Jiang~
Li Huowang unsheathed his sword before standing between Blind Chen and the statues.
"Kill them!" ordered Li Huowang, causing everyone to immediately turn their attacks toward the statues.
Li Huowang was confident in defeating them. Since even Blind Chen could win against them, and his group won against Blind Chen, there was no reason for them to retreat!
Bam bam bam!
Gao Zhijian's heavy footsteps rang out loud as he charged toward the statues and crashed into them.
But no matter how many times he crashed into them and knocked them down, they would always get back up and surround him.
Seeing his predicament, everyone ran over and tried to help Gao Zhijian; however, the situation did not improve. No matter how many times the statues were knocked down, they would always get up again. Even Li Huowang, who was using his two swords, could not kill them.
"Quick! Help me up and give me my mirror!" Blind Chen shouted from afar.
Hearing this, Li Huowang quickly somersaulted and exited the battlefield. He took one look at Blind Chen and then kicked the bamboo basket into his hand.
Once he got his basket, Blind Chen once again took out the Bagua mirror and bit his index finger. Then, he used his blood to quickly draw a rune on the mirror.
"The Saint's light will shine forever! The mirror and the soul are bound together and will die together. No fear, no retreat, follow my lead. The Qi of the Heavens and Earth flows swiftly, one that is unimpeded by metal and stones. All shall fall underneath it! Open!"
As he chanted, the Bagua mirror that was stained with his blood suddenly flashed with a brilliant light.
The light lit up the dark surroundings. All of the clay statues that came into contact with the light started melting like the snow in the sun.
Once all the statues had been melted, Blind Chen, who had exhausted most of his strength, fell onto the ground with a pale look on his face.
Li Huowang approached him and carefully lifted him up. "Thank you, Senior Chen."
"Go away! I still don't trust you," said Blind Chen. However, even though he said that, he did not stop Li Huowang from helping him.
At this point, Li Huowang could see quite a lot of the villagers staring at them through the alley and the windows. If they didn't retreat now, then the entire village might notice them.
"Ouch! Do you want to shake me to death? How can we run during the night? We need to find a place to hide and heal first!" whispered Li Huowang.
Just as the villagers were surrounding Li Huowang and discussing what had happened, he quickly brought Blind Chen to an empty cooking hall. Once inside, Li Huowang took out a small bottle and started pouring the powdered Golden Wound medication on Blind Chen's injuries.
While treating him, Li Huowang told Blind Chen about what might've happened.
"So you were fooled by a member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao as well? Ha! If that's really the case, then it would mean that the Sitting Oblivion Dao has infiltrated deep into the Surveillance Bureau. Their trap might've started from the Creditor!"
Li Huowang sighed and kept away the bottle. "Maybe. I have no idea when they started paying attention to me. I didn't even—"
However, Li Huowang suddenly stopped talking. He couldn't just tell everyone that he was a Strayed One.
Blind Chen was still listening silently when he realized that Li Huowang had already finished talking. He huffed in indignation, "I still don't trust you! Once it's dawn, we will go our own ways. I have my own methods to see if you are lying or not."
"Senior Chen, how are you going to travel with your wounds? Aren't you afraid that you will be in danger?"
"Ba! I might just lose my life even faster if I decide to follow you. In the first place, who was the one that injured me?" retorted Blind Chen as he turned around with his back facing Li Huowang.
Just as Li Huowang was thinking about how to persuade Blind Chen, he heard something. "Shh. Someone's coming."
The footsteps that suddenly rang out from in front of the cooking hall made everyone stop breathing. It seemed that the owners of the footsteps were the people who had just gone to investigate the fight who were now coming back.
Soon the footsteps disappeared; it was as if the owners of the footsteps had gone back to sleep.
Just when all of them sighed in relief, the sound of footsteps rang out once again, this time much more numerous than before.
Then, it disappeared again. But not long after, the footsteps rang out once again.
This time, they stopped right in front of the door of the cooking hall.
Bam bam bam!
They were knocking on the door!
Li Huowang signaled with his finger and Chun Xiaoman carefully opened the door.
When the door opened, they saw the clay statue of one of the assistants, its eyes replaced by just two dark holes on its face, staring at everyone.
Crack~
Suddenly, the clay statue split open and antennae belonging to insects extended from the inside of the statue.
But the sound of cracking didn't just originate from there. It rang out even from behind Li Huowang.
Behind me? But there's nothing but a wall there.
Li Huowang turned around in fear, only to find several motifs of Bodhisattvas and the Buddha that were carved onto the wall using clay. Currently, all of them were glaring at Li Huowang!
Crack~
Soon, their bodies split from the wall and crashed into the hall like a tsunami.
While Blind Chen had no time to grab his mirror, Li Huowang didn't waste any time. He immediately took out a pair of metal pliers and used them to crush one of his eyeballs.
Pop!
The clear liquid sprayed around the room and covered the Arhats, enveloping them as they slowly fell to the ground.
When all of them ran out, Li Huowang was surprised to see an innumerable number of clay statues standing on the roofs of the surrounding houses. All of them were glaring at Li Huowang.
"Blind Chen, quickly!" shouted Li Huowang.
"Don't worry! They are all fakes!" said Blind Chen as he rummaged inside the bamboo basket that Puppy had passed to him. Li Huowang was standing with his back toward Blind Chen.
Splat!
Suddenly, two sharp knives stabbed into Li Huowang's heart.
Li Huowang looked down at the knives and turned around. He saw that it was Blind Chen who had stabbed him.
But what made Li Huowang confused was that even though Blind Chen was the one who tried to kill him, Blind Chen's face was currently even more terrified than Li Huowang's.
Blind Chen looked at his hand with fear in his eyes. "Junior Er, this was not me! I didn't do it! My body moved on its own!"
Just as he said that, Blind Chen's body suddenly stopped moving and his aura started to transform. His white eyeballs sank back into his skull and a pair of heterochromatic eyeballs with double irises replaced it. At the same time, the wrinkles on Blind Chen's face also disappeared. Soon, his face became just like Li Huowang.
Then, the Li Huowang with double irises spoke, "Haha! It's so outdated to trick people and evil beings. I've learned a new trick: tricking myself! How about it, boss Hong Zhong? I learned it directly from you."
Chapter 291 - Source of Auditory Hallucination
In the dark hall, Li Huowang's hands trembled as he stared at the knife tip stabbing into his chest. He was shocked to see another Li Huowang, one with double irises.
"You... Me..."
Li Huowang fell backward as he started losing massive amounts of blood.
The sudden change in the situation left him unable to think properly. He was focused on the name "Hong Zhong" mentioned by the other Li Huowang while at the same time thinking about his impending death.
Just as Li Huowang was about to fall to the ground, the others from his group rushed toward him and carefully propped him up.
Bai Lingmiao's dark fingernails trembled; she wanted to touch the wound on Li Huowang's chest. However, after a moment of hesitation, she retracted her arm and started pounding on her drum.
Dong dong dong~
"Ox-head and Horse-face[1] carry the chains, the Black and White Impermanence[2] holds the flag!"
The sound of the drum was accompanied by her chanting.
Dong dong dong~
"If you wish to ferry the soul of the stubborn boy, life and death are but a line apart~ I know what it means when the soul reaches the gate of hell!"
Dong dong dong~
"If we can't take him away today, the Sorrow King will make his presence known before the God of Hell!"
As she chanted and the red veil on her face started wriggling, while an eerie wind started congregating around her; it was as if something was forming under there.
While Bai Lingmiao wanted to save Li Huowang, the other Li Huowang with two irises would not let her. He immediately threw out three cards toward Li Huowang.
Dang dang dang!
Suddenly, the cards fell onto the ground and made a sharp metallic noise. Gao Zhijian, wearing his armor, had blocked the attack to prevent it from reaching the dying Li Huowang. At the same time, his eyes that were glaring at the enemy were resolute.
"Oh? Boss Hong Zhong, how did you trick all of them into following you? They are so loyal, but..." The Li Huowang with double irises snapped his fingers, causing the clay statues standing atop the roofs to gather around. "...but you are not as good as me. Why don't you back down and let me become Hong Zhong instead?"
He had just said that when the clay statues all jumped down, crashing toward them like a meteor shower.
At this moment, they realized that all of the clay statues were under his control. From the very beginning, he had been both the good and bad guy. The issue with Ganyuan Village was just a massive trap set by the Sitting Oblivion Dao.
Ding ding ding!!
