The bandit held his wound and howled in pain.
Seeing this, Li Huowang was tired and couldn't be bothered to question him any more.
Just as he was about to kill the bandit, someone shouted, "Senior Li! Look at what this is!"
Sun Baolu revealed something. Li Huowang glanced at the item and saw that it was a well-polished tobacco pipe.
The smoke pipe and the bag of tobacco looked quite familiar.
"Senior Li, this smoke pipe and tobacco bag belong to Troupe Leader Lu! They are definitely his. I remember him lending them to me a few times while we were traveling together," said Sun Baolu.
Hearing this, Li Huowang checked the smoke pipe and his face immediately became gloomy.
It was very likely that the Lu family had been captured by these bandits.
He showed the smoke pipe to the bandit in front of him and asked in a voice that grew increasingly cold, "Where did you get this? Did you recently rob a group of performers?"
"Kill me if you can! I am a man and I will never sell out my brothers!" The bandit roared defiantly.
Li Huowang was infuriated, but instead of becoming angry, he smiled. He released the clasp on the goatskin pouch on his waist.
Kling~
At that moment, the sound of metal clanking together was heard as various torture tools revealed themselves. Li Huowang had been taking such good care of them that they were shining brightly from being polished regularly.
"You must be dreaming if you want me to kill you," said Li Huowang.
For the next few minutes, Li Huowang slowly ground the bandit's fingers, causing the latter to howl and sob in pain. His voice echoed throughout the stony mountains.
As this was happening, the rest of them all turned around; they couldn't bear to continue watching.
Finally, when the bandit had his entire left hand ground down to the stump of his wrist, he relented. "I will speak! Our leader's mother recently celebrated her 70th birthday, and so he purposefully caught a group of performers to perform for her. They are still up on the mountain!"
Hearing this, Li Huowang threw the bloody torture tools in front of the bandit, causing the latter to shrink back in fear.
"Get up. If you don't want to be tortured again, then bring us to your camp," said Li Huowang.
The bandit no longer dared to act so tough. He just stood up and led them to their camp, just like a defeated dog.
Just then, Sun Baolu, who was rubbing the blood off his sword using a corpse spoke out in a voice filled with hesitation, "Senior Li, maybe we should just leave. We have no relationship with the Lu family and it would be better for us to not get into any more trouble..."
Hearing those words, Li Huowang gave a stern glare to Sun Baolu, causing the latter to avert his gaze.
"I am Li Huowang, not Dan Yangzi. It would've been fine if we hadn't found out about it, but now that we know that they were kidnapped, we will go and save them. Plus, I hate people who attack us out of nowhere. I'm gonna go and give them a piece of my mind," declared Li Huowang. He was pissed that a group of bandits dared to attack them. At this point, he no longer wanted to live within the shadows.
There were definitely monsters out there that he shouldn't offend, but not just anyone had the ability to command his respect. He was more than happy to kill those who tried to kill them for no reason.
At that moment, they turned their horse carriage around and followed the bandit back to their camp.
"Safe travels. I hope we will meet again," said a voice behind them.
Li Huowang turned around and saw that it was the old man who had already crawled past the boulder and was on the other side of the path. After a moment, he waved his arm before continuing with their journey.
After forgetting the old man, Li Huowang focused on what he should do next.
The name of the bandit they were following was Liu Waizui. Thanks to him, Li Huowang quickly learned about how their organization operated as well as what their organizational structure was.
Their leader was called Da Jinlong, and he controlled the area around here. They weren't bandits who wandered the lands, but instead had a nearby camp with a proper structure.
"What does your organizational structure look like?" Li Huowang asked.
According to Liu Waizui, there were various roles and names for all of them .
Those in charge of robbing others were called "knife heads" and those in charge of managing their resources were called "grain stations".
The guards within their camp were called "fragrant water", and those in charge of strategy were called "stack turners."
Those who kidnapped rich people were called "granaries," while those who blackmailed people to pay money were called "flower tongues."
Those masquerading as normal villagers to collect information were called "planted sticks."
And finally, those who were in charge of writing blackmail letters and other documents were called "wordsmiths".
Their chain of command was also quite simple. The leader was at the top, followed by the second-in-command, the third-in-command, the various department heads, and finally the ones who did the odd jobs.
The organizational structure of the entire bandit camp was quite rigid and clear.
"You guys are nothing but bandits. Why do you have such a structure? How many people do you have in your camp?" asked Li Huowang.
"I never counted, but probably a few hundred people," replied Liu Waizui. At this point, he had given up on fighting back as he told Li Huowang everything the latter wanted to know.
"How strong is your leader? What kind of powers does he have?" asked Li Huowang.
"He doesn't have any supernatural powers; he's just big and strong. He uses the hammer as a weapon," responded Liu Waizui.
A few hundred people, and no supernatural powers. So just normal bandits...
Li Huowang carefully gauged the difference in strength between his group and the bandits.
Since the bandits had initially surrounded them while on horsebacks, and Li Huowang's group was walking on foot, it was almost night time by the time they finally arrived near the bandit camp.
Soon, they were already halfway up the mountain. There were several torches lit up on the mountain, indicating the location of the camp.
Ji ji~ Ji~
At that moment, the sudden sound of a bird rang out from the side of the forest.
Then, Li Huowang kicked Liu Waizui. "Tell them that we are here to talk. It would be best if we can talk this out peacefully or there will definitely be blood. You've seen how we fight, so just think about how many more of your brothers will die by our hands."
Hearing this, Liu Waizui nodded in defeat and whistled, his whistle resembling the sound of a bird.
Soon, the forest came alive with the chirping sounds.
And so, none of the bandits stopped them during the rest of their trip.
They soon arrived at a cave on the mountain with several fierce-looking bandits glaring at Li Huowang.
"Brat, you got guts! You dare to come and find us even after killing our brothers?" roared one of them.
However, Li Huowang just ignored the normal bandits and directly walked inside.
Soon, they arrived in a large hall. Here, Li Huowang saw three big burly men eating meat and drinking wine as they cursed and laughed. When the sound surrounding them slowly died down, all three of them sized up Li Huowang.
"A sharp target? Or a stinky target?"[1] asked the bald man first.
However, Li Huowang was too tired to bother with the codewords at this point. "Since I can come up here unharmed, you should know just how strong I am. Hand over the group of performers and I will overlook your sins."
"Hahahaha!" The three men laughed.
Jiang!
Seeing this, Li Huowang unsheathed his sword and a dense killing intent filled up the entire hall.
Chapter 191 - Military Family
Li Huowang pulled out his sword, and a dense murderous intent filled the entire hall, making everyone present feel as if they were suddenly at the heart of a battlefield.
The sound of swords being drawn echoed continuously. The bandits wielded various weapons, struggling to charge forward from all directions while resisting the murderous intent.
However, some of the bandits amongst them could not bear it any longer, and fear creeped up within their eyes.
When the sword was sheathed again, the surroundings quickly became calm.
By now, the laughter of the bandit leader had vanished completely. The three men who had been drinking and eating, were now staring at Li Huowang.
Amidst this tension, the bald man, who sat at the head of the table, picked up a fried peanut and popped it into his mouth.
On the other hand, a broad-faced bandit with a smile on his face immediately stepped forward to mediate. "Esteemed Daoist, please don't be hasty. Things can be discussed calmly. Being able to meet like this can be considered fate, and we can all sit down together to have a drink."
Li Huowang was not intimidated by them, and so he went over to have a seat, and then started to pick up and eat the meat that they had been eating.
On the other hand, the round-faced man acting as a mediator now stood beside Li Huowang, acting as though Li Huowang was one of his associates. He took out a paper fan with a landscape painting on it, and then gently fanned Li Huowang several times. Then, he closed the fan and pointed it toward a bald man sitting at the Eight Immortals table.
"This is our leader, Da Jinlong," said the round-faced man.
"This is our second-in-command, Xia Shanhu," continued the round-faced man as he pointed at the bandit wearing a tiger-skin coat, causing the latter to snort coldly.
However, he did not introduce the final person.
The last man at the table had a gloomy expression as he lifted his bowl and took a big gulp. Apart from his fierce appearance, he had a distinctive look; there was the word "Qiu" tattooed on the left side of his forehead.
All three men had frames that were significantly larger than the rest of the bandits.
Then, the round-faced man tapped his nose with his fan and said, "I am Liu Xiang, the village calligrapher. It's a pleasure to meet you, Daoist."
"Is the play troupe still around? How many of them have died?" asked Li Huowang directly.
