Dao of the Bizarre Immortal

Chapter 517 - Bodhisattva

Li Huowang was invisible as he stood at the top of the tree and observed the endless procession.

Thousands of eunuchs, consorts, and guards formed a long line. He didn’t even know where the line started and ended.

According to the information provided by Ji Lin, his target was the Empress Dowager, and the princess would be in the middle of the procession.

But Li Huowang knew now was not the right time to act, especially when he didn’t know which carriage they were on.

It would be bad if he startled them, and they ended up secluding themselves in the palace. It would be hard for him to kill them by them.

Li Huowang deduced that he'd have the highest chance of success by assassinating the Empress Dowager and the princess rather than attempting to kill them in the open.

Of course, he could always find them head-on later.

“Suisui, let’s go,” Li Huowang said. The two of them were invisible when Li Sui's tentacles slithered out of Li Huowang and wrapped around the nearby branches.

Li Sui exerted force, and Li Huowang’s figure shot toward the tree top.

Li Huowang followed the procession from afar.

Shangjing was in chaos right now, so the Empress Dowager and the prince would never travel far away from Shangjing to pray to the Bodhisattva. Li Huowang soon saw a massive statue of the Bodhisattva holding a jade vase carved into the mountain walls. It was a grand sight amidst the cloud-covered mountain peaks.

Li Huowang didn’t recognize what Bodhisattva was because it was different from the one he knew. The Bodhisattva of the Liang Kingdom was a male instead.

The male Bodhisattva statue was holding a jade vase in one hand while the other hand made a seal. The statue’s eyes were staring at the mortals with pity and mercy.

“Let’s go to the temple!” Li Huowang quickened his pace and reached the grand temple at the base of the Bodhisattva statue.

The temple was not a simple one, as it had such a massive Bodhisattva statue. The temple was so large that it had tens of mu of land.[1]

The temple was filled with greenery, and its yellow walls, grayish green roofs, thick scent of incense, and the grand bell toiling in the distance told everyone of its grandness.

Devotees were swarming the temple place, and the incense sticks in their hands smothered the temple with a thick and unique scent. They held their palms together and raised them above their chest and head before kneeling on the ground to pray. The stone floor had many holes from the countless devotees praying through the ages.

Clearly, the temple was an important place in the people’s hearts.

“Let’s go!” Li Huowang was still invisible as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop to find a place to hide.

Li Huowang wasn’t afraid of the temple monks hunting him down. According to Ji Lin, the monks of the temple were just ordinary people.

Even if the temple held secrets, they would never dare to involve themselves in the chaotic succession war of Shangjing.

The monks were no fools either to be able to establish their temple so close to Shangjing. They knew not to interfere in the succession war, or they'd end up getting destroyed.

Li Huowang finally found a suitable hiding place. Just then, the first batch of people in the procession finally reached the entrance of the temple.

Rows of monks wearing yellow robes followed several abbots to welcome their royal guests at the entrance of the temple.

Li Huowang held his breath and carefully observed what was happening.

He finally managed to catch a glimpse of the Empress Dowager and the eldest princess for the very first time after the attractive consorts parted away like colorful fans.

Pretty and attractive. That was Li Huowang’s first thought when he saw them.

As Ji Lin’s elder sister, the eldest princess was extremely gorgeous, and her mother, the Empress Dowager, was even more gorgeous than her.

The Empress Dowager had pale skin that revealed the slightest blush and thin lips that parted like rose petals. Age did not leave a single mark on her face.

If it wasn’t because of the difference in their attire, Li Huowang would’ve never been able to distinguish who was the Empress Dowager and who was the eldest princess.

Under Li Huowang’s gaze, the eldest princess whispered to the abbot. The guards behind her moved forward and chased away the other devotees before surrounding the entire temple. The place was now completely impenetrable.

The Empress Dowager and the eldest princess entered the temple with the consorts surrounding them.

They never stopped as they walked through the temple’s ground. They climbed up the stone stairs and reached the tallest pagoda before kneeling on the cushions and praying to the large Bodhisattva statue carved from the mountain wall.

The Bodhisattva statue looked at them without any emotions.

“Dad, what are they doing?” Li Sui had never seen people praying before and didn’t understand what was happening.

“They are praying to the Bodhisattva. They are probably asking for forgiveness. I guess it’s natural since they are asking one of their sons to kill the others. I doubt anyone would feel at peace for ordering that," Li Huowang explained to Li Sui.

Li Huowang was patient, and he stood still like a statue for a long time.

He knew that the Empress Dowager and the eldest princess would not return immediately after traveling so far away. They must be staying here tonight.

Ding! Dong! The bell toiled, and the monks sitting in a circle around the tallest pagoda started chanting their mantras.

The grand scene unfolded as the sun sailed past Bodhisattva's head and sank behind it.

At nightfall, Li Huowang finally felt that he had a chance to succeed. He used Li Sui’s tentacles to scamper up the roof and make his way to the quarters of the Empress Dowager and the eldest princess.

He moved extremely slowly, as he knew that the two would have quite a few bodyguards protecting them around the clock.

Li Huowang managed to avoid the hidden bodyguards and reached the quarters in two hours.

It was already late at night, but the quarters were still surrounded by numerous eunuchs and consorts.

“Li Sui, we need to head left before going right past this point. We have to run away after killing them. Do not engage in battle unless necessary.”

Li Huowang raised his right arm and gripped his sword. He was about to move when the door on the left abruptly. Several muscular consorts were carrying a young monk wrapped in a blanket, and they were heading to the room on the right.

“Stop! What are you doing? It’s already so late.” An old eunuch with his face painted white stopped the consorts.

“The eldest princess saw how tired the Empress Dowager was during the prayers earlier in the day, so she wanted to express her filial piety toward the Empress Dowager.”

1. 1 mu = 667 square meters. ☜

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