Li Huowang opened his eyes. He sat up in the messy bed and looked towards his right. He saw the sunlight entering through the window and knew he had slept in. It was already well into the morning.
"I overslept again?" Li Huowang muttered.
Ignoring the shallow cuts on his body, he put on his clothes and descended down the wooden stairs.
"Good morning Junior Li," Zhuge Yuan said, greeting Li Huowang with a fan in hand.
"Good morning, Senior Zhuge."
Seeing Zhuge Yuan, Li Huowang slapped the back of his head in regret. He had just returned to the village and already let his guard down. Zhuge Yuan was still an illusion, and he needed to save him! Cultivating the "Truth" was much more important than having sex!
Li Huowang ate a bun and pickled vegetables before downing a bowl of porridge in haste. After breakfast, he quickly found a quiet room in the estate and sat down to cultivate.
According to the complicated text on the scroll, once he had covered the primordial breath with his inner sight, he could start cultivating the next step to utilize it. He had to first circulate the primordial breath through his chakra points in the correct order: Root Chakra, Sacral Chakra, Solar Plexus Chakra, Heart Chakra, Throat Chakra, Third Eye Chakra, and finally the Crown Chakra.
He had to shroud his Ten Emotions and Eight Sufferings with the formless primordial breath once. It was a difficult process, and Li Huowang felt like he was trying to push an elephant. He could not accomplish it even after half a day.
Nevertheless, he was not hasty. Cultivation requires persistence; one could not be impatient.
If the Strayed One that Bei Feng had tricked could do it, then Li Huowang could do it too.
Li Huowang didn't know how long he spent cultivating, but when he stopped due to fatigue and opened his eyes, he saw that it was already dark.
The entire room was warped beyond recognition. The floor and walls were either protruding or sunken.
Li Huowang frowned. It turned out that cultivating this technique would cause severe damage to the cultivator's surroundings.
I need to find somewhere more remote so I don't harm the others. I can't cultivate in Cowheart Village anymore.
Li Huowang stood up and walked towards the door, but when he opened it, he was surprised to see a youth standing on the ceiling.
The youth saw Li Huowang and stumbled backward out of shock and fear. The youth then crawled away.
Li Huowang was confused as to who the youth was. He then saw Gao Zhijian, with his large stature, hanging upside down on the ceiling and walking towards him.
That was when Li Huowang finally realized what was happening. They were not the ones that were upside down; he was!
The moment Li Huowang realized that, he suddenly fell.
He quickly turned his body and landed safely. He stood up and looked into the room he had been cultivating in.
The room had been twisted upside down. The floor had become the ceiling, and the ceiling had become the floor. He was confused as to why it had taken him so long to realize it. And why hadn't he fallen from the ceiling?
Li Huowang decided that he needed to quickly find a new place to cultivate. It was too dangerous and unpredictable for him to cultivate near other people.
"Li-Li-Li..." Gao Zhijian stammered.
Li Huowang looked up at Gao Zhijian and patted his arm. "How old are you? Did you grow taller in the past few months?"
"Yes," Gao Zhijian said before pointing outside.
Li Huowang wasn't sure what Gao Zhijian wanted, but he decided to follow Gao Zhijian outside anyway.
Before Li Huowang left, the frightened youth from earlier stood up shakily and called out, "Father... Mother told me to bring you to dinner."
"I will go in a while. Tell her to eat first," Li Huowang replied.
It didn't take long for Li Huowang to get to Gao Zhijian's home. Gao Zhijian felt ashamed as he passed some broken pieces of stone to Li Huowang.
"This is..." Li Huowang muttered, realizing that it was the sacred text that he had given to Gao Zhijian. It was the same one that Dan Yangzi had treated as a treasure.
Gao Zhijian stammered as he explained that the sacred text had suddenly shattered one afternoon. After that, he heard a voice. It said a string of sentences, mocking the wielder of the sacred text.
Li Huowang explained, "No worries. You don't have to be ashamed. This has nothing to do with you. The sacred text was something that the Sitting Oblivion Dao used to trick others."
Even though he didn't know when Dan Yangzi had obtained the sacred text, Li Huowang estimated that Dan Yangzi had likely possessed it for years, based on the number of people he had to find to refine his pills. That meant that the person who had given him the sacred text had been a member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao.
Dan Yangzi was not the only one who had been tricked; even the Human Xiaos and many others had been tricked. A scheme of such a large scale, in terms of how widespread it was and when it first began, could not have been concocted in a single day. It had likely taken the Sitting Oblivion Dao hundreds of years to do such a thing.
Only the Shai Zi were capable of plotting such a scheme. The Shai Zis spent so much time collecting the "Lies" from so many people for just one reason: to find the opportunity to summon Doulao so that they could take the Sacred Mountain Ghost's Eye from the emperor.
The Heavenly Dao on the dead Sacred Mountain Ghost's Eye appeared to be one that governed chaos.
But this is strange. According to what I know, the Shai Zis should be finding methods to trick the Heavenly Dao away from Doulao so that they could ascend into godhood. Why are they helping Doulao? Or were they tricked by Doulao?
Gao Zhijian pulled on Li Huowang, bringing him back to reality.
"Sorry. I'm thinking about a lot of things. Is there anything else?" Li Huowang asked.
"Yes," Gao Zhijian replied simply and entered his house.
Soon after, he returned with a book.
Li Huowang recognized it as the book that he had taken from Peng Longteng.
"Th-th-this is... a... training manual for soldiers..." Gao Zhijian stammered.
Li Huowang was shocked. He took the book and quickly read through it. The book was indeed a training manual for soldiers. It taught the reader how to increase their murderous aura as well as how to control it.
"Did you learn it?" Li Huowang asked.
"Yes," Gao Zhijian answered with a nod.
He looked around and found Peng Longteng's halberd. Gripping it tightly, he took a deep breath and howled as he raised the heavy weapon.
A dense murderous aura spread out from Gao Zhijian. The headless Peng Longteng got excited, her large hands clenching and releasing in anticipation.
Gao Zhijian let out a furious roar, "HA!"
A strong wind blew through Li Huowang's hair. Then the massive halberd was thrust into the ground in front of him. The earth shook, and cracks appeared on the ground. Li Huowang almost thought there was an earthquake.
Li Huowang was surprised that Gao Zhijian had become this powerful. If he were to grow a little taller, he would be the same height as Peng Longteng.
Was Gao Zhijian a genius, or was the training method for soldiers easy to learn?
Chapter 451 - Hospital
It was a cold day, and steam rose from the top of Gao Zhijian's head after his demonstration. He approached Li Huowang in excitement and gave him the book.
Gao Zhijian said, "Train."
Li Huowang understood what Gao Zhijian suggested. He wanted Li Huowang to train using the manual.
Li Huowang shook his head. "No need. You can train it yourself. It's useless to me."
If Li Huowang had obtained the book after they escaped from Zephyr Temple, he would've treated it like a treasure. However, compared to the "Truth" and the various techniques of the Sitting Oblivion Dao, the training method for soldiers was too weak for him to bother with. Li Huowang was now even capable of surviving without a head, as long as he didn't notice that he didn't have a head in the first place.
Li Huowang recalled Peng Longteng's behavior and felt worried.
He asked, "Did you experience any changes after you started cultivating it?"
"No," Gao Zhijian answered simply.
Nevertheless, Li Huowang still managed to detect changes in Gao Zhijian. Gao Zhijian had once been stupid enough to eat the food that people offered to the dead just because an old monk had invited Gao Zhijian to join him in making a meal out of it.
If Gao Zhijian of the present gave Li Huowang the feeling of someone aloof, then Gao Zhijian of the present gave off the vibe of someone who used his energy with careful deliberation.
"Fine, continue cultivating it. It's a good thing for you," Li Huowang said.
At the very least, developing the murderous aura of a soldier might make Gao Zhijian more assertive and aggressive, but it wasn't a serious issue.
