Chapter 449
Chapter 449
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 449
>Chapter Title: The Planchette Medium
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Chapter 449: The Planchette Medium
> The Second God lowered her head to look at the golden ring on her ankle, her voice trembling slightly. “Senior Brother Li.”
>
> Tears soaked through the red veil, leaving five streaks of varying lengths on the fabric, as if from excitement or sorrow.
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> Li Huowang couldn’t see through her. The Second God seemed wrapped in a fog, preventing him from using the Sitting Oblivion Dao’s abilities to discern her ten emotions and eight sufferings.
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> Li Huowang looked at her with a complicated expression. After hesitating for a moment, he reached out, grasped a corner of the red veil, and lifted it.
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> He had seen the Second God’s appearance many times before, so it didn’t startle him. It was just different from before.
>
> On that mostly beastly face, the traces of other animals had lessened somewhat, while the silver-white fox fur clearly dominated.
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> The short spines amid the white fur lay as flat as possible, as if trying to make herself look better this way.
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> Li Huowang stared blankly at that small portion of her human face, and the resentful look in her eyes. That gaze was so much like the Bai Lingmiao of old. He almost felt as if the Bai Lingmiao who had accompanied him from Clear Wind Temple had reappeared before him.
>
> As Li Huowang instinctively reached out to touch her cheek, the scales beneath the fur pricked his fingers, snapping him back to reality.
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> No, the Second God wasn’t her. The Miao Miao of the past would never forgive him.
>
> As Li Huowang’s dejected hand began to drop slowly, the Second God gripped it firmly with her own hand, fingers interlocking, her sharp nails digging in.
>
> But when she opened her mouth full of sharp fangs, revealing the forked tongue inside, she released it first, covered her face with the red veil, and left choking back sobs.
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> Li Huowang didn’t chase after her. He watched silently as she vanished into the darkness, then let out a soft sigh.
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> Though he knew the Second God was part of Bai Lingmiao, just with a different allocation of the ten emotions and eight sufferings, besides giving her the same ankle ring, he truly didn’t know how to face her.
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> Treat her the same as Bai Lingmiao? Two Bai Lingmiaos? Li Huowang always felt an intense discomfort in his heart at the thought.
>
> When the somewhat dejected Li Huowang returned to the lively banquet, his mind was still on the teardrop at the corner of the Second God’s enormous beastly eye.
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> By the time he came back to his senses, his bowl was piled high with all sorts of chicken legs and meat chunks.
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> Bai Lingmiao picked up a chopstick of chives and placed it on top. “Done chatting? Eat up. This banquet is to welcome you back.”
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> Li Huowang extended his right hand toward the table but didn’t reach for the chopsticks. Instead, he grabbed the wine jug beside him.
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> He poured himself a full cup and tossed it back in one gulp.
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> The dizzying haze of intoxication washed over his mind once more. The numbing tingle on his scalp made his heart feel a little better at this moment.
>
> Truth be told, he had no experience handling things like this. The him of the past had only been a high school student.
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> “Why do these troublesome matters never end? Can’t things just settle down for once?” Li Huowang muttered to himself, gripping his wine cup as he poured another.
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> Before he drank himself under the table, Li Huowang figured it out. These emotional troubles had existed before too; it was just that back then, he’d always been caught up in matters of life and death, reality and illusion, with no time to think about such trivialities.
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> When the banquet ended, the half-drunk, half-awake Li Huowang, reeking of alcohol, felt himself floating lightly, as if lying atop clouds.
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> After a while, the silky satin sheet beneath him and the familiar faint fragrance let Li Huowang know he was back in Bai Lingmiao’s boudoir.
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> He instinctively reached out and pulled, drawing a soft body into his arms. Stroking the hairpins amid her locks, he lowered his head and kissed her.
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> Bai Lingmiao walked along the winding dirt paths of Oxheart Village. Candlelight flickered from the windows around her as every family excitedly discussed how many days to stretch out the meat and vegetables they’d brought back.
