Chapter 157: Two Cakes

Chapter 157: Er Bing

"Look, I've flushed him out! He's the madman from the Path of Sitting and Forgetting! Danyangzi! Your clansmen and brothers, those who were flayed with mercury and planted in the soil—it was this man who did it!"

Standing at the front of the crowd, Er Bing pointed with imposing dignity at Li Huowang on the roof of the carriage, shouting loudly.

"You liar!!"

The preemptive strike nearly made Li Huowang spit blood in his rage; this scoundrel lied without blinking an eye, and in the blink of an eye, he himself had become one of the Path of Sitting and Forgetting.

"This woman is from the Path of Sitting and Forgetting! She can shapeshift into anyone's face! You've all been deceived by her!"

Li Huowang shouted the truth to the others, yet not a single soul outside the carriage would listen to him.

Among them, a man wearing a Nuo opera mask glared at Li Huowang with profound hatred.

"You killed our people! You even sent that old man to test us, and then you charged into someone's home alone, threatening us with raving nonsense!"

"Now that you're facing death, you want to tempt us to turn against our own! Dream on! Do you really think the Lai family is easy to provoke?! Danyangzi!"

The moment these words left his mouth, they instantly incited a tattooed bandit holding a horsewhip beside him to a frenzy of outrage.

"Pah! You wretched ape! You dare kill my brothers!! Just you wait, once you fall into our hands, see how we deal with you!"

Li Huowang wanted to explain, but they refused to listen. Under Er Bing's instigation, they all raised their weapons, leading the herd of horses to charge at the carriage formation.

"Boom!" The carriage was struck so hard it slid sideways several inches, its wooden frame already splintering.

Behind the carriage, the Lü Family Troupe huddled together in terror, curling into a ball and wailing.

Amidst the chaos, a familiar scream made Li Huowang instantly turn his head; he saw a barbed crossbow bolt graze Bai Lingmiao's right shoulder, tearing away a large chunk of skin and flesh.

Looking at the wound on the young girl, the sight made Li Huowang's eyes tear with rage, as if the wound had appeared on his own body.

Without a second word, he leaped directly down into the surging herd of horses before him.

"How many times do I have to say it! You bastards have been tricked!"

A cold flash of light, accompanied by the neighing of horses and the screams of men, cleaved a rider and his mount in two right before him.

Li Huowang had learned the swordsmanship, and in this moment, he rapidly grew proficient; nothing was more suitable for practicing the sword than living flesh.

"Give me back my grandson's life!" Li Huowang swiftly leaned back with his long sword, striking an old man down to the ground.

"Ahh!! He was only six, what wrong did he do! He was the only heir of our family! What right do you have to kill him!"

Even as blood gushed from his chest and his life was nearly spent, he still lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Li Huowang's legs, and viciously bit down with the dozen sharp fangs erupting from his mouth.

"How many times must I say it! I didn't kill him!!"

"Bang, bang, bang!" In his frenzy, Li Huowang kicked down again and again, literally crushing the old man's skull flat.

With another sweeping strike that cleaved a half-grown youth in two, as Li Huowang killed more and more, the sword in his hand grew ever more adept, and the killing intent in his heart reached its zenith.

Li Huowang's senses were now exceedingly sharp; by all rights, it should have been a quick matter to pick out Er Bing from the throng.

Yet at this moment, that ability was utterly useless, for the other party had concealed her aura by some unknown means.

Clenching his jaw tightly, Li Huowang swept his gaze, filled with murderous intent, across the crowd before him. "Er Bing!!"

A woman wearing a copper mask emerged from the crowd; after removing her mask to offer a bewitching smile, she swiftly darted back behind a tall, burly bandit.

"Madman of the Path of Sitting and Forgetting, you who have committed endless evils, you are doomed to die today!"

The Record of the Myriad Realms fluttered open rapidly, and Li Huowang took out a pair of pig iron pincers.

Three white molars were flung out, bursting in mid-air, the sharp fragments piercing through filthy leather armor and wooden masks.

This instantly sent the previously orderly horse herd into a chaotic rout, and brought Er Bing, who was behind the crowd, back into his line of sight.

Just as Li Huowang was about to charge forward, the others beside him clearly would not allow it, surging forward once more to block his path.

Seeing the woman about to escape, Li Huowang, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, steeled his heart and raised his sword again, this time aiming it at his own forearm.

Just as he was about to bring it down, a towering figure stepped between the crowd and Li Huowang.

It was Gao Zhijian, wielding a massive club. Roaring, he raised his spiked club and brought it down with a vicious smash, sending red and white spraying into the air.

"Calling~ upon~ the~ gods~~"

Accompanied by the beat of drums, a woman draped in a red bridal veil charged forward, easily biting through the man's neck with the ferocious beast's maw hidden beneath the veil.

Following closely, Chun Xiaoman arrived, holding a blood-stained sword in one hand; she panted as she rushed to Li Huowang's side, saying, "Senior Brother Li! We're here to help you!"

Looking at his junior martial brothers and sisters who were gradually growing before his eyes, Li Huowang lowered his sword. "Good! Charge forward with me, that woman is the key! All of this was orchestrated by her!"

Amidst the clamor of war, screams, the cracking of bones, and the clash of metal rang out continuously. Their distance to Er Bing was closing steadily.

Hiding away, and seeing that she could no longer evade, Er Bing gave a playful chuckle, then suddenly turned and charged straight at them.

No one had anticipated this move; a cold glint flew from her sleeve, and Li Huowang swiftly raised his sword to block.

An iron die soared high, trailing sparks of fire, faintly inscribed with traces of talismanic patterns.

Er Bing formed a hand seal with two fingers and swiftly flicked upward; the iron die spun rapidly, smashing directly into Gao Zhijian's temple.

"Fool!"

"Gao Zhijian!!"

The towering body crashed heavily to the ground, the pupils in his eyes gradually dilating and fading.

"How amusing~ hehehe, just like this, if no one dies, how can it be any fun~"

Chattering and laughing, Er Bing flipped out two sets of black Pai Gow tiles from her sleeve.

Holding the tiles in one hand, she formed a seal with the other and began chanting, "Seven and eight, never nine~ if you need nine, a deadly hand~ gold four, silver five, little stool, heaven and earth align, where water meets four, five, six~"

The two sets of Pai Gow tiles began to soften and stretch, dripping down through her fingernails like rotten mud, burrowing into the earth.

Yet just as the tiles were halfway buried, a scene Er Bing could never have imagined unfolded.

An arm with only three fingers suddenly burst from the soil, carrying two soft Pai Gow tiles, and with a squelch, plunged directly into Er Bing's abdomen.

Coughing up blood, Er Bing looked up in shock to see Li Huowang, who had been kneeling on one knee in the distance, slowly rising to his feet; his left arm was completely gone.

The severed arm clamped down tighter and tighter like steel, ultimately snapping Er Bing's waist clean in two.

(End of Chapter)