After conversing with Gao Zhijian, Li Huowang returned to the Bai family estate for dinner.
As he stepped through the doorway, he recalled something. "The military's cultivation method isn't effective when it's just one person. It's more suited for a large group of people training at the same time. Don't we have many slaves now? You could try teaching them and choose the more talented ones to cultivate with you."
Li Huowang would be more relaxed if Cowheart Village had a small army guarding it.
Gao Zhijian had been feeling a little disappointed after Li Huowang turned down his offer to train with him. However, once he heard Li Huowang's suggestion, he perked up. Gao Zhijian gripped the book tightly and nodded.
Back in the Bai family estate, Li Huowang told Bai Lingmiao about his idea.
Bai Lingmiao remarked, "That's a great idea. At least they have something to do after they work in the field."
Li Huowang added, "We should pay them more too. We bought them, but we still need to win their hearts over."
With a bowl in hand, Bai Lingmiao rolled her eyes and said, "What are you talking about? They are our adopted children. Of course, we should treat them well."
She then scooped some rice into the bowl.
"What happened to your leg?" Li Huowang asked when he noticed something was off with how Bai Lingmiao was walking.
"Nothing. I stepped on a hole by accident and bruised it."
"You shouldn't be running around outside when you are blindfolded."
Li Huowang drank some soup. Then he stood up and walked out.
"Li Huowang, where are you going? Can't you take a break for a little while?" Bai Lingmiao shouted at him.
"No need to wait for me. Just leave a window open for me later."
Li Huowang jumped from roof to roof before heading to Cowheart Mountain at the back of the village.
When he jumped past a seemingly empty house, he yelled into it, "Li Sui, follow me!"
"Alright," Li Sui replied.
He placed Bun down and then followed Li Huowang.
The two of them walked down a small path until they reached the middle of the mountain.
Li Huowang looked around at the crowded grave and remarked, "Why are there so many dead people?"
There were so many graves that they were placed side to side. The green glow of phosphorous fire ignited from time to time, giving the place a chilling look.
Nevertheless, Li Huowang was unbothered. He had seen many scary places, but he had never once seen a ghost.
He looked around and found a small piece of flat land. It appeared to be a space to bury more bodies if the need arises. Currently, it was still empty.
Li Huowang sat down and told Li Sui, "I'm going to the other side so you need to look out for me. If there are any strangers or dangers approaching me, you must burrow into my stomach and bring me back here."
There weren't as many troubles as before in this world, but there were still plenty left in the hallucination.
Li Sui raised its two eyeballs and revealed a fleshy grin. "Alright."
Li Huowang took a deep breath, crossed his legs, and revealed the primordial breath ever so slightly by peeling off a little bit of his inner sight.
As his surroundings twisted, his pupils slowly lost focus, and he looked around at his surroundings in peace.
Li Sui was diligently scanning the area, and he suddenly heard footsteps. He raised his gaze in alarm but relaxed when he saw who it was.
"Mom, it's already so late. Aren't you going back to sleep?" Li Huowang said softly to a wooden grave marker.
A pair of fair hands slowly extended and caressed his face.
Bai Lingmiao stared at his face and sighed. "Li Huowang... didn't you say you were in control of your hallucination?" ๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐.๐๐ ๐ฆ
"Mom, I'm clean enough. No need to wipe my face anymore," Li Huowang said before the wet towel was placed on his face again.
His mother replied, "What's wrong with wiping a few more times? It's not like your skin will fall off. It's better now that you are coherent. Brush your teeth first."
A soft plastic toothbrush was placed in his mouth.
Li Huowang grumbled, but both of them were smiling.
Then Li Huowang thought of something when he saw his mother wiping his hands.
"Mom, when did the doctor say I can leave?"
Even though on paper this place was a hospital, it was more like a prison used to hold people with mental disorders. Li Huowang barely had the freedom to move his fingers, much less walk around.
Since he had decided to turn this place into reality, he needed to prepare himself. If he wanted to live in this world, he needed to get out of the place, even if it meant entering a normal hospital.
Sun Xiaoqin looked at him. "Do you feel that this place is too oppressive?"
"No, I'm just worried about Yang Na. I'm not sure how sick she is."
Sun Xiaoqin took the towel and walked out the door without a word.
The hospital was very quiet at night, so Li Huowang managed to hear his mother arguing with the guard.
"You think this is a joke?" the guard asked.
Sun Xiaoqin said, "Look. My son's cured. We can transfer him to someplace nicer. It's not auspicious to lock someone up like that."
Footsteps rang out as two people approached them. The argument got more heated too.
Sun Xiaoqin yelled, "If you don't let my son out, I won't pay any more money! You will have to raise him yourself!"
"What are you talking about? This is a government-funded prison. We get money from the government, and I don't even get paid much. Even if you don't pay us, we can't let him leave either! You have to think about other people too. We don't know what your son is made of. It's like he's a robot that doesn't feel pain. Normal people can't even fight against him. If he goes crazy on the road again, the consequences will be serious! If your son can kill seven bandits, he can kill seven students too!"
"My son would never do that!"
Someone's massive hand pointed at Li Huowang from the other side of the window.
That person said, "He won't do that? Look at him! Do you think he can differentiate reality from hallucination? Your son is mentally ill!"
The room fell silent.
Li Huowang lay on the bed and thought about it before asking the person, "What do I need to do to exit this place?"
However, the hands didn't reply to Li Huowang. Instead, they brought Sun Xiaoqin towards the door, and their voices gradually became soft.
The room's lights went out.
Li Huowang frowned and looked at the flashing camera in a corner of the room. He thought about how he could get out of this mess.
Chapter 452 - Children
How do I prove to them I'm not crazy anymore? Pretend that I'm normal in front of the doctors? What if something happens in the other world while I'm under observation here? Or should I bring something from the other world here to prove that the other world is real? But If I do, I might not have any freedom in the future.
Li Huowang didn't know what to do. Both worlds were real to him, and both sides would say he was crazy to believe in the other world.
He realized that there was nothing he could do in this world to prove that he was sane. Since there was no way to do so in this world, he could only do it in the other world.
If he wanted to regain his freedom, he needed to finish his cultivation and then use it. It was the simplest and easiest method to prove that he was saneโor at the very least, it was easier to do that than playing a mental game with the doctors.
Li Huowang decided to concentrate on his cultivation. He was so focused on it that he forgot to even eat and sleep. This was the ticket to resurrect Zhuge Yuan and for Li Huowang to regain his freedom in the other world.
After the first time he cultivated in Cowheart Village, Li Huowang decided not to cultivate there anymore. Instead, he found a cave in the middle of Cowheart Mountain and decided that it was the perfect place for cultivation.
Li Huowang was not worried about how much he distorted the surroundings since there was nothing but trees and stones.
Within the darkness of the cave, he did something that he couldn't show to the others.
There was the sound of flesh being ripped apart. Li Sui used three tentacles to pour down a bowl of mercury onto Li Huowang's head.
After the flaying, shedding, and stuffing process was complete, Li Huowang's shout reverberated throughout the cave. "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!"
His shed skin, which had been stuffed with straw, slowly shrank and turned into a small doll.
This was the second time doing the ritual, and it had gone much better than the first.
Zhuge Yuan's eyes almost popped out of his sockets when he saw what was happening. Li Huowang ignored him and grabbed the doll. He felt much more relieved with it in his hands. With it, he could now survive being decapitated.
More importantly, this was an artifact that he could produce multiple times. As long as he had time, he could continue to make it. He would no longer be afraid of people stronger than him with it.
Li Huowang used a small dagger and cut open a wound in his abdomen. He stuffed the small doll into his body.
After Li Huowang finished using the Fiery Scripture to treat his injuries, Li Sui asked curiously, "Father, what is that? Can I have it? Can you teach me?"
Li Huowang shook his head. "You can't use the method. You are not a Strayed One, so your skin is useless."
