Chapter 286
Chapter 286
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 286
>Chapter Title: Auditory Hallucinations
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Li Huowang performed a Daoist salute toward Lv Zhuangyuan in front of him.
“Master Lv, thanks for your trouble. Once we reach Oxheart Mountain, settle everyone else down first. I’ll catch up as soon as I’m done here.”
The main reason Li Huowang felt at ease letting him lead the group was that highway robbers were almost nonexistent in Great Liang. Otherwise, he really wouldn’t have dared.
“Master! I have supernatural abilities now—let me go with you!”
Of course, Lv Xiucai wanted to follow Li Huowang, but neither Li Huowang nor his father agreed.
He then turned to the scholar beside him.
“Study your characters properly. If you don’t understand something, ask your father. He might not know them all, but he recognizes a few. Once you’ve learned all the characters, you can properly learn the supernatural abilities.”
With that said, he turned toward Zhao Wu and Little Yang Kid on the carriage and gave them some instructions on minor matters.
“Senior Brother Li, don’t worry. I might not be able to carry anything heavy, but as long as Zhao Wu’s here, not a single tael of silver or carriage will go missing.”
Just as Li Huowang was about to say something while looking at him, his expression twisted viciously. He suddenly whipped his head around and glared ferociously at the empty space to his left.
“Senior Brother Li, what’s wrong?”
Li Huowang’s face darkened first, but it quickly cleared up.
“Nothing. We’ve said all that needs saying—anything more is just empty words. Let’s head out.”
With a wave of his hand, the two groups parted ways and gradually moved farther apart.
Lv Juren, who sheepishly lowered his hand, held his son and said to Lv Zhuangyuan beside him, “Dad, that little Daoist priest seems a bit...”
Lv Zhuangyuan quickly glanced at Zhao Wu and cut in.
“Hey, what the little Daoist priest is up to is none of your business. Focus on your own abilities first and take care of your son.”
“If you’ve got the skills to make your boy pass the child student exam, then the Lv family will truly have incense smoke rising from our ancestral graves.”
“Dad, what you’re saying...”
Lv Juren’s face showed a hint of embarrassment as he held his son and fell silent.
On a gradually rugged path, Li Huowang and the others drove the two carriages onward.
With fewer people, everyone could sit on the carriages. No need to walk, allowing them to rest and gather their strength for what lay ahead.
Li Huowang, looking unwell, was still thinking about that chaotic murmur from earlier. He had eaten Black Tai Sui just last night, yet the voice appeared today. This proved that the voice couldn’t be suppressed by Black Tai Sui.
“What exactly went wrong? What’s happening to me?”
Li Huowang’s calm mood stirred with ripples again as various terrifying speculations surfaced in his mind.
Is Wang Wei drugging me? Or has my mental illness relapsed? No, I’m not crazy! This could be another manifestation of the heart elemental! But is this manifestation good or bad?
As Li Huowang’s fists clenched tighter, a pair of soft hands gently covered the back of his.
Bai Lingmiao said nothing, simply leaning there to help soothe his growing irritability.
After closing his eyes, taking a deep breath in and exhaling deeply, Li Huowang opened them again, suppressing the agitation in his heart.
“Don’t panic. It’s just occasional auditory hallucinations—nothing serious. At least for now, it’s only sporadic hallucinations with no other effects.”
“What haven’t I been through before? It’s just ordinary auditory hallucinations. What’s there to fear?”
“There will always be troubles. No matter what’s causing this, I’ll handle it one thing at a time, just like with that heart elemental.”
“The priority right now is passing the Surveillance Bureau’s test. The hallucinations can wait.”
After sorting out his thoughts, Li Huowang looked up at the others.
“We haven’t had time before, but now that we do, I’ll explain the enemy we’re facing this time: the Sit-Forget Daoists.”
“To put it simply, they’re a bunch of liars—a bunch of liars with supernatural abilities.”
“Also, remember this: Sit-Forget Daoists can change faces. Be wary of everyone who approaches you, or you might fall for their tricks without realizing it.”
Hearing Li Huowang say this, everyone immediately set aside what they were doing and listened intently.
They had always encountered enemies passively before, but this time they were proactively seeking them out. Everyone felt a mix of tension and excitement.
Li Huowang explained everything he knew about the Sit-Forget Daoists in as much detail as possible.
They were his allies now—the more they knew, the more useful they could be in the future.
As they listened raptly, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly rang out ahead.
Soon, rows of sturdy warhorses forced Li Huowang and the other travelers on the road off to the side.
“Hey, what big shot is this?” Gouwa’s eyes were full of curiosity.
Through the gaps between the horses’ legs, Li Huowang first saw the avoidance plaque held high by the guards.
Behind the plaque came four gong-beaters, followed by a group of beardless men with effeminate demeanors.
Behind those hundred or so beardless men was a luxurious carriage the size of a small house.
In the center, on a mat of jade, sat a fat man in yellow robes snoring away, a jade thumb ring on the thumb of his left hand. That must be the main figure.
As Li Huowang examined the yellow four-clawed dragon banner, an old man nearby was telling his grandson, “The prince is out on patrol—kneel quickly, hurry!”
“Is this the prince of Silver Mausoleum City?”
Li Huowang carefully observed the snoring fatty and the women kneeling beside him, fanning him.
The cobalt-blue porcelain patterns on their faces made it clear they came from the Exquisite Pagoda.
By the time he snapped out of it, he realized everyone around him had knelt—even Bai Lingmiao and Gouwa. Sitting on the carriage, he stood out glaringly.
“Insolent! Who dares not kneel?”
Several ill-intentioned cavalrymen with sabers at their waists quickly surrounded Li Huowang.
Before he could speak, they had already drawn their blades.
Looking at them, Li Huowang thought for a moment and pulled out his badge.
Upon seeing the three words “Surveillance Bureau,” their expressions changed instantly, and they sheathed their weapons.
“Sir, we deeply apologize for the offense—please forgive us!”
The cavalryman cupped his fists toward Li Huowang with both hands, then turned and left with the others.
Watching their retreating backs, Li Huowang couldn’t shake the nauseating feeling that the Surveillance Bureau existed to prop up people like these and consolidate their rule.
“Why have the people everywhere changed, but these ones in this mad world haven’t gone mad along with it?” Li Huowang thought, staring at the fat man.
“Everyone, get up. No kneeling.”
After the prince departed, the rest of the journey passed uneventfully until they reached the outskirts of so-called Ganyuan Village.
At the foot of a large mountain, the blue-tiled roofs of Ganyuan Village appeared before Li Huowang for the first time.
In scale, it was a normal large village, indistinguishable from all the others they’d passed on the road.
(End of chapter)