Amidst the chaos, the sharp sound of a bronze bell rang out. As tens of Wandering Gods appeared around them and pounced toward their target, Chun Xiaoman grew taller and taller.
"AAAAH!"
At the same time, Gao Zhijian shouted and started swinging the mace he had gotten from the bandit camp, using it to crush everything in his path. His killing intent was laid completely bare.
However, even though all of them did their best to block the clay statues, there were just far too many of them. Their group kept retreating as they fought, their situation dire.
Meanwhile, Bai Lingmiao's chanting became faster and faster. Her red veil was already halfway drenched, either from sweat or tears. However, as she saw Li Huowang slowly removing the two knives from his heart and his wound slowly healing, Bai Lingmiao persevered while hanging onto a single thread of hope.
"Don't worry! Senior Li can be saved! He won't die!" shouted Bai Lingmiao.
With the help of the Immortal families, Li Huowang soon managed to extract the two knives and mend the wounds on his chest.
Clank!
Just as the bloodied knives fell onto the ground, Bai Lingmiao saw a man appearing in front of her.
It was the Li Huowang with double irises.
He was a member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao that Li Huowang had told them about!
The fake Li Huowang looked at the Main Deity covered in a red veil and then turned toward the Second Deity before revealing a smile. "Oh? Not bad. You actually managed to heal him."
Splat!
As he spoke, three sharp daggers stabbed into Li Huowang's torso.
When the fake Li Huowang heard the girl behind him cry out in anguish from underneath her red veil, he laughed maniacally, to the point that he had to hold his stomach in pain.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang, who had originally passed out from the pain, woke up upon suffering the new wounds. Then, he took a deep breath and controlled his body which was gradually losing heat.
"Fire. Water. Mouth."
He once again heard the auditory hallucinations. At the same time, with the sound of the bronze bell and the drum, Li Huowang was having an extremely difficult time listening to everyone.
"Enough! Quiet! Quiet!!"
As Li Huowang used his final breath to shout those words, the sounds really disappeared.
But not all of the sounds disappeared. In fact, he could still hear the voice of the member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao quite clearly.
"Boss Hong Zhong~ Hehehe~"
At that moment, the fake Li Huowang appeared in front of the real Li Huowang and stared at him. When Li Huowang looked at him, it was just like looking into a mirror. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
The sound of drums suddenly rang out as both the Main Deity and the Second Deity pounced toward the fake Li Huowang. However, they were immediately smacked away by the clay statues around them.
"Come now, Boss Hong Zhong, don't lie on the ground. It's very dirty," said the fake Li Huowang as he grabbed the daggers stabbed into Li Huowang's torso and used them to pull him up.
Looking at the dying Li Huowang, the fake Li Huowang had a look of relief. "Tsk tsk, you should already have had enough fun. Boss Hong Zhong, should I change you back?"
Li Huowang stared at the face in front of him but did not understand what was being said; the auditory hallucinations started again.
"Where... Where are you coming from?" Li Huowang asked the voice.
Looking at how Li Huowang did not reply to him, the fake Li Huowang sighed. "Alright, since that's the case, I wish you a good journey, Boss Hong Zhong. I will take over your identity and trick the others. Then, I will become the next Hong Zhong. Hehehe~"
Then, the fake Li Huowang grabbed the daggers and started pulling them upward—he wanted to kill Li Huowang by butchering him, and so he steadily shoved the daggers upward toward Li Huowang's head.
He did not just want to disembowel Li Huowang, he wanted to cut the latter into three parts!
Looking at how Li Huowang struggled even more, the fake Li Huowang laughed like a maniac.
On the other hand, the pain Li Huowang was suffering from made the voices from the auditory hallucination become even more real. Li Huowang felt like the voice was very close to him.
"Who are you? What do you want!?"
Along with his final shout, Li Huowang felt a strong urge to vomit. Then, in the next instance, his neck became as thick as his head.
Suddenly, Li Huowang moved his arms, which were almost completely devoid of blood, and used them to grab the fake Li Huowang before opening his mouth toward the latter's face.
In an instant, numerous black tentacles covered in red blood burst forth from Li Huowang's mouth and covered the fake Li Huowang's face.
Neither side had expected such a situation.
Even Li Huowang hadn't expected that the auditory hallucinations hadn't been fake, but came from the Black Taisui within his body!
In a panic and wanting to retreat, the fake Li Huowang fell backward. But the tentacles of the Black Taisui held his face tight. It was even to the point that the stitches that Bai Lingmiao had made earlier started to break.
The tentacles quickly bore into all of the fake Li Huowang's various orifices.
Sensing this, the fake Li Huowang quickly released his grip on the daggers and touched his face in a panic. At the same time, he threw out four cards toward the blood-soaked tentacles.
The Black Taisui somehow detected the sharp cards that were flying toward it and used all its strength to retreat into Li Huowang's mouth.
As it retreated, the sound of flesh being torn rang out alongside the cry of the fake Li Huowang; the fake Li Huowang's face was torn off by the Black Taisui's tentacles as it retreated into Li Huowang's mouth. At the same time, it also took with it those eyeballs with double irises.
1. Undertakers that catch the souls of the dead and guard the entrance to hell. One has an ox head while the other has a horse head. ?
2. Deities that escort and capture the spirits of the dead, another set of undertakers. ?
"AAAAAAAAH!"
The fake Li Huowang kneeled on the ground as he held his skinless face with his trembling hands while shouting in pain.
He was not just shouting due to the pain of having his face torn apart, but also from getting tricked by Li Huowang.
Meanwhile, the sound of something slimy moving rang out as the Black Taisui's tentacle grabbed the facial skin and the eyeballs of the fake Li Huowang before retreating into Li Huowang's mouth.
Dum~
With some difficulty, Li Huowang finally swallowed the black and disgusting thing in his mouth.
Staring at the fake Li Huowang who was struggling from pain, the real Li Huowang reached back and pulled out the bronze coin sword.
Shua~
As he swung the sword, Li Huowang fell down. At the same time, the fake Li Huowang also fell onto the ground, several bronze coins embedded in his body.
Before dying, the fake Li Huowang smiled creepily as he said, "You are indeed amazing, Boss Hong Zhong. It's no wonder that you are one of the Three Officials..."
Meanwhile, Li Huowang was also lying on the ground as he stared at the night sky. He felt pain all over his body and became lost in thought.
Damn, is this how I die? I can't believe it...
Looking at Gao Zhijian who was being piled on by the clay statues and the Main Deity doing their best to approach Li Huowang, he rolled to his side.
It would be such a waste to not use the pain right now.
With this thought, he tried to move his hand numerous times, but failed over and over. Finally, at the last attempt, he managed to stab his arm into his own abdomen as he shouted, "Rending flesh, pulling bones!"
Immediately, the sound of fighting stopped and was replaced by pained cries.
At that moment, every being within the Ganyuan Village, regardless of whether they were the evil beings hidden within the clay statues, the humans, and or the dogs, all of them felt the same pain that Li Huowang was experiencing.
The clay statues were the first ones to surrender. Under the pain, all of them ran off.
With this, Li Huowang had single-handedly resolved the crisis.
After confirming that the clay statues had run away, Li Huowang released his hand as his consciousness slowly started to fade.
"Li Huowang!"
Just as he was about to lose consciousness, Li Huowang heard someone calling out to him, causing him to instinctively raise his head a little. "Who's there? I'm here."
The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was Bai Lingmiao running toward him.
I can't die. I can't die.
——————————————
Fifth section of the night.
Amidst the darkness, the rooster crowed as Puppy walked out of the room while carrying a bedpan. His pale face and the white cloth covering his body indicated that he too was wounded. The only reason he had to be the one to take out the bedpan was because Gao Zhijian's wounds were even more serious than his own. The clay statues had almost torn off his arms.
Puppy emptied the contents of the bedpan into the toilet as he yawned and went back inside.
As he passed by the second room, Puppy carefully opened the window and looked inside. When he saw Li Huowang who was still lying on the bed without any signs of life, Puppy shook his head and sighed.
Back in his room, he placed the bedpan underneath the bed.
Gao Zhijian's snores suddenly stopped as he asked, "How... How... How..."
"Nothing has changed. It's still the same. Move a little and let me sleep," replied Puppy as he crawled into the bed and covered himself with the blanket. "Sigh, I don't think Senior Li will be able to come back again. Time to split the money we have. Simpleton, how much money do you think I will get?"
The only response he got was some grumbles.
