When he heard Yang Xiaohai's voice, Li Huowang snapped back to reality.
At this moment, they were on the outskirts of the town. In front of them were several huts built from stone, along with a massive stable in front of the hut.
The stable housed camels, goats, and even horses in different pens, as evidenced by the unmistakable stench of livestock that assaulted their noses.
When the people inside the huts noticed Li Huowang, they stared at him cautiously. From their outfits, it was clear that these people specialized in rearing livestock.
With that in mind, it was more likely that the assistant who passed away was abducted rather than being sold off like Chun Xiaoman.
Yang Xiaohai carried the jar of ashes while Li Huowang took a deep breath and prepared himself before approaching the huts.
When Li Huowang got closer, a strong man pushed away the horse beside him and greeted Li Huowang. "Are you here to buy some livestock?"
"No, I'm here to send something." Li Huowang judged that the man was the father of the assistant based on his age.
The man was somewhat skeptical due to Li Huowang's sudden visit. It was only after Yang Xiaohai told him the name of the assistant and some details about her that they finally believed Li Huowang.
The death of their daughter was horrible news to them; they all huddled around the jar of ashes, crying.
Li Huowang had thought that he too would cry when bearing witness to the tear-jerking scene, but he didn't. At this point, he had seen too many deaths, to the point that he was desensitized.
On the other hand, Monk, who had been standing beside him, stopped smiling and began to reverently pray to the ash jar in hopes of appeasing the little girl's soul. "Amitabha... Amitabha... Amitabha..."
Due to being questioned by the father of the dead assistant, it was already very late by the time Li Huowang and Yang Xiaohai arrived back at the inn.
"Come stay with us. Considering that fate allowed us to meet once more, I will book a room for you; there's no need to sleep in the toilet like last time," offered Li Huowang.
"I have my own money," said Monk as he shook his robes, causing the sound of coins clinking. "Also, who told you that I slept in the toilet last time?"
Hearing this, Li Huowang sighed in relief. "Where are you going? If we are heading in the same direction, then we can travel together."
It was not easy surviving in this world. It would be best if he had even one more person to help him.
"I don't mind going anywhere as long as I can keep doing kind deeds. Let's talk more tomorrow, otherwise I will end up violating my curfew," said Monk before turning to leave.
Staring at Monk's departing figure, Li Huowang smiled and entered the inn.
Just as he walked in, he saw Lu Zhuangyuan angrily debating with his son.
"Troupe leader Lu, what are you doing?" asked Li Huowang.
Hearing this, Lu Zhuangyuan pushed his son away and gestured angrily at the air. "Those damned performers are so rude! They had the guts to tell me that our performances originated from them, and that the Nuo Opera is the ancestor of our type of shows!"
"Dad, it's fine. There's no need to argue with them. This is their territory after all," said Lu Juren, trying to calm him down.
"It's fine?! I could've ignored any other remarks, but not this one! How can I face my ancestors if I don't reclaim my honor? We are all performers, so who's afraid of who? Let me go!"
Li Huowang couldn't be bothered to care about the fact that Lu Zhuangyuan wanted to go and argue with the performers of the Nuo Opera. He just ignored them and entered his room.
"Miaomiao, do you still remember Monk? He—" Li Huowang stopped talking the moment he entered the room. Bai Lingmiao was visibly tired from their journey; she had already washed up and was fast asleep on the bed.
After a moment, Li Huowang approached the side of the bed and gently caressed her face.
Sensing him, Bai Lingmiao groggily hugged his hand.
Li Huowang chose to remain silent; he could tell her about it tomorrow.
He blew out the oil lamp and lay down on the bed, staring at the rafters as he thought about their journey.
Finally... a few days of peace and rest.
Li Huowang was not a greedy person. He just wanted to be able to live peacefully.
Except... The two of them.
Li Huowang frowned as he looked at the illusions of Jiang Yingzi and Dan Yangzi who were right beside him.
