"God Yu'er? Which god is it?"
Li Huowang repeated the strange name in his mind, but even the fake Hong Zhong's memories didn't contain any information about God Yu'er.
While Li Huowang was still engrossed in his thoughts, the villagers did something unexpected. They became quiet and extinguished all of their light. They knelt on the ground and prayed silently amidst the darkness.
"Why are they kneeling?" Li Huowang sent his body projection into the ground and became invisible. He carefully approached the villagers.
Li Huowang thought they were praying to the large tree but saw that it was not the case. There was nothing but darkness up there.
Wait, darkness?! Li Huowang looked at the black cloth that everyone had on their wrist. He realized that it carried a different meaning.
"God Yu'er!" the villagers roared in unison and raised their arms while staring at the dark sky.
A violent tremor ran through the ground.
Li Huowang gulped nervously. He pushed Li Sui down to suppress both of their presence. The tremors became stronger as time ticked by. When Li Huowang saw the panicked look on the villagers' faces, he realized that the ground wasn't trembling because of God Yu'er's influence.
"KILL!" A thunderous roar echoed. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
Li Huowang saw a burst of white light come from the darkness to his left, and he felt a sharp pain in his eyes as if they were being sliced apart by swords.
Li Huowang took a step back and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw rows of troops wearing black armor, and they were charging at the villagers on their war horses.
Li Huowang finally knew why the ground was trembling. It was due to the approaching soldiers on horseback.
When the final wave of soldiers on horseback swept across the villagers, not even a single scrap of clothing remained on the ground. The villagers had become minced meat beneath the soldiers' stampede.
There were only thirty war horses, but Li Huowang felt like he had just witnessed the charge of thousands of men on horseback.
Shockingly, the soldiers pointed their weapons at Li Huowang once they were done trampling on the villagers.
Li Huowang looked at Li Sui, and his heart fell. "We've been found!"
The ground rumbled once again as the troops approached Li Huowang at breakneck speeds. Li Huowang wanted to run, but he had a feeling that he had been marked and that there was nowhere for him to run.
Just as the soldiers reached Li Huowang, the latter raised his identity plate as a Surveillance Bureau member. A fierce gust of wind swept past Li Huowang from both sides as the troops split into two and ran past him.
Li Huowang turned around and saw a man standing before him. The man was tall, and there was a colossal halberd in his hand. He was giving off an oppressive air that made him appear as if he were a mountain.
Li Huowang couldn't see the man's face from beneath due to the man's helmet, but Li Huowang saw white steam coming out from within the man's helmet.
While Li Huowang was thinking about what to do, the soldier placed his weapon on the back of his horse before taking out a piece of yellow silk fabric.
The man then unfurled the fabric and shouted, "Listen to the imperial decree! The world is in chaos, and His Majesty has acknowledged it!
"Numerous evil sects have formed in the Liang Kingdom in the aftermath of the Natural Disaster. They trick, lie, and they pray to a Natural Disaster! They are responsible for the misfortune of the world, and they must be executed!
"Spread this imperial decree throughout the world!"
The man rolled the yellow silk fabric and left on horseback before Li Huowang could ask any questions.
Soon, Li Huowang and Li Sui were left all by themselves. Li Huowang turned around and looked at the steaming pile of minced meat. "Evil sect? They're praying to a Natural Disaster? Is the so-called God Yu'er—"
Li Huowang stopped mid-way; his expression became pale, and he noticed his voice sounding similar to a crying crane.
"Father, are you okay?" Li Sui asked worriedly while tugging at Li Huowang's robe.
Li Huowang shook his head. He finally understood why the Liang Kingdom was using the military to deal with these minor sects. It wasn't because the sect itself was strong; the issue was with the sect's object of devotion.
"It hasn't been that long since the Natural Disaster, and there are already sects worshiping that thing? It's too fast. Why are they worshiping it? No, wait, I can't think of it that way. What does God Yu'er want from them?"
Li Huowang looked at Zhuge Yuan. "Senior Zhuge, why do I feel anxious? Do you have any clues as to what is about to happen?"
Zhuge Yuan looked at the pile of minced flesh in the distance and clenched his fan tightly. "Junior Li, I don't know. I am but an ordinary man. I can only hope that the Natural Disaster isn't the beginning of something."
It would have been fine if Zhuge Yuan had said nothing, but Zhuge Yuan just had to express his worry, which made Li Huowang feel a burden on his shoulders.
"Senior Zhuge, God Yu'er—" Li Huowang felt a searing pain in his left ear, forcing him to stop mid-sentence and instinctively cover his ears.
"Junior Li, it's best if you don't ask any questions related to it. You will not be able to change anything even if you learn about those beings. Also, you'll become a part of them the moment you learn more about them. Their karma is going to cling to you."
"I can't say this... I can't learn that. What can I do?" Li Huowang asked, irritated.
"There are things you can talk about. Take the fifty Heavenly Daos for example. The heavens control forty-nine of them, while humanity controls one. The only thing I can tell you is that even though some Simings had perished, the ones controlling the Heavenly Daos are still doing fine.
"If a Siming controlling one of the Heavenly Daos had somehow perished, you'd learn about it faster than me."
Chaotic scenes flashed in Li Huowang's mind just then, and his face scrunched up from the extreme pain radiating throughout his head. "This crazy world really isn't a world fit for humans!"
"Senior Li, what's wrong?" Bai Lingmiao's voice echoed just then. She was wearing a robe as she walked over to Li Huowang.
Li Huowang looked at the pile of meat on the ground before turning around to meet Bai Lingmiao.
"Nothing. I was just using the toilet," Li Huowang said.
Li Huowang could feel that something was amiss; he felt as if the current calm was the calm before the storm.
The Surveillance Bureau was there to protect the world, but Li Huowang wasn't sure whether the Surveillance Bureau could withstand what was about to happen or not.
However, Li Huowang himself knew that the only thing he could do was speed up his cultivation. At the very least, he'd be able to protect his beloved ones by then.
Li Huowang couldn't help but give Bai Lingmiao a tight hug.
Chapter 471 - Double Third Festival
Lanterns lit up Shangjing amidst the darkness of the night...
The denizens of Shangjing seemed to be competing against each other as the more popular shops had more elaborate lanterns. In addition to drawings of nature on the lanterns, there were even some lanterns with riddles on them, which provided entertainment to those walking on the street. Many people surrounded some of the lanterns with riddles to try and decipher the answer. The ones who managed to answer the riddle correctly would often shout in joy, as it meant that they had the right to take the lantern back home. Those who got the wrong answer were taunted and teased for their wrong answers.
Shangjing was crowded and lively tonight.
Li Huowang dodged a young boy running toward him as he slowly guided the carriage along the street. The girls were carrying lanterns while the boys were riding bamboo horses. The children were happy as they played around.
It has only been a few months since Doulao destroyed the city, but it's already this lively. Is this what they call the "Surveillance Bureau method?"
Li Huowang looked around before turning to Bai Lingmiao and asking, "Shangjing shouldn't have a curfew right now. Anyway, do you know what festival is going on?"
"Senior Li, it's the Double Third Festival," Bai Lingmiao answered in a soft voice. Her eyes were transfixed on the book in her hands.
"Double Third Festival?" Li Huowang looked into Hong Zhong's memories and learned that the festival was to celebrate the girls' coming of age.
Parents would dress up their daughters, who were at least fifteen years old, every single time on this day of the year. They'd eat pancakes, black glutinous rice, and drink floral tea.
Afterward, they'd come out and play while wearing pomegranate flowers in their hair before praying to the God of Prosperity for an auspicious marriage later down the road in their life.
The girls celebrating the festival had to separate themselves from the males. They couldn't show themselves on the streets as well. The matchmakers would seek them out as well to pair them with a groom.
Li Huowang mumbled while walking toward the house that Ji Xiang had given to him.
Just as they were about to reach the alleyway where the house was located, Zhuge Yuan's illusion stood before Li Huowang.
