Mutated Tao

Li Huowang did not refute his words and replied, “There are so many people in the Great Qi. Is there no one who can make the crops grow faster?”

“Yes, we usually call such people farmers.”

“Damn it, that’s not what I meant! I’m talking about divine powers! Divine powers!”

Li Huowang paced back and forth in the kitchen, biting his fingernails. Suddenly, he stopped. “Whether it’s the remnants of the Surveillance Bureau or people from other sects, notify them all to gather here and brainstorm a solution for the Great Qi!”

“We must use all available resources. No matter how much food I bring, I can only save the people around You Capital. Everyone else is still starving.”

“Amitabha. You do not need to worry so much, benefactor. Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life. The people in other parts of the Great Qi won’t all starve. Those who survive can eat the corpses of those who perished, which should sustain them for a while.”

“As if that’s a good thing! Nevermind. I’ll go get some more pigs.” Li Huowang drew his spine sword and slashed forcefully at the kitchen wall.

He returned to the Great Liang and immediately headed to the west market of Shangjing.

“Brother Li! Brother Li!” A somewhat familiar voice called out to him.

Li Huowang turned around, and his gaze fell upon the wooden mask on the man’s face. It took him a moment to recall that this was Liu Zongyuan from Moongate.

When Li Huowang infiltrated the Surveillance Bureau, he had worked with him on a few tasks.

Liu Zongyuan was well-informed and clearly aware of Li Huowang’s elevated status. As such, his attitude was far more respectful now.

He said a few words, but the shouts of the White Lotus followers nearby drowned him out, making it impossible for Li Huowang to understand him.

The two moved a bit farther away, and Liu Zongyuan immediately complained, “The White Lotus Sect was once considered evil but is now openly welcomed. How does that make sense?”

“What are they up to?” Li Huowang looked at the people in the distance.

“I’ve heard they’re praying for the Heavenly Mater to bring down the lost Hometown of True Void to save everyone.”

Li Huowang had heard from Miaomiao that they wanted to pray for the Heavenly Mater to let go of the vanished Heavenly Dao of Death. Still, the situation was more complicated than that.

Li Huowang turned his gaze back to Liu Zongyuan. “By the way, what were you trying to say?”

“Oh, I was just saying, Brother Li, it’s been a while. How about I treat you to a meal to catch up?”

Li Huowang quickly lost interest when he realized it was just small talk. “Maybe next time. I’m busy right now.”

“Oh? What troubles you, Brother Li? Perhaps I can lend a hand?”

“How can you help the dead?”

“The dead? That’s not a problem these days. In fact, it’s considered a blessing. Many people are desperate to die but can’t. Why be troubled?”

Li Huowang wanted to explain, but he was too exhausted. “Yeah, being dead isn’t great, but neither is not being dead. People are just that contradictory.”

He paid no further heed to Liu Zongyuan and went to the west market.

After quickly negotiating the prices with a pig farmer, he proceeded to prepare multiple piglets in pig cages for transportation to the Great Qi.

Upon delivering the piglets to the Righteous Monastery, Li Huowang saw the monks bringing out their wriggling Buddha statue.

The monks sat cross-legged around the Buddha statue on the lotus seat. Then, they struck their wooden fish and chanted.

“Peace and happiness to be bestowed upon the world, where the immovable heaven can see. Living beings blinded by ignorance are often lost in delusion, but the wondrous eye can understand this method. The pure and wondrous form of the Tathagata manifests in all directions and is incomparable. This body is formless and without attachment.”

Amidst the chanting, the squirming Buddha began to consume the piglets one by one, just like someone eating steamed buns.

It didn’t entirely swallow them, leaving a part of each pig’s head exposed. The uneaten pig heads let out pitiful screams.

As the chanting grew louder, the pig heads swelled, and strange bumps appeared on their bodies.

The piglets grew rapidly to adult size, but they looked bizarrely deformed, with short limbs or tumors on their backs.

The pigs were expelled with a series of plopping sounds. They immediately began climbing on top of each other while writhing frantically.

The sight made Li Huowang frown. Though the Righteous Monastery was a famous and upright sect, their methods made him uncomfortable.

At that moment, the monks arrived with carts full of corpses and buckets of feces. They proceeded to dump them onto the pigs.

The pigs ravenously devoured the mixture and rolled in the filth and blood. Their bellies gradually swelled as they ate.

“Benefactor Li, the union of male and female is a great way of interaction between yin and yang. There’s no need to feel this way. Soon, the common people won’t have to eat just grain and human flesh. They’ll also get to enjoy pork.”

“Is there any difference?” Li Huowang felt nauseous, so he stepped outside to get some fresh air.

Once he started feeling better and was about to return, Chan Du offered him a bowl of pork.

“Benefactor Li, would you like to try some?”

Li Huowang did not accept it. “This pork smells foul! How can you expect others to eat this?”

In his opinion, the pork had an overwhelming stench resembling that of a cesspit.

Chan Du picked up a piece and chewed on it. “Is it? No, Benefactor Li, this meat is fragrant. You find it foul because you’re not hungry enough yet.”

Li Huowang had nothing left to say. He drew his spine sword to prepare to transport more grain.

Chan Du called after him, “Wait, Benefactor Li. Your compassion is known to us all, but the Qi Kingdom lacks more than just food. Haven’t you noticed anything unusual about the sky on your travels?”

Li Huowang looked up at the sky, which seemed normal. He didn’t understand Chan Du’s point.

“The Dragon Vein of the Great Qi is gone, and with it, time itself. It’s been stuck at one o’clock. The cycles of heaven and earth have come to a halt.”

At that moment, Miao Guihua, who was sweeping the floor, walked by. Chan Du waved her over and handed her the bowl of pork. Guihua happily accepted it and began eating it ravenously.

Chan Du gently patted her head. “With no dawn or dusk, this little girl will never grow up and will stay like this forever.”

“That’s just the effect on people. The absence of time has broader consequences for the Heavenly Daos of the Great Qi.”

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