At this moment, the two illusions were staring at him from a corner of the quiet room.
"Hmm?" Li Huowang sat up in surprise. He suddenly realized that he could see in the dark.
"Looks like my senses are becoming more and more sensitive," mumbled Li Huowang as he pondered whether this was a good thing or bad.
"Senior Li... ?" Bai Lingmiao almost woke up from the commotion.
Li Huowang gently patted her. "Sleep... Go to sleep..."
Perhaps it was due to the long journey, but Li Huowang instantly fell asleep.
Halfway through the night, his body suddenly tensed up; it was as if he sensed something coming closer. In the next instant, a sharp pain from his fingertip caused him to wake up.
He inspected his hand and saw that his fingertip had been bitten.
The bite mark was similar to a beast's jaw, allowing Li Huowang to instantly know who it was.
It was Bai Lingmiao's Second Deity!
He looked around, but didn't see the red-veiled woman.
He suddenly looked down and saw that there were three pairs of shoes by the bed. There was a pair for both him and Bai Lingmiao, as well as a third pair of red shoes.
At that moment, Li Huowang saw the red shoes slowly retreat underneath the bed.
He looked at the sleeping Bai Lingmiao before whispering toward the underneath of the bed. "What are you doing?!"
"Something's here..." A seductive voice came from beside his ear.
Li Huowang grabbed the sword underneath his pillow and held his breath before carefully checking the room.
Li Huowang's senses had now become extremely sharp. Normally, he would've sensed it if someone approached him.
However, at this moment, he felt nothing.
Just as he thought that the Second Deity was playing a trick on him, a sound rang out from outside the window. It was a clear metallic clicking sound.
Tak~! 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
At that moment, a shadow suddenly appeared on the wall; it was quite similar to a shadow play.
Li Huowang had a hard time describing what the shadow looked like. It looked like a spider but its face was that of an old man. The shadow had six arms with spines and a lattice-patterned tentacle could be seen retracting and extending from its body.
At that moment, Li Huowang saw the shadow climb further up the window before he could even figure out what it was.
"Hm? A Strayed One? And that too from the Ao Jing Sect? This is rare," said a voice.
As soon as he heard this voice, Li Huowang immediately rolled off from the bed with his sword in hand.
Chapter 151 - Shadow Play
A horrifying shadow monster skulked near the window in the middle of the night.
It was truly a scary sight, but what scared Li Huowang the most was that the shadow was capable of recognizing him as a Strayed One. Li Huowang knew what it would mean if someone could find out that he was a Strayed One.
"Who are you?" Li Huowang asked the shadow monster.
"Hehe, you came to my territory and yet you don't even know who I am?" asked the voice.
At that moment, Li Huowang saw the monster slowly phasing through the paper panes of the window and into the room.
Jiang!
Li Huowang immediately unsheathed his sword, filling the entire room with killing intent.
At this moment, a dark red sword was held in Li Huowang's grasp. This was the first time he unsheathed it.
Something leaked out from the hilt of the sword and spread through his body, causing his blood to start boiling and his vision to be dyed red.
As Li Huowang saw the lattice-patterned black tentacle slowly rise out from the paper pane, he instantly lunged at it with his sword.
"Die!" He shouted unconsciously.
Seeing this, the shadow monster dodged to the right, unwilling to block the attack from the blood-red sword directly. The sword was filled to the brim with murderous intent!
As it moved to the side of the wooden door, the sound of metal clanging rang out.
"Hmm? That sword... What kind of relationship do you have with the You family from the kingdom of Si Qi?" asked the shadow monster. Seeing Li Huowang's sword, the monster became hesitant. At the same time, its movements also became much more cautious.
Usually, Li Huowang would've taken the time to listen to it, but with the murderous intent of the sword assaulting his mind, he couldn't think rationally.
The monster hadn't even finished its sentence when the sword reached it once again.
A crimson flash could be seen when the sword sliced through the wooden door along with the shadow monster.
