Chapter 358
Chapter 358
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 358
>Chapter Title: Hidden
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“Kill him!” Killing intent surged instantly, and everyone’s weapons attacked the beggar man all at once.
The male Heart Turbidity took notice of Li Huowang, who had reacted first. After giving Li Huowang a deep glance, his body rapidly vanished from sight.
The moment those eyes disappeared, Li Huowang felt a chill in his mouth—the copper coin mask had been hidden away by the Heart Turbidity!
But the next moment, Li Huowang snapped back to his senses. This wasn’t the time to worry about that. He had something extremely important to do right now!
Hot blood surged continuously from the back of his head into Li Huowang’s brain. His body began to tremble as his bloodshot eyes scanned everyone around him: Jixiang, Hong Da, Tuoba Danqing, Liu Zongyuan.
“Boom~!” With a strike of the fire starter, intense pain shot through Li Huowang’s entire body in an instant. Surging flames rapidly enveloped his whole form.
“Kill! They know my Heart Pure identity now! I must slaughter them all!! Absolutely cannot let a single one escape!!!”
As Li Huowang launched his attack, Liu Zongyuan curled his body into a ball and fled toward the nearby window.
No one knew whose action it was, but Li Huowang instantly felt a powerful force that sent him flying outward.
Now fully transformed into a man of fire, Li Huowang roared as he thrust his hand into his left eye socket and pinched hard. A strange glow enveloped everyone.
Jixiang raised the decayed wood ruyi in his hand and pointed it fiercely at Li Huowang. Yet Li Huowang showed no reaction. He lifted the purple-tasseled sword in his grip, about to sever his own left arm.
“Erjiu! What are you doing?!” the massive White Impermanence in the woods bellowed.
“Don’t waste your effort! Can’t you see? This guy’s been controlled by someone!”
Hong Da’s face twisted in ugliness as he raised the rusty cleaver in his hand and jammed it into his own arm.
But those words jolted Li Huowang hard. At this moment, he stared at the people before him in utter shock.
“What’s going on? They... can’t see through my Heart Pure identity?” In his shock, Li Huowang suddenly remembered something.
He recalled that when Zhuge Yuan had given him this spindle back then, he had pointed at his mask and said a few words. “Use this. It’s way better than that thing of yours.”
In this instant, Li Huowang finally understood what he had meant.
The reason they hadn’t detected his Heart Pure ability was that Zhuge Yuan’s item had replaced the mask in concealing his identity.
Li Huowang looked down at his fiercely burning hem. The bundle containing the spindle had already charred black—it wouldn’t be long before it burned away completely.
“No, I can’t let this thing leave my body.” Engulfed in flames, Li Huowang hurriedly pulled out the spindle.
Li Huowang wanted to find a safe place to store the spindle, but he had no pockets on him—his skin and flesh had all burned away.
In the end, he peeled open his burning skin and flesh, slipping the spindle into his abdominal cavity as if tucking it into a coat pocket.
After securing it, Li Huowang walked toward the others. “Everyone, it’s fine now. The one who opened the altar and controlled me has been defeated!”
“Stop right there!” Jixiang’s expression was exceptionally grim as he pointed the golden abacus in one hand straight at the fire person before him. “I don’t care if you’re clear-headed or not—you just stand there nice and obedient for this household!”
Seeing Li Huowang actually stop in place, Jixiang huddled together with Liu Zongyuan and Hong Da to start discussing.
As for what they were discussing, Li Huowang couldn’t hear from the distance. He had a more pressing concern right now: how to put out the fire engulfing his body?
Li Huowang thought of something. He reached out and yanked, tearing off the [Great Thousand Records] hidden beneath his skin.
Once that thing hit the ground, the surging flames on Li Huowang’s body gradually died down.
This time, since it had only just begun, Li Huowang’s skin hadn’t been completely burned away.
At this moment, he looked like a candle person just starting to melt—still in excruciating pain, but far better than his previous fully charred state.
“Clothes gone again. Good thing I brought an extra set just in case.”
Li Huowang had just turned toward the carriage when he saw only a fiercely burning pyre.
“Sigh.” Seeing this, Li Huowang had nothing more to say. He pulled out the [Fire Robe True Scripture] to tend his wounds.
As the burning, writhing characters crawled over his skin, Zhuge Yuan’s figure surfaced in Li Huowang’s mind.
“He saw my identity but didn’t just grab me—he even gave me this spindle to cover it up. Was that kindness real?” A warmth he hadn’t felt in ages flooded into Li Huowang’s heart.
Li Huowang suddenly wanted to see Zhuge Yuan again. He had so very many things in his heart that he wanted to talk about with him.
“Erjiu.” Li Huowang turned to look. The three had walked over, apparently having settled on a plan.
“Erjiu, can you identify who it was that performed the ritual to harm you just now?” Jixiang asked, his expression gravely serious.
“I have a vague impression. Looked like a mangy-headed Daoist priest.” Li Huowang replied with great solemnity.
“Mm.” Jixiang pondered gravely for a long moment before speaking. “Alright, let’s head back first. We’ll talk after we get back.”
Hearing him give the order, the others nodded and set off together along the dirt road.
However, it was clear they didn’t fully trust Li Huowang’s words—they faintly surrounded him as they went.
They hadn’t gone two steps when Li Huowang halted and asked in puzzlement, “Do you all still remember what errand we came out here for this time?”
Hong Da, looking baffled, immediately turned to Jixiang upon hearing this. “I was just summoned by Lord Jixiang. I know nothing else.”
“I was called over by Lord Jixiang too. Lord Jixiang, what errand are we on this time?” Liu Zongyuan quickly chimed in.
Li Huowang likewise looked toward Jixiang. I also remember being called over by this Jixiang. If not for his promise to help me retrieve the Sitting Oblivion Dao’s intelligence after this job, he really might not have taken on such a vague errand.
Stared down by three pairs of eyes, Jixiang’s expression grew exceedingly grave. He wiped the ash from his face with his sleeve, seemingly deep in thought.
“This household... this household isn’t entirely clear either.” Uncertainty tinged Jixiang’s words. “What did this household even call you two over for?”
Li Huowang and Hong Da met each other’s gazes, momentarily at a loss for words.
To summon them out here and then forget why—this superior was truly acting on utter whim.
“Aiya, enough of that. Let’s get moving and find a place with people. The carriage is gone—if we don’t hurry, we’re definitely camping out here tonight.”
Glancing at the sky, Li Huowang and the others wasted no more time and quickened their pace.
(End of chapter)