Chapter 266
Chapter 266
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 266
>Chapter Title: County Town
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
Inquiring about information was usually handled by the other fellow disciples, but this time was different. This time, what Li Huowang was inquiring about was the Supervising Heaven Division.
Facing these unfathomably mysterious existences, it was simply too risky to have the other fellow disciples inquire about them.
As for Li Huowang himself, he didn’t need to worry about any of that. His newly acquired ability gave him an unparalleled advantage when it came to gathering information.
As long as he placed his colored phantom body underground, his physical body on the outside could remain completely invisible.
Even if someone noticed and started tailing him, he wouldn’t have to worry. His increasingly sharp senses would detect it ahead of time.
The group that should have been gathered together had scattered across the entire county town like white sesame seeds on a baked flatbread.
Everyone was busy with their own tasks until nightfall, when they finally regrouped at the inn.
“Senior Brother Li, all the sheep have been sold! The moment they heard the sheep were shipped from Qingqiu, they went absolutely wild for them! I even stocked up on some fine grain. Eating coarse grain every day has everyone constipated as hell.” Gouwa, who was arm-in-arm with Zhao Wu, grinned as he handed the heavy bag of silver to Li Huowang.
“Give it to Zhao Wu to hold onto. He’s the one who usually manages the accounts.”
Li Huowang, his mood somewhat low, spoke as he turned and entered his room. He lay down on the bed, feeling the stabbing pain radiating from his feet after a full day of walking.
If there was anything worse than being targeted by the Supervising Heaven Division, it was finding absolutely no trace of them at all.
He knew that finding the Supervising Heaven Division in just one day was impossible, but he couldn’t help feeling discouraged.
“This approach isn’t working. It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack. I need to find a different way to make contact with the Supervising Heaven Division as quickly as possible.”
Li Huowang rubbed his temples as he pondered his next move in the dark room.
A pair of pale hands with sharp black nails reached out from under the bed, removing Li Huowang’s shoes and socks before soaking his weary feet in warm water.
The pitch-black room fell silent for a moment, with no sound at all.
This silence lasted for half a shichen before Li Huowang broke it himself.
Li Huowang suddenly sat up, excitedly speaking to the monk in front of him.
“Wait! Think about the circumstances under which that old lama appeared before! Yes, exactly!”
“If the Supervising Heaven Division handles matters that the local authorities can’t, then the more I involve myself in those troublesome affairs, the quicker I’ll make contact with them!”
“That’s right!” The monk standing beside Peng Longteng nodded vigorously in agreement.
Li Huowang realized he had been looking in the wrong direction before. He shouldn’t have been inquiring about the Supervising Heaven Division itself, but rather about any horrifying strange or evil incidents occurring nearby. Wherever such events happened, the Supervising Heaven Division was sure to appear.
With that thought, Li Huowang could no longer contain his excitement. He lifted his feet from the basin, not bothering to dry them, slipped his shoes and socks back on, and rushed outside.
But as soon as he pushed open the door, the excited Li Huowang collided face-first with Lv Zhuangyuan.
“Heh heh, young Daoist, have you eaten yet?” Lv Zhuangyuan asked with a beaming smile.
“Do you need something?” Li Huowang’s expression turned cold as he steadied himself against the doorframe and asked.
“Well... how’s Xiucai doing with his studies? If he’s not behaving, give him a good beating! I know that’s how it is with learning a craft—no beating, no talent. Don’t hold back on my account.”
“He’s working hard, but since he’s illiterate, he’s learning very slowly.” Li Huowang told the truth.
“Sigh, young Daoist, why is my life so hard? I finally got a grandson, and now this happens.”
“If there’s something you want to say, just say it. I have urgent business right now.” Li Huowang could tell the man was beating around the bush.
This old man wouldn’t come complaining to him for no reason; that wasn’t his style.
“There is! Daoist, did you forget? It’s about borrowing money to restart the troupe. I spent the whole day looking around today. This place has everything—costumes, bronze mirrors, musical instruments, all available for purchase! So...”
“You’re still not giving up?” To be honest, Li Huowang thought that the Lv Family Troupe, which could only produce vague humming noises in the face of the professional troupes from Daliang, had zero competitive edge.
“Well... this old man wants to give it a try. I’ve thought of a method—maybe we can scrape by picking up the scraps left behind by those troupes.” Lv Zhuangyuan continued chuckling.
“Fine, go get the money from Zhao Wu. He has plenty of silver on hand right now.” With that, Li Huowang pushed him aside and hurried toward the inn’s stairs.
Compared to contacting the Supervising Heaven Division, Lv Zhuangyuan’s grand revival plans were completely forgotten by Li Huowang.
In the days that followed, in order to locate the Supervising Heaven Division in Daliang, Li Huowang racked his brains. He went out early and returned late every day, gathering information from the locals in the county town.
He completely ignored cases involving just one or two deaths or simple possessions, because he knew such minor incidents would only attract shamans or rice mothers, not the Supervising Heaven Division.
After spending so much time in this place, Li Huowang had come to understand what kind of organization the Supervising Heaven Division was and what they cared about.
The Supervising Heaven Division only concerned itself with major events—disasters that could kill tens of thousands, like that ghost town previously massacred by the Sitting Oblivion Dao. Or events that could upend the imperial order.
However, such incidents, while capable of drawing the Supervising Heaven Division, weren’t all that common. After searching around, he found no strange or evil happenings, but he did hear plenty of gossip and neighborhood squabbles.
Of course, if Li Huowang removed the copper coin mask from his face and outright revealed himself as a xin su, he’d undoubtedly attract the Supervising Heaven Division’s attention immediately. But that was naturally not what he wanted.
Bai Lingmiao, lying on the bed, slowly opened her eyes and gazed at Li Huowang, who was sleeping soundly beside her with his head covered. A trace of worry rose in her heart.
“Senior Brother Li has been waking up before dawn these past few days. He only comes back after I’ve fallen asleep. I don’t know what he’s been inquiring about.”
“Bang bang bang!” The door suddenly shook from heavy knocking, and an excited voice came from outside. “Master! I’ve done it! I’ve gained supernatural abilities!”
The instant that voice rang out, Li Huowang’s eyes snapped open. With bloodshot eyes, he stared at the door. It was Lv Xiucai’s voice.
He sat up directly, threw off the covers, and headed for the door.
As Li Huowang was putting on his shoes, something occurred to him. He turned to Bai Lingmiao on the bed.
“How did it go? Did you find your family’s location?”
Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao nodded with a hint of a smile in her eyes. She reached under the pillow, pulled out a map, and handed it over.
“Senior Brother Li, I found it. But you’ve been going out so much lately that I haven’t had a chance to tell you.”
Li Huowang quickly unfolded the map. Amid the various twisting lines, one red line stood out prominently, leading to Oxheart Mountain at its end.
“That map-selling merchant Jia said that if we go by ox cart, it’ll be slow—nearly a month. Riding horses would be much faster, but unfortunately, none of us know how to ride.”
(End of chapter)