Seeing this, Li Huowang ran out of his room. He saw a figure using some wooden sticks to control the shadow monster from the window at the end of the corridor.
The shadow monster was being controlled by someone all along! The figure was somehow controlling the shadow using a puppet!
As soon as the figure saw Li Huowang, it immediately threw away the puppet before entering one of the vacant rooms.
Li Huowang tried to chase after the figure, but there was nothing left in the empty room, save for the puppet that was slowly turning to ashes in the center of the room.
Li Huowang was only able to catch a glimpse of the assailant and the bronze coin veil that they were wearing.
Jiang~
At that moment, Li Huowang sheathed his sword and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.
What is their goal? Are they trying to capture me for money?
Even though he had chased them away, he had a feeling that the situation was not so simple.
"Wait... Bai Lingmiao!" Realizing that he had left Bai Lingmiao alone, Li Huowang immediately ran back to his room.
It was only after he saw Bai Lingmiao sleeping soundly on the bed that he heaved a sigh of relief.
He was flustered; she meant a lot to him.
However, thinking back, there shouldn't have been any danger since Bai Lingmiao was a shaman. There was no reason to worry about the enemy luring him away.
At that moment, Li Huowang started inspecting his sword as he sat on his bed.
There was nothing weird about someone attacking them. However, this time was different. This time, it was no longer him trying to escape, but the assailant. The one who escaped was the assailant.
Thinking about this, Li Huowang started to get excited; it meant that he finally had sufficient power to be able to survive in this bizarre world.
At the same time, he decided that he had to thank the Abbess for giving him this sword. One look at the sword was all it took to discourage the assailant from attacking Li Huowang. He could tell that rather than being wary of him, the assailant was wary of the sword.
Not only was the sword powerful, but it also had other uses.
"You family from the kingdom of Si Qi? Is that where the owner of this sword comes from? That doesn't seem like a sect name," mumbled Li Huowang.
Li Huowang didn't have an answer. The only thing he knew was that the sword belonged to someone famous. Thinking about this, he felt even more indebted to the Abbess.
As Li Huowang was slowly inspecting the sword and its scabbard, he felt something weird. He looked down and saw a pair of pale white hands with black fingernails grabbing his thigh.
This time, Li Huowang didn't pull his legs away and instead whispered to the Second Deity. "Thank you for alerting me. If it wasn't because of you, then I would've been attacked in my sleep."
Regardless of what had happened before, today the Second Deity had indeed helped him out.
But Li Huowang was still confused. He had been able to use his heightened senses to detect the bandits from a faraway distance before. So how was the assailant able to approach him until they were just outside the window? He even needed someone else to alert him.
Did the assailant have something on them that could hide their presence? I wonder if that item will be able to help with hiding the signs of me being a Strayed One? It would be great if I could just grab it from them. Then at the very least I won't be plagued by people trying to hunt me down just because they were able to figure out that I'm a Strayed One.
Just as Li Huowang was lost in his thoughts, he felt a different sensation on his thighs.
He looked down. At this moment, the pale hands had disappeared, replaced by several tentacle-like creatures crawling up his thigh. They were cold to the touch and had the texture of soft snakeskin.
At the same time, a seductive voice rang out beside his ear. "Dear husband~"
Hearing the voice, Li Huowang felt his scalp go numb. "Enough! I told you to stop it!"
Just as Li Huowang was about to unsheathe his sword, the tentacles slowly retreated from his pants.
Li Huowang glanced at the sleeping Bai Lingmiao and then whispered underneath the bed in a harsh tone, "I don't want to talk about what happened last time! Enough is enough! Go to sleep!"
After saying that, Li Huowang lied down on the bed.
The Second Deity also chose to silently remain underneath the bed, causing the room to once more become silent.
After the incident that just happened, Li Huowang dared not sleep, choosing to stay awake until the morning. It was only when he heard the shouts of the stall vendors from outside that he allowed himself to fall asleep.
