Chapter 67: Package

Regardless of what had transpired earlier, death ended all, and with Li Zhi's demise, the entire incident came to an end.

Although he had faced danger, his gains were also significant.

First, Li Huowang understood the reason behind the monks of Zhengde Temple's ill intentions.

"The Xinsu, formed from the transformation of Taishi, takes on substance but has yet to become a complete body. This is called Xinsu. Xinsu is the origin of substance, yet to fully form."

These were Li Zhi's last words to him before he died. In the eyes of the people of this world, Li Huowang himself was a very rare Xinsu.

Li Huowang didn't understand classical Chinese well, but relying on vague memories from school, he still managed to grasp the general meaning.

According to this explanation, Taishi was a substance that formed all matter, while Xinsu was something that existed before the birth of Taishi.

He had translated it, but the content only confused Li Huowang further.

"I'm clearly a person, an ordinary human being of flesh and blood. How could I be the origin of substance, yet to fully form? That doesn't make any sense at all."

Something that sounded so mystical couldn't possibly be related to a living person.

How could something that hadn't even formed matter still be a living creature, capable of thought and movement?

Facing this question, Li Huowang was completely at a loss.

But no matter what he thought, the actions of Dan Yangzi, Abbot Xinhui, and Li Zhi showed Li Huowang how the cultivators of this world thought.

"Forget what Xinsu really is; I'm like Tang Monk's flesh now, and everyone wants a bite," Li Huowang muttered self-deprecatingly as he walked along the road.

Li Huowang had now completely lost trust in the people of this world; anything anyone said could be false, and they could all be trying to deceive him.

It was deeply unsettling to suspect that everyone he encountered in this world had an ulterior motive.

However, life had to go on, and troubles had to be dealt with one by one.

At least Li Zhi's words should be true, right? After all, a dying person's words are often good.

Li Zhi was still hoping for Li Huowang to burn spirit money for him on Qingming Festival, so deceiving him in this place wouldn't benefit him at all.

Besides, Li Huowang had no choice now.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Hearing someone call out, Li Huowang and the others had just turned around when they saw a simple-looking man, holding something in his hand, running after them from behind.

"Where are you going? Where's my fellow villager, the shaman? The couple who were with you," the breathless man asked.

Li Huowang naturally couldn't say he had killed him. "He had something to do, so he left with his wife first," he replied.

The man didn't suspect Li Huowang and instead shoved a heavy package he was holding into Li Huowang's arms.

"Oh, well, in that case, this is a package from his room that he forgot to take before he left. Could you deliver it to him? Thanks a lot," the man said.

Li Huowang remembered the color of the package; Li Zhi had been carrying it on his back when they first met.

Without waiting for Li Huowang to say anything more, the man turned and left after handing over the item.

Walking again on the bumpy dirt road, Li Huowang looked at the package in his arms with a complex expression.

He certainly couldn't return this item to Li Zhi, as he was already dead.

At this moment, a sudden thought sprang into Li Huowang's mind.

"Inside Li Zhi's bag, could I find anything valuable?"

With that thought, Li Huowang acted immediately and untied the cloth package.

There was nothing striking inside; all the items were old.

First, there was a whitish drum skin, which seemed to be a spare for a shaman.

Li Huowang picked it up and threw it to the side of the road. Shamans had left a very bad impression on him, and seeing this item felt ominous.

"Hey, don't throw it away! It's such good leather. What if we can make something out of it later?" Bai Lingmiao picked it up with both hands.

"Make what? Patches?" Li Huowang realized that Bai Lingmiao was far more frugal than he was when it came to certain things.

"We're completely out of money now, so every bit we save helps."

Watching her carefully place it on the donkey cart, Li Huowang shook his head and continued rummaging through the package.

Next, he pulled out half a string of copper coins. Judging by their varying luster, some new, some old, Li Zhi must have saved these coins for a long time.

He picked them up and weighed them in his hand; Li Huowang sighed softly.

He didn't know what Li Zhi had been saving money for, but it was clear he had put a lot of effort into it.

"Take these to buy food," Li Huowang tossed the money into Bai Lingmiao's arms.

Bai Lingmiao, who had been worrying about money, instantly beamed with joy upon seeing the copper coins.

But her joy quickly turned to worry. "Brother, we need to find a way to earn a living soon. These copper coins won't last long," she said.

"Earn a living? What do you plan to do? Perform plays like Scholar Lü and his troupe?" Li Huowang said, rummaging through the package.

Bai Lingmiao instantly shook her head like a rattle-drum. "My father would kill me if he knew I was performing plays. I mean some other legitimate business," she explained.

Li Huowang reached in and pulled out a round jade pendant strung on a cord and placed it in her hand.

"Don't worry about money. Find a prosperous place and sell this, then you'll have everything you need," he assured her.

"I have some too, I have some too!" Gouwa pulled out a stack of red envelopes from his embrace and handed them over.

Li Huowang looked at him in surprise. "These are the red envelopes Dan Yangzi gave to the deceased disciples, aren't they? When did you steal them?"

"I took them when I left Qingfeng Temple. I saw no one was taking them, hehe, so I just grabbed them," Gouwa said, his voice sly and triumphant.

Just then, Li Huowang's hand stopped. He felt something round and bulging inside the package.

He pulled it out to look and was surprised to find it was a gourd the size of two palms.

"It looks a bit like a gourd for elixirs. Do shamans also refine elixirs?" Li Huowang thought to himself as he looked at the item.

He held up the gourd and tilted it twice, but nothing came out.

Just as Li Huowang closed one eye and peered into the gourd's mouth, trying to see what was inside, the upper part of the gourd suddenly split open.

The tiny gourd mouth instantly revealed rows of barbed white teeth and bit fiercely towards Li Huowang's face.

With a 'kancih' sound, fortunately, Li Huowang recoiled quickly. Had he been a moment slower, half his face would have been ripped off.

Still startled, Li Huowang stared at the gourd in his hand, which had returned to its original state.

This thing was actually a living creature, and Li Zhi had used it to hold something. Then whatever was inside must be extremely precious. What exactly was it holding?

As if sensing something, the bell at Li Huowang's waist trembled slightly.

"Wait here for a moment," Li Huowang said with a thought, then turned and walked into the woods.

In the dense forest, the bell chimed, and soon, Lord You was summoned forth.

"What is inside this?" Li Huowang asked Lord You, holding up the gourd.

Lord You made a sound. Li Huowang looked at the gourd in his hand in disbelief. "What? Are you really sure this contains lifespan!?"