The Bundle

1,337 words

Chapter 67: The Bundle

Regardless of what had happened before, with death, the person is gone. With Li Zhi's death, this whole incident came to an end.

Though they had encountered danger, the gains were also substantial.

First and foremost, Li Huowang now understood why the monks of Zhengde Temple had been scheming against him.

"A Heart-Element? 'The Grand Beginning transforms into form; the form has substance, but has not yet become a body. This is called the Heart-Element. The Heart-Element is the beginning of substance, yet not yet become a body.'"

This was what Li Zhi had said to him before he died. In the eyes of the people in this world, he himself was an exceedingly rare Heart-Element.

Li Huowang wasn't very proficient in classical Chinese, but relying on vague memories from school, he could still grasp a rough meaning.

According to this statement, the 'Grand Beginning' was some kind of substance that formed all matter, while the 'Heart-Element' was something that existed before the Grand Beginning was even born.

He could translate the words, but the content only left him more confused.

"I'm clearly a person, an ordinary man of flesh and blood. How could I possibly be some 'beginning of substance that has not yet become a body'? That just doesn't add up."

Something that sounded so profound and arcane couldn't possibly be connected to a living person.

If a thing hasn't even formed matter, how could it still be alive, how could it think and move?

Faced with this question, Li Huowang was utterly baffled.

But no matter how he thought about it, the actions of Danyangzi, Abbot Xin Hui, and Li Zhi all told Li Huowang what the cultivators of this world believed.

"Never mind what a Heart-Element actually is, I'm now that piece of 'Tang Monk's flesh'—everyone wants a bite." Li Huowang said to himself with self-deprecation as he walked.

He had now completely lost trust in everyone in this world. Any word spoken by anyone could be false, all of them potentially trying to deceive him.

It was a deeply unsettling thought: everyone he met in this world had an agenda.

Yet life had to go on, and troubles had to be dealt with one bite at a time.

At least what Li Zhi had said should be true, right? After all, a man's words are kind on his deathbed.

The guy was still expecting him to burn paper money at Qingming Festival. It wouldn't do him any good to lie here.

And besides, he didn't really have a choice now.

"Hey! Wait up!!"

Hearing someone call out, Li Huowang and the others turned around just in time to see a man with a simple, honest face running up from behind, holding something in his hands.

"Where are you all going? Where's that spirit-dancer fellow of mine? The couple who were with you," the out-of-breath man asked.

Li Huowang naturally couldn't say that he had killed the man. "He had something to deal with, so he left with his wife."

The man didn't suspect Li Huowang. Instead, he shoved a heavy bundle into his arms.

"Oh, in that case, this is his bag from his room. He forgot to take it before he left. Could you deliver it to him for me? Thanks."

Li Huowang remembered the color of this bundle. When he first met Li Zhi, this was the very thing he carried on his back.

Before Li Huowang could say anything else, the man delivered the item and turned to leave.

Walking once more on the uneven dirt path, Li Huowang looked at the bundle in his arms with a complex expression.

There was no way to return this to Li Zhi. He was dead.

Suddenly, a thought burst into Li Huowang's mind.

"Inside Li Zhi's bag… could I find something valuable?"

As soon as the thought came, he acted on it, untying the cloth bundle.

There was nothing eye-catching inside. Everything was old and worn.

First, there was a pale, greasy drumhead, probably a spare for the spirit dance.

Li Huowang grabbed it and threw it toward the roadside. His impression of the spirit dance was terrible, and seeing this thing felt unlucky.

"Hey, don't throw it away! That's good leather. We might be able to use it for something later," Bai Lingmiao said, picking it up with both hands.

"For what? Patching holes?" Li Huowang noticed that Bai Lingmiao was far more frugal than him in some matters.

"We're completely broke now. Every little bit helps."

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

Next, he pulled out half a string of copper coins. Judging by the mixed luster of the coins, new and old, Li Zhi must have been saving these for a long time.

He lifted the string, weighing it in his hand, and let out a soft sigh.