Just as the bandit wearing the tiger-skin coat was about to speak in an agitated voice, he was silenced by a look from Da Jinlong. Then, with the wave of his hand, a few disheveled-looking people were brought out.
These individuals were the Lu Family Troupe, who they hadn't seen in a while.
Upon seeing Li Huowang sitting together with the bandit leaders, Lu Zhuangyuan immediately knelt down and started kowtowing repeatedly. He cried pitifully, "Daoist! Save us, Daoist!"
Li Huowang used his tongue to push out the shreds of meat from between his teeth, and glanced across the bandits' faces. Then, he stood up as he prepared to head out of the cave.
Seeing this, Lu Zhuangyuan was overjoyed and had tears rolling down his eyes, and even wanted his son to join him in kowtowing.
"Hold on~ Did I say that you can leave?" An arrogant voice sounded, causing the bandits around them to immediately block off Li Huowang's path.
When Li Huowang turned back, he saw that the person who had spoken was not the so-called leader Da Jinlong, but the gloomy-looking man with the "Qiu" character tattooed on his forehead.
He tapped the table with his thick knuckles as he spoke, "Come and drink with us. Let's put aside the family troupe for now. What relationship do you have with the You Family of Si Qi?"
"You Family of Si Qi?" questioned Li Huowang.
The man chuckled upon seeing Li Huowang's confusion. He bit on a soybean and drank a mouthful of wine. "Stop pretending. That sword belongs to You Zixiong, right? He wouldn't have given you that sword for no reason."
At that moment, Li Huowang noticed the man eyeing the sword on his back, and slowly started to piece things together. It seemed that this sword held more secrets than he had initially thought.
After observing the faces of the trio, Li Huowang felt something was amiss. This person spoke haughtily, and did not seem to show any respect to the bandit leaders of this village.
"And who are you? The third leader of this village?" asked Li Huowang.
"Third leader, my ass! I am Wang Deqiu!" That person suddenly exploded before directly smacking a palm onto Li Huowang's chest, sending him flying.
The force of this blow was tremendous; it nearly sent Li Huowang flying outside.
As he saw this, Gao Zhijian, with his tall and wide stature, quickly rushed up and firmly caught Li Huowang.
At that moment, Li Huowang clutched his chest due to the excruciating pain. He was instantly filled with anger, and directly drew his sword and charged at that person.
On the other hand, Wang Deqiu just stood there with an astonished look on his face as he watched Li Huowang charging toward him.
This person took one of my strikes, and his heart hasn't shattered? He must be rather skilled.
"This is ridiculous! You are messing with the wrong people!" shouted Da Jinlong as he kicked aside the Eight Immortals table, and then pulled out a mace to meet Li Huowang head-on.
With this confrontation, chaos erupted all around them as the bandits all rushed in as well.
Originally, it seemed like there was a wide disparity in the strengths of the two groups, and that Li Huowang's side would definitely lose.
However, things didn't turn out like that.
Gao Zhijian roared and swung his rod forcefully, sending three people flying away.
Just as two bandits with daggers were about to flank him, a pair of hands with long black fingernails embedded themselves into their necks.
Seeing this, a few of the bandits who were standing further away raised their crossbows. In response, Chun Xiaoman opened the Profound Records and sliced off two of her fingernails along with the skin and flesh around them.
As she cried out loud, the fingernails were sent flying toward the bandits who were holding the crossbows. Everyone who stood between them was decapitated.
Li Huowang did not pay attention to what was happening behind him. His focus was entirely on the three people before him; they were the core of this bandit hideout.
Clang!
Xia Shanhu's huge ring knife clashed against Li Huowang's longsword, the huge force behind the clash pushing Li Huowang a few steps back. However, this was the limit of what Xia Shanhu could do.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Li Huowang's sharp blade easily sliced through the large ring knife, before continuing toward Xia Shanhu's face.
"Deputy!" Da Jinlong roared as he rushed in to help out his brother, but Wang Deqiu was already one step ahead of him.
Wang Deqiu wielded a pitch-black straight sword, and left behind a phantom image as he sliced it toward Li Huowang's hand.
Clang!
A clear and metallic sound rang out, and then a dent appeared on the edge of the straight sword.
As he saw this, Li Huowang retreated and changed targets.
These three individuals were clearly more skilled than Li Huowang; however, their weakness lay in their weapons. Before long, they all broke in the face of Li Huowang's assault.
In response, the three of them started to find ways to restrict him; they did not want to engage in direct combat against Li Huowang.
When the pressure on them finally reduced, a woman wearing a red veil came out to help them.
"Dong dong dong~ When the whip cracks, the drum sounds. The Immortals are welcomed, and one's inner spirituality must first be connected. Three wolf masters and three hurdles..."
As the chanting rang out, three wolf heads quickly rose from under the red veil, and bit onto Da Jinlong's neck, causing the latter to angrily raise his mace and strike down the wolf heads underneath the red veil.
The wolf heads were beaten and shrank in size, but they rapidly reformed and bit down once again, biting so fiercely that they even exposed the bones. The spray of blood that stained the red veil gave it an even deeper crimson color.
On the other hand, Li Huowang used this moment of respite to slice off Xia Shanhu's head, and then looked toward Wang Deqiu as blood trickled down his sword.
"They say that there are rules in this green forest, but I've realized that it's all nonsense. The only rule in this world is the sword in your hands!" said Li Huowang.
Wang Deqiu smiled despite this dire situation. "Yes, there are rules, but it depends on the person to follow them. People from Hou Shu won't follow the rules when facing the You Family."
"What do you mean?" asked Li Huowang.
"You Family of Si Qi is a military family. How many people from Hou Shu have they killed? So do you really think that we will let you stroll through here so casually?" asked Wang Deqiu.
"Huh, when did bandits start being concerned with politics? If you're talking about that, then why did you rebel in the first place?" mocked Li Huowang.
Hearing the disdain contained in Li Huowang's words, Wang Deqiu smiled but did not reply.
As he looked at that smiling face, Li Huowang's expression gradually turned . He had realized the identity of the other party. "Hold on, you are not bandits! You are soldiers!"
"Hehe, bandits and soldiers, is there a need for such clear distinctions? Isn't it all about the business of killing people?"
Chapter 192 - Clean Up
Having said that, Wang Deqiu used his right heel to fling a knife lying on the floor into his hand before charging toward Li Huowang without the slightest bit of hesitation.
Clang!
The sword and knife clashed, producing crisp sounds of collision.
As they continued to fight, Li Huowang felt pulse after pulse enter his body from the You Family sword, allowing him to slowly overpower Wang Deqiu. However, the latter's reckless fighting style also posed a great challenge to Li Huowang.
With another resounding clang, the noises stopped abruptly. At this moment, the knife had fractured, its pieces rolling on the ground.
Originally, Li Huowang had planned to spare him so that he could ask the man some questions. However, the sword in his hand caused him to be filled with an insatiable amount of bloodlust causing him to not be able to stop himself.
As Wang Deqiu raised his broken knife to stab it toward Li Huowang's abdomen, Li Huowang also pierced his sword into Wang Deqiu's chest.
"Just who are you?!" Li Huowang gritted his teeth and stared at the person before him.
Wang Deqiu didn't seem to be the slightest bit troubled when faced with death. He tried his best to gather some saliva and spit it at Li Huowang's face, but the bloody spittle simply slid down his chin weakly.
At that moment, Wang Deqiu mustered all his strength and shouted in a hoarse voice, "Bastard of the You Family, you will never get your hands on Hou Shu! As long as we are around, not an inch of Hou Shu will be lost!"
"How many times must I repeat myself? I am not from the You Family of Si Qi! This sword was given to me by someone else!" roared Li Huowang.
However, at this point, Wang Deqiu could not hear anything as warm blood flowed out from his chest, and his body gradually slumped onto the ground.
Panting heavily, Li Huowang gritted his teeth and pulled out the broken knife embedded in his abdomen.
Next, he pressed his hand onto the wound, and looked at Wang Deqiu's body again. He cursed silently under his breath, and then went to help the others.
At that moment, the entire village was in chaos. But since the leader of the bandits had already died, the remaining brats didn't last long. They were eventually defeated by Li Huowang's group, and ran back toward the depths of their cave in a panicked state.
Just as Li Huowang and the others were slaughtering the remaining few bandits, a rumbling sound rang out. Immediately, an area of the cave crumbled, and then a stone wall appeared between the two groups.
Bang bang!
Gao Zhijian whacked his iron rod onto the wall forcefully, causing sparks to appear with each strike.
"Alright, stop knocking on it. It's obvious that they were prepared and have now sealed this way," said Li Huowang.
