Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 116
>Chapter Title: Dog
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Chapter 116: Dog
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>> At dusk, Li Huowang walked silently along a winding path through the woods. According to the location he’d gotten from Anci Nunnery, the end of this direction lay a continuous stretch of mountains.
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>> And the Ao Jing Cult he was searching for lived among those mountains.
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>> Ever since he’d fully awakened back at Clear Wind Temple, he’d always been living with the others. Being suddenly alone like this felt truly strange.
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>> “So quiet.” Li Huowang murmured to himself as he gazed at the sparse woods around him. The further he went, the more barren the land appeared.
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>> The stillness of everything around him gradually calmed his increasingly restless heart.
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>> He raised both hands and stretched lazily. With a sigh, Li Huowang lifted his right foot again.
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>> By the time he realized it, night had fallen. Li Huowang pulled a fluorescent stone from his robes and used its glow to keep pressing forward.
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>> But soon he tucked the fluorescent stone away again, because the moon had come out. The sky was clear tonight, and the moon was huge.
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>> The bright moonlight illuminated the forest path clearly.
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>> Under the pristine moonlight, Li Huowang continued on alone. He’d been walking all day, and his legs were starting to swell.
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>> “If I survive this, I need to learn to ride a horse,” Li Huowang thought to himself.
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>> He kept going until the full moon hung high overhead, and exhaustion finally set in. He leaned against a tree by the path, pulled out a hard steamed bun, and started gnawing on it, planning to grab a few bites and sleep.
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>> Suddenly, Li Huowang’s cheeks stopped their rhythmic movement. His eyes fixed unblinkingly on a spot in the darkness—he’d sensed something.
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>> It wasn’t just pain or taste; Li Huowang’s other senses were gradually surpassing those of ordinary people. For instance, he could clearly feel something staring at him.
“Who’s there!!”
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>> After he shouted, a dingy yellow thing timidly poked its head out from the woods.
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>> It was a big country mutt with pale paws and yellow fur. It looked in bad shape—patches of fur missing, ticks clinging to its body, and so skinny its ribs were visible.
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>> “A dog?” Li Huowang glanced around the desolate surroundings. No matter how he looked at it, this didn’t seem like a place where dogs would be.
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>> The mutt’s eyes were locked on the cold steamed bun in Li Huowang’s hand, its tongue licking repeatedly. It even started wagging its tail at him.
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>> “I don’t care what you are pretending to be—get lost!”
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>> Li Huowang, brows furrowed, patted the Great Thousand Record in his hand.
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>> Whether it was a real dog or a fake one, he just wanted to keep going on his way without any detours.
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>> The mutt timidly backed away a few steps, but it didn’t give up. Its drooping tail wagged even more vigorously.
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>> The bronze Dao bell shook violently, and a piercing ring echoed out instantly. The mutt bolted in fright.
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>> Seeing the dog flee into the woods, Li Huowang was just about to put the Dao bell away when his expression froze. “Damn it! Why now of all times!”
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>> In the pitch-black woods, the mutt’s ears drooped as it cautiously poked its head out from under the leaves again. What it saw next was a scene it couldn’t comprehend.
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>> The man sitting under the tree wore a kindly smile on his face as he tilted his head up toward the bright full moon in the sky and spoke.
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>> “Dad, you’re here too? Yeah, I know. I’m fine, really good actually.”
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>> “Yeah, I know. You two aren’t hallucinations. You’re not. I was a bit confused before... but now... I can tell the difference.”
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>> The mutt lingered nearby for a long time. Seeing that the man had no hostile intentions toward it, it turned its gaze to the half-rolled steamed bun on the ground.
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>> It crept forward cautiously, mouth opening to snatch it—when the man’s words made it shrink back again.
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>> “Mom, I don’t want an orange. Don’t peel it. My hands are tied up just fine.”
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>> “Oh, right—did you change that gold into money? Pay off all the debts? Oh, good.”
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>> “Mom, you’ve got more white hair. Go dye it. Didn’t you used to like getting perms?”
Li Huowang smiled faintly and raised his hand, reaching toward the moon hanging in the sky.
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>> “Hey, don’t ask. That gold is clean. Did you sell the jade pendant? You didn’t? Why not?”
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>> The mutt circled cautiously twice more and saw that the man really wasn’t paying attention to it. It edged forward again, snatched the steamed bun in its mouth, and bolted.
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>> Starving as it was, once it reached the woods, the mutt ate so frantically it started choking.
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>> When it recovered, it returned to the roadside and peered longingly toward him.
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>> The dog’s keen sense of smell detected more food in the man’s bundle—even meat!
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>> “Sell that jade pendant and buy our house back. Having our own house is what makes it a home.”
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>> “No need, really no need to save treatment money for me. Just find a place, chain me up with an iron chain, that’s fine.”
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>> “Mom, I’m not talking crazy. Hey, don’t cry. I’m really not sick right now.”
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>> “Woof~” The mutt tilted its head at the bizarre Li Huowang. It couldn’t understand what he was doing at all.
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>> It crept forward again, more cautiously this time, crawling before Li Huowang and wagging its tail nonstop. “Woof woof~”
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>> Just then, the mutt noticed the man suddenly looking at it. Its tail wagged even harder.
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>> “Heh, who gave me this rag doll? So ugly, looks just like a dog. Dog... wait!! Something’s wrong! That dog is still here!”
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>> Li Huowang, who had been calm just moments ago, shot to his feet. His face twisted as he screamed hysterically at the mutt: “I told you to get lost! Do you want to die?!”
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>> Terrified, the mutt “whooshed” into the woods.
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>> When it timidly poked its head out from the woods again, it saw the man, guilt on his face, talking to the moon once more.
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>> “Mom, don’t be scared. It’s got nothing to do with you. I’m not sick. There’s just something I need to handle over there.”
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>> “I’m really not sick. Why don’t you two go first? Come visit next time. I need to deal with things over there.”
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>> “Yeah, I know. There’s no ‘over there.’ Right, no ‘over there.’ That side is all hallucinations. I’ll cooperate actively with the doctor’s treatment.”
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>> “Woof~” The mutt barked at the red-robed Daoist.
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>> Li Huowang instantly went on alert. His unfocused eyes darted left and right. “No, there’s movement.”
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>> He slowly drew his sword, scanning his surroundings warily.
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>> His face full of caution, his expression soon turned irritated.
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>> “I can’t explain it! I can’t explain it at all! You two go first! Go!!”
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>> Li Huowang’s anxious shout carried far into the distance.
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>> That night, Li Huowang didn’t sleep a wink. He stayed as alert as possible to any real threats in the midst of the hallucinations, using other means.
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>> But when the hallucinations finally faded, he realized his methods hadn’t worked.
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>> He was standing in the middle of a small river, holding last night’s mutt, which was affectionately licking his chin.
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>> Clearly, a lot had happened last night that he didn’t know about.
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>> “Sigh... looks like I really can’t be alone.” Li Huowang hugged the dog as he waded toward the riverbank.
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>> (End of chapter)