As he heard the grumbling that came from beside him, Puppy hurriedly said, "I'm not cursing Senior Li, but you also saw it, right? Even his organs were disemboweled! The Shamans might be good, but Bai Lingmiao is not an Immortal. How can she possibly revive the dead?"
Bam!
Puppy was shoved off the bed.
"Ai! You!" Puppy grumbled from the pain. Now, having lost all his sleepiness from being shoved off the bed, he took the bronze basin from the wooden frame and went to the courtyard to get some water.
After washing up, he went to the nearby stalls and sat down. "Boss, give me a bowl of sweet jellied bean curd[1], and two fried breadsticks!"
"Alright! Wait just a moment."
The piping hot jellied bean curd had some sesame seeds and brown sugar sprinkled at the top. Looking at it, Puppy was already salivating.
He took some of the fried breadsticks and dipped them into the jellied bean curd to soften them up before eating. As he bit into it, the flavor of the oil burst into his mouth and he enjoyed his meal.
"The Liang Kingdom really is amazing. To think that they have breakfast even though they don't have to harvest the fields in the morning, and they even have so much variety for breakfast!" exclaimed Puppy.
By the time he finished his meal, the number of people walking on the street had started to increase.
Puppy licked his bowl clean, and then took out several bronze coins, and gave it to the stall owner.
"Oh, you gave me so much. Thank you!" said the stall owner.
"Who said those are tips? I want three more portions; send them to the second floor of the inn beside us. Also, make sure that you don't skimp out on the portion size if I'm not looking at you," said Puppy before merging into the crowd. He was already very familiar with the layout here.
After walking for a while, he turned around and stopped in front of a shop selling coffins. He spat some saliva and smoothed his hair before walking in.
As the man who was calculating something on the abacus saw Puppy entering his shop, he let out a bitter smile.
"Boss Cao, you are here again? Let's talk inside," said the shop owner.
"So? I already gave you a night to think about the price. Do you agree to give me a discount or not?" asked Puppy as he patted one of the coffins.
"Boss Cao, this is excellent quality red pine wood. Stop patting it. If you keep doing that, the paint might fall off. Just tell me, do you want to buy it or not? You have been coming here every day to ask about the price, but you still haven't bought anything. Are you just here to survey the price so you can open up a shop of your own?" asked the shop owner.
"Hmph!" Puppy feigned disinterest. "Of course, I'm here to buy, that is, if you give it to me half a tael cheaper."
Hearing this, the owner of the shop felt his heart skip a beat and his voice lowered, "Do you mean... your Senior Li will soon...?"
Puppy closed his eyes and nodded.
Seeing this, the shop owner came to a decision. "Sure, I will give you a discount of half a tael! This is the lowest I can go!"
"Ok." Puppy walked around the coffin and told him, "Since you already gave me a discount of half a tael, why don't you give me some free funeral clothes as well?"
After two whole hours passed, the dehydrated shop owner finally agreed to Puppy's price. He didn't want to drag it anymore. If he had to drag this out, then he felt that he might die even sooner than that Senior Li that Boss Cao kept talking about.
After paying the deposit, Puppy asked one more time, "Shop owner, you know how to do the ceremony right?"
The owner of the coffin shop nodded. "Don't worry. I know how to arrange everything, from the cooks, performers, and even people to carry the coffins."
"I want the best of the best for everything! I want the best funeral for my sworn brother!" said Puppy.
"Of course! I promise you that it will be the best you've ever seen! No need to worry!" assured the shop owner.
"Oh, and help me order a few more paper dolls, and this time, make them girls. I'm afraid that Senior Li might die from boredom down there," said Puppy.
"Boss Cao is very loyal!" praised the shop owner.
"Sigh, this is the best I can do. When Senior Li dies, they will all be busy crying. None of them will even bother to think about stuff like this. Last time as well, I was the only one who thought about such things."
"Last time?"
1. a dessert made from tofu ?
Chapter 293 - Trouble
Once everything had been settled, Puppy walked out of the shop, satisfied with the prices. "Good! This time should be better than the last time."
He squinted his eyes and stared at the blazing sun. It was already lunchtime by the time he got back to the inn.
"Oh right, the owner said that I had to measure the body to make the funeral clothes. I better do that now."
As he talked to himself, Puppy walked back to his room, but didn't find the injured Gao Zhijian on the bed. His heart immediately fell a little. "Wait, could it be...?"
He hurriedly ran towards Li Huowang's room and saw that the other three were beside the bed. He took a deep breath, rubbed some turmeric over his eyes, and walked into the room.
"Senior Li! Senior Li! Boohoo~"
Puppy made it look like he was pushing Gao Zhijian away, but when he placed his body on the bed, he was surprised to see Li Huowang had his eyes open.
"You are... not dead."
At that moment, Puppy's heart tightened up.
If he's not dead, then that means that I can't take back my deposit...
"Puppy, are you injured too?"
Li Huowang's words reeled Puppy back into reality and caused him to let out a smile. "Aiya, these are just some small wounds. Did you know that when those clay statues were surrounding me, I, the great Cao Cao, didn't even blink!"
"Don't listen to him. If it wasn't for me, then he would've been dismembered," interjected Xiaoman.
Puppy frowned at Chun Xiaoman, but didn't say anything. Not only was he weaker than her, now, she was even a head taller than him.
Li Huowang turned to look at the transformed Chun Xiaoman—she had aged considerably, and was now a beautiful young girl. Even though she had dark hair covering her entire body, her figure could not be contained underneath it all.
But this was not a good thing. This meant that during the previous battle, she had spent a lot of her lifespan summoning the Wandering Gods.
"No need to summon so many Wandering Gods in the future. Think properly. Just four Wandering Gods require an entire year's worth of lifespan." Li Huowang advised her weakly.
"No worries. I'm still young," said Chun Xiaoman. She wasn't worried about the lifespan she had lost. In fact, she preferred her current body.
"Cough cough~" Li Huowang spat out some blood before speaking slowly, "Miaomiao, go and take the lifespan pills from the gourd and give them to her."
Not only could the lifespan pills increase one's lifespan, they could also return Chun Xiaoman's youth.
"I really don't need them!" Chun Xiaoman pressed Bai Lingmiao's shoulder with her one remaining arm before turning to Li Huowang and asking in a concerned voice, "Senior Li, you should worry about yourself first. You... What's happening to you?"
Hearing this question, Li Huowang paused. He stared at the rafters above and let out a bitter smile. "What's wrong with me?"
Li Huowang remembered what the member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao had said. However, he would never believe that he was this so-called Hong Zhong.
But why did he use the same method to try and trick me? The previous group of six from the Sitting Oblivion Dao did the same as well. Something isn't right... Unless... everything is fake! Or one of them somehow left clues when they died, allowing the living members of the Sitting Oblivion Dao to decipher what the previous members were doing. The dead and living members are both working together to try and trick me!
"Senior Li, let's not think about other matters for now. Your body is still heavily injured so please rest more." Bai Lingmiao took a pillow filled with rice husk before placing it under his neck, instantly making much more comfortable.
However, after a moment, Li Huowang shook his head and felt a splitting headache. Enduring the headache, he asked, "No, I'm not sleepy. First, tell me everything that happened after I passed out."
Given that the member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao had been killed, and the clay statues chased away, there wasn't much to say except for how they cleaned up after the battle.
"Ai! Why are you talking about all these useless things? You all really don't know what Senior Li is concerned about," said Puppy as he excitedly squatted by the bed and took out a bamboo basket. "Senior Li, look! We have all of the assets of that fraudster! I didn't even throw his clothes away. All of these are ours!"
As he spoke, Puppy pulled the curtains and allowed Li Huowang to see the items within the basket: the Bagua mirror, and the bloodstained metallic cards.
As he saw those items, Li Huowang felt relieved. He didn't want them for himself, but he still remembered the test that the Surveillance Bureau had given him.
The member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao was dead while he was still alive. With this, he was finally an official member of the Surveillance Bureau.
Now that he was an official member, he would finally have an organization behind him. No longer would he need to guess everything like Dan Yangzi when it came to cultivation or other information.
As long as he didn't expose his status as a Strayed One, no one would attack him too.
"Hehe, and what if you managed to claim those things? As if you know how to use any of them," A haughty voice came from behind Puppy, causing Li Huowang perk up in surprise.
As if powered by an unknown source of strength, the weak Li Huowang suddenly sat up. Immediately, he pushed Puppy away before turning to look toward the illusions in front of him.
