Does that mean Bei Feng is different from the other Sitting Oblivion Dao members? And why can't I control my hallucinations? Is it because I can't control the primordial breath? Did Bei Feng manage to control his hallucination because he learned how to control his primordial breath?
Li Huowang slowly analyzed Sima Lan's words while calmly listening to the latter's explanation. After all, Sima Lan's words were the words of his deceased family head.
What if the family head was wrong? Li Huowang had gone through so many things that he had learned to doubt the veracity of the stories told by others in this world.
Li Huowang hesitated but did not question Sima Lan's explanation out loud, as questioning the words of the Mo Family Head was both impolite and borderline insulting.
"Are you trying to find Bei Feng? What did he do to you?" Sima Lan asked, sensing that Li Huowang and the Sitting Oblivion Dao had a long history with each other.
Li Huowang grimaced as he clenched his fist, and his voice sounded deep as he said, "It's not just Bei Feng! I detest everyone in the Sitting Oblivion Dao! They had disguised themselves as our six elders in the Ao Jing Sect!"
Sima Lan nodded calmly as if it was a common occurrence.
"Do not be too fixated on revenge. You'll be an easy target to trick once they discover your obsession," Sima Lan advised.
"Thank you for your advice. I understand."
"Take your time to read the books here. If you don't understand anything, go and find Nangong. I have some matters to do, so I will leave now," said Sima Lan. Then, he turned around to leave, but he had just taken two steps when he came to a halt and said, "Oh, you might be out of luck if you're looking for the Sitting Oblivion Dao.
"The Storyteller had just killed Fa Cai, so the Sitting Oblivion Dao must be looking for the Storyteller to avenge Fa Cai. You might find it difficult to find them."
Sima Lan's casual remark made Li Huowang's heart beat even faster. The Storyteller? Zhuge Yuan?
"Senior Sima, is that true?" Li Huowang asked urgently.
"Of course. The Storyteller just killed one of the Three Officials, and the rest of the Sitting Oblivion Dao is definitely not going to just stand by and let him go. Two days ago, there were reports of people spotting the Storyteller fighting against the Sitting Oblivion Dao. You don't have to worry about your revenge for now since someone's taking care of it for you. Isn't that great?" Sima Lan said before finally stepping out of the screen. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Left all alone, Li Huowang turned to the pale-looking eunuch.
"Please find all the records you can about Zhuge Yuan, as well as anything that has the word Storyteller in it!"
The pale-looking eunuch soon returned, but rather than a stack of documents, he was only carrying a single, thin book.
"Do we only have a book about Zhuge Yuan?" Li Huowang asked, sounding confused.
"There are more in the sixth archive, sir, but you need to be a Third General to read them."
Li Huowang sighed. Why is the Surveillance Bureau doing this? Hiding information here and there. Are they not worried that someone will end up destroying an entire nation because they failed to get certain information?
Li Huowang picked up the book and focused on reading. The information in the book was roughly the same as what he already knew, aside from a few details.
According to the Surveillance Bureau, there were numerous Storytellers, and Zhuge Yuan was just one of them.
Whenever they appeared, a massive change would occur in that place. The Storytellers would appear haphazardly, and no one knew their headquarters.
The Surveillance Bureau usually doesn't bother with those who aren't threats to the existence of the Liang Kingdom.
However, it wasn't the same for Zhuge Yuan.
Storyteller Zhuge Yuan has been spreading rumors and propaganda. Kill on sight.
The Emperor of the Liang Kingdom had passed down such an order. Of course, Zhuge Yuan would be fine so long as he stayed out of the Surveillance Bureau's radar, but the Surveillance Bureau would definitely do everything in its power to kill Zhuge Yuan once he was found.
Li Huowang was certain that the Surveillance Bureau had more records of Zhuge Yuan, but he couldn't read them with his current rank.
I think the Surveillance Bureau knows more about Zhuge Yuan's personality. Is he really that kind? Why did he become a Storyteller? What if he's a storyteller in the literal sense of the word? Why did he snatch away that Muddled One last time?
Li Huowang carefully pondered over those questions. Then, he pressed his abdomen and felt the spindle underneath it.
Zhuge Yuan had given him a helping hand. If it hadn't been for him, Li Huowang would have been in grave danger.
"We will meet again in the future, Er Jiu. My name is Zhuge Yuan. If you have problems that you can't resolve, come and find me at Xing Island in the Western Seas. My powers are limited, but I will help you as much as I can."
Zhuge Yuan had said such words to Li Huowang, but Li Huowang knew that he couldn't trust others so easily in this world. Moreover, whether Zhuge Yuan was truly a kind person or not was still debatable.
Li Huowang thought for a long time before shaking his head and walking out from the screen. Whether he trusted Zhuge Yuan or not didn't really matter to him. Li Huowang would have to find him anyway if he wanted to uncover Bei Feng's whereabouts.
"This is your first time here, so let me show you the way out."
"Do you have a map of the Liang Kingdom? The more detailed it is, the better."
Under the pale-looking eunuch's guidance, Li Huowang arrived back at the plaza with the celestial globe. Li Huowang sighed as he stared at the massive globe.
Li Huowang was holding a map in hand, and the location of the Western Seas had been marked on the map—he had marked exactly where Zhuge Yuan had told him to go if he ever needed help.
Unfortunately, it was a pretty distant place. Li Huowang wanted to leave the same day, but it was already dusk by the time he finished purchasing the rations and the items he would need for the trip.
Li Huowang sat at a roadside stall and stared at the sunset. The streets of Shangjing dimmed as the sun vanished into the horizon.
I need to rest properly today because I'll depart tomorrow. Regardless of what Zhuge Yuan thinks of me, I'm sure I'll have to risk my life on this journey.
"Sir, your noodles and meat buns are here. I'll place your vinegar on this saucer."
Li Huowang pushed the vinegar away. Meat buns are desserts; why are they dipping their desserts in vinegar? The people here are crazy, too, not just the world itself.
Bun caught a whiff of the fragrant food, and it nudged Li Huowang's leg with its nose.
Li Huowang gave Bun some noodles and a few meat buns before ignoring it outright.
Bun needs to lose some weight.
The stall owner approached Li Huowang while wiping his hands on his apron. "Dear customer, you can take it slow today. The sun is setting, but we don't have a curfew today. It's the week before the New Year, after all."
Li Huowang nodded and continued with his meal. So it has been another year...
On that night, Li Huowang lay on his bed and listened to the din outside. The people were celebrating outside, creating a festive atmosphere. However, Li Huowang wasn't interested in them at all, as he was too worried about the dangers he would soon face. He couldn't get his heart to calm down.
Li Huowang knew that it would be dangerous, but there was no way he could increase his strength drastically in such a short period of time. He couldn't even refine artifacts using the body of a Strayed One. After all, how could he use his own body as a material?
Hm? Wait a minute...
Chapter 381 - Refining
"Shopkeeper Li, how is the cinnabar that I requested? Has it arrived yet?"
Shopkeeper Li busy with the abacus looked up head and saw a weird-looking man in a red Daoist robe. Shopkeeper Li smiled instantly, as the weird-looking man was a big buyer. "Hehe, sir, it arrived a long time ago and has been waiting for you. The entire thirty kilograms are ready. Little Tiger, help this customer deliver his order home."
"No need, I'll carry it myself," Li Huowang said, paying the final installment. Then, he grabbed lifted the sack with one hand and stepped out of the pharmacy.
The pharmacy assistant, Little Tiger, looked at his boss in astonishment and asked, "Shopkeeper, why did that guy buy so much cinnabar? Most people only buy a few pieces, even if they use cinnabar for medicinal purposes."
The shopkeeper flicked Little Tiger on the forehead and asked, "Did that hurt? Good! I want you to remember that you're just an assistant! The reason behind our customers' purchases is none of your business! So what if he eats those cinnabar with rice?"
"It's none of your business!"
Meanwhile, Li Huowang walked up to the carriage outside and hurled the heavy sack of cinnabar onto the carriage. Li Huowang then hopped into the carriage and let loose a sharp whistle.
Bun showed up and hopped into the carriage.
"Let's go!" Li Huowang exclaimed. He glanced at the sack of cinnabar next to him, pulled the reins, and urged the horse to pull the carriage toward the city gates on the western side of the city.