He had no idea what Li Zhi had been saving up for, but one thing was certain: he had put a lot of effort into it.

"Buy some grain with this," Li Huowang said, tossing the coins into Bai Lingmiao's lap.

Bai Lingmiao, who had been worrying about money, immediately beamed.

But the smile quickly faded into worry. "Elder Brother, we need to find a way to earn some income. These coins won't last long."

"Earning income? What do you plan to do? Perform opera like Lü Zhuangyuan and his troupe?" Li Huowang asked while digging through the bag.

Bai Lingmiao shook her head vigorously. "My father would kill me if I performed opera. I mean some other, proper kind of work."

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

"Don't worry about money. Find a prosperous place, sell this, and we'll have everything we need."

"I've got some too, I've got some too!" Gouwa said, pulling a stack of red envelopes from his chest and offering them.

Li Huowang gave him a surprised look. "These are the red envelopes Danyangzi gave to the disciples who died, aren't they? When did you steal them?"

"I took them when I left Qingfeng Temple. I saw no one else was taking them, hehe, so I just helped myself," Gouwa said, his voice a mix of slyness and pride.

Just then, Li Huowang's hand stopped. He had touched something round and bulging inside the bundle.

Pulling it out, he was surprised to find a gourd, about the size of two palms put together.

"It looks like a gourd for holding pills... Do spirit-dancers also practice alchemy?" Li Huowang wondered silently.

He held the gourd up and shook it a couple of times. Nothing came out.

Just as he squinted one eye and brought the gourd's mouth close to his face, trying to see what was inside, the top half of the gourd suddenly split open.

The tiny mouth of the gourd instantly revealed rows of hooked white teeth and snapped viciously at Li Huowang's face.

With a clack, he managed to pull back just in time. One step slower, and half the skin on his face would have been torn off.

Li Huowang stared, still shaken, at the gourd in his hand, which had already returned to its original shape.

This thing was alive. Li Zhi had used it to store something. Whatever was inside must have been extremely valuable. What exactly was in there?

As if sensing something, the bell at Li Huowang's waist gave a faint tremor.

"Wait here a moment," he said, and with a sudden idea, he turned and walked into the woods.

In the dense thicket, the sound of a bell rang out. Soon, the Wandering Lord was summoned.

"What's inside this thing?" Li Huowang asked, holding up the gourd to the Wandering Lord before him.

"Yǎng rén."

Li Huowang stared at the gourd in disbelief. "What? Are you seriously telling me this is filled with... yang life?!"

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Reading Guide Decoding

A Dead Man's Bag and the Bite of Truth

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

Heart-Element (心素): This is the core metaphysical concept of the entire novel, and it's a doozy. The quote "The Grand Beginning transforms into form; the form has substance but has not yet become a body" is drawn from classical Daoist cosmology (the Liezi, specifically). In orthodox Daoist thought, the "Grand Beginning" is a primordial state before the universe had shape. The novel corrupts this: a Heart-Element isn't a stage of cultivation; it's a person born as a primordial substance that hasn't yet decided to be a body. It makes Li Huowang less a person and more a living raw material for alchemy—a prized ingredient that other cultivators want to consume or refine. This is the ultimate dehumanization, and it recontextualizes every attack on him.
The Living Gourd (葫芦): Gourds are powerful symbols in Daoism. They are often used by immortals (like Li Tieguai of the Eight Immortals) as vessels for magic potions, but also as containers for demons. A gourd that can bite is a folkloric evolution of this—a vessel that has become semi-sentient to guard its contents. That it holds "Yang Life" (阳寿) connects it to the novel's core horror: even abstract concepts like lifespan can be stored, traded, and consumed.
"Yang Life" (阳寿): In Chinese folk religion and Daoist practice, yang shou is the span of life each person is allotted by the celestial bureaucracy. It's not a renewable resource. The fact that Li Huowang has a gourd full of it is like finding a bank vault full of other people's time. It's a terrifying and morally ambiguous prize.
Tang Monk's Flesh (唐僧肉): Li Huowang's self-comparison is a direct reference to Journey to the West. The Tang Monk (Xuanzang) was a reincarnation of a golden cicada, and it was believed that eating his flesh would grant immortality. It's a perfect analogy for his current predicament.