By the time he woke up, it was already afternoon.
He wore his clothes and walked into the mess hall. As he ate, he thought about what had happened last night.
Based on their methods, they don't seem to be from a sect like the Righteous Monastery or the Benevolent Nunnery. Maybe they are someone cultivating on their own like Dan Yangzi. In that case, there shouldn't be too much of a problem. They said that this was their territory rather than their sect's territory, so it's very likely that they are indeed alone.
Li Huowang did not want to leave this town so quickly. After all, it was much easier to be ambushed in the wilderness than in a busy town.
As Li Huowang was eating some peanuts, he saw Lu Zhuangyuan proudly walking in with his sons.
Thinking back upon yesterday, it was not hard to determine what had happened.
"Troupe leader Lu, did you go and argue with the performers of the Nuo Opera? Looks like you won," said Li Huowang.
Chapter 152 - Doubt
When Lu Zhuangyuan saw Li Huowang eating in the mess hall, he decided to be modest while smiling to please him. "Young Taoist, that was just a joke. We didn't fight. We were merely discussing the differences between our performances. Hehe, one has to learn even if they are old."
Li Huowang chuckled. "So? Was there any major trouble, since they are the locals?"
Lu Zhuangyuan was so happy about his victory that as soon as Li Huowang asked, he sat down on a stool and started boasting about himself, "Young Taoist, as you know I've already been doing performances for more than thirty years. How could I be intimidated by young whelps in their twenties? They tried to intimidate me when I met them, but how would I be fazed from that? Since I am a performer, I am used to such intimidation. That's when I sat on one of the boxes and shouted back. I told them that their singing tone was inaccurate. Guess what happened next?"
"What happened?" asked Li Huowang.
This question made Lu Zhuangyuan even more prideful as he continued to talk about the situation. "Ha! The three performers were stunned by my words. The youngest one even asked me at which point in time their tone was incorrect. He thought that he could get some free pointers from me, but why would I do that? I didn't want to teach them, and so I just ignored him. Hmph! They didn't even serve me tea. Hehe, you should've seen how quickly they changed their behavior. All three of them became much more respectful and even addressed me as Senior. Still, their tones were indeed too high and mighty. It wasn't like I was coming up with some nonsense just to fight with them. As their senior, I have the obligation to look after them. Don't you think this is true?"
As Li Huowang heard how well Lu Zhuangyuan boasted, he realized that Lu Zhuangyuan could've been a really good storyteller.
Li Huowang finished eating at the same time Lu Zhuangyuan finished his story.
By the time he finished his story, Lu Zhuangyuan's face was flushed. Then, he drank a cup of tea and took a deep breath, feeling satisfied.
"Troupe Leader Lu, what kind of performance were they doing? It was very strange," asked Li Huowang as he ate the final mouthful of rice.
"Oh, they were performing an old show called 'Da Nuo Exorcising The Twelve Ghosts'. It seems to be a legend that has been passed on for thousands of years. The reason behind their strange singing tones was probably the fact that it's an old show," explained Lu Zhuangyuan.
"Who's Da Nuo?" asked Li Huowang as he picked his teeth with the chopsticks.
"No idea. But according to the three performers, Da Nuo was an Immortal. They told me that at one point in time Hou Shu used to be a kingdom of ghosts where humans were nothing more than livestock that were destined to be eaten. Then, Da Nuo came and exorcized the twelve most powerful ghosts. He even taught the ancient people to stand, read, write, and even use fire," said Lu Zhuangyuan.
"So it's a mythical legend..." Li Huowang squinted as he recalled the three masked Nuo Opera performers.
Was the one who attacked me last night related to the performers?
Li Huowang felt that they were suspicious. He and his group had just entered the town and already managed to see the strange Nuo Opera and their teeth play. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
"Wait, teeth play?" Li Huowang remembered the bronze coin veil worn by the assailant. It would've been perfect to cover up their teeth.