"Hm? What's wrong? Is there an ambush?!" Li Huowang tensed up, and his eyes became filled with killing intent.
Zhuge Yuan sighed and shook his head. Then, he pointed at Bai Lingmiao, who was sitting in the carriage.
Li Huowang finally understood what Zhuge Yuan was trying to say upon seeing the forlorn look on Bai Lingmiao's face.
"Miaomiao, have you never celebrated this festival before?"
Bai Lingmiao shook her head. "No, I was supposed to join, but Dan Yangzi had already kidnapped me."
Li Huowang saw Zhuge Yuan pointing somewhere. He was pointing at a stall selling pomegranate flowers. Li Huowang bought one and placed the vivid red flower on Bai Lingmiao's white hair.
"It's fine. We can just celebrate it now," Li Huowang said. He did not wait for her answer as he pulled her into one of the nicer-looking clothing shops in the distance.
Li Sui wanted to follow them, but Li Huowang stopped her and said, "Li Sui, bring the carriage back home."
Bai Lingmiao's demeanor and looks had changed completely with her new clothes, which were a nice pastel skirt, a pale blue veil, and a bluish-purple dress.
Bai Lingmiao looked so great in her clothes that she attracted everyone's eyes as she walked down the streets. The clothing shop was clearly ready for the festival and had made several dresses in advance.
Bai Lingmiao discovered that the dress was perfectly suitable for her body type, but she wasn't used to feeling so many stares at her. She picked at the flower embroidery on the sleeves of her dress.
"Senior Li, why are they staring at me?" Bai Lingmiao asked.
"Because you're the most beautiful girl in Shangjing! Why else would they stare at you? Anyway, what are we supposed to do during this festival? Ah! We need to eat pancakes, drink floral tea, and eat black glutinous rice as well!
"Don't worry about anything tonight; just focus on enjoying the festival! This night belongs to you!" Li Huowang exclaimed.
At first, Bai Lingmiao was quite reserved, but the joyous mood soon influenced her.
Li Huowang led the way for her as well, and Bai Lingmiao was eventually all smiles as she walked down the streets.
They walked around the prosperous city and took in the scenic view. They also challenged a few riddles and ate a few pancakes.
Bai Lingmiao truly enjoyed every single second of the festival, especially the good food and her new set of clothes. Li Huowang and Zhuge Yuan were standing behind Bai Lingmiao and were staring at her with a smile.
Swoosh!
Zhuge Yuan opened his fan with a swing and fanned himself. "Junior Li, I feel that your wife has something hidden in her heart."
Li Huowang nodded. "I know, I know..."
"Do you want me to help?"
"Senior Zhuge, I know you are knowledgeable, but it isn't quite appropriate for you to help in something like this. Anyway, I don't really know the answer. We can only hope that time will eventually heal what has been plaguing her."
The two engaged in some small talk until Li Huowang noticed a young boy holding a jade cat doll. The boy had pale skin but had great looks; there was also an air of elegance to him.
There were many girls on the street, so it wasn't strange to find many boys, too, but Li Huowang was surprised by how he couldn't see the Ten Emotions and Eight Sufferings of the boy before him.
The boy was accompanied by several tall servants.
Li Huowang was also astounded to see that he couldn't gauge their strength.
Li Huowang was flustered upon realizing that they were walking toward him. Who are they? Why are they approaching me in casual clothes? Have they discovered my true identity?
Li Huowang was thinking about what to do when the boy entered a jade shop at the side of the street. Li Huowang was worried and carefully approached the shop.
It turned out that the boy had entered the shop to have his jade cat appraised.
The owner complimented the jade cat in the boy's hand, and the boy was clearly happy with his compliments. "Haha. I knew it! My eyes have always been great! To think that what I bought for five hundred taels was actually worth five thousand!"
His servants complimented him even while exiting the shop.
They ignored him and walked away, making Li Huowang just a bit. Still, he was a bit confused. What happened just now? Are they really just passing by? Am I too tense?
Just then, Li Huowang noticed that the boy was walking toward Bai Lingmiao. Li Huowang ran over with his bronze coin sword. He was ready to brandish it at a moment's notice.
"Sorry for bothering you, kind miss," said the boy while staring at Bai Lingmiao's white hair with admiration in his eyes.
Chapter 472 - Official Business
Bai Lingmiao was shocked by the boy's actions, and she hurriedly hid behind Li Huowang.
"I'm married," said Bai Lingmiao.
Li Huowang swept his gaze across the tall servants and got ready to fight.
However, the boy's reaction caught him off guard.
"Oh, I'm sorry for startling you, then. I hope you're not offended," the boy said, sounding slightly disappointed as he bowed toward Bai Lingmiao before turning around to leave.
The boy walked past a nest of beggars; he gave them some silver before he turned and bowed to another girl. He was so flippant that there was no way he was going to attract any girls, but the boy did not get frustrated by the multiple rejections.
He simply moved on to greet other girls.
Li Huowang stared at the boy's back profile for quite a while before shouting, "The jade cat in your hand is fake. It's made out of three broken pieces of jade!"
"Oh?" The boy turned around in shock with the jade cat in hand. "Sir, I think you're mistaken. A jade shop owner even told me that the cat is worth five thousand."
"It was a lie. Look at the left leg of the cat; there are three vertical lines and two horizontal lines. A seller who has touched the mark will know that they have to tell you that it's worth five thousand, even though it's not.
"In reality, no one would buy the jade cat even for two thousand taels."
"Really?!" The boy was outraged. He carried the jade cat with him and rushed back to the shop.
Li Huowang held Bai Lingmiao's hand and left the scene. "Let's go. I think they're going to fight soon."
Once they were some distance away, Bai Lingmiao looked at Li Huowang in shock, asking, "Senior Li, how did you know that it was fake even without taking a closer look at it?"
LI Huowang didn't answer her. The majority of scams were similar to each other, and the members of the Sitting Oblivion Dao even often used the same technique. They'd leave a mark on someone so that another Sitting Oblivion Dao member would know what to do upon meeting the marked victim.
Every marked victim had a scam technique that was the most suitable for them, and the Sitting Oblivion Dao member would adjust their techniques accordingly.
In the boy's example, one would think that someone was a liar if only one person had determined the price, but if everyone else said the same thing, then it'd be a different story.
It was just like how a Sitting Oblivion Dao member told Li Huowang that they were Hong Zhong, even though both the individual in question and Li Huowang had never met each other before.
However, Li Huowang didn't expect that he'd become Hong Zhong for real.
Soon, both Li Huowang and Bai Lingmiao ended up forgetting the boy as they immersed themselves in the festival.
Bai Lingmiao was so happy that she even drank some wine.
It was only when the lanterns were slowly snuffed out on the streets did Li Huowang carry the drunk Bai Lingmiao back home. Bai Lingmiao was limp in Li Huowang's arms, and Her eyes were closed as she drew circles on Li Huowang's back.
"Senior Li. The festival is fun. I really wish that the Double Third Festival comes every day."
"Yes, we can celebrate it every day if you want," Li Huowang said, pampering her.
Li Huowang quietly walked down the streets when he felt water on his back. The next moment, he heard Bai Lingmiao's sobs. Her sobbing eventually became crying, and Bai Lingmiao tried to stop herself from crying by covering her mouth, but her cries only got louder as time ticked by.
In the end, tears and snot covered her face as she cried like a child on Li Huowang's back. Bai Lingmiao pounded on Li Huowang's back with both hands.
***
Even though he slept late last night to accompany Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang woke up very early in the morning. However, he didn't leave immediately and gouged out his left eye first with a fierce tug.
"Once she wakes up later, tell her that I'm looking for ways to heal her eyes," said Li Huowang while catching his breath. He placed his eyeball in the Second Deity's hand.
The Second Deity nodded quietly.
Li Huowang hugged her before taking his two swords with him. It was still too early in the morning, and the people had just woken up to put away their lanterns. Many of them were yawning, as they had stayed up late.