The headless Peng Longteng, the disemboweled Jin Shanzhao, the bored Monk, and finally the faceless member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao!
The face of the member of Sitting Oblivion Dao was completely skinless, and his eyes were replaced by two black holes. His teeth were displayed out in the open without any lips, forcing him into a perpetual smile.
Looking at the stunned Li Huowang, Chun Xiaoman and Gao Zhijian exchanged glances before quickly holding Li Huowang's left and right arms down.
But suddenly a massive force threw both of them away.
"Why are you here?! Why did you become one of my illusions?! Why?!"
As Li Huowang shouted, his wounds started to bleed once again. Just as he was about to say something else, he stopped and grabbed his own throat.
"Cough cough~ Blegh!" Li Huowang coughed as a single black tentacle came out from his mouth.
Seeing it, everyone was shocked.
"Quick! Pull it out!"
But just when all of them wanted to help and were about to pull it out, Li Huowang blocked them from doing so.
After stopping them, Li Huowang kneeled down and used his trembling hands to carefully push the tentacle back into his mouth.
Under everyone's gaze, Li Huowang coughed as he forcefully swallowed the Black Taisui.
Chapter 294 - Plan
After a few days of rest, Li Huowang finally regained his calmness.
Li Huowang stood by the window as he stared at the floating illusion of the member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao.
The faceless member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao was sitting on Peng Longteng's shoulder as he smiled at Li Huowang, feeling amused.
There's no need for me to be troubled. It's just an illusion. It's not the first one and I'm already used to it.
Li Huowang consoled himself.
Based on his behavior, he will keep trying to annoy and trick me. Since I know that he's a liar, I just need to ignore him completely.
"Really? That might not necessarily be the case." The member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao raised his hands and clapped. "It might be a big problem for us to be residing in your consciousness. We might only be four people now, but there might be more than forty the next time around~"
Li Huowang just ignored him and slowly limped back toward the table.
"Hehe, why aren't you talking?" asked the faceless man.
Just as the faceless member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao was about to continue annoying Li Huowang, Monk spoke up, stopping him, "Sigh, stop annoying the Daoist. Can't you see that he already has a lot to think?"
"Oh? And who are you?" asked the faceless man.
"I'm no one, just a monk. What's your name?" replied Monk.
"My name?" The member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao looked at Li Huowang and smiled. "I'm Hong Zhong."
Hearing this, Li Huowang turned around and looked at him. "You are Hong Zhong? I think you want to become one so much that you've gone crazy."
Right at that moment, the door opened and Bai Lingmiao walked inside while carrying some food.
Looking at Li Huowang, who was walking around, she was shocked and immediately placed the food down to assist him. "Senior Li, your wounds are still not healed. You can't walk right now!"
After carefully assisting him and seating him down at the table, Bai Lingmiao lifted a bowl of oily chicken soup, took a spoon, blew on it, and then fed Li Huowang.
"I'm injured, not disabled," said Li Huowang as he took the spoon before chugging down the soup. The room became quiet while he ate.
After a while, Li Huowang spoke up, "Miaomiao, to think that the Immortal family would be so useful this time around. They were even able to pull me back from the clutches of death. Looks like bringing you with me this time around was the right thing to do. How many lifespan pills did they take from the gourd?"
Bai Lingmiao hesitated. "Actually... The Immortal families..."
However, before she could finish, a long black fingernail tapped Bai Lingmiao's shoulder.
Li Huowang stopped eating; only after seeing that it was the Second Deity did he continue his meal. "Is something wrong?"
As far as Li Huowang was concerned, it was very rare for the Second Deity to make an appearance in daylight. In fact, this was the first time it did so.
Under his gaze, the Second Deity placed a red veil to cover both her and Bai Lingmiao's heads.
Feeling puzzled, Li Huowang stared at them and tried his best to listen to what they were whispering about.
However, he couldn't hear anything except for some minute sounds.
What are they doing? They must be quite literally stuck together at this point. Is she hiding something from me?
Just as Li Huowang's was wondering about the situation, Bai Lingmiao pulled down the red veil. At this point, the Second Deity had disappeared, leaving behind only her.
"Tell the Second Deity that it was a good magic show," said Li Huowang as he picked up his chopsticks and continued eating the remainder of his meal.
Seeing him like this, Bai Lingmiao revealed a forced smile. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
"Are you alright? What did she say?" asked Li Huowang while eating.
"Nothing."
"If it's nothing, then let's eat first. Don't just stand there," said Li Huowang. He knew that forcing her to answer him wouldn't work. The best course of action for him would be to ask Chun Xiaoman later on. After all, she was Bai Lingmiao's close friend.
Just as Li Huowang was lost in his thoughts, Bai Lingmiao suddenly gasped and pointed at his nose. "Senior Li, your nose ..."
Li Huowang touched his nose, only to feel a slimy tentacle coming out from one of his nostrils. However, he did not panic and simply pushed it back inside his nose.
"Senior Li, I've wanted to say this for a while, but the thing you ate was not right! Why don't we let it go?" pleaded Bai Lingmiao.
By this point, any sane human could see that there was a serious problem with Li Huowang's body.
However, Li Huowang was adamant in his refusal. "No."
When she heard his refusal, Bai Lingmiao felt quite sad.
Seeing her like this, Li Huowang sighed. "These are just some minor issues. We can fix them."
Li Huowang naturally knew that there was something different about the Black Taisui in his body. Something unexpected had happened and things might take a turn for the worst.
Even so, he couldn't stop eating it. Even if the side effects were big, he had to continue eating the Black Taisui's flesh so that he could suppress his hallucinations.
Compared to that, dealing with the Black Taisui in his stomach was nothing.
Li Huowang patted Bai Lingmiao's soft hands and said, "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Eat."
Bai Lingmiao wanted to say something but the words were stuck in her mouth. She just frowned and started eating her meal.
After their meal, Li Huowang once again lay down on the bed. According to Bai Lingmiao, he needed to rest a lot.
Soon, the room turned silent, to the point that one could even hear a pin drop. However, Li Huowang couldn't rest while the issue hadn't yet been resolved.
"Let's talk," Li Huowang said while looking toward the rafters.
"Hong Zhong, I think he's talking to you," said Monk, his body halfway inside a wall.
Hong Zhong shook his bloodied head. "No, he's talking to the Black Taisui in his stomach. This is fucking interesting, hehe."
Meanwhile, Li Huowang ignored the two illusions and just waited for a reply.
Even though he couldn't stop eating the Black Taisui, he still needed to resolve this issue. At the very least he must slow it down.
Based on how it had saved Li Huowang the last time around, he had a feeling that he might be able to communicate with it.
But, it didn't look like it wanted to appear; the Black Taisui would appear whenever he didn't want it to appear, but when he needed it, it would not appear.
After a while, Li Huowang suddenly remembered something and put a finger into his ear. Then, he pulled out an entire wad of cotton from inside his ears.
The moment he did, his ears were bombarded by a slew of loud noises.
Chapter 295 - Tuoba
After pulling out the wad of cotton from his ear, a buzzing sound completely drowned his hearing. Immediately, the sound of people talking in the room adjacent to him, the sounds coming from the streets, and even the sound of his heartbeat were magnified.
Li Huowang endured the pain and closed his eyes as he tried to locate where the voice had been coming from. After some time, he finally managed to pick out the broken voice of the Black Taisui amidst all the chaos.
"I'm talking to you! Can you hear me?!" Li Huowang shouted loudly.
The Black Taisui answered, but it was not speaking coherently; it was piecing together words that meant nothing. "Mouth. Sky. Wu."
"What are you talking about?! Do you understand me? If I die, you die too! Let's talk!" shouted Li Huowang once more.
Since the Black Taisui could crawl out from his nose or mouth at any time, Li Huowang knew that he couldn't ignore it. He had to deal with it right now.
Li Huowang wanted to negotiate with it. He felt that regardless of what its plans were, they could surely come to agreeable terms.
But no matter what Li Huowang did, it did not react as he had thought. It was still using simple words to answer.
As he continued listening to the fragmented words, Li Huowang had a feeling that he was talking to a child who had just learned how to talk.
"Wait... a child?! A CHILD?!" Li Huowang suddenly remembered something. He immediately crawled out from the bed and called for the servant to bring him a brush along with some ink, and paper. Then, Li Huowang ignored the chaotic sounds around him while writing down what the Black Taisui was talking about.
