The sound of horse hooves faded gradually as Li Huowang looked up at the oppressive city wall.
It took them an entire day, but they finally reached Yinling City.
It wasn't Li Huowang's first visit to the city, as he had come here when Hong Da had vouched for him to enter the Surveillance Bureau.
The city was second only to Shangjing when it came to prosperity and liveliness.
It was evening, so the city gates were being closed.
Fo Yulu saw the closing gates and picked up the pace.
The horse raised up its forelegs and flung the door open. "Surveillance Bureau! Open up and let us through!"
Li Huowang pulled Li Sui closer to him as he followed closely behind Fo Yulu.
Li Sui had returned to wearing straws. No matter what Li Huowang said, Li Sui refused to wear another human skin again.
Meanwhile, their plan remained unchanged, which was to find Blind Chen at the City God Temple.
However, there was an informant near the city gates. They had just entered Yinling City when they were intercepted by the informant.
The informant was dressed like a Daoist apprentice. They leaped down from a nearby roof and landed on Fo Yulu's carriage.
The informant then whispered something into Fo Yulu's ears before turning around to leave.
Fo Yulu pulled the reins and moved in a direction that was completely opposite of the City God Temple.
"I thought we were going to look for Blind Chen? What's up with the change of plans?" Li Huowang chased after Fo Yulu and asked.
"That's because Chief Zheng is looking for us. He has decided to personally oversee such an important matter. He's also stronger than Blind Chen."
"Chief Zheng? Who is that? Where will we be meeting him?"
"Inside the city. I thought you were a Surveillance Bureau member long ago? There's a secret entrance to the Surveillance Bureau in Yinling City. Don't tell me that you don't know where it is..."
Unfortunately, Li Huowang had no idea, as he dared not go there without the spindle made out of the Muddled One's hair.
he didn't want to expose his identity as a Strayed One, so he maintained a safe distance from anything related to the Surveillance Bureau.
"Where is it?" Li Huowang asked, sounding annoyed. He hated Fo Yulu's tendency to beat around the bush.
"At the Exquisite Pagoda."
Li Huowang stared at the Exquisite Pagado in the distance. He recalled that it was the specialty of Yinling City. The prostitutes with the blue porcelain tattoos could only be found here as well.
Li Huowang frowned, asking, "Is the Exquisite Pagoda part of the Surveillance Bureau's businesses?"
He could still remember how they used the women of the Exquisite Pagoda. In order to prevent any information leak, they'd use deaf and mute prostitutes.
However, Li Huowang wasn't convinced that they'd find girls born deaf and mute.
"Hoho. Do you really think that the Surveillance Bureau will stoop so low? I really am surprised to know that you were once part of them."
Li Huowang relaxed a bit until Fo Yulu explained, "The Exquisite Pagoda's boss would pay tribute to the palace. He's also a merchant who belongs to the royal family. So to be precise, the Exquisite Pagoda is the royal family's business."
"Fuck."
Li Huowang looked at the Exquisite Pagoda with a complicated look on his face. He never thought that the human-eating pagoda belonged to Gao Zhijian!
Just then, Li Huowang ran past a bookshop. He jumped down and grabbed a brush from a scholar before writing down a letter.
After penning the letter, he chased after Fo Yulu and saw that she was dragging He Xinlai toward an inn next to the Exquisite Pagoda.
Li Huowang glanced at the girls inside the pagoda before chasing after Fo Yulu. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
The mission was more important, but he still wrote a letter to Gao Zhijian. He wanted Gao Zhijian to deal with the Exquisite Pagoda.
The inn wasn't large, but the security inside was tight. Li Huowang felt three sets of gazes looking at him the moment he entered the place.
They walked past the rooms and soon found an open door with a bronze mask that symbolized the Surveillance Bureau.
They walked down the steps, and Li Huowang noticed that the Surveillance Bureau here was also built underground just like Shangjing's Surveillance Bureau.
"Is Chief Zheng better than me at interrogation? Who is he?" Li Huowang asked as they walked down the spiral corridor.
Fo Yulu didn't say anything when He Xinlai spat coldly. He was still feisty, even though he had become a human stick.
"Palace dogs! Stop dreaming about trying to get information through me! I have the protection of God Yu'er, and we'd rather die than concede to you!" He Xinlai exclaimed.
"Really? You'd rather die? Then why did that shortie run away? Wasn't he from the Dharma Sect, too?"
The fearless He Xinlai scowled and resentfully said, "Taishan Shi is not loyal to God Yu'er! He will never go to where God Yu'er is after his death! He'll go down to Hell and be boiled in a pot of burning oil for eternity!"
Fo Yulu extended her hands and placed several Buddhas the size of her finger into He Xinlai's mouth.
"You'll when you see him, and I think you'll find him familiar," Fo Yulu said.
"Really?" Li Huowang was confused. He combed through his memories and found nothing.
However, Li Huowang soon understood the meaning behind Fo Yulu's words. It turned out that Chief Zheng was the Chief of Si Qi's Surveillance Bureau, Zheng Boqiao.
It was the same Daoist who placed the lotus root on his head last time. Zheng Boqiao was sitting on a cushion as he faced the three statues in front of him with his eyes closed.
"Chief Zheng! We caught one of the grand witches of the Dharma Sect," Fo Yulu said before doing a quick recount.
However, Zheng Boqiao didn't even look at her. He remained seated, just like the statues depicting different deities around him.
Zheng Boqiao was patient, but Li Huowang was not. "What are you doing? Stop wasting time! The Dharma Sect of the Qi Kingdom has arrived in the Liang Kingdom! Do you want this place to end up like the Qi Kingdom?"
Zheng Boqiao opened his eyes and gulped. He took his horsetail whisk and turned around to stare at Li Huowang. "Daoist Li, we're from the same discipline, so why can't you hold in the Six Angers? Your cultivation is lacking."
Li Huowang didn't respond, but Zheng Boqiao was not angry at all. He turned to the Abbot of the Righteous Monastery without sparing He Xinlai even a single glance.
"Abbot, it must've been a difficult journey."
"Amitabha. We had a pleasant journey."
"I'm sure that you need some time to adjust to the Liang Kingdom. I mean, this is your first time here, right? If you need anything, just tell us. The Surveillance Bureau will do its best to accommodate you. Anyway, I know an unoccupied place with decent Feng Shui. Why not rebuild your temple there for now?"
Chapter 631 - Answer
The Abbot quickly put his palms together. Chief Zheng was courteous to him, so he returned the gesture in kind, saying, "Amitabha. Benefactor, you are too kind, but I fear that I won't be able to accept such a grand gift."
"Don't worry, it's just a tiny gift. There's nobody living on that land to begin with." Zheng Boqiao was abnormally kind to the Abbot.
Li Huowang instantly realized what Zheng Boqiao was doing upon seeing his courteous demeanor. The Liang Kingdom's Surveillance Bureau was trying to recruit the sects of the Qi Kingdom.
It was a good plan, and it would increase the number of their allies against the Liang Kingdom's Dharma Sect.
"It's fine. We shall leave it at that. Since this is your first time here, I've booked a table at the Rainflower restaurant. I heard that their vegetarian dishes there are good, so I hope you will join me."
"Amitabha. You are too kind. I've already eaten today."
"Abbot, the food has been prepared. Don't you think it would be a shame to waste the food?"
Zheng Boqiao was about to pull Chan Du away when Li Huowang stood in their way.
"Chief Zheng, don't you think you've forgotten something here?" Li Huowang asked, sounding frustrated. "You haven't forgotten to interrogate this witch of the Dharma Sect because you can't wait to recruit a key figure of one of the Qi Kingdom's sects, right?"
In fact, Li Huowang had never seen Zheng Boqiao being so talkative.
"Daoist Li, there's no reason to be hasty. How long can a meal take?"
"Can you do it or not? If you can't do it, then I will do it myself."
