Chapter 276
Chapter 276
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 276
>Chapter Title: Familiar
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Li Huowang looked at the people sprawled on the ground like dogs in front of him, and his previous understanding of Pi County began to waver.
The ghost that stole men's life roots, the humiliating treatment methods, and that final blast of chili powder at the end—it was all too absurd.
Even though the entire county was talking about a ghost stealing life roots, about shriveled yang and shriveled yin.
But couldn't what they were saying be fake? Maybe there was no such thing at all?
Linking this to the shop assistant who had been hanged earlier and everything he'd seen in Pi County, Li Huowang interrogated the others sprawled on the ground.
"You keep talking about shriveled yang and shriveled yin, but have any of you actually seen someone who's shrunk?"
The group looked at Li Huowang, exchanging glances with wide eyes, but no one spoke.
Finally, one of the constables spoke up first. "My dad said so! He saw someone shrink with his own eyes!"
"I'm not asking about your dad. I'm asking you! Have you seen it with your own eyes?"
Li Huowang's sword-sharp gaze left the man stammering, unable to get the words out.
Li Huowang turned back to Pi County's magistrate, Yang Hongzhi. "You said before that your son had gotten smaller, that you needed a silver lock to secure it. But kids are small to begin with. Isn't it possible that nothing's wrong with your son at all—that you're just scaring yourself?"
"Have you never once suspected that?"
"How could that be? That man clearly said—"
"Who is that man?! Where is he now!" Li Huowang suddenly shouted the question at him.
No matter who this person was, they were definitely deeply involved in all this absurdity.
"H-he... he's dead. Because he told others those... words, he got shriveled to death."
"Heh!" A cold smile crept across Li Huowang's face, confirming his suspicions even more.
There was no ghost stealing life roots, and no method to drive it away either. It was all fake!
The moment he realized that, the identity of that person became obvious.
When enemies meet, their eyes burn with special hatred. Thinking back to what they had done to him earlier, Li Huowang clenched his fists so hard they cracked, his expression twisted in fury as he gnashed his teeth.
"Sit-Forget Dao!"
Li Huowang yanked the copper gong from around his neck and slammed it to the ground.
He kicked the blocking constables head aside and rushed to County Magistrate Yang's side, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him up.
Only now did it click—that inexplicable sense of familiarity in his mind. This was the feeling of being deceived by the Sit-Forget Dao. He'd fallen for it once before!
He kicked Yang Hongzhi square in the chest, and Li Huowang's sword sliced open the man's chin.
Amid Yang Hongzhi's screams of agony, Li Huowang peeled back a corner of his face.
But beneath the skin, there weren't several faces stacked together. This man wasn't Sit-Forget Dao. Neither were the other constables. They'd simply been tricked by the Sit-Forget Dao.
It wasn't some ghost that could harm people through word of mouth. It was the absurd rumors deliberately spread by the Sit-Forget Dao throughout Pi County.
With nothing but rumors, the Sit-Forget Dao had turned the entire county into fools, playing them for sport.
"Who told you these treatments for shriveled yang? Where are they?"
If there were any Sit-Forget Dao left in Pi County, he had to find them.
Li Huowang's bloodshot eyes terrified the injured Yang Hongzhi, who didn't dare hold anything back.
If Li Huowang had a sworn enemy, the Sit-Forget Dao was definitely at the top of the list.
"A shaman who jumped the great god! He was the one who said you could lock up your life root with a lock! But then, for revealing heaven's secrets, he got shriveled to death two months ago."
Yang Hongzhi forced himself to calm down and answered rapidly.
"Yeah, right after spilling the rumor, he shriveled up and died? How convenient. Where's his body? I'll open the coffin and inspect it!"
Under the authority of the Celestial Surveillance Division and Li Huowang's unyielding attitude, Yang Hongzhi finally complied.
With a creaking sound, the black coffin nails were pried out once more.
Li Huowang pinched his nose as he approached. When he saw that the coffin held no corpse—just a single six-of-wan mahjong tile—he knew he'd guessed right.
This was the Sit-Forget Dao's handiwork, but the real Sit-Forget Dao members had left long ago. The people of the entire county were just toys the Sit-Forget Dao had played with and discarded.
Li Huowang wasn't too disappointed. His goal this time was to join the Celestial Surveillance Division, not to take on the Sit-Forget Dao single-handedly.
Now that he'd figured out what had really happened in Pi County, Li Huowang knew how to handle it.
"All of you, come over here and look! This is your so-called shaman who jumped the great god!"
Li Huowang sheathed his sword and called out to the others, who had backed away a good distance.
But his earlier outburst had scared them senseless. They clutched the wounds on their chins, not daring to get too close.
"I said come over here. Are you deaf?" As Li Huowang's tone sharpened, the others finally edged closer.
When they saw the empty coffin, everyone's eyes went wide. They clearly remembered burying the man.
Looking at them, Li Huowang weighed his words carefully before speaking slowly. "You've all been tricked. There's no such thing as shriveled yang. It's just a rumor. No need to live in fear."
"How is that possible?" Yang Hongzhi's face was etched with utter shock. All this panic for so long, and it had just been them frightening themselves?
"The proof is right in front of you. Do you still not believe it? Go gather everyone in Pi County. I have something to say to them."
Hearing this, Yang Hongzhi hesitated, his expression flickering uncertainly as he stood there thinking.
"What's the matter? Don't forget who I am. Do you think a bookworm like you understands how to handle this better than the Celestial Surveillance Division?"
That finally swayed him. Clutching his chin wound, Yang Hongzhi headed outside. "Please wait a moment, sir. This official... this official needs to check on the child first."
With that, he left with his constables, while Li Huowang slid his bloody sword back into its sheath and turned toward the inn.
Back at the inn, Li Huowang explained to the still-shaken Gao Zhijian that the whole thing was just a rumor.
"Don't worry. It's just a bunch of pitiful people who got tricked. We'll clear it up soon enough."
Li Huowang sat at the Eight Immortals table, speaking to the big man across from him.
Now that he knew it was all a hoax and Pi County held no real danger, Li Huowang felt much more at ease, no longer so tense.
Helping these people escape the Sit-Forget Dao's deception was one thing, but Li Huowang hadn't forgotten why he'd come here.
No matter which Celestial Surveillance Division member they sent, as long as he solved the problem for them first, they'd have no choice but to deal with him.
The hardest part was making the connection. Once he was in with the Celestial Surveillance Division, everything else would be easier.
(End of chapter)