Hearing this, Gao Zhijian sheepishly put down his hands.
On the other hand, Li Huowang sheathed his sword, and instantly felt his mind grow clearer. He let out a deep breath slowly, then shook his head. When he looked back toward the hall, he felt rather vexed upon seeing the corpses that littered the ground. So many people had died once again.
Truthfully speaking, he did not want to kill anyone. Yet, more and more people were dying at his hands.
Li Huowang glanced down at Wang Deqiu's body, then reached out and tore a large piece of clothing from one of the nearby corpses and used it to rewrap the You Family's sword.
In the end, all of this had happened because of this sword. Li Huowang had finally understood this.
It was same during the marriage function where Hou Laoer had recognized this sword, and mistakenly believed him to be someone from the military family of Si Qi.
And now, he had provoked someone like Wang Deqiu over, leading to all this trouble.
In Hou Shu, there are definitely many people with grievances against the You Family. I should be careful not to expose this sword casually.
Also, we must up our pace in the upcoming period. When the military families of Hou Shu learn that Wang Deqiu is dead, they will definitely not let this matter slide easily. At that time, even more people will be sent over; I can't let them find me.
Even though Li Huowang had won quite easily this time around, he dared not face off against the entirety of Hou Shu; that would undoubtedly be a disaster.
Meanwhile, Chun Xiaoman held her sword as she walked around the cave. Though her chest was still heaving, she was inflicting a finishing blow to anyone still gasping for breath, preventing any of them from launching any surprise attacks.
As she walked by Li Huowang, a hand reached out. "Give it to me."
"Senior Li, give you... What?" Chun Xiaoman pretended to be puzzled.
"Stop pretending. Pass me the Profound Records. That is not something that you can handle," said Li Huowang.
Li Huowang obviously knew what she had been using when he saw her profusely bleeding finger.
Hearing this, Chun Xiaoman eyed Bai Lingmiao, then covered her bosom and took a few steps back, her eyes unusually determined. "Senior Li, this is not the one you had before. I found this on someone else, and it belongs to me."
As she saw Li Huowang approach her, she slowly retreated.
"You don't understand what you are dealing with. You cannot handle it!" said Li Huowang, his tone becoming stern.
Backed up against the wall with no room to retreat, Xiaoman instinctively drew her sword.
Seeing this, Li Huowang couldn't help but chuckle. "We've been through so many life and death situations together, and now you're drawing your sword against me?"
These words caused Chun Xiaoman's eyes to show some hesitation, but determination quickly replaced it. "Sorry, Senior Li, but I must have my own weapon."
"Alright! Since you're so capable, then you can go out on your own! Why are you still in our group!" roared Li Huowang.
Chun Xiaoman's body trembled slightly, and tears started to well up in her eyes. To her currently, this was the most important thing.
Bai Lingmiao quickly appeared between the two, her expression worried. "Senior Li, don't be like that. We're all one family; let's talk it out."
"I'll repeat myself. Pass me the Profound Records!" said Li Huowang.
With reddened eyes, Chun Xiaoman gritted her teeth and took out the Profound Records. ๐ง๐๐๐๐คโฏ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฃโฏ๐ญ.๐คโด๐ฎ
When Bai Lingmiao saw that Li Huowang focused on the red bamboo slip, she quickly pulled Chun Xiaoman to a corner. "Sister Xiaoman, Senior Li is right. That thing is very dangerous, and it will hurt you each time you use it. You shouldn't have it with you."
This statement caused a burst of anger to appear inside her, and she said indignantly, "You know that it's dangerous, and yet you still support him? Are you out of your mind? Can't you distinguish right from wrong yourself?"
"But Sister Xiaoman, Senior Li is different from you. Even if his hand is cut off, it can regrow, but yours can't," argued Bai Lingmiao.
Hearing this, Chun Xiaoman looked at Bai Lingmiao disappointedly, and then walked away with her sword.
Bai Lingmiao anxiously followed her. "Sister Xiaoman, we are still good sisters, right? You won't ignore me, will you?"
Chun Xiaoman just lowered her head and directly walked out of the cave. She didn't want to be entangled with Bai Lingmiao right now.
However, under Bai Lingmiao's constant pleading, her heart gradually softened.
"I know you like him, but there are some things for which you can't always depend on him. That will only lead him further astray, ultimately causing him harm," said Chun Xiaoman.
Just as Xiaoman was about to continue speaking, some choked sobs rang out faintly, causing Chun Xiaoman to instantly draw her sword and stand before Bai Lingmiao.
Chapter 193 - Sympathy
In the hall, Li Huowang examined the Profound Records and gently ran his fingers across it. Only when this item returned to his waist again did he finally feel a sense of relief.
Even though each use of the Profound Records required one to pay a substantial cost, it always proved itself to be invaluable in critical moments.
After all, enduring some torture was better than death.
"Daoist! Daoist! You are the living protector of our Lu Family! Without your help, our whole family would have perished! And I... I on the other hand acted like I was possessed and actually ran away! I... deserve to be punished!" said Lu Zhuangyuan. As he spoke, Lu Zhuangyuan raised his dirty hand and prepared to slap himself across the face.
"Alright, alright. Are your people okay?" asked Li Huowang, stopping him.
Lu Zhuangyuan stopped reluctantly upon hearing Li Huowang's intervention. "That bandit, Da Jinlong enjoys theater, and so we are not dead... But... my daughter-in-law has suffered quite a lot..."
At that moment, as if suddenly realizing something, Lu Zhuangyuan's body quivered, and he said resolutely, "Daoist, from now on, we won't go anywhere but follow you! We will never forget the debt of gratitude we owe you for saving us! From now, our Lu Family Troupe will become your personal theater troupe!"
"What do I need a theater troupe for? I can't understand any of it," said Li Huowang. However, even before he could finish his words, Lu Zhuangyuan knelt down emotionally, and started kowtowing repeatedly.
"Alright, follow us if you want. But we can't stay here any longer. Do you still have your theater props? Pack everything up and prepare to leave," said Li Huowang. After having spent so much time together, Li Huowang had long since figured out their intentionsโthey wanted to have him as their bodyguard. However, he had a feeling that they would be useful later.
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhuangyuan immediately got up from the ground. "They are still around. Ooo! I also know where they keep their horses! I'll bring all of them here now!"
To show his value to Li Huowang, Lu Zhuangyuan moved quite quickly and led his family members toward the nearby entrance.
After dealing with Lu Zhuangyuan, Li Huowang looked toward the direction of the tunnel that Xiaoman had just entered with a complex look on his face.
After a moment, he turned toward Gao Zhijian and said, "Go inside and hurry them. It's not safe to stay in this bandit hideout. Tell them to hurry; we're going to leave."
Gao Zhijian nodded and tossed aside the iron rod in his hands. He then picked up the mace dropped by one of the bandits and carried it on his shoulder as he walked toward the tunnel.
However, before he could enter, Chun Xiaoman and Bai Lingmiao walked out with reddened eyes. It seemed like they had been crying not too long ago.
"What's the matter?" Li Huowang frowned.
Chun Xiaoman bent down to pull at the clothes of a fallen bandit. "Come in and see... These... bandits are complete savages! Just like animals!"
After glancing at Bai Lingmiao, who was also bending down to remove the clothes on the bandits' bodies, Li Huowang headed for the tunnel.
At the end of the cave, Li Huowang saw several naked women. All of their gazes were listless as they lay there, shivering on the floor. There were several X-shaped wooden frames around them with ropes hanging from them. From the bruises he saw on women's wrists and ankles, it was clear they were released by Bai Lingmiao and the others not too long ago.
Assisted by the others, the women put on the bandits' clothes before gathering at the bright hall.
If the women captured by the water bandits from the reed island could be considered to still have some status, then these women inside the bandit's den were nothing more than tools for these bandits to vent their desires.
While this was already bad enough, Lu Zhuangyuan mentioned that since it was quite boring within the hideout, the bandits would often treat these women as their playthings.
Thus, their fate was even more tragic. Once the bandits were tired of them, they were discarded and replaced by others. After all, there was no shortage of women as long as they could be captured.
As Li Huowang heard these disgusting descriptions, he turned around to look toward the collapsed rocks, a strong killing intent glinting in his eyes.
Instantly, a bronze bell appeared in his hand.
Ring ring ring!
As the piercing sound of the bell rang out, the edges of the world congregated and gave form to a Wandering God.
Then, Li Huowang pointed toward the rock wall.
The Wandering God nodded, and then disappeared into the wall.
Not long after, Li Huowang keenly heard some faint cries from within the wall.