Sensing Li Huowang's anger, Chan Du intervened. "Daoist, we can eat anytime. This matter is indeed more important."
Seeing that even Chan Du thought that the interrogation was more important than a meal, Zheng Boqiao sighed and brandished his horsetail whisk before walking toward the human "stick" on the ground.
"Daoist Li, the Dharma Sect has long been a headache to us, and we know very well that we can't be too hasty when it comes to matters involving them. Do you really think that a single grand witch will give us enough information to destroy the entire Dharma Sect?"
Li Huowang understood that it wouldn't be that easy, but he was still angry that Zheng Boqiao had actually decided to postpone the issue.
Eventually, Li Huowang took a step back upon seeing that Zheng Boqiao had changed his mind.
Fo Yulu retrieved the golden Buddhas from He Xinlai's mouth. Before anyone could react, He Xinlai spat his saliva and blood at Zheng Boqiao.
Rather than avoiding it, Zheng Boqiao snatched the saliva out of midair and shoved it into his mouth.
Li Huowang frowned at the sight.
However, it wasn't over yet. Zheng Boqiao tore off some of He Xinlai's hair before consuming it with some white fibers that he had plucked from his horsetail whisk.
"What are you doing?" Li Huowang asked, repulsed by Zheng Boqiao's actions.
"I'm refining a pill."
Zheng Boqiao prayed to the three clay deities in front of him before grabbing a fistful of ashes from the incense burner and eating it.
"Refining pills?"
Li Huowang knew how to refine pills. He had learned it from Dan Yangzi, but he had never seen such a method of refining pills.
"Using external objects to refine pills results in External Pills, and it's not the best method to refine pills. I'm using my body to refine pills. That way, I can turn anything into medicine, as every single refinement will result in Internal Pills. It's a superior method compared to using external objects to refine pills," Zheng Boqiao explained as he walked up to Li Huowang.
Before Li Huowang could react, Zheng Boqiao swept his horsetail whisk around Li Huowang before chanting something in a low voice.
When Li Huowang felt the air around him moving around, Zheng Boqiao made several hand seals and placed his face near Li Huowang. Then, he took in a deep breath, sucking in something invisible until his face turned purple, with veins bulging all over his forehead.
"What are you doing?"
Zheng Boqiao opened his mouth slightly and whispered in the lowest voice possible. "You are a Strayed One. What do you think I'm doing here?"
Zheng Boqiao then sat down with his legs crossed. A wisp of white smoke floated out of his head as he sat still like a statue.
Li Huowang finally realized what Zheng Boqiao was doing. He was actually refining pills! I wonder what sect he's from. Using one's own body to refine pills is just too weird.
An hour later, Zheng Boqiao opened his mouth and spat out the pill. The pill was a ball of pulsating meat covered in stomach acid.
Zheng Boqiao stood up with the pill in hand and started walking toward He Xinlai.
He Xinlai panicked at the sight and hurriedly bit down. Unfortunately, Li Huowang had removed all of his teeth to ensure that he wouldn't be able to commit suicide by biting his tongue.
He Xinlai tried his best to resist, but it was to no avail.
Once the pill had made its way into He Xinlai's stomach, his eyes rolled up, and he started convulsing.
Li Huowang was eager to see what was going to happen next, but He Xinlai's figure abruptly became stiff. He was dead.
Before anyone could say anything, Zheng Boqiao took out a small fan and used one hand to make some seals while chanting.
"The head as Taiyi, and the feet as the Heavenly Pillar! The organs form the armor that protects the Heavenly Door! Summon the big dipper and roar! All souls shall follow the orders!"
He Xinlai's brain shrunk in an instant, and the meat pill that was fed to him forcefully suddenly jumped out of He Xinlai's shrunken mouth.
Zheng Boqiao grabbed it in midair and examined it.
The meat pill had gotten larger.
Zheng Boqiao swallowed the pill and closed his eyes as if he was trying to sense something.
Realizing that Zheng Boqiao was indeed a man of multiple talents, Li Huowang stopped panicking and waited patiently for the outcome.
Ten minutes later, Zheng Boqiao opened his eyes.
Li Huowang asked him, "How is it?"
"He's not the leader of the Dharma Sect. The leader is not going to be captured so easily. Still, there's some useful information hidden in his brain. He knows some of the secret bases of the Dharma Sect here in the Liang Kingdom. Moreover, it seems that they are biding their time and hiding, which means they have no intention of fighting us head-on."
"What about Taishan Shi? Anything about him?" Li Huowang asked.
Li Huowang could still remember Chan Du's words about Taishan Shi was the most dangerous among those who had inadvertently ended up in the Liang Kingdom.
"Taishan Shi... Hmm... Let me think." Zheng Boqiao paced around. Soon, he stopped and said, "He doesn't know anything. Taishan Shi was the one who found him, and Taishan Shi is a very careful and meticulous man. He never exposes any information about himself unless it's necessary. Hmm... A lone Taishan Shi shouldn't be that dangerous. I think it's more important to know how the Dharma Sect ended up becoming an ally of that old Lama from Qing Qiu. I think that matter requires our attention more than this issue."
Chapter 632 - Antrabhara Temple
Qing Qiu's Lama?!
Li Huowang could still remember the black Lama with three heads and six arms, and he could still remember how each of the black Lama's heads represented a unique death.
"Are you saying that the Lama from Qing Qiu is working with the Dharma Sect?" Li Huowang asked, his expression becoming serious upon realizing the gravity of the situation.
"If God Yu'er's Heavenly Dao was darkness while the black-skinned[1] Lama worshiped death. There's a possibility that the Lama wanted to use the Natural Disaster caused by God Yu'er to bring everyone to death."
It made sense. Although the Dharma Sect was considered an evil sect by both the royal family and the Surveillance Bureau, there would always be people willing to work with such a ruthless sect. They were living in a crazy world, after all.
"That might not be the case. Many masters from the Antrabhara[2] Temple have decided to join the Surveillance Bureau of Qing Qiu."
This was Li Huowang's first time hearing of the Antrabhara Temple, and it was apparently the sect where the Lamas had come from.
"Antrabhara Temple... " Li Huowang recalled the half-man and half-sheep people being laid orderly on Qing Qiu's lush grass meadows.
A sect worshiping death meant nothing but bad news to Li Huowang.
"Could it be that the Antrabhara Temple has complete control over the Surveillance Bureau of Qing Qiu? Doesn't that mean that the entire Qing Qiu is under the control of the Dharma Sect?" Li Huowang said unconsciously.
Fo Yulu trembled at the idea that Li Huowang had brought up. If it was true, the entire Liang Kingdom was in danger.
Attacks from the inside and the outside at the same time were incredibly dangerous and difficult to handle.
Zheng Boqiao swung his horsetail whisk, creating a crackling noise. "That's not the case. The reason Xuan Pin was away for so long was that he was trying to convince the Surveillance Bureau to unite and work together. If there really were a problem with the Surveillance Bureau in Qing Qiu, he would have discovered it at that time."
"Xuan Pin..." Li Huowang could still remember how Xuan Pin had left the city urgently at the time when Li Huowang wanted his help to deal with the Sitting Oblivion Dao before.
It was only when Shai Zi had taken control over the Dragon Vein that Xuan Pin came back. He had been wondering what business was more urgent than saving the city, but it turned out that Xuan Pin's task at the time was truly more important.
"Hm..." Zheng Boqiao muttered and stared at Li Huowang.
"Daoist Li, there's no need for you to worry," Zheng Boqiao said, "The Surveillance Bureau has sent someone to go and investigate this matter. You're right. Things are going to become dangerous if the Dharma Sect from the Qi Kingdom manages to make contact with the Dharma Sect from the Liang Kingdom. Through the pill that I've extracted from He Xinlai's brain, I learned the location of some of their big bases. We might be able to find high-ranking officials of the Dharma Sect in those places. If you're free, how about you volunteer to raid those places and go see the results for yourselves?"
