Chapter 449: Changes

Seeing Lu Xiucai spew increasingly vile profanities while merely standing at the doorway without entering, Chun Xiaoman looked at Bai Lingmiao with a puzzled expression. "Miao Miao, did you know he'd act this way?"

Gazing at Lu Xiucai's conflicted figure in the distance, Bai Lingmiao chuckled softly. "Did you think I was just idly saying he's good for nothing? He can't be a good person, and he's not even worthy of being a villain. At best, he's just a worthless wretch."

Just then, Gouwa descended the steps, carrying a bowl of food.

Upon seeing Lu Xiucai ranting and raving, he immediately paled, quickly set the bowl down, and rushed over to intervene. "Oh, dear, Xiucai, what are you doing? What is this! It's truly not worth it, not at all."

Blocked by Gouwa, Lu Xiucai immediately became even more agitated. He raised the short blade in his hand, eager to rush outside, stirring up the crowd. The scrawny Gouwa barely managed to restrain him multiple times.

After Gouwa's persistent persuasion, Lu Xiucai finally grudgingly calmed down. Pulled by Gouwa, he squatted down and began to eat, swearing emphatically as he did so: "Gouwa, I'm telling you, this isn't over! I remember everything that old boneyard did to me! One day, I'm definitely going to stomp him to death!"

"Hey, you've been hungry all day; eat quickly. You can "chop your dad" anytime you want, but cold food won't taste good."

Lu Xiucai wolfed down the large bowl of food. As he ate, he suddenly realized the meal was exceptionally good today.

He used his chopsticks to pick up an egg-sized, greasy piece of fatty meat, dipped it in the rice, and chewed the fragrant morsel. Lu Xiucai looked at Gouwa, surprised. "What's this? Is the village celebrating New Year early?"

"No, Senior Brother Li is back! So the village is holding a feast to celebrate."

"Oh?! Really! My Master is back!?" Lu Xiucai instantly became agitated. He was about to rush outside but then immediately wondered if he should first ask his Master's wife, who had taught him new divine abilities, for permission.

However, when he looked toward Bai Lingmiao, he found that both the white-haired young woman and the black-furred woman were gone. A nearby side door stood open.

Walking through the dim corridor, Bai Lingmiao stumbled, almost falling. She complained, clutching her knee, "This awful place is so dark."

Chun Xiaoman walked over and helped her up, replying, "It's alright, it's not that dark. I'll hang a few more oil lamps on the wall tomorrow. By the way, aren't you planning to tell Senior Brother Li about the divine powers and cultivation methods left by the White Lotus Society?"

A hint of vexation appeared in Bai Lingmiao's eyes. "What good would telling him do? You might think this martial mediumship is incredibly powerful, but in his current state, it's nothing to him. He's far, far more powerful than you can possibly imagine now."

"Really? Senior Brother Li is that powerful now? That's wonderful news!" Chun Xiaoman couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness for Li Huowang.

"Good news? Do you truly believe it's good news for a madman to become even more powerful? Just consider what he's done in the past." Bai Lingmiao said, continuing her walk deeper inside, stopping only when she reached the innermost dark chamber.

"But didn't Senior Brother Li tell you he wouldn't have episodes of madness anymore?"

"He says it, and you believe him? Then you're even more delusional than he is. In any case, I have my doubts. Just now, while we were in bed, he changed the subject with me the moment hallucinations came up, as if he was concealing something."

"Let's wait and see for now, to prevent him from overthinking. He shouldn't be wandering off recklessly for a while. We'll observe his actual condition, then make our plans."

"Miao Miao, you're truly so good to him."

"What can I do? I'm committed to him, for better or worse. He didn't consider me a burden back then, so how could I possibly disdain him now that he's gone mad?"

"Since he's gone so completely mad, our only option is to figure out how to cure him."

The stone door opened, and Bai Lingmiao stepped inside. The white jade lotus on the cabinet radiated a soft, ethereal glow, illuminating the entire space.

By this light, Bai Lingmiao looked up at the mural on the wall, gazing at the twin lotuses being pulled by six white donkeys.

Ever since that strange chanting sound resonated last time, these twin lotuses had appeared and never vanished, growing increasingly clear. She had no idea what they signified.

"Could this be related to the White Lotus Society's Unborn Mother?" Bai Lingmiao wondered, perplexed. However, she had scoured all the books within this dark chamber and found absolutely no texts pertaining to twin lotuses.

Thus, Bai Lingmiao was unable to discern whether this phenomenon was ultimately good or bad for her.

Now that she was the sole remaining member of the White Lotus Society, its subsequent evolution—for better or worse—would directly dictate the future expansion of her influence.

"If only I could discover the source of that peculiar chanting, perhaps I could gain some insight," Bai Lingmiao murmured to herself.

However, this was clearly a difficult task. During this period, whenever she ventured out to perform folk rituals, she specifically inquired about the origin of this strange chanting. Yet, she received no answers whatsoever.

The only information she gleaned from the immortal beings was that the sound was extremely jumbled and chaotic. Though they didn't explicitly state it, Bai Lingmiao seemed to sense that these immortal beings were apprehensive of the chanting.

Bai Lingmiao thought for a moment, then picked up three incense sticks. After bowing respectfully to the twin lotuses, she inserted them into the small incense burner.

She didn't know if it would be effective, but decided to try anyway. At the very least, records suggested that the Unborn Mother did not object to offerings from others.

"Miao Miao, what should we do about those ritualistic ancient texts in the corner that describe human sacrifices to heaven?"

Chun Xiaoman's words brought Bai Lingmiao back to the present. She glanced at the books recently selected from the corner. "What else can we do? Burn them."

"Are you really going to burn them?"

Bai Lingmiao's voice was filled with disgust. "Burn them! Disgusting things simply vex me! And I, Bai Lingmiao, always keep my word."

An oil lamp tumbled through the air, landing on the books and instantly igniting a blazing fire.

Beneath the orange-red firelight, within the twin lotuses on the wall, something utterly inverted—upside down and inside out—faintly began to appear.

Neither Bai Lingmiao nor Chun Xiaoman noticed this horrifying and bizarre sight.