Chapter 66: Good Person

Hearing movement behind him, Li Huowang covered his stinging shoulder and looked back at Li Zhi, who was lying on the ground. Was he... apologizing to me?

“You’re on your deathbed, and you’re still putting on an act? Now you’re showing a good face, but just moments ago, wasn’t it you who tried to kill me?”

Li Zhi’s face, now progressively paler, revealed a bitter smile.

“I had no choice, I truly had no choice. They forced me. You could run, but I really couldn’t escape. From the day I became a medium, there was no escaping.”

Dark red blood gradually seeped from Li Zhi’s body, staining the soil crimson. He didn't have much time left.

Li Huowang stood there with a complex expression, watching Li Zhi, unsure whether to believe his words.

“Actually… it’s not bad. Finally, there’s no other noise in my head,” Li Zhi said with a sigh.

“So, everything before was forced upon you by the immortals?” Li Huowang asked again.

“Haha… There’s nothing I can do if you don’t believe me. From the day I became a medium, I was merely their puppet. I resisted, but it was useless. Humans cannot fight against immortals.”

Li Huowang didn't bother to discern the truth of his words and walked straight over, grabbing the hilt of the sword to pull it out.

He pulled hard, but it wouldn't budge. He realized Li Zhi was clutching the blade tightly with his mangled hand, where fingers had been cut off.

Li Zhi, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, chuckled. “Master Li, next time you encounter someone like me, remember to be more cautious. A ‘Xinsu’ like you is a tempting prize in others’ eyes. You can’t be sure they won’t harbor ill intentions.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang’s heart tightened. He hadn't expected to get any more information from Li Zhi, yet he had spoken of his own accord.

Looking at the dying man before him, Li Huowang deliberately softened his tone. “What exactly is a ‘Xinsu’?”

“A ‘Xinsu’ is one that transforms from the Great Beginning to take shape; possessing form and substance, yet not a complete body, it is thus called ‘Xinsu.’ A ‘Xinsu’ is the origin of substance, not yet a complete body.”

“What?” Li Huowang clearly didn’t understand what the other man was saying.

“The immortals told me this. I’m an uneducated man; I didn’t study much, so I don’t fully understand it. But it was the first time I saw them so pleased, so I figured… it must be a good thing.”

Li Huowang raised his own hand, looking at it with a shocked expression.

Recalling the monks from Zhengde Temple who had harbored malicious intentions, this was enough to confirm that Li Zhi hadn’t lied to him.

“In this world, am I something very rare? But aside from being mentally ill, I’m clearly no different from ordinary people. What exactly does ‘Xinsu’ mean?”

Li Huowang firmly committed Li Zhi’s words to memory, vaguely sensing their great importance.

He then thought of his deceased master, Danyangzi.

Li Huowang realized that there had been signs of this matter from the very beginning; his cheap master hadn't just randomly sought a ‘medicine primer’.

Since the cultivation methods of others were as strange as Danyangzi’s, it was likely they would also need a ‘medicine primer’ like him for their cultivation.

At this point, Li Zhi’s voice began to fade, and his pupils started to dilate.

“Master Li, could you do me a small favor?”

Li Huowang looked back at the dying Li Zhi. “Tell me.”

“The twenty-second of next month is Qingming Festival. When that day comes, could you burn more joss paper for me? I, Li Zhi, have been poor my entire life. I don’t want to be a pauper even after I die.”

As he finished speaking, Li Zhi habitually smiled again, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

“In my next life, I’d be fine even as an animal, as long as I don’t have to be a shaman again. It’s too stifling and… too exhausting. My life was worse than a pimp’s at a brothel.”

“Master Li, remember that you can do anything else in the future, but please, never become a shaman. This work is not for people to do; it’s truly too bitter and too stifling.” Two lines of clear tears trickled from the corners of his eyes.

Li Huowang watched the man with a complex expression.

Everything from the past flashed through his mind. Li Zhi might have been a good person, but his actions were not his own choice.

He was merely a pitiful individual controlled by those immortals.

This cruel world had taught him that those who could wield special powers weren’t necessarily masters of magic like Xinhui and Danyangzi; they could also be slaves to that very power.

“Thank you for the guidance. This is very important to me, Brother Li Zhi.”

By now, Li Zhi was on his last breath. He took a deep inhale and, with his remaining strength, said, “Oh, and that day you asked about exorcism, there was something, right? Remember to go south. Look for a group of nuns dressed in black there. They… are barely… considered… good people, and should… help you.”

Li Huowang never expected such an unexpected gain, especially since it concerned Danyangzi’s influence on him. He quickly pressed, “Nuns? What are these sects called? Are they skilled at exorcising evil spirits?”

Li Huowang spoke for a long time, but there was no response. Only then did he realize that Li Zhi’s eyes held no light; he was dead.

Looking at Li Zhi, who had died with his eyes open, Li Huowang couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.

If he hadn't been a shaman, perhaps the two of them could have become good friends.

Just then, others approached from a distance. “Senior Brother Li, as soon as the drumming stopped, that monstrous creature suddenly stopped moving. Oh? What happened to this man?”

Gouwa, Xiaoman, and the others had been entangled with the two spirits and looked very disheveled. Everyone had sustained injuries, but fortunately, they were all minor.

Li Huowang sighed. He reached down, gripped the hilt of the sword embedded in Li Zhi’s stomach, pulled it out, and reinserted it into the scabbard on his back. “Find a place and bury both of them, lest they be gnawed by wolves and jackals.”

“Why, Senior Brother? He’s a villain who murdered and robbed!” Gouwa didn't understand.

Li Huowang offered no explanation. He reached out and gently closed Li Zhi’s eyes.

Li Huowang didn't erect a tombstone for Li Zhi. Being a lonely man, no one would visit to pay respects, and leaving one might even cause trouble.

After a busy half-day, by the time they returned, the village roosters were already crowing.

Just as they reached the entrance, by the well, he spotted an unexpectedly thin figure from behind. Bailin Miao, who had been lying weakly in bed earlier, was now bending over, drawing water.

“Senior Brother Li! Where did you go? How did you get injured? Is everything alright?” Bailin Miao asked with concern.

Li Huowang, a slight frown on his brow, walked over and took her bucket. “You have a fever, why are you drawing water? Go lie down inside at once.”

“I’m fine, I’m better now. If you don’t believe me, feel for yourself.”

When Li Huowang placed his hand on her forehead and found that her fever had indeed broken, he said with some surprise, “The pills I made don’t have such strong medicinal effects. Are you sure you’re alright?”

Bailin Miao’s expression stiffened for a moment, then she smiled again. “I’m fine. What could be wrong? Isn’t it a good thing that I’m well?”

“Even if you’re fine, go back and lie down. Don’t touch water right after recovering from an illness!”