Li Huowang put on his red robes and walked towards the exit with his weapons.
"Father, I want to help you."
Li Sui did not give up, but Li Huowang ignored it. He did not think a small Black Taisui could help him.
"Just stay in the village next time and don't simply run away. There are many evil people outside, and they will turn you into a pill if you get caught."
"You're lying. I went outside before, and it's much more fun than the village. Everyone in the village is afraid of me, even Bun. I think it's much more fun cultivating with you. Father, can I not enter your stomach again?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"If you do, you will take over my body."
Nevertheless, Li Sui's eyes were filled with eagerness and yearning. Li Huowang thought about it and ultimately gave Li Sui a book.
Li Huowang said, "Read this if you are bored. If you don't know the words you can ask me."
Li Huowang had given Li Sui the manual on talisman-making.
It would be bizarre yet surreal to see Li Sui drawing talismans and chanting. Still, it might be useful for Li Sui to learn it. It would be of great help if Li Sui succeeded.
"You need to remember that there are many restrictions to drawing the talismans."
Li Huowang slowly taught it how to read and write while walking down the mountain and heading towards the village.
"Father, why are they afraid of me? Do you think they wouldn't be afraid of me if I took off my clothes and saw my real body?"
"No, absolutely not."
"Why not? What if I treated them well and gave them money for food?"
"Where did you learn all of these? Do not show them your real appearance. You are different. You are not human."
After hearing Li Sui's questions, Li Huowang regretted his decision to let Li Sui live with him.
It was nowhere near as simple as he had thought. It was like raising a real child.
Li Sui never asked that many questions before. I don't have the time to teach him. I need someone to teach him in my stead. Li Sui still doesn't understand a lot of basic things.
Before long, Li Huowang and Li Sui arrived near the fields. Li Huowang looked at his adopted children and his comrades working in the field.
"Senior Li, are you back from the mountain?" Yang Xiaohai asked, walking over excitedly with his legs caked in mud.
Li Huowang asked in return, "Aren't you in charge of food? Why are you down in the fields? Who told you to work so much?"
"No one. I volunteered! Senior Li, look over there! Those two acres of land are all mine! Senior Bai told me that any food I grow in those lands is mine! That's two whole acres of food! I no longer have to starve once I harvest them!" Yang Xiaohai said excitedly.
Then he felt something strange on his calves. He reached down and caught it. It was a massive leech roughly half the length of his arm. He threw it away into the field.
The leech was attracted to Li Huowang's blood and slowly crawled towards it.
Li Huowang frowned. He was not afraid of most things, but he hated leeches.
Chills washed over him at the thought of hundreds of leeches all over him, burrowing into his body and chewing through his flesh with their sharp teeth...
Seeing Li Huowang stand there motionlessly, Yang Xiaohai asked puzzledly, "Senior Li, what's wrong with you? Have you never seen a leech before? Did you not work in the fields in the past?"
Chapter 453 - Time
The leech slowly crawled towards Li Huowang. He stomped it to death before looking at Yang Xiaohai pitifully.
"Do you always get leeches on your legs?" Li Huowang asked.
"Of course. It's pretty much impossible to protect yourself from leeches if you work in the fields. I'm fine with it as long as I'm not dealing with snakes. It's okay if we get bit by leeches. We can always pull them off with our hands, but it's another issue if they bite cows. Cows don't have hands and can't pull leeches off, so they have no choice but to let the leeches drink their blood. That's why we also call leeches Rotten Cow Crotches.[1]
Li Huowang looked at Yang Xiaohai, who still had the face of a child.ย He's probably only a sixth grader in the modern world, but he's already like an adult in this world.
Li Huowang patted Yang Xiaohai's shoulder. "You don't have to work in the fields anymore. You should be studying at this age instead of working in the fields. Leave the fieldwork to the serfs."
After Li Huowang gave out some orders, Cowheart Village quickly acquired a teacher.
Cowheart Village was a rural area, but with the right amount of money, it had been easy enough to hire a teacher. Some scholars had to work as teachers for a living because they had failed to pass their exams and become officials.
Yang Xiaohai wasn't the only student. Li Huowang had instructed Li Sui to attend classes too. All Li Sui needed to do was to listen and say nothing while the teacher taught the lessons.
The other villagers would come and stand near the window of the classroom whenever they had free time. It was as if they would gain something just by eavesdropping.
Even Lu Zhuangyuan brought his grandson, who was barely a year old. He wanted his grandson to be surrounded by scholars and hopefully become an official once he was older.
Seeing this, Li Huowang decided to open the door to the classroom for everyone. Anyone could enter the classroom and listen to the lessons. He considered it as a social benefit for the people of Cowheart Village.
Li Huowang smiled as he watched the villagers listening to the teacher's lessons. His sour mood was gone, and he felt much happier these days.
"What are you smiling at?" Bai Lingmiao asked puzzledly.
Li Huowang answered, "Look at how well everyone is living now. No matter how much difficulty we faced during our travels, we managed to survive, and now everyone's life is improving day by day. Isn't this what everyone wanted?"
Bai Lingmiao extended her hands and held his skinless fingers, gently leaning against him. "Yes. Our lives will keep getting better. That's why you must not seek death even if you face difficulties in the future. Life will always get better again."
The teacher was currently giving a lecture in front of the class.
"You don't need to learn like a scholar, and I don't expect anyone here to be able to become an official in the future. You just need to learn what you need for everyday life, such as reading and counting! Once you are able to read, write, and count, you will not starve to death in the future! With these skills, you can consider other ways to make a living. Today, you shall learn how to count!" the teacher said, raising a small bamboo tube filled with chopsticks in the air.
The teacher continued, "There are eleven divisions in a day!"
He pulled out eleven chopsticks from the tube and laid them on the ground.
"If a peddler took five divisions to reach your village, how much time does he have left to sell his wares and sleep?" the teacher asked, picking up five chopsticks from the ground. [2]
"Hm?" Li Huowang was confused.
Bai Lingmiao sensed his confusion and asked, "What's wrong? The teacher is doing a good job."
"There are twenty-four hours in a day. A single period consists of two hours, so instead of eleven, there should be twelve divisions in a day. What kind of teacher teaches others about a day having only eleven divisions? He can't even count time. No wonder he can't become an official. We should find an excuse to fire him. I don't want the others to be taught the wrong information."
Hearing that, Bai Lingmiao felt even more confused. "Li Huowang, what are you talking about? There are only eleven divisions in a single day. Why did you say there are twelve?"
"What?"
Li Huowang's mind seemed to go numb as if he had been smacked senseless by something. He looked at her in shock before confirming it with her again.
Then he ran into the classroom and asked the teacher, "Are there only eleven divisions in a day?"
Seeing a man covered in bandages rush in and interrupt his lesson, the teacher retorted indignantly, "Of course. How many divisions do you think we have if not eleven? Do you have a problem with my lesson?"
Li Huowang turned around in shock and looked at the other students. "Are there really only eleven divisions in a day?"
Yang Xiaohai was curious as to why Li Huowang was acting this way. "Yeah. Senior Li, there are only eleven divisions in a day. What's wrong with it?"
"Only eleven? That means a day only lasts for twenty-two hours...? What happened to the remaining two hours?"
Li Huowang suddenly had a feeling that his world had just turned unreal.
Bai Lingmiao entered the classroom with a frown and pulled Li Huowang outside. ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐๐ฃ๐ฏโด๐ท๐ฆ๐.๐๐๐
She asked, "What are you doing? Isn't it normal to only have eleven divisions in a day?"
"No, that's not right." Li Huowang calmed down and decided to find the truth himself. "Miaomiao, do you have anything in the village that can be used to count the time? Bring it to me."
"Something to count the time? Is a water clock fine? That's all we have here."
"Yes!"
Soon, three wooden buckets of different heights were placed in front of Li Huowang. The tallest bucket was filled with water, and there was a small tube that dripped water consistently into the second bucket from the first.