"Mouth. Wood. Water. Fire. Field. Art."
He wrote down the characters one by one and looked at their arrangements. They were very familiar to him. He then remembered something. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
"No wonder the arrangements of the characters sounded so familiar! It's learning what I taught Lu Xiucai!"
Li Huowang finally understood why the Black Taisui was speaking in such a fragmented manner; it only knew these words!
The Black Taisui had only learned these words coincidentally while Li Huowang was teaching Lu Xiucai. It didn't even know the meanings of the words and was only repeating it.
"It can't even speak right now. How should I communicate with it?" Li Huowang wondered aloud as he stuffed the wad of cotton back into his ears and started wandering around his room. He thought of a few different solutions, but in the end, he rejected all of them.
In order to suppress his hallucinations, Li Huowang had no choice but to keep the Black Taisui inside his stomach. Due to this, he needed another way to get rid of this trouble.
After thinking for a while, Li Huowang finally decided on the crudest method—teaching the Black Taisui words.
After it learned how to talk, Li Huowang would then be able to converse with it. The battle with the Sitting Oblivion Dao this time around had shown Li Huowang just how much of an asset it could be. As long as he could communicate with it, he might even be able to use it as a secret weapon.
Li Huowang didn't know how long it would take to teach a bunch of tentacles, but he knew that it would take a long time. Thus, this method could be considered quite crude.
"Fine, if I have to teach it, then so be it," said Li Huowang as he sat down, took out another piece of paper, and started to write. Since it would take a long time to teach the Black Taisui how to speak, Li Huowang had decided to take it slow.
Compared to this, he had a much more urgent matter to attend to—to get his reward from the man with the doll head. This was the first mission he had completed after entering the Surveillance Bureau.
***
After his wounds had healed halfway, Li Huowang told everyone to prepare for travel. No one could stop him this time.
Bai Lingmiao argued with him and finally managed to persuade him to buy a carriage so that he could lie down in it during their trip.
They traveled for a long time before Li Huowang and group once again reached the prosperous Yinling City. By this time, the wounds on Li Huowang's torso had also finished healing. However, his missing eye and the ribs hadn't yet grown back.
Li Huowang had noticed that compared to his fingernails, skin, and flesh, it took quite a bit longer for him to regrow his bones and eyes.
"Senior Li, according to the map, we can just take the side path. There's no need for us to enter the city. Troupe leader Lu's group is likely to be performing along the way and we might be able to catch up to them," suggested Puppy suggested as they waited at the gates of Yinling City.
"No need. We will enter the city. Go and get some rooms at the same inn as last time," said Li Huowang. He would never tell Puppy that he was actually here to collect the rewards.
Their mission this time had been quite arduous, and so Li Huowang was looking forward to it.
Li Huowang had thought that he might have to stay for a few more nights if the man hadn't come yet, but it was clear that they had many informants within Yinling City.
During the second section of the night, just as Li Huowang was hobbling into the stable, the man was already there, waiting for him. He was holding a yellow sack while sitting on a pile of horse feed.
Without waiting for Li Huowang to speak, the man jumped down and approached him, his tone much friendlier than usual. "Hoho, looks like you are indeed quite strong. Good job on the mission in Ganyuan Village. We hadn't expected you to be able to keep casualties to zero."
Hearing his friendly tone, Li Huowang felt his heart relax a little. This meant that he had passed the test and was finally officially a part of the Surveillance Bureau.
"No, no. It was just luck," said Li Huowang humbly.
"Luck is also part of your skill. No need to be humble. Also, are you hurt? The Surveillance Bureau can treat you no matter the injury," said the man with the doll head.
In response, Li Huowang shook his head.
Then, the man then grabbed the doll head and took it off.
Beneath the doll head, Li Huowang found a man with a friendly face. He looked well off, plump, and had eyes the size of beans. It was an amicable looking face.
The man smiled and shook Li Huowang's hands. "Sorry about that. Without testing your powers and background, I really wouldn't dare bring you into the Surveillance Bureau."
Then, he fished out five lifespan pills covered in yellow talismans from his sleeves and handed them to Li Huowang. "Here, you gave me these the last time around, and so I'm returning them back to you."
Just as Li Huowang was about to refuse, the man stopped him.
"Take them first and listen to me," said the man as he pushed the pills into Li Huowang's hands and began to explain in a calm manner, "You should know that I would have to take responsibility for you to join the Surveillance Bureau. If anything had happened, then I too would have been held responsible. Those lifespan pills were just collateral for that. But now, since you want to join the Surveillance Bureau for real, there's no need for it."
The man revealed a smile, providing an offer that no one could reject.
"My surname is Tuoba, and my given name is Danqing. Junior Er Jiu, if you don't mind, then you can just call me brother Tuoba," said the man.
This was the first time someone told Li Huowang their surname with good intentions. He knew what it meant and immediately bowed politely. "Thank you brother Tuoba."
"Haha, then I will take it that you've joined the Surveillance Bureau. From now on, we are one family. I wish brother Er Jiu the best of luck!" said Tuoba.
Looking at the lifespan pills in his hand, Li Huowang felt a warmth in his heart. While he didn't care all that much about the pills, he was touched by Tuoba's attitude.
After coming out from the Zephyr Temple, except for the now deceased Abbess Jingxin, everyone else he had seen had been trying to kill him or fight him. Not once did the onslaught of enemies stop.
At this point, Li Huowang was no longer a naive boy. He knew that Tuoba had most likely put an act to be courteous; however, he had never been treated this kindly before in this world, not even for the sake of trickery.
Then, Tuoba Danqing extended his hands and brought Li Huowang out of the stable. "Come now, this is not the place to talk. Let's go somewhere more comfortable."
Chapter 296 - Treasure
After some time, Li Huowang was sitting on the stool while running his hands across the golden sandalwood table in front of him, feeling the soft animal skin beneath his feet. As he surveyed the luxurious interior of the room, he knew that having a meal at this place was bound to be quite expensive. He'd seen this restaurant next to the Exquisite Pagoda before. Judging based on where it was located, it must be pretty well-known in all of Yinling City.
Creak~
The door opened, and a beautifully dressed woman with a light fragrance entered the room and placed various delicious dishes on the round table.
As Li Huowang looked at the dishes, he realized that he couldn't even discern the ingredients used to make some of the dishes on this table, let alone having eaten them before.
"Hehehe~ Come, come, Brother Er, let's toast," said Tuoba Danqing as he lifted the silver pot, about to pour a cup of wine in front of Li Huowang.
Li Huowang felt a little uneasy. "Brother Tuoba, I'm not good with drinks. Please forgive me."
After saying that, Li Huowang picked up the teapot beside him and poured some tea for himself. "I'll use the tea instead of wine. I raise this toast to Brother Tuoba, wishing you all the best!"
Tuoba Danqing grinned as he raised his wine glass and clinked it against Li Huowang's teacup. "Alright~ Here's to Brother Er's smooth journey to the Immortals' residence!"
Li Huowang placed the teacup under his mask and took a small sip.
Meanwhile, Tuoba Danqing rolled up his sleeves, lifted his chopsticks, and started jabbing them into the dish placed before him, emitting white steam. "Come, come, let's eat! Try this dish! It's called 'Myriad of Colors', and is a specialty of Yinling City. You won't find it anywhere else."
With their chopsticks raised and cups clinking, the atmosphere in the room soon became much more relaxed. Mealtime conversations had a distinctly different ambiance compared to discussions that happened elsewhere.
Tuoba Danqing's plump face turned rosy as he smacked his lips a few times while savoring the food. Then, he leaned on the round table with his elbows, and slurred, "Brother Er, from now on, we're like family. If there's anything you don't understand about the Bureau, feel free to ask me. Also, remember this: You're part of the Surveillance Bureau now. If you ever encounter any issues in official matters, then you can always invoke the name of the Surveillance Bureau. As long as it's not a major issue, most government offices will show some leeway."
"Thanks a lot, Brother Tuoba. In that case, I've indeed encountered some difficulties," said Li Huowang as he extended his hand, bringing out the Bagua mirror he had prepared in advance. "This item belonged to a member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao. It's incredibly powerful, but I can't find the method to activate it. Brother Tuoba, please take a look."
"An item that was originally owned by someone from the Sitting Oblivion Dao? Haha, they don't have anything of their own. It's obviously something they swindled. Let me take a look," said Tuoba Danqing as he took it and carefully examined it. However, even as he started examining it with his hands, his mouth never stopped talking. "Brother Er, how did it go that day? Tell me, how did you deal with that member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao?"
