Chapter 367
Chapter 367
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 367
>Chapter Title: Carriage
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Chapter 367: Carriage
Seeing everything above his head, Li Huowang finally understood at this moment what kind of massive trouble even Zhuge Yuan found difficult to handle.
What exactly were those Heart Turbids? How could they shake the heavens and earth? Li Huowang couldn't help but ponder the question.
Then he recalled what the Remembrancer had said before—that Heart Turbids and Heart Pures were the most troublesome. This meant Heart Pures possessed abilities comparable to those of Heart Turbids.
"Was it my ability to swap positions? Or the hallucinations around me? No, no, no." Li Huowang shook his head vigorously.
No, compared to a Heart Turbid that could hide an entire patch of sky, such abilities were utterly insignificant.
As a Heart Pure, he absolutely had some ability he hadn't unleashed yet. There was something within him powerful enough to rival that sky-hiding Heart Turbid!
But thinking of the male and female Heart Turbids' predicaments, Li Huowang froze for a moment. Was having something so powerful on him really a good thing?
Li Huowang didn't know. In this world, he had never encountered anything good.
He didn't believe such good fortune would befall him either. Perhaps the day he gained that ability, his suffering would surpass even that of the Heart Turbids.
"Huowang, someone fell down over there! It looks like that old eunuch!"
Hearing Bai Lingmiao's words, Li Huowang turned to look and immediately spotted a few scattered black dots dropping from the torn sky, as the fractured heavens began to destabilize.
Li Huowang and Bai Lingmiao found the Remembrancer amid a pile of emaciated corpses. His head was bloodied, and he clutched the male Heart Turbid's corpse tightly in his arms.
The others were found one by one as well. Judging by the knife marks on their hands, Li Huowang realized one person was missing: Tuoba Danqing. He had been hidden away forever, whether by the male or female Heart Turbid. He was gone for good.
The Remembrancer and the others all gave Li Huowang the same story—that Tuoba Danqing had lagged behind while fleeing on his own and had been left there.
Though puzzled—why him, when they had all fled together?—Li Huowang believed them.
At the post station gate outside Yinling City, Li Huowang, Liu Zongyuan, and Hong Da saw the Remembrancer off back to the capital.
"Our house is off. You lot head back. Once we reach the capital, we'll send word. Rest assured, the rewards this time won't be stingy."
"If those higher-ups dare shortchange us, I'll be the first to make trouble for them! We risked our lives for this—not a single coin less!"
After these righteous words, the Remembrancer turned to Li Huowang, who was being supported by Bai Lingmiao. He thought for a moment, then reached into his robe and pulled out the copper coin mask, presenting it to him with both hands.
"Erjiu, this is yours, right? We spotted it while fleeing and brought it out for you." The Remembrancer's tone was incredibly warm, completely unlike before.
Li Huowang had deliberately kept his distance when performing the Azure Beetle Ascension Rite, so they shouldn't have known what he did.
Yet after emerging, the Remembrancer's attitude toward him had shifted dramatically—not just friendly, but respectful, laced with a hint of fear.
Taking the opportunity to return the copper coin mask, the Remembrancer lowered his voice. "Rest easy. What we promised you will absolutely be done. At most ten days or half a month, and I'll send what you want by homing pigeon!"
"Escorting the honored Remembrancer!" Li Huowang took the copper coin mask and put it on his face.
Though he already had Zhuge Yuan's black spindle, which was far more useful, an extra layer of insurance couldn't hurt.
"You saved our house's life. We owe you for that. When I retire, this Remembrancer position is yours."
Li Huowang gently pushed Bai Lingmiao aside and leaned close to the Remembrancer's ear, whispering so softly it was barely audible. "Honored Remembrancer, if you truly wish to repay this humble one's favor, please introduce me to someone from the Military School. I need it urgently."
Changing Bai Lingmiao back to her original self was even more important than shedding his Heart Pure status. He didn't care if he died, but she couldn't. He'd already wronged her enough.
"Alright, alright. Our house understands." The Remembrancer grinned, pulled a red silk handkerchief from his sleeve, and wiped some dust off Li Huowang's Daoist robe before boarding the carriage.
With the sound of hoofbeats, the Remembrancer departed in the carriage, taking the Heart Turbid's corpse with him. The remaining three exchanged glances. Liu Zongyuan scratched his head. "There's a new brothel that just opened on the east side of the city. How about..."
Before he finished, the other two turned and walked off without a word.
The gravely injured Li Huowang boarded a carriage and slowly headed toward their inn.
Lying on the soft cotton padding, Li Huowang slowly exhaled. For that Heart Turbid, he'd endured endless torment on this trip, but the goal had finally been achieved.
Now he just needed to wait quietly for the Remembrancer's homing pigeon. His plan had advanced a major step.
More importantly, the Remembrancer now owed him a huge favor. Without him, he'd have been left behind. Used well, it could prove a great help.
"Woof woof..." Beside him, Mantou gently rested his head on Li Huowang's elbow. He seemed to sense how badly injured Li Huowang was; his normally upright ears were pressed flat against his head.
Two blackened fingers reached over, grabbed Mantou by the scruff of the neck, and tossed him out of the carriage.
"Huowang, why not toss that bamboo slip on your back? Every time you move, you get hurt. How can you keep this up? Doesn't it hurt?"
Bai Lingmiao grabbed a soft pillow from the side and placed it under his head. Staring at the girl's face so close before him, Li Huowang gave a wry smile. "Of course it hurts. It hurts so much I want to die... But Miao Miao, are other paths any easier? Compared to cultivating all that messy stuff, at least the Great Thousand Record is straightforward."
A trace of disdain crossed Bai Lingmiao's face. "Try it and see. How will you know if you don't? Keep going like this, and one slip could kill you."
"Die." Li Huowang exhaled slowly, no fear in his eyes. "Actually, dying isn't so scary."
Sensing the suicidal intent in his words, Bai Lingmiao lunged like a leopard, her blackened fingers clamping his throat as her eyes bored into his like a wild beast's.
"You want to die again!? Every time after the Azure Beetle Ascension Rite, you just want to end it all! Are you even a man!? Let me tell you, you slaughtered my whole family! You'll repay me for the rest of your life! You don't get to die!"
Seeing Li Huowang nod slightly, Bai Lingmiao leaned down and savagely bit into his shoulder, leaving a bloody, mangled tooth mark.
As Bai Lingmiao sat back up, the atmosphere in the carriage grew oppressive. Mantou, who had poked his head in through the window, sensed something wrong and quickly withdrew.
"Miao Miao, I met someone earlier. His name's Shentu Gang. He's a spirit medium too."
Li Huowang then calmly described Shentu Gang's unique way of interacting with the immortal families. Unbeknownst to them, the tension in the carriage eased considerably.
(End of chapter)