Lord

A deified form of Laozi (Lao Tzu), the founder of Daoism; Danyangzi believed he received the heavenly scripture from this supreme Daoist deity, now revealed as a Zuowandao plot.

Definition

A deified form of Laozi (Lao Tzu), the founder of Daoism; Danyangzi believed he received the heavenly scripture from this supreme Daoist deity, now revealed as a Zuowandao plot.

Story context

Get ready for the scheming phase, Daoist friends! Chapter 14 is where Li Huowang stops being a passenger in his own nightmare and starts grabbing the wheel—grudgingly, with a side of existential nausea. After being force-fed a pill that gives him a genuine power-up (stronger, sharper senses, the works), our boy has to deal with the moral hangover of *how* he got it: by becoming Danyangzi's errand boy in the human-ingredient trade. But wait—Bai Lingmiao, the soft-spoken albino girl we thought was just a victim, walks in with a backbone of steel and offers to join his rebellion. The two of them piece together crucial intel about the temple's surveillance system (a creepy entity called the Wandering Lord that takes days off on market day), and Li Huowang starts building a network of allies among the doomed ingredients. By the end, he's playing the long game—acting the devoted disciple, learning alchemy as a cover for poison-making, and quietly probing the temple's biggest mystery: if Danyangzi and all his disciples are illiterate, who the hell read him that Heavenly Scripture from Lord Lao?

Why it matters

This chapter is a masterclass in quiet setup. No big fight scenes, no flashy supernatural showdowns—just Li Huowang swallowing his disgust and turning into a political animal. The transition from victim to spymaster is handled beautifully: the power-up feels like a curse, the first ally walks in of her own accord, and the entire alliance is built on a piece of calendar trivia (market day) and a gap in a surveillance system. That's *good* plotting, my friends.