A drop of water took around a second to reach the second bucket, but Li Huowang did not trust it He decided to count the time himself.
But the result was not what he had expected. There were indeed only eleven divisions in a day.
Even though there might be a margin of error, it was impossible for Li Huowang to miscount two entire hours.
After staying up for the entire night, Li Huowang finally accepted this reality. There were indeed only twenty-two hours in this world.
He rubbed his tired eyes and mumbled, "No wonder I kept oversleeping. Guess it's because this world's missing two hours?"
Ever since Li Huowang escaped from Zephyr Temple, he'd always felt that he had overslept or didn't get enough sleep. It appeared to be because of the time in this world.
Bai Lingmiao stood behind him worriedly. "Li Huowang, are you going crazy again?"
Li Huowang had a much easier time accepting this reality than he had thought. It made sense that even time was different in this bizarre world.
He stood up and hugged Bai Lingmiao. "Does it mean that we only had eleven divisions in a day even while we were in the Zephyr Temple?"
"Of course."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Do I need to tell you this? I didn't know that you were clueless about it."
Meanwhile, Zhuge Yuan was listening to the faceless Hong Zhong illusion taunt him. "Do you see that? That's the sense of confusion of a Strayed One! Did you learn anything today?"
1. It's a literal translation here. I can't find anything about it so most likely it's a regional thing where people called it whatever they liked. Kinda like how Asian Koels are called uwu birds because their calls are literally "uwu" โ
2. One Division = Two Hours โ
Chapter 454 - Someone Familiar
"Cock-a-doodle-doo~"
The rooster crowed, and everyone in Cowheart Village gradually woke up and had breakfast.
Normally, farming families didn't eat breakfast unless it was harvest season when they needed the extra energy to work. Usually, most people only had two meals a day.
However, that wasn't the case in Cowheart Village. Everyone got to eat breakfast. This was also one of the reasons why everyone was grateful to Bai Lingmiao. She fed them and let them study for free, and she even granted them a portion of the crops that they planted. There was no better employer than her in the world.
Lu Zhuangyuan knocked on the door of his eldest son incessantly. "Wake up! The porridge at the top of the pot is the thickest! If you aren't fast even when it comes to eating, what else can you do?"
"Father, we have money now. We can cook our own breakfast," Lu Juren's wife, Luo Juanhua, said.
She was dissatisfied that she couldn't sleep in even though they had money now.
"Do you think you're rich?! How dare you even say that you won't eat the free breakfast and want to use your own money to buy food! Preposterous. Get up!" Lu Zhuangyuan scolded his daughter-in-law.
Then he headed out to knock on the rooms of his disciples.
Naturally, he was not there to call them to eat breakfast but to wake them up to practice their basic performance skills.
Lu Zhuangyuan was strict to them just like how his master had taught him. If they didn't practice enough or their performance was subpar, they were not allowed to eat breakfast.
Most performers started training at a young age. Most of his disciples were already over ten years old, so they needed to practice even harder.
While his disciples worked on their dissonant singing, Lu Zhuangyuan brought his family to the Bai family estate.
Upon entering, they saw Yang Xiaohai ordering two people to carry a pot of porridge into the hall. Lu Zhuangyuan smiled and walked inside.
However, he then frowned when he saw his rebellious youngest son, Lu Xiucai.
He had done everything to educate Lu Xiucai. He beat and scolded his youngest son, but nothing had worked. Lu Xiucai continued to curse at Lu Zhuangyuan, saying stuff like "Just you wait" or "One day, I will kill you!"
As for Liu Xiucai's wife, Tao'er, she followed faithfully behind Lu Xiucai and kept quiet most of the time. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts.
"Aiya, aiya, everyone is here," Puppy said loudly in his jarring voice.
Everyone turned to look and saw him helping his pregnant wife into the hall.
Puppy beamed at Lu Xiucai. "She's going to give birth soon! It's almost time, and I think she will give birth in the next few days. My son is going to be born soon!"
Lu XIucai scoffed. "Did I ask you anything about it? What a showoff."
"Hehehe," Puppy laughed. He helped his wife to sit down before whispering to Lu Xiucai, "How's your training going? Can you use the technique now?"
"It's still the same. I can't read so it's hard for me to learn it. Why, do you want to learn it?"
Puppy smiled. "No, I don't want to learn that. It's too tiresome. I will just eat breakfast, go and take a rest, and then eat lunch. There are people working in my four-acre field. I just need to wait for harvest season; I don't even have to do anything. To think I would get food for free almost every year! This is the freedom I've yearned for. I've endured so many hardships that it's time for me to rest."
He didn't learn any techniques after traveling with Li Huowang for so long, but he had become more perceptive. Few things came without strings attached, especially cultivation techniques; there were always hidden side effects.
Puppy was actually waiting for Lu Xiucai to cultivate the technique first and then observe him for a few months. Then once Puppy confirmed that there were no side effects, he would cultivate the technique. He'd learned to do this from Li Huowang.
Lu Xiucai scoffed at Puppy. "Hmph! All you do when you're not eating is sleep. What a loser."
"Hey, I might be a loser, but I have a son. Do you?"
While they spoke, Li Huowang and Bai Lingmiao walked down from the second floor. Everyone immediately became quiet and sat at their respective places.
Li Huowang was currently skinless and looked horrifying, but everyone was already used to it. After all, they'd seen worse.
Everyone in the hall waited till Li Huowang started eating before they too began eating breakfast.
Li Huowang ate some pickled vegetables, salted eggs, buns, and porridge. He ate a lot.
"Eat slower. Were you a hungry ghost in the past? No one is taking your food away," Bai Lingmiao said.
Li Huowang ignored her grumbling and continued to eat his breakfast.
These days, he would cultivate for hours on end. The day would usually pass by the time he was finished. If he didn't eat enough now, he would be hungry by noon.
"Sigh.ย No one's going to harm you here, so why did injure yourself like this? You're bloody all over," Bai Lingmiao remarked as she tried scratching some of the scabs off Li Huowang's skin.
Li Huowang replied, "It's better to be prepared. Don't worry. I won't die."
"You won't die, but doesn't it hurt? Are you addicted to pain now? I get frightened when I see you at night."
Bai Lingmiao nagged at Li Huowang until he was done eating.
Li Huowang swiftly finished his breakfast and ran towards the back of the estate. Li Sui was already waiting there for him.
The two of them, one tall and the other short, walked up the path towards Cowheart Mountain.
Just as they left the village, white fog surrounded them in the forest. Li Huowang frowned and immediately unsheathed his purple-tasseled sword.
He called out, "Who's there? Come out!"
The murderous aura his sword emitted spread out in a wave and dispersed the white fog.
A man in a wooden mask appeared out of thin air.
He said, "Well, aren't you a familiar face? Is that you, Er Jiu?"
"Liu Zongyuan?" Li Huowang uttered.
He was surprised to see the man with the wooden mask. He remembered the man as one of the members that Tuoba Danqing had recruited to find the Muddled One.
The work of the Surveillance Bureau was very unpredictable. Out of the five people who had joined that mission, only two of them were still alive. Ji Xiang and Xinchi were dead, while Tuoba Danqing was stuck forever in the realm of the Muddled One.
Now, the two surviving members had reunited once again, and they felt much closer to each other than before.
Since Liu Zongyuan was here, Li Huowang could not go and cultivate today anymore. Instead, he brought Liu Zongyuan into the guest room and served some tea.
After taking a sip, Li Huowang asked Liu Zongyuan with curiosity, "Brother Liu, you're all the way out here... Do you have a mission around here today?"
Even though Liu Zongyuan was also in the Surveillance Bureau, Li Huowang was sure that Liu Zongyuan wasn't here because of the big mess that occurred in Shangjing. Li Huowang had used Bei Feng's body, so they shouldn't know that Li Huowang was the mastermind.
