfortable and peaceful inside her dad's belly, and she liked that feeling.

After some thought, Li Sui wrapped her tentacles around an eyeball, squeezed through Li Huowang's navel, and cautiously peered outside.

In front of her dad was a table with nothing on it except a cup of tea. Her dad looked anxious, seemingly waiting for something.

"Where is this?" Li Sui tried her best to discern the sounds around her, but everything was muffled and incomprehensible.

"Oh, someone's coming." Li Sui curiously watched the stout-faced man, who was carrying a stack of books.

"Why is he carrying books? Is Dad going to teach me to read again? I don't want to learn characters anymore."

When the man placed the books on the table, Li Sui looked over too. However, she didn't recognize many characters. "Heart-Element? What's that thing?"

Just as Li Sui wanted to take a closer look, she realized her dad had already picked up the book, and she couldn't see it anymore.

Li Huowang's pupils trembled slightly as he scanned the characters on the pages. He read every character very carefully, unwilling to miss a single one, because they contained information about the Heart-Element!

After quickly finishing the first few pages, Li Huowang paused slightly. The book indeed contained information about the Heart-Element.

However, it wasn't the information he wanted, as it described how to use the eyes of a Heart-Element combined with the hair of a Heart-Turbid to forge so-called magical artifacts.

"Switch!" Li Huowang quickly picked up another book and began reading again.

He read one book after another, but they all detailed methods for refining the Heart-Element's body and consciousness. This made Li Huowang incredibly irritated.

He had no use for any of this. Was he supposed to use his own organs to forge magical artifacts?

Just as Li Huowang was flipping pages faster and faster, a sharp bird cry from nearby suddenly interrupted him.

"Why are you looking into Heart-Elements? Do you perhaps have one?"

Li Huowang turned his head and saw that Sima Lan, who had left, had actually returned!

Looking at the books about Heart-Elements beside him, a chill ran down Li Huowang's neck. Would the other party suspect him because of this?!

After a brief pause, Li Huowang calmly put down the book and explained, "I saw in a book before that North Wind is a Heart-Element, so I wanted to know what a Heart-Element actually is."

"Didn't the grand elders of the Zoroastrianism teach you?" Sima Lan asked.

Li Huowang reached back, took off the cloth bag he was carrying, and lifted the thin cloth, revealing the Heart-Element's tongue on the jade-like decayed wood artifact he had previously encountered.

"When I was at the Crossroads Temple before, someone did mention it. But they only ever told us that Heart-Elements are living celestial treasures and should be placated, not handled roughly. They never told me why we should do that."

"Are we supposed to placate North Wind if we encounter him in the future? How then are we supposed to fight him?"

Sima Lan nodded slightly. "I see. In that case, you don't need to consult the Four Siku anymore. Since you are already a Geng Flag, I will tell you."

Just as Li Huowang's eyes widened in surprise, Sima Lan spoke. "The Grand Master once said: 'There is birth that does not birth, and transformation that does not transform. That which does not birth can birth, and that which does not transform can transform. That which births cannot but birth, and that which transforms cannot but transform, hence there is constant birth and constant transformation. That which constantly births and constantly transforms, births at all times...'"

Hearing these words, Li Huowang started to get a headache and quickly raised a hand to stop him. "Brother Sima, please keep it simple. I haven't attended a private school; I'm a common man. Just tell me directly what a Heart-Element is."

Hearing this, Sima Lan frowned, and a fleeting hint of disdain and contempt appeared in his gaze towards Li Huowang.

However, facing Li Huowang, he tapped the blind bird next to him with his hand, and the bird began to answer as simply as possible.

"According to the Grand Master, ordinary people experience the ten emotions and eight sufferings. But a Heart-Element is different; in addition to the ten emotions and eight sufferings, they possess a primordial qi."

"The Great Beginning transforms and takes form; the form has substance but is not yet a body—this is called a Heart-Element. A Heart-Element possesses this formidable primordial qi. The ten emotions and eight sufferings of a Heart-Element can transform into the Great Beginning, merging with the Heavenly Dao."

"If you confront a Heart-Element aggressively and push them to their limit, should they use that primordial qi, even gods would be unable to save you."

Hearing this, Li Huowang swallowed hard. "What would be the consequences?"

"Overturning mountains and seas, summoning wind and rain—all are within their single thought!"

As he said this, Sima Lan's voice softened considerably, as if he himself was startled by his own words.

"Hmm?" Li Huowang paused slightly upon hearing this. Overturning mountains and seas, summoning wind and rain—was this truly him? Was this truly a Heart-Element?

Li Huowang's gaze shifted to the faceless Hong Zhong behind Sima Lan, the non-evil monk, the headless Peng Longteng, and Jin Shanzhao, who only had an upper body.

"This isn't right! The Heart-Element this person describes is completely different from me! Why didn't he mention hallucinations? Why didn't he mention dead people following? Why didn't he mention the Heart-Element's body being dislocated?"

"Hehehe... Of course, this Mohist doesn't know. He's just reciting from a script. Do you really think he's seen a living Heart-Element?" Hong Zhong, who hadn't appeared for a long time, suddenly popped out, playfully teasing.

"Oh, wait, this guy HAS seen a living Heart-Element! There's one right in front of him now! Hahaha!!"

Li Huowang's eye twitched slightly. Completely ignoring Hong Zhong's mockery, he continued to ask Sima Lan in front of him, "If dealing with an ordinary Heart-Element is so dangerous, then dealing with North Wind must be even more troublesome, wouldn't it?"

Sima Lan nodded. "Indeed. Just think about how difficult it is to placate a Zuo Wang Dao. That's why that person could become one of the Four Joys of the Zuo Wang Dao."

"Then how should we deal with North Wind?" Li Huowang asked again.

"If the Heavenly Surveillance Department had figured out how to deal with North Wind, they would have eliminated him long ago. Would they still let him run around freely?"

Hearing this, Li Huowang's expression involuntarily grew serious. The information conveyed in the other party's words was substantial, and he needed to properly sort it out.