Last night, Li Huowang discovered a bottleneck in his previous approach. He mulled over the matter and recalled that others used cinnabar to refine artifacts. If they could do it, why couldn't he?
Li Huowang had an extraordinary regeneration rate as well. Aside from pain, he wouldn't really suffer from any untoward effects. In addition, artifacts made from the organs of a Strayed One would have extraordinary abilities.
Li Huowang reckoned that his strength would increase dramatically if he were to obtain such artifacts; he also believed that they would be useful in his upcoming showdown with Bei Feng.
The horse pulling the carriage emitted distinct clopping noises on the stone steps as the carriage gradually made its way out of the city. Once outside, Li Huowang went off the beaten path until he found a place that met his requirements at sunset.
The place was a flat clearing before several graves.
Bun's alert level shot through the roof; it lowered its stance and bared its teeth at the graves.
"I'm just borrowing this clearing in front of you guys for one night. Please don't take offense for what I'm about to do," Li Huowang said, bowing toward the graves before turning around to retrieve something from the carriage.
Bun pounced forward just then, startling a few mice that scampered off in all directions.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang took out the small furnace he had obtained from the Human Xiaos. He placed some cinnabar inside the furnace and laid it down on top of some high-quality charcoal.
Li Huowang had some experience refining pills, so refining cinnabar was an easy task for him. An hour later, Li Huowang opened the furnace, and a silver liquid along with some dregs appeared before Li Huowang.
Li Huowang's refinement method had come from Dan Yangzi. The latter had taught him, while he was still at Zephyr Temple. The silver liquid from refining cinnabar was called quicksilver, or mercury in Li Huowang's previous world.
Li Huowang filtered out the dregs before taking out a bowl to collect the quicksilver.
However, he needed more quicksilver.
Li Huowang proceeded to go for another round of refinement. An hour later, Li Huowang's lips curled up into a satisfied smile as he stared at the large bowl of quicksilver in front of him.
"This should be enough..." Li Huowang muttered and turned around to take the shovel that he had prepared beforehand. He immediately started digging until he had created a hole deep enough to submerge a human being. Li Huowang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and rummaged through a leather bag, pulling out a gleaming dagger amidst the torture apparatus inside the bag.
The monk rushed over with a look of reluctance and said, "Daoist, can you reconsider? It doesn't have to be like this,"
On the contrary, Hong Zhong sitting on Peng Longteng's shoulders looked eager to witness the spectacle.
Li Huowang ignored the illusions' words; his determination remained as steady as a boulder. He raised the dagger in his hand and slashed at his scalp, tearing it open to reveal the blood vessels underneath.
Li Huowang took off his clothes and stood naked in the pit.
He lowered his head and covered himself with soil.
Burying oneself was difficult, but Li Sui was around to help.
Li Sui's tentacles swept the soil toward Li Huowang, making sure that Li Huowang was buried in densely packed soil.
"Li Sui, be obedient, okay? Help me... just a bit more," Li Huowang urged.
Li Sui obliged and two tentacles emerged from Li Huowang's neck. The tentacles lifted the large bowl filled with quicksilver and carried it over toward Li Huowang's open scalp.
Li Huowang gulped and said, "Move it slightly aside before pouring it into the wound; make sure not to spill it."
Li Sui obeyed and focused completely on the task at hand.
The large bowl of quicksilver tilted, and the silver liquid plummeted into Li Huowang's wound, creating a magnificent sight as they sparkled in the moonlight.
"Carefu—AAAAH!"
The process was extremely difficult, but Li Huowang dared not waver, afraid of spilling the mercury. The pain was tolerable at first, but it eventually became an itch that pervaded him entirely. When the itch turned extreme and reached its peak, Li Huowang struggled desperately against the soil that had surrounded him.
Li Huowang felt as if ants were biting him all over, and the sensation was driving him insane. Li Huowang twisted and turned, squeezing himself upward like a snake. After much effort, he finally managed to escape the pit he had dug himself.
"Haaa..." Li Huowang trembled like an aspen tree, and he was in so much pain he couldn't even tell which part of his body radiated the strongest pain.
Li Huowang took a few moments to calm himself down and get used to the pain, but when the cold breeze of the twelfth lunar month swept over his skinless frame; the pain was akin to being stabbed a thousand times with a knife.
It was so painful that he almost fainted.
Li Huowang took out the Fiery Scripture and chanted the incantations inside of it. A burning centipede climbed up Li Huowang, and he was soon covered in charred scars.
It was going to worsen the pain, but Li Huowang still decided to put on his clothes. Li Huowang glanced at the pit and heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he walked over to the carriage and collapsed inside of it. Li Huowang fought the fatigue to curl up and defend himself from the cold breeze before finally fainting.
Chapter 382 - New Year
Li Huowang saw the night sky when he opened his eyes once more, and the sight baffled him until the monk told him that he had slept for three days. Aside from being hungry, Li Huowang felt much better than before he had peeled off his own skin.
Li Huowang pulled out some dry rations and a water flask. Then, he ate and drank with relish. After his meal, he stood up and walked toward his own skin. He was surprised to see Bun curled up into a large yellow ball—from head to tail—on top of Li Huowang's skin.
Bun was asleep, but it dared not leave Li Huowang's skin.
Li Huowang even saw two large dead rats nearby, indicating that Bun had protected Li Huowang's skin while the former was still asleep.
Bun woke up immediately upon getting hit by the fragrance of food.
It wagged its tail incessantly at Li Huowang.
It's bizarre how I'm starting to like dogs more and more the more people I meet. Li Huowang patted Bun's head. He threw half a piece of bread far away, letting Bun fetch it on its own.
Bun rushed toward the bread and chewed on it.
Li Huowang glanced at Bun before pulling his skin out of the soil.
He had considered other ways to peel off his skin, but this method was the best, and it required no help from any outsiders. Moreover, the skin was completely intact and without any damage.
Li Huowang disposed of the mercury before retrieving the Profound Records and walking toward the carriage. Li Huowang proceeded to wrap his skin around the dry straw dummy he had prepared beforehand.
Li Huowang cast a peculiar gaze upon his own skin. It was a bizarre sight, indeed. Li Huowang took out six incense sticks, lit them up, and then inserted three incense sticks in each eye socket of the dummy.
Li Huowang cut a few strands of his own hair.
Afterward, he drew a few symbols on his hand, which was holding a few cinnabars.
"Heaven and Earth, the root of all energy! Broadly cultivated through eons! Within and beyond the three realms, I alone am honored. The golden radiance inside of me shall reflect on my body!"
Just as the final syllable of the chant came out of Li Huowang's mouth, he finished drawing symbols on his hand. Li Huowang felt nervous just then. Did it work? It should work, right? I've been practicing it for a long time.
Li Huowang eventually saw white smoke rising from the seven orifices of his skin wrapped around the dry straw dummy. The incense he had inserted into the straw had caused it to burn.
The skin grew smaller as the smoke grew larger and thicker. The white smoke eventually dissipated, and a palm-sized humanoid figure appeared in front of Li Huowang.
Success! Li Huowang grabbed the humanoid figure and examined it closely. The humanoid figure's features were blurry, and the skin had turned wax yellow. The humanoid figure was like a tiny paper human being cut out from turmeric paper.
From what Li Huowang had read, the artifact in his hand would ward off disasters and turn his luck around during unfavorable moments. Most importantly, it would die in Li Huowang's stead.
Li Huowang had no idea how that worked, but one thing was for sure—the artifact was a life-saving artifact.
In addition, he could make more of this life-saving artifact once he had recovered enough strength, which meant Li Huowang had an "infinite" supply of this life-saving artifact. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
Li Huowang finally felt confident in the face of upcoming dangers.
Unfortunately, the other Strayed One artifacts weren't so easy to refine. He had to find natural treasures that could only be stumbled upon, not bought to refine such artifacts, and there were even artifacts with materials written in characters he couldn't understand. Among those powerful artifacts, the life-saving artifact that he had just refined was the easiest and most straightforward artifact to refine.
"Do I.. have a golden finger[1] now?" Li Huowang muttered while staring at the humanoid figure in his hand. He then mocked himself inwardly.
"Dad? What's a golden finger?" Li Sui asked.
Li Huowang shook his head and refused to answer Li Sui's question.