Li Huowang immediately asked Lu Zhuangyuan. "Troupe leader Lu, about the three Nuo Opera performers, did they remove their masks while talking to you?"
"Nope. In fact, they didn't even remove their makeup when they saw me. They were too busy being respectful and pouring me a cup of tea," boasted Lu Zhuangyuan.
Could it be them? But there are three of them... or, maybe they wanted to mislead me by sending only one of them last night.
Thinking up to this point, Li Huowang frowned.
"Taoist! Taoist!" At that moment, a clear voice broke Li Huowang's train of thought.
Li Huowang looked over and saw that it was the disheveled looking Monk standing at the door while waving at him happily.
"Where were you? Why were you up so late? I've been looking for you since morning, but you were not here," asked Monk.
Li Huowang placed his chopsticks down before turning to Monk. "You came looking for me? Is everything alright?"
"Yeah. Come on, I found a great place!" said Monk.
Hearing those words made Li Huowang remember something unpleasant—Monk had similar words when he brought Li Huowang to the place where the Righteous Monastery housed the flesh Buddha.
However, it was only thanks to this that Li Huowang had managed to see through the Righteous Monastery's deception. In a way, Monk was technically half a savior to him.
Staring at the bright sun, Li Huowang walked outside. "Sure, let's go."
Just as he said that, he heard two people laughing at him.
"Hehehe ..."
"Hehehe ..."
Li Huowang turned toward the source of the laughter. It was none other than Dan Yangzi and Jiang Yingzi. Both of them were in a corner of the room, their four faces contorted in a sarcastic smile.
"Taoist, come quick!" shouted Monk who was already on the main street. Enduring the harsh sunlight, he kept waiting for Li Huowang.
"Is he really the Monk I know?" mumbled Li Huowang as he stared at Monk. Even though he had probed Monk multiple times yesterday, it was quite strange for him to suddenly appear here out of nowhere.
Could he also be an illusion? But that doesn't work on me, especially after the recent heightening of my senses. I would've found out if he was fake. Wait, why should I let myself be affected by the two illusions? They are fake.
Li Huowang's mind was a mess from doubting himself.
"Taoist! Come quick, why are you hesitating?" Monk's voice was already hoarse from shouting his name.
After a moment, Li Huowang took a deep breath and followed him. He felt that he needed some more time to determine whether this Monk was real or not.
If he was, then that would be for the best. However, if he wasn't, then it would be a good idea for Li Huowang to keep playing along. He needed to know whether the fake Monk had a motive and whether he had other helpers.
Li Huowang had become a lot more bold after chasing away the assailant from last night.
There were still a lot of people on the street during the afternoon. It was probably because this was a border town, but the number of mule carts, horse carriages, and camels in Li Huowang's field of vision never reduced.
"Monk, where are we going?" asked Li Huowang as he secretly placed one hand on the Profound Records.
"It's not far. We are almost there. It's just over there," said Monk, pointing in a direction.
Li Huowang looked toward the direction that Monk was pointing and saw the three masked Nuo Opera performers.
"Hehe, what do you think? You must've never seen them before right?" asked Monk excitedly.
"The Nuo Opera? Was this what you meant when you said you wanted to show me something good?" Li Huowang was speechless.
"You can always choose to watch their performance another time if you've already seen it. This performance can only be seen here. We might never get a chance to watch it again once we leave this place. Ah damn it! They are already closing for the day!" said Monk.
While Monk was sighing, Li Huowang was feeling excited; he saw the three performers preparing to remove their masks.
Chapter 153 - Courtyard Houses
At that moment, the three performers removed their masks, allowing Li Huowang to see their heads which were covered in red cloth. But it was not a complete wrap—there was an opening for their nose and mouth.
After removing their masks, they slowly started to remove their red cloth. Soon, three young men appeared in front of Li Huowang. They were almost the same age as him.
The three performers looked quite normal. Their faces were human without any weird appendages or tentacles. Everything was normal.
