Chapter 65 - Let's See How You Beat The Drum Now!
Seeing Li Huowang be injured, the Wandering God instantly flew back, crashing into the body of the Second Deity.
The Wandering Gods had always been incorporeal beings, but this time it had met its match. When it crashed into the Second Deity, instead of entering its body, it was bounced off.
"AAAAAAAA!!" A savage roar was heard as a thick club swung down, smashing into the Second Deity's head, just inches away from Li Huowang's face.
The sound of flesh being torn apart and blood splattering was heard as the Second Deity was launched away, taking with her a big portion of Li Huowang's torn-off shoulder.
The intense pain almost caused Li Huowang to faint, but he couldn't care less. He just took out two bottles and stuffed them into Puppy's hands. "One of these is poison, while the other is a paralyzing agent. Smear both of them on your swords and help me trap that damned thing."
They couldn't afford to be attacked from both sides, so they had to ensure that the battlefield continued to remain split.
Seeing the Second Deity, which had just lost half of its head, struggling to get up, Puppy clenched his teeth, his legs almost giving in. "Senior Li, are you sure these will work on that thing?"
Meanwhile, Xiaoman didn't say anything; she just grabbed the two bottles out of his hands. Then, she clenched her teeth and charged with her blade. "Whether it works or not, it doesn't matter! The first thing we need to do is to use it!"
Li Huowang knew that the chances of those poisons working were slim, but he couldn't care less—if he couldn't defeat Li Zhi, the latter would summon more and more Immortals.
Meanwhile, three Wandering Gods circled around Li Zhi. But every time they tried to get close, something invisible blocked them.
On the other hand, Li Zhi continued to chant while beating the 'drum' made from his own skin even as he saw Li Huowang approaching him. "Don't forget to bring the three treasures when you come. Yes, the three treasures~ The Immortal Shackles, the Immortal Binding Rope, and the Spirit Vessel~ Throw the three treasures to the disciple~ Kick him if you can't shackle him~ Stomp him if you can't tie him ai~"
Just as Li Zhi finished his chant, he made a throwing motion with the hand holding the whip.
Even though nothing could be seen, the Wandering Gods sensed something. Immediately, one of them flew back, using its body to protect Li Huowang.
Moments later, a crisp explosion rang out as the Wandering God exploded into the squiggly lines that composed it.
At the same time, Li Zhi made another throwing gesture. If Li Huowang was hit by the attack, then he would suffer the same fate as the Wandering God.
But at the last moment, Li Huowang reached behind him and used the sacred text to block it.
Clang!
The impact caused Li Huowang's arms to become numb.
I blocked it! Amazing! The sacred text is so hard!
Just like that, Li Huowang clenched his teeth as he quickly approached Li Zhi, holding a bell and a 'shield' in front of him.
At the same time, a shake of his hand caused the number of Wandering Gods around him to double.
Li Huowang gave them a command and the Wandering Gods surrounded Li Zhi, attacking him from different directions.
While Li Zhi's situation was bad, Li Huowang was not in a good spot either.
Due to there being too many Wandering Gods, he felt an overwhelming sense of nausea and an urge to vomit.
Now, it was just a battle of attrition.
Amidst the chaos, Li Huowang realized that in his current state, he could see the Immortals that were helping Li Zhi block the attacks from the Wandering Gods.
The Immortals all had different faces, shapes, and sizes, while their bodies were translucent, almost looking like white smoke. There were humanoids, beasts, and something in between. At the same time, their appearances gradually changed as well. All the organs that made up their bodies trembled ever so slightly to the beat of Li Zhi's drum.
Seeing this scene allowed Li Huowang to instantly understand.
There were many Immortals all around them, but all their bodies were translucent and incorporeal. If they wanted to interact with the physical realm, then they had to do so through a special rhythm, and the key to achieving this was the beat of that drum.
However, as he got closer, the sound of his bronze bell started to overpower the sound of the drum beats, allowing the Wandering Gods to find a crack in their defenses.
Upon noticing that the situation was not in his favor, Li Zhi's expression froze for a moment before he opened his mouth so wide that the sides of his mouth split open before his red tongue slithered out like a snake's tongue.
At the same time, his voice changed into one filled with sadness. "Smoke~ Clouds~ Ai~~"
The moment he said those words, a strong gust of wind blew around them, allowing the sound of the drum beats to overpower the sound of the bell.
At the same time, Li Huowang heard a bizarre voice carried by the wind; it was as if a woman was softly whispering something to him.
Everything around him started shifting.
Gradually, the sound of the wind, drum beats, and the bell were all replaced by other sounds.
Soon, the sounds of people's conversations, a Rubik's Cube being turned, the sound of leather shoes, and the sounds of mobile phones started to fill his surroundings.
By the time he finally realized what was happening, he noticed that he was already wearing a blue-and-white hospital gown and was being helped by someone as they walked around within the courtyard of the mental hospital.