Li Huowang pondered over where he could hide the humanoid figure. It was a powerful artifact that couldn't be stored haphazardly. After a while, Li Huowang emerged from his thoughts and held the humanoid figure near his navel.
A tentacle reached out and wrapped around the humanoid figure before dragging it into Li Huowang's belly button.
"Thanks, Dad."
Li Huowang nodded and hopped into the carriage. "Let's go."
Li Huowang took out some cold dry rations and took a bite. He then washed the food down with cold water.
***
"By the way, tonight is New Year's Eve, right?"
"Yes, it's New Year's Eve. Actually, I've been looking forward to this night since last month."
Puppy dressed in a silk robe chatted with Zhao Wu. Eventually, Puppy found a seat and sat down to eat. Puppy instantly zeroed in on a large chicken thigh, and he immediately devoured it.
Before he could swallow the food, Puppy's eyes inadvertently landed on the other dishes on their New Year's Eve dinner—braised carp, stewed meatballs, pickled mustard greens with pork belly, pickled peppers with lamb tripe, four-happiness meatballs, spicy pig trotters, stir-fried meat with poached eggs, and chopped chicken.
Yang Xiaohai couldn't make anything fancy, but each dish was a hearty dish capable of satisfying the palate of just about anyone.
Of course, they could only eat so many delicious dishes during the New Year's Eve dinner. Puppy was so moved by the delectable sight that he felt that tonight was the happiest New Year's Eve in his life so far.
Puppy picked up the tender pieces of the fish using his chopsticks and placed them into his wife's bowl.
"Eat more! Let's work hard and eat more than that Gao fool!"
The others weren't much better than Puppy, especially those new disciples that the Lu Family Troupe had recruited recently. Those children were so eager to eat that they almost buried their heads into the plates.
"Ah... I wonder where Miaomiao is right now. Is she even eating properly?" Chun Xiaoman muttered absentmindedly. She stabbed the bones in her bowl with her chopsticks.
Zhao Wu was sitting next to her, and he picked up a meatball that he quickly placed into her bowl, saying, "She has divine powers, and Senior Li is with her. Don't worry, let's enjoy the New Year and talk about it later."
"Eat," said Gao Zhijian as he placed another meatball into her bowl.
Everyone ate in delight, and that was when a figure appeared in the Bai Family's large courtyard. "Oh, a New Year's Eve dinner? The food must taste great, as I can smell it even from here."
The familiar voice made everyone turn toward where it had come from at the same time.
Bai Lingmiao was standing there with a smile.
Chun Xiaoman reacted before anyone else; she stood up and rushed over to Bai Lingmiao. She touched Bai Lingmiao all over, and upon confirming that Bai Lingmiao had returned in one piece rather, Chun Xiaoman sighed in relief.
"You really worried me. The next time you leave, you better say goodbye to me before leaving, okay?" Chun Xiaoman said.
Bai Lingmiao patted Chun Xiaoman's shoulder, and then she walked past her to go straight to the hall. There were a total of three tables in the hall, and she headed straight for the largest one.
More specifically, she walked toward the main seat facing the entrance.
Lu Zhuangyuan was sitting in the main seat, as he was the eldest of the group. A spicy pig trotter in his mouth made his left cheek bulge, and he stopped chewing upon seeing Bai Lingmiao.
Bai Lingmiao merely stood in front of Lu Zhuangyuan.
However, Lu Zhuangyuan instantly realized what she was trying to say, so he laughed heartily and picked up the tobacco pouch on the table. Then, he moved aside and stole his son's seat by nudging the latter away from the table.
"Hehehe, Miss Bai, welcome back! Oh? That Daoist didn't come back with you?" Lu Zhuangyuan said.
Bai Lingmiao lifted a cup of wine high up and exclaimed, "Let me give everyone a toast on this New Year's Eve!"
1. can also be understood as being granted immense power by the author ?
Chapter 383 - Arrival
Everyone stared with wide eyes at Bai Lingmiao and her wine glass.
What happened to Miss Bai? How come she had changed so much?
Bai Lingmiao had never been the type to propose toasts.
The others hesitantly picked up their wine glasses and toasted Bai Lingmiao—the true owner of the village.
Everyone started eating again.
Chun Xiaoman sat next to Bai Lingmiao and grabbed her hand. She sounded anxious as she asked, "Miaomiao, what's going on? Why do you seem so different now?"
Bai Lingmiao casually picked up a piece of chicken and stuffed it into her mouth. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
"It's nothing. I just briefly touched Li Huowang's sword a bit," Bai Lingmiao replied while chewing.
"What?!" Chun Xiaoman's voice was so loud it almost destroyed the roof. Chun Xiaoman what had happened when Lu Xiucai touched Li Huowang's sword.
The disciples couldn't focus on eating upon hearing Chun Xiaoman's voice. They stood up one by one, asking with concern about what had happened. After the chaotic questioning and displays of concern, the New Year's Eve dinner soon came to an end.
It took a long time for them to settle down. Fortunately, Bai Lingmiao was still Bai Lingmiao, even though her personality had changed drastically.
However, not everyone took it lightly. Chun Xiaoman hugged Bai Lingmiao tightly while crying in regret. Chun Xiaoman blamed herself for not following Bai Lingmiao; she believed that if she had been by Bai Lingmiao's side, this wouldn't have happened.
Bai Lingmiao struggled out of Chun Xiaoman's embrace; she sounded impatient as she said, "I feel like going deaf with how loud you are. If you really care about me, you should be happy for me. I've already let go of everything now, and I feel much better."
Everything that had happened was already water under the bridge; there was no use crying over spilled milk.
Chun Xiaoman's eyes were bloodshot as she vowed, "Don't worry. Once I've mastered that supernatural technique, I won't let anyone hurt you ever again!"
"Technique? What technique?" asked Bai Lingmiao with her slender brows furrowed.
Chun Xiaoman panicked and hastily corrected herself, saying, "No, I mean, in the future! I'll find a supernatural technique to protect you in the future!"
Unfortunately, Bai Lingmiao wasn't so easily fooled. "That doesn't sound right. Don't lie to me. Did you find something under the ancestral hall? Xiaoman, tell me the truth."
Bai Lingmiao seemed to have already guessed it, so Chun Xiaoman didn't bother hiding the truth. Chun Xiaoman stared at Bai Lingmiao with a complex expression and sighed before saying, "Miaomiao, I was afraid you'd worry. You know your family..."
Chun Xiaoman rambled on, and Bai Lingmiao's eyes brightened.
She couldn't even wait for dawn as she rushed toward the Bai Family Ancestral Hall.
I should've recalled it earlier! Bai Lingmiao couldn't hide her joy as she ignored Chun Xiaoman's shouting at her from behind.
Bai Lingmiao twisted the bronze monkey statue, lifted her skirt, and rushed into the dark hall. However, Bai Lingmiao didn't go toward the main hall. Instead, she rushed to the side and opened wooden doors, one after another.
Bai Lingmiao abruptly stopped in the middle of her search. Faint scenes in the deepest recesses of her memories had just struck her. She had been here when she was young.
"Wait, wait. Where did Second Uncle and Youngest Uncle go? Wait! It's this way."
Bai Lingmiao dashed down the corridor until she found a dead-end.
"Miaomiao, it's not here. Puppy found your family's divine technique beyond the third door on the other side," Chun Xiaoman said.
Bai Lingmiao ignored Chun Xiaoman and crouched down. Then, she carefully groped around the uneven wall. Eventually, she pressed down on a protruding brick, and a rumbling noise echoed.
Bai Lingmiao turned and found that the dead-end wall was rising.
A row of solemnly draped white banners with lotuses presented themselves before Bai Lingmiao. A crystal-clear white lotus emitting a faint glow that illuminated the entire room stood on a table in the corner of the room.
There were books as well, and they were wrapped in soft cowhide; there was even fine sand next to them—Bai Lingmiao assumed that the sand was there to absorb moisture.
Clearly, the White Lotus Sect cherished these books.
"Goodness..." Chun Xiaoman muttered and stared blankly at the scene before her. She never really thought that there would be another secret room inside a secret room. The way the items here were secured made it clear to Chun Xiaoman that they were extraordinary. Chun Xiaoman believed that the technique she had cultivated painstakingly couldn't compare to any of the items here.