Liu Zongyuan's words confirmed Li Huowang's guess.
"Aiya~ I heard that there were people staying here again and thought it was probably another group from the White Lotus Sect. That's why I ran here to check it out, but to my surprise, it's you."
Chapter 455 - Problem
"Yeah. It's annoying to stay somewhere crowded, so I found a quiet place to settle down," Li Huowang said.
Liu Zongyuan replied, "No worries. Since you're living here, I will just report that this village is yours. I don't think anyone else will come and trouble you after that. To be fair, you did burn to death the entire White Lotus Sect that was occupying this area. Since you've killed them, their territory should belong to you too."
Liu Zongyuan was trying to please Li Huowang, but those words were extremely painful for Li Huowang to hear.
Liu Zongyuan took a careful peek at the door before getting closer to Li Huowang and whispering, "Did you hear about Shangjing? Everyone in the bureau is treading lightly now."
"Yeah. I've heard about it. It seems that the Sitting Oblivion Dao fooled us all."
"That's not all that happened! I've heard that they forced their way into the palace and fought for three days straight! Even the emperor was heavily wounded by them. I fear that we might not even have the time to finish building the tomb for the emperor. But the Sitting Oblivion Dao had many casualties too. Half of them are dead, and one of the Shai Zi is dead too!"
"Can this information be trusted?"
"Of course! Are you underestimating me? I'm from the Moongate, and our information is always the best!"
Li Huowang frowned.ย It seems that neither party stopped fighting even after I left Shangjing.
Seeing Li Huowang's expression, Liu Zongyuan tried to comfort him. "Don't worry. It's just the emperor that's dying. His sons are already waiting to get the throne. The moment he dies, one of the princes will ascend. We should just treat it as another day."
"Brother Liu, you are mistaken. I'm not worried about them. I'm just thinking about how chaotic this world is," Li Huowang said, pouring another cup of tea and drinking it.
"Yeah, the world is in chaos. Everything is due to humans too. Why can't those in positions of power just think about living life peacefully? The moment they give orders we have to work like crazy. If it wasn't because of the resources in the Surveillance Bureau, I would've quit! Er Jiu, I think you made the right choice by hiding in a rural area. You didn't even take a mission nor did you even report yourself. The new Ji Xiang didn't even know you existed."
Li Huowang thought about it and decided that he still needed someone in the bureau to feed him information. It was good to have a friend.
"Brother Liu, I feel much happier knowing how many members of the Sitting Oblivion Dao have died. Don't leave yet. We will have a toast to celebrate it! You cannot return until you are drunk!"
"Sure! My stomach is growling already. I was waiting for you to say that."
After receiving Li Huowang's order, Yang Xiaohai used all of his culinary techniques to cook up a feast. He even brought out a good cask of wine so that Li Huowang could drink with Liu Zongyuan.
After their feast, Liu Zongyuan wrapped his arm around Li Huowang. He was drunk and almost made Li Huowang his sworn brother.
Nevertheless, Li Huowang was not fooled. He could see Liu Zongyuan's Ten Emotions and Eight Sufferings clearly and knew Liu Zongyuan was not being sincere.
The Sitting Oblivion Dao believed that everyone had different masks that they wore at different times.
Despite that, Li Huowang was unbothered by Liu Zongyuan's insincerity. After all, he was someone who hid his real emotions too.
Liu Zongyuan woke up early the next morning. He tried to give Li Huowang some advice just as he was leaving.
"Brother Er, it's fine for you to just send me up to this point. Are you sure you won't be accepting missions anymore? If you don't take any missions for a long time, you will get demoted."
Li Huowang shook his head. "Think about how many people have died recently. The outside world is still too chaotic. It's best to hide and wait for things to pass. Brother Liu, don't work too hard. Your life is your own, and there's nothing after death." ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐.๐ฐ๐ ๐ฆ
Liu Zongyuan heeded Li Huowang's advice seriously.
Before he left, Liu Zongyuan took out several bent bamboo strips with the different moon phases engraved onto them. They ranged from half-moon to full moon.
He said, "Brother Er, take these. If you need to find me, tie them onto the pigeon. They will be able to find me for sure. The fuller the moon, the faster it will take to get into contact with me."
"Sure. I will be staying in the village for quite some time. You can come and find me if you want."
Liu Zongyuan jumped into the forest and disappeared after bidding Li Huowang farewell.
Then Li Huowang took out the Surveillance Bureau identity token and looked at it.
It seems that I can't throw this identity away yet, or today's matters won't be resolved easily. But the emperor is dying soon...? If he dies, doesn't that make him the second emperor to die? They sure go through the emperors fast.
Li Huowang recalled the emperor that hid his face behind the veil. He thought the emperor was overbearing and regal, but it was unexpected that he was going to die so soon.
Li Huowang stopped thinking about Shangjing and turned around to head towards Cowheart Mountain.
He didn't care who died and who lived in this crazy world. All he wanted to do was live in a stable environment and protect the small village where everyone he cared for resided.
Li Huowang wasn't even interested in Immortality. As a Strayed One, he could consume an unlimited amount of Lifespan Pills without any side effects. However, his life would be filled with pain and misery. It was no different than Hell.
It was scary to think that he would continue living while everyone he loved would die.
Li Huowang had just left the area when Bai Lingmiao and the Second Deity peeked out from their room.
"Luckily Li Huowang is here. Otherwise, it might not be that simple to fool the Surveillance Bureau. It seems that he's got a high position within the Surveillance Bureau. Should we tell him about how the Immortal families are threatening me? Maybe he could find out the way to deal with them from inside the Surveillance Bureau. What do you think?" Bai Lingmiao asked the Second Deity.
The Second Deity shook her head.
Bai Lingmiao said, "Why? Are you thinking that it would be troublesome for him? It would be even worse if the issue became more serious without telling him. There are things we shouldn't hide from him."
"What about your eyes?"
The Second Deity's words shocked Bai Lingmiao.
Bai Lingmiao then raised her hand. Her white irises were dotted with white specks when she looked at her own hand. In her vision, she only saw three of her fingers. The rest of it was blocked by the white specks.
Bai Lingmiao replied in a calm voice, "My parents asked for me once. Those with my condition will lose their eyesight no matter what, and I'll have a relatively short life. They tried many things, but nothing worked. Maybe this is just how my life will be; there is nothing I can do about it. My life was doomed to be a sad one right from the start."
Chapter 456 - Change
"It's just being blind. I will find a way to change my eyeballs. If I can't find a way, I will ask Li Huowang later on," Bai Lingmiao said. "If I die one day, help me look after him. Don't let him seek death like a damn girl. No, wait, I can't die now. I need to give birth to a child for him. How many children do you think I should give birth to?"
There was a sudden commotion in the village, and Bai Lingmiao frowned. Then she took the Second Deity with her to find out what was going on.
They quickly found out what was happening. Puppy's wife had given birth.
It was supposed to be happy news, but when the baby was brought out of the room, everyone stopped cheering and fell silent. Puppy was so stunned that he stood still like a rock.
Just like Puppy, there were white patches of various sizes on the baby's skin. The baby had the same condition!
Luo Juanhua looked around before approaching Puppy and carefully placed the baby in his arms.
She told them, "It's a girl."
Puppy's face turned even paler, and he almost collapsed. "Why is it a girl? Why? How could she get married next time?"
Chun Xiaoman was on the verge of tears.
She hugged Bai Lingmiao and said in a trembling voice, "Those with conditions like us are not only ugly, but our children will inherit our conditions too. If we have children, we'll only continue on the chain of pain. I told Puppy that once, but he believed that he was different.ย Sigh."
Hearing that, Bai Lingmiao's pale face turned ashen.
***
Li Huowang walked up the steep mountain path until he reached the cave he usually cultivated in. The flat cave was now heavily distorted.