Naturally, there was nothing to hide, and after glossing over some of the details about the Black Taisui, Li Huowang told Tuoba Danqing most of what had happened that night.
"Ha, those damned scammers from the Sitting Oblivion Dao, always claiming that others belong to their group. This kind of scam is as old as they come," Tuoba Danqing sneered with a hint of disdain on his face. "However, even with such a simple scam, there will always be a few naive individuals who fall for their tricks. The truth is that I've already seen through all their tricks. I'll kill as many of those bastards from Sitting Oblivion Dao as they come. All that talk about the Three Officials or the Four Joys, and the dices or the flowers, it's all useless nonsense!"
By this point, it was obvious Tuoba Danqing was starting to brag. Naturally, Li Huowang wouldn't expose him and just went along with it.
There was nothing wrong with a bit of boasting over drinks. In fact, it actually made Li Huowang feel that Tuoba Danqing was also a human being.
"This looks like a Daoist artifact. But can you see? The positions of the symbols on this Bagua mirror are not right. The Kun is above, and the Qian is below. In Daoism, this is the opposite of the reversal of heaven and earth. As far as I know, there are only three families in the Liang Kingdom that practice something like this," said Tuoba Danqing as he handed the mirror back to Li Huowang. "Alright, take it back for now. I'll look into it and get back to you. If there's a matching cultivation method, then I'll send you a letter. Regardless, this thing should be quite valuable. I estimate it to be worth at least three to five decades of lifespan. Brother Er, you are very lucky to have this."
If one looked beyond the surface, this also implied that within the Surveillance Bureau, the currency for transactions was not gold or silver, but rather lifespan.
"Thanks again, Brother Tuoba," thanked Li Huowang as he took back the mirror.
"You don't have to thank me for such small matters. We are all on the same side. Let's drink!" Tuoba Danqing lifted his wine glass and took a gulp, letting out a satisfied burp. Then, he picked up his chopsticks to start eating.
After a while, Tuoba Danqing suddenly seemed to have thought of something. He placed his chopsticks on the edge of his dish and reached his hand into the cloth bag under the table. After digging around for a while, he pulled out over a dozen dark pills.
"Here, I almost forgot. This is your reward, thirteen years of lifespan. Take them, and use them well. They are sealed with elixir techniques, and are slightly different from your usual methods," said Tuoba Danqing as he handed the pills over to Li Huowang.
Li Huowang took out the gourd from his waist. With a few movements of the small mouth of the gourd, its entire front half cracked open, revealing a sharp opening. Then, the gourd swallowed the lifespan pills one by one.
Upon seeing Li Huowang's gourd, Tuoba Danqing's slightly intoxicated expression revealed a hint of satisfaction as he said, "Brother Er, that won't work. That thing is not even as strong as my tattered cloth bag. Though mine is worn out, it can hold more than yours. In the future, find some time to go to the capital and buy some useful goods."
"Oh? The Surveillance Bureau has a dedicated place for trade?" Li Huowang was taken aback, realizing the potential significance of this fact for both future intelligence-gathering and strengthening of his abilities.
"Wouldn't it be weird if they don't have one?" asked Tuoba Danqing.
Hearing this, Li Huowang agreed before quickly pouring himself a small amount of wine, raising his cup to toast Tuoba Danqing.
Li Huowang's sharp senses made it easy for him to get tipsy, but sometimes, getting a bit drunk was just what he needed.
As the night went on, the drinks kept flowing. Slowly, their camaraderie became so strong that it almost reached the point of them performing traditional rituals like burning yellow paper and sacrificing a chicken to become sworn brothers.
As he listened to Tuoba Danqing's voice, Li Huowang was reminded of his dormitory mates; it was as if he had returned to the time when he was in high school before his illness began. Back then, he wasn't mentally ill, and there was no transmigration. Yang Na was real, and his future was bright.
Ah... how great would it be to once again go back to that time...
But now, I've already joined the Surveillance Bureau. The precarious days are behind me, and from now on, each day will surely be better than the last. Some day, I'll live a life even better than the one before!
In a daze, Tuoba Danqing embraced Li Huowang's shoulders, leaned against the window sill, and gazed at the quiet Yinling City outside. His voice carried a hint of emotion as he said, "Dear brother~! Look at how beautiful Yinling City is. Honestly, I haven't been here much."
"Brother Tuoba, I apologize! I'll punish myself with three cups! I'm sorry for making Brother Tuoba run around!" said Li Huowang. He was so drunk that his tongue was tied, and at times, he didn't even know what he was saying.
"What are you apologizing for? What nonsense are you talking about? I just happened to pass by. It's not specifically for you, my friend. Can you guess what I was doing before?" said Tuoba Danqing.
"How could I guess? Brother Tuoba...", Li Huowang hiccuped before continuing, "...look, the sun is almost up. How about we call it a night?"
Hearing that Li Huowang didn't pick up on his cue, Tuoba Danqing got a bit annoyed. "Come here, let me show you a real treasure! It'll broaden your horizons, my friend!"
Then, he pulled Li Huowang back to the table, plopped down on the ground, and rummaged through his tattered yellow cloth bag. Soon, he forcefully pulled out a man's head, along with a mass of bloody and mushy internal organs.
"Hmm?" Li Huowang looked at it in bewilderment. "Brother Tuoba, what is this?"
"Hehe, you don't know, huh? This is the Strayed One we specially obtained from the depths of Qing Qiu with Lord Jixiang," said Tuoba Danqing.
As soon as these words came out, the illusion of Hong Zhong burst into laughter, doubling over as he struggled to catch his breath.
Chapter 297 - Strayed One
"Hahaha!" Hong Zhong's laughter echoed within Li Huowang's head incessantly. "Strayed One! Li Huowang, hahaha!"
Meanwhile, Li Huowang held the cup in his hand and just sat there, dumbfounded. He looked at the half-corpse in Tuoba Danqing's hands, at half the head of the half-dead person and the internal organs hanging from the head. After a long pause, his eyes gradually widened, and shock appeared on his face, "So... this is a... Strayed One.."
At that moment, his clenched fist under the table tightened, but his face showed no emotions.
The drunken Tuoba Danqing was quite satisfied with Li Huowang's surprise, and replied with pride, "How's it? You haven't seen it before right? Truthfully speaking, it's also my first time seeing a living Strayed One!"
Li Huowang reached out a trembling finger to touch that Strayed One's face. It was a square-faced middle-aged man with a beard. He seemed to be around forty years old. Just based on appearance, he had an average-looking face. However, his five organs were extremely distorted. The sorrow and despair in the eyes was something that was frozen in death.
Li Huowang understood his agony very well. He knew that only those that died under extremely painful situations would sport such an expression. This person, who had an identity extremely similar to his own, had suffered a pitiful death.
"Ah, touching him once is good enough. In fact, normally you wouldn't even be qualified to see such a treasure. Even letting you have a glance of him is already making a huge exception. After all, this is a coveted treasure that is about to enter the treasury," said Tuoba Danqing.
Hearing this, Li Huowang numbly raised his arm and poured the contents of his wine-cup into his mouth. His expression and body gradually became relaxed as he asked, "Brother Tuoba, why... does this Strayed One only have a brain and his organs left?"
This question seemed to strike something within Tuoba Danqing's heart, and he slammed the table in frustration. "Ah! We wanted to keep him alive, since Strayed Ones are much more useful alive than dead. But guess what? When Lord Jixiang and I got close to the border, we were unexpectedly intercepted! We tried our best, but only managed to seize this much. It's quite a pity."
Li Huowang nodded. The strong smell of alcohol covered the astonishment on his face. "Ah, Brother Tuoba, it's a pity indeed. If only this Strayed One was still alive. I heard that the bewilderment within the Strayed Ones' brains is very useful."
Tuoba Danqing continued, "That's not all! The physical body of a Strayed One is also a treasure! Brother Er, the Strayed One's flesh, organs, and bones are all precious materials! Let me tell you something: Lord Jixiang has a powerful artifact made from the Strayed One's wealth attraction. It can immerse the consciousness of others into bewilderment when they least expect it. Apparently, he did not sell it even when someone offered two hundred years of lifespan!"
"Wealth attraction?" questioned Li Huowang.
"Wealth attraction is the tongue, and the tongue is the wealth attraction. Brother Er, you don't even know such euphemisms. You still have a lot left to learn," said Tuoba Danqing.