"It looks like my family has left me quite a few good things," Bai Lingmiao looked around with joy.
"Sniff! Sniff!" Faint crying echoed from the corner of the room.
Bai Lingmiao's face showed a hint of impatience. "What are you crying for? What's there to cry about?! Do you not see how Li Huowang is right now? I thought you wanted to help him? Especially when relying on the Immortal families is useless!"
Chun Xiaoman carefully approached the corner of the room, only to discover that the crying was coming from the crouched and pitiful-looking Second Deity.
Chun Xiaoman hesitated briefly before mustering the courage to walk up to the Second Deity and patting her back gently. The Second Deity trembled like an aspen tree as she leaned against Chun Xiaoman and sobbed softly.
Chun Xiaoman's eyes glazed over while staring at the red-veiled figure in her arms. The moment they made contact, Chun Xiaoman immediately realized that the Second Deity was the true Junior Bai that she knew.
Chun Xiaoman looked up with a complex expression at the ecstatic Bai Lingmiao in the distance.
"Miaomiao, everything here belongs to the Bai Family, so I'm not going to say anything if you want to cultivate any of them. However, I'm sure you haven't forgotten those who were buried, have you?" Chun Xiaoman said.
"No need to beat around the bush. Don't worry; I'm not going to use any of the White Lotus Sect's techniques that are extremely harmful or with unreasonable demands. I'm not Li Huowang, you know?" Bai Lingmiao replied.
***
"Go! Go!" Li Huowang shook the reins, urging the four horses pulling the carriage to run even faster. A regular carriage only needed one horse, but he had added three more horses to reach the seaside town sooner.
Li Huowang even slapped acceleration talismans on the three extra horses.
The four trembling horses covered in blood and sweat eventually came to a halt.
Li Huowang jumped down and turned toward the seaside town in the distance. The seaside town couldn't compare to the capital or Yingling City, but it was still bustling with people. Li Huowang swept his gaze across the black-tiled roofs of varying heights, and then his gaze landed on the sea in the distance.
The sea was vast—so vast that the horizon seemed to merge with the sea. The salty sea breeze blew over Li Huowang's skinless face, and Li Huowang frowned instantly at the stinging sensation that bloomed all over him.
We're finally here. Luckily, there were no incidents along the way. Li Huowang put on a bamboo hat with a black veil and tugged at the reins again. After passing through the unguarded town gates, Li Huowang made a beeline for the relay station and returned the three borrowed horses.
Li Huowang had borrowed those three extra horses using his identity as a member of the Surveillance Bureau.
Chapter 384 - Candy
After returning the horses, Li Huowang walked into an inn. The journey had been exhausting, and he needed to recover his strength before boarding the ship.
"Guest, your dishes are ready," the waiter said and turned around to leave.
"Wait," Li Huowang said, stopping the waiter. "Why are these fish and shrimp still alive? How am I supposed to eat them?"
"Hehe, is this your first time in Huating City? No, they're not alive; it's called raw pickling. Look, the other guests are eating it that way. Try it out first. If you don't like it, then it's going to be on the house."
Li Huowang glanced at the food on other tables, and then he used his bandaged right hand to shoo the waiter away.
Due to its proximity to the sea, the local cuisine had a significant difference compared to the local cuisine in other regions. Of course, the local cuisine featured mostly seafood.
Li Huowang found it a bit hard to get used to it first, but he found the dish to be surprisingly refreshing. The pickled meat was sweet with a unique flavor to it.
Li Huowang ate to his heart's content, and then he lay down to sleep. Li Huowang woke up later in the day. He sat up on the bed and shook his groggy head before getting out of bed.
"All right, let's go find that ship," Li Huowang muttered to himself. He had no issues locating the ship heading to Xing Island, as it was a square-bottomed ship capable of accommodating dozens of ships.
Li Huowang was about to get aboard the ship when the unkempt and bearded ship captain stood in his way and asked, "Stop, stop, stop. What's your surname?"
"Er," Li Huowang replied.
"You'd best not fool around. Who has the surname Er in this world? If you don't want to tell me the truth, then you better get out of here. I can't be bothered to talk nonsense with you."
"Bai," Li Huowang added.
"That's more like it," the captain said. Then, he examined Li Huowang from top to bottom and waved his hand.
"Next! What's your surname?" the captain asked someone else.
Soon, the ship left the port, and the harbor district gradually disappeared into the horizon,
Li Huowang exhaled slowly while standing on the deck of the ship. He was about to meet Zhuge Yuan once more, and he felt complicated emotions at the idea alone.
Was he excited, happy, curious, and suspicious? If Li Huowang were asked, he would reply that he felt a hodgepodge of emotions.
Li Huowang rubbed his belly and felt a bit more at ease. He was no longer the Li Huowang who had just left Zephyr Temple. He was prepared regardless of what would happen next.
"Hehe, why not sit inside the cabin for a while?" A voice echoed from behind Li Huowang. "The sea breeze on deck is quite cold."
Li Huowang turned and saw a young man with bandages around his forehead. The young man grinned while leaning closer toward Li Huowang, who was leaning on the railings of the ship.
Li Huowang couldn't be bothered with the overfamiliar young man and moved away with a frown.
"It can be said that we share the same fate, as we've embarked on a journey on the same ship. It's going to take us six days to reach Xing Island. How about you come inside and play a round of leaf cards with us? We're short one player, and it's a great stroke of coincidence that I saw you out there," said the bandaged young man.
"No," Li Huowang replied coldly. He took a few quick steps toward the other side of the deck.
The bandaged young man didn't insist and turned around to walk into the cabin.
The world abruptly darkened.
Everyone looked up and saw a massive ship passing by. The ship seemed to be as huge as a mountain. She blotted out the sunlight, and she had bronze lion heads the size of Eight Immortals' tables on her port and starboard sides.
The bronze lion heads were wide agape, and their teeth were glimmering jewelry.
The colossal ship was a warship, and the warship's current condition meant that she had just gone through a grueling battle.
Everyone on deck immediately prostrated upon identifying the ship.
Liang Kingdom's warship? Who are they fighting? Li Huowang pondered as the warship emitting a powerful, oppressive aura slowly made its way toward the harbor district.
Everyone on deck sighed in relief and stood up when the sun shone down on them once more.
"You've got guts by not prostrating toward the ship. If what you've done had provoked the soldiers, you would have lost your life!" The bandaged young man gave Li Huowang a thumbs-up.
"Where were they from?" Li Huowang asked.
"I don't know, but there are some rumors that they went overseas to find something," replied the bandaged young man.
They used a warship just to find something? Li Huowang was immediately reminded of the Muddled One that Ji Xiang and himself had been looking for. What if the Muddled One was just one of the things they're looking for? Why do they want so many treasures?
Li Huowang felt that something big was about to happen, but he had no clues about it. In the end, Li Huowang shook his head and pushed away the distracting thoughts. Then, he turned around and headed toward the cabin.
Nothing eventful happened in the next few days. The sea was calm, but Li Huowang felt like time was excruciatingly slow, as he couldn't wait to reach Xing Island.
"Jade Kirin."
"Six hundred."
"Ten thousand. Baldhead, can you play faster? You dawdle like a woman."
"Hey, wait a minute, I won! Pay up! Pay up!"
Li Huowang leaned against the ship's railings and watched silently at his fellow passengers playing leaf cards to pass the time. It only took him a few days to figure out how the game worked.
In a nutshell, the leaf cards game was like mahjong but with fewer tiles
Mahjong had over a hundred tiles, while leaf cards had only a few dozen cards.
In other words, it was a game with a much faster pace than mahjong. In addition to the rules of the game, Li Huowang had already analyzed the game behavior of the players; the bandaged young man had a penchant for cheating, while the bearded bald man was the best player and had won the most games.
Li Huowang wasn't the only spectator. The other bored passengers formed a crowd to observe them playing the game for entertainment.
"Damn it, you brat, how dare you cheat! No wonder I've been losing every round all this while!" someone exclaimed, and the card game quickly turned into a brawl.
However, the onlookers were more entertained rather than scared.
"Ahhh..." Li Huowang heard a soft voice below him. He looked down and saw that a little girl, seemingly under four years old and wearing open-crotch pants, had wobbled over to him and was tugging at Li Huowang's pants.