It was twisted in ways that were impossible, and there were many sculptures too. Some of them were of Yang Na, Sun Xiaoqin, and even Li Jiancheng. Li Huowang had made them while cultivating. He had done it unconsciously and by chance. He couldn't replicate the results even if he cultivated again.
Li Huowang found a relatively flat piece of land in the cave and started cultivating while sitting down. He gathered his inner sight and slowly pushed the primordial breath to circulate around his seven chakra points.
After he worked hard on that for a while, the primordial breath finally started to move. He wanted to use this chance and do one cycle today.
Li Huowang started his cultivation fervently. He thought of nothing else except to move the primordial breath to the starting point. It was a slow process but the primordial breath was moving.
It was also a very dangerous process. Li Huowang had to focus on using his inner sight to move and cover the primordial breath at the same time. He accidentally let the primordial breath escape a number of times and let himself get strapped into the hospital bed in his hallucination.
Nevertheless, his hard work quickly paid off. Under his intense cultivation, he swiftly moved the primordial breath into the first chakra point, and a faint light emanated outwards from him. He suddenly felt his inner sight, which was covering the primordial breath, expand rapidly before being forced outwards through his limbs.
Li Huowang learned everything that the faint light touched, including the earthworms and the smaller bugs found inside the soil.
It was a mysterious feeling. In that instant, Li Huowang felt that he had numerous eyes. The eyes were both inside and outside him, and they merged together to form a sphere.
As long as he willed it, he could see everything in his vicinity.
However, the feeling came and went away quickly. When Li Huowang opened his eyes, his levitating ceased, and he fell towards the ground.
After landing safely, he looked around. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he felt everything was subtly different even though his surroundings looked the same.
Then he picked up a stone and suddenly realized something. He closed his eyes and focused on it. ๐๐ง๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ธ๐๐๐.๐๐๐
"This is an apple."
It was not simply a sentence. Li Huowang wholeheartedly believed that he was holding an apple.
Veins bulged on his forehead, and there was an intense expression on his face. Even the hand holding the stone started to shake violently.
After a few moments, he opened his eyes and saw that he was holding an apple!
He excitedly bit into the apple and tasted its sweet and tangy juice!
As he ate more of it, more juices spilled into his mouth. But the taste of the juice gradually changed and was replaced with the taste of iron.
He opened his mouth and spat out blood along with bits of rocks that had cut into his mouth.
Li Huowang looked at the stone apple in his hand that was missing a chunk and told Zhuge Yuan, "Senior Zhuge, look. I've only cultivated for a few days, but I can do this already. One day, I will be able to resurrect you again."
"Junior Li, don't rush your cultivation. Take it easy. You should probably go back and rest now. You've been cultivating for four days straight. Your body might not be able to hold out."
"What? It's been that long?"
Li Huowang stood up and felt dizzy all of a sudden. Fortunately, Li Sui rushed in and held Li Huowang up with his tentacles.
"Send me back home. I want to rest a little," Li Huowang said right before passing out.
The next time he woke up, he found himself lying in a bed. He woke up because he was actually choking on some water that Bai Lingmiao was trying to get him to drink.
Bai Lingmiao asked, "Are you awake? Are you hungry? I've brought some food for you."
She had a sullen expression, but Li Huowang didn't notice that. The only thing on his mind was to eat. He was so hungry that he could eat an entire horse.
Li Huowang sat up and ate voraciously. A bowl of plain rice was akin to an exquisite plate of food to him in his current state.
He quickly finished his rice and started eating the dishes.
Based on how fast Li Huowang was eating, Bai Lingmiao noticed that the food might not be enough for him, so she went back down to get more.
Li Huowang kept eating until he noticed the pair of red shoes in front of him.
He raised his head and looked at the Second Deity. "Is something wrong?"
"Senior Li, can you help us?"
Li Huowang munched on the vegetables and then swallowed. "Tell me what's wrong. There's no need to hold back."
The Second Deity stood there with her fingers intertwined in hesitation.
Li Huowang picked up a lot of unsaid information just from observing that.
He asked, "Is this something you want to talk about alone? Did Miaomiao not agree to it? I know both of you share the same senses, but you can act on your own too. Tell me what's wrong, and I will help you if I can."
The Second Deity was still hesitating when the bright room suddenly turned dark.
"Hm?" Li Huowang uttered in surprise.
He stood up and went to the window. The skies were incredibly dark.
"Is it nighttime already?" he asked.
"No." Zhuge Yuan wore a grave expression. "Junior Li, it's not nighttime. It's still afternoon. This is one of the Natural Disasters, the Sun Devouring Heavenly Dog."
Chapter 457 - Natural Disaster
"Sun-Devouring Heavenly Dog?" Li Huowang frowned at Zhuge Yuan's words.
Isn't it just a solar eclipse?
However, Li Huowang knew it was not a normal solar eclipse. He had seen one in the other world when he was a primary school student.
A solar eclipse wouldn't blot out the sun completely and would always leave a ring of light.
Dum, dum, dum!
The rhythmic sound of rapid drumbeats echoed, and Lu Zhuangyuan used his trained voice as a performer to shout, "The Heavenly Dog has eaten the sun~! Beat the drums and make some noise to scare it away~!"
Everyone could no longer stay calm, and they started panicking at Lu Zhuangyuan's words.
Li Huowang opened the window and jumped down before heading toward the source of the sound. It didn't take him a long while to see Lu Zhuangyuan. He was with his group of disciples and was beating and playing instruments with lanterns in hand.
"Stop! Everyone stop!" Li Huowang snatched Lu Zhuangyuan's gong.
"Young Daoist, I know you're amazing, but you don't know what's happening right now! The Heavenly Dog has eaten the sun! The last time this happened, my third uncle brought along the entire village to beat the drums and play instruments to chase away the Heavenly Dog!"
Li Huowang frowned at Lu Zhuangyuan's nonsense. "What you're trying to do is useless! Hurry up and gather everyone in the village to hide in the Bai Family Estate! Don't forget to do a head count!"
"What are we going to do if the Heavenly Dog swallows the sun because we didn't chase it away with our instruments?"
"Just go! Say something stupid like that again, and I will burn your instruments!"
Lu Zhuangyuan wanted to argue but decided against it after seeing Li Huowang's stern look. He turned around and walked away with his disciples to gather everyone else. They brought their lanterns to the Bai Family Estate.
Li Huowang finally had the time to ask Zhuge Yuan. ๐ง๐๐๐๐คโฏ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฃโฏ๐ญ.๐คโด๐ฎ
"Senior Zhuge, is this really a Natural Disaster? Are you sure it's not something else?"
Li Huowang had experienced so many bizarre things in this crazy world that he could no longer feel surprised by anything.
Zhuge Yuan looked up and reminisced before replying, "It should be a Natural Disaster. I remember reading about it once, and there was one Natural Disaster that had the same phenomena where the skies have gone completely dark."
"Senior Zhuge, have you read anything about it? How about the Sun-Devouring Heavenly Dog?"
"No, but what matters isn't the details of the Natural Disaster. It's when they happened. Do you remember when was the last Natural Disaster?"
Li Huowang looked up at the dark skies and reminisced. "Last year."
Last year's Natural Disaster involved the disappearance of "Decay."
Everything in the world would no longer decay and rot. It was exactly why Li Huowang could still remain calm. It was a "Natural Disaster," but it didn't really affect Li Huowang and the others, except for the death of the Abbess, which was notably impactful.
"Correct, but Natural Disasters usually happen once every ten years. Why do we have two Natural Disasters in just two years? Junior Li, something is definitely wrong here."
Li Huowang's heart tightened at Zhuge Yuan's remark.
"Does that mean that in the Baiyu Capitalโ"
"Junior Li," Zhuge Yuan interrupted with a serious look. "You're a Strayed One that is already cultivating the "Truth." It's best if you don't talk about those things anymore, or..."
Li Huowang understood what Zhuge Yuan was trying to say, so he went silent. He stood quietly and thought about the many different possibilities until Lu Juren came running over with a lantern, informing him that everyone in the village had already gathered at the Bai Family Estate.
