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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Zhengkun
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"My home is at number twenty-two, Baolu Lane, east of the lower Liang city gate. Tell my wife that under the bed, in the interlayer of the third pickle jar, there are two little goldfish. Use them sparingly—they should last until our Bao'er grows up."
A middle-aged man whose face was covered in pimples forced down his fear and whispered these last words to Li Huowang.
This was today's medicine primer being sent to the pill refinery room. Yet Li Huowang could do nothing about it except commit these final words to memory.
As he watched the trembling man walk into the pill refinery room, Li Huowang turned and left, his expression tinged with irritation as he headed back.
This was already the eighth one. As time passed, the number of people in the material room kept dwindling. What pained him even more was that he seemed to be growing accustomed to it—the guilt of sending people to their deaths was steadily fading.
He was being assimilated by that nauseating bastard Danyangzi. He didn't want that.
Li Huowang desperately wanted to escape this torturous situation. He was searching for a solution, but it wasn't easy to find. Relying solely on himself and the disabled folks in the material room, taking on the unfathomably powerful Danyangzi was next to impossible.
The only things he knew for sure about Danyangzi were that the "Wandering Lord" he controlled didn't exist on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, so it couldn't keep watch over them, and that Danyangzi was illiterate—someone in the Clear Wind Temple was helping him read the Heavenly Book.
"Should I go to Danyangzi's dwelling and kill that someone? Among all his disciples in the entire cave, I'm the only one who can read. He'd have no choice but to have me translate the Heavenly Book for him! At that point, killing Danyangzi would be a piece of cake."
The thought had barely formed in his mind before Li Huowang dismissed it.
He knew which cave Danyangzi lived in, but first, he had no idea what traps might be inside, and second, he didn't know how strong this Heavenly Book reader was. Charging in blindly like that—he'd probably die without even knowing how.
"Poison his alchemy ingredients? No way. He taught me everything I know about alchemy. That would be like brandishing an axe before Lu Ban—suicide."
Li Huowang walked onward, racking his brains for some new way to deal with Danyangzi.
Just then, a gloomy young man in a Daoist robe and square scholar's cap approached from the opposite direction. Li Huowang knew him—he was Danyangzi's inner sect disciple, Zhengkun.
Li Huowang didn't know much about him. Apart from occasionally crossing paths at mealtimes, he never saw Zhengkun around.
Unlike Li Huowang and the other named disciples, Zhengkun didn't have to bother with the temple's daily affairs. As for what he did on a regular basis, Li Huowang had no clue.
The two passed each other, one on the left, one on the right. As Zhengkun's shoulder lightly brushed against him, Li Huowang slammed into his body. The moment they made contact, it felt like he'd collided with a block of raw iron.
Zhengkun stopped abruptly, turning sideways with a smile that didn't reach his eyes as he looked at him.
"Xuanyang, you've been getting pretty uppity around the temple lately. Master's been awfully pleased with how you've been buttering him up."
Li Huowang furrowed his brow and glanced at him but said nothing as he turned to leave.
He hadn't taken two steps before a massive force hit him from behind, shoving him forward.
Li Huowang stumbled several steps, steadying himself after a moment so he didn't end up eating dirt.
"What's wrong, Junior Brother Xuanyang? My words don't carry weight anymore?"
Zhengkun, arms crossed over his chest, advanced step by step until he was right in front of Li Huowang.
"Senior Brother Zhengkun, I still need to go help Master sort the alchemy ingredients."
Li Huowang spoke calmly.
"Quit using Master to pressure me. Back when I was sticking by Master's side while we were hunted like dogs, you were who knows where! I'm telling you, Xuanyang—stick to doing your work quietly and keep your mouth shut about everything else. Don't be so clueless."
Zhengkun's tone grew even harsher.
Li Huowang didn't get angry. Instead, he stared blankly at Zhengkun, seemingly lost in thought. The guy really did have a short temper, just like Xuanyuan had said. Didn't that mean he was impulsive?
"What? Cat got your tongue? Say something!"
Li Huowang, who had been wooden-faced until now, came alive. A hint of mockery crept into his voice.
"It's Master's business whom he favors. Even if he tells me the path to immortality, that's his prerogative. I don't think Senior Brother Zhengkun has any say in it."
Zhengkun froze for a second, caught off guard that the other dared speak to him like this.
Once he recovered, his face twisted in rage. He pinched his fingers together into a mudra and thrust them like a tiny chisel straight through Li Huowang's robe into his left side.
"You think you're worthy? Master hasn't even told me the immortality cultivation method—why would he tell you? Who do you think you are? Medicine dregs!!"
The searing pain nearly made Li Huowang black out, but a smile spread across his face. He'd guessed right.
"Heh, maybe Master didn't tell you because your aptitude's too poor, Senior Brother Zhengkun. Cultivation is all about talent. If you don't have it, then don't waste Master's time tinkering with your body."
Those words struck Zhengkun's sore spot. He yanked his fingers free and jabbed three more times into Li Huowang's body.
"You piece of medicine dregs! You're dead!!"
Amid the agony, Li Huowang's laughter grew louder.
"Hahaha! Come on then, kill me! Let's see what Master does when he finds out his disciples are killing each other in the temple."
As Li Huowang's laughter escalated from guffaws to maniacal cackles, Zhengkun kicked out with his right foot, sending him slamming into the wall.
"Hmph! Brainless lunatic."
Li Huowang lay on the ground, struggling to catch his breath for the time it took a cup of tea to brew. Then a pair of large hands reached down and helped him up.
"Hey, Junior Brother Xuanyang, why don't you ever listen? I told you to show Senior Brother Zhengkun some respect. Why go provoking him?"
The speaker was the ever-amiable Xuanyuan, the only person in the Clear Wind Temple Li Huowang could really talk to, thanks to his easygoing nature.
Clutching his side, Li Huowang endured the pain as he replied:
"What, is he gonna kill me or something? Master's Wandering Lord is watching from the side. If any more disciples die in the temple, it won't hold together anymore."
"What Wandering Lord?"
Xuanyuan looked puzzled.
He doesn't know? A thought flashed through Li Huowang's mind. Could it be that the others didn't know how Master monitored the entire Clear Wind Temple?
Recalling that two of the dead had been inner sect disciples, Li Huowang realized they might truly be in the dark.
"Nothing. I just mean he wouldn't dare lay a hand on me."
"That's not how it works. He's an inner sect disciple, and you're just a named one. He might not kill you outright, but making your life hell? That's child's play for him."
"Haha, my feet are small. I'm made for little shoes."
As he bantered with Xuanyuan, a glint of amusement flickered in Li Huowang's eyes. Zhengkun had let slip something crucial: even as an inner sect disciple, he still hadn't been taught the immortality cultivation method.
Danyangzi didn't trust anyone.
But that wasn't the point. The key was the look in his eyes. When they'd locked gazes earlier, the moment Li Huowang claimed he'd learned the immortality method, he'd clearly seen the burning resentment in them.
Disciples trained by Danyangzi could never be truly loyal.
This could be an angle to exploit. He wanted to test it.
(End of chapter)