Chapter 284: Auditory Hallucination

Chapter 284 Auditory Hallucinations

Li Huowang performed a Daoist salute towards Master Lu standing before him. "Master Lu, thank you for your trouble. Once we reach Ox Heart Mountain, please settle everyone else down safely first. As soon as I finish my business here, I will rush over."

The main reason Li Huowang trusted him to lead the team was that there were almost no bandits robbing travelers in Great Liang; otherwise, he truly wouldn't have dared.

"Master! I have supernatural abilities now, just let me go!" Scholar Lu naturally wanted to follow Li Huowang, but neither Li Huowang nor his father agreed.

Then he turned to look at the scholar beside him. "Learn your characters well. If you don't understand something, ask your father. Although he can't recognize all the characters, he can at least recognize a few. You must learn all the characters before you can master supernatural abilities."

After speaking, he instructed Zhao Wu and the child Yang on some trivial matters regarding the carriage.

"Senior Brother Li, rest assured. Although I cannot lift anything with my hands or carry burdens on my shoulders, as long as I, Zhao Wu, am here, not a single coin or carriage will be missing."

Watching him, Li Huowang was about to say something when his expression twisted viciously, and he suddenly turned his head to glare fiercely at the empty space to his left.

"Senior Brother Li, what's wrong?"

Li Huowang's face darkened first, but immediately cleared up like clouds parting. "Nothing. Since we've come this far, saying more would just be nonsense. Let's depart."

With a wave of his hand, the two groups parted ways, gradually moving further apart.

Embarrassedly lowering his hand, Juren Lu held his son and said to Zhuangyuan Lu beside him: "Father, why does Little Daoist feel..."

Quickly glancing at Zhao Wu, Zhuangyuan Lu hurriedly interjected: "Oh my, what is Little Daoist going to do? Is that your concern? If you have ability, manage your own son properly first."

"If you have the talent to make your son become a Tongsheng, then our old Lu family's ancestral grave would truly emit green smoke."

"Father, you speak truly." A trace of embarrassment appeared on Juren Lu's face as he held his son and spoke no more.

On a gradually rugged path, Li Huowang and others drove the two carriages forward.

Because there were few people, everyone could sit in the carriages, needing no haste, conserving energy for the events ahead.

Li Huowang, looking grim, was still thinking about that chaotic whispering sound from earlier. He had only eaten the Black Tai Sui last night, yet today the sound persisted, proving this voice could not be suppressed by the Black Tai Sui.

"Where exactly did things go wrong? What is happening to me?" Li Huowang's calm state stirred into waves again, various terrifying conjectures constantly surfacing in his heart.

Was Wang Wei drugging me? Or did my mental illness flare up again? No, I am not mentally ill! This might be another manifestation of the Heart Essence! But is this manifestation good or bad?

Just as Li Huowang's fist clenched tighter and tighter, a pair of soft hands covered the back of his hand.

Bai Lingmiao said nothing, merely leaning there, soothing Li Huowang's increasingly irritable mood.

Li Huowang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled deeply, and then reopened them, suppressing the irritation within his heart.

"Don't rush. It's just occasional auditory hallucinations, nothing major. At least now it's merely an occasional hallucination, having no effect whatsoever."

"What haven't I experienced before? It's just ordinary auditory hallucinations, what is there to fear?"

"Troublesome matters will always arise. Regardless of what causes this, I must deal with it one by one, just like with that Heart Essence."

"The immediate priority is passing the Celestial Monitoring Bureau's trial. Auditory hallucinations and such must be put aside for now."

After organizing his thoughts, Li Huowang looked up at the others.

"There was no time before to mention it, but now that there is, I shall say this: the enemy we face this time is the Zuowang Dao."

"In short, they are a group of liars, a group of liars with supernatural abilities."

"Also, remember this: the Zuowang Dao can change human faces. Be wary of everyone approaching you, otherwise, carelessly you might fall into their trap."

Hearing Li Huowang say this, everyone hurriedly put down their tasks and listened attentively.

In the past, encountering enemies was always passive, but this time they were actively seeking trouble for them. Everyone present felt tension mixed with a hint of excitement.

Huowang told them everything he knew about the Zuowang Dao as detailedly as possible.

They were his helpers; the more they knew now, perhaps the more useful it would be in the future.

Just as they were listening intently, the sound of hooves suddenly rang out ahead.

Soon, rows of sturdy warhorses isolated Li Huowang and other travelers on the road from the main thoroughfare.

"Oh my, where did such a big shot come from?" Gouwa's eyes were full of curiosity.

Through the gaps between the horse legs, Li Huowang first saw the large avoidance token held high by the guards.

Behind the token followed four men beating gongs, and behind the gong-beaters was a group of beardless men with a yin, feminine temperament.

Behind those over a hundred beardless men, Li Huowang saw a luxurious carriage resembling a small house.

A fat man wearing yellow robes, with a jade thumb ring on his left thumb, sat amidst a jade mat snoring; this must be the main figure.

Just as Li Huowang was examining that yellow four-clawed dragon flag, an old man nearby was telling his grandson: "The Prince is touring, kneel quickly, hurry up."

"Is this the Prince of Yinling City?"

Li Huowang carefully observed the snoring fat man, and the woman kneeling beside him fanning herself.

Looking at the blue-and-white porcelain patterns of indigo on their faces, it was clear they originated from the Linglong Tower.

When he came to his senses, he found that a whole area around him had already knelt down, even Bai Lingmiao and Gouwa were the same, making him sitting in the carriage extremely conspicuous.

"Boldness! Who dares not kneel?" Several cavalrymen with knives slung at their waists and unfriendly eyes quickly surrounded Li Huowang.

Before Li Huowang could speak, the knives at their waists were already drawn.

Looking at them, Li Huowang thought for a moment, reached out, and took out his waist token.

Upon seeing the three characters Celestial Monitoring Bureau, those people's faces changed instantly, and they hurriedly sheathed their weapons.

"My Lord, we offended you unintentionally, please forgive us!" The cavalryman raised both fists in a salute towards Li Huowang, turned around, and led the others away.

Watching their departing backs, for some reason, when Li Huowang thought that the Celestial Monitoring Bureau was actually consolidating ruling status for these people, a wave of nausea rose in his heart.

"People elsewhere have changed, why hasn't this mad world driven these people crazy along with it?" Li Huowang muttered inwardly while looking at the fat man.

"Everyone stand up, no kneeling allowed."

After the Prince departed, the following period remained calm until outside the so-called Ganyuan Village, where nothing happened.

At the foot of a large mountain, Ganyuan Village, with its connected patches of green tiles, appeared before Li Huowang for the first time.

Judging by scale, this was a normal large village, indistinguishable from all the villages encountered on the road.

(End of Chapter)