Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 87
>Chapter Title: The Woods
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Hearing Gouwa's words, Sun Baolu drew a card from the fan of leaf cards in his hand and played it.
“I saw Senior Brother Li head to the village blacksmith. Seemed like he wanted something forged. Oh right, Gouwa, didn’t Senior Brother Li tell you to gather intel? And here you are playing leaf cards? Not afraid he’ll chew you out when he gets back?”
“What Gouwa? Call me Cao Cao!” Gouwa flung a card down with a very displeased look on his face.
“This little village is so small, no need to put in much effort. Plus, I brought those two kids along to ask around. Wrapped it up in no time. The village elders all said there’s man-eating beasts in the woods to the west. Told us not to go anywhere near it.”
“You guys are heading there? Don’t go, really don’t. Ten years ago, my mom saw flying serpents circling in the sky!” said the homeowner watching from the side.
“Hey, no worries! Senior Brother Li’s super strong. As long as he’s around, no beast can get close. Oh—hold up, who played this one? I win! Haha! Like we said, all the eggs in your noodles are mine.”
“Look, Senior Brother Li’s back.”
No one knew who said it, but everyone turned their heads. They saw Li Huowang walking into the courtyard with a large cowhide bundle in his hands.
Surrounded by the group, Li Huowang set the cowhide bundle on the table and opened it.
Rows of buttons lined the inside, perfect for hanging things neatly.
He began checking each item hanging there one by one. They were freshly oiled new tools, all custom-made.
Large black iron tongs, sharp awls, tiny shovels the size of fingernails, long needles with barbs.
These bizarre tools looked creepy just to see.
Gouwa picked up a sharp-edged spoon with his right hand and toyed with it for a bit. “Senior Brother Li, what are all these? They don’t look like weapons—more like torture tools. Take this one, no good for killing, but perfect for gouging out—”
Gouwa’s words cut off abruptly. He’d scared himself with what he’d just said.
He immediately recalled what happened on the reed island before—that person who’d used tongs to yank out his own teeth and crush his own eyes.
Li Huowang snatched the item from his hand. “How’d the intel gathering go?”
“G-Gathered it. There are man-eaters in those woods. Nobody around goes there, and the beasts stay put. Never come out.” Gouwa stared at the things on the table, deep fear in his eyes.
Li Huowang held up a tiny shovel and gestured it against his fingernail a few times before slinging the bundle over his back. “Let’s go.”
“It’s already noon. By the time we get there, it’ll be dark. How about we stay the night and head out tomorrow?”
Sun Baolu’s suggestion earned him only a cold glare from Li Huowang. “I said move!”
The cart wheels began to turn, slowly rolling toward the man-eating woods.
When the moon hung high, Li Huowang and the others finally arrived at their destination.
An extremely dense bamboo forest stretched before them, fireflies flickering faintly within.
A narrow path snaked into it like a long serpent, weeds overgrown on the ground. It hadn’t been used in a long time.
Li Huowang didn’t charge right in. According to Abbess Jingxin, Laxyue Eighteen was a highly variable evil being. No telling what form it had taken now or what threat it posed.
He stood at the forest’s edge, quietly observing the interior.
Time ticked by, but everything inside seemed normal. All the creatures that should be there acted as usual. Li Huowang could even spot bamboo rats gnawing on bamboo.
It wasn’t until dawn began to break that Li Huowang stopped watching.
Eating hanging noodles, Li Huowang addressed the others. “Looks like the outskirts are fine. Once we finish this meal, we go in. Once inside, I don’t need you to do anything else. Just one thing—if, and I mean if.”
Li Huowang paused, his expression grave. “If my behavior starts acting strange, watch me. Don’t let me wander off.”
Yes, that was exactly why Li Huowang had them come along this time.
With Black Tai Sui’s effects fading, Li Huowang felt the space around him growing unreal. The hallucinations could swallow him at any moment.
These people had to come in as backup.
Hearing this odd request, the others exchanged glances before nodding.
“That period shouldn’t last long. Wait for me to snap out of it.”
Li Huowang took a sip of soup. At that moment, a slender white hand reached over and tugged lightly at his hair, making his scalp sting.
“What?” Li Huowang shot an annoyed glance at the hand’s owner, Bai Lingmiao.
“Plucking out your white hairs. Mom said if you leave them, more will grow on your head.”
Li Huowang shoveled the noodles faster, chopsticks diving in.
Bai Lingmiao sat primly beside him, legs together.
Her fingers reached toward the red bamboo slips on Li Huowang’s back. “Senior Brother Li, you always carry this thing—”
Before she could touch it, Li Huowang shot to his feet. He gulped down the soup in his bowl, tossed it into the empty iron pot, and said, “Move. Into the woods.”
Bellies full, everyone followed Li Huowang down the path.
It was still early morning, but the moment they entered the woods, darkness closed in.
The dense bamboo formed a barrier, blocking out the sky’s light completely.
The blue-green fluorescent stones came out again, brightening things somewhat.
But when that color lit up the surrounding bamboo, the vibrant green stalks took on a sickly hue, unnaturally diseased. It made their skin crawl.
As the glow swayed, it felt like something lurked deep in the dense bamboo, watching them from outside.
Li Huowang strained to see clearly but spotted nothing. Yet just as he started to turn, that needle-prick sensation on his back returned.
“Is this Laxyue Eighteen? Watching me from the woods? What has it turned into now??”
It wasn’t just Li Huowang. The others felt it too.
The only sound was shoes crunching weeds. No one spoke. The air quickly grew heavy.
“Senior Brother Li... do you... feel like the bamboo overhead is getting closer to our heads?”
Hearing this, everyone slowly looked up. The bamboo all around had bent completely. Dense tips of that sickly color hung straight down from above, pointing right at them.