After about fifteen minutes had passed, the Wandering God re-emerged from within the wall, nodded toward Li Huowang and then dissipated.
The ringing sound of the bell gradually faded. Then, Li Huowang turned toward the women behind him and said, "Don't worry, all the bandits are dead. Not a single one remains."
However, there was no emotion on their facesโno excitement, sadness, or joy. They just appeared to be listless.
Li Huowang looked at them with sympathy. They had suffered so much, and now, they had been mentally broken.
Wait, is this feeling... Sympathy?
As he thought up to this point, Li Huowang paused, and then took out the Fiery Scripture.
Then, with the emotions he felt now, he began reciting the cryptic incantations. Immediately, the white wax condensed into a fiery centipede which then crawled up his pants, and toward his abdominal wound.
Then, with a sizzling sound, the gruesome wound was quickly sealed.
With this, the missing portion of the Fiery Scripture was finally restored; This item that Jiang Yingzi had left for him could finally be used.
This should have been a joyous matter, but now was not an appropriate time to be happy.
As Li Huowang looked at these muddle-headed women, so as to not forget the feelings he had felt just now, he engraved them deep in his heart.
After thoroughly searching the entire hideout, the group left this place that reeked of death. By the time they left, it was already deep into the night
As Lu Zhuangyuan said, the bandits indeed had many horses. They also found some supplies such as dried food and blankets. However, there wasn't much of anything else, especially no silver. It appeared that they had hidden their silver behind the collapsed wall.
Now, there was nobody alive in that cave, and so the silver would be forever buried with the bandits that the Wandering God had killed.
That night, they continued to travel without rest, all the way until noon of the next day, all so they could distance themselves from the bandit hideout.
Once here, Li Huowang and Bun stood guard while the rest of them took this chance to get some sleep.
When all of them woke up in the evening, Li Huowang immediately laid down and fell asleep. By the time he woke up, it was the next morning.
As he rubbed his eyes sleepily, he saw Bai Lingmiao distributing some porridge to the women they had found. At the same time, he heard the voices of Sun Baolu and Puppy talking beside him.
Chapter 194 - Disguise
As Li Huowang observed those women, he overheard the conversation between Sun Baolu and Puppy.
"Old Sun, those bandits were really wicked. But all the women they captured look pretty decent. Should I pick one of them to be my wife? I don't mind if they are dirty; it's fine as long as they can bear children," wondered Puppy.
"Forget it; they've just come out from that place. Don't bully them," said Sun Baolu.
"Tsk! What are you saying? I'm not taking a concubine, but openly marrying a wife. I may not be that good-looking, but they would definitely be climbing up the social ladder if they were to marry me," said Puppy. After a moment, he continued, "Old Sun, do you want one too? If we miss this opportunity, it won't be so easy to find such pretty wives."
"Forget it, they are all so pitiful."
"Hey, we are helping them! Think about it, even if they return, people will still gossip about them, and they won't be able to marry anyone! At least with me, they will be able to have warm meals," said Puppy.
At that moment, Li Huowang reached to remove his blanket, and stood up. He ignored Puppy who was spouting nonsense, and made a beeline for Lu Zhuangyuan who was drinking porridge. ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฅ.๐๐จ๐
The Lu Family Troupe appeared a lot more refreshed after a night of rest; their faces were cleaner, and their clothes were neater.
As he saw Li Huowang approach them, Lu Zhuangyuan hurriedly stood up. At the same time, he stuffed the bowl he was holding to his younger son, and his expression turned into one of utmost respect.
"Is this yours?" Li Huowang returned the tobacco pipe to its rightful owner.
"Ah yes!" Lu Zhuangyuan nodded and received it. "Sorry for the trouble. You had to return this small thing to me personally."
"If you feel guilty, then do me a favor. We need your assistance," said Li Huowang.
Lu Zhuangyuan was surprised. This Daoist had supernatural abilities, and so was not sure what kind of help he could offer.
On the other hand, Li Huowang turned to look back at the others who were eating. "Help us put on a disguise and some makeup."
Soon after, everyone's faces had theater makeup. Even Li Huowang's coin veil was decorated with a long beard.
Once all of their weapons were stashed onto the carriages, they could no longer be recognized as a messy group of escorts, but a large theater troupe of about twenty people.
"From now on, you will lead this theater troupe. That means, we are all under your command. You will be the one to answer if anyone asks questions," said Li Huowang as he looked at Lu Zhuangyuan.
Hou Laoer had pointed out that they were quite conspicuous. Hence, Li Huowang's objective was for them to change their looks.
Lu Zhuangyuan also understood the situation immediately, and patted his chest while assuring them that there would be no problems.
"Senior Li, will this do?" Puppy asked. He had a white circle drawn on his nose.
Li Huowang's beard shook with his head as he said, "No matter what, we have to try. We'll be found far too easily if we continue like before. We can't fight the entirety of Hou Shu."
Currently, Li Huowang's entire face was black, he had a fake beard, and he was wearing a set of theater clothes. It was completely different from his look as the red-robed Daoist from before. He was completely unrecognizable.
"Senior Li, have some food," said Bai Lingmiao who was wearing an opera costume as she poured some porridge for him.
Li Huowang was about to begin eating, but as he scanned the rest of them, he noticed that Chun Xiaoman had not applied any makeup.
Bai Lingmiao hurriedly explained, "Sister Xiaoman has too much facial hair. She needs to shave it off before applying the makeup."
"Then shave it off quickly; don't waste any more time. Who knows when those people will catch up with us," said Li Huowang as he threw over his sharp sword, and began to eat his porridge.
"There's no need for that thing; we're not beheading anyone. I will shave her face," said Luo Juanhua. Then, she removed two strings from her wrists and walked over to help.
The string heads intertwined, and the black hair on Chun Xiaoman's face was quickly shaved off, revealing her white skin underneath.
By the time Li Huowang finished eating his porridge, Xiaoman's face had also been completely shaved off all the hair.
At this point, the other disciples from the Zephyr Temple looked at her curiously. Chun Xiaoman's face had always been covered in hair, and this was their first time seeing what she truly looked like.
Luo Juanhua had been extremely meticulous, even shaving off the hair on her neck cleanly.
Chun Xiaoman looked at the rest of them nervously. In reality, even she herself did not know what she looked like either.
Xiaoman quickly walked up to a mirror and examined her face carefully.
At that moment, she saw a young maiden about sixteen years of age, with a delicate, slightly round face, and a straight nose. She was not some stunning beauty, but could still be considered pretty.
While Chun Xiaoman did not know about the others, she was definitely satisfied with her appearance. She felt extremely moved as she used her hairy hands to support her face. After all, nobody would want to remain as a hairy monster their entire life. She also wanted to be like other women, to get married and to bear kids.
Xiaoman is actually so young...
Li Huowang thought to himself, and then began to pester them, "Stop gawking; hurry and put the makeup on her. No place in Hou Shu is safe for us right now."
Hearing this, Lu Juren took up his brush and began to paint on Xiaoman's face. Despite her reluctance, the dense ink gradually covered her appearance once again.
Ta ta ta!
At that moment, horse hooves suddenly sounded as a group of fierce-looking men quickly rode past them. One of them turned back to glance at them, but did not pay much attention to a theater troupe like theirs.
Li Huowang instantly had a feeling that this wasn't a good omen. "Hurry, those people must be related to the bandits and have likely come to look for us,"
Li Huowang's words instantly caused the slightly relaxed atmosphere to tense up.
After they all finished their porridge, they quickly packed up and left.
In the following period, Li Huowang avoided all the major roads and took smaller paths.
Whether it was due to the make-up or their choice of routes, it took them ten days to safely arrive at a small town nestled among several rocky hills.
This town was not very large, and there seemed to be just one major street running through it. Even so, it seemed quite busy due to the constant flow of travelers passing through this hub.
When he saw the bustling street, Li Huowang breathed a sigh of relief. They were a little closer to being able to leave Hou Shu.
"We'll rest here tonight, and continue on our way tomorrow," announced Li Huowang before leading the group in.
Just a few steps in, Li Huowang's eyes gleamed as he saw the old man they had bumped into along the way previously," Senior? Where are you going?"
Hearing this voice, Jin Shanzhao turned around and saw a middle-aged man with a long beard. However, the voice sounded quite familiar, and so he asked in surprise, "Oh? Is that you, Daoist? Such a coincidence."
"Coincidence?" Li Huowang's eyes shrank, and then he quickly walked up to the old man and said, "Hit me."
"Hmm? What for?"
Thump!