Chapter Overview

In the wake of Li Zhi's death, our weary Daoist finds himself with more questions than answers and an unexpected inheritance. The chapter opens with a brutal but necessary clarification: Li Huowang finally learns why the entire Zhengde Temple was after him. He's not just a random schmuck who wandered into the wrong temple—he's a Heart-Element (心素), a rare and terrifying concept that redefines his very existence in this world. But explanations are a luxury he can't afford. Life goes on, and so does the march of survival.

A new problem arrives in the form of a simple, trusting villager delivering Li Zhi's forgotten bag. What follows is a grim treasure hunt through a dead man's belongings: spare drumheads, hard-saved copper coins, a valuable jade pendant, and a peculiar gourd that turns out to be less container and more mouth. Li Huowang's final gambit—summoning the Wandering Lord for a reading—delivers a bombshell that will change the calculus of survival. The 'yang life' inside that gourd isn't just a prize; it's a revelation that deepens the horror of this world's economy.

Key Plot Points

The Heart-Element Revelation: Li Zhi's dying words finally give Li Huowang the truth. He is a "Heart-Element"—a substance that exists before form, a raw material of reality itself. This explains the obsessive interest from Danyangzi, Xin Hui, and everyone else. He's not a person to them; he's an ingredient.
Mourning with a Purpose: Despite the spiritual blow, Li Huowang's internal monologue is pragmatic. He can't afford existential dread. He processes the information, files it away, and moves on, all while joking grimly about being "Tang Monk's flesh."
The Interrupted March: A local villager catches up to them, delivering Li Zhi's forgotten bag. Li Huowang's deception is smooth—"He had business, so he left"—but his internal calculation is cold. He can't return it to a dead man.
Grim Spoils: The bag's contents are a window into Li Zhi's world: a spare drumhead (tossed aside as unlucky, then retrieved by Bai Lingmiao for practical use), half a string of copper coins (hard-saved, now donated to the group's dwindling funds), and a jade pendant (marked for sale).
The Unexpected Windfall: Gouwa produces a stack of red envelopes stolen from Qingfeng Temple—Danyangzi's death gifts to his fallen disciples. It's a small, morally dubious gain that Li Huowang silently accepts.
The Living Gourd: The chapter's teeth-grinding moment. Li Huowang finds a sealed gourd. It bites him. The thing is a living container, suggesting the contents are too dangerous or valuable for an ordinary vessel.
Summoning the Answer: Li Huowang retreats into the woods, rings his dented bell, and asks the Wandering Lord what the gourd contains. The answer—"Yang Life"—drops with the weight of a stone. The gourd holds longevity itself, the most precious currency in a world built on sacrifice.

Reading Guide

A Breath After War: This chapter is a meditative pause after the chaos of Zhengde Temple and Li Zhi's death. It's not about action; it's about processing—understanding the rules of this awful world and taking stock of what's left.
Watch the Internal Calculus: Li Huowang's internal monologue is the real action here. He doesn't panic. He files away the Heart-Element revelation like a piece of combat intelligence. That's terrifying character growth—he's becoming too used to horror.
The Bundle as Epitaph: Li Zhi's bag is a perfect narrative device. It gives us a final, non-combat view of the spirit-dancer's life. He was just a guy trying to survive, saving copper coins for some unknown plan. His death leaves behind sad, mundane objects.
The Morality of Spoils: There's a quiet, unsettling moment when Li Huowang accepts the stolen red envelopes from Gouwa without protest. He's not judging the act. He's counting the copper. This is a man whose moral compass is slowly being bent by necessity.
What Would You Do With Yang Life?: That ending question is planted for you, the reader. Li Huowang now has a resource that can extend life, pay debts, or attract even deadlier enemies. His next choice will define his character arc from here on out. Pay attention.