Li Huowang's face stiffened, and he proceeded to reevaluate Zheng Boqiao. It was true that he had come here to help the Surveillance Bureau eradicate the Dharma Sect and obtain some information as well, but now, he had a feeling that Zheng Boqiao was trying to distract him. Was there something wrong with the Antrabhara Temple?
"Chief Zheng, you know that I'm related to the Emperor. He has ordered me to go around the Liang Kingdom to observe the situation. And I'm sure you know that hiding something from him is treason."
"Hehe, Daoist Li, that's not true. This is a matter relating to the Surveillance Bureau. I fear that the Emperor doesn't have any right to interfere in this."
"The Emperor cannot do anything, but it doesn't mean that he has to remain ignorant," Li Huowang said. He became even more suspicious of Zheng Boqiao's attempt to change the subject.
Zheng Boqiao sighed, and he looked as if he had decided to relent as he said, "Fine. Once the informants come back from Qing Qiu, we should be able to get some information about the Antrabhara Temple. We will then submit a report to the Emperor. What do you think? Will he help stop the invasion of the Dharma Sect by then?"
Looking at the people around him, Li Huowang decided not to pressure them any longer. Every single one of them was living in the Liang Kingdom, so the Dharma Sect was a problem that they had to resolve together.
"How can you say that, Chief Zheng? I live in the Liang Kingdom as well, and I am a member of the Surveillance Bureau. I will never refuse when it comes to eradicating the Dharma Sect."
"Hehehe, I guess I made a mistake. Anyway, let's not waste more time. I will write down their exact location, and let's work together to make sure that they won't be able to run away."
Zheng Boqiao approached the incense burner and grabbed another fistful of ashes. He used it to quickly write something on the ground. Soon, several addresses written appeared on the ground. Most of them were villages at the borders of the Liang Kingdom. It seemed that the Dharma Sect was operating just like the White Lotus Sect. They'd disguise themselves as regular people and hide in the border towns to avoid attracting any attention.
After writing the addresses, Zheng Boqiao swung his horsetail whisk toward the addresses. The ashes converged and transformed into a small pile of ashes on his palm.
Zheng Boqiao took the pile of ashes and handed it over to Li Huowang.
"I am versed in refining pills. Daoist Li, stay here for a bit. Let me give you some pills that will heal your wounds."
Li Huowang grabbed the pile of ashes and stashed it in his pocket before turning around to leave.
"No need. I don't like pills," he said
He wanted to do things by himself alone, and he did not want to team up with the Surveillance Bureau for this mission.
After all, there was a chance that they had an ulterior motive.
"The Bureau will send people to locate them. If you run into each other, just reveal your name to them, and they will show you the way!" Zheng Boqiao shouted at Li Huowang.
Li Huowang didn't respond and simply left with Li Sui.
Once Li Sui and Li Huowang were no longer in sight, Zheng Boqiao turned to Fo Yulu and said, "He doesn't have the same mission as us. We can recruit him, but be careful whenever you interact with him."
Fo Yulu nodded. "I understand. He is related to the royal family, and he doesn't belong to the Surveillance Bureau at all."
Zheng Boqiao shook his head and said, "No. I'm afraid that he's not affiliated with His Majesty."
They were discussing secrets here, but Zheng Boqiao had no intention of letting the Abbot out of the loop.
Fo Yulu was slightly taken aback. "He's not affiliated with His Majesty? Then, who is he working with? Is he a spy from the Dharma Sect?"
"Calm down. There's no need to talk about him for now. We still have more important matters to handle. Of course, it's always good to be prudent. The next time you have to work with him, you must notify me as soon as possible."
"I understand."
With that, Zheng Boqiao bowed to the Abbot with a smile, saying, "Master Chan Du, these affairs have been settled, so let us proceed to have our meals."
"Amitabha. Thank you for the meal, benefactor," Chan Du said. He then put his palms together and bowed.
1. Black-skinned here doesn't refer to the pigment but instead how the skin turns dark after a person dies and rots/mummified ☜
2. In Buddhism, there is a period of 49 days before someone gets reincarnated after death. Think of it as a temporary Limbo ☜
Chapter 633 - Hospital
Li Huowang was inside a clean ward with white walls. There was a cup of water in his hands, and he showed it to Wu Cheng. Then, he opened his other hand, revealing several yellow and green pills.
Moments later, he hurled the pills into his mouth and swallowed them with some water.
However, it wasn't over just yet. Li Huowang opened his mouth to reveal that he had swallowed every single pill.
With the checkup done, Wu Cheng was about to exit the room when Li Huowang stopped him, asking, "Aren't those pills expensive? I don't mind eating pills like these if it gives both you and Yi Donglai assurance, but I'm not an idiot who's going to take every expensive pill that you prescribe."
"Hehe." Wu Cheng chuckled.
"I'm not kidding. I know that something like that happens frequently in private hospitals."
"If you're free, you should go outside and walk around. Walk under the sun and make some new friends while you're at it. You might get discharged sooner than you think that way."
Wu Cheng took out a key from his white robe and unlocked Li Huowang's leg cuffs.
Li Huowang smiled slightly at the sight, knowing that he was one step closer to getting discharged.
Soon, Li Huowang was left alone, and he started pacing around his room.
As much as he didn't want to listen to Wu Cheng, the latter was right. There was nothing in his room except for a bed.
Li Huowang wouldn't be able to do anything here other than sleeping or daydreaming. He walked out of his room and found that the corridor was full of activity.
Even though most of the patients didn't want to get close to Li Huowang due to his reputation, their reaction toward him had improved significantly compared to last time.
The patients with regular intervention sessions with Li Huowang could greet him now.
"Bro, come here and watch TV with us in the hall. Titanic is playing, and a nude scene is coming up!" the man suffering from manic syndrome shouted at Li Huowang. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
"I'm fine. I'm going out to get some sun," Li Huowang replied. Although he had refused, he could understand why the man suffering from manic syndrome was so excited; the latter's condition had stabilized, after all, and he'd soon get discharged.
In a mental hospital, the patients were only looking forward to two things—family visits and getting discharged.
Li Huowang made his way to the small garden behind the hospital. He sat on the ground and closed his eyes, enjoying the warm sunlight. He emptied his mind and refused to think about anything related to the hospital or mental disorders. Right now, Li Huowang wanted nothing more than to enjoy this brief respite.
At the time, he felt like the entire world was against him. He encountered problems and difficulties one after another. Fortunately, he had persevered, which brought him to where he was today.
Just then, a commotion erupted nearby, interrupting Li Huowang's moment of peace. He opened his eyes and saw several patients trying to grab something.
Li Huowang walked over and saw a skinny girl and a young man; they were trying to snatch the apple of another patient.
"This is mine! This is mine!" The patient tried his best to defend his apple.
Li Huowang was familiar with him. Everyone described him as the dullest patient in the hospital.
The young man grabbed the apple with both hands and pulled hard. Once the apple was in his hands, he turned around and ran into the building with the skinny girl next to him.
However, Li Huowang appeared in their way and said, "Give me that apple."
The youth was shocked upon seeing Li Huowang's cuffed hands, and then he was scared upon realizing that Li Huowang had murdered someone prior to getting admitted to this hospital.
"Okay, okay, it's yours!" the young man exclaimed, throwing the apple to Li Huowang before abandoning running away, abandoning his partner.
Li Huowang snatched the apple out of midair and read the name written on the paper pasted to it.
It turned out that the dullest patient in the hospital was named Gao Jingyun.
Li Huowang walked up to the crying Gao Jingyun and gave him the apple.
"Thank... Thank you!" Gao Jingyun exclaimed. He was naive and innocent, and he immediately stopped crying upon receiving his apple.
He looked at Li Huowang with gratitude in his eyes.
Li Huowang saw that and kindly advised, "The next time you get your own food, spit on it so others won't take it away from you. Do you understand?"
Gao Jingyun nodded.
