Greed

Chapter 106: Greed

Li Huowang hesitated as he looked at Bai Lingmiao before him. He couldn't decide whether he should bring her along or not.

Her spirit-dancing abilities could certainly help him to some extent, but he didn’t want to put her in danger.

The others began to persuade him.

“That’s right, Senior Brother Li, let us come too,” said one.

“If something happens, we can help. Didn’t you say those nuns weren’t dangerous?”

“Exactly. And besides, if… if you have another episode, at least there’ll be someone around to look after you.”

Gouwa’s last sentence made Li Huowang relent. “Baolu, take the cart to an inn and stable it. We’re going up the mountain.”

The Black Tai Sui’s ability to suppress hallucinations was fading fast. He could slip into an episode at any moment. He couldn’t afford to be alone.

Hearing this, the others showed faint smiles and quickly followed him.

The dirt path up the mountain was winding, but Li Huowang and the others were long used to such roads.

After resting halfway up the slope, they finally reached the gate of Anci Nunnery just before dark.

Looking inside from the entrance, the nunnery was just as dilapidated as before. Weeds grew thick between the cracks in the stone pavement, and the holes in several distant temple roofs remained unrepaired.

Li Huowang’s heart began to race as he stared at the couplets carved in female script on either side of the gate.

He had fought tooth and nail for this day.

The thought of finally being free from that monstrous master made it hard for him to contain his excitement.

Standing still, he took a deep breath, then turned to brief the others.

“Anci Nunnery is filthy and chaotic. The nuns inside are very fat. When we go in, don’t act surprised. Understood?”

After receiving firm nods from everyone, Li Huowang gripped Layue Shiba’s eye in one hand, took a deep breath, and strode inside.

No sooner had he passed through the gate and approached the temple than a wall of rancid rot slammed into him.

“What the hell are these nuns doing? It smells even worse than last time,” he muttered, frowning as he covered his nose and pushed forward through the stench.

The other human ingredients began to regret their decision. This wasn’t dangerous—no, it was worse than dangerous. The smell was unbearable.

As Li Huowang stepped into the first temple hall, his right foot suddenly sank. He quickly lifted it to find he had stepped onto a soft, crumbling piece of peach pastry.

“Watch your step. The people here aren’t big on tidying up.”

Glancing up at the dust-covered Bodhisattva statue that hadn’t changed at all, Li Huowang circled around the hall toward its back.

Sure enough, behind the statue lay a towering mound of flesh. The fat nun had a large flatbread helmet strapped over her head, eating and sleeping in a daze.

“Good heavens… that’s… that’s a person?” The others following Li Huowang were stunned by the sight.

Having been here before, Li Huowang didn’t bother trying to wake her. She probably couldn’t be woken anyway.

The group passed through a side door in the wall and officially entered the inner grounds of Anci Nunnery.

But they hadn’t taken more than a few steps before they realized there was nowhere to step.

As far as the eye could see, the ground and rooftops were covered in rotting food. To their right, a pile of moldy steamed buns had formed a small mountain, with flies and maggots crawling all over it.

Yet, for all this abundance, not a single piece of meat could be found among the mess. Everything was vegetarian.

Looking at the scene, Li Huowang understood immediately. This was clearly what those gold pieces he had brought earlier had bought.

As soon as they got the money, the nuns had bought food—all kinds of food.

“Step through it.” Li Huowang pressed his foot into the rotting food, advancing slowly as if wading through a swamp.

The others grimaced, especially Bai Lingmiao, who valued cleanliness.

But when she looked at the distant figure ahead, she gritted her teeth and followed.

“Why did these nuns buy so much food just to let it rot? What a waste! This is a famine year—this food could have saved so many people!”

Yang Xiaohai, who had once been a beggar, couldn’t hold back. It was rare for him to speak up.

Li Huowang glanced at the young acolyte. “Because they’re greedy.”

Yang Xiaohai pressed his lips together and said nothing.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Li Huowang led the group to the dining hall where he had seen the nuns before. They found more of them.

“Ughh—” One fat nun was vomiting violently right in front of Li Huowang, emptying her stomach in great heaves.

Sweating profusely, she didn’t even bother wiping the sweat off her face. Instead, she used her stomach as a table and began stuffing herself madly again.

“Master Miaoyin, long time no see.” Li Huowang greeted the fat nun.

Miaoyin opened her mouth, spraying a mixture of food scraps and saliva toward Li Huowang’s face. “Oh, it’s you. Need another guide? The price has gone up—at least one tael of gold this time.”

“No need. May I ask if Venerable Jingxin is still in her old room?” Li Huowang stepped back, trying to stay out of her range.

Seeing there was no gold to be had, the extreme greed on Miaoyin’s face quickly twisted into disappointment. “What do you think? She’s so fat she can’t even walk. Where else would she be?”

Li Huowang nodded and turned to continue along the path he had taken before.

The others stuck close to him, trudging through the swamp of rotting food.

But Yang Xiaohai, who was at the back, couldn’t hold it in any longer when he passed the gluttonous nun.

“Do you know how wasteful this is? Do you know how many people outside are starving—even dying of hunger? Do you know how much it hurts to go hungry?”

Miaoyin answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Of course. That’s why we can’t waste it. See, it’s already going bad. If we don’t eat it now, we’ll lose the chance.”

With that, she turned her head, opened her mouth, and vomited up what she had just swallowed, her eyes still gleaming with greed as she continued to gorge herself.

Following the same route as before, past the pigsty, Li Huowang finally arrived at Venerable Jingxin’s door. It was only in this relatively remote spot that the ground wasn’t covered with rotting food.

Here, they felt a little better. The smell was still there, but they were gradually getting used to it.

Li Huowang raised his fluorescent stone and stepped inside, only to see Venerable Jingxin stuffing something into the folds of her own fat.

“Ah, it’s you, boy! Well? Did you find Layue Shiba?”

His expression grim, Li Huowang nodded and opened the lacquered box in his hand.

Though she had no eyes, Venerable Jingxin seemed to sense something. The loose, sagging flesh on her face split into a grin of pure, ravenous greed.

As the flabby folds of her body began to shift toward Li Huowang, the entire house seemed to tremble.