Chapter 517 - Bodhisattva

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.

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. ☜