"Regarding Strayed Ones, I've only ever heard about them, and never seen one. I didn't expect there to be so many intricacies to the whole thing. Brother Tuoba, you've truly broadened my horizons," said Li Huowang as he raised his wine-cup to toast Tuoba Danqing.
"Broadened your horizons, right? Hehe, follow me more in future, and there'll be even many more eye-opening things to see. Come, drink some more!" said Tuoba Danqing as he casually stuffed the Strayed One back into his cloth bag before continuing to drink.
They drank from the second section of the night all the way until dawn before Tuoba Danqing finally fell asleep and they called it a night.
Li Huowang supported the mumbling Tuoba Danqing to the guest room and onto his bed. Then, he gently shifted the yellow cloth bag containing the Strayed One and placed it beside the man's pillow.
Creak~
As Li Huowang closed the door and left, Tuoba Danqing, who had been snoring with his mouth open, suddenly opened his eyes. At this point, there was no trace of sleepiness in his eyes. He propped up his head and first looked toward the door, then reached for the yellow bag beside his pillow. He had a look of admiration on his face.
Not bad. This person saw the Strayed One, but did not reveal even a single trace of greed. This person that Hong Da brought this time around is much more trustworthy than the one from before.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang swayed down the large street, reeking of alcohol. Apart from the two swords on his back, he was also carrying a large bag of items.
Basking in the early morning sun, Li Huowang's expression was neither happy nor sad as he silently walked on.
When the other people on the road smelled the pungent odor of alcohol and saw his strange attire, they instinctively covered their noses and avoided him.
"Where did this drunkard come from? Drinking so early in the morning." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Exactly! The younger generation nowadays is more and more unbecoming."
As he listened to these voices, Li Huowang soon arrived at his own inn. When he pushed open the door, Bai Lingmiao, who had been anxiously pacing around , immediately came forward.
"Senior Li, why did you leave without saying a word? You made me so nervous! Did you drink?" asked Bai Lingmiao.
On the other hand, Li Huowang just opened the items in his hand, revealing food boxes woven with bamboo. "I went out for dinner with someone. Let them all come out and taste some of this delicious food."
After saying that, he lay down on the bed and took a deep breath.
Seeing Li Huowang's low spirits, Bai Lingmiao couldn't care less about eating. She sat on the bedside and looked at his back as she asked, "Senior Li, what happened to you?"
Li Huowang once again sighed deeply. "Nothing much. It was just that some things were not as I had expected. Miaomiao, I once again realized that nothing is reliable in this damned place. We can only rely on ourselves for everything."
As he spoke, he recalled that twisted face once again.
Aside from the Abbess's son, this was Li Huowang's third time encountering a Strayed One. And this one was forcibly torn into two halves due to being contested by different parties.
As he remembered that face, Li Huowang understood that the Surveillance Bureau, a powerful organization, was not his backing, and it never could be. On the contrary, they might become his enemies at any time. It was wishful thinking to rely entirely on the Surveillance Bureau to find his footing in this dangerous world. He realized that these dangerous people could only be used from a distance and should never be approached with good intentions. As long as he tore off his mask, a friend who was drinking with him just a moment ago might bind him up to sell him.
He was a Strayed One, and that was an original sin. As long as he carried this identity, he would be a piece of meat which everyone would want to take a bite out of.
Bai Lingmiao seemed to sense Li Huowang's gloomy mood as she knelt down beside him. She reached out her hand and gently patted his back to make him feel more comfortable. "Senior Li, don't worry. No matter what, you still have us."
Chapter 298 - Going Home
While the two of them were engaged in conversation, a ruckus emerged from the neighboring table.
Hearing a loud thump, Li Huowang lifted his head and peered toward the source of the sound, only to see Puppy sneakily making his way outside while holding a food box.
"Senior Li, is the food you brought back for us to eat?" Puppy asked cautiously.
Li Huowang laid back down with a wry smile on his face. "Yeah, after all, it is only you guys here."
In this world, his group of fellow disciples were the only ones that he could trust, even if they might not be particularly helpful.
After a moment, Li Huowang propped himself up from the bed. As soon as he sat up, the exhaustion on his face immediately vanished.
"Puppy, put down the food box, and call Gao Zhijian and Chun Xiaoman over. Let's all eat together. Once we're done eating, we'll leave," said Li Huowang.
"Where are we going?" asked Puppy.
"We are heading home!"
A few days later, Li Huowang, Puppy, Gao Zhijian, Bai Lingmiao and Chun Xiaoman set off in a carriage.
Bai Lingmiao drew down the curtain and warmly spoke to the carriage driver, "Sir, thank you for allowing us to catch a ride. If we were to travel on foot, then it would have taken us a few days to get there."
Hearing this, the old carriage driver let out a smile, revealing his few remaining teeth. "No problem, it's conveniently on the way. But, young lady, your home is quite remote. If you hadn't told me about it, then I wouldn't have known that there was a village at the foot of that mountain."
Hearing this, Puppy immediately expressed his discontent. "Remote? We agreed on a fixed payment before! What's this? Are you trying to hike up the price?"
Chun Xiaoman gave Puppy a disapproving glance and scolded, "Shut up! Why are you so full of nonsense?! No one will mistake you for a mute even if you don't speak!"
On the side, Gao Zhijian huddled his limbs, stammering as he tried to intervene.
Sitting in the back, Li Huowang silently watched the lively show inside the carriage. Things were definitely way more relaxed than they were before.
Ever since he transmigrated, Li Huowang had rarely seen such a vibrant scene.
At that moment, Bai Lingmiao's soft arms wrapped around Li Huowang's hand. With a smile, she asked, "Senior Li, what's on your mind right now?"
Knowing that she was about to reach home, Bai Lingmiao was radiating joy from head to toe.
"I'm wondering what Cowheart Mountain is like. I don't know if we'll be able to get used to staying there. You also know that it's hard for me to get along with others," said Li Huowang as he rolled up the bamboo curtain and gazed at the lush greenery outside. The area was covered with thick, dense forests.
"You'll get used to it for sure! Everyone in our village is awesome, just like my grandpa. He grows melons. If someone is passing by the village and gets thirsty, they can even have the melons for free. You're also nice, and so you'll definitely get along with him. And my parents too! If anyone in the village is faced with any trouble, both of them would always pitch in, offering money and effort to help. Despite living in the village for such a long time, they've never had any disagreements with anyone! Oh, and my younger brother and his buddies. Don't worry, they won't dare to be rowdy. If they give you a hard time, then just let me know and I'll straighten them out!" said Bai Lingmiao as she eagerly showed off her fair-skinned fists, waving them in the air as if she was ready for action.
Seeing her adorable behavior, Li Huowang smiled to himself. It seemed like she had a completely different personality in front of him compared to what she showed her family.
Li Huowang wrapped his arm around her shoulders and shook his head. "I'm not worried. If they could raise you so well, then they must be doing something right. By the way, Miaomiao, I remember that you used to wear a gold bracelet. Your family must be quite well-off, right?"
Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao smiled modestly and replied, "We are not exactly wealthy; we are just a bit better off than the average folks."
Li Huowang chuckled. If the girl's family had money, and he continued sticking around, then he might just unintentionally become the burdensome son-in-law.
Guess I will be the burdensome son-in-law then. Regardless of how the place turns out to be, after drifting around aimlessly for so long, it's finally a chance to settle down.
Then, all of a sudden, Bai Lingmiao got excited as she eagerly pointed out of the carriage window. "Look, everyone! That's Cowheart Mountain!"
Li Huowang squinted, focusing on the distant mountain covered in green.
It's really massive, but how on earth does it resemble a cow's heart?
Brushing aside this silly question, Li Huowang's thoughts drifted elsewhere as he began to worry about the Lu Family Troupe.
They left quite a bit before us. They should have already reached the foot of Cowheart Mountain. Let's just hope that nothing unexpected has happened to them.
With this lingering concern in mind, Li Huowang gradually made his way toward the foot of Cowheart Mountain.
But his worries were short-lived. All of Li Huowang's worries dissipated in an instant when he saw Yang Xiaohai, barefoot and accompanied by a round-faced woman, standing in the rice paddies as they gathered loaches.
"Senior Li is back!! Senior Li is back!"
Accompanied by Yang Xiaohai's enthusiastic yell, the rest of the group started appearing from the stacked layers of tiled houses.