Li Huowang ate a simple breakfast on the way to the Surveillance Bureau. He reached the place just as he was finishing his meal. He wiped his oily hands on the stone lion statue on the right side of the entrance before walking inside.
Today's guard was Sima Lan with his signature black bird, and he was surprised to see Li Huowang.
"Er Jiu, to think that you're still alive! I really thought that the Sitting Oblivion Dao managed to kill you. It's been a while since you last appeared, after all," said Sima Lan's black bird.
"I guess my time isn't up yet. I hope you've been doing great, Senior Sima."
Li Huowang had gotten closer to Sima Lan after meeting the latter a few times. The two of them chatted and cursed at the Sitting Oblivion Dao for a while before Li Huowang finally told Sima Lan the reason for his visit.
Li Huowang pointed at his empty left eye socket and said, "Does the Surveillance Bureau have anything that can heal my eye?"
"Your eye?" Sima Lan shook his head and explained, "I'm not sure about that, Brother Er Jiu. The Surveillance Bureau's vault is massive. I don't know whether they have something like that or not, but you should go ahead and look for it yourself.
"Anyway, haven't you visited that place before?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Li Huowang shook his head.
Sima Lan then told him where the vault was located.
Li Huowang walked down the extensive maze-like hidden corridor before finally finding the vault. After showing his identity plate, Li Huowang was granted entrance into the vault.
For some reason, Li Huowang felt like a rat that had entered an apothecary. The vault was vast and massive, containing rows after rows of wooden drawers. There were so many of them that they reached all the way to the ceiling.
Every wooden drawer had its own unique items inside of it. Some wooden drawers had talismans attached to them, while some wooden drawers were covered in chains.
Clearly, the Surveillance Bureau's treasures were in this vault, and their treasure stash was the reason behind everyone's decision to work for the Surveillance Bureau.
However, not everything was in drawers; there were some items sprawled haphazardly all over a long table. There were so many weird things, and Li Huowang had no idea what they were or what to do with them
"Wait, isn't this mine?" Li Huowang saw a bronze coin veil on the table and picked it up. The veil had fallen into the Surveillance Bureau's hands when they had decapitated him during that encounter.
Li Huowang had the black spindle, but he wouldn't say "no" to an extra layer of protection. Having made up his mind, Li Huowang was about to make a move when a eunuch approached him from the side.
The eunuch in the vault was different from the eunuch outside. He was all smiles, but he had no eyes. However, his eye sockets weren't empty and had been replaced by bronze coins, which were sewn directly into his bones.
Chapter 473 - Relic
"Do you want that, sir? It's a new item here," asked the eunuch while staring at Li Huowang with his bronze coin eyes. The eunuch's voice wasn't androgynous but was like a confused mixture of a male and female voice.
"Yes. How many lifespan pills do I need to exchange for it?"
The eunuch's smile widened, "Yo~You are very discerning, sir. You just need thirty pills for it."
"It's that expensive?" Li Huowang was shocked. He was aware of just how precious lifespan pills were.
"Haha, that's why I said that you are very discerning, sir. This veil is rare even in Si Qi. Let me tell you its effects. Upon putting it on—"
"It's fine. No need to explain it to me. I want it." Li Huowang detached the gourd hanging from his waist and poured out thirty lifespan pills for the eunuch to take.
"Thank you for your patronage~! This is yours," the eunuch said, accepting the pills graciously with both hands. His eyes were shining and were evidently filled with greed.
Li Huowang wore it and felt safer with the weight on his face. Then, he looked at the eunuch's face and remarked, "Those coins... are you praying to the God of Wealth? Does the Bureau not care about that at all?"
"Hehehe~ surely, you jest, sir. Who doesn't pray to the God of Wealth? Who would decline more money? Hehehe~"
Li Huowang decided to drop it, as it seemed like the eunuch would not answer his question. Moreover, he was here for something more important.
"Hm~ You want something that will heal a blind? I'm sure we have that, but... follow me. I will let my subordinates search for you."
Li Huowang followed the eunuch into the depths of the vault. Rows and rows of drawers stretched into the distant darkness; the sight gave Li Huowang the creeps. The deeper they went, the older the drawers became; some of them were even moldy. Li Huowang didn't know whether it was a false alarm or not, but he felt like someone was watching him as he walked past the moldy area of the vault.
Under the guidance of the eunuch, Li Huowang soon found himself standing before a moldy wall on the left side of the vault. There were numerous holes in the moldy wall.
Li Huowang was about to start asking questions when the eunuch took out a brush and wrote something on a piece of paper. Then, he rolled it and placed it in a bamboo tube before throwing it into the hole in the wall.
"Please wait a moment, sir. We should be able to find the things that you need. The Surveillance Bureau has gathered many treasures over the past hundreds of years, so we definitely have what you need."
"I'm not in a rush," Li Huowang said. After some time, Li Huowang felt uncomfortable in the silence and decided to ask, "Do you have any clues about what happened to the Natural Disaster? What was happening inside the Bureau at the time?"
"Sir, I know everything there is to know about the vault, but I can't help you with anything unrelated to it, as I've never stepped out of the vault."
Li Huowang went cold and numb at the remark. He found it scary how the Liang Kingdom thought of some people as objects rather than a fellow human being. A eunuch who could never leave the vault would never steal.
The fact that there were such eunuchs made Li Huowang feel a shiver down his spine.
Soon, a bamboo tube emerged from the hole.
The eunuch read the written text and was overjoyed. "Sir, there's more than one method to regain one's eyesight!"
"Oh really? Quick, tell me what to do," Li Huowang said. He had guessed right. The Surveillance Bureau truly had methods to heal the blind.
"The first method is called the Sacred Eye Bead. You need to insert the eye bead, which is roughly the size of one's fist, into your forehead. The Sacred Eye Bead will not only allow you to see better, but you can even disperse evil beings with it."
"There's only one eye; it's roughly the size of a fist, and you need to insert it into your forehead?" Li Huowang muttered. He imagined how scary Bai Lingmiao would look with a third eye.
"Isn't one eye enough, sir? I thought you're missing just one eyeball?" the eunuch asked, staring at Li Huowang's empty eye socket.
"Unfortunately, my circulation technique passed through the forehead, so I can't really use that one. Next."
"Oh, the second treasure is the Golden Bridge Sutra. Upon obtaining a deep enough understanding of the sutra, you'd be able to regrow your eyeball. However, you have to be able to read and understand it. Moreover, you have to keep chanting it for several years."
"Next."
The eunuch listed out every single treasure they had available but Li Huowang rejected all of them. They were either too hard to use, had side effects, or they didn't meet Li Huowang's criteria.
Eventually, only a few treasures remained. Li Huowang was hesitating whether or not he should just use the Sacred Eye Bead when the eunuch suddenly said something interesting.
"The eighth one is a piece of relic from the body of a monk who lived during the Great Qi. The monk had gathered a ton of merit, so his relic is extremely powerful. Swallow it with some ungrounded water, and you'll obtain the Mind's Eye.
"In other words, you'd still be able to see despite being blind."
"That's interesting," Li Huowang remarked. Li Huowang thought that he had encountered a dead end, but Bai Lingmiao didn't actually need an eye. She just had to be able to "see" her surroundings to be able to work properly.
The Mind's Eye was great, as it seemed to be able to see through invisibility and illusions.
Bai Lingmiao would actually become even stronger upon cultivating her Mind's Eye.
"I want that."
"I'm not done explaining, kind sir. It's not something that anyone can do. It can only be used by someone kind. The kinder they are, the stronger their Mind's Eye. They have to be kind, or they might get exorcized by the relic."
"Kind? No problem. I want that." Bai Lingmiao was definitely one of the kindest people Li Huowang had met so far.
The eunuch was puzzled, and he cast a doubtful gaze at Li Huowang. He sized up Li Huowang and took note of his bloody Daoist robes as well as his bag of torture tools before asking, "Sir, are you really kind?"
