Chapter 181 - Asking Rice
“Five elements... Missing the five elements?”
Upon hearing that, Li Huowang used his hand to touch his own abdomen, touching the positions where the five organs should be.
He subconsciously thought back to his actions from that day, when he had gone to seek revenge from the Sitting Oblivion Dao while intentionally seeking death.
Back then, he had used the Five Elements Intercalation recorded in the Profound Records, and offered his five organs up to Ba-Hui.
If his five elements had disappeared from his body, then it should be related to that.
However, despite missing his five elements, Li Huowang did not feel like there was anything amiss.
As he was thinking, Li Huowang reached within his blood-colored Daoist robes to touch the gruesome scar that he had carved out on himself.
Unexpectedly, the skin there was now smooth, with not a single scar remaining.
Li Huowang tried hard to think back on what had happened, but found that he had no recollection at all.
What’s going on with my body? How come it’s completely alright?
Puzzled, he looked up at the blind lady before him. “Lady Cui, if a person was missing their five organs and five elements, could they still survive?”
The blind woman was shocked. “Missing their five organs and five elements? At that point, how could they even be considered a person? At most, they would be a dead person.”
At that moment, Li Huowang felt as though something within his mind snapped. A sharp pain started spreading from his chest and gradually grew more and more intense, making it difficult for him to breathe!
What’s happening? Did she do something? Is this some sort of supernatural ability used with words? Did she see through the fact that I’m a Strayed One? Is she trying to harm me or scheme something?
Li Huowang endured the sharp pain as he stared at her, who was dressed just like a common grandmother.
Just as Li Huowang was about to stagger and fall to the ground with an ashen look, she spoke again, “However, you lack the five elements and are still able to survive. So, it may not be the best to speak in such absolute terms.”
This time, the sensation of pain in Li Huowang’s body vanished immediately. He clutched his chest and looked at the old woman doubtfully.
He was no longer certain about Lady Cui's intentions. If she had been the one to cause the intense pain earlier, then why had it suddenly disappeared?
If she didn't cause it, then what's wrong with my body?
The intense bout of pain he had felt was definitely not something simple; it had almost felt like he was about to die.
“However, I advise you to recover your five elements as soon as possible. If not, you will run into trouble sooner or later,” advised the old lady.
Li Huowang stretched out his hand to block Bai Lingmiao behind him, and then asked with a mix of curiosity and probing, “Then, Lady Cui, do you have any solutions for someone like me?”
“I don’t, but others may. If you want to find out, then I can inquire for you. You should hurry up and recover your five elements. Otherwise, even if you survive, things won’t go well for you,” said the old lady.
“Ask who?”
“I am a medium, so who else can I ask but rice,” said the old lady in a matter-of-fact manner.
Asking rice? Something new again?
Soon after, Li Huowang and Bai Lingmiao brought this so-called Lady Cui back to their residence.
Once there, they borrowed a few kilograms of rice from their host, and then Lady Cui began the so-called process of asking rice.
First, she took out various items from her basket.
A small bronze mirror was placed on the center of the table.
Before the mirror was a palm-sized clay cauldron, along with thirteen short yellow incense sticks.
Next, the borrowed rice was placed into the basket, followed by thirteen chicken eggs that were placed atop the rice.
Once done, Lady Cui faced the basket filled with rice and eggs, and then poured a cup of wine, a cup of tea, and a bowl of rice.
Then, Lady Cui closed her eyes and placed both her hands on the eggs. With this, the process of asking rice had begun.
“Observe the moon with great respect as it protects our homes. Masters and ancestors, please come forth, Spirits and Immortals from all directions, all come together to bless us...”
As she continued to use her slang while muttering incomprehensible words, she grabbed the rice from the basket and threw it onto Li Huowang’s head.
“What’s this ritual?” asked Li Huowang, his guard fully raised. After going through so much, he was wary of everything, and carried a trace of doubt when looking at things.
After a while, Lady Cui suddenly stopped and reached out her right hand toward Li Huowang, her fingers trembling.
Li Huowang did not quite understand her meaning as he looked at the old hand. Fortunately, Bai Lingmiao explained it to him as she took out some pieces of silver and placed them in Lady Cui’s hand.
With eyes closed, Lady Cui picked up the pieces of silver and put them in her mouth to bite them, prompting a satisfied look to appear on her face.
“Young man, don’t be distracted. Report the eight characters [1]of your date of birth.”
“What? Eight characters? I don’t have them,” responded Li Huowang.
Lady Cui sighed, then pinched her fingers toward Li Huowang before continuing to sing. Even now, Li Huowang could not understand the lyrics; however, this time was different from before.
Not long after, Li Huowang’s body tensed up. With his heightened senses, he subconsciously looked toward the dark doorway, and then toward the empty rafters atop.
Some things were coming over.
Burp~
This sudden sound made Li Huowang turn toward the front to look at the medium that had begun to shake her head. He could sense that the Lady Cui standing in front of him was now completely different, as though something else was occupying her body.
Why does this feel similar to the methods used by the Shamans? Since they summon the Immortal families, then what does one summon when asking rice?
As he thought up to this point, Li Huowang vigilantly distanced himself a little.
“Who is there~ What questions~ do you have~ burp.”
At that moment, an aged male voice rang out from Lady Cui’s mouth with a noticeable theatrical tone.
Initially, Li Huowang had wanted to ask about his missing five organs, but decided not to. If he had indeed been lacking his five organs, then he would have already died. Though he did not know what method Dan Yangzi use to restore his five organs, he put that concern aside for now. The urgent matter at hand was to recover his missing five elements.
“Do you have any way to restore my missing five elements?” asked Li Huowang.
“Hmm~? Who is there~? Burp, Report~ your~ name!” asked ‘Lady Cui’ as she took a deep breath, her nostrils drawing in the white smoke from the nearby incense.
“Li Huowang. Who are you? Or should I say... What are you?” Li Huowang replied cautiously, instinctively grabbing the hilt of his sword.
“Hmph~! I am the~ Imperial Palace~ Ruler of Nine Heavens,~ the Supreme celestial being, and the Pardoner of Sins~ Little~ Strayed One~ How amusing~ Burp,” said the voice.
Li Huowang’s eyes shrank. The other party could tell he was a Strayed One!
“Don’t be afraid~ Hahaha~ burp,” said the voice, their laughter causing an eerie wind to blow through the entire house.
Clang!
Instantly, Li Huowang unsheathed the sword causing a strong aura to disperse the chilliness in the house.
At the same time, the incense sticks inside the black cauldron were also instantly extinguished.
1. basically year, month, day, and time of birth. It's used to predict your life and personality ?
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l