Li Huowang turned around and entered the building. He coincidentally stumbled upon the depressed Zhao Ting. She had seen everything that had transpired.
"Thank you for taking pity on him. The others have been bullying him because of his condition."
"I'm not pitying him at all, but I think he's going to get locked up in this private hospital for life. His parents must be rich, so they should be able to afford that. I did what I did because I hate bullies."
"His family is rich? Then, how come they haven't been visiting him?" Zhao Ting asked. She followed closely behind Li Huowang and asked more questions.
Everyone was afraid of Li Huowang, but Zhao Ting knew that Li Huowang was kind.
"Hahaha, it's all because people like him are no better than those with mental illnesses. Those from rich families will be shoved into private hospitals, while those with little money are thrown into government hospitals. If their family thinks of them as their family members, then they'll probably just chain them up in their own house. Otherwise, they'd throw them onto the streets. They would then have to live by rummaging around trash cans."
Zhao Ting seemed to have recalled a painful memory upon hearing Li Huowang's words. Her steps came to an abrupt halt, and her face twisted in agony.
Li Huowang didn't notice that and continued walking down the corridor. He didn't go to the hall, as it was most likely packed with people. He walked around, inspecting the many different facilities of the hospital to memorize the hospital's layout.
Unfortunately, the regular wards looked the same as the other wards.
The kitchen and offices were off-limits to Li Huwang, but he walked around until he found the intensive care area.
The patients with severe illnesses and episodes were kept in isolation here.
The place was quite big, but the corridor was quiet.
Li Huowang also felt like he was entering a prison rather than a hospital floor.
Li Huowang walked up to a heavy-looking door and peeled into the room through the window.
He looked around and saw that it was empty.
Li Huowang looked into the second room and saw nothing too.
What's going on? Is the hospital only accepting those with mild issues? I guess that's an easy way to earn money.
Li Huowang was about to leave when he heard a faint knocking on the door at the end of the corridor.
Hm? There's actually someone here? Li Huowang stared at the room and approached it.
It was eerie; the knocking intensified the closer he got to the door.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Chapter 634 - Qian Fu
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Li Huowang peeked into the room through the window reinforced with wire and saw where the noises were coming from.
The noises were coming from a patient in a straitjacket. The patient looked disheveled and had a chin covered with an untrimmed beard. The knocking noises were coming from the patient's head as he slammed it forcefully into the bed.
The noises had gotten significantly louder. However, the thin and flexible bed frame couldn't hurt him at all.
"W-what illness is he suffering from?" Li Huowang muttered with a frown while staring at the man with curious eyes.
The man was roughly one and a half meters tall. His face was twitching and was constantly shifting between crying and laughing.
It was Li Huowang's first time seeing such a patient.
He should be on some medicine, so the fact that he's here means that there's something going on behind the scenes. Is this a side effect of one of his medications?
Just then, the man inside the room came to a halt and stared right into Li Huowang. "
"It's you! Hahaha! You're here!"
Li Huowang decided to play along and nodded. "Yes. I'm here."
"Good! I've been waiting for you! I never thought that you'd come and see me first!"
"Oh? Have we met before?"
"Hahaha! Yes, and we know each other, too!"
After exchanging a few words with the bizarre patient, Li Huowang got bored and decided to leave.
"Li Huowang, you have to be careful! They're looking for you, and there are too many of them! You can't defeat them by yourself! You need help!"
Li Huowang's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately turned around.
He peered into the room through the same window and saw that the bed was empty.
Before Li Huowang could realize what was going on, the patient's face shot up from underneath and was pressed against the window.
Unnervingly, the patient was staring at him without blinking.
Li Huowang was started, but it only took him a moment to calm down. "You've seen me in the news, haven't you? Is that how you knew my name?"
Li Huowang had almost forgotten that he was pretty popular outside.
"No! I knew you way before that incident. I was one of them, and they told me to capture you and the others! But I didn't want to do it! Everything is over once all of you are captured!"
"What do you mean by 'them'?"
"Them! The family of darkness that was driven away a long time ago! They're working for the aliens from Leo[1]!
Li Huowang almost burst out laughing at the reply. Sometimes, those with mental illnesses were incredibly funny. "I think you watched too much anime outside. Also, your story earlier is contradictory to what you're saying right now."
"I'm imprisoned, but my comrades were dispatched to find you! They're looking for you! They want to kill you! We don't have enough time! You need to let me out. We must work together so we can survive!" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Li Huowang smiled and shook his head. He was about to say something when a patrolling nurse saw them and exclaimed, "Hey! Which room are you from? This is the intensive care area! You're not allowed here! Get out of here!"
"Bye. Just look for me once you've taken your medicine," said Li Huowang. He waved his hand and left the intensive care area.
Li Huowang strolled around the hospital until he eventually made his way to the cafeteria for lunch.
Li Huowang took a tray and lined up for food.
The food here was much better compared to Li Huowang's previous hospital. He got himself some stir-fried pork liver with celery as well as a serving of stir-fried water spinach.
Li Huowang walked over to an empty seat and sat down to eat.
The strange incident earlier was already in the back of his eyes. After all, no one in their right mind would believe a mentally ill patient.
Moreover, he was just curious about the patient's condition and his illness.
Their conversation told Li Huowang that the man wasn't a psycho, as his words were somehow logical.
Just then, Wei Shili, the man suffering from manic syndrome, walked up to Li Huowang upon seeing that the latter was eating lunch by himself.
Wei Shili had decided to befriend Li Huowang after spending some time with the latter and becoming convinced that Li Huowang wasn't a psychopath.
At first, Wei Shili was skeptical when Li Huowang said that he wasn't ill, but he was starting to believe Li Huowang's claims.
Li Huowang looked normal, and his behavior was normal as well.
Moreover, he was kind and often shared his snacks with the other patients.
"I've passed my examinations! I'll be discharged in two days the soonest if my family comes by then," Wei Shili said excitedly as he sat next to Li Huowang.
"I know. This isn't the first time you told me that. No need to keep telling me about it."
"Hehe, that's because I'm just too happy. I've been here for almost a year, and I can finally get out," Wei Shili said as he ate mouthful after mouthful of his rice mixed with a serving of chicken stew and mashed potato.
"Has it been one year? It's been a long time, then. Wait, since you've been here for such a long time, do you know anything about the man stuck in the intensive care area?" Li Huowang asked.
Wei Shili was confused. "Intensive care area? Who is it?"
"The man with the untrimmed beard."
"Oh, him? His name is Qian Fu. I think he's been here for a very long time. He was already here when I was just admitted."
"What illness does he have? And how come he's imprisoned there?"
"Illness?" Wei Shili put his spoon down and replied, "I think he has schizophrenia."
"Really? I don't think so. I've never seen a schizophrenic patient talk nonsense like he did."
Just then, the woman diagnosed with anxiety walked up to them and asked, "What are you guys gossiping about?"
"Nothing much. Just talking about Qian Fu's illness. Doesn't he have schizophrenia?"
"Ah, It's not schizophrenia. Don't talk about it when you don't know the answer. Actually, the doctors have yet to diagnose him of any illnesses."
"Wait, even the doctors don't know?" Li Huowang was shocked. This was unprecedented for him.
"Yes. The doctors aren't omniscient. They won't be able to diagnose someone with an illness if they have never heard of that illness before. Anyway, Qian Fu is really pitiful. The doctors can't prescribe medications for him to take, as they don't know his illness, so they have no choice but to lock him up and wait for him to stabilize."
The curious voice in Li Huowang's mind went silent upon hearing the woman's explanation. He went on with his meal as if nothing had happened.
Li Huowang thought that the incident was over and decided to forget all about it.
Several days later, however, a familiar visitor walked up to Li Huowang while he was busy munching on his bamboo shoots during lunch.
The visitor was none other than Qian Fu!
Their gazes met in midair, and Qian Fu immediately walked over to Li Huowang instead of taking some dishes to eat before anything else.
