Heart Seed

"Da da da," the black donkey's hooves tapped against the hard road, making crisp sounds.

The others, looking somewhat flustered, jogged along with the donkey cart.

As they walked, they occasionally glanced back, as if afraid of something catching up.

"Senior Brother Li, why are we in such a hurry to leave the pass?" Gouwa asked, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Since Zhengde Temple can be located in a bustling city for so long, and still be so crowded, why do you think we need to leave the pass?" Li Huowang's expression was terribly gloomy.

Hearing Li Huowang's rhetorical question, Xiao Man, covered in black fur, said, "The fact that Zhengde Temple can be in the same city as the imperial palace and coexist peacefully for so long already explains the problem. Whether the rulers of West Capital City are colluding with them or have been infiltrated, we can't trust the local government here."

Li Huowang nodded.

It was understandable if ordinary people like him were deceived, but he would be damned if he believed that all the ruling echelons of such a large country had been deceived. They must have some shady dealings.

"Anyway, we've had enough of this place, and we've already sent all our last words to Zhao Wu. We were planning to leave the pass next anyway."

"Shua," a map was spread out on the donkey cart by Li Huowang.

A map that couldn't be bought anywhere else was finally found in West Capital City, even if it was still very crude.

Li Huowang's fingertip slid slowly across the map, drawing the route for their next journey.

Spanning the three countries of Siqi, Houshu, and Qingqiu, the ultimate destination was Bai Lingmiao's hometown, the Liang Kingdom.

"Mm, go to our place. We don't have such terrifying monks there. Our monks are very kind."

Hearing Bai Lingmiao's words, Li Huowang looked up at her before looking back at the map.

To be honest, he didn't trust anyone now. He couldn't judge whether the monks Bai Lingmiao spoke of were truly kind, or if it was just another smokescreen.

As a group of ordinary mortals, they were too passive in the face of these unfathomable beings.

They kept walking like this, until it was almost dark, until they were completely exhausted before stopping to rest.

Li Huowang looked at the bonfire in front of him, feeling a little anxious. The speed was too slow.

To be honest, he wasn't short of silver now. If it really came down to it, he could pawn that jade pendant, which should be enough for everyone to have a horse.

But the problem was, none of them knew how to ride a horse.

"Walking like this won't work. We can't take the main road. It's too easy to be followed. After we finish eating, we'll go into the forest."

"Senior Brother Li, here's your noodles. I put a lot of lard in it to keep you full since we'll be traveling soon."

A bowl of steaming noodles was handed to Li Huowang, with bits of minced meat floating up and down inside.

Sitting quietly beside Li Huowang as he ate the noodles in large mouthfuls, Bai Lingmiao rested her head on her knees and said, "Since the monks of this Zhengde Temple aren't good people, what about your matter, Senior Brother Li? Do you have to find a monk? What about a nun?"

Swallowing the noodles in his mouth with effort, Li Huowang held the bowl and blew on it gently before taking a large sip of the soup.

"It's nothing, just a small trouble. Compared to those pursuing monks, these things aren't even a trouble."

Since the monk had deceived him, then everything he had said before had to be questioned.

Perhaps they couldn't solve Danyangzi at all, or perhaps Danyangzi wasn't what they said he was.

The possibly existing or non-existing Danyangzi could be dealt with later.

"Is there not enough noodles? I can get you some more if you want. There's still some in the pot."

Li Huowang shook his head, handed the bowl to Bai Lingmiao, stood up, walked to the fool, and patted his bald head on tiptoe. "Let's go, stop eating, come with me to the woods to relieve ourselves."

"Oh..."

In the small woods, Li Huowang and the big fool stood side by side, fertilizing the small trees in front of them.

After turning his head and glancing at the bonfire behind him, Li Huowang whispered instructions to him.

As night fell, Zhengde Temple also began to close its doors.

All the monks began to attend evening classes one after another, and the entire temple was filled with the cadence of chanting.

Jian Dun walked slowly around the temple, turning prayer beads with his right hand in front and clenching his fist with his left hand behind.

Soon he arrived at the Five Buddhas Hall and saw the abbot inside, concentrating on stringing prayer beads.

"Abbot, I went to check just now and found that Benefactor Xuan Yang has left."

Abbot Xin Hui, sitting cross-legged on a futon, held up the prayer beads in the water and examined them in the air.

After a long while, he put the prayer beads in his hand on the ground and picked up an infant from a cradle beside him.

"Alas, poor thing, if we hadn't discovered it early, you would have been drowned by your father." He gently coaxed the baby girl.

"Abbot, Benefactor Xuan Yang has left."

"This old monk isn't deaf yet, no need to be so loud, be careful not to disturb the child, knock."

"Tap tap tap tap~" The sound of wooden fish echoed around, making the entire Five Buddhas Hall solemn.

Xin Hui carefully placed the child on the ground and gently wrapped the newly made prayer beads around her body.

Then, accompanied by the sound of the wooden fish, Xin Hui began to chant in a low voice, not Buddhist scriptures, but something else.

"The moon hides the jade rabbit~ the sun hides the crow~ naturally there are turtles and snakes~ intertwined together~"

As the chanting began, the prayer beads on the infant's body seemed to come alive and began to tighten.

"Intertwined together, life is strong, yet able to plant golden lotuses in the fire~"

Xin Hui formed a lotus seal with both hands and pointed forcefully at the child.

The crying gradually turned into laughter, the laughter grew louder and louder, so loud that even the five giant Buddhas in the hall had upturned mouths.

"Gather the five elements and use them upside down~, when the work is done, become a Buddha and an immortal~."

The sound of the wooden fish gradually weakened, and the sharp-eyed Jian Dun quickly took a few steps, holding up a vase that had been prepared and handing it to Xin Hui.

After a period of fiddling by Xin Hui, a vase girl identical to the one in Danyangzi's room was made.

After completing all of this, the seated Xin Hui picked up a thread again and began to string prayer beads.

"Since he's gone, then go and chase him back."

"Yes, this disciple obeys."

"Be careful, although that kid knows nothing about anything, his potential should not be underestimated."

"Danyangzi, that scoundrel, I won't say anything else, but his luck is really good. I don't know where he found such a rare Heart Seed."