131: Shameless Buddhism

Xiao Huohuo nodded; he also sensed it.

Just as the two were about to find a restaurant to inquire about the local customs, a scrawny, mud-stained small hand reached out from a dark alley beside them without warning, gripping Xiao Huohuo's clothes tightly.

Xiao Huohuo was startled and looked down.

It was a little girl, appearing to be only seven or eight years old, wrapped in unidentifiable rags, with a dirty little face, only her large eyes filled with terror and pleading.

She didn't speak, only used all her strength to drag the two into the pitch-black alley.

Xiao Huohuo and Ling Ke'er exchanged glances, did not resist, and followed her strength into the alley.

Deep in the alley was a low, dilapidated shantytown, the air permeated with a sour, pungent smell of rotting food mixed with poverty.

This was the slum of Shashui City.

The little girl led the two into a mud house that could barely shelter them from the wind and rain, then released her hand, cautiously poked her head out, and peered outside for a long time, only after confirming no one was following, did she use a piece of rag to tightly block the door curtain.

The light inside the house was dim, with only a sliver of light coming through a hole in the roof.

"Are the two of you... from out of town?" The little girl's voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum, carrying a hint of caution.

Xiao Huohuo nodded.

"Hurry and leave," a hint of unbearable pain flashed in the little girl's eyes, "This isn't a place you should be, especially... this big sister."

Her gaze fell upon Ling Ke'er's exquisite beauty, filled with sympathy and fear.

Ling Ke'er grew increasingly puzzled: "Why?"

The little girl's lips trembled, and after hesitating for a long time, as if having made some kind of decision, she lowered her voice and spoke in the fastest possible speed:

"Our Shashui City is located in Nan Ling Continent of the Western Regions. The entire Western Regions are under the jurisdiction of the Little Leiyin Temple of Buddhism."

"Half a month ago, a Venerable from Little Leiyin Temple, with the Dharma name 'Joyful Buddha', came to Nan Ling Continent."

"That's a Devil! He... he cultivates Joyful Zen, specializing in taking women as Cauldron, harvesting Yin to supplement Yang! He ordered all cities in Nan Ling Continent to offer ten beautiful virgins every day!"

At this point, the little girl's eyes were bloodshot, and her frail body trembled uncontrollably.

"Now, throughout Nan Ling Continent, any family with a daughter either tries to blacken her face with pot ash or wraps her body like a zongzi with cloth strips, not daring to go out at all."

"But even so, they can't escape those city guards who act as accomplices! They search house to house, and as soon as they find a young and beautiful woman, they forcibly abduct her and send her to that Devil Head's temporary palace."

Upon hearing that there was such a shameless monk, a cold glint flashed in Ling Ke'er's Phoenix eyes.

Using women as Cauldron? What difference was there between such an evil technique and the Demonic Path?

Xiao Huohuo's face also completely darkened, and a violent flame burned wildly in his chest.

"My... my older sister was taken three days ago."

The little girl could no longer hold back, squatting on the ground, burying her face in her hands and sobbing, her suppressed cries filled with endless despair and hatred.

"She's only sixteen... They say that women who have been harvested by that Joyful Buddha will die of essence and blood depletion within three days, and even their bones won't be found..."

"Bang!"

The wooden table beside Xiao Huohuo shattered in response, turning into a sky full of dust!

His eyes, which always carried a hint of rebelliousness, were now blood-red, and the terrifying Aura of a Purple Mansion fourth-level Cultivator surged out uncontrollably, making the small mud house hum!

Ling Ke'er's beautiful face was also frosty, her Purple Mansion first-level pressure, though not as violent as Xiao Huohuo's, carried a cold Sword Intent that could sever all things!

A Buddhist Venerable?

A Martial Artist Venerable?

Both were favored children of heaven, how had they ever heard of such monstrous and outrageous deeds?

Rage.

Uncontrollable rage!

