Chapter 53: Thinking

The donkey cart's wheels turned ceaselessly, their axles emitting a harsh, grating sound.

"Gouwa, drip some sesame oil on the wheels."

Lying in the donkey cart, Li Huowang spoke with difficulty. His neck had just been stitched by Bai Lingmiao with an embroidery needle and covered with wound medicine, making it impossible for him to sit up.

Soon, the creaking sound significantly diminished. Li Huowang gazed blankly at the sky, pondering the events of the past few nights.

The trouble at Zhengde Temple had been resolved, but his own problems were just beginning.

From his perspective, it was Dan Yangzi, after achieving immortality, who had killed the Buddhas.

Yet, to others, it was he himself, with a terrifyingly distorted expression, who had pounced, burrowed into the Buddhas' bodies, and devoured them alive.

It was impossible for one world to have two perspectives; therefore, either his perception or theirs had to be false.

Li Huowang turned his head to see Bai Lingmiao, her eyes bound by strips of cloth, clutching his hand tightly, unwilling to let go for even a moment.

His gaze returned to the white clouds in the sky, and a bitter smile appeared on Li Huowang's face.

To be honest, due to his condition, Li Huowang himself no longer trusted his own perceptions.

Coupled with his distended belly and blood-covered face, everything suggested that he was indeed the one who had acted, not Dan Yangzi.

"Could Dan Yangzi truly be dead? Was everything I saw merely a figment of my imagination?"

As soon as this thought arose, Li Huowang quickly dismissed it.

"It's impossible for me, in my condition, to easily deal with those enormous Buddhas. In the end, it still points to Dan Yangzi."

"No matter what he has become, the key is that he's still here, still watching me." Li Huowang was absolutely certain of this.

"Before, I always thought he, having achieved immortality, had descended personally. But now it seems he was merely possessing my body to act."

"My previous hypothesis that Dan Yangzi was protecting me has been confirmed. However, based on my understanding of him, such a person would never help me out of kindness. He must have done it for some other purpose."

Recalling the strange sensation he'd felt that night, a faint suspicion formed in Li Huowang's mind. He extended a finger and lightly scratched her soft palm.

"Tell me, has my temper grown worse since we left Qingfeng Temple?"

"No, Senior Brother Li, why do you ask?"

Li Huowang gently stroked the back of her hand but offered no explanation, merely thinking to himself, "Why do I ask? Because I'm worried that scoundrel Dan Yangzi is up to no good!"

Although no one else mentioned it, Li Huowang himself felt a change in his demeanor and way of dealing with others.

"Could that old scoundrel Dan Yangzi be trying to resurrect himself through my body? Is that why he protected me—because he was also protecting his own potential vessel?" This terrifying hypothesis, causing cold sweat to prickle, exploded in Li Huowang's mind.

However, he quickly calmed down. It was just a hypothesis.

Dan Yangzi definitely needed to be dealt with. The goal was clear, but *how* to achieve it was the crucial part.

Li Huowang felt completely at a loss. Nothing in this world was clearly labeled like in a game; everything was unfamiliar, and he had to figure it out himself.

After the turmoil at Zhengde Temple, Li Huowang was hesitant to easily engage with other factions here. After all, even the most benevolent Buddhist temple had become so horrifying; heaven knew what other places had turned into.

Yet, upon reflection, Li Huowang realized that if he wanted to survive in this dreadful place, he couldn't avoid them.

As Li Huowang pondered these matters, the donkey cart slowly came to a halt. The gurgling sound of flowing water could be heard nearby.

"Senior Brother Li, I'll go wash your clothes for you." Bai Lingmiao said, gently withdrawing her hand, then picked up the blood-stained garment from the donkey cart and walked towards the nearby stream.

The others were not idle either; they instinctively began searching for firewood in the forest and preparing to start a fire for cooking.

Unable to sit up, Li Huowang could only rely on sounds to discern what was happening around him.

Before long, the aroma of cooked food wafted over. Li Huowang's stomach rumbled; his injured body desperately needed sustenance.

"Senior Brother, I'll feed you." Li Huowang felt himself being helped up and leaned against a soft, furry embrace.

Li Huowang now knew the name of this woman, covered in black fur like a gorilla: Chun Xiaoman.

Her name was easy to understand; she was born on the day of Xiaoman, so they called her Xiaoman. Farmers often named their daughters so casually.

Xiaoman scooped up horse meat soup with a wooden spoon and brought it to Li Huowang's mouth.

One silently fed, the other silently ate. Since the incident, Li Huowang noticed that the others seemed even more afraid of him.

Li Huowang understood their fear; after all, anyone would be unnerved sharing space with a man-eating monster.

After he had eaten enough, Li Huowang quietly said to Xiaoman, "Tell Bai Lingmiao to come back. If the clothes can't be washed clean, then don't bother."

"Okay." Xiaoman gently laid Li Huowang down, placing the Heavenly Book beneath his head as a pillow.

Soon after, Bai Lingmiao returned. The blood-stained Taoist robe in her hands had not reverted to its original blue color.

"Drape it over the donkey's back to dry. Go eat quickly, the food's getting cold."

"Mhm," Bai Lingmiao murmured softly. After crouching down and carefully examining Li Huowang's wounds for a moment, she walked towards the bonfire.

"Clip-clop, clip-clop," the familiar sound of horse hooves echoed from the distance.

The sound arrived before the person. "Aiya! Young Taoist Master! So you're here! I thought I'd never find you!"

When Lyu Zhuangyuan's old, wrinkled face appeared before him, Li Huowang knew that Lyu's troupe had followed them.

"Oh dear, what happened to you... what happened..." He saw Li Huowang's wretched condition.

"Nothing much, just ran into a bit of trouble on the road. Do you need something?"

"Young Taoist Master, why did you leave without a word? Didn't we agree to travel together? It's a good thing you mentioned leaving the pass earlier, otherwise, I really wouldn't have found you," Lyu Zhuangyuan said with a fawning smile.

A free escort, hard to come by, couldn't be abandoned so easily.

"My apologies, Troupe Master Lyu, I'm injured, so I won't reminisce. Please make yourselves at home."

"Yes, yes, you rest comfortably." Lyu Zhuangyuan didn't ask anything further. Having traveled extensively for years, he understood the danger of knowing too much.

Seeing that night was approaching, neither group intended to continue traveling. After all, there was a small river nearby, making washing and water access very convenient.

Unable to sleep, Li Huowang silently gazed at the stars in the sky, thinking about the day's events.

Suddenly, there was some movement to his right.

Before Li Huowang could react, a small, soft body quietly lay shivering in his embrace.

Smelling the familiar subtle fragrance, Li Huowang reached out his right hand and gently patted her back. "It's alright. Leave everything to me. Leave everything to me."