The eunuch was convinced that Li Huowang would try and use it for himself.
"Why can't I be kind? I want it, so stop the nonsense and get it for me," Li Huowang said, frowning.
The eunuch went silent and turned around to guide Li Huowang into the forest of drawers again.
They had taken just a few steps before the eunuch turned around and looked at Li Huowang. "I forgot to tell you something, sir. The relic costs four hundred lifespan pills. Can you afford it?"
Chapter 474 - Spiritual Sin
"Four hundred?!" Li Huowang was shocked. He didn't even need to check his gourd to know that he didn't have that many lifespan pills.
"Please don't think that it's too expensive. It's a great item from thousands of years ago; it's from the Great Qi! Do you really think there are any monks left today that'll generate relics upon self-immolation?"
Li Huowang didn't mind the price, but he couldn't afford it. He had been so busy dealing with his hallucination that he hadn't been able to earn lifespan pills.
"How much is the Sacred Eye Bead?" Li Huowang asked. He decided not to care even if Bai Lingmiao would look bizarre—it didn't matter as long as she could see.
"Five hundred," said the eunuch, dashing Li Huowang's hopes of using a cheaper item. He didn't expect that the Sacred Eye Bead was more expensive than the relic.
Li Huowang finally realized that the Surveillance Bureau was the greediest organization in existence. He had worked hard and had risked his life to earn lifespan pills outside, but he couldn't even afford what he needed right now.
Without the lifespan pills, he wouldn't be able to obtain the relic for Bai Lingmiao; without the relic, Bai Lingmiao would be blind, and Li Huowang couldn't let that happen.
When Li Huowang obtained Li Zhi's gourd, it contained only four lifespan pills, but Li Huowang needed four hundred to buy the relic! It was a mind-boggling amount that made Li Huowang feel dizzy. Who was he supposed to rob to earn that many pills?
No, this is a small price to pay compared to killing her entire family. I must get it for her! Li Huowang vowed as he walked out of the vault.
He then went to the hall with numerous screens rather than leaving the building, as he could take on some missions there. Li Huowang saw a few familiar faces, but he was rather calm rather than hostile toward them.
The Surveillance Bureau treated the lives of others lightly, but the Surveillance Bureau's existence was vital to the world.
"Er Jiu?! You're alive?! I thought you were dead." Nangong exclaimed
Nangong said the same thing as Sima Lan and Li Huowang couldn't be bothered with him at all as he immediately went straight to the point, asking, "I want to take on the mission, and I want the highest paying one."
Nangong put two and two together and went silent. He took out a book and handed it over to Li Huowang. "Check it for yourself. It's on the final page."
Li Huowang opened it and saw the mission details.
[Wanted: Sitting Oblivion Dao Hong Zhong, dead or alive.]
Li Huowang skimmed through the pages.
Sitting Oblivion Dao Fa Cai, Sitting Oblivion Dao Xi Feng, Sitting Oblivion Dao Bai Ban, SItting Oblivion Dao, Sitting Oblivion Dao. The missions were related to the Sitting Oblivion Dao. Liu Zongyuan was right. The Surveillance Bureau was indeed going after them.
The rewards were attractive, but Li Huowang decided not to take them because he didn't want to get into contact with those tricksters.
The Three Officials and Four Joys were like a glue trap. If he killed one of them, he could expect to see them all the time, just like how Zhuge Yuan had fallen into their trap.
"Brother Er Jiu. I thought you had a grudge against the Sitting Oblivion Dao? Why don't you accept missions related to them?"
"I paid the price with one of my eyes and settled the score. I've killed the Sitting Oblivion Dao member who killed the elders of my sect," Li Huowang replied. He flipped over some pages and stopped.
"The spiritual sin?"
The reward for the mission titled "The Spiritual Sin" was four hundred and thirty lifespan pills and five pure lifespans. Li Huowang looked at Zhuge Yuan standing beside Nangong and asked, "The Spiritual Sin? What is it? Is it like a spiritual beast?"
"No. Even though it has the word 'spiritual' in it, it's not a spiritual beast at all," Zhuge Yuan replied. He revealed a look of disgust upon seeing the words "Spiritual Sin."
"Yep. The Spiritual Sin," Nangong answered, "But are you sure you want to accept that mission? I hope you didn't become crazy after seeing the reward, which includes five pure lifespans. It's more dangerous than the members of the Sitting Oblivion Dao."
"What is it? Why is it dangerous?"
"It's not as dangerous as the Muddled Ones, Strayed Ones, and the Twisted Ones, but it's very tiresome to handle. The difficulty depends on the entity that it has possessed. It would be fine if it possessed a normal human, as it would at most be as strong as a crazed half-Immortal, but the story is different if it possessed an evil entity."
"So it's like a parasite?" Li Huowang asked, deducing some information himself.
The crux of the matter here was the fact that the Spiritual Sin's powers would change depending on the entity that it possessed. In other words, it was capable of using a variety of techniques.
Li Huowang read some recorded encounters about the Spiritual Sin and quietly compared his own strength to it to see if he could handle it.
After a few moments of hesitation, Li Huowang made up his mind. He was as strong as a Hong Zhong, so he was not weak at all. There was no reason for him to be afraid of it. Moreover, it wasn't like he wouldn't be able to escape if he couldn't win.
There was also a chance that the Spiritual Sin wasn't that strong. One of the recorded encounters stated that a monk was lucky enough to find a Spiritual Sin that had possessed a blade of grass. The monk was overjoyed with the discovery and made quick work of it
"I'll take this one," Li Huowang said, pressing his thumb on the red paste and accepting the mission by marking it with his thumbprint.
"Sure. These are the locations where it might appear according to our investigations. You can go ahead and look for it yourself."
"I need to find it myself?!"
"Of course. Do you really think that it's that easy to obtain such bountiful rewards? Fortunately, your rank is high enough, so you can find some people to help you carry some of that risk."
Li Huowang didn't want to recruit people like what Ji Xiang had done in the past, so he took the map away and walked out of the building. Li Huowang knew that he'd have to give up a few lifespan pills if he wanted helpers, and he needed as many lifespan pills as he could to afford the relic, so he decided not to recruit anyone.
Li Huowang stayed only a single night in the house before bringing Bai Lingmiao with him on a journey to hunt a Spiritual Sin. He thought he'd find one in the blink of an eye, but the first two locations turned out to be worthless.
He didn't receive even a hint from those two locations.
Just like that, a month and a half passed by.
Smack, smack, smack!
Bai Lingmiao was smacking Li Huowang's Daoist robes, which she had drenched in the water. Bai Lingmiao smacked it for a while before washing and scrubbing it against the stones in the river.
They didn't have a washing board, so Bai Lingmiao had to make do with stones.
After washing Li Huowang's robes, she washed her dress carefully—the same dress that Li Huowang had purchased for her at Shangjing. It was a pretty dress, and she loved it. Soon, she was done with the laundry, and she placed the clothes into a wooden bucket before standing up to leave.
Bai Lingmiao picked up a bamboo pole roughly the width of her thumb and used it as a cane. She then used the bamboo pole to make her way toward the carriage with a bucket of wet clothes in her other hand.
Chapter 475 - Doctor
After washing her clothes, Bai Lingmiao walked toward carefully the carriage and felt someone holding her cane. She saw a hazy red color before her, so she said, "I can still see a little."
The Second Deity said nothing and guided her to the carriage.
Once she was back at the carriage, Bai Lingmiao placed the laundry on top of the carriage with Li Sui's help.
"Li Sui, where is your father?" Bai Lingmiao could see a blurry patch of yellow in front of her. It was Li Sui's yellow straw robe.
Bai Lingmiao had spent such a long time with Li Sui that she had already gotten used to Li Sui's scary look. However, she couldn't treat Li Sui as her daughter like how Li Huowang could do so. Of course, she still treated Li Sui fairly.