"Where is that Joyful Buddha?"

The little girl was startled by the two's Aura, but she didn't feel afraid; instead, she felt a glimmer of hope from that anger.

She wiped away her tears and choked out: "He's at the City Lord's Mansion; he... he's made that his temporary palace."

Xiao Huohuo and Ling Ke'er exchanged glances, both seeing undisguised killing intent in each other's eyes.

However, in the next instant, both of them calmed down simultaneously.

Xiao Huohuo was at Purple Mansion third-level, and Ling Ke'er was at Purple Mansion first-level. Although their combined strength could barely contend with a Martial Artist Venerable, the opponent was, after all, a long-established Venerable, with strange methods, and a Buddhist.

If they acted rashly, they might not only fail to save anyone but also get themselves involved.

"Damn it!"

Xiao Huohuo slammed his fist against the wall, his heart filled with powerlessness and vexation.

Subconsciously, he muttered under his breath.

"If only I had a strange flame..."

As long as he devoured one more strange flame, his Flame Mantra would evolve again, and his strength would undergo a qualitative leap! At that time, he, Xiao Huohuo, would dare to confront a mere Martial Artist Venerable alone!

"Strange flame?"

The little girl, who had been immersed in sadness, heard these two words, raised her head, and a hint of confusion flashed in her swollen, tear-reddened eyes.

"What... is that?"

The little girl tilted her dirty little face, her big eyes filled with incomprehension.

Xiao Huohuo was stunned.

He scratched his head, at a loss for how to explain for a moment, and could only organize his words using the simplest language.

"It's just... a very powerful flame."

"It's different from the fire we usually use for cooking."

He thought for a moment and added: "Ordinary flames are usually red or yellow. But strange flames can be any color, and... they have their own temperament, their own life; you can tell at a glance that they're not the same as other fires."

This explanation was extremely simple.

But after listening, the little girl not only wasn't relieved, but her eyes, which had still held a hint of confusion, instantly widened.

She subconsciously took half a step back.

She whispered something to herself, in a voice even smaller than a mosquito's hum, almost touching her lips.

"Golden... it moves on its own, and it's hot... could it be... could that be... a strange flame?"

Her voice was extremely faint.

If an ordinary Martial Artist were here, they might not have heard it even if they pressed their ear to her.

But what kind of people were Xiao Huohuo and Ling Ke'er?

Great Cultivators of the Purple Mansion realm! How keen was their Divine Sense?

This murmur was like a clap of thunder in their ears!

Boom!

Xiao Huohuo's mind buzzed!

He lunged forward in a sudden burst, his hands gripping the little girl's frail shoulders tightly, his eyes burning with fiery red, staring fixedly at her, his voice trembling violently from extreme excitement!

"You! What did you just say?!"

"A golden flame? It moves on its own?!"

"Where did you see it?! Tell me quickly!"

At this moment, he had lost all his usual rebelliousness and calmness; he looked like a traveler who had been thirsty for three days and three nights in the desert, suddenly seeing an oasis!

The little girl was frightened by his appearance, her little face instantly drained of color, and she burst into tears.

"I... I didn't say anything! I don't know! I don't know anything!"

She shook her head desperately.

"Junior Brother!"

Seeing this, Ling Ke'er frowned, stepped forward, and pulled Xiao Huohuo away.

"You've scared her."

Only then did Xiao Huohuo come to his senses, realizing his loss of composure.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the ecstasy and excitement in his heart, and tried to make his voice sound gentler.

"Little sister, don't be afraid, I... I mean no harm."

"Just tell me where you saw that golden flame, and I... I can give you lots and lots of money! And I can help you... help you rescue your sister!"

He threw out the biggest bargaining chip he could think of.

However, the little girl's reaction was completely beyond his expectations.

Not only was she not persuaded, but she shook her head like a rattle-drum.

"I don't know! I really don't know anything!"

"Please leave! Please, please leave!"