Chapter 84: Confusion

Jingxin was unlike anyone Li Huowang had ever met. Despite her terrifying appearance, she spoke with remarkable amiability.

Yet, Li Huowang would rather face this enormous, plump woman as a direct aggressor, tearing him down like others had. At least that would offer some clarity. Instead, she just smiled at him, speaking as if everything she said were true.

"Could it really be true?" Li Huowang began to panic, his thoughts spiraling into confusion, his expression contorting with extreme pain.

The air around him pressed in like a physical weight, making even breathing difficult.

Various images flashed through his mind. But when the rolls of paper Yang Na had given him appeared, Li Huowang felt as though he had found an anchor. "No! That's not right! Someone might be able to hallucinate an entire, complete world, but they could never hallucinate knowledge!" All the knowledge he had learned in high school rapidly replayed in his mind.

Watching the young man in front of her clutch his head and mutter to himself, Abbess Jingxin's face showed a hint of pity. "What a pathetic soul."

Regardless of what the abbess thought, Li Huowang quickly composed himself. Though his face showed weariness, his eyes regained their firm resolve.

"I am Li Huowang! I crossed over; there's no doubt about it! I am not some delusional madman from this world; I am a crosser! Absolutely!"

"It seems you've made up your mind? Do you believe what I say, or not?"

"Abbess Jingxin, let's not discuss your son anymore. To make a long story short, just tell me directly what 'Xinsu' is." Li Huowang tried to regain control of the conversation.

A plump finger with cracked nails trembled as it pointed towards Li Huowang's chest. "'Xinsu' is you—it includes the confusion in your heart, your karmic obstacles, and the cause-and-effect tied to you."

"Judging by the scent of the items on your back, you must have killed quite a few people, haven't you? In that case, you're no outsider. You should be aware of some practices involving intangible arts. For any sect, besides external objects, the most crucial element is one's mental state."

"The confusion and other karmic obstacles found in 'Xinsu' are far purer and more stable than those of ordinary people. Some sects require the confusion within 'Xinsu' to stabilize their own mental states. Even if they don't, selling 'Xinsu' to those who do can bring in a significant fortune."

"Mental state? Emotions?"

Li Huowang immediately thought of the intense suffering required by the red bamboo slip, and the obsession of the Zhengde Temple monks—whether it was facing beasts, flesh monsters, or engaging in illicit acts with those of the same sex.

So, everything they did had a method behind it. For the first time, Li Huowang gained an initial understanding of the other supernatural abilities in this world.

"Some people want to capture you for other reasons, but most pursue you for the confusion you carry. Because only in the heart of a 'Xinsu' does confusion constantly exist—something ordinary people cannot achieve."

From this, Li Huowang realized that human emotions in this world were not intangible concepts, but rather things that could affect reality. Human emotions could even be used as a form of currency.

"The confusion and emotions in my heart can actually help others cultivate? But I'm not confused at all right now. I'm absolutely certain that 'over there' was an illusion, and 'here' is reality. Even if I fall into an illusion again, I will never mistake it for reality again," Li Huowang stated emphatically.

Jingxin looked at Li Huowang, a faint smile on her face. "Really? Alright then, if that's what you believe, so be it. This old nun can't be bothered to argue with you. You may leave."

"Leave?" Hearing the dismissal, Li Huowang immediately realized he hadn't accomplished his main goal. He hadn't come merely to understand 'Xinsu'.

"Abbess Jingxin, I came here to ask you to perform an exorcism."

Compared to the troubles she spoke of, Dan Yangzi was clearly more dangerous. His purpose in coming was to deal with him.

He needed to survive first before he could worry about going mad. If Dan Yangzi took over his body, there would be no 'after' to consider.

"Oh? So you weren't asking me for a solution regarding 'Xinsu'? What were you just chatting about then? Why didn't you just get straight to the point?" Abbess Jingxin's face fell, showing her displeasure.

After apologizing, Li Huowang thoroughly recounted the entire incident to Jingxin.

"Became an immortal? Someone actually became an immortal these days?"

Jingxin muttered to herself, then pulled two ox-horn shaped divination blocks from under her nun's hat and began to quietly divine.

After observing for a long while, she continued to scrutinize Li Huowang's face with her two black, eyeless sockets.

Just as Li Huowang felt increasingly uncomfortable under her gaze, Abbess Jingxin suddenly spoke. "On the day he became an immortal, you didn't eat your master, did you?"

"Huh?" Li Huowang was completely bewildered by the question.

"How could I eat him? If I had a way to deal with Dan Yangzi, would I have needed to attempt mutual destruction with him?"

"Hmm..." Jingxin didn't retort, simply nodding quietly.

With a flick of her right hand, Li Huowang instantly felt an unbearable oiliness all over his body, and something squirming beneath his skin.

"Don't wipe it off. Endure it."

After this lasted for about two incense sticks' worth of time, Jingxin spoke.

"I have a way to get rid of your master, but it will consume a great deal of my Dharma artifacts and merit. So, why should I help you?"

Li Huowang's heart skipped a beat, then he immediately understood: she wanted something in return.

However, he found such straightforward demands more trustworthy than the Abbot of Zhengde Temple's rhetoric about saving all sentient beings.

He quickly placed the Heavenly Book, the gourd containing lifespan, and the red bamboo slip on the ground.

"As long as Dan Yangzi can be dealt with, you can take your pick from these items."

After Li Huowang presented these items, he was surprised to find Jingxin utterly disdainful of them.

"What rubbish is this? Take them away! Especially that Great Thousand Records, take it as far away as possible, lest it pollute the grounds of our Anchi Convent!"

She seemed very repulsed by the red bamboo slip, and Li Huowang learned its name for the first time.

After saying this, an expression of extreme greed appeared on her old face. "I smell gold on you."

Hearing this, Li Huowang immediately understood. "No problem. I will provide that gold to the Bodhisattvas of Anchi Convent later, for gilding their statues."

At the mention of money, Jingxin's demeanor completely changed. Her previous amiability vanished, replaced by an extremely calculating and petty attitude.

"Oh, and silver. I also smell silver. I want that too. Besides these worldly possessions, I need you to help me find something else."