This is all fake! It's just an illusion!
Li Huowang raised his head and stared at his surroundings. Immediately, he managed to see Old Liu being helped by his own daughter toward the exit of the mental hospital.
Li Huowang could see that the distance between him and Old Liu was roughly the same as the distance between him and Li Zhi.
"Huowang, what's wrong?" asked the person helping him.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang suddenly chuckled coldly, his expression turning fierce. Out of all possible methods Li Zhi could have tried to use to defeat Li Huowang, he chose to use the method that was the least effective—illusions.
He shook off the hand that was holding him and stepped onto the courtyard's stairs with his right foot before running straight toward Old Liu.
Slowly, the sound of people conversing with each other entered Li Huowang's ears.
"Doctor, thank you so much. If it wasn't for you, my father would not have recovered so soon," said a female voice.
"Hoho. It's nothing much. This is the responsibility of us doctors. Mr. Liu, don't forget to take your medications on time when you are home," advised the doctor
"Alright," replied Old Liu.
"LI ZHI!" Li Huowang's shout caused everyone, including Old Liu who had already changed into a nice-looking shirt and was ready to be discharged, to turn their heads to look at him.
Bam!
Li Huowang's fist landed squarely on Old Liu's cheek, causing a denture to fly into the air alongside blood.
In the very next second, the illusion was broken and Li Huowang saw Li Zhi's head being tilted upward due to his punch, giving him a nosebleed.
Meanwhile, the Immortals around them wanted to stop Li Huowang, but they were all intercepted by the six Wandering Gods.
"Let's see how you beat the drum now!" said Li Huowang as he unsheathed his sword and stabbed it forcefully.
Schwing!
The sharp sword easily managed to chop Li Zhi's fingers off. Then, he stabbed the sword into the 'drum' he had made with his own body, piercing all the way into his abdomen.
With just a single stab, Li Huowang managed to stop the drum beats, and so he also stopped ringing the bronze bell. This caused both the Wandering Gods and the Immortals around them to turn completely silent.
Li Zhi stared at his bleeding abdomen with shock on his face before taking two steps back and slumping onto the ground.
On the other hand, Li Huowang was panting as he stared at the dying Li Zhi. He turned around and saw that the others who were fighting against the Second Deity had also stopped.
"Hoho, Taoist Li, I'm sorry..." said Li Zhi in a weak voice.Chapter 66 - A Virtuous Person
Upon hearing those words, Li Huowang held his burning shoulder and looked at Li Zhi, who lay on the ground.
Is he... apologizing to... me?
"You are on the verge of death. No need to fake it and try to gain my mercy. After all, it was you, not someone else, who wanted to kill me, right?" asked Li Huowang.
Li Zhi's face slowly turned pale as he smiled bitterly. "I had no choice. I really didn't. They forced me to do it. You can run, but I can't do that. The moment I became a Shaman, it was destined that I would never be able to run away anymore," said Li Zhi weakly.
Crimson blood continued to flow from Li Zhi's body, dyeing the ground a deep shade of red. His time was almost up.
Li Huowang stood there with a complicated expression. He wasn't even sure if the Li Zhi in front of him was real or fake.
"This... This ain't too bad. At the very least, my mind is finally quiet now," Li Zhi lamented.
"Just now, did the Immortals force you to do everything?" Li Huowang asked.
"Hoho... It doesn't matter if you don't want to believe me. Ever since I became a Shaman, I have been nothing more than their puppet. I tried to fight back, but it was useless. A human could never hope to win against Immortals," explained Li Zhi.
At this point, Li Huowang had stopped caring about whether it was the truth or not. He walked toward Li Zhi and tried to pull his sword out from Li Zhi's abdomen. But no matter how hard he pulled, it didn't come out. He then saw that Li Zhi was tightly holding onto the sword with his hands. Some of his fingers were already sliced off.
Whatever Happened To Your Favorite '80s Sitcom Stars?
Zestradar
Ads by Pubfuture
Li Zhi flashed a bloody smile. "Taoist Li, if you happen to meet someone like me in the future, do be careful. You are a Strayed One and that quite literally makes you a walking treasure in the eyes of others. The people who don't have bad intentions toward you will be few and far between."
Hearing him say that, Li Huowang's heart skipped a beat. He had never thought that he would get such information from Li Zhi, but now the man himself was telling him all of it.
Looking at the dying man in front of him, Li Huowang spoke slowly, "What exactly is a Strayed One?"
"Strayed Ones. In the beginning, everything starts to take form, and when there is form, there is essence, and yet, it is not complete. That is a Strayed One; one who has both form and essence, but at the same time is still incomplete," explained Li Zhi.
"What?" Li Huowang did not understand what he was trying to say.