Suddenly, Li Huowang's fist landed onto Jin Shanzhao's chest, causing the latter to stumble back.
"Daoist? Why did you do that? Have I offended you somehow?" asked Jin Shanzhao as he struggled to catch his breath.
Li Huowang did not respond to him, and instead looked down at his fist.
I can touch him, and this sensation... Seems like he's not a hallucination, unlike Monk.
Chapter 195 - Play
With Li Huowang's explanation and help from the rest of them, Jin Shanzhao's anger finally subsided.
After all, it was up to Jin Shanzhao whether to believe the so-called reasons fabricated by Li Huowang.
"Elder, since we're traveling in the same direction, then how about we go together? It will be convenient for mutual support if we encounter any trouble on the way," suggested Li Huowang.
As he recalled the corpses of those bandits, Jin Shanzhao hesitated for a moment but nodded in the end. "Alright, I'm getting older and may get picked off by bandits quite easily. Traveling together might just be safer. However, Daoist, you should respect old people just as you do your own parents. Just a few more strikes like those, and I'll have to be placed in a coffin."
"Of course not. I was too careless previously," said Li Huowang.
Li Huowang finally heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the old man agree. It was not that he wanted to stick with this stranger, but rather to ensure that the man wouldn't report him to the others while they were on the move.
As long as they stuck together, then he could be monitored.
The entire town was very busy, and their painted faces attracted quite a bit of attention as they walked through. Quite a few people stood still and pointed curiously toward Li Huowang's group.
Can they tell that that we are from the kingdom of Si Qi?
However, this thought was quickly dismissed from Li Huowang's head.
Lu Zhuangyuan's family wasn't from the kingdom of Si Qi in the first place, and they didn't perform any plays from there, so nobody would suspect that they were from there.
However, the crowd's interest did serve as a reminder for Li Huowang.
After all, while they may not be suspected to be from the kingdom of Si Qi, they may raise suspicions as a theater troupe that didn't perform any plays.
After some contemplation, Li Huowang came up with a solution. "Troupe Leader Lu, since we are a theater troupe, why don't we set up a stage for a play? There's already an audience waiting."
Performing a play was something that was expected of them.
Hearing Li Huowang's suggestion, Lu Zhuangyuan nodded enthusiastically, and then came to the Lu Family Troupe and instructed, "Hurry up! Didn't you hear the Daoist? Quickly find an area to set up the stage."
"But... Dad, I'm so tired. We just came out of the bandits' hideout. Didn't we sing and dance for long enough over there? Let's rest for a while more..." said Lu Xiucai.
Lu Zhuangyuan glanced at Li Huowang who was standing nearby, then picked up his tobacco pipe and smacked it on his son's head. "You sing when I tell you to! What's with all this nonsense?! You should follow your father's words!"
Since there were no trees or bamboo poles around, they could not erect a proper stage and had to make do by draping a large red cloth over a broken wall. The carriages that were led behind the broken wall served as the backstage.
Though it was quite crude, the townsfolk were not picky. They soon gathered around when they saw that there was a play.
Li Huowang was not one to sit by idly. "Go and help out. Remember our identities; right now, we are a theater troupe. We can find an inn to rest after the performance."
Li Huowang's words caused everyone besides Jin Shanzhao to start moving.
Since all of them weren't really skilled as performers, they could only assist them offstage, but even this lightened the burden on Lu Zhuangyuan's group massively.
Dressed in black, Lu Juren raised his knife and stepped on the stage, causing the buzzing crowd to gradually become quiet. There was no applause, but a curious sense of expectation filled their eyes.
While the Nuo Opera was famous in Hou Shu, the people were not dismissive of other types of plays either.
Dong dong jiang!
As the Lu Family Troupe began to play their music, Lu Juren followed their rhythm and started singing. "Today~ for~ justice~ down~ mountain~ pass~ blade~ to~ assist the battle!"
Meanwhile, Li Huowang observed the audience, using his keen senses to search for any potential risks. Fortunately, after searching for a while, the only noteworthy thing was a thief stealing some money at the periphery of the audience.
He also saw Jin Shanzhao engrossed in the performance.
"Senior Li, previously... I didn't refuse to give you that bamboo slip... I just..."
At that moment, a hesitant voice rang out behind him.
When he saw Chun Xiaoman, Li Huowang raised his hand to stop her. "I know that you were sold by your family and often feel uneasy. But the Profound Records is a very sinister item and not suitable for you. If you use it improperly, it can end up costing you your life."
"Then, Senior Li, how come you can use it?" asked Xiaoman.
"I..." Li Huowang touched the smooth surface of the Profound Records, and smiled bitterly, "...I am just used to it."
"Sorry for being harsh with you. That's just my temperament. Please bear with me," As he said this, Li Huowang reached out to pass the bronze bell to Chun Xiaoman. "Take this. Although it requires your lifespan, at least it's safer than the Profound Records."
Chun Xiaoman accepted the bell with a look of surprise. They had spent so much time together, and she understood this bronze bell's power quite well. She was amazed that he would entrust it to her. With this, the unease in her heart finally vanished without a trace.
She wanted to say something, but all she could say was, "Thank you, Senior Li."
Li Huowang sighed. He did not want to give any of these items to others. It was not out of selfishness, but because each of them was extremely dangerous. In this crazy world, one had to sacrifice something if they wanted to obtain something else.
Just as Li Huowang was instructing Xiaoman on how to use the bell, an unexpected scene began to happen.
It was not the arrival of enemies, but Lu Juren's emotions suddenly seemed amiss on the stage. He seemed to be overly engrossed in his performance. Even with Li Huowang's limited knowledge of the plays, he felt that there was something off with the lines.
"Rouge and powder like enchanting drugs!"
"The lotus-like face is the source of this bewitching charm!"
"The little golden lotus, this malicious spirit!"
"The willow-like waist, akin to a snare for horses!"
"Those charming eyes force me to wear a cuckold's hat!"
"A pair of jade-like wrists serve as a pillow for a thousand men!"
"Scarlet lips, savored by countless guests!"
"Doesn't matter if it's Zhang, Wang, Li, or Zhao!"[1]
"On the mandarin duck pillow, he calls out affectionately!"
As he finished singing the last verse, Luo Juanhua, Lu Juren's wife, raised the gong and pounded it indignantly, before dashing toward the backstage with tears streaming down her face.
Clang!
For a moment, the entire stage and the audience fell silent.
Then, the audience erupted in cheers and applause.
"Amazing!"
"Encore, encore!"
"This is so much more energetic than the Nuo Opera! What kind of show is this?" ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐ท๐๐ซ๐๐ก.๐๐ธ๐ถ
"Let that lady who just struck the gong come back on the stage. I'll reward her generously!"
Various coins and silver pieces, and even some food, gradually littered the ground.
This was the most rewarding response the Lu Family Troupe had received in all their years performing.
Chapter 196 - Kill
As the leader of a theater troupe, Lu Zhuangyuan easily managed to reign in the chaos. He ran up the stage, stood in front of Lu Juren, and apologized to the customers with a smile on his face. ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฒ๐ฅ.๐๐๐
After that, he gave his younger son a look and immediately pulled Lu Juren to the back of the stage.
Lu Xiucai understood what needed to be done and quickly somersaulted onto the stage. He grabbed the gong and used it to quickly collect the money on the stage while performing.
"The Lu family... It seems that they have trouble..." muttered Li Huowang as he approached the carriage. He knew about what had happened to Luo Juanhua within the bandit camp, but there was nothing he could do.
When Li Huowang was close to the carriage, he saw Lu Zhuangyuan raising his smoke pipe and smacking it on his son's head.
"She's your wife! How could you say all that on stage?! You are embarrassing yourself and the entire Lu family!" shouted Lu Zhuangyuan.
Lu Juren suddenly grabbed the smoke pipe and pulled it out of his father's hand, causing the latter to fall over with his eyes wide open as he stared at his son, shocked.
"Embarrassing? What do you mean I am embarrassing the Lu Family? We are performers! We are already the lowest of the low! We are already embarrassed enough! Even prostitutes have a higher status than us! Who else could we even compare ourselves with? Didn't you see how she acted when she was within the bandit camp? She was laughing with them! She even... did that in front of the bandits! Father, I've had enough! Why is my life so miserable?!" Lu Juren kneeled on the ground and continued pounding his fist on it, despair evident in his eyes.
"Why do you think I was laughing with them? I did it for all of us! If I didn't do that, then they would've killed Cui'er! You think you are the only one who is miserable?! I'M MISERABLE TOO! But I am not a noble... I'm only the wife of a performer. However, even while I'm miserable, I have to endure and pretend like nothing is happening. You think I'm a shameless woman who would sleep with just anyone? What choice did I have?" shouted Luo Juanhuan through her sobs while hugging her large belly.