Li Huowang thought that Qian Fu was going to kick up a fuss, but he was wrong.
Qian Fu had decided to apologize to him instead, saying, "I'm sorry. I think I spoke a bunch of nonsense to you the last time we met. It must've been disturbing for you. I'm sorry."
Li Huowang was presented by a calm and polite Qian Fu, which greatly contrasted with the crazed Qian Fu, whom he had met for the first time several days ago.
1. The constellation ☜
Chapter 635 - Beard
Li Huowang didn't immediately reply. He proceeded to take a mouthful of his pumpkin congee and a bite of his bamboo shoots before replying, "Split personality disorder?"
"I guess you can say that, but it's not exactly like that. Anyway, I have another illness on top of that, but it's on my other personality."
Split personality, but one of them is normal while the other has a different mental illness on top of everything? Li Huowang found it strange. He probably has advanced-stage paranoia, too.
"I'm here to apologize; that's it. I'm just glad that my other half didn't cause you any trouble. Please continue with your meal. I'm leaving now," Qian Fu said and bowed before leaving.
He's crazy. I shouldn't have gone to the intensive care area. Li Huowang shook his head and continued with his meal.
Thirty minutes after his lunch, Li Huowang took his medicine and proceeded to watch the news in the common area.
After a while, Li Huowang returned to his bed to sleep.
Regardless of their conditions, the patients still had a healthy daily schedule. No one was allowed to stay up late at night, and no one was allowed to eat junk food. The living conditions were noticeably better compared to outside.
Even so, Li Huowang still couldn't get used to sleeping so early. There was no entertainment in his room, and he could only sprawl out on his bed with his eyes wide open.
When he finally felt drowsy and closed his eyes to sleep, he felt something strange.
He tensed up as he turned to look at the window.
Qian Fu was standing outside the door; his face was pressed firmly against the window as he stared deeply at Li Huowang.
It was a terrifying scene that would scare just about anyone, but Li Huowang felt nothing but frustration.
Li Huowang threw his blanket away and walked up to the window. He stared at Qian Fu's face and warned, "I don't want any trouble. Stop going up to me, or I won't show you any mercy next time."
Li Huowang didn't expect that his leisurely stroll would give him such a massive headache.
However, Qian Fu was not intimidated at all. He grinned and chuckled. "Little Li, let's work together. You can't defeat them on your own. You really need help. We need to help each other to survive. If we lose, it's all over!"
"'Defeat them'? Who? The aliens from Leo?"
"Yes!" Qian Fu nodded.
"Stop pretending like you don't know me. I'm sure you know, but I'm even crazier than you. You've seen the news, so you should know what I'm capable of doing!"
Li Huowang closed the curtains and turned to the camera in the corner of the room.
"Are you guys a bunch of useless leeches?! You're getting paid to do your job, so why won't you guys do your job properly? A patient has escaped his room in the middle of the night! Why does it seem like you guys don't care about it at all?!"
With that, Li Huowang sprawled out on the bed and tried to sleep, but he couldn't sleep at all.
Thankfully, there weren't any more movements outside of the room.
Li Huowang tossed and turned before finally falling asleep.
Li Huowang found himself in school, and he was sitting right behind Yang Na.
There was a ribbon on Yang Na's nape.
Li Huowang tried to untie the ribbon with his pen when a dull thud entered his ears.
Bam!
The giant wooden hammer struck the steamed glutinous rice. An old man was standing next to the man pounding the rice.
The old man would use his wet hands to turn over the glutinous rice after each pounding.
Whenever the pounder was exhausted, someone else would take over the job.
The nearby crowd was in awe of the sight. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
Everyone in the village was laughing as they stood around the mortar.
They watched as the hammer went up and down, hitting the white glutinous rice in the mortar.
Li Huowang was sitting on a tree branch as he stared at them with a frown.
Is it them? Are they really from the Dharma Sect? Li Huowang carefully observed.
The pounding went on for quite a while until the steaming rice became a white paste.
A man grabbed some of the steaming white paste and shaped it into a ball before throwing it into a bowl filled with black sesame and sugar.
He rolled it around, and a piece of mochi was complete!
For some reason, the sight reminded Li Huowang of the guiding drug. The guiding drug looked just like that mochi.
Dan Yangzi had crushed her into a paste by pounding her with a large pestle.
Everything seemed normal, but Li Huowang had to be meticulous. He was already here, so he had to make sure that there wouldn't be any mistakes.
Li Huowang jumped down. His tentacles burst out of him, making him look like a giant spider falling from the sky.
He projected his image into the ground and gripped his sword tightly as he looked around. Then, he slowly and carefully made his way to the village.
The conversations of the villagers became clearer and clearer as he got closer and closer to the village.
Apparently, one of the villagers gave birth to twins—one boy and one girl. To celebrate, they decided to share their precious food and white sugar with everyone else.
The villagers rarely had white sugar, so the children were thrilled to know that they'd get to eat white sugar! Every single villager was all smiles as they consumed the mochi.
Li Huowang walked into the village and swept his gaze across their dirty and ordinary faces.
The majority of the villagers had shown up here to eat some mochi, so there were very few people in the other parts of the village.
Thus, Li Huowang didn't have any difficulties searching the entire village. He combed through the village but found nothing suspicious.
Li Huowang used his experience at Cowheart Village and found the village's ancestral hall, but he found zero hidden rooms.
Maybe the information in He Xinlai's head is fake? Maybe the Dharma Sect has already left this place?
While Li Huowang was busy engrossed in his own thoughts, a loud commotion erupted outside.
Li Huowang hopped onto a nearby roof and made a beeline for the village entrance.
A large-framed man swinging a monk spade was at the village entrance. Three heads would fall to the ground with every swing of his monk spade.
Soon, the ground was dyed crimson with the villagers' blood blood.
The large-framed man was about to kill some children when Li Huowang appeared and blocked the large-framed man's attack.
Clang!
Sparks flew, and the two of them were blasted away by the impact.
Li Huowang was shocked by the large-framed man's brute strength, while the latter was shocked upon seeing a dent in his monk spade.
An identity plate from the Surveillance Bureau was hanging from the man's waist, so Li Huowang didn't unsheathe his spine sword.
"Are you from the Surveillance Bureau?" asked Li Huowang.
"Hm?" The large-framed man's eyes widened in shock. He sized up Li Huowang and thrust his monk spade into the ground upon realizing the latter's identity. "Ah! What a mistake! To think that we couldn't identify each other as soon as we met! You're Sir Er, aren't you?! I'm sorry for the confusion!"
"Why are you killing these people for no reason? You weren't even going to spare the children. What if they're innocent?" Li Huowang asked with a frown.
"It's going to be fine even if I'm wrong, but I'm right this time. I mean, just look at that."
Li Huowang turned around and saw the surviving villagers glaring at them.
"Kill the palace dogs!"
They whipped out a black cloth from inside their clothes and tied it around their shoulders.
Chapter 636 - Dharma Sect
A single swing was enough to cut the man in front of Li Huowang in half.
Li Huowang couldn't even catch his breath as more and more Dharma Sect members charged at him.
They were regular villagers just a few moments ago, but they had become warriors unafraid of death in the blink of an eye,
The large-framed bearded man danced with his monk spade and charged into the fray.
Li Sui used the bronze coin sword and sliced a man's head in half while Li Huowang was busy staring at the chaos.
Li Huowang had fought with the Dharma Sect numerous times, so he knew that he couldn't waste any time on the cannon fodders.
He had to handle with their leader, or the cannon fodders would never stop attacking them.
Li Huowang reckoned that the leader was among the cannon fodders.
Six tentacles struck the ground, propelling Li Huowang high up into the air.
With a bird's eye view of the entire village, Li Huowang looked around for the leader. His pupils even split in half, allowing him to search more efficiently.
Li Huowang jumped a few more times until his pupils converged and focused on a mountain behind the village.