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> “Miao Miao, everyone’s life is so much better now. After the feast, there’s even leftovers.” Chun Xiaoman smiled as she spoke to Bai Lingmiao beside her.
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> “To make the horse run, you’ve got to let it graze.” Bai Lingmiao replied indifferently, heading toward the Bai family ancestral hall in the distance.
>
> “Besides, it doesn’t cost much silver. The Lv Troupe earns enough to cover it. I hadn’t held out much hope for them at first, but who knew their powder opera would make more and more money in Great Liang.”
>
> “Yeah, last time, some old man held a joyous funeral. Word is, right before he died, he specifically requested Master Lv’s troupe to perform powder opera in front of the mourning hall for three full days. No idea what he was thinking.”
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> As they spoke, the two entered the Bai family ancestral hall. Bai Lingmiao deftly twisted the Three Monkeys mechanism and descended through the hidden door.
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> Oil lamps illuminated the underground hall, and hurried chanting echoed up the empty stairs.
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> “Heaven round, earth square, gods descend to the altar and empower the planchette medium. Heaven urges, earth urges, ancestors soar on clouds returning, ancestors ride steeds arriving, come before the altar and raise the planchette medium’s body…”
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> When they entered the hall, they saw Lv Xiucai wearing a paper bellyband painted with scriptures. In one hand he held a triangular white lotus flag, in the other a short sword with spikes at both ends, which he used to repeatedly tap his head with the tips.
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> “Left eye turns to sun, right eye to moon, sun and moon shine clear. Disciple sincerely comes to worship kin.”
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> The spikes on the short sword had already broken his scalp. Crimson blood trickled slowly from his forehead, covering his face, making his currently frenzied expression all the more terrifying.
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> “This altar’s Venerable Deity descends swiftly, body becomes god, god becomes body. Mountains and rivers light the path, step by step to guide, inch by inch to empower the child. Empower the planchette medium to shine with spirit light, open golden mouth to speak clearly!!”
>
> As he shouted the final words, he stomped his right foot down hard three times. Everything fell silent.
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> Looking at Lv Xiucai, who now stood there with bulging eyes like a statue, Bai Lingmiao frowned thoughtfully. With a “clang,” she drew Chun Xiaoman’s sword from her waist in one hand and slashed straight at Lv Xiucai’s midsection.
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> But when the blade struck his body, it unexpectedly rang out with a crisp metallic clang.
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> Unconvinced, Bai Lingmiao tried a few more times, but could only leave a shallow scratch on Lv Xiucai.
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> Chun Xiaoman’s sword was a gift from Li Huowang. Though it couldn’t slay evil spirits or demons, it could slice through iron like mud.
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> Yet this sharp blade could only produce such an effect on Lv Xiucai, which meant he was now invulnerable to blades and spears.
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> The ecstatic Lv Xiucai looked down at his body, his emotions surging uncontrollably.
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> How much suffering and beatings had he endured to master this divine technique! But now that the moment had arrived, he felt it was all worth it.
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> Suddenly, his expression turned gritted and venomous. The short sword and triangular white lotus flag trembled uncontrollably in his hands.
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> “Damn it! That rotten old bag of bones! You dared hang me up and beat me! Don’t any of you stop me! I’m getting revenge today! I’ll tear that old bastard apart alive!”
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> “You—” Chun Xiaoman started to step forward but was stopped by Bai Lingmiao’s outstretched hand. “We won’t stop you. Go ahead. Your dad drank quite a bit tonight, so he’s probably out cold.”
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> With a low roar, Lv Xiucai brandished his short sword wildly and charged excitedly toward the hidden door.
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> But as he neared the exit, his steps slowed. His curses suddenly spiked in volume. “Don’t any of you stop me!! I’m butchering that old turtle today!!”
>
> (End of chapter)