Looking at this scene, Li Huowang sighed.
The root cause of this situation were the bandits. As long as bandits continued to exist, there would be many others who would suffer the same fate as Luo Juanhua.
The soldiers were supposed to suppress the bandits, but to think that they became the bandits themselves.
Wang Deqiu was right. Soldiers and bandits were more or less the same.
What a fucking horrible place this is.
There was nothing much Li Huowang could do. He whispered to the members of his group and told them to keep everything in mind.
Soon, Sun Baolu and Puppy huddled around Lu Juren while Bai Lingmiao and Chun Xiaoman approached Luo Juanhua.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang approached Lu Zhuangyuan and patted him on the shoulder. "Troupe leader Lu, don't just sit there and stare. The performance has not ended."
Lu Zhuangyuan looked tired; it was as if he had suddenly aged considerably. He walked toward the stage with empty hands. "Juren had never acted like that before..."
However, when he emerged from the backstage, he saw that all of the customers were gone, and the few remaining residents looked afraid as they congregated near the edges of the town.
Seeing this, Lu Zhuangyuan had no time to care about his family problems and shouted as he ran back inside, "Daoist! Daoist, quick, come out! We have trouble!"
Hearing this, Li Huowang ran out to check the situation while the others prepared themselves to escape. Knowing that something was wrong they quickly packed their belongings and prepared themselves.
"Wait here, I will go and see what's wrong," instructed Li Huowang.
Li Huowang immediately hid his sword within his robe and ran toward the entrance of the town.
On the way, he had to pass through a dense group of villagers and camels before he could see what was happening.
The entire town had been surrounded by soldiers!
The soldiers weren't wearing their standard uniform. Instead, they were all wearing mismatched armors and holding a variety of weapons. Every single one of them had a green "Qiu" character tattooed on their heads.
When Li Huowang saw Hou Laoer within the group carrying a large spear, he immediately knew that they were here for him!
Hou Laoer and the rest of the Small-arms soldiers were all riding horses and carrying the same type of large spear. At this moment, all of them were encircling a massive general.
The general was huge, with a body that was at least four times as large as that of a regular human. The general was wearing full plate armor with a helmet while holding a massive halberd that was at least twelve feet long.
The general just stood there unmoving, but waves of oppressive aura was radiating from their body. Even standing as far as he was, Li Huowang still feel it.
Li Huowang had a bad feeling about it. If he had to describe the general, then he would say that the general was nothing short of a landmine that could blow up any moment.
Meanwhile, the residents of the town buzzed in fear. Even though they were people native to the country of Hou Shu, they looked more uncomfortable than Li Huowang.
"Heavens! It's the outlaw soldiers!"
"What should we do? We need to run!"
"How can we run? They've already surrounded us!"
As he observed the situation, Li Huowang blended into the back of the crowd and thought about how to escape.
They are probably here for me, but most likely don't know who I am. If they knew, then they would've rushed into the town to get to me by now. Should I wait for them to conduct an inspection or make a run for it? They don't look very disciplined so maybe I can try bribing them...
While Li Huowang was busy thinking about how to escape, a fat man wearing silk robes approached the soldiers. When he got close to the general, he lowered his head and started saying something.
Looking at his outfit, Li Huowang deduced that the fat man was most likely the person in charge of maintaining relations with the outsiders.
This is a busy town where a lot of traffic intersects and numerous outsiders come and go. They probably can't find me even with the help of the villagers.
But what happened next shocked Li Huowang.
The massive halberd rose and fell down.
Instantly, the fat man's body was split in half.
As this happened, a soft breeze blew past the faces of everyone within the town.
Then, the general stepped forward and removed their helmet.
Li Huowang saw that it was a man with a woman's face... no, it was a woman! Her face also had a tattoo, just like the others; the words "Loyal to the nation" covered half of her face, making her look incredibly vicious.
"Everyone! There's a spy from the kingdom of Si Qi within the town, so please forgive us!" shouted the general.
The general's voice was melodious, but her words caused everyone who heard them to tremble.
After her declaration, she once again wore her helmet.
"Brothers! We will not sheath our weapons today until we kill them all! We need to ensure that the spies do not escape!" commanded the general.
"HA!" Immediately, the soldiers brandished their weapons and pointed them directly at everyone within the town.
Chapter 197 - Longteng
Li Huowang finally realized what was happening as the outlaw soldiers began charging toward town.
These bastards weren't trying to find the spy through verifying people's identities, but through killing the entire town!
Dong~ Dong~ Dong~
The sound of the wardrum struck fear in the hearts of everyone present.
Amidst the chaos, the outlaw soldiers showed no mercy as they continued their charge toward the unarmed civilians.
As he stared at the army, Li Huowang immediately knew that assassinating the general wasn't a good idea.
It had a low probability of being successful, and he didn't know how strong the general was. All he knew was that the general had to be significantly stronger than Wang Deqiu.
The best course of action is to run and escape their encirclement!
After deciding this, Li Huowang chose one of the directions with the least amount of soldiers and immediately ran back into the heart of the town.
At the same time, everyone else started running as well, the entire situation turning chaotic.
When Li Huowang finally got close to the center of the town, he heard the sound of metal ripping through the air.
Everyone, including Li Huowang, turned around and saw that the female general was directly pointing at them with her halbert.
Then, her strong and clear voice resonated in the air, "Charge into the Heavens and Earth and become a dragon! Flying Dragon formation!"
"Kill them all!" The outlaw soldiers shouted and ran into the town. ๐๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐๐.๐๐ผ๐
Seeing this scene, all the civilians were horrified and the only thing they could think about was escaping.
However, a lot of the people were trampled to death as they tried to flee the scene.
Splat!
The sharp knives held by the soldiers easily stabbed into the bodies of the civilians and took their lives.
The soldiers who were supposed to fight off the enemies were now killing civilians without the slightest remorse.
The civilians started dying in swathes.
On the other hand, the outlaw soldiers enjoyed such a massacre. Some of them even started salivating as they saw the flying blood and flesh.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang continued to run while weaving through the crowd; even so, there were far too many people!
After a while, Li Huowang finally gave up and leapt up onto a roof before finally finding a path back to his group. Then, he ran back as fast as he could.
All of them were still waiting there for him, oblivious to the threat. When he saw that they hadn't tried to blindly run away, Li Huowang sighed in relief.
At this moment, Li Huowang's group was staring at the escaping civilians and feeling anxious. They didn't know what had happened and could only wait for Li Huowang to return.
Bam!
At that moment, Li Huowang suddenly fell from the skies and onto the ground, surprising the rest of them in the process.
"Run! I will explain everything while running! We need to leave the town now; they are killing everyone! Run!" barked Li Huowang.
Even though they didn't know what was happening, none of them questioned Li Huowang and immediately started running with their carriage in tow.
The horses ran as fast as they could, while those on the carriage held on for dear life.
When he finally had the chance, Li Huowang explained to them what was happening.
"How dare they?! Those murderers!" Jin Shanzhao was livid.
Li Huowang stared at Jin Shanzhao intently. "Do you know them? Do you think you can stop them with your identity?"
Li Huowang didn't know Jin Shanzhao's true identity. He was a mysterious old man. If his true identity was that of someone influential within the kingdom, then they might be able to save themselves right now.
Jin Shanzhao shook his head. "The outlaw soldiers have already started massacring all the people within the town. There's no hope anymore."
"All the more reason for us to run then!"
At this moment, Li Huowang and the rest were running toward the North exit. Even though the outlaw soldiers had surrounded the entire town, at the very least the North exit was further away from the general, and so they had a higher chance of surviving!
As they ran, they saw the civilians in front of them turn around and start running back.
"Zhao Wu! Hold the reins and don't let the horses get spooked!" commanded Li Huowang.
Their horse carriages were akin to a boat trying to go up against a strong current, causing them to be slowed down considerably.
Suddenly, the crowd of civilians was no more.
Just as Li Huowang raised his head, he saw something sharp aimed straight for his neck. He twisted his body and saw who it was, the "Qiu" character on their forehead revealing the identity of the attacker.
Li Huowang's group had finally met up with the encirclement of the outlaw soldiers.
Immediately, Li Huowang unsheathed his sword and swung it as hard as he could, cutting the solder in half.
"Charge! As long as we exit their encirclement, we will be able to survive!" roared Li Huowang. At the same time, he raised his sword and charged into the encirclement.