His eye had captured the word "Witch" over there. "No wonder I can't find the leader here! They're actually hiding in a mountain behind the village!"
Peng Longteng's massive figure appeared in front of Li Huowang, and she threw him toward the mountain.
Li Huowang's bag of torture tools flapped in the air as he fell toward the massive "Witch" word like a meteor.
Li Huowang was about to land when something pierced the character and pierced Li Huowang as well.
A hole the size of a forearm was in his stomach by the time he landed.
"Sui, sui! Are you okay?!" Li Huowang asked, looking around cautiously.
"Father, I'm fine. I managed to dodge it."
Li Huowang cast a wary gaze at the nearby trees. There was no follow-up attack, which surprised Li Huowang a bit.
The assailant seemed to have acknowledged Li Huowang's strength and proceeded to hide rather than risk their life to try and kill Li Huowang in the open.
"Do you really think that I can't find you?" Li Huowang asked. He then told Li Sui to pull out one of his bones.
Li Huowang proceeded to cast divination using his own bone. He stared at the pattern on the bone for quite a while before he shoved the bone inside of him.
Time ticked by, but Li Huowang found nothing. Just as he thought that his divination had failed, he suddenly noticed something. There was a suspicious part on a nearby mountain wall.
Li Huowang stared alternatingly between the pattern on the bone and the pattern on the growing vines on the wall.
Then, he charged at the wall and slashed out with his purple-tasseled sword.
The wall was cut in half, and a cave appeared in front of Li Huowang.
So they're hiding inside the mountain. It seems that the techniques of the Qi Kingdom's Dharma Sect are closely tied to the earth.
Li Huowang took a stance with his sword and was about to expand the size of the cave when a stone shot out from the depths of the cave.
The stone was heading for his head, but Li Sui easily caught it.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang rushed down the cave to catch the attacker.
***
There was a constant rain of stones, arrows, and sharp objects, but Li Huowang remained unscathed.
Peng Longteng was standing in front of him, after all, and was acting like a massive shield.
Thanks to Peng Longteng, Li Huowang managed to reach the end of the cave.
It was extremely dark, and he couldn't even see his own hands, but he could sense a crowd of people around him.
"Die!" Li Huowang roared and charged into the darkness. He hacked and slashed out with his sword, painting the cave walls crimson.
Li Huowang's demeanor had changed drastically. He was like a tiger leaping into a herd of sheep, and he slaughtered every single sheep around him.
His eye glimmered with a murderous light. He knew that he needed to kill all of the Dharma Sect members, or they'd spread like the plague.
Li Huowang ripped off a man's head from his shoulder when the cave lit up just then, blinding his last remaining good eye.
Before he could adjust to the brightness, something tackled him from the left. He crashed into the wall and fell to the ground. He coughed violently, coughing out some tentacles and chunks of his organs.
Li Huowang grabbed the tentacles and ate them before standing up to see his assailant.
"Xu Nian?!" Li Huowang was shocked to see the familiar beast.
It was the very same Xu Nian that helped him fight against the Dragon Vein in the Qi Kingdom. Li Huowang could even see familiar scars on its figure.
The only difference was that the Xu Nian before him was missing its head. The woman's head was nowhere to be found, so the Xu Nian only had the body of a beast.
A woman with a veil was riding the Xu Nian as if it were a horse. The veil had the character "Witch" on it, and the woman was staring deeply at Li Huowang.
The woman didn't make a move, seemingly waiting for something.
"Father, your hair is turning white," Li Sui warned.
Li Huowang instantly realized why his hair was turning white. He looked down at his hands and saw that they were covered in wrinkles and were shriveling up rapidly.
"Shit! Xu Nian has stolen my lifespan!" Li Huowang grabbed his gourd and poured the lifespan pills inside of it into his mouth.
After eating dozens of lifespan pills, the wrinkles on Li Huowang's hand disappeared, allowing him to sigh in relief.
Thankfully, he was a Strayed One, so he could take as many lifespan pills as he needed. If it hadn't been for his special identity, the attack just now would have killed him.
Still, Li Huowang was in a bad situation.
This wasn't his first time fighting a Xu Nian, as he had fought one as a result of Zhuge Yuan's scheme.
The attacks he had suffered at the time were devastating attacks that robbed him of his lifespan.
Li Huowang didn't expect that Zhuge Yuan's friends would end up being controlled by the Dharma Sect's control.
Li Huowang looked around and noted that they were in a limestone cave. Stalactites and stalagmites covered the entire cave, and the cave itself was tilted toward the left.
Just then, Li Huowang noticed something strange. He had definitely killed quite a few people just now, but there were no traces of his slaughter; there wasn't even blood on the cave walls.
Soon, Li Huowang saw a figure hiding in the distant darkness.
The darkness was bizarre as well. He strained hard, but he couldn't see what exactly was in the distance.
To make matters worse, the darkness was disappearing, plunging the cave into a pitch-black darkness again.
Footsteps echoed moments later; the Xu Nian and the figure in the darkness were slowly approaching Li Huowang.
Even more shocking was that the empty cave became crowded once again, and they all charged at Li Huowang from every direction.
Chapter 637 - Xu Nian
Realizing that the Xu Nian could attack him anytime, Li Huowang dared not let his guard down.
Li Huowang had no choice but to go all out. He only had a few lifespan pills left, so he'd definitely die if the Xu Nian managed to land just one hit on him.
Soon, the attacks became unbearable. Li Huowang decisively set his skin ablaze using the flint, filling up the cave with flames. The enemies in the darkness were melted away by flames.
Li Huowang turned and saw that Xu Nian hadn't actually moved.
However, he noticed quite a few flickering crimson afterimages around it.
Li Huowang had just sacrificed his skin to Ba-Hui in exchange for power, but his scalp still went numb at the sight.
The Xu Nian was channeling the same attack that she had used to defeat the Dragon Vein!
"No! I have to stop her!" Li Huowang exclaimed and charged at the Xu Nian.
Shadows jumped out from behind the stalactites, charging at Li Huowang. However, the flames melted them away.
Li Huowang unsheathed his spine sword and swung it toward the Xu Nian. A spacetime rift manifested, and it made a beeline for the woman.
The spacetime rift was about to hit the woman riding the Xu Nian when the ground sank. The Xu Nian inadvertently dropped down, and it accidentally dodged the attack.
The Xu Nian quickly climbed out of the hole, and an everlasting torrent of crimson afterimages manifested.
The situation had just taken a drastic turn!
Li Huowang tried his best to avoid every single attack. He didn't want to get his lifespan stolen or his time rewound. He retreated while defending himself and counterattacking with his spine sword.
Unfortunately, the crimson afterimages were truly everlasting. They soon filled up the entire cave amidst Li Huowang's slow retreat.
Just then, a black modao[1] tied with chains shot out from the darkness and pierced the Xu Nian's scales.
The chains went taut, and someone flew into the cave.
"Stop!" Li Huowang exclaimed. He didn't want the newcomer to get too close to Xu Nian, "Don't touch it!"
Shwik!
A modao was thrust into the ground, and the man stopped just ten meters away from the Xu Nian.
Li Huowang finally managed to take a good look at the newcomer. He thought the newcomer was the large-framed man with a monk spade, but it turned out to be a man wearing tattered armor.
The man looked like he was from the military. He looked pretty young, but his untrimmed beard and exhausted face made it look like he had experienced the many vicissitudes of life.
"Kill the rider!" Li Huowang exclaimed.
The man in black armor's fists trembled upon seeing the purple-tasseled sword on Li Huowang's back. He tugged at the chains and caught the two modaos before sheathing them on his back. "Give me the Tai'a Sword!"
Li Huowang had no idea what the man was talking about. He was about to respond when the Xu Nian charged at them.
Li Huowang retreated and shouted, "Help me immobilize it! I have a plan!" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
The man jumped high into the air. He somersaulted and reached behind his back before throwing all four modaos on his back toward the Xu Nian.