Upon sensing Li Huowang's gaze, the little girl grinned and opened her palm, revealing a half-eaten piece of sesame candy.
Li Huowang could see from the little girl's innocent eyes that she only wanted to share her tasty candy with others. Li Huowang was suddenly reminded of his foolish female senior back at Zephyr Temple, who wanted to share her candy with him.
"Sniff!" Bun sitting in the corner stuck its head out.
The little girl was overjoyed to see the yellow dog, and she immediately handed the half-eaten candy to Bun.
Bun opened its mouth carefully to take the candy when a tentacle rushed out and snatched it away.
The little girl let loose a peal of laughter while staring at the black tentacle retracting into Li Huowang's red Daoist robes. The little girl clearly had no idea as to what had just happened.
The little girl rushed up to Li Huowang and tiptoed with her mouth wide open while staring at where the tentacle had vanished.
Just then, a woman with a pale yellow complexion rushed toward her and hugged her. The woman held her struggling daughter and bowed repeatedly toward Li Huowang before walking toward the female-exclusive cabin.
Bun glanced at its motionless master and tilted its head. It leaned over to lick the small handprint on the red Daoist robes, and it found that the sticky handprint still carried a hint of sweetness.
Chapter 385 - The Dragon King
Li Huowang patted Bun's head gently and stared at the departing little girl through the semi-transparent black veil.
A hint of envy blossomed in his heart as he mused, How nice would it be to regress to the time when I knew nothing... 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
A muffled bang echoed just then, and the ship swayed to the left. The people fighting inside the cabin immediately turned into a tangled mess as they rolled to the left.
Li Huowang unsheathed his sword and thrust it into the ground. Then, he reached out and grabbed Bun's tail. That was such a massive rogue wave. Is the carriage in the lower deck okay?
Li Huowang couldn't help but feel nervous as he thought about the consequences of Black Taisui breaking free in the cabin. He couldn't wait for the ship to stabilize as he stumbled toward the stern of the ship.
Li Huowang breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the carriage he had nailed down to secure was doing fine. The blindfolded horse was still quietly chewing on horse fodder as well.
Li Huowang examined the carriage carefully to reassure himself.
After a while, he turned around to leave and was astonished to find that the people in the cabin had gone missing. The thin leaf cards on the ground were scattered haphazardly on the floor.
A muffled bang echoed once more, and the entire cabin swayed violently.
What's going on? Li Huowang sensed that something was amiss and frowned deeply.
He gripped his sword and rushed toward the deck.
The pouring rain quickly drenched Li Huowang, and he eventually found the people from the cabin. They hadn't inexplicably vanished but had gathered on the deck, listening to the captain roaring while gesticulating wildly..
"Who was the idiot who lied about their surname?! Come out! Everyone on this ship is going to end up as fish food, and it's all because of you!"
Boom!
A deafening noise echoed, and the ship swayed deeper; everyone on board was frantic, creating a cacophonous din that pervaded the entire deck despite the pouring rain.
Li Huowang noticed something amiss. At first, he thought a rogue wave caused the swaying of the ship, but the nearby sea was calm. Clearly, the ship was swaying not because of powerful, towering waves but because of something else.
Li Huowang walked up to the railings and peered into the water. Perhaps it was due to the dark clouds in the sky, but the deep blue sea had become a mysterious ink-green color.
Bang!
A violent tremor ran across the ship.
Li Huowang clapped his eyes on a blurry figure underwater, and strands of black hair swayed gently in the water as they rose to the surface.
There really is something in the water. Li Huowang's expression turned ugly at the thought that there was something similar to a sea god in the waters.
Nothing had happened during the majority of the trip, and the chaos only happened when they would soon arrive at their destination. Just as Li Huowang was contemplating what he was supposed to do, he heard powerful knocks behind him.
The captain was on all fours, knocking his head on the floor. Blood flowed out of his forehead as he stood up and drew a dagger from his waist.
"Who the hell is it?!" the captain roared desperately, "If you're not going to come out, then I'm going to kill everyone!"
The captain's bloody and desperate look scared everyone.
The young man with a bandaged forehead hurriedly pointed at the pale yellow woman next to him and said, "It's her! I heard her calling her daughter by her nickname! Her daughter's surname is Chen!"
The captain rushed toward the little girl as if he had seen an oasis in the middle of a desert. The captain grabbed the little girl by the arm; she was the same little girl who had given Li Huowang a sesame candy earlier.
"A person with the surname Chen actually dared to board the ship?! Damn it, how come the Dragon King didn't find her until it was too late!"
"What are you doing?! Let go of my daughter!" exclaimed the pale yellow woman.
"The Dragon King is already knocking on our doors! What do you think I'm about to do?! Damn it, let go!" the captain roared.
The din created by the roars and the cries of the little girl pervaded the deck, but it sounded muted amidst the torrential rain.
Bang!
The ship swayed upon getting hit by something.
The onlookers panicked and tugged at the pale yellow woman to force her to let go of her daughter.
Li Huowang was about to, but a voice echoed from next to him.
"Are you guys still humans? You actually want to feed a child to an evil spirit in the sea?"
Hmm? Li Huowang looked up to see that the bearded bald man had spoken up. The bearded bald man was one of the best leaf card players from earlier.
Since someone else had intervened, Li Huowang didn't bother to step up. He stood calmly, ready to watch how things would unfold. If someone else would handle the situation, he was happy to remain an onlooker.
The captain wiped away the rain on his face and turned to the bearded bald man, shouting, "Talk is cheap! The Dragon King is in the water! My ship won't last a few more hits, and if the ship sinks, we're all going to die!"
"You want to throw that child into the sea, but do you really think that what's in there will calm down and leave once you've thrown that child into the sea?"
"Of course! This Dragon King only eats people with the surname Chen! We'll survive once we've thrown her into the sea!"
"You fool! Move aside!" The bearded bald man pushed the captain aside and walked toward the bow of the ship. He gestured with both of his hands, creating hand seals while chanting an incantation toward the inky-black water.
The bearded bald man looked ordinary, but he definitely had tricks up his sleeves.
Li Huowang pondered briefly before asking, "Are you confident?"
"Would I be here if I weren't? Also, I can't back down now, can I? A real man won't shrink back and watch a little girl die for me."
Li Huowang glanced at the little girl in her mother's arms and nodded. "Well said."
The bearded bald man glanced at Li Huowang and finally noticed the latter's strange attire. "Who are you, and which sect are you from?"
Before Li Huowang could answer, the ship swayed once more, and a creaking noise echoed from beneath the ship. The creaking that sounded loud and clear even amidst the rain sent shivers down everyone's spine.
The captain urgently shouted, "She can't hold on anymore! Hurry up and do whatever you need to do!"
Li Huowang took off his hat and stepped onto the ship's railings. He looked down at the black hair on the surface and noticed that they had multiplied. "Regardless of what's underneath, let's work together. Hopefully, our combined strength is stronger than this thing."
The bearded bald man cast a solemn gaze at Li Huowang's skinless head and nodded.
"It's coming! Get ready!" Li Huowang roared. Then, he unsheathed his bronze coin sword and crouched down.
The bearded bald man took out some Buddhist beads and placed them on his fingers.
A black shadow emerged from the waters.
Li Huowang jumped into the waters.
The clumps of black hair on the surface of the water seemed to come alive, and they moved to catch Li Huowang in mid-air.
Li Huowang's mouth fluttered open as he chanted a quick incantation. The bronze coins came to life, and there was a flash of light as the clumps of black hair were sliced into pieces.
Li Huowang took a deep breath before landing in the cold sea.
Splash!
The salty seawater enveloped Li Huowang instantly, and he immediately shivered in pain as if he had been dunked into a cauldron of hot oil.
Chapter 386 - White Tower
In the face of a formidable enemy, Li Huowang ignored the pain that had pervaded him and took out two glowing stones from his pocket. He wasted no time and hurled the glowing stones deep into the sea.
The glowing stones descended quickly, illuminating the sea and revealing the Dragon King. The Dragon King turned out to be a snake-like entity covered in black hair.
"What is that?" Li Huowang frowned. He gnashed his teeth to suppress the pain, and then he drew his sword with his right hand before slashing at his wrist. Sinister bone spikes emerged from his severed wrist, and they flew toward the so-called Dragon King.