The rest of them dared not stop and followed closely behind Li Huowang.
In the face of Li Huowang's attacks, the outlaw soldiers were caught completely off guard; they had never expected there to be a group of fighters hidden within a traveling theater troupe.
Tens of soldiers were dead in no time.
When the soldiers finally reacted, they immediately started working together. They used their spears to keep Li Huowang and the rest at a distance, using their advantage in numbers to stop Li Huowang's attacks.
I can't drag this anymore!
As he thought this, Li Huowang used a metal tong to pull out two of his teeth. The pain shot through his spine accompanied by a sour taste in his mouth. Then, he unfurled the Profound Records and caused the two teeth to explode in front of the soldiers.
Instantly, the white shrapnels tore into the soldiers causing them to cry out in pain. A large group of soldiers died just like that.
Ding ding ding~!
At the same time, the horrid sound of the bronze bell started ringing.
In response, Wandering Gods flew out and started phasing through a large swathe of the soldiers, killing them in the process.
As more and more soldiers died, Li Huowang finally saw a path to escape the encirclement!
Finallyโ
Just as he had thought that they would be able to escape, Li Huowang was enveloped by a killing intent so intense that he almost crumbled under the pressure.
Li Huowang instantly knew that he was in danger but he couldn't move; it was as if his body had been frozen solid.
At the critical moment, a dragon roar rang out from the sword on Li Huowang's back, neutralizing the killing intent.
Freed from the killing intent, Li Huowang ducked and rolled as the sound of air being torn was heard. A massive halberd flew over and crashed into the position Li Huowang had been in just moments ago.
The impact caused pebbles to fly in all directions, peppering Li Huowang's face and causing him to grimace from the pain.
After a moment, Li Huowang turned around to look in the direction of the town.
Da da da!
A massive horse donned with heavy armor was carrying the female general as she trampled over the civilians and rapidly approached them. At this moment, the horse's legs were stained in red, just like Li Huowang's robes.
As she got close, fear gripped everyone's heart; all of them suddenly felt the urge to give up. Her very presence was enough to cause them to feel despair.
"Hoho, I finally forced you to come out, Si Qi spy." Her voice was quite soothing to hear.
"This sword was given to me! I'm not a spy from the kingdom of Si Qi!" denied Li Huowang.
"You carry the sword of the You family. Also, if I, Peng Longteng, say that you are a spy, then you are one! Who cares if you are really a spy or not?"
Chapter 198 - Move
As it charged toward Li Huowang, the massive horse crushed the corpses of the civilians under its feet.
At the last moment, Li Huowang rolled out of the way and raised his sword, but Peng Longteng's halberd was already being swung toward his face, the wind from the downward slash blowing his hair backward.
Li Huowang dared not use his sword to block such a powerful attack head-on; even if the sword did not break, his bones definitely would.
However, even as Li Huowang dodged, she easily redirected her halberd and stabbed it straight toward him.
At that moment, a massive man suddenly charged in from the sideโit was none other than Gao Zhijian!
As soon as he charged in, he swung his mace against the halberd.
Dang!
Gao Zhijian managed to knock the halberd slightly off course.
However, immediately after, she managed to easily hook the halberd back, causing Gao Zhijian to be sent flying away.
Ding ding ding~!
At that moment, the Wandering Gods appeared and charged toward Peng Longteng. But just as they were about to touch her, the Wandering Gods' bodies twisted and missed her completely!
The Wandering Gods dared not touch Peng Longteng who was cloaked in dense killing intent!
As Li Huowang scanned his surroundings, he saw that Gao Zhijian's right arm had been wounded quite badly, to the point that even his bones were showing and he was bleeding profusely.
"I will hold her off, so all of you run now! She only wants me!" shouted Li Huowang.
However, not one of them followed this instruction, choosing to firmly stand right behind him.
At that moment, the sound of horse hooves rang out once again and Peng Longteng stood still. She observed everything that was happening and smiled sadistically. "Brat, looks like they are all very important to you. How about fighting me one-on-one? If you win against me, then I will let all of you go. How about it?"
Without even waiting for his reply, the general pulled on the reins as she once again charged forward.
Seeing Peng Longteng charge toward him, Li Huowang rolled toward the left.
I need to get her down the horse!
As he thought up to this point, he narrowly avoided the halberd and swung his sword toward the horse's hind leg.
However at that moment, he felt a strange gaze coming from the horse's body.
Almost as if the horse had already expected his actions, it dodged his attack and delivered a powerful kick, sending Li Huowang flying and crashing into a small house.
As she saw Li Huowang crawl out of the debris, Peng Longteng chuckled. "Not bad for a spy from Si Qi. Looks like you are able to take on some of my attacks."
Li Huowang just spat out a few mouthfuls of blood as he glared at her.
This general was too strong. If he wanted to survive, then he was going to need to pull out all the stops.
As soon as he made up his mind, Li Huowang unfurled the Profound Records and placed his left arm on it. Then, he took out a dagger and immediately cut his wrist.
As she saw what was happening, Peng Longteng slightly raised her chin.
At that moment, a dark shadow shot toward Li Huowang's face.
He dodged it, but he realized too late that the shadow was nothing more than a distraction.
Splat!
A massive black spear pierced through Li Huowang's palm, nailing it to the ground.
Meanwhile, Peng Longteng slowly approached him while dragging her halberd against the ground. Then, she picked up the Profound Records and threw it onto the roof of a nearby house.
"To think that spies from Si Qi are now colluding with the crazy bastards from the Ao Jing Sect," muttered Peng Longteng.
On the other hand, Li Huowang snarled at Peng Longteng, questioning her, "Was this what you meant when you proposed fighting one-on-one?"
"Hehe~ You actually believed it? Don't you know that the first rule of battle is to use any and all means to obtain victory? Any and all methods to achieve victory are welcomed here. Just like what we will be doing now. Guys, go kill those performers! But! Kill them slowly; I want them to continue wailing in pain for as long as possible so that this brat can't focus on the battle," ordered Peng Longteng.
As soon as he heard those words, Li Huowang was enraged. "You damnedโ"
However, he couldn't finish his sentence when he saw Peng Longteng swing her halberd down toward him.
No, I can't die here! Who knows how they will treat Bai Lingmiao and the rest of them once I am dead!
Li Huowang wanted to dodge but he had been pinned to the ground by the spear. He could only watch as the halberd came closer and closer to him.
"Move! MOVE NOW!"
Even as he continued to scream, the halberd stabbed into Li Huowang's skull.
Then, Peng Longteng pulled out the halberd and swung it down once more.
But Li Huowang was unharmed. In fact, there were no wounds on his head. At the same time, Li Huowang suddenly realized that he could move once more. He didn't know what had happened, but there was no time to think. He quickly picked up his sword and climbed up the horse before stabbing his sword at Peng Longteng's helmet.
Peng Longteng kept attacking Li Huowang, but for some reason all of her attacks were landing just a few inches to his left side.
Jiang!
As he stabbed at Peng Longteng's helmet, Li Huowang was surprised to find that he couldn't stab through the helmet despite how sharp the You's family sword was!
Realizing that stabbing wouldn't work, Li Huowang took out the Fiery Scripture and placed it on the helmet. Then, he looked at Peng Longteng pitifully and started chanting.
Soon, the wax on the book melted and slipped into the helmet through the hole as it tried to find a wound to cauterize.
At that moment, the sound of sizzling flesh was heard as Peng Longteng shouted, "Shit! It's in my eyes!"
As she shouted, she pulled up the front guard and quickly tried to remove whatever had entered her helmet.
But in that moment, her hand wasn't the only thing clawing at her face.
Seeing the opening, Li Huowang also stabbed his sword.
In that split second as soon as she sensed the danger, she twisted her head and managed to avoid a fatal blow. At the same time, she raised her halberd to counterattack, but her blow once more landed beside Li Huowang.
Li Huowang did not fail to seize such a big opening. He immediately stepped on the horse's head and stabbed his sword again, this time with even more strength.
Splurt!
Peng Longteng's body stiffened up and fell down from the horse.
"General! The General!" The soldiers shouted and quickly ran toward her.
On the other hand, Li Huowang leapt up from the horse, grabbed the Profound Records before running toward the horse carriage.
"RUN! RUN WHILE THEY ARE STILL CONFUSED! HER SKULL WAS TOO THICK AND I COULDN'T STAB DEEP ENOUGH!" shouted Li Huowang.
Hearing this, Chun Xiaoman rang the bronze bell as hard as she could.
In response, numerous Wandering Gods flew out and slaughtered the soldiers blocking them. The soldiers' morale was quite low after they saw their General falling off her horse, causing them to no longer be able to put up a good fight.