"Father went into the forest. He said he'd be back in two hours," Li Sui replied. She was in the middle of reading a book.
"Oh, I see. All right, let's start a fire and cook something," Bai Lingmiao said. She rummaged through the carriage and found the flint. Then, she turned around and walked toward the firewood.
Starting a fire, placing the pot on top of the flames, and boiling some water were actions that Bai Lingmiao had done many in the past, but today, she somehow made a mistake and accidentally placed her hand in the flames.
She retracted her hand quickly, but her hand still ended up getting burned. The Second Deity pushed her away and started cooking in her stead. Bai Lingmiao's face was bitter when she saw the figure working hard in front of her.
Then, she started crying. She wasn't crying out of pain; she was crying at the fact that she was being a hindrance. Once Bai Lingmiao had caught a whiff of the delicious cooked food, she stood up and walked into the forest with her cane.
Bai Lingmiao grazed the ground using the cane. Just then, Bai Lingmiao saw a hazy red color amidst her blurry world. The red figure was definitely Li Huowang.
"Senior Li, food is read!" Bai Lingmiao shouted.
Li Huowang turned to Bai Lingmiao and smiled. "Thank you, Mom."
"What are you talking about? No need to thank me," said Sun Xiaoqin. She was sitting on a stool by the bedside and was opening a meal box for LI Huowang.
Today's meal consisted of braised ribs, stir-fried spinach, and carrot soup with bits of mutton. Overall, it was a balanced meal.
"I know that you don't like carrots, but you can't afford to be picky right now. You need as much vitamins as you can eat."
"Mom, I'm not a picky eater at all." Li Huowang drank the soup and chewed on the bits of carrots.
"Great. It's bad to be a picky eater. It seems you're recovering steadily." Sun Xiaoqin nodded with satisfaction. She was happy to see that Li Huowang's condition had stabilized.
"Mom, I forgot to ask where you're staying right now. You're not living in this prison, are you?"
"I actually told your father to buy me a foldable bed so I can sleep here and stay with you around the clock, but he refused. I had no choice but to rent a room nearby."
Li Huowang nodded. "That's good."
"Are you really cured, Senior Li? Are you?" Bai Lingmiao asked while staring sadly at Li Huowang along with the Second Deity. "Why did you lie to me? You said that you're cured, but that clearly isn't the case..."
Bai Lingmiao sighed with a downtrodden loon. "But I don't blame you. I've never told you that I haven't been able to let it go as well... Senior Li, should we part ways? But... I really can't let you go like this..."
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. My condition has been stabilizing over these past two months."
"Ah, you can't say that, son. Your condition is indeed improving, but you're still hallucinating. You should not let your guard down, even if you're recovering steadily."
Li Huowang patiently listened to his mother's nagging. He was enjoying it now, as he thought that he had lost it once, which made him understand how precious it was to him all this while.
"It's fine. One day... I will be free from this illness!" Li Huowang exclaimed.
The metal gates abruptly opened just then.
Li Huowang looked toward the entrance and saw two doctors walking into the room. The two doctors had three wardens with them for their safety while a nurse was pushing in a wheelchair.
Li Huowang was alarmed, and he probed, "Miaomiao? Li Sui? Is that you? Leave me alone for now; I'll come back soon."
Sun Xiaoqin stood up anxiously and stood before the doctors. "Hey, who are you people? Who said you can come here?"
"Madam Sun, please calm down. We're bringing your son away for therapy. He needs to move his muscles around, or they'll become atrophied to the point where he'll have to stay in his for the rest of his life."
The doctors, wardens, and the nurse moved. They opened Li Huowang's straitjacket, revealing his pale skin. Li Huowang had become much skinnier, and his limbs looked as thin as chopsticks.
Li Huowang couldn't stand up even though the nurse was supporting him. The prison wardens sighed in relief at the sight. There was no way the martial lunatic could defeat them, considering his condition.
"What's happening? Why is he so thin?" Sun Xiaoqin asked, sounding flustered.
"Madam Sun, please calm down. It's all because he hadn't been able to move for a very long time; his muscles had wasted. He'll recover via physiotherapy.
"With that said, it's actually surprising that your son actually doesn't have any bedsores. You've been doing a great job taking care of him."
Sun Xiaoqin relaxed at that remark and exclaimed, "I flip him over every few hours. I watched a video online on how to take care of bedridden elders, and I learned that technique from that video."
The doctors gave a few instructions. The nurse and the wardens placed Li Huowang in a wheelchair and started rolling him away.
"Wait, where are you taking me?! I can't leave right now!" Li Huowang exclaimed. He but the nurse and the wardens held him down tightly.
Li Huowang was afraid of leaving the room. Who could say what would happen if he were to leave the room right now?
One of the doctors cast a curious gaze at him. "Why can't you leave the room right now? Can you tell me why?"
Li Huowang looked at the doctor and replied, "Just give me a few moments."
"Why can't you leave right now? You've been lucid all this while, so why can't you leave the room right now? Are you afraid of something?"
Li Huowang immediately got suspicious at the remark. How did the doctor know that he had been lucid all this while?
Chapter 476 - Chat
"Student, since you're lucid, you should be capable of logical thinking. I know you understand what I'm talking about. We just want to help you. Do you really want to lie in bed for the rest of your life and make your mother take care of you forever?"
"Your mother's old. Can she really take care of you for the rest of her life? Can you withstand seeing her hair becoming white? Can you really envision yourself making your mother flip you over and clean you up by the time you're fifty or maybe sixty years old?"
It doesn't matter. One day, I'll become an immortal myself. Li Huowang's expression was firm as he made sure that his mouth would remain shut.
The two doctors glanced at each other, and then they took out their notebook from their white coats to jot down something on it. They moved a bit farther away to discuss something for a while before walking back up to Li Huowang.
"Student Li, I think you can be exempted from rehab, but... can we talk more about that? Don't be nervous; it's just going to be a casual chat between friends," said the younger doctor.
Upon hearing that, the nurse, the wardens, and the other doctor turned around to leave.
The doctor took off his white coat and put it aside, revealing his casual clothes underneath.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Yi Donglai," Yi Donglai said. He reached out with his hand and shook Li Huowang's thin and emaciated right hand.
"You've become famous online. The story about how you rushed into school to rescue your girlfriend from several robbers has gone viral online. Many people admire you, and there are many beautiful girls among them," said Yi Donglai.
Li Huowang's lips trembled but he didn't speak. He was busy counting down to his return.
"Do you play League of Legends? I do. They just released a limited skin for the Barbarian King, and it's a skin based on you. It went viral, and I even spent ninety-nine dollars just to get it."
"Huh?" Li Huowang looked up with a complex expression and asked, "Am I a fool in your eyes?"
"Hehehe, just kidding. Don't take it too seriously, but... I did see the surveillance footage. Wow, you looked so cool, just like the powerful Barbarian King! If your figure at the time were rendered into a skin, it would definitely sell like hotcakes!"
"Which champions do you like to play? I like to play the Jester, but Rito Games has just nerfed him recently! They actually nerfed Jester! Like, it's absurd, right? Why would they even target him..."
Li Huowang stared deeply at Yi Donglai as the latter blabbered. Of course, Li Huowang ignored Yi Donglai's nonsense and saw through the latter's intentions. Yi Donglai was probably planning on using gaming to build a rapport with Li Huowang, and then he'd start treatment once Li Huowang had let his guard down.
Perhaps... I don't have to resist openly. Maybe I can use him to get out of my current predicament. It's a hassle being monitored around the clock, Li Huowang thought. Then, he asked, "Have they released any new champions recently?"
Yi Donglai was delighted to hear Li Huowang's question. Finally, he received a decent response from Li Huowang, a patient of Bed 13. With feedback, psychological intervention and treatment could proceed.
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Yi Donglai exclaimed, "Two new champions were released while you're here."
"Are they jungle champions? I like playing jungle[1]."
