Chapter 353
Chapter 353
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 353
>Chapter Title: My Wife
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A grand large carriage, pulled by four sturdy horses, raced madly down the road ahead.
However, the coachman driving the horses was still dissatisfied, anxiously whipping the horses' rumps nonstop.
Li Huowang rested his arm on the carriage window, gazing at the sea of emerald green trees outside.
"This place isn't far from Oxheart Mountain. I wonder how they're doing. But with Bai Lingmiao's second soul and Gao Zhijian's protection, ordinary bandits shouldn't be able to harm them."
Suddenly, Li Huowang felt a gaze shooting from the woods. When he turned to look, he found nothing there.
"Ahem~ We're almost there, so let our house explain the procedure for this mission clearly."
Ji Xiang's voice pulled Li Huowang's thoughts back. He looked toward the old eunuch sitting primly, clutching that decayed wooden ruyi like he was holding a skinny cat.
"Ahem, since our house summoned you all, there must be a reason. I know many of you have already guessed. Correct, this time we're capturing a heart-turbid. Dead or alive doesn't matter."
No one spoke, continuing to listen to Ji Xiang.
"The abilities of heart-turbids—our house doesn't know if you've heard before. Anyway, we're free now, so our house will explain it all again from the start." With that, Ji Xiang deliberately glanced toward Li Huowang.
"So-called heart-turbids are just like heart-pures and heart-entanglers—they're living people burdened with karmic obstacles in their hearts. This 'turbid' word, as the name implies, means the heart is muddied."
"Not only does a heart-turbid have an impure heart themselves, but they can also use their inner karmic obstacles to taint everything around them."
Ji Xiang's words were cut off midway by someone, a feeling that greatly irritated Li Huowang. As expected, the interrupter was that dancing god once again.
"Feng Erniu, no need to explain what everyone already knows. Just tell us how to deal with it once we find it."
"And let me say this upfront—no matter what happens after, once this is done, the favor I owe you is cleared."
Hearing his real name called out, Ji Xiang unhappily snorted. But he clearly didn't dare provoke the man and could only swallow his anger. "Shen Tu Gang, give us some face. No rush for now. We're idle anyway. Let us finish first. If you don't want to listen, rest for a bit."
Seeing the big god with arms crossed slowly close his eyes, Ji Xiang cleared his throat and continued, "To cut a long story short, heart-turbids are the exact opposite of heart-pures. If a heart-pure is like a light in the night, visible from afar, then a heart-turbid is like a black cloth at night. For ordinary people to find one is harder than climbing to heaven."
Hearing this, Li Huowang felt a trace of bitterness. If he were a heart-turbid instead of a heart-pure, maybe none of this chaos would have happened.
Ji Xiang continued, "Moreover, a heart-turbid can not only use their own karmic obstacles to hide themselves but also conceal other things with them—living or dead."
"To put it simply, when fighting a heart-turbid, you might forget where your weapon went mid-battle, and then suddenly realize the heart-turbid has vanished too."
Li Huowang silently committed this to memory. Connecting it to his own experiences, a question arose in his mind. "It sounds so powerful, but can a heart-turbid really control these abilities at will?"
"Be careful!" Ji Xiang's tone suddenly sharpened.
"Don't think a heart-turbid only has these tricks, or our house wouldn't have gathered you all and made such a fuss. In terms of difficulty among the great scourges of the Heart Arts, it and the heart-pure are the toughest to deal with."
"Never stare into a heart-turbid's eyes for long. If its karmic obstacles taint your three souls and seven po, your entire being will be hidden away by it."
"Remember, the kind of hiding I mean is the sort no one can ever find—one that lasts a lifetime!"
"Also, many mature heart-turbids have unique variations. Adapt as needed if you encounter them. But overall, heart-turbids rely on their inner karmic obstacles, so any changes stay within that realm."
Seeing the grave expressions on the others' faces, Li Huowang inwardly sighed with slight relief. If even normal eye contact was off-limits, this heart-turbid must have hidden many loved ones away. He couldn't help feeling a trace of pity for this unseen heart-turbid.
In terms of plight, heart-turbids and heart-pures were probably not much different.
The urgent clopping of hooves outside gradually slowed, and Ji Xiang's words sped up.
"Once we reach the area, Little Willow and Danqing will seal it off to prevent the heart-turbid from escaping. Then our house and Shen Tu Gang will force it out. After that, Erjiu, you handle killing the heart-turbid. The Ao Jing Sect kills without weapons anyway, so its karmic obstacles won't work on you. That's the plan. Everyone out!"
The carriage curtains were flung open, and the six quickly stood by the roadside. A very peculiar village appeared before them.
It resembled the various villages Li Huowang had seen on the road before, but this one had no visible tiles or walls anywhere. Whether roofs, walls, or even the ground, everything was covered in a layer of lush green ivy.
"Little Willow, go. Remember, this concerns our house's head. You mustn't be the slightest bit careless."
Liu Zongyuan, wearing the wooden mask, nodded, kicked off the ground, and leaped into the bushes behind like a monkey.
Soon, a thin mist began to rise, enveloping the surroundings. The White Impermanence with its long red tongue flickered in and out of the mist.
Before Ji Xiang could speak, the one called Shen Tu Gang strode straight in first. Ji Xiang sighed helplessly and hurried after him, golden abacus in hand.
Walking on a carpet of vibrant green grass, Li Huowang warily scanned everything around.
The place was eerily quiet. Aside from the clacking of the golden abacus, there was no sound—not even birdsong or insect chirps.
Just as they reached the village entrance, a flower garden appeared before them. It was clearly meticulously tended, without a single weed.
"Who goes there! Come out!" A sharp shout made Li Huowang's sword leap three inches from its sheath, surging killing intent enveloping it entirely.
Everyone drew their weapons, pointing toward a low wall.
When a pair of embroidered shoes stepped out from behind it, Li Huowang immediately recalled Ji Xiang's warning and hastily looked down to avoid eye contact.
But once the shoes fully appeared before him, Li Huowang's heart tightened. These feet looked strangely familiar.
"No! These are Miao Miao's feet!" Li Huowang jerked his head up, indeed seeing a familiar red veil. At that moment, a massive rusty blade hurtled toward her.
(End of chapter)