Soon, several black tentacles wriggled out of the stump of Li Huowang's wrist, transforming into a hand. Li Huowang's left hand swept across the entity covered in black hair, and the nearby seawater was dyed in black blood.
The entity couldn't coalesce and was forced to disperse. Dark green eyes that resembled human faces appeared on the black hair. The eyes were filled with hostility and killing intent.
Those faces aren't human faces; they're monkey faces! The Dragon King doesn't exist. It's just a bunch of water monkeys! Li Huowang deduced upon observing the faces. At least they understand human speech, even though they're just water monkeys.
Li Huowang drew the purple-tassel sword, and killing intent burst out of him as he opened his mouth and roared, "Get lost!"
The churning seawater from Li Huowang's mouth attracted the attention of the water monkeys, and they stared at Li Huowang for a while. Eventually, the entity covered in black hair swayed with the waves and disappeared as if it were terrified of Li Huowang.
The crisis had been averted, so Li Huowang got ready to return to the surface. However, he realized that the bearded bald man was missing. Where is he? I couldn't really see him earlier.
Li Huowang rushed to the surface to take a few deep breaths. Afterward, he dived down to look for the missing bearded bald man. Eventually, Li Huowang found the bearded bald man on the seabed.
Half of the bearded bald man's face was missing, and the water monkeys had gouged out his left eye. The fierce waves had peeled the bearded bald man's skin, and he looked even paler than Bai Lingmiao.
Li Huowang stared at the bearded bald man's corpse, unsure of what to say.
"Amitabha, Amitabha, you're a baldy who's done good deeds. You're an extraordinary monk," the monk said, and then he chanted prayers for the bearded bald man.
Li Huowang sighed and grabbed the bearded bald man's corpse before swimming toward the surface. I should have tested his skills before letting him go underwater.
Just as Li Huowang was regretting his decision, the monk abruptly exclaimed, "Daoist, watch out! Something's behind you!"
The monk's words had yet to finish echoing in the air when Li Huowang turned abruptly and saw a grotesque colossal maw covered in long, follicle-like tentacles.
Hmm? Li Huowang stared at the dusty ceiling fan above him.
A white wildflower filled his vision.
"Brother, you're awake? Look, isn't this flower beautiful? I picked it from outside."
Li Huowang followed the chubby hand holding the white wildflower and found a middle-aged man with a naive, chubby face. The middle-aged man looked to be at least forty or fifty years old, but he behaved like a child; his eyes also radiated an exceptionally innocent light.
Li Huowang's muscles tensed up. No! I was about to get consumed by that thing in the water! How come I'm here?
Li Huowang struggled to sit up but found his limbs bound.
"Brother, we're in the White Tower Hospital. However, some call it the White Tower Prison. I was brought here by the guards while I was rummaging through garbage on the street.
"The guard said I wasn't stupid enough, so he let me feed you and gave me more candy in exchange."
Li Huowang's mind quickly spun as he looked around the unfamiliar surroundings.
It doesn't matter why Black Taisui's ability had failed; the fact that I'm in the hallucination means that I'm still alive. There's still hope! No, I'm in that thing's stomach! I have to get out of here as soon as possible!
After figuring everything out, Li Huowang turned to the middle-aged man next to him and asked, "Can you help me out? Untie these restraints for me."
The middle-aged man shook his head vigorously and made a noise reminiscent of a drum using his lips and said, "No, no, no. The guard said I can't untie you. If I untie you, I'll be sent to the small dark room."
Li Huowang was in the middle of a critical juncture on the other side, so he had no time to waste here. There was a high chance that he was about to be devoured. With that in mind, Li Huowang took a deep breath, turned sharply to the left, and flipped the entire metal bed, causing a loud crashing noise.
The middle-aged man was terrified, and he rushed toward the iron door, pounding on it as he turned to the camera overhead and cried out, "Guard, come here! Hurry up, and come here! I'm really scared!"
Li Huowang twisted and lifted the iron bed up high before throwing it to the ground. Li Huowang exerted so much force that he inadvertently fractured the bones in his left palm, causing him to wince and gnash his teeth
Regardless, he pulled strongly, and his floppy, broken left arm slipped off the restraints as if it were made of noodles.
Li Huowang used the pinky finger of his left hand to desperately remove the restraints on his right arm, and he ended up succeeding. Unfortunately, Li Huowang could already hear approaching footsteps in the distance.
Li Huowang moved even faster, freeing himself just in time.
A prison guard rushed toward Li Huowang.
Li Huowang swung his right knee toward the prison guard, breaking the latter's ribs.
Li Huowang managed to subdue one of the prison guards, but the remaining guard swung his stun baton toward him.
The electricity that coursed through Li Huowang froze him briefly, but he gnashed his teeth and yanked the two batons away. Then, he glared at the prison guard.
The guard trembled all over, frightened by Li Huowang's appearance. Although he still had other weapons, it seemed like the odds weren't in his favor. The prison guard suddenly recalled why this guy was admitted here.
"Li Huowang? That's your name, right? You can hear me, right?
"Calm down, calm down. Your girlfriend has just visited you not too long ago. I'll call her over to meet you. What do you think?"
Li Huowang grabbed the magnetic stripe card and the stun baton from the fallen prison guard on the floor before rushing toward the door. I don't care what you are. You better not think that I'm going to patiently wait for my demise in your stomach!
Li Huowang opened every single iron gate in his way and attacked the guards who dared to obstruct him. Soon, an alarm blared throughout the White Tower Prison's mental health ward. A few specialized teams soon rushed into the ward.
Li Huowang assessed the situation rationally, and he decided not to escape through the exit. Li Huowang looked left and right before charging into the prison guard's office.
Before the prison guards could even react, Li Huowang jumped down the fourth floor.
"Cough, cough!" Li Huowang spat out blood and forced himself to stand up.
Li Huowang ignored the mentally unstable patients nearby and smiled smugly at the enormous gray prison building behind him. I don't care what you are, but do you really think that you can gobble me up so easily? Fat chance!
Chapter 387 - I'm Sorry
"What's up with him? How did he survive such a long jump? Should we call the ambulance?"
"Guard! Someone's injured here!"
"Ah! I know him! I saw him on TV! Apparently, he's a hero who fought for the people."
"Look, his hand is injured! He's really pitiful."
The whisperings of the nearby patients didn't disturb Li Huowang at all.
He looked away from the prison building and looked around. I've come out of its belly, but I'm still in the water. I have to get back on the ship soon, or I'm going to drown!
Li Huowang's gaze eventually landed on a distant steel watchtower. The steel watchtower seemed to be located on the periphery of the White Tower Prison. A soldier with a gun was scratching his neck and was staring in their direction in confusion.
The tower was high and was the highest place throughout the prison.
There's no mistaking it! That's my ship! Li Huowang quickly raised his hands as if he were swimming. He swung his arms constantly while heading toward the steel watchtower as if he were swimming.
Li Huowang could feel his entire body screaming at him, and his arms were so fatigued that he could hardly lift his arms. He felt like collapsing to the ground.
The hints that his body was throwing at him allowed Li Huowang to deduce that the monster had seriously injured him. Of course, he had no idea whether his injury was caused by the monster's teeth or by its stomach acid.
Regardless, he wouldn't give up so easily.
Li Huowang used all his strength to swim, and he muttered to himself, Li Sui, help your dad swim faster! I can't see what's happening over there right now, so I'm counting on you!
Li Huowang felt a surge of strength just then, and he inwardly exclaimed, Thank you, Li Sui!
A large group of prison guards rushed out of the prison gate, and they wielded a variety of weapons—large nets, iron forks, and more.
They rushed anxiously toward Li Huowang, and hot pursuit ensued on the oval-shaped field of the White Tower Prison grounds. A group of armed figures was chasing after someone who was running like he was swimming at the same time.
Li Huowang was slower than them, so the distance between the two sides narrowed rapidly.
Li Huowang found out that a dense wire mesh wall was separating the watchtower from the periphery of the prison grounds. However, Li Huowang remained undeterred and stuck his fingers into the gaps to start climbing up the wall. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
The soldier on the watchtower noticed that they were losing control of the situation, so he hurriedly raised his gun and closed one eye to aim at Li Huowang.