Li Huowang looked up at the empty space above him. "Senior Zhuge, I think we should focus on holding out through this Natural Disaster first, regardless of what's happening over there. There's no reason for me to think too much about it, as I can't really do anything."
"No, no. All of us should take responsibility for everyone's lives. Let me think about this for now," Zhuge Yuan said, tapping his head with his fan and sinking deep into his thoughts.
Lu Juren took a deep breath and cast a nervous look at Li Huowang.
Li Huowang didn't say anything and started walking toward the Bai Family Estate. Li Huowang saw that everyone was kneeling and praying toward the darkness. It wasn't exactly a strange sight, as ordinary people would seek salvation during moments of extreme fear, especially in the face of such a bizarre phenomenon.
"Xiaohai, do we have enough food?" Li Huowang asked. He concluded that they ought to bunker up in the Bai Family Estate and wait for the Natural Disaster to pass.
"Senior Li, don't worry. We have enough food. We still have last year's rice in the granary. We can last for two to three years. We also have a well in the estate to drink, so we're going to be fine."
Li Huowang nodded and took the bell from Chun Xiaoman's waist.
He rang it loudly to get everyone's attention.
"Everyone, don't panic. It's just a Natural Disaster. It'll go away soon; we just need to wait for it to go away."
Despite Li Huowang's words, everyone was still afraid.
Fortunately, they looked slightly reassured by his words.
Li Huowang noticed their fear and instructed Yang Xiaohai to slaughter a cow for a meal. Everyone's attention was instantly shifted to whether or not they should actually slaughter a cow for a meal, and they seemed to have forgotten their fear.
"Boss Hong Zhong is amazing! I didn't expect that you'd be able to divert their attention so easily!"
Li Huowang ignored the taunting Sitting Oblivion Dao illusion and looked at Zhuge Yuan, asking, "Senior Zhuge, how much effort do you think the Surveillance Bureau had to use to repel Natural Disaster? They were established to repel Natural Disasters, but I still have my doubts on whether they could actually do that or not."
The appearance of a Natural Disaster meant that the Simings were fighting over each other to take the Heavenly Daos.
Having witnessed Doulao's incredible powers, Li Huowang doubted that an organization filled with normal people could repel Natural Disasters.ย Or maybe they were just lying?
"They do have their methods, but I'm not sure if they could do it in time. They must have used up a lot of their resources against the Sitting Oblivion Dao at the time."
Li Huowang didn't know what to say. He had hated how the Surveillance Bureau thought that the lives of others were meaningless, but at the same time, he was hoping that they'd soon resume operations.
They were evil and had killed many people, but they were indispensable to this world. Many people would die without them.
"Senior Zhuge, you said that something is definitely wrong because of the short interval between Natural Disasters. What do you think? Can the Surveillance Bureau handle this?"
"It should be fine, but the Liang Kingdom's Surveillance Bureau is working together with the imperial family, so I don't really trust them. Even if the Liang Kingdom is fake, ancient laws say that the Surveillance Bureau cannot collaborate with any factions or powers. They absolutely cannot help the imperial family to invade other countries and steal land. Those fall under the jurisdiction of the military, after all."
Chapter 458 - Appearance
Li Huowang was no longer worried after hearing that someone would handle the Natural Disaster. If the Liang Kingdom's Surveillance Bureau couldn't handle it by themselves, there was still the Surveillance Bureau in Hou Shu and Si Qi.
It felt nice to have someone strong to deal with the Natural Disaster; Li Huowang didn't even need to do anything. Time ticked by, and everyone saw that nothing bizarre was happening except for the dark skies.
Actually, everyone's attention was on the delicious scent of beef, and they crowded around the entrance to the kitchen of the Bai Family Estate.
"Are we really going to eat beef? This is treason. I'm scared..."[1]
"Yeah. It's such a waste to kill a cow. It could've helped us in the field for a very long time."
"Well, the cow is already dead, so there's no use crying over it. I've never eaten beef before, so I'm excited."
Soon, everyone had their own bowl of rice topped with large pieces of beef. They muttered to each other, comparing beef slices to see who had the larger pieces before eating with jovial smiles.
"Just eat. Don't think about it too much about it. Who do you think you are? An immortal or something? You don't have to bother with that Natural Disaster." Li Huowang received the massive cow heart that had been stewed with rock sugar.
"This is too big." Li Huowang stared at the massive heart that weighed at least four catty. The only way to cook it was to stew it whole, or the insides of the heart would remain raw.
"Go ahead and eat it first. If you can't finish it, just give it to me. I have a big appetite."
Bai Lingmiao picked up her chopsticks and dug out a gold bracelet from inside the heart before presenting the dish to Li Huowang.
"Why did you put a gold bracelet inside the heart of the cow?"
"I don't know. My mother taught me that, and she said it's good for the body."
Li Huowang was actually pretty hungry after running around all morning dealing, trying to deal with the Natural Disaster. He poked his chopstick into the heart and ate it as if it were a massive dumpling.
A distinct fragrance exploded in his mouth, and he chewed on it with a smile.
Meanwhile, a dazed Puppy carrying his daughter walked over to Li Huowang.
For the first time in a while, Puppy had no appetite.
Just then, Puppy knelt on the ground and prostrated, kowtowing three times to Li Huowang amidst his frustration and sadness.
Li Huowang stopped chewing and looked at the baby in Puppy's arms.
Before Puppy could say anything, Li Huowang said bluntly, "I can't help you. Your daughter is not sick nor is she disabled. She was born with that. Even if I remove her skin, her skin would grow back in the same way."
Li Huowang didn't even consider using his primordial breath to try and cure Puppy's daughter. It was just too risky. He had just managed to move his primordial breath to the Root Chakra. If he were to use it forcefully, he could end up changing Puppy's daughter for the worse.
The Sitting Oblivion Daoย didย have some illusory techniques, but it would only address the symptom rather than the issue itself.
Puppy's face fell, and he walked away with his daughter. He had just taken two steps when he raised his arm and slapped himself hard. Tears had already fallen down his cheeks before his hand could land on his face.
"Sigh. Puppy really is pitiful. I wonder if his daughter would hate him once she grows up?" Bai Lingmiao mused.
Li Huowang turned to look at Bai Lingmiao and said in a deep tone, "If he's pitiful, what about you?"
"What?" Bai Lingmiao's pupils shrank into needle points.
"Do you really think that you can fool me? How long are you going to hide it from me?" Li Huowang placed the cow heart back into the bowl.
"Who told you that?!" Bai Lingmiao exclaimed angrily, but she calmed down after meeting Li Huowang's gaze. "Don't worry. I'm not blind yet. As for my shorter lifespan, it is what it is. However, I have yet to celebrate my twentieth birthday, so I should have ten more years to live."
"That's not all," Li Huowang said, sounding indifferent as he stared at her face, seemingly looking for any change in her expression.
Bai Lingmiao was irritated. "I don't need your help to deal with the Immortal families. You should take better care of yourself first and recover your sanity. Who's the damned blabbermouth who told you everything? No one else but the Second Deity knows about that, so it was her?!"
"No, it wasn't her. It was you. You told me everything," Li Huowang replied. He picked up the cow heart and took a bite of it.
Bai Lingmiao was stunned. Then, she realized the meaning behind his words. She slapped the cow heart away, and it splattered on the ground. "You tricked me! You dare trick me?!"
"If I hadn't done that, would you have told me anything? What was your plan? Were you planning on telling me only after you've gone completely blind?" Li Huowang asked, staring at her pink irises covered in white specks.
Li Huowang had actually caught onto what the Second Deity was trying to say amidst her hesitation, and he realized by then that Bai Lingmiao was hiding something from him.
However, it was still astonishing that he managed to deceive so much information from her.