"Taoist, what are you looking at? They are no longer performing. Let's just go somewhere else. We might be able to do some good deeds today," said Monk, pestering Li Huowang to leave.
"No need to rush; let's just wait a little." Li Huowang didn't let his guard down. He still remembered how frightening they looked when they were doing the teeth play.
Li Huowang was not afraid of fighting them, but he was afraid that they would play some tricks or ambush him later on.
At that moment, Li Huowang suddenly saw the three of them hurriedly pack their stuff. They looked cautious and peeked at Li Huowang from time to time.
Looks like something is indeed wrong with them. They've hidden it well.
Li Huowang was becoming more and more suspicious of them.
Initially, after having heard Lu Zhuangyuan's story, Li Huowang hadn't felt them to be suspicious, but now he was fully alert.
The three performers and the musicians moved all of their items onto their camel before running into a small alley.
"Monk, quick! We need to chase them!" said Li Huowang as he ran to follow them.
"Aiya! Why are you chasing them? Don't tell me that you want to pay them some silver to perform privately for you?" asked Monk. However, despite his protests, he still followed Li Huowang.
Both of them followed them from a distance as they tailed them all around the town. It was initially fine, but soon, the cargo-carrying camels soon started running as the people riding them started whipping the camels to run faster.
"Shti! They saw us! Quick, chase them!" Li Huowang ran faster as one of his hands clutched his sword. However, even though the town wasn't big, they weren't locals; after zig-zagging through a few alleyways, Li Huowang realized that he had lost them.
Li Huowang was quite annoyed as he stared at the gray walls.
"Ha~ Ha~ Taoist, slow down. I almost lost you~" said Monk as he propped himself up on the wall while panting.
Hearing this, Li Huowang glanced toward Monk.
It's natural for him to not have the stamina at this age...
"If you can't take it, then go back and rest first. No need to follow me," suggested Li Huowang as he continued walking.
Even though he didn't suspect Monk as much, Li Huowang still didn't trust him completely. He also didn't want Monk to hold him back if they ended up meeting a strong enemy next time.
"Fine... I will go back and rest first. You can run by yourself." Monk held his waist and walked into another alley.
"I hope I'm just thinking too much." Li Huowang shook his head.
Just as he had just taken a few steps, he heard a shout.
"That's the old monk's voice!" Li Huowang ran over and leaped a wall before stopping in front of a square-shaped hole in the ground.
It was a hole in the ground. Rather than dirt, the walls of the holes had wooden doors and windows. It was like a courtyard house was buried underground.
Various wooden masks could be seen decorating the wall. These snarling wooden masks were the same ones that the three performers had been wearing.
Staring at the camel that was eating grass in the center of the courtyard, Li Huowang was certain this was the home of the three performers.
"Taoist! Quick, come and pull me up. Ouch! Why did the people here build an underground home? Rather than a house, this looks more like a tomb," called out a voice.
Li Huowang looked toward the source of the voice and saw Monk who was lying on the ground in pain.
Seeing this, Li Huowang leaped down, landing solidly beside Monk. However, instead of helping Monk, Li Huowang clutched his sword and stared at the closed windows, completely alert. With his heightened senses, he instantly realized that many people were staring at him from behind the windows.
Li Huowang did not wish to fight without knowing the number of enemies.
At the same time, the people staring at him from behind the windows didn't act either. Both parties just stood there, waiting for the other to act.
Maybe they have the same thoughts as me?
Li Huowang's mind was racing.
"Taoist, what are you doing?" asked Monk as he slowly stood up in pain.
"Wait for a bit; I don't have the time to deal with you for now," said Li Huowang.
Just as he said those words, he felt a few more pairs of eyes being trained on him. However, these gazes originated from the masks decorating the wall rather than the rooms; it was as if they had come alive.
After a moment, Li Huowang decided that even though he hadn't confirmed whether they were related to the assailant from last night, it was best to not linger around any more.