Soon, with the help of the Wandering Gods, Li Huowang and the rest managed to escape.
But they did not stop. They were afraid that the soldiers would catch up to them.
They ran until they reached a fork in the road. At this point they quickly grabbed whatever was necessary before running down the smaller path. At the same time, they directed the horse carriage to run down the main path instead, hoping to use the marks left behind by the horses and the carriage wheels to confuse the soldiers.
They continued to run until some of them could run no more. It was only then that Li Huowang allowed them rest near the base of a mountain.
There were several large boulders at the base of the mountain that were suitable for them to hide themselves.
Only after calming down did Li Huowang realize just how much of a miracle it was for them to have been able to escape.
What just happened? Why did the general only attack the left side of my body? Is there something on my left?
Li Huowang turned to his left but didn't see anything besides a boulder.
"Senior Li, where are you?" asked Bai Lingmiao.
When he saw that she couldn't find him, Li Huowang panicked a bit.
Are her eyes alright? How can she not see me here?
He stood up and walked toward her.
Just as he was walking toward her, everyone shouted in shock and took a few steps back.
He looked at what all of them were staring at and once again turned to his left.
This time, he finally saw it. He saw a figure in a red Daoist robe, and half a head.
The man was split in half, one part stuck inside the boulder while the other was outside.
Li Huowang instinctively grabbed his sword and slowly retreated.
However, the figure did the same thing as Li Huowang as well. As soon as Li Huowang took three steps back, the man did the same and exited from the boulder.
At that moment, Li Huowang finally realized who it was after looking at the robes and the bag of torture tools.
It was himself!
After a moment, Li Huowang looked down and saw that his body was invisible. There was nothing there.
It was as if he had turned into a floating camera!
Li Huowang raised his head and stared at his 'body double'. The 'body double' mimicked what he did.
"Good Heavens, it's moving..."
Chapter 199 - Change
His body was indeed moving, but in a very convoluted way.
When Li Huowang straightened his back, he saw that his body did the same in front of him. Then, he raised his right arm and it once again mimicked his actions.
There was no mistaking that it was his body. Li Huowang looked down again and saw that even though he could feel his body, there was nothing thereโit was just that he couldn't see it.
He touched the coin veil and saw the image of his body doing the same thing in front of him.
It was as if Li Huowang was performing a shadow play and the image of his body was the shadow.
However, compared to knowing what this was, Li Huowang currently was more concerned about how this situation came to be and how he could go back to normal.
Wait, I remember that earlier when I was nailed to the ground, the general had been constantly striking the left side of my body!
Li Huowang recalled how the general kept attacking to the left of his body. That was the only reason he managed to find such a big opening to attack her.
He hadn't thought about it before, but it seemed that the general had been attacking his illusion.
What is going on? How did I suddenly obtain this superpower? It's... it's as if there is a bug in the world... Is this world fake?
Li Huowang felt scared when he thought about the possibility of this world being fake.
As he stared at his illusion, the situation felt more and more surreal.
Soon, his breath became rapid and he quickly hugged his own head. He kept reassuring himself that this world was the real one as he tried to calm himself down.
No! This is the real world! I cannot think otherwise. This must be a special power that belongs to a Strayed One! Yes, that must be it! I've been unlucky for so long that I finally got a stroke of good fortune! Li Huowang, stop doubting yourself! This is the real world and the other side is fake!
When Bai Lingmiao saw how Li Huowang looked to be in a lot of pain, she approached the illusion and tried to hug him, only to pass right through.
"I'm alright, I'm alright," said Li Huowang as he recovered a little and took a few steps back.
However, Lu Zhuangyuan was horrified as he asked in a meek tone of voice, "What do you mean you are alright? We can't even touch your body. You have become a ghost! Daoist, did you forget about your own death?"
At this point, no one could help Li Huowang; he could only think of a way himself.
After half an hour, Li Huowang finally calmed down.
"I'm not dead, it's just that my body gained a new ability," said Li Huowang.
While they were all resting, Li Huowang roughly told them about what had happened just now.
"Oh~ So it's one of your superpowers." Lu Zhuangyuan nodded, finally understanding what had happened.
Meanwhile, Bai Lingmiao wandered around and finally touched Li Huowang's invisible body. She was quite worried as she asked, "Senior Li, will you remain like this for your entire life?"
"Wait, let me try something," said Li Huowang as he took a deep breath while trying to remember the feeling from before.
Move! Move back and overlap with my real body!
He kept trying for a while and opened his eyes. He saw that the illusion of his body had once more overlapped with himself!
But it was not a complete overlap.
He saw that only the top half of the illusion was above ground. The bottom half was buried completely underground.
Even though the illusion showed him to be stuck halfway into the ground, Li Huowang's real body was still above ground, or at least his feet were still stepping on solid ground.
His illusion had overlapped with him at the wrong height. ๐ฏ๐ป๐๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ท๐๐ฟ๐๐.๐๐ธ๐ข
"Senior Li, I think I know what this superpower is! It's a method to travel underground, right?" Puppy was excited to see what Li Huowang could do.
On the other hand, Li Huowang couldn't be bothered to answer him as he tried again.
When he opened his eyes this time around, he saw that his illusion had come above ground, but he was now staring at the illusion from the top down! It was as if he was viewing himself in the third person view.
As he saw his illusion mimicking his every move down below, Li Huowang felt as though he was stuck in a game.
Again! I must get back!
Li Huowang tried again as he willed his body and illusion to overlap once more.
However, it was not as easy as he had thought. Rather than achieving it by just saying the word over and over again in his mind, it was more like he had to channel a very intense feeling of moving through space. It was very difficult to pull it off successfully.
After persevering for two whole hours, Li Huowang finally managed to overlap his illusion with his body, albeit in a somewhat imperfect manner.
At this moment, his vision was slightly above his eye level, somewhere around his forehead.
This is the best I can do for now. We still need to escape.
"Alright, we've rested for long enough. Let's leave now and try to escape from Hou Shu as fast as we can," said Li Huowang.
Hearing this, everyone nodded and grabbed whatever belongings they had left.
"My love, I can't run anymore. I'm still pregnant..."
At that moment, Li Huowang heard Luo Juanhua whisper to her husband, causing him to look back and see Lu Juren carry his wife without any objections.
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
The once prosperous town had now been reduced to a pile of rubble. Some of the houses were still burning, but no one bothered with them. The dead bodies of the civilians were piled up in a small mountain.
On the other hand, the outlaw soldiers were all sitting beside the various fire places they had made, drinking and eating meat.
At that moment, a pale fat man was holding a handkerchief to his nose as he weaved through all the rubble. He accidentally stepped on something slippery and saw it was an entire section of intestines, causing him to let out a scream, "Aiya! Good Heavens!"
Seeing this scene, the other outlaw soldiers all laughed.
"Officer Cao, come and have a taste. We just roasted it," offered one of the outlaw soldiers without any warning.
"Uwek~" At this point, Cao Hai couldn't stand it any more and started vomiting.
"Relax, it's pork, not human meat. See, it's hoof is still on there," said the soldier who offered the roasted meat.
Cao Hai felt slightly better when he saw there was indeed a hoof attached to the meat. Even so, he carefully declined the pork leg.
"I'm looking for General Peng to discuss something. Have you seen her? I checked the main camp, but she's not there," asked Cao Hai.
"If even you don't know, then how would I know? I was busy taking my share of money and women until just now," said the soldier.
Just as Cao Hai was thinking about where to look for the general next, someone suddenly extended their hands into his pants.
Startled, Cao Hai took a few steps back and saw that it was a young man. On the other hand, the man was looking at his hand in surprise.
"Aiya~ I think I just felt something over there. Old man Cao, it seems that there's still a little bit leftover. Were you thinking about extending your bloodline when you left behind some of it?" asked the young man.
Cao Hai ignored his teasing and hurriedly asked, "Hou Wen, you are one of the General's Small-arms soldiers. You must know where she is, right?"
"Hehehe, do you want to know where she is?" Hou Wen chuckled and gently patted Cao Hai's butt. However, when Cao Hai retreated in surprise, Hou Wen patted the front instead.
"Haiya, stop teasing me! I'm really looking for the General! This concerns her future!" shouted Cao Hai.
Hearing this, Hou Wen stopped his teasing and pointed toward a house. "The General is currently injured. So, be careful; she's in a bad mood."
After confirming the direction, Cao Hai ignored everything else and ran toward the house Hou Wen had pointed out. It was one of the very few houses that still remained intact.