The Xu Nian's feet were immobilized by the chains.
Li Huowang immediately swung his spine sword toward the woman on the Xu Nian's back.
The woman tried to dodge the attack, but Li Huowang tore off one of his ribs and stabbed it into his own chest.
A wave of pain erupted from him, and everyone felt the same sharp pain as him.
Swoosh!
The spacetime rift decapitated the woman, and her head vanished into the Qi Kingdom.
The crimson afterimages around the Xu Nian disappeared.
The jingling of chains echoed from behind. The man used his chain to unsheath Li Huowang's purple-tasseled sword before throwing it toward the Xu Nian's neck.
"Wait!" Li Huowang's face changed drastically. His figure blinked and reappeared in midair while Li Sui's tentacles grabbed the purple-tasseled sword. "Don't kill her. She's a friend, and she was just under someone else's control. That is no longer the case, so she's no longer an enemy. She also has no intentions of killing us."
The man took one look at the Xu Nian before retrieving his four modaos with a single flick of his hand. The modaos seemed to sheath themselves on his back.
Xu Nian regained its freedom and jumped into the darkness. After a while, it returned, and a woman's face was on its neck.
The face was still torn, and there were pages beneath it. There were texts on each page, and Li Huowang was familiar with the handwriting. It was Zhuge Yuan's penmanship!
"Is that you?" Xu Nian asked, staring at Li Huowang.
Li Huowang cast a complicated gaze at the woman. He wanted to say something, but his mouth wouldn't move
"No. It's not you. You are no longer here." Xu Nian shook her head in disappointment before sprinting toward the entrance of the cave, startling the large-framed man, who was just about to enter the cave.
Li Huowang wanted to chase after the Xu Nian, but he saw that Li Sui was playing tug of war with the man in a black armor. "Li Sui, let go!"
"No! He wants to take our sword! This is our sword! It's not his sword!" Li Sui exclaimed. She endured the flames as she wrapped the purple-tasseled sword tightly with her tentacles.
A chain and a tentacle were tugging at the purple-tasseled sword.
Li Huowang stared at the man in black armor, obviously asking for an explanation.
"Sir, can you please return this sword to me?" Li Huowang asked, extinguishing the flames around him, which revealed his figure that resembled a chunk of charcoal.
"Why would I return this to you?! This is my sword!" You Zixiong exclaimed, glaring at Li Huowang with bloodshot eyes.
"Zixiong, Sir Er, we're all from the same team. Let's not do this, okay? We can talk this out," the large-framed man said, trying to calm them down.
Li Huowang didn't want to fight the man, as he had been helpful during the fight just now. "Sir, I'm not someone unreasonable. I can give you anything except for this sword. My senior gave it to me, so I can't part with it."
"Who's your senior?"
"Benevolent Nunnery, Abbess Jingxin."
You Zixiong's eyes flashed in a peculiar light. He let go of the sword, and his chains returned to his robes.
Li Huowang cast a doubtful gaze at You Zixiong. "You know Abbess Jingxin?"
"No, but I'm from Si Qi. I did give the Benevolent Nunnery my sword as collateral last time, but Si Qi has been destroyed. I was certain that she wouldn't exchange it for money, but... hehe," You Zixiong said. His killing intent vanished, and he looked defeated.
1. A weapon that's a cross between a greatsword and a spear ☜
Chapter 638 - Change
The charred Li Huowang stared deeply at You Zixiong, listening to the latter's recount.
It turned out You Zixiong was from the military of Si Qi, and he became like floating duckweed after Si Qi's destruction. He had nowhere to go, so he decided to settle down in the Liang Kingdom.
As for his relationship with the Benevolent Nunnery... Li Huowang asked, and You Zixiong replied that he met the nuns from the Benevolent Nunnery halfway through his journey to the Liang Kingdom.
The front liners needed their salary, so You Zixiong used his own sword as collateral to exchange for silver from the nuns.
The silver that the Nuns were transporting at the time was the same silver that Li Huowang had looted from the water bandits in the reed field.
Back then, he had used that money to exchange for a method to deal with Dan Yangzi from Abbess Jingxin.
The Abbess then used the silver to exchange for You Zixiong's sword before gifting it to Li Huowang as a present so that he could defend himself.
With that, the loop was closed as if fate itself had willed it.
As Li Huowang listened to You Zixiong's explanation, a distant memory surfaced in his mind. He felt a complicated feeling bubbling from the depths of his heart.
After a while, Li Huowang stared at the silent You Zixiong and asked, "Then... do you know how the nuns died?"
You Zixiong shook his head and replied, "After exchanging the Tai'a Sword for silver, I returned to camp, and I couldn't get out for a long time. I have no idea what happened afterward. After the Natural Disaster, we fought again with Hou Shu, and then..."
You Zixiong's expression distorted in agony as he said, "Si Qi perished... I wanted to die and drag a few more enemies down with me, but the Chief of the Surveillance Bureau said that it's better for us to retreat and reclaim the nation back day. He took us and several other survivors to the Liang Kingdom."
"Hou Shu's army is that strong? I didn't expect them to capture Si Qi."
"Bullshit!" You Zixiong was furious. "It's the fault of those corrupted officials! They embezzled everything! They gave us no food and money! They're a bunch of useless leeches! We had nothing to fight against the barbarians from Hou Shu! And they even dared to work with the eunuchs from the palace to sell off the entire nation to the Dharma Sect!"
"What?!" Li Huowang's pupil shrank at the remark. "What did you just say? The Dharma Sect is the reason behind the Si Qi Kingdom's fall?"
"Of course! Do you really think that Hou Shu's army can breach our borders? Even without food and money, they'd never be able to enter the kingdom as long as a member of the You Family is still alive!" You Zixiong roared. Then, he took a deep breath and sighed deeply. "If Hou Shu actually had the power to capture Si Qi, then we would have been more than happy to admit defeat. However, I cannot accept the fact that the Dharma Sect has reaped all the profits from behind the scenes while we were busy fighting at the border!"
The jingling of chains echoed as You Zixiong's modaos flew up high in the air. The four modaos descended and chopped the corpse of a Dharma Sect member into pieces.
"Wait, give me a moment to think." Li Huowang pondered seriously over something before asking, "I need to confirm something. Did Si Qi really lose to the Dharma Sect? Does that mean they control the entire Si Qi now?"
"Of course. If it's just a regular takeover by another nation, the Chief wouldn't have to bring us all the way to the Liang Kingdom."
Li Huowang was shocked to learn that the Dharma Sect was an even bigger issue than he thought.
Gao Zhijian had become the Emperor of the Great Liang, so Li Huowang could ask for the military and the Surveillance Bureau's help to eradicate the Dharma Sect.
With that in mind, he believed that the Dharma Sect's destruction was just a matter of time and that it wouldn't escalate into an all-out war.
However, the news of how Si Qi was taken down by the Dharma Sect shocked Li Huowang.
They were talking about the Dharma Sect here—the sect capable of transforming regular people into an army of fearless zealots!
The citizens of Si Qi were definitely members of the Dharma Sect by now.
The scenes that Li Huowang had seen in the Qi Kingdom made him realize that the Dharma Sect was indeed a formidable sect.
Li Huowang felt like a heavy boulder was on his shoulder.
Since the Dharma Sect had already taken over Si Qi, it was only a matter of time before they expanded their territory.
Afterward, they would definitely attack Hou Shu next. Then, Qing Qiu would come afterward.
Once the Dharma Sect had taken over Qing Qiu, then the Liang Kingdom would have to face a terrifying foe.
Li Huowang didn't bother chasing after the Xu Nian and simply left the cave instead.
The large-framed bearded man turned to You Zixiong and said, "You should have been a bit more humble. That man has a nasty personality."
"You think I fear death? You know that I should have died at the border!" You Zixiong exclaimed. He felt defeated as he walked out of the cave. "Si Qi has fallen. Why am I still alive? I'm living like a rat just so I can slaughter Dharma Sect!"