After nearly half a month of not seeing each other, this reunion filled Lu Zhuangyuan with excitement as he enthusiastically grabbed Li Huowang's hands. "Daoist! You're finally back! We've been anxiously waiting for you."
"Troupe leader Lu, the journey here must have been quite tough. Did everything go smoothly?" asked Li Huowang.
"No, no, it wasn't tough at all! The number of people is the same as before! No one went missing!" said Lu Zhuangyuan before subsequently showing concern for Li Huowang's lone eye; it was as though they were very close to each other.
"Let's go, don't just stand here. We'll discuss more inside," said Li Huowang. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Just as Li Huowang was about to step in, Lu Zhuangyuan stopped him. Then, he sneaked a glance at Bai Lingmiao as a trace of unease appeared on his face.
"Uh, Daoist... There's no need to head in so quickly. First, I have to speak with you privately," said Lu Zhuangyuan.
Li Huowang clearly didn't quite understand what he meant. "Just say whatever you need to. Why does it have to be in private?"
Li Huowang couldn't fathom a reason for him and Lu Zhuangyuan to have a private conversation.
"Oh... Daoist, you see... it's better to discuss some matters privately," said Lu Zhuangyuan as he came closer to Li Huowang while making subtle facial expressions in the direction of Bai Lingmiao.
Seeing this, Li Huowang's heart skipped a beat as he glanced at Bai Lingmiao who was standing beside him.
If Troupe Leader Lu is insisting on discussing things privately with me, could it be because there's a major problem with Miaomiao's hometown?
Li Huowang finally understood what Troupe Leader Lu was trying to convey, but unfortunately, Bai Lingmiao had also caught on to it.
"Troupe Leader Lu... What happened to my hometown?" asked Bai Lingmiao.
As she saw Troupe Leader Lu shiftily avoiding her gaze, tears welled up in Bai Lingmiao's eyes.
"Dad! Mom!" Tears streamed down Bai Lingmiao's face as she brushed past the others and ran along the winding path toward the village.
Sensing her unease, Li Huowang hurriedly followed suit.
"Dad! Mom! Grandpa!! Your daughter is back! Where are you guys?" shouted Bai Lingmiao, her cries mixed with sobs echoing continuously throughout the village. She opened every door in the village, hoping to find her family, but only disappointment awaited behind each one.
Chapter 299 - Cowheart Village
"Dad! Mom! Where are you guys?!" Tears streamed down Bai Lingmiao's face as she continued to search throughout the entire Cowheart Village.
Behind her was Li Huowang, who was also searching with her; however, he could see that they were the only ones left in the entire village.
At this point, Lu Zhuangyuan approached carefully with a smile.
"What's going on?" Li Huowang furrowed his brows as he questioned Lu Zhuangyuan.
In response, the latter wore an innocent look and replied, "Daoist, how would I know? I just arrived here and there was nobody in the entire village. At first, I was surprised and thought that I had gotten the location wrong, so I went searching several miles around here. But after covering the entire Cowheart Mountain, this was the only this place left."
Li Huowang remained silent. After a while, he took a deep breath and walked toward Bai Lingmiao in the distance. Currently, she was constantly searching the entire village tirelessly without finding anything.
As Li Huowang saw her sweating profusely, and turning back toward the first house to restart her search, he rushed over and grabbed her shoulders, and then pulled her into his embrace.
At this point, Bai Lingmiao finally couldn't hold it in anymore. She leaned on his shoulder and burst into tears, "Senior Li, my family is gone!"
Such a long period of anticipation had culminated into nothing. Li Huowang knew what kind of feeling it was, and he could empathize with her. "Don't cry; maybe they just left temporarily. They may yet not have faced anything unexpected. Think positively."
Standing beside her, Lu Zhuangyuan also tried to console her as he spoke, "Miss Bai, the Daoist is right. Perhaps they were seeking safety and left just like us. When they return from their refuge, you will be able to meet them again."
The rest of them also saw the situation and came up to console her.
However, their words did not ease Bai Lingmiao much. She was no fool. The disappearance of all the people of an entire village wasn't a trivial matter.
Bai Lingmiao's crying completely overwhelmed the joy of reunion, and cast a shadow upon the entire group. Not a single person spoke all throughout dinner.
After dinner, Li Huowang wandered around the entire village with the moonlight guiding him. He was not looking for people, but searching for clues.
The entire village couldn't just have vanished without a trace; they must have encountered some troublesome situation. Even if they had been devoured by evil spirits or deceived by the Sitting Oblivion Dao, there must be some traces left behind.
"Daoist, I previously told Ms. Bai that her family was hiding from a crisis. But that was just to make her feel better. In my opinion, they're probably not hiding from a crisis. Who would hide from disasters without even locking their doors? When we first entered the village, the pigs in the backyard were starving and didn't even look like pigs anymore." Lu Zhuangyuan followed Li Huowang as he babbled on.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang squatted down to examine the patterns on the stone path. "When you guys first came here, was this village in a mess?"
"No, not at all. The clothes were still hanging outside. Cows, dogs, everything seemed fine. Just that the people were missing. I even specifically checked through the cabinets in each household. The clothes weren't missing. It's clear that they didn't just leave for a long trip," explained Lu Zhuangyuan.
Li Huowang gazed through every inch to look for details and any potential dangers. When he pushed open a door and still found no clues, he removed the cotton from his ears before carefully listening to his surroundings. He roamed around the village, and even invited a Wandering God to help search underground.
But this time was different. There were no hostile gazes, evil spirits, or anything.
When Li Huowang returned to the Bai Family's courtyard, he saw Luo Juanhua and Chun Xiaoman standing in the bright hall, one on each side as they consoled Bai Lingmiao. The others were also standing around, discussing in groups of twos or threes. When they saw Li Huowang return, they all looked over.
"Go and rest first; let's discuss tomorrow," said Li Huowang.
After Li Huowang spoke, the rest did not stay around, and left with their groups.
Given that she had been crying, Bai Lingmiao's pink eyes had become somewhat red. They were filled with deep sorrow as she turned to look toward Li Huowang and sniffled.
"It's getting late. Where's your room? Go and take a bath first," said Li Huowang.
Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao pursed her lips and stood up before walking toward the bathroom.
After some time, the two of them silently lay down in a bedroom filled with a faint fragrance.
The layout of the room and the white mosquito net hinted that this was Bai Lingmiao's previous bedroom.
At this moment, Bai Lingmiao was curled up on the bed, her shoulders shuddering constantly as she tried not to bawl. Then, in the next moment, she felt herself being carried over before leaning against a strong chest.
"Don't cry. When we encounter trouble, we solve it. We are now people with some abilities. Do you think we can't find them?" assured Li Huowang.
With this, Bai Lingmiao's shoulders finally stopped twitching. Her head nuzzled against Li Huowang's chest. Then, she suddenly broke free of his embrace and picked up her drum that was placed before the mirror before dashing out of the house. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Dong dong dong! Dong dong dong!
"In the heavens, matters are handled by flying Immortals; while on earth, they are handled in red and yellow! While in the netherworld, summon the sorrowful King to assist... I stop the horse to ask for the country's name, hold the reins and look for the homeland. Whether surnamed Zhang, Wang, Li or Huang... Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Cun, Xiao, Zhou, Wu Zheng, Wang, Yan, Zhang..."
As Li Huowang listened to the rhythmic drumbeat outside, he slowly closed his eyes.
The next day, when he opened his eyes again, he found that Bai Lingmiao, who was usually an early riser, was lying soundlessly on the bed.
"How is it? What did the Immortal families say?" Li Huowang asked as he wore his clothes.
"They can't find them," replied Bai Lingmiao through her agony. "Even the Immortal families cannot find them... Senior Li, do you think that my parents are really gone?"
Li Huowang walked over, patted her shoulder, and then turned to walk out of the room. "I'm leaving. While I'm away, help keep an eye on things."
Just as he turned to leave, Bai Lingmiao opened the door. With her reddened eyes, she asked dumbfoundedly, "Senior Li, where are you going?"
"Where else? Since even the Immortal families can't help, I have to think of a way to find out where all the members of the village went. Can I ignore it if you're like this?" said Li Huowang.
Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao leapt toward him and hugged his waist. Her tears stained his clothes as she thanked him profusely, "Thank you, Senior Li..."
Seeing that his reaction had consistently been cold, she had assumed that he did not care about her family's situation at all. She had never expected him to have already figured out what he had to do, and it was just that he hadn't mentioned it.