Chapter 253
Chapter 253
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 253
>Chapter Title: A Lead
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“Want to wield this treasure sword? You must master the Luoist Immortal Capital Subduing Seal! Fellow Daoist, I know it. If you want to learn, I can teach you.”
Li Huowang showed no delight at those words. Instead, a mocking expression crept across his face as he stared at the deformed little head.
“I’m guessing learning Luoist techniques takes quite some time, right?”
“And to learn it, I’d have to keep you alive. As long as you keep stalling and not telling me, you get to stay alive, don’t you?”
Once his petty trick was exposed, the fear on the malformed little head’s face faded by half. He cracked open his mouth full of rotting teeth and flashed Li Huowang a fawning smile.
“Who wants to die? How about this—instead, pry me off and stick me on yourself. Han Fu’s dead anyway. It’s all the same being a nascent soul. What does it matter who it is? I can be your nascent soul!”
“Senior Li, you have no idea—a Luoist nascent soul is a great thing. With two nascent souls, it’s like having two minds during cultivation. While you’re refining your qi into spirit on the daily, I can help you—”
“But why would I negotiate with you?”
Li Huowang cut him off as he picked up the iron ladle and aimed it at the thing’s only remaining eye.
“Now, tell me how to perform that so-called Immortal Capital Subduing Seal.”
“If you want to play games with me, that’s fine. I’ve got plenty of time. We can play all you want.”
By the time Li Huowang emerged from the tent—his robes flecked with bits of flesh and reeking of blood—it was already the next morning. In his hand was a stack of sheepskin scribbled with words: the so-called Immortal Capital Subduing Seal.
Li Huowang had also grilled him on Han Fu’s other spells and talismans. But after repeated verification and torturing the thing until it was unrecognizable, he finally concluded that this nascent soul truly knew nothing else—only the method to use the Seven Star Sword.
Li Huowang felt a twinge of regret. If he’d gotten some Luoist talismans, he wouldn’t have to rely on the *Great Thousand Record* for every problem. That hurt far too much.
Still, it was just a bonus. Nice to have, but no big loss without it. What mattered more were the nascent soul’s words about the Surveillance Bureau.
After all, this concerned whether he could fully escape the heart elemental’s delusions.
Exhausted in body and mind, he ducked back into the tent and took the towel Bai Lingmiao offered, wiping his face haphazardly.
He didn’t even bother taking off his shoes before collapsing onto the bed.
Bai Lingmiao reached over, gently removing his shoes and socks before tucking him in with the quilt and stepping out.
Though utterly drained after a sleepless night, Li Huowang couldn’t drift off despite closing his eyes. His mind buzzed with the nascent soul’s words.
Finally, irritation mounting, he sat up and began pondering intently.
“North Wind is a heart elemental who escaped the delusions. To judge if that’s true without other clues, I can only seek answers from the Surveillance Bureau, Sitting Oblivion Dao’s sworn enemies.”
“But the question is, how do I get intel on North Wind from the Surveillance Bureau? I’m a heart elemental, after all.”
As such a massive organization, Li Huowang knew full well what would happen if they set their sights on him.
He lay on the bed for ages, until Bai Lingmiao called him for dinner. Still, no ideas came.
Once she learned of his troubles, Bai Lingmiao hesitated, bowl in hand.
“Senior Brother Li, since the Surveillance Bureau fights Sitting Oblivion Dao, and you fight them too, aren’t you on the same side? Why not just ask them directly?”
“Some random stranger shows up out of nowhere at the Surveillance Bureau’s gates demanding Sitting Oblivion Dao intel. What do you think they’d do? A beating and a toss out the door would be the least of it.”
Li Huowang sighed and took her bowl, eating mechanically without tasting a thing.
“But… aren’t you on the same side? Just explain it clearly.”
“It’s not like making friends as kids. It’s not that simple, Miao Miao. They casually recruit Luoists as pawns. You can imagine the Surveillance Bureau’s methods aren’t exactly upright.”
As he spoke, Li Huowang paused abruptly. His eyes lit up.
“Right! Our status is different now, but status is something you can change!”
“As long as I hide my heart elemental identity, I can join the Surveillance Bureau outright.”
The more Li Huowang thought, the more excited he got. He even scooped up Bai Lingmiao and spun her around. It struck him as a brilliant plan that killed multiple birds with one stone.
“Even if North Wind isn’t a heart elemental who escaped the delusions, I can use the Surveillance Bureau to find other ways out!”
“And if I conceal my heart elemental side, it’s like having a backer! Use my Surveillance Bureau status to mask the heart elemental one! No more random people probing me at will!”
“Plus, the Surveillance Bureau’s so loosely run—they don’t even require meeting handlers. Perfect for covering my current heart elemental mess!”
Seeing Li Huowang smile, Bai Lingmiao smiled too. As long as Senior Brother Li was happy, she was happy.
Gazing at her delicate features, Li Huowang’s heart stirred. He leaned in and kissed her.
Amid gasps of breath, a black-nailed finger scraped the oil lamp’s wick. Darkness swallowed the oxhide tent.
Some time later, Bai Lingmiao lay atop Li Huowang’s chest, her slender frame rising and falling with his breaths.
“Senior Brother Li, go to sleep. You haven’t slept in two days.”
Her fingers caressed him tenderly, full of concern.
But Li Huowang just shook his head, arm around her waist.
The first step was always the hardest. At least now he had a lead—no more blindly bumping around like a headless fly.
Even if luck struck and he stumbled into North Wind, as one of Sitting Oblivion Dao’s Four Joys, the man’s power was sure to be extraordinary. Li Huowang might well end up in his clutches.
Better head to the Liang Kingdom first and make contact with the Surveillance Bureau. Beyond verifying North Wind’s true nature, he needed to gauge the man’s strength from them.
If North Wind far outmatched him, then wresting a way out of the delusions would demand rapid power-ups!
Boosting strength sounded simple, but as someone with no sect or master, Li Huowang had no clue where to even start rigorous cultivation.
Not to mention, this world’s sects peddled all sorts of bizarre methods. Even if offered, he might not stomach them.
Seeing Li Huowang’s briefly eased brow furrow once more, Bai Lingmiao nestled against him and smoothed it with soft fingers.
“Senior Brother Li, sleep. You can’t think everything through. Just sleep.”
Under her gentle touch, Li Huowang—two days and nights without rest—slowly closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.
(End of chapter)