The two chatted about the game for twenty minutes, and the two were satisfied with each other's responses.
"I've got to go. Let's chat again the next time we have time," Li Huowang said.
Yi Donglai had many questions. He especially wanted to know how Li Huowang could control the timing of his flare-up, but Yi Donglai knew that the matter couldn't be rushed.
"Sure! Pick a time."
"Then, let's have dinner in five days. See you later, Donglai," Li Huowang said, smiling.
"Hey, don't leave yet. We still haven't eaten dinner." Sun Xiaoqin's voice echoed in Li Huowang's ears as the scenery around him peeled away.
When Li Huowang came back to his senses, he saw Bai Lingmiao, Li Sui, and the Second Deity staring at him in a circle.
"Senior Li... dinner is ready." Bai Lingmiao muttered weakly.
"Ah, okay," Li Huowang said. He turned around and walked toward the carriage. He then picked up a bowl of stew and said, "Mom, I want to eat. Can you feed me some rice from the meal box?"
Li Huowang opened his mouth wide. Then, he paused for a while with his mouth agape before taking a spoonful of the stew from his bowl and chewing on it. After swallowing, he opened his mouth wide again and waited patiently.
Bai Lingmiao, Li Sui, and the Second Deity saw Li Huowang behaving strangely.
"Come here and eat. What are you guys doing standing there? We still have a journey to continue," Li Huowang said.
The trio walked over to him.
Bai Lingmiao cast a complicated gaze at Li Huowang while holding a bowl of stew. She looked like she wanted to say something to him, but she merely smiled and ate with relish upon seeing his gaze on her.
There was a strange atmosphere above everyone as they ate their meal. Once the dishes were washed, the carriage set off once again.
Li Huowang thought hard and long about it before finally talking to Bai Lingmiao, saying, "You don't need to worry about me at all. I can see things clearly. It's just going to take some time for things to become even better."
"All right, Senior Li. I believe you." Bai Lingmiao nodded slightly.
"I really—Ah, forget it. You'll understand eventually," Li Huowang said. Then, he took out a piece of turmeric paper and bit his finger before writing a talisman.
He stuck it onto the back of the horse, which made it gallop almost immediately.
The carriage moved swiftly, and the group soon found themselves before a peach blossom forest by dusk. The red sunset cast its hue on the pink peach blossoms, making them look particularly enchanting.
Li Huowang spread out the detailed map that he had obtained from the Surveillance Bureau. He compared it with their surroundings and muttered, "This should be the place. I just don't know whether we'll have a stroke of better luck this time or not."
The unsuccessful attempts made Li Huowang feel a bit less confident about this third attempt.
"I'll go in first to check. You guys wait outside. If there are any unusual noises, bring the carriage back to where we had lunch earlier and wait for me there."
"Okay, Senior Li. Go on."
Li Huowang felt a pang of pain in his heart when he saw Bai Lingmiao's unfocused eyes. Moments later, he turned around and finally started walking toward the peach blossom forest. He bent down slightly, projecting his image into the ground before continuing his journey into the peach blossom forest.
The greenery within the forest was thick, and the fragrance of blossoms filled the air.
However, the tree trunks were covered with sticky amber peach gum, which made the entire forest feel eerie.
Just as Li Huowang had walked ten meters into the forest, he realized that the lush peach tree forest was unusually quiet. There wasn't any chirping of birds, and he couldn't hear the distinct noises of insects.
Li Huowang was thrilled. Could there be something this time around?
"Brother Zhuge, you've seen a lot. I'm sure you've encountered an evil spirit or two, am I right?"
"Yeah. An evil spirit once disturbed a close friend of mine. He was living a life worse than death, tortured during every waking moment. In the end, he begged me to grant him release."
1. an assigned position in the game ☜
Chapter 477 - Spiritual Sin
Li Huowang was convinced that Zhuge Yuan had deep feelings for that good friend of his the moment he saw the latter's exceptionally sorrowful expression. Zhuge Yuan was a righteous person, and he was always willing to go to great lengths for his friends.
One could only imagine just how much he had suffered after being forced to kill a friend with his own hands.
Zhuge Yuan added, "The spiritual sin who took away my good friend became capable of using the techniques and powers of my friend. It also grew even stronger.
"Brother Li, I know that the Surveillance Bureau has always been talking about just how formidable spirits can be, but you must be careful against a spiritual sin. You might be fighting a spiritual sin, but you might be fighting something else the next moment."
"Spiritual Sins are capable of changing hosts, which is the reason they're both troublesome and dangerous to handle. The best way to take one down is to ambush it."
"Once you encounter a spiritual sin, you must be absolutely certain of success before you make a move against it. Otherwise, you'll suffer a fate worse than death if it manages to capture you. They're all about sin and less about the spirit, after all."
Zhuge Yuan was about to say something, but he paused. There was a monkey carcass lying by his feet. The carcass was dry, and the monkey's mouth was agape. Its limbs were twisted, and its belly was split open. Its rotten innards had splattered all over the ground, creating what looked like a flower.
"If we go by what you said, Brother Zhuge, does that mean we've just found the culprit behind this guy's death?" Li Huowang asked.
Zhuge Yuan nodded solemnly in reply.
Li Huowang became extremely cautious as he moved slowly into the depths of the peach blossom forest. The number of twisted and deformed corpses increased as Li Huowang walked deeper and deeper into the forest.
Eventually, he saw not just animal carcasses but human corpses twisted in bizarre shapes as well.
"Shh! Quiet! I think I heard something just now," Li Huowang exclaimed at the monk. The monk was chanting a mantra for the deceased. Li Huowang fell on all fours and pressed his ear on the earth, listening intently. What are these noises? Breathing?
Whooo, whooo, whooo...
Rhythmic noises of what sounded like someone's breathing reached Li Huowang's ears through the ground. Li Huowang gripped his sword tightly and moved slowly toward where the sound was coming from.
As the noises grew louder, Li Huowang picked up the pace as the noises grew louder. A thicket of branches stood before him, and Li Huowang jumped into it. Upon landing, the scene unfolding before him made his pupils quiver.
A massive pile of flesh, bones, and organs was on a large clearing up ahead. There were too many of them that a tiny lake of gore had been created from the flesh, bones, and innards.
Whooo, whooo, whooo... The pile of flesh expanded and contracted as it breathed. Streams of red light fell from up above, piercing the crevices of the flesh.
Li Huowang looked up and saw that the red light was coming from the setting sun. The entity before him was actually feasting on the sunset itself.
Am I staring at a spiritual sin? Li Huowang thought.
Squeak!
A mouse ran toward the pile of flesh in the distance and gnawed on a shriveled corpse. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
The pile of flesh trembled just then. It converged at one point before assembling itself into a doe that was as huge as a one-story house. The deer had six legs and large antlers that looked like two large peach trees. It had fur similar to the colors of a rotting rainbow—dull yet colorful.
Li Huowang instantly realized that it was a doe, as a deceased fawn was hanging out of its nether region. The fawn seemed to have died during birth.
"Brother Zhuge, what is the spiritual sin parasitizing on?" Li Huowang asked in a low voice as he stared at the massive deer in the distance.
"Yingzhao. The common folk call it a Nine-Colored Deer."
Nine-Colored Deer? Li Huowang turned and saw the deer's rainbow-colored fur.
The spiritual sin suddenly made a move. It left afterimages in the air as it dashed toward the shriveled corpse where the mouse was located. It would have crushed the mouse with just a step, but it chose not to do so. Instead, it trapped the mouse's tail with its plum-shaped hooves, and then it pressed down on the mouse's hind legs with its other hoof before moving its hoof back and forth.
The mouse shrieked in pain, but the Nine-Colored Deer showed no intention of stopping. It raised its head and neighed with delight. Once the mouse's four limbs had been crushed into meat paste, the Nine-Colored Deer lifted one hoof and pressed hard on the mouse, slowly crushing the mouse beneath its hoof.
