Chapter 446
Chapter 446
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 446
>Chapter Title: Departure
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“Mom, I might have to go back to my old crazy self. Don’t worry, it’s nothing. Trust me, things will definitely get better and better from here.”
“I’ll snap out of it every three to five days. If it takes longer, don’t worry either—I might just be tied up with some chores over there.”
“No, Mom, I’m really not having an episode. Don’t get upset. Listen to me explain.”
High in the air, Zhuge Yuan looked puzzled at Li Huowang before him, listening as he softly explained himself to a crooked-neck tree.
“How about it? Quite the sight, huh? Not everyone gets a chance to witness a pure heart losing it.” Nearby, the Sitting Oblivion Dao hallucination explained to Zhuge Yuan in the tone of a worldly veteran.
“Has Brother Li often been like this in the past?” Zhuge Yuan asked, puzzled.
“Yeah, the monk said that before he ate Li Sui, this happened every few days.”
Zhuge Yuan glanced at Li Sui curled up under the tree, then back at the muttering Li Huowang, and couldn’t help but sigh. “Brother Li truly has it rough. Being a pure heart is far, far harder than being a heart anchor.”
“Yeah, the Daoist’s got it bad. I’ve watched him struggle all this way, and even I feel sorry for him. If I could do anything, I’d help out.” The monk nearby chimed in.
“Greetings, Master. This humble one is Zhuge Yuan.”
Though this man looked exactly like the abbot of Zhengde Temple in Da Qi, Zhuge Yuan could tell at a glance that he wasn’t—the abbot wasn’t dead yet.
“Greetings? Oh, I’ve got those too. Right, watch out for that one with no skin or eyeballs. He’s a con man. He’s tricked me plenty of times.”
Zhuge Yuan turned to Hongzhong nearby with a faint smile. “I could tell. He’s Sitting Oblivion Dao. So, Master, who’s that headless one?”
With the monk’s introduction, Zhuge Yuan learned not only the other hallucinations’ names but also how they had died and what had happened back then.
“So Senior Jinshan Zhao was killed by Peng Longteng, right?”
“That’s what the Daoist says, but he hates chatting with me. He’s always busy, so I don’t know the full story.”
“Then why does Senior Jinshan Zhao harbor no resentment toward General Peng?”
“How should I know? I’m not a worm in their bellies.”
“Alright then, let me ask something else. Besides us five, are there any others?”
“Yeah, before us, there was a mangy-headed guy and a woman. They were the Daoist’s hallucinations too, but they’re gone now.”
“So that means Brother Li has had seven people by his side in total?” Zhuge Yuan tapped his palm lightly with his closed fan, lost in thought.
“What are you up to?” Hongzhong frowned tightly at the man before him. “We’re all hallucinations in Li Huowang’s head now. What are you still scheming about?”
Zhuge Yuan merely cupped his hands toward him and smiled without a word.
“Brother Zhuge.” Li Huowang’s words drew all his hallucinations’ gazes.
Though the man before them looked the same as always, for some reason, his spirit and vigor felt entirely different from before.
“Brother Zhuge, aside from Da Qi and Da Liang, have you ever seen anyone else in the past who was altered like this?” Li Huowang asked.
“No. In the whole world, those lucky enough to glimpse a Si Ming are rarer than phoenix feathers or qilin horns. Most who do either go mad or die—not to mention having a Si Ming alter them personally.”
Zhuge Yuan’s words made Li Huowang’s brow gradually furrow. Doesn’t that mean if he wanted to strip away this Hongzhong past, there’d be no reference at all?
Being altered by Doumu seemed like a huge hassle at first glance, but on second thought, it wasn’t quite that.
In addition to his original identity, he’d gained a layer of Hongzhong’s Sitting Oblivion Dao identity—and he’d even intuitively mastered many powerful and useful Sitting Oblivion Dao techniques and divine abilities.
It handed over an identity, divine abilities, and even a cultivation method to boot. No matter how you sliced it, it seemed like a good deal. As for any downsides, none had appeared yet, at least.
The only thing worth suspecting was that Doumu must have her own motives for doing this.
“Why did it do this?” Li Huowang sifted through everything about Doumu in Hongzhong’s memories, but unfortunately, there were no leads.
Their relationship wasn’t one of devotee and deity, but scammer and scam victim.
All Sitting Oblivion Daoists knew that every shred of falsehood in the world belonged to Doumu. She controlled all falsity.
Everyone carried a strand of Doumu’s falsity within them, just as everyone lies—it was fated and inevitable. The way Sitting Oblivion Daoists gained power was by scamming that falsity belonging to Doumu out of people’s bodies.
Of course, falsity was just one part. While scamming falsity, they naturally swindled other things from people as well.
However, there was also a suspicion among Sitting Oblivion Daoists: they did this only because Doumu wanted them to. She tricked the Sitting Oblivion Daoists into tricking her, all to achieve her own ends.
As for what Doumu’s ends were, the Sitting Oblivion Daoists—as the ones being scammed—naturally had no idea.
“Maybe the Dice knows something.” Li Huowang muttered to himself.
“Brother Li, in your current state, I think it best to steer clear of Sitting Oblivion Daoists—especially the Dice. If the Dice sets his sights on you, things won’t be so easy to resolve.”
“You know as well as I that Sitting Oblivion Daoists have never been good at direct confrontation. They always prefer to scheme from the shadows—let alone the Dice.”
“Don’t worry, I haven’t lost my mind yet. Why would I go provoking the Dice? The priority right now is finding a quiet place to calmly cultivate this hard-won cultivation method.”
“Only once this cultivation method of ours reaches perfection will Li Huowang have any standing in these two worlds.”
Whether it was boosting his strength, turning Zhuge Yuan from illusion to reality, or making the real world truly real—this cultivation method was of paramount importance. The Hongzhong past on his body couldn’t compare.
Zhuge Yuan nodded in agreement. “So what’s your plan next, Brother Li?”
“I...” After a moment’s hesitation, Li Huowang spoke again. “I’m going back to Niuxin Village. It’s quiet and remote—perfect for cultivation. And with all this chaos, I’m a bit worried about Miao Miao and the others.”
This also fulfilled his original promise to Miao Miao: once he could fully shake free of the pure heart hallucinations, he’d come back for them. This situation ought to count as keeping that promise, right?
At the thought of those long-unseen faces, a thread of longing stirred in Li Huowang’s heart. In this world, they were his only remaining ties.
With that, Li Huowang immediately mounted up and prepared to set off toward Niuxin Village.
But just as he raised his riding crop, he suddenly felt something was missing. “Hold on—where’s Li Sui and Mantou?”
“Li Sui! Mantou!” Li Huowang shouted into the woods all around.
Soon, sticky black tentacles began emerging from the bushes, more and more until they clustered together.
Meanwhile, Mantou’s limbs and muzzle were all bound by tentacles, hoisted into the air by Li Sui.
“What are you doing?”
“Playing with the dog.”
(End of chapter)