Chapter 215: Think

Chapter 215: Contemplation

The ox cart was slower than the horse cart, yet it pulled far more, and here in Qingqiu, there was no need to worry about fodder for the oxen whatsoever; it was everywhere underfoot.

Having left Later Shu, Li Huowang and his party had a smooth journey this time, encountering neither evil spirits nor bandits.

Moreover, as Li Huowang's injuries were constantly improving, smiles appeared more frequently on everyone's faces.

Beside the rolling wheels, Li Huowang leaned on his cane, walking with a limp, while Mantou wagged his tail, running back and forth around him.

"Senior Brother Li, why don't you lie back down on the cart? Your injuries haven't fully healed yet," Bai Lingmiao said worriedly from beside him.

The hair that had just begun to grow on Li Huowang's head swayed slightly left and right as he shook his head.

"Lying on the cart numbs all my limbs; walking is quite fine. Besides, I'm recovering well enough now; at least Mantou has recognized me."

Li Huowang still remembered clearly how Mantou had barked wildly at him right after he stepped down from the cart.

But he couldn't blame the dog, after all, he himself had looked truly terrifying back then.

Fortunately, now it could recognize him; leaving other things aside, at least the skin all over his body had fully grown back, and the "Great Thousand Record" was buried in his back as wished.

"Senior Brother Li, we can rest now; after noon, walking for two more double-hours, we will arrive at Woman Mountain."

The local, Sun Baolu, said to Li Huowang; a smile always hung on his face, and since arriving in Qingqiu, even he, usually taciturn, had become more talkative.

"Old Sun, are you really going back? Why not just travel with us, to avoid being kidnapped again." Hearing Zhao Wu's words, Sun Baolu smiled and shook his head.

"No, someone is waiting for me. I must go home." As he said this, there seemed to be light in his eyes.

Li Huowang raised the cane in his hand, pointing toward the distant stream, "Let's go, we will make a fire over there."

Qingqiu was hard to find firewood, trees were scarce, but after digging up some withered shrubs, the fire was finally lit.

Some fetched water, some dug for wild vegetables, others constantly made different sounds, but Li Huowang, sitting cross-legged on one leg, completely isolated these sounds outside his own world.

He lifted his head, looking at Peng Longteng before him who blocked his sunlight; after so long, this thing was still there.

The only consolation was that she merely stood there, doing nothing at all.

Peng Longteng, clad in heavy armor and imposing, was truly tall; even without a head, she was much taller than Li Huowang.

Li Huowang estimated that when she was alive, her height was at least over two meters.

Some special noises entered his ears; Li Huowang did not turn to look, for it was the sound of Jin Shanzhao's internal organs dragging across the grass.

"Why have these two turned into hallucinations following me?" This question had turned over and over in Li Huowang's mind countless times, yet destined to have no answer.

Not just these two, the previous Jiang Yingzi and the monk alike had no answer.

"Is this also the ability of a Heart Element? Could it be that a Heart Element can control those killed by themselves?" A new conjecture appeared again in Li Huowang's mind.

"How should I control them to disappear? But that's not right, I didn't kill the monk; he might still be staying well at Zhengde Temple, not dead at all."

"But if their appearance is not the ability of a Heart Element, then what could be the reason? Could it be... do I really have a mental illness?"

Somewhat confused, Li Huowang felt his body itching; he raised his right hand, white in patches and red in patches, and scratched inside his new clothes.

Mantou nearby saw this action, quickly ran over, hurriedly squatted before him and constantly wagged his tail.

With a "tear" sound, a large piece of blackened dead skin was scratched out, thrown far away toward Peng Longteng.

"Woof woof woof!" Mantou excitedly rushed into Peng Longteng's body, using his tongue to roll up the dead skin and happily gnawed on it.

After finishing, Mantou wagged his tail again, passed through under Peng Longteng's crotch, and once again squatted obediently before Li Huowang.

Li Huowang knew Mantou liked eating this; his previous dead skin had all gone into his belly, including that broken leg.

He reached out and constantly patted its head, which was like a bicycle seat, his gaze staring blankly at Peng Longteng in the distance.

After a long while, he sighed deeply, muttering to himself: "It's alright, at least these two won't speak, not annoying like the monk."

"Daoist, am I annoying? I'm not annoying, right? I clearly didn't do anything at all."

Li Huowang smiled self-mockingly, saying nothing; self-consolation was merely self-consolation; compared to these three hallucinations, he feared more what would come later.

What if later, such hallucinations become more and more? What if.... finally becoming like Shan Yangzi back then?

Recalling the terrifying everything Shan Yangzi experienced on himself before, those dozens hundreds of hallucinations, Li Huowang suddenly shivered with cold.

"I must figure out what exactly is going on, then resolve them. If I really end up with the same fate as Dan Yangzi back then, I will definitely go mad."

Thinking this, all this made Li Huowang increasingly urgent to resolve his Heart Element identity.

"Baolu!" Li Huowang's voice made Mantou's drooping ears stand up; he turned his head seeing Sun Baolu running over from afar, moved his two paws forward a few steps, rested his dog head on Li Huowang's leg, and nudged with his black nose.

"Senior Brother Li, you called me?"

Li Huowang looked up and down this young man before him again; he was still the same as when leaving Qingfeng Observatory, no change, still wrapped tightly on his body.

In fact, along this journey, he had always been very low-key, so much so that sometimes, Li Huowang would forget such a person existed.

"Are you familiar with this place, Qingqiu?"

Hearing Li Huowang's question, Sun Baolu nodded, "Roughly know it all."

"Know it all?" Li Huowang was truly somewhat surprised; like other senior and junior brothers, he had never heard such words.

Most people in this world, unless special circumstances, basically completed life from birth to death within twenty li of land.

Sun Baolu being able to say know it all, this truly made him suspect whether he was bragging.

"Senior Brother Li, people here in Qingqiu are different from other places, basically following the grass; wherever the grass is fat, we go there. From my grandfather to my father, basically this whole life is turning around Qingqiu again and again."

Hearing these words, Li Huowang immediately understood, "Oh, originally nomadic."

Seeing the vast grassland, Li Huowang could also guess this point; rely on mountain eat mountain, rely on water eat water, rely on grass of course eat grass.

"Today the sun is so big, you don't take off some?"

Seeing the other party just standing there smiling, Li Huowang no longer forced it, "Alright, let's talk serious business, does this place have any high men in your eyes? Like existence such as Dan Yangzi?"

(End of Chapter)