"This was all that the Immortals told me. I am just an uneducated man, and so I do not understand what it means either. But this was the first time I had seen them this happy, and that's why I thought... I thought that it must be something good."
Li Huowang raised his hands, staring at them in shock.
When he thought back to what happened with the monks at the Righteous Monastery, he was certain that Li Zhi was not lying to him.
Am I something precious in this world? But I'm no different from the others except for my hallucinations. What does it mean for me to be a Strayed One?
Li Huowang silently memorized what Li Zhi had said. He had a feeling that this was something important.
At the same time, he remembered his dead Master, Dan Yangzi.
Li Huowang realized that there had always been hints ever since the beginning. Dan Yangzi, that cheapskate, would never simply find someone random to be used as a guiding drug ingredient.
Ads by Pubfuture
Pubfuture Ads
Once he realized that the cultivation methods of the others he had met were just as bizarre as Dan Yangzi's, he could deduce that they too would likely need something akin to a guiding drug ingredient on their path of cultivation.
Li Zhi's voice slowly became softer and softer, his eyes starting to glaze over.
"Taoist Li, can you do something for me?" asked Li Zhi.
Li Huowang turned to the dying Li Zhi. "What is it?"
"The 22nd day of the next month happens to be the Qingming Festival. On that day, can you burn some extra money for me? I've been poor throughout my life, but I don't want to die and become a poor ghost," said Li Zhi.
After saying that, Li Zhi smiled as blood flowed out of his mouth.
"If I am to be reincarnated, then I would rather be livestock than become a Shaman. It's way too suffocating and... tiring. It's even worse than becoming the manager of a brothel. Taoist Li, whatever you do, don't ever become a Shaman. This is not something that a normal person should do. It's way too hard and suffocating." Tears streamed down Li Zhi's eyes.
Li Huowang looked at him with complicated feelings. But then, everything that Li Zhi had done before flashed through his mind. Li Huowang might think of himself as virtuous, but in the end, it was not something that he could define himself with.
Li Zhi was just someone unlucky who was controlled by the Immortals.
This cruel world had taught him that those who used supernatural powers might not just be skilled people like Abbot Xin Hui or Dan Yangzi—they could also be people who were just pawns of supernatural beings.
"Thank you for your reminder, Li Zhi," thanked Li Huowang.
Li Zhi was on his last breaths. He took one last deep breath as he said his final words, "One more thing. You asked before that you needed help with repelling something evil, right? Go south. Find the nuns in black. They can be... counted... as... nice... people. They... should... be able to help you."
Li Huowang had never thought that he would be able to get hold of such precious information today. This was closely related to the matter of getting rid of Dan Yangzi, who was somehow possessing him. He quickly asked, "Nuns? What is the name of their sect? Are they specialized in repelling or exorcizing evil beings?"
Pubfuture Ads
Li Huowang waited for Li Zhi's reply, but to no avail.
Soon, he realized that the light in Li Zhi's eyes was gone. He was dead.
Staring at Li Zhi, who had died with his eyes wide open, Li Huowang felt bitter in his heart.
If Li Zhi hadn't been a Shaman, they could've become friends.
Just then, the rest of them came over. "Senior Li, once the drum beats stopped, that weird thing stopped moving as well. Oh? What happened to him?"
Puppy and the rest looked quite disheveled after fighting the Second Deity for so long. However, at the very least, they had only suffered minor injuries.
Li Huowang sighed as he pulled his sword out from Li Zhi's body and returned it to the sheath. "Find a place and dig a grave for both of them. We don't want the animals to nibble on their flesh."
"Why should we do that, Senior? He's just a cold-blooded murderer!" Puppy did not understand Li Huowang's intention.
Li Huowang did not explain, merely gently closing Li Zhi's eyes.
Li Huowang did not erect a gravestone for Li Zhi. After all, no one would be coming to pay their respects to him anyway. At the same time, if he did erect gravestones for them, there might be even more trouble down the road.
The roosters were already crowing by the time they dealt with the aftermath and returned to the village.
They had just arrived at the door when they saw a thin figure by the well. It was Bai Lingmiao. Previously confined to the bed due to her fatigue, she was now fetching water from the well.
"Senior Li! Where did you go? Why are all of you injured? Is everything ok?" Bai Lingmiao asked anxiously.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang frowned as he grabbed the bucket from her hand and threw it aside, "You have a fever. Why are you out here fetching water from the well? Quickly go back to your room and rest."
"I'm fine. Here, feel my forehead," said Bai Lingmiao.
When Li Huowang touched her forehead and realized her fever had dissipated, he was surprised. "The pills I made weren't that potent. Are you sure you are alright?"
Bai Lingmiao's looked stunned for a moment before she hurriedly smiled. "Yes, I am fine. My illness is gone. Isn't that good news?"
"You should still rest even if you are healed. You've just recovered from the illness, so don't touch the water unless necessary!" said Li Huowang.