"Don't shoot! Absolutely do not shoot!" a panicked roar echoed from the crowd behind Li Huowang. "He has gone viral! We'll be in trouble if he dies here!"
Meanwhile, Li Huowang had finally scaled the wire mesh wall.
Unfortunately, a rolling cage with spikes appeared before him. Li Huowang reached out to one of the spikes, but a blue arc of lightning jumped from the spike toward Li Huowang's finger, which meant that the spikes were filled with high-voltage electricity.
The iron forks and nets retracted quickly at the sight, afraid of getting electrocuted.
This little pain is not enough to stop me! Li Huowang's expression turned fierce as he grabbed the rolling cage with one arm and forcefully flipped himself onto the spiked cage. His skin burned, and smoke rose almost immediately from his clothes.
"Turn it off! Hurry up!" someone roared.
Li Huowang looked like he was about to catch fire anytime soon, and the sight dumbfounded everyone down below. Li Huowang was enveloped in smoke, but he could still move.
"Goodness, are we staring at a human being?"
Li Huowang used the final vestiges of his strength to jump onto the watchtower's iron platform. Li Huowang panted heavily, and he felt numb all over. His vision swam and had dimmed as well.
Li Huowang was truly tired, as he had just squeezed out the final vestiges of his strength to jump onto the iron platform. However, he could see that he was so close to the ship—the end was so near, and he couldn't let all his efforts go to waste.
Li Huowang took a deep breath and stood up. He used his scorched hand to support himself on the railing as he staggered toward the stairs that led to the top of the watchtower.
The two soldiers on duty had no idea whether to raise or lower their guns. In the end, they pointed their guns to the floor and watched as the terrifying lunatic climbed up the stairs to reach them.
The lunatic soon reached them, but he stopped moving. Clearly, the lunatic had no intention of attacking them. Of course, Li Huowang didn't need to move, as he knew that he had already returned to the deck of the ship and had survived the ordeal.
Li Huowang panted heavily and muttered, "Captain, don't.. stop. Keep going toward Xing Island."
Loud alarm bells abruptly echoed in Li Huowang's heart, and he was startled out of his daze by the sound of approaching footsteps. Li Huowang rushed toward the wall on the other side and made sure there was enough distance between him and the newcomers.
Li Huowang swept his gaze across the iron forks in the newcomers' hands and roared, "Water monkeys, right? Don't even think about dragging me back into the water!"
The newcomers remained undeterred and stepped forward.
At the sight, Li Huowang decisively raised his right hand and pressed it on his left eye.
"Huowang!" someone exclaimed. Li Huowang froze instantly upon hearing the familiar cry. Li Huowang then peered over the shoulders of the water monkeys and saw a figure in white.
The figure in white was Yang Na, and she looked extremely haggard.
The sight made Li Huowang feel as though someone had thrust a dagger into his heart.
"Huowang, are you awake? Do you still recognize me?" asked Yang Na.
Li Huowang instinctively lowered his head, avoiding her gaze. He languidly raised his hand and roared, "I am the Great Sage, Sun Wukong! Today, I will break through the Lingxiao Palace and wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace!"
Li Huowang laughed with tears streaming down his face while dancing before everyone like a real lunatic.
Yang Na almost collapsed at the heart-wrenching sight, and she roared, "Huowang! What do you want me to do?! I really can't forget you!"
Li Huowang came to a halt, and his expression changed drastically as he staggered toward Yang Na. He raised his bloody right hand, revealing a small white wildflower the size of a fingernail.
Someone sneaked up on Li Huowang from behind and smashed the butt of their gun toward Li Huowang's arm, bending it in a grotesque way. Then, someone tackled Li Huowang, and the nearest two soldiers immediately rushed toward Li Huowang, pressing him firmly to the ground.
The others were afraid that the martial lunatic would suddenly go crazy and injure the others, so they hurried over to suppress Li Huowang. More and more people pounced on Li Huowang, and it seemed like they wanted to drown Li Huowang in a sea of flesh.
Li Huowang's gaze pierced the swaying crowd and landed on the helpless and despairing Yang Na.
"Nana... I'm sorry for what happened back then..." Li Huowang muttered.
Chapter 388 - Xing Island
When Li Huowang's words fell, his tense spirit filled with guilt could no longer hold out against the exhaustion. Li Huowang's eyes closed slowly as he passed out. The footsteps, the shouts of the prison guards, and Yang Na's crying gradually faded away.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Huowang woke up to the smell of incense. He couldn't see anything but blue the moment he opened his eyes. Li Huowang took a deep breath to compose himself and realized that he was lying down and staring at the sky. The sea waves crashing against the ship's hull and the prickly sensation of the wooden deck against his back made Li Huowang realize that he was back on the ship.
Li Huowang looked downward upon hearing weird noises and was shocked by the sight that unfolded in front of him.
A crowd was prostrating before him, and there were rows of offerings and incense burners just beneath Li Huowang's feet. Li Huowang felt a shiver down his spine when he saw two children among the offerings. Li Huowang felt as if they were worshiping him like he was some kind of god.
Li Huowang was furious. He stood up and kicked the incense burners away.
"Are you all fools? Why do you guys always place your hopes on others? And you're even offering children to me!" Li Huowang roared and pulled the two children away from the offering plates. The children had red dots on their foreheads.
Li Huowang's sudden outburst terrified everyone. They retreated backward, and the captain repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy. "Dragon King, please calm down! Please calm down!"
Dragon King? Li Huowang looked down to see writhing tentacles black tentacles all over him. His arm was still severed and had been replaced by five tentacles entwined together.
Clearly, the black tentacles all over him had made everyone misunderstand that an evil spirit had possessed him.
"Li Sui, go hide. You're scaring them," Lu Huowang said. The tentacles vanished instantly at Li Huowang's command. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
Li Huowang glanced at the drenched deck and the clear skies. He didn't feel like explaining anything, so he turned to the captain and ordered, "Get up and continue sailing to Xing Island!"
"All right, all right! I'll sail!" the captain hurriedly said. He dared not resist nor kick up a fuss. Even if Li Huowang weren't the Dragon King, he was still someone he couldn't afford to provoke.
Li Huowang walked through the crowd and settled in a quiet corner of the ship's cabin.
He took deep breaths to calm himself down before turning to the monk.
"How did I get back on the ship?"
"Daoist, you crawled out from that creature's belly. It was too dark underwater, so I couldn't really see what it looked like. Ah, I remember seeing another living person in that creature's belly, but I don't know whether he managed to crawl out or not. Also, the creature's back was riddled with eyes," the monk replied.
Li Huowang pieced together the scene using the puzzle pieces that the monk was handing over to him by recounting.
Li Huowang had expected it, but it turned out that his assumption was right. He had crawled out of the creature's belly by jumping down that gray prison building. Crossing the electrified cage with spikes meant that he had gotten rid of what had bound him underwater while climbing the watchtower meant that he had climbed onto the deck.
Li Huowang saved his life by moving in his hallucination. It was a valuable experience, and Li Huowang reckoned that he could use the same method if he ever found himself in another pinch.
Li Huowang believed that the encounter wouldn't have been so difficult if the creature hadn't been able to negate Black Taisui's ability in his abdomen. Fortunately, the outcome was still satisfactory despite the many twists and turns.
"Daoist, Li Sui helped you a lot. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have been able to climb onto deck."
Li Huowang put a hand on his stomach and felt relieved as he reviewed everything he had just gone through.
"Huowang!" A shrill noise echoed, and Li Huowang instinctively covered his ears.
The voice belonged to Yang Na, and Li Huowang couldn't possibly mistake that voice for someone else's voice. Li Huowang felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart with a dagger upon being reminded of her extremely haggard appearance.
Li Huowang covered his ears with a determined expression and comforted himself.
It's definitely a hallucination. There were too many coincidences for it to be otherwise. Yes, it's a hallucination! I don't need to care about what happens over there, as it's all a hallucination!
Li Huowang murmured to himself for a long time in an effort to push Yang Na's image out of his mind. Eventually, he removed his hands from his ears, and he could no longer hear any voices or the incessant ringing.
Li Huowang finally sighed in relief.
The auditory hallucination just now had to be a side effect of the hallucination. Li Huowang knew that he had to be more careful against an unfamiliar evil spirit in the future, as he wouldn't know for sure if Black Taisui's ability would work on them.