The Nine-Colored Deer did not stop pressing down on the mouse until the mouse had vomited its innards. Upon seeing the gory sight, the Nine-Colored Deer seemed to reveal a satisfied look before transforming into the same pile of flesh, blood, and innards.
Li Huowang's expression was ugly as he struggled to maintain his composure from the revolting sight. Then, he spoke in a low voice, "Brother Zhuge, has that entity gone mad, or does it simply enjoy killing?"
"It's a spiritual sin. Heaven and earth are indifferent to all living beings, and you are staring at the sin from both heaven and earth. Its birth itself is a kind of mistake." Zhuge Yuan seemed to have recalled something, and his expression became ugly.
"Brother Zhuge, what's the best strategy against that Nine-Colored Deer?" Li Huowang asked. He was getting ready to make a move.
"It consumes and uses the rosy light of the sunset[1]. Take a closer look at its body. Locate where the light of the sunset is leaking out of its body."
"Okay," Li Huowang said. He gnashed his teeth as his figure arched slightly as if he were a leopard.
The spiritual sin in the distance seemed to have sensed something. The pile of flesh, blood, and innards transformed once again into the figure of a deer. Then, it looked around and scanned the peach forest.
A Hong Zhong mahjong tile tumbled through the air, landing steadily on a peach tree.
The spiritual sin turned to look at where the noise had come from, and that was when Li Huowang rushed out from behind a tree. He whipped out his bronze coin sword and slashed out at the spiritual sin.
A crisp noise echoed, and the flesh that took the brunt of Li Huowang's attack sizzled. It emitted a plume of black smoke and withered like dead flowers. The attack from the evil-banishing sword was effective, but it failed to deliver a fatal blow.
The spiritual sin let out a cry. It returned to its original form and charged at Li Huowang.
A sea of flesh, blood, and innards shrouded Li Huowang in an instant, but he emerged unscathed. He had just switched positions with his illusion.
"Kill!" Li Huowang roared, and the purple-tassel sword slashed fiercely at the Nine-Colored Deer, carving open a massive wound.
However, the laceration healed rapidly. Zhuge Yuan saw that and said, " Brother Li, this is not going to work. Its body is just its shell. You need to attack the spiritual sin directly inside of it for your attacks to be effective!"
A red light burst out of the Nine-Colored Deer.
Li Huowang deflected it with his sword in mid-air. The red light ricocheted off Li Huowang's sword and struck down quite a few peach trees.
"What does it look like?" Li Huowang asked while retreating to create some distance between them.
"You can't see it. Living humans with the ten emotions and eight sufferings cannot see what it really looks like."
"Since we can't see it, then so be it!" Li Huowang exclaimed. His expression turned fierce as he removed his red Daoist robes. Then, he whipped out his flint and slashed at himself.
1. more specifically, it's the rosy-tinted light/clouds of sunrise/sunset ☜
Chapter 478 - Counter
Sparks flew and landed on Li Huowang, creating a mighty conflagration that dealt extreme pain to Li Huowang—pain that almost made him faint. The extremely high temperature distorted the air around him, and his figure was instantly scorched.
When Li Huowang saw that the Nine-Colored Deer before him was emitting a plume of black smoke, he grinned menacingly with his lipless mouth and charged at it.
Engulfed in flames, Li Huowang collided heavily against the amalgamation of flesh, blood, and innards. The gory hill burst open and was engulfed by the raging flames.
Li Huowang breathed a sigh of relief as he stared at the raging flames before him. It seemed that he had made the right choice by not choosing to transform his skin into a life-saving talisman.
The writhing flesh eventually stopped moving, but Li Huowang sensed something amiss. He rushed into the fire with his purple-tassel sword in hand and slashed at the charred mass. However, the spiritual sin was missing.
It escaped! Li Huowang's face turned ugly. This spiritual sin was far more cunning than he had imagined.
Where do you think you can run? Li Huowang surveyed the surroundings. Then, he squatted and pressed his hand on the dry weeds and dead wood on the ground. Flames rushed out of him from all directions, and they climbed up the peach trees like living creatures. Each flaming peach tree was like a plague, and the nearby region quickly transformed into a sea of fire.
Li Huowang stood in the middle of the flames, looking for any abnormalities. However, he did not see anything unusual. The spiritual sin hadn't been forced out by the fire. It seemed like dealing with it was going to be more difficult than Li Huowang thought.
What am I supposed to do now? If it manages to escape, it's going to be really troublesome to find it again. After pondering for a moment, Li Huowang decided to divine the spiritual sin's location.
Just as Li Huowang was about to cut himself using his sword, a fireball abruptly manifested over the back of his hand and dove into his wound. Damn it! The spiritual sin has possessed the flames!
Li Huowang had realized it too late. The flames that had engulfed him and the peach trees were extinguished instantly, and his fleshly body began to collapse like the Nine-Colored Deer from earlier. His flesh, blood, bones, skin, and hair separated and formed a pile of gore.
To make matters worse, Li Huowang was conscious throughout the ordeal. He felt his flesh being torn apart, and the pain was so extreme that he wished to die.
However, Li Huowang couldn't even die, as the spiritual sin was about to take full control of him! Li Huowang could feel its pure malice, which had pervaded everything within him as it tried to take over his consciousness.
It turned out that spiritual sins weren't living creatures but were embodiments of sin themselves! They were perfectly capable of triumphing over just about anyone, as even the most virtuous person could not be devoid of sin.
Li Huowang gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Half of his face slid off and fell to the ground. I am virtuous, and I don't have even a single sin!
Just then, Li Huowang's melted fleshly body had converged, transforming into his original figure. Even the skin that he had sacrificed to Ba-Hui had returned, and it allowed him to understand that he was in a mere illusion.
He couldn't be fooled!
Li Huowang took advantage of that opportunity to run to the edge of the peach forest.
Li Huowang's figure collapsed to the ground like tofu when he saw the carriage up ahead. Just as his face was about to separate from his head, he looked up at the carriage and roared, "Li Sui! There's something in my body! Help me drive it out!"
His words had just echoed into the air when his fleshly body separated, transforming into a wriggling mass of flesh that rushed toward the depths of the peach forest.
Step, step, step!
Frantic footsteps sounded, and a pair of eyes turned to see a skinless dog running toward them on all fours.
"Dad, I'm coming!" Li Sui exclaimed, and her body disintegrated in mid-air. Her flesh and tentacles converged at one point, becoming a massive clump of flesh that landed heavily on Li Huowang. The two clumps of flesh intertwined and created a massive pile of gore covered in tentacles. Then, it rolled violently around the burning peach forest.
Li Huowang and Li Sui's faces would appear intermittently amidst the rolling ball of meat, and their conditions appeared rather unstable. The spiritual sin had decided to become a bit greedy and take control over Li Sui's body as well, but it was having a hard time, as the Black Taisui itself was born to devour.
Moreover, Li Huowang was working hard to regain some control over his body as well.
The spiritual sin finally gave in, as it was fighting two enemies by itself. Li Huowang's body converged at one point, transforming into a bloated humanoid figure. However, his abdomen burst open, and something rushed out of his stomach.
Li Huowang looked up but saw nothing except for strange footprints in the ashes, which vanished quickly as it turned to a corner. Li Huowang was convinced that the footprints had to have belonged to the spiritual sin. After all, spiritual sins could never be seen by someone with the ten emotions and eight sufferings.
"Dad, are you okay?" Li Sui asked. Then, she rushed out of Li Huowang's abdomen, allowing Li Huowang's bloated figure to return to normal.
Li Huowang's organs were in a mess, and there were some organs that had shifted, but the good thing was that he had full control over his body once more.
Li Huowang glared resentfully at the footprints. He quickly bandaged his wound. He had overcome all sorts of hardships, and he couldn't fall to something so minor. Li Huowang did not even groan as he withstood the burning sensation all over his skin.