After some consideration, Li Huowang decided to talk to them. "I am junior Xuan Yang. I've accidentally walked into your homes and mean no harm. Please forgive me."
Seeing that there was no reaction, Li Huowang decided to try another method of communication. "Is the spring book open?"
Even so, no one replied to him.
"Let's just forget about what happened yesterday. I do not wish to harm you and I hope you wouldn't harm us either. How about a truce?" suggested Li Huowang.
However, even after he explained his intentions, he didn't receive any replies. Thus, Li Huowang gave up before supporting Monk to a ladder placed at the side. Once the tall ladder was placed upward, Li Huowang let Monk climb up first.
Once Monk was back up on the ground, Li Huowang leaped up the ladder and followed him.
After Monk and Li Huowang left, the people hiding inside the rooms walked out. All of them had tattoos on their ears. There were both men and women, with some of them even carrying infants and children.
At this moment, everyone's faces were filled with hatred and fear.
One of the three performers clenched his fist while talking to an old man with white hair, "Grandpa! That man was right! We can't wait anymore! We need to act now!"
The old man was visibly angry as he forcefully swung his cane down onto the ground. "Go, gather all the youths in our house. We need to kill that red-robed Taoist! They dare think of us as mere pushovers?!"
Meanwhile, Monk still acted clueless as they left the underground courtyard and returned to the busy street.
"What just happened?" asked Monk, confused.
"You don't know?" asked Li Huowang, carefully scrutinizing Monk.
He had never forgotten how suspicious Monk had always been.
It was only thanks to Monk that Li Huowang had managed to see through the deception of the Righteous Monastery. It was also thanks to his help that Li Huowang managed to find the house of the Nuo Opera performers.
It might've been a coincidence the first time, but a second time around? This was too much of a coincidence.
Chapter 154 - Dunes
Li Huowang may look relaxed, but as he stared at Monk in front of him, he was completely alert. Even though Monk hadn't done anything to harm him, Li Huowang refused to trust someone else with his life.
"Monk, can you tell me who you are?" Li Huowang said jokingly.
Does Monk have an ulterior motive? Or is he a spy acting on the behalf of the Righteous Monastery? Or maybe he's someone from the Sitting Oblivion Dao that the Abbess warned me about? All of these could be true and it would be a problem no matter which of them he is connected to.
"Me? I'm a monk. Why do you ask me this?" said Monk frankly.
Li Huowang observed Monk's expression closely but found nothing unusual. Still, even if there was no evidence, Li Huowang couldn't bring himself to fully trust Monk that easily anymore.
Unable to confirm whether Monk was harmless or not, the best plan that Li Huowang could think of was to distance himself from him, "Fine, since we are done watching the show, let's split up for now. You go do your good deeds while I continue with my travels. I hope that we will meet again."
"Why are you in such a hurry? We haven't seen each other for so long. We can just travel together like the good old days," said Monk happily as he reached for Li Huowang's sleeve. However, his hand was stopped by the scabbard of a sword.
After a moment, Monk retracted his hand. "What are you doing? Aren't we friends?"
"If you are a friend, then tell me who you are! Don't make me guess your identity here! Who are you?!" shouted Li Huowang as he walked back to the inn without waiting for a reply.
Sensing the hostility in Li Huowang's tone, Monk decided not to follow him. At the same time, he looked a little dejected.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang walked back to the inn without any incident. When he turned around and confirmed that Monk hadn't followed him, he sighed in relief.
"Senior Li, what's wrong? Why are you so nervous? Did a ghost chase you?" asked Puppy as he chewed on sunflower seeds while walking down the stairs.
"Where is everyone?" Li Huowang hurriedly asked him.
"They are all outside, following your orders and gathering information about Hou Shu. They are also trying to find a map of the kingdom," explained Puppy, feeling confused as to why Li Huowang would ask him that. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"There's no need to do all that now! Call everyone back. We need to leave as soon as possible!"
"Why... Alright, Senior Li, let me go and find them immediately," Puppy threw away the sunflower seeds and ran out.
