Heart of Purity

The sound of donkey hooves echoed sharply on the hard road, the rhythmic clopping growing louder as it mixed with the hurried footfalls of the others trailing behind. They were all moving briskly, casting occasional glances behind them as if afraid of something following close on their heels.

"Li Shixiong, why are we rushing to leave the pass?" Dogwa, wiping the sweat from his brow, asked in a tone that conveyed his confusion.

Li Huowang's expression was grim, his face darkened with concern. "If the Zhengde Temple has been able to thrive in the bustling city for so long, and still remain so crowded, don't you think there's a reason we need to leave the pass?"

Hearing this, the black-haired Xiaoman spoke up. "Since the Zhengde Temple has been allowed to exist in the same city as the royal palace without issue for so long, it's clear there's something more to this. Whether the ruling powers in Xijing are complicit or simply infiltrated, we can't trust the local authorities."

Li Huowang nodded.

For someone like him, an ordinary person, it might be understandable to be deceived. But for an entire country to be taken in, no, he couldn't believe it. The ruling class must have some ulterior motive, some hidden dealings with the temple.

"We've stayed here long enough," Li Huowang muttered. "I've left all my last words with Zhao Wu. Our next step was always to leave the pass."

Li Huowang laid out a rough map on the donkey cart, one he had managed to procure in Xijing City despite its crude quality. His finger traced the path they would take. They would cross through the kingdoms of Sizi, Hou Shu, and Xia, ultimately heading for Liang, the homeland of Bai Lingmiao.

"Yes, let's go there," Bai Lingmiao said, her voice light and cheerful. "We don't have such terrifying monks where I'm from. Our monks are very kind."

Li Huowang glanced at her, his expression unreadable. He didn't know whether to trust her words. Could those monks really be as kind as she said, or was it another illusion?

He wasn't sure about anything right now. All he knew was that they were at the mercy of forces far beyond their understanding. Ordinary people like them had no way to deal with these dangers, let alone fight back.

As they continued their journey, the sun began to set, and they stopped to rest when they could walk no more. The flickering light of a campfire illuminated their faces, but Li Huowang's heart remained uneasy. The pace was far too slow.

They weren't short of money, but the real issue was they didn't have any horses. If needed, he could sell the jade pendant to buy horses, but then again, none of them knew how to ride.

"This won't do. We can't keep to the main road. It's too easy for them to catch up. Once we've eaten, we'll head into the forest," Li Huowang said, his voice low with determination.

At that moment, Bai Lingmiao set a steaming bowl of noodles in front of him, the broth rich with minced meat. "Li Shixiong, I've added a lot of lard to this. It'll keep you going for a while."

Li Huowang gratefully took the bowl, inhaling the fragrant steam. As he began to eat, Bai Lingmiao rested her head on her knees and looked at him. "Since the monks at Zhengde Temple aren't good people, what will you do, Li Shixiong? Why are you still seeking out monks? What about nuns?"

Li Huowang paused, the noodles halfway to his mouth. After swallowing, he looked at her for a moment. "It's nothing. Small problems. Compared to those monks who are chasing us, this doesn't even count."

The monks at Zhengde Temple had lied to him. Now, he couldn't trust anything they had told him. Perhaps they weren't able to deal with Dan Yangzi after all, or perhaps Dan Yangzi wasn't what they had made him out to be. What mattered now was simply survival. Everything else could wait.

As they finished their meal, Li Huowang handed the bowl to Bai Lingmiao and stood up. He walked over to the simpleton, his footsteps light despite the gravity of the situation. He reached up and patted the big, bald head of the simpleton.

"Let's go. Stop eating. Come with me to the forest."

"Oh..." the simpleton mumbled, but he dutifully followed Li Huowang.

In the small forest, Li Huowang and the simpleton stood side by side, tending to a small tree. As they worked, Li Huowang glanced back at the campfire and whispered a few instructions to the simpleton.

Meanwhile, back at Zhengde Temple, night had fallen, and the temple began to close for the night. The monks began their evening prayers, and the sound of chanting filled the air.

Jian Dun, beads in his right hand, was slowly walking through the temple, his pace calm and measured. Soon, he reached the Five Buddha Hall, where he found the Abbot, Xin Hui, focused on threading beads.

"Abbot, I went to check. The Xuanyang benefactor has left," Jian Dun reported.

Sitting cross-legged on his mat, Abbot Xin Hui lifted the beads from his water bowl and held them up to examine. After a moment, he placed them on the ground and gently picked up a child from a nearby cradle.

"Ah, poor thing. If we hadn't found you in time, your father would have drowned you," Xin Hui murmured, cradling the baby in his arms.

"Abbot, the Xuanyang benefactor is gone," Jian Dun repeated, louder this time.

"I'm not deaf, you know," Xin Hui said without looking up. "Be careful not to wake the child. Knock."

The sound of wood chimes echoed through the hall, creating a solemn atmosphere.

Xin Hui carefully placed the baby on the floor and, with a delicate touch, tied the freshly made beads around the child's body. As the chanting continued, the baby's body reacted in a strange way. The beads began to tighten, as if they had a life of their own.

The baby, feeling the pressure, began to cry, but her cries were drowned out by the rhythmic thumping of the wooden chimes.

Jian Dun watched, wide-eyed, as Xin Hui continued his chanting in a strange, unsettling tone:

"Yue Zang Yutu, Ri Zang Wu Ai..."

The baby's cries turned to laughter, her voice rising in pitch as if mocking the world. The more she laughed, the more sinister the scene became, with the five great Buddhas seeming to smile eerily.

Xin Hui's chanting grew louder, the laughter of the baby mixing with his voice as he continued the ritual:

"Gather the five elements, reverse the order, create a lotus of fire..."

The beads sunk deeper into the baby's flesh, a sight so gruesome that even Jian Dun felt unease rise in his chest.

When the ritual was complete, Xin Hui placed the baby's head in a nearby flower vase, as if planting her in the blood-soaked waters. The laughter had stopped, but the child's body remained unnaturally still, as if suspended in time.

Having completed his task, Xin Hui resumed his work, threading beads with a calm, practiced air.

"Since he's gone, you'd better go after him," the Abbot said nonchalantly, his voice calm as ever.

"Yes, master," Jian Dun responded, his voice respectful, yet filled with unease.

"Be cautious. The boy may be ignorant of everything, but his potential is not to be underestimated."

"Dan Yangzi may not be much, but his luck is certainly extraordinary. Who knows where he found such a rare Heart of Purity?."