Once Li Huowang was done bandaging his wound, he wasted no time and rushed toward where the footprints had vanished.
"Li Sui, wait outside for me, and rush in once I call you! Stay with Miaomiao for now!"
Li Huowang slowed down and became fully aware of his surroundings. He listened to every single noise around him. He couldn't see, so he had to use his ears to track down the enemy!
The spiritual sin was far more cunning than he had imagined, but he had to outsmart it.
Rustle, rustle.
Li Huowang heard faint rustling noises behind him, but he did not react. He moved forward slowly until he saw a hollowed-out tree with what looked like a tunnel in it. He bent down and entered the tunnel, seemingly searching inside for the spiritual sin.
Just then, a series of footprints moved rapidly toward Li Huowang's feet. Then, the footprints disappeared as soon as they reached Li Huowang's wounded feet. The moment the spiritual sin burrowed its way into Li Huowang's body through his feet, it realized something amiss.
Li Huowang's upper half was missing; it turned out that the spiritual sin had burrowed into Li Huowang's lower body.
"Hehe... Gotcha. I'm sure you didn't expect me to use my lower body as bait, did you?"
Chapter 479 - Someone's Coming
The spiritual sin felt wronged as it had been deceived. It tried to take control of Li Huowang's lower half and flee. However, Li Huowang's lower half had no eyes and no ears to perceive its surroundings, so the spiritual sin stumbled over a tree root and fell hard to the ground, just a few steps away from the hollowed-out tree.
The spiritual sin decisively attempted to escape. It had recognized that it was in danger, but before it could even make a move, Li Huowang's bronze coin sword left behind a trail of cold light as it descended and nailed the spiritual sin to the ground.
A plume of black smoke emerged as the spiritual sin cried in agony. However, it couldn't do anything at all, and its cries eventually weakened.
When the spiritual sin ceased all movement, Li Huowang finally emerged from concealment. No, it was more like his upper half crawled out of hiding, and he crawled toward his frozen lower half.
Once a scammer became aware of what the customer desired, then it'd be easier for them to scam the customer. Li Huowang knew that the spiritual sin wanted his body so badly, so he himself into two and tossed his lower half aside as bait to lure it out.
Li Huowang sprawled out on the ground, gasping for air. He had endured excruciating pain tonight—the pain of being burned alive, the pain of getting lacerated, and the pain of getting cut in half. The ordeal was so painful that he almost fainted. He would have fainted long ago if it hadn't been for his willpower.
At least there's some profit.... Li Huowang glanced at the bronze coin sword. The bronze coin sword had pinned the carcass of the spiritual sin to the ground, which was still emitting wisps of black smoke.
Li Huowang grabbed the smoke with his charred fingers, and he felt his negative emotions being agitated. The desire to kill and hate filled him up in the blink of an eye. Li Huowang retracted his hand and tried to touch the source of the smoke, but his hand touched nothing but air. For some reason, he couldn't touch the spiritual sin, and he couldn't see anything beneath the plume of black smoke.
Li Huowang tested it and found that he could touch other things. However, he could not touch the spiritual sin itself. Spiritual sins truly are dangerous and bizarre. I wonder why the Surveillance Bureau is willing to pay such a high price to obtain one.
Li Huowang rested for a while and recovered a bit of strength. Then, he started crawling toward his lower half, but he stopped as soon as he started crawling, as there were oncoming footsteps.
Someone's coming? Li Huowang's expression stiffened. Miaomiao? No, those footsteps do not belong to her!
Li Huowang peered into the winding forest path to his left, and he saw a chubby woman walking toward him with steady steps.
The chubby woman's getup was strange; she was wearing a red paper belly band, and a small golden crown embroidered with red threads was sitting on her head. The strange part about her getup was that lit purple incense sticks were sticking out of her head, making her appear like a hedgehog. Moreover, two miniature, triangular banners with red curse patterns were hanging from her earlobes.
Li Huowang would have thought that he was staring at another spiritual sin if it weren't for the mace on her shoulder.
The chubby woman raised her mace and pointed it at Li Huowang. "Hey! Ascend to the heavens and travel the lands up above. Safeguard the wind and clouds in the four directions. Seize the demons and capture evil!"
Li Huowang frowned. He reached for his badge at his waist and showed it to the chubby woman. "Back off! I'm in the middle of official business on behalf of the Surveillance Bureau!"
"Huh?" the chubby woman was surprised. Then, she took out an identical badge from her belly band. She was from the Surveillance Bureau as well.
"Oh? You're from the Surveillance Bureau? I don't think so. Toss over your badge for me to take a closer look!"
The chubby woman dared not her guard in the face of a living human being with no lower half and was charred black. Li Huowang obliged and hurled his badge over to the chubby woman. Then, he pieced together his upper and lower halves. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
Li Huowang waited patiently for the nerves in his lower half to connect to each other.
The plump woman walked up to Li Huowang and placed the badge next to him.
"I didn't expect that you were saying the truth. I thought you were a spiritual sin. Which sect are you from?"
"Ao Jing Sect."
The plump woman scrutinized Li Huowang up and down. Then, she nodded and said, "I guess that makes sense."
The plump woman then pulled out the incense sticks sticking out of her face. "What a mess. We're on the same side, but we almost fought each other. Anyway, your clone technique is impressive, young man. Where did you learn it?"
Li Huowang couldn't be bothered to make small talk with the plump woman. After all, the Surveillance Bureau had never been a place to find comrades.
Meanwhile, the plump woman's true appearance was finally revealed when there were no more incense sticks sticking out of her head. If she was judged solely on appearance, she appeared to be an ordinary peasant woman.
Without waiting for a response from Li Huowang, the plump woman asked, "I came here to find a spiritual sin. What about you?"
"Hmm?" Li Huowang sat up and asked, "You took on that task as well? Can two people take on the same job?"
"How naive. Several people can take on one task, but of course, the one who gets it down first will obtain the reward. I guess you can say that it's skill based."
"Oh." Li Huowang with much difficulty. Then, he pressed on his lower body, which was beginning to recover. "Well, you're too late. I already killed the spiritual sin."
"What?! You killed it by yourself?" the chubby woman exclaimed, revealing extreme shock.
However, Li Huowang could see that the chubby woman's ten emotions and eight sufferings did not seem as shocked as she appeared on the outside. It seemed that the chubby woman was a hypocrite.
However, it wasn't strange at all. Everyone would be wary of strangers, and Li Huowang was wary of the chubby woman as well. It was proven by how he had never let go of his purple-tassel sword since he saw the chubby woman.
"You're right when you said that the tasks are skill based, Sis. Anyway, please excuse me." Li Huowang curled up his calves and them down slowly. He had healed enough to stand up.
"Indeed, but..." the chubby woman trailed off, seemingly anxious.
Li Huowang couldn't be bothered with her at all. He exerted all his strength to propel himself off of the ground. Then, he took away the bronze coin sword, which had pierced the spiritual sin, before walking slowly toward the edge of the peach forest.
"Wait!" the chubby woman exclaimed.
Li Huowang turned around, and the tip of his sword pointed directly at the chubby woman's nose.
"What? Are you trying to snatch it away from me?" Li Huowang asked, his voice instantly becoming cold.
The plump woman revealed a shy smile. She took a few steps back until she was out of his attack range before explaining, "We're all from the Surveillance Bureau. How could I do such a thing?"
Li Huowang responded with a cold laugh. He knew too well the methods of his colleagues in the Surveillance Bureau. If he had shown even a hint of fear, the chubby woman would have ambushed him to snatch the spiritual sin away and claim the reward for herself.
Hundreds of lifespan pills were worth a small fortune in this chaotic world. Moreover, the task was to capture a spiritual sin, and the Surveillance Bureau wouldn't ask where it had come from.
"Sounds great. Let's go our separate ways, then. You definitely wouldn't want to get a taste of the Ao Jing Sect's techniques," Li Huowang threatened. Then, he retreated slowly with his loot in hand.