"Hehe... Looking at you like this, I think it's better if you just die," Hong Zhong mocked.
Li Huowang ignored Hong Zhong and took out the Fiery Scripture to treat himself.
No matter how painful the suffering I'll go through, there's going to be an end to it. I can get rid of this life that's worse than death! I just have to find Bei Feng and force his method out of him!
"Three coins."
"Empty bottle."
"Half a coin, I win," said Li Huowang, revealing his leaf cards to the players.
The other three players threw their cards in frustration.
"How come you've won again? Are you using some kind of supernatural power to change your cards?"
"If I were to use a spiritual power, I'd use it to rob you guys. Why would I bother going through such a hassle by playing? Anyway, stop the nonsense and pay up."
The other players could only hurl dark silver pieces and some old as well as new bronze coins toward Li Huowang.
Li Huowang piled them up into a tiny hill on his side of the table and was about to shuffle the cards when stomping noises echoed from above.
"The ship is about to dock! We've reached Xing Island!" the captain shouted.
Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and made their way toward the cabin ladders.
Li Huowang soon found himself outside the ship, and he sighed in relief as he looked around Xing Island's harbor district.
He was finally here.
Li Huowang suddenly felt a little lost about what he ought to do next. According to the ship's captain, Xing Island was like half the Jiang Nan region in size. It was such a vast island, so how was he supposed to find Zhuge Yuan?
Li Huowang pondered for a while before taking out a ginger-yellow paper from his pocket. He needed a talisman to divine, which would help him find Zhuge Yuan.
Unfortunately, he needed bone relics to perform a divination, and he didn't expect that he would have to perform a divination, so he didn't have any bone relics with him.
It took Li Huowang half a day to find an alternative for the bone relics.
Li Huowang cut open his healing severed arm. Then, he gnashed his teeth and sunk his hand into the flesh and blood. Once he found the bone inside, he grabbed it tightly and yanked it out.
Li Huowang felt empty and sore at the same time as he pulled out the bone holding together his flesh as if he were pulling out a radish from the ground.
Chapter 389 - Sedan Chair
It would be difficult to find human bones in this small fishing village on the coast of Xing Island, so Li Huowang had no choice but to use his own bones for divination.
Fortunately, the bone remained unharmed despite the divination. Li Huowang shoved the bone back into the hollow stump of his arm.
Now, I need to find the place indicated by the bone fracture. Li Huowang while walking toward the fishing village. The village was small, and one would encounter familiar faces after just a brief stroll.
Li Huowang saw a woman with a pale complexion buying steamed buns with her daughter in the distance. The young woman bought a coarse-grain bun for herself and half a steamed bun with a brown sugar filling for her daughter.
Li Huowang's heart softened while staring at the impoverished mother and daughter pair. He pulled the reins and approached them with the carriage.
"Benefactor!" The woman quickly bowed toward Li Huowang, her expression full of sincerity and fear.
The little girl nestled in her mother's arms and dared not to lift her head.
"Why did you bring your daughter to Xing Island?" Li Huowang asked.
"My... my husband is dead, so I came here to seek refuge with relatives," the woman said hesitantly; she also didn't dare to look at Li Huowang.
Li Huowang pondered briefly before reaching into his pocket and taking out the money he had won from playing leaf cards against his fellow passengers on the ship. He handed the money to the little girl.
Then, he stared at the woman and said, "She's a small child, so her appetite surely isn't that big. However, half of a steamed bun still isn't going to be enough for her. Take that money and buy something to eat for her."
Li Huowang drove the carriage away without waiting for the woman's reply. His destination was the inn not too far away. The divination talisman was both useful and useless. It was useless because it couldn't be controlled at all—one could only wait for fate to come after a divination.
Thus, Li Huowang planned to take advantage of the wait to recharge at the inn and prepare for the upcoming crisis. Li Huowang's routine remained unchanging after entering the inn—he bathed, ate, and slept.
Li Huowang thought he would need to work hard to find Zhuge Yuan, but someone took the initiative to look for him. Li Huowang was already asleep, but he suddenly woke up and kicked Bun at the bedside. He could feel someone outside.
Soon, there was knocking on the door, and a voice echoed. "Is Master Li around?"
The voice sounded delicate and rough at the same time.
Li Huowang approached the door carefully and opened it slightly to peer through the crack.
The visitor looked wealthy—clad in blue silk with a jade pendant hanging from his waist. He had a thin, long mustache, and his face was colored with rouge. The moonlight shining down on the visitor's face made him look extremely pale.
Li Huowang felt that there was something amiss with the visitor; the issue was that he couldn't quite point it out.
"Are you Master Li? My master has been waiting for you. Please come with me," the visitor said amiably, and he even bowed toward Li Huowang.
"Who is your master?" Li Huowang asked, and his hand unknowingly gripped the purple-tassel sword.
"His surname is Zhuge, and his name is Yuan. He's also known as the Storyteller. Didn't Master Li cast a divination for my master today? That was how he knew you were coming."
Li Huowang's heart skipped a beat. He had cast a divination for Zhuge Yuan, and the other party immediately knew the identity of the caster and even the caster's location.
Clearly, it was unwise to use divination carelessly, as powerful individuals could easily discover his whereabouts.
Li Huowang was silent as he stood by the door.
The visitor asked, "Master Li, are you with me coming or not? If not, I'll have to return and inform my master."
Li Huowang pushed open the door and said, "Lead the way."
The visitor nodded and went downstairs, with Li Huowang following closely behind him.
The entire inn was extremely quiet, and there weren't any noises aside from their footsteps.
Li Huowang soon found himself outside the inn, and it turned out that a pure-white sedan chair had been waiting for him beneath the silver moonlight. Four black-robed sedan bearers stood motionless like sculptures, creating an eerie scene.
"Master Li, please hop onto the sedan chair. My master's residence is quite a distance away, and we need to hurry up," the visitor smiled and pulled open the curtain of the sedan chair.
Li Huowang's brows furrowed; he couldn't help but feel suspicious. Upon recalling the spindle that Zhuge Yuan had given to him, as well as the visitor's friendly tone of voice, Li Huowang compromised and sat in the sedan chair.
A creaking noise echoed as the bearers lifted the sedan chair.
"How long will it take us to reach Mister Zhuge's residence?" Li Huowang asked, but he received no response. He opened the curtain to look outside but found that the visitor had inexplicably vanished.
Moreover, the four sedan bearers appeared strange. Their limbs seemed to be without any joints, and they walked straight ahead without blinking even once.
The bizarre discovery made Li Huowang feel even more suspicious about everything.
What's going on? Are they not affiliated with Zhuge Yuan?
The scenery outside the sedan chair changed slowly. The black tiles of the houses in the fishing village eventually disappeared, replaced by dark green bamboo leaves in the woods.
For some reason, Li Huowang felt like something was hiding amidst the forest of dark green bamboo.
Hehehe...
Playful laughter echoed from the depths of the bamboo forest. Li Huowang's ears perked up to listen carefully, but he discovered that the playful laughter was just the noises generated by the bamboo leaves amidst the night breeze.
The swaying sedan chair moved nonstop through the bamboo forest.
Four hours later, Li Huowang was still inside the bamboo forest.
This bamboo forest is really big. Li Huowang thought. He peered outside and saw something that made his pupils shrink.
"Wait! I saw that rock not too long ago. You guys haven't been moving at all. You guys are moving in circles! Stop the sedan!" Li Huowang exclaimed.
However, the black-robed sedan bearers moved even faster.
Li Huowang unsheathed the purple-tassel sword, and he made a hole in the floor. He jumped into the hole with both feet together, but as soon as he landed, the ground riddled with dried bamboo leaves sank like clay and enveloped him instantly.
Li Huowang slashed out with his purple-tassel sword, and thick blood haphazardly spurted into the air, accompanied by what sounded like grotesque screams that couldn't possibly come from a human being.
Rustling noises echoed soon afterward, which told Li Huowang that the creature had retreated. Li Huowang panted heavily as he stood in the bamboo forest. The pure-white sedan chair and the sedan bearers had vanished. He was all alone in the middle of the bamboo forest.
What were those things? How did they know that I had cast a divination for Zhuge Yuan? Could the evil spirits on Xing Island be sentient?