***
A wheel covered in steel slowly rolled down the road. Yang Xiaohai looked around the numerous footprints on the ground.
"My goodness. Why are there so many soldiers running here and there? Are they going to war?"
"Husband, what are you talking about? Why would we go to war for no reason?"
Yang Xiaohai ignored the footprints and focused on driving the carriage at the response from the inside. From time to time, he'd take out a map to confirm their current location.
"Xiumei, how much food do we have left? We're almost at Qing Qiu. There are very few people around there, so it would be hard for us to buy rations," Yang Xiaohai asked his wife.
"We still have a few hundred taels of food left. It should be enough to last us weeks. Wait, what are we eating later?"
Zhao Xiumei felt that she had made the right decision by marrying a chef. They were camping outside, but Yang Xiaohai could still cook a variety of dishes for them to eat.
"I wonder what we're going to eat..." Yang Xiaohai pondered, and that was when he saw a food stall in the form of a tent in the distance. He read the sign and answered, "Let's eat some spicy wontons."
Yang Xiaohai stopped the carriage and entered the tent. The majority of the seats were occupied, so he quickly pulled his wife to one of the few remaining seats and said, "Boss, give us a serving of spicy wontons, but split the serving into two bowls."
"All right! Go ahead and take a seat. Your food will be served soon!"
It was a good thing that they were still quite near to civilization.
Yang Xiaohai looked around and saw some peddlers, a scholar, and a monkey trainer with three monkeys.
The three chained monkeys were licking the spicy red oil on the ground.
The customers ate voraciously as the fragrant scent of spicy oil filled the tent. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
Yang Xiaohai and Zhao Xiumei gulped as they were starting to get hungry.
Chapter 639 - Wonton Stall
Soon, two bowls of spicy wonton were served in front of Yang Xiaohai and his wife.
Yang Xiaohai grabbed his chopsticks and picked out the snowy white wontons. He ate it with some spring onions and nodded in approval.
The wontons were clad in chili oil, but they weren't greasy at all. In addition, they were only a bit spicy and were full of fragrance.
As a chef, he approved of the wontons.
Eating a bowl of hot food on such a cold day was bliss, so the two were all smiles as they ate.
"Husband, do you know how to make these?"
"I do, but mine isn't as good as the owner of this stall. They're probably using a secret recipe."
Yang Xiaohai stared at the stove and saw that the chef had placed some sticks into the pot while the wontons were being cooked.
Yang Xiaohai's curiosity was piqued; he wanted to know the identity of those sticks.
Yang Xiaohai was eating and deducing the recipe at the same time.
Just then, an old woman walked into the tent. The woman was so old that she had to rely on her cane to walk.
"Do you want a bowl of spicy wontons?" the stall owner asked with a smile.
The old woman licked her cracked lips and stared at the boiling wontons in the pot. "I have my own things to eat. Can you please just give me a bowl of hot water? How much would that be?"
Yang Xiaohai glanced at the old woman and took note of her clothes. Her clothes had been mended many times, and the old woman herself looked so skinny that she could be compared to a twig.
"It's okay. There's no need to pay for a bowl of hot water. Just sit down, and I'll bring you a bowl of hot water."
The old woman thanked the kind stall owner, and then she sat down at the table next to Yang Xiaohai.
Soon, the bowl of hot water arrived. The old woman opened her cloth bag and took out a small black jar.
She drank a mouthful of the hot water before using the chopsticks to grab a tiny cobblestone from inside the black jar.
The cobblestone was dripping with black liquid.
"Husband, look. She's eating stones."
Yang Xiaohai turned and saw that the old woman was sucking on the cobblestone.
Having made quick work of the black liquid on the stone, she spat it into the jar and drank a mouthful of hot water.
Zhao Xiumai sighed when the old woman took another stone and sucked on it. "Husband, she's so pitiful. Let's buy her a bowl of wonton, okay? How can she relieve her hunger with just stones?"
Yang Xiaohai nodded. He couldn't bear to see someone go hungry, as he could still remember how bad hunger felt when he was still a beggar.
However, Yang Xiaohai dared not give her too much. He couldn't flaunt his wealth, as it would be too risky. He ordered another bowl of wonton and extended it to the old woman.
"Here, eat this instead, Maam. You won't be hungry for a while with this," Yang Xiaohai said.
The old woman was taken aback, and then she smiled. She didn't have any teeth, so her gums formed two red lines when she smiled.
"Thank you, young man, but I don't need it because I have these," the old woman replied, "Do you see this stone? It tastes like braised ribs, while this one tastes like roasted duck. This one tastes like braised pork trotters."
With that, the old woman gave the bowl of wontons to the three chained monkeys next to the monkey trainer.
The three monkeys were visibly hungry, and they snatched the bowl away from the old woman's hand before making quick work of the wontons.
Bewildered, Yang Xiaohai had no idea what to do, so he simply went back to his seat.
The old woman was still sucking on her stones.
Before long, he sighed and turned to Zhao Xiumai, saying, "Do you think she's crazy like Senior Li?"
"Her family must be very unfilial. Otherwise, why would they let her run around when she's sick?" Zhao Xiumei said, sounding furious.
"What if she's like me? What if she doesn't have a family?" Yang Xiaohai asked.
The two went silent.
However, they had already done everything they could do for a stranger; they couldn't afford to take a mentally ill old woman with them on their journey.
The two were kind, but they weren't that kind.
The two continued their meal, but the wontons no longer tasted as delicious as earlier for some reason.
The wontons in their bowls disappeared slowly as they ate, and once there were no longer any wontons in their bowls, they stood up to leave.
Just then, an old man sitting on a black donkey entered the little tent with his two disciples. The old man's long beard made him look like an Immortal.
"Master, let's eat here today."
"Hm~ Sure. I remember the last time I ate wontons was when I summoned the God of Thunder to punish the wicked being that was threatening the peace of a village."
Everyone turned around and cast a look of reverence at the old man.
"Of course. Master is going to become an Immortal soon. And he hates evil people!" the two disciples exclaimed, praising their master.
One of the monkeys heard that, and it glanced at the monkey trainer. Upon seeing that its owner was busy eating his second bowl of wontons, it bit the chains on its neck and shouted, "Help! Jiji, help!"
The monkey even knelt as it begged the Daoist for help.
"Hm?" The old Daoist slammed the table and frowned, seemingly getting angry.
Realizing that his trick was no longer a secret, the monkey trainer flipped the table and took out a dagger. He decided to fight to the death and pointed the dagger at the old man.
"Let's do this, then, you old bastard!" the monkey trainer roared.
The old Daoist's figure shook, and his eyes rolled to the back of his skull. He sat frozen on the stool, unresponsive to the monkey trainer's challenge.
The old Daoist's reaction shocked everyone, including the monkey trainer.
"Hahah! So you're just a fraud?!" The monkey trainer laughed boisterously. He then dragged the monkey that had decided to beg for help, and he kicked it until it was bleeding. "How dare you try and escape? Do it again! Show me how you did that!"
The monkey trainer slapped the monkey so many times that the monkey's face looked like it was sloughing off.
Yang Xiaohai hesitated at the sight. Just as he was going to make a move, a cobblestone streaked across the air and struck the monkey trainer's arms.
The monkey trainer's arms snapped with a grotesque crack.
The monkey trainer let out a shrill cry, but the old woman spat another cobblestone. The cobblestone flew into the monkey trainer's mouth, and the latter's head exploded into a bloody mist.
The old woman then walked toward the injured monkey and tore off its skin, revealing the head of a bleeding child.
It turned out that the monkeys were human children! They were made to wear monkey skin and were forced to act like monkeys.
"Ah... Poor children," the old woman muttered. She took out a white cloth and wrapped it around the injured child's head. "Come, this world is full of suffering. Worship Sir Arrogant Stone, and you will reincarnate into a better life."