"Don't forget to call for the Lu family!" shouted Li Huowang as he ran to the stables.
Li Huowang's order was so sudden that none of them had any time to prepare. They all rushed back as soon as they could before hastily preparing for their journey.
Even so, Li Huowang's orders were absolute. No one dared to fight back.
Thankfully they were able to finish preparations before nightfall. Soon, the horse carriage was well on its way out of town.
"Senior Li, what's wrong?" Chun Xiaoman clutched her sword, confused by their sudden predicament.
"Someone in the town is targeting us. But don't worry; this time it's not the same as last time. If they choose to fight us, they won't have the advantage," said Li Huowang as he felt the sword on his back.
After having rested for an entire day, everyone's stamina was in good condition. They only stopped to rest when the moon was high in the sky.
At that moment, Li Huowang roughly calculated and determined that they were at least ten kilometers away from the town, and so he told all of them to stop and rest.
If they wanted to continue their journey tomorrow, then they needed to sleep for now.
At the same time, Li Huowang personally took the job of night watch in order to prevent any people from suddenly attacking them on the first night of their journey.
Li Huowang gently patted Bun's head while recalling everything that happened today. He was trying to see if he had missed any details.
He had a feeling that something was indeed strange; however, he couldn't figure out why. He felt as though he was being led around by the nose, causing him to feel irritated.
But since they were already out of town, he decided not to think anymore and instead figure out his next steps.
The Nuo Opera performers and the monks from the righteous monastery. Regardless of their origin, none of them wanted to fight me in a town. It means that they are afraid of something.
Li Huowang patted the Profound Records and the sword on his back as he pondered about it.
Everyone I encountered immediately knew that I was a Strayed One. Based on the actions of the Righteous Monastery, it seems that Strayed Ones are indeed valuable. Regardless, since they did not act immediately, it must mean that I have the power threshold to protect myself in this world. At least we should be able to peacefully navigate through the dangers.
At that moment, Dan Yangzi, who had been squatting directly in front of him, suddenly spoke. "Hmph! And to think that I call you my disciple. They are all bullying you and yet you only think about self defense. Instead of running, you should be thinking about how to kill them all!"
Hearing this, Li Huowang smiled coldly and clapped his hands slowly. "Amazing! My Master is such a good teacher! However, I wonder who it was that left his disciples behind to run away from the Righteous Monastery last time."
"You damned brat!" shouted Dan Yangzi as he stood up, his grotesque muscles and flesh pulsating. Just as he was about to open his three mouths to say something, he turned, staring in the same direction as Li Huowang.
At that moment, a single black dot was slowly approaching them.
"They are chasing us!" Li Huowang's face turned serious. Just as he was about to stand up and inform the rest of the group,he realized that there was another black dot approaching them from the front.
Seeing this, Li Huowang scanned his surroundings and saw black dots approaching them from every direction. They were being surrounded!
"Li Huowang! You've been surrounded! This time, you are dead for sure, hahaha!" said Jiang Yingzi as she laughed maniacally while hugging her belly with her remaining arm.
"Wake up! Someone's here!" Li Huowang's angry roar broke the silence of the dunes.
Hearing his shout, the sleepy members instantly broke out into cold sweat and brandished their blades.
Regardless of who they were, their enemies wanted them dead. Instantly, the atmosphere became tense.
"Don't wait for them to complete their encirclement! We need to break through now!" Li Huowang led them, charging toward one of the black dots.
As they got closer, Li Huowang saw who they were.
One of them was wearing the same bronze coin veil. It was the same assailant from last night! At the same time, just like yesterday, the man had several shadow monsters in his hand.
Seeing this, there was no need for any words. Li Huowang just unsheathed his sword and charged forward.
On the other hand, the veiled man threw out the shadow monsters in his hand. With the aid of the moonlight, the shadow monsters quickly gained form and stood up like paper dolls as they floated toward Li Huowang.