Mutated Tao

“Try? Of course we must try it! I never said we shouldn’t.” Gao Zhijian blocked Li Huowang. “I will send as many people as possible to try it!”

Li Huowang replied, “As if they have the strength to do so. I don’t think any of them would know where the Baiyu Capital is located. I went there once, and I’m a Siming’s Twisted One. I can do this, but we could do this together to increase our chances of winning.”

Gao Zhijian held onto Li Huowang’s robes. “Senior Li! It’s very dangerous to partake in the matters of a Siming! You will die!”

“Idiot. You spent so much time with me after we left the Zephyr Temple. Have you ever seen me afraid of death?” Li Huowang turned his robes incorporeal and escaped Gao Zhijian’s grasp.

Li Huowang’s departure left Gao Zhijian feeling quite anxious. If he had known this would happen, he would’ve encouraged Li Huowang to go to Nan Ping to fight instead. It would’ve been much safer compared to going to Baiyu Capital.

Gao Zhijian asked Bai Lingmiao for help. “Junior Bai, please try to persuade him! It’s too dangerous.”

Bai Lingmiao pursed her lips and shook her head with sadness. “If you couldn’t convince him, neither could I. Senior Li is also right. Handling the problem from the top would also destroy the Dharma Sect for good. We wouldn’t have to go through so much suffering either.”

“But Senior Li could die!”

Bai Lingmiao clenched her fists. “The White Lotus Sect and I will do everything in our power to keep him alive.”

The two of them were still discussing when Li Huowang left the palace. Even though he knew what he needed to do, he still didn’t know how.

Xuan Pin treated Li Huowang like a snitch and revealed absolutely nothing to him. He had no choice but to find the way to enter the Baiyu Capital by himself.

Li Huowang headed towards the Surveillance Bureau in hopes of finding the method that Xuan Pin had used.

He reached a small estate guarded by two lions. Li Huowang flashed his identity plate and entered the estate without a hitch.

There were many people inside, most of them here to exchange for treasures. The Surveillance Bureau could mobilize so many people because they quite literally had a trove of treasures to attract mercenaries.

After all, asking people to fight against the Dharma Sect with just ideals wasn't realistic.

“Master.” Li Huowang thought he had misheard, but he turned around and saw Lu Xiucai.

Lu Xiucai had undergone a drastic transformation from his initial naive appearance. His entire scalp was gone, one of his eye sockets was empty, his trousers were dangling in the air, and his mouth was devoid of teeth.

Lu Xiucai had become what his father had initially told him last time: an evil entity that Li Huowang would fight against.

Lu Xiucai's shirt was in tatters, and he used his one remaining arm to hold onto his modao, using it as a crutch to stand.

He used his modao to jump forward when he saw Li Huowang approaching him.

“What are you doing here?” Li Huowang frowned as he looked at Lu Xiucai.

“I don’t have any legs and can’t walk quickly. I’m here to see if there’s anything I could use.” Lu Xiucai smiled.

“When did you join the Surveillance Bureau?”

“I didn’t. The Surveillance Bureau opened up their vault to the outside. Those who fought against the Dharma Sect can exchange items. Don’t you know about this?”

“Why would I know something like this?” Li Huowang looked at Lu Xiucai’s missing legs and shouted angrily, “Why did you cut off your leg? How did you use the Profound Records? Don’t you know that you should skin yourself first? You could even cut off your feet instead!”

“Master, I did. But it was a difficult battle. Skinning my leg and cutting off my feet didn’t work. I had to cut off my legs.”

Li Huowang sighed. He understood the agony of losing limbs in comparison with losing skin. Lu Xiucai must’ve faced a really strong opponent.

Li Huowang had thought Lu Xiucai had either died or returned to Cowheart Village. He never thought that Lu Xiucai was still on the front lines. “Why did you fight so hard? You should go back now.”

Lu Xiucai shook his head and smiled. “No, Master. I won’t return until the Dharma Sect has been completely crushed.”

Li Huowang looked towards the Surveillance Bureau. “I have something to do, so you better be careful.”

“Please go ahead.”

Li Huowang had just taken a few steps when he turned around and took out his dagger. He cut open a small wound on Lu Xiucai’s abdomen.

Li Huowang then took out a small human-skin doll from his own abdomen and stuffed it into Lu Xiucai’s body.

Li Huowang pressed the wounds tightly and Lu Xiucai’s abdomen was healed.[1]

“I am giving you one more life. Go back when it's gone. If you die, the Lu family will be gone forever.” Li Huowang patted his shoulder and turned to leave.

“Thank you Master!”

Lu Xiucai turned and hobbled to a different direction than Li Huowang.

Lu Xiucai reached a wooden counter before giving them his collection of black cloths and left ears, which he had collected from the Dharma Sect members he had killed. He planned to exchange them for lifespan pills to get something from the vault.

“Dear Sir, what do you need?” An eunuch with coins sewn into his eye sockets smiled.

“I don’t have legs anymore. Are there any treasures that make me walk again so I can chase down people?”

“Is that so? Please go and wait behind the screen. I will check for you.”

“Alright.” Lu Xiucai hopped on his modao towards the screen.

He initially struggled to hop around on his modao. But now, he was surprisingly skilled at doing so.

He sat behind the screen while touching the place where Li Huowang had cut him on the abdomen previously.

What did Master give me? A life? Could that thing really give me another life? Lu Xiucai was still intrigued when several people approached him from the other side of the screen.

It wasn’t the eunuch with coins for eyes, but instead several people wearing large robes and tall hats. Lu Xiucai caught the stench of blood the moment they entered.

“What do you want?” Lu Xiucai wasn’t worried because this was the Surveillance Bureau’s territory. He was certain that no one would stir up trouble here.

“You and I were fated to meet.” The elder in front revealed a bloody Profound Records and pointed at Lu Xiucai’s Profound Records, which was barely peeking out of his bag.

1. He could’ve just regrown Lu Xiucai’s limbs with his “Truth” cultivation… ☜