Chapter 150: Shadow Puppetry

Chapter 150: Shadow Play

In the dead of night, a hideous and terrifying shadow play monster crouched upon the dim paper window.

The scene was utterly chilling by any measure, yet to Li Huowang, what chilled him even more was the fact that it had called him Xinsu.

Having experienced so much, Li Huowang naturally understood what it meant when others addressed him by that title.

"Who exactly are you?" Li Huowang asked the bizarre shadow with a grave expression.

"Heh, you've stepped into my territory, and you don't even know who I am?"

No sooner had the voice faded than Li Huowang saw the shadow play on the paper window begin to seep into the room.

"Clang!" The blade was drawn, and the entire room was instantly filled with a murderous aura.

A dark crimson longsword materialized instantly before Li Huowang; this was his first time formally drawing his sword.

In the next moment, something surged from the bizarre beast's hilt, rapidly flooding Li Huowang's entire body, making his blood boil and his veins bulge, turning everything he saw red.

Right before his eyes, the black tentacles bearing the patterns of window lattices were about to rise from the paper.

Li Huowang slammed his right foot forward, launching directly into a lunging thrust.

Pressing the tip of his tongue against his lower jaw, he couldn't help but roar, "Kill!!"

Seeing the blood-colored sword tip wrapped in killing intent thrusting toward it, the shadow dared not meet it head-on and swiftly dodged to the right.

A clattering sound of metal rang out as it instantly shifted onto the adjacent wooden door.

"Hmm? This sword... what connection do you have with the Right Family of Siqi?"

Seeing the sword in Li Huowang's hand, the creature's voice carried a hint of hesitation, and its movements became tinged with a certain apprehension.

Under normal circumstances, Li Huowang might have paused to listen, but now, with his mind completely engulfed by that surge of heat, it was simply impossible.

Before it could even finish its words, Li Huowang's sword had already arrived.

The crimson blade gleaming with cold light struck the wooden door with a heavy blow; a cracking sound echoed as the door was instantly shattered into splinters.

Shattered along with the wooden frame was the shadow itself.

Rushing out of the room, Li Huowang's gaze pierced through the corridor ahead, spotting someone behind a distant window, holding several wooden sticks in both hands, manipulating the shadow in the air.

The thing that had just fought him was merely the reflection of the shadow frame in that person's hands!

Seeing Li Huowang give chase, the figure decisively threw down the shadow and swiftly retreated into the room.

When Li Huowang charged in with fierce momentum, he found the room already empty, save for the shadow on the floor gradually turning into black ash.

He had only taken a hasty glance earlier and hadn't paid much attention, but what Li Huowang remembered most vividly was the worn brass mask covering the person's face.

"Clang." The blade returned to its sheath; Li Huowang took several deep breaths and calmed himself down.

"What exactly is this person's motive? Did they really just spot the Xinsu and get greedy for wealth?"

Although he had driven the person away, Li Huowang felt it couldn't be that simple.

"Wait, Bai Lingmiao!" The vigilant Li Huowang rushed back to his quarters at top speed.

Seeing Bai Lingmiao lying peacefully asleep on the bed, Li Huowang finally let out a sigh of relief.

Concern had clouded his judgment; Bai Lingmiao was no defenseless weakling, and there was no need to worry about the enemy using a diversionary tactic.

Walking over to the bed, Li Huowang carefully examined the longsword in his hand.

It wasn't strange for someone to come looking for trouble, but this time was different; he was no longer just fleeing blindly, and those who fled had now become the enemy.

This made Li Huowang somewhat excited, for it meant he had finally gained a foothold in this chaotic and bizarre world.

And all of this was thanks to the sword given to him by the Abbess; the mere sight of it had made that person lose the will to fight.

Li Huowang naturally understood that the person wasn't wary of him, but of the sword itself.

Beyond its formidable power, this sword carried additional value.

"The Right Family of Siqi? Is that the name of the original owner? It doesn't sound like the name of a sect."

Li Huowang had no answer to this question; all he knew was that this sword had a significant background, and his debt to the Abbess had grown even heavier.

As Li Huowang gently stroked the scabbard, he suddenly sensed something amiss.

Looking down, he saw a pair of deathly pale hands with long black nails gripping his calf.

Li Huowang pondered for a moment and didn't pull away, instead looking down at the Ershen beneath the bed and saying, "Thank you for the warning today; if not for your reminder, I truly would have nearly been ambushed."

Regardless of what had happened before, one thing at a time; today, Bai Lingmiao's Ershen had genuinely helped him.

Yet this was also a point of confusion for Li Huowang; his perception was so acute now that he had sensed bandits from far away before, yet this time, with someone creeping right up to his door, he still needed a reminder.

"Is there something on that person capable of blocking my senses? I wonder if it would help with my Xinsu identity; if it's usable by me too, it would be great to snatch it,"

"That way, I wouldn't have so many people coming to cause me trouble."

Just as Li Huowang was lost in thought over this issue, he felt the sensation at his calf shift slightly.

Looking down again, the pale hands had vanished, and several cold things were continuously bulging up his trouser leg, extending upward.

From the touch against his skin, it felt somewhat like soft snakeskin.

Immediately after, a soft, tingling female voice gently sounded in Li Huowang's ear, "Husband~"

Li Huowang's scalp instantly went numb, and goosebumps erupted all over his body. "Stop! I said stop!"

Just as Li Huowang's hand gripped the hilt and he was about to draw, the thing inside his trouser leg finally slowly retracted.

Glancing back at Bai Lingmiao in her slumber, Li Huowang spoke, "What happened before ends here, I don't want to bring it up again! Sleep!"

Having said this, Li Huowang directly lay back down on the bed.

In response to Li Huowang's words, the Ershen beneath the bed said nothing more, and the room instantly fell silent.

After such an incident, how could Li Huowang possibly sleep; he essentially kept his eyes open until dawn.

It wasn't until he heard the hawking of street vendors outside the window that Li Huowang finally drifted off in a daze.

When he awoke again, he found he had slept straight through until the afternoon.

Dressed and seated in the inn's main hall, he ate his midday meal while pondering the events of the previous night.

"Judging by the methods, that person is clearly no match for Zhengde Temple or Anci Nunnery; perhaps, like Danyangzi, they are just a rogue cultivator. If that's all, it's not a major problem."

"He said this is his territory, not theirs or their sect's, which means it's highly likely he is alone."

Li Huowang had no intention of fleeing; if a fight were to break out, compared to the crowded and lively towns, the sparsely populated wilderness would be far easier to be ambushed in.

Just as he picked up a peanut with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth, Li Huowang saw the imposing Lu Zhuangyuan walk in with his two sons.

Connecting it to yesterday's events, Li Huowang could easily guess what had happened.

"Troupe Leader Lu, went to argue with those Nuo opera performers again? Judging by your spirit, I take it you won the argument?"

(End of Chapter)