Bai Lingmiao's tone of voice rose as she exclaimed, "Fine! I admit that I've been hiding information from you, and since I've already admitted it. Isn't it fair for you to admit to the truth as well? You're hiding the fact that you're still a lunatic, right?
"You've been running up Cowheart Mountain so you could somehow slip into your hallucination. Do you really think that I'm blind?!"
Li Huowang took a deep breath. He was about to explain when a dog's barking startled them out of their quarrel. Li Huowang instantly knew that Bun was the one barking, but it was Li Huowang's first time hearing such emotions in Bun's barks.
Li Huowang brought Bai Lingmiao into the yard, and they saw Bun's fur standing on end as it glared at the main gate.
The main gate was ajar, and it was creaking as it swayed in the wind.
"Huh?ย I thought I locked the gate. Why is it open?" Zhao Wu asked, running up to them.
And that was when Li Huowang felt a shiver down his spine upon realizing something: everyone in the village was currently inside the Bai Family Estate.
Li Huowang jumped up onto the wall and looked around until he eventually found something suspicious. A man wearing funeral clothes and a hat was standing in a dark corner of the village.
The man had a bizarre appearance; his head was massive, it was half as big as his entire body, and he was wearing a massive hat as well. The man's legs were short, but his arms were long.
It was a surreal sight.
If Li Huowang were asked about the one fact that he had learned while living in this bizarre world, he'd respond with the fact that only evil entities could be so deformed and bizarre, just like the girl who had summoned the God of Happiness.
1. In ancient China, eating beef was illegal because cows were important animals used to till the fields. It's also a sign of respect for the cows after they worked hard in the fields. โ
Chapter 459 - Evil Entity
Shwing!
The purple-tassel sword was unsheathed and was pointed at the evil entity at the corner of the wall. Li Huowang directed his killing intent at the evil entity. Evil entities had become a rare sight to Li Huowang since he arrived in the Liang Kingdom, so he didn't expect to see one here.
Li Huowang frowned and whispered, "Senior Zhuge, a Natural Disaster really isn't that simple. I think it's doing something to evil entities rather than just making the sky dark."
Zhuge Yuan was standing with his hands behind his back as he stared at the sky with a serious expression. He looked like he was trying to recall something. Zhuge Yuan didn't respond to Li Huowang, but the entity in the corner made a move.
The man turned around slowly, and Li Huowang finally saw the man's face.
The man had a pallid face filled with bloody holes. The man opened his bloody mouth, revealing rows of arms rather than teeth. The arms had patches on them, and they belonged to babies! The arms at the top and bottom of the mouth held hands, creating a grotesque and eerie smile.
Li Huowang snarled at the horrifying sight. He jumped down the wall and charged at the evil entity. Li Huowang had experienced so many bizarre events in this crazy world that such a horrifying sight could no longer faze him.
Li Huowang's sword reached the entity first. He followed up with a swing of his bronze coin sword, slashing at the evil entity's head as if the sword were a whip.
The evil entity thrust his long arms toward Li Huowang. It was trying to attack and defend itself at the same time.
Li Huowang waved his hand, and the bronze coin sword twisted. It let out a flash of light, and the evil entity cried out in pain. Moments later, his long arms were cut into three pieces.
The evil entity lost both of his arms, and he shrank into his head. His head shrank rapidly as well. Then, a dark shadow rushed out of the man's clothes and tunneled into the darkness.
Staring at the severed arms on the ground, Li Huowang decided not to chase after the evil entity. He was worried that the evil entity was trying to lure him away from everyone. He swung his sword to shake off the blood on it before heading back into the estate.
Li Huowang had just taken two steps when a paper window lit up from within a house at the end of the dark alley. An eerie green glow phased out from the window and hovered in mid-air. Something was moving in the darkness, and Li Huowang was certain that it wasn't human. After all, everyone was in the Bai Family Estate.
At first, it was just one house, but the same eerie glow soon appeared within the houses of more and more houses until the entire Cowheart Village emitted the same eerie green glow.
Li Huowang frowned at the sight, realizing what was happening. A single evil entity was nothing, but multiple entities were a whole new story. Most importantly, he couldn't say for sure whether things would turn for the worse or for the better if he were to fight them right now.
Li Huowang rushed to the Bai Family Estate and slammed the main gate shut before locking it. He took out a piece of yellow paper and drew a talisman using his blood to ward off evil spirits. Then, he placed the talisman on the main gate.
Staring at the faces in the estate, Li Huowang reassured them as best as he could, saying, "Don't worry about the outside world, everyone. Just stay here in the estate! No one is allowed to go outside until the Natural Disaster is gone!"
Li Huowang hopped onto the walls. He gripped his sword tightly upon seeing more and more houses emitting the same eerie green glow.
"It's surprisingly difficult to encounter even a single evil entity, but all of them are popping out like mushrooms right now. Is it only Cowheart Village, or is this happening everywhere? If it's the latter, then it's going to be disastrous..." Li Huowang muttered, and his heart sank at the idea.
"If it's the latter, then I'm afraid this Natural Disaster is going to live up to its name," Zhuge Yuan said, sharing the same serious look as Li Huowang.
Zhuge Yuan raised his right hand and gestured with his fingers, seemingly calculating something in an attempt to make sense of what was happening.
"Sigh. What a shame that I can't take part in something this interesting. I did not expect to die so early." Hong Zhong was sighing in boredom despite the bizarre sight.
"Daoist, what's going on? Are many people going to die this time as well?" the old monk asked, sounding worried.
Li Huowang ignored them and looked down at the village. The bizarre sight had a silver lining; even though the houses were giving off the same eerie green glow, there weren't any hostile gazes on them.
Li Huowang wasn't sure whether he managed to scare them or not, but at the very least the evil entities were too scared to open the windows and leave the houses.
"My heavens! What is that?! Master, behind you!"
Lu Xiucai's urgent screams made Li Huowang turn around. Then, he saw that the windows on the second floor were emitting the same eerie green glow.ย They're here!
To make matters worse, the glowing window was the window of Bai Lingmiao's room.
Li Huowang placed two talismans on his knees and gnashed his teeth.
Then, he took a massive leap and soared through the air before crashing into the glowing window.
Wooden debris flew everywhere as Li Huowang crashed into the room. Looking up, he saw two figuresโa white and a red figure. They were hunched over the bed, seemingly eating something.
The figures were Bai Lingmiao and the Second Deity!
Li Huowang walked up to them and placed his arm on Bai Lingmiao's shoulder.
"Miaomiao?!" Li Huowang exclaimed as his heart jumped up to his throat. Bai Lingmiao's gentle features had vanished, and her face had been replaced by a bizarre face.
Bai Lingmiao's face was now covered in spikes, green scales, and black blood. Her mouth had rows of curved teeth; she had lost all human features and had become an amalgamation of beasts!
However, Bai Lingmiao was laughing despite her plight. Her mangled mouth stretched from ear to ear as she laughed. "Hahaha~ Hahaha~ย Li Huowang, I don't want to laugh, but I can't stop it! The Immortal families are so happy that they went crazy! They're affecting me, and I'm hungry as well!"
With that, Bai Lingmiao pounced on the bed and gnawed on the flesh of an unknown corpse, which clearly belonged to an evil entity.
Crack.
The Second Deity snapped the corpse's bone in half before munching on it with her gaping maw.
Bai Lingmiao had become an amalgamation of beasts and was munching on a corpse with the Second Deity. The horrifying sight was enough for Li Huowang to know that he had to find a way to stop them. He needed to calm them down at all costs.
Li Huowang waved his right hand, and a domino appeared in his palm.
Li Huowang gestured with his hands, making a seal with both hands before placing the domino on his forehead. "Break the bond and seal the heart!"
The next moment, he removed the domino, and his face fell off like a mask.
Li Huowang pressed his face on Bai Lingmiao's face.
"Secure, enlighten!" Li Huowang exclaimed.
Bai Lingmiao immediately stopped laughing.