Chapter 303: Deception

Chapter 303 Deception

Gazing at the White Impermanence shrouded in mist, Li Huowang, his expression grave, was pondering how to negotiate with such a thing when he suddenly snapped back to reality.

Just awakened, Li Huowang instantly sensed someone beside him.

He whipped his head around sharply to see a young boy who looked as though he had only just learned to walk.

Dressed in split-crotch trousers, the child sat on the ground, curiously picking at the copper coins attached to the mask on his face with his fingers.

Li Huowang glanced left and right at the others still sleeping around him, bent down to lift the child, then hurried a few steps and tucked him into a woman's arms.

Immediately after, he stood up and walked quietly toward where Bai Sai was sleeping.

Before Li Huowang could approach, Bai Sai woke up; after exchanging a glance with him, he moved toward the surrounding woods.

Swatting a mosquito resting on his neck until it died, Li Huowang said solemnly to Bai Sai, "I just dreamed of that person. He is still watching us. He hasn't left yet."

"What?!" Bai Sai's face turned deathly pale instantly; he paced anxiously through the woods with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Don't panic, I'm just giving a slight warning. No matter what that thing is, since I promised Bai Lingmiao, I will definitely send you all back."

Hearing this, Bai Sai's complexion improved slightly. "That's good, that's good. With a benefactor like you, they dare not act rashly. But what does that person want to do? That stone has already been taken by him, why does he insist on staring at me?"

Li Huowang shook his head. That thing wasn't even in front of them; who knew why he did so.

"Let's return. If anyone else encounters anything, please remember to tell me immediately."

Just as Li Huowang stepped out of the woods, Bai Sai's voice rang out from behind.

"Um, Benefactor, is there something between you and Er Ya Tou?"

"What?"

"Oh, that Er Ya Tou is Lian's daughter, Bai Lingmiao. Strictly speaking by generation, she should call me Second Great Uncle."

Seeing Li Huowang stunned in place, Bai Sai walked over with a sighing expression, re-examining the young Taoist before him.

"Good, good. Second Girl has found a good family, very good indeed." He sized up Li Huowang, seeming to approve more and more the longer he looked.

A hint of embarrassment crossed Li Huowang's face as he said, "Clan Leader Bai, let's discuss these matters after we get through this crisis."

"Good, good. Rest assured, I won't tell Second Girl's parents. When you've made up your mind, you can tell them yourself."

As this paper was pierced, Li Huowang clearly felt that Bai Sai's respect for him had diminished significantly, while a sense of closeness akin to family had increased considerably.

"Good. Once we work together to overcome this difficulty, I'll drink your wedding wine!"

After this distraction, Bai Sai's previous worries about danger had vanished without a trace.

Everyone set off as usual after waking, and this time they arrived at a village.

Li Huowang immediately took out silver, almost buying up all the livestock in the village.

The oldest toothless elder saw Li Huowang spending money again and seemed about to speak to stop him, but when Bai Sai whispered something in his ear, he climbed onto an ox cart without another word.

Originally, due to the delays caused by the old and young, they were moving slowly.

However, since purchasing these beasts of burden, their speed instantly jumped a level.

During this period, Li Huowang was extremely tense; even when sleeping, he kept one eye open, fearing a sudden ambush from the other side.

But for some reason, afterwards it was very quiet. That White Impermanence did not appear again, not even in dreams.

"This won't do. There is no logic to guarding against thieves from a thousand li away. Rather than continuing to wait, it would be better to think of a way to drag him out." Li Huowang thought to himself as he traveled.

Just as he thought this, Li Huowang suddenly noticed something amiss. "Clan Leader Bai, isn't this road back to Ox Heart Mountain?"

Although he had come riding a horse, the environment around them was clearly different; even the most dull-witted would notice something was wrong.

Bai Sai nearby wiped the sweat from his face and nodded. "Hmm, we won't return to Ox Heart Mountain first. I know a place, that area is very winding. Go in and circle around, perhaps we can shake off the tail behind us."

"Oh? There is such a place? Where?" Li Huowang couldn't help but feel curious.

"Not far ahead, we should arrive today." Sweating profusely, Bai Sai pointed forward.

Li Huowang gazed into the distance, but found ahead was still just a dirt road, nothing else.

But soon, the surroundings changed. The ground began to turn muddy, and Li Huowang's boots were completely covered in black sludge.

Occasionally, stagnant pools filled with a pungent, rotting stench appeared around them, writhing with countless black insects.

The weather was very hot now; this smell steamed in the high heat, making people feel dizzy instantly.

Seeing the environment had completely turned into a swamp, just as Li Huowang wanted to ask Bai Sai if they had found the wrong place, a vast expanse of beige reeds appeared on the distant muddy ground.

Reeds several meters tall connected together, swaying gently in the wind.

"This is it. Once inside this place, even gods can't find north. We will definitely shake off that person!"

Saying this, Bai Sai was about to lead the Bai family into the reed marsh, but Li Huowang suddenly stopped him, asking with concern in his voice, "Clan Leader Bai, it's simple for us to enter, but can we get out afterwards?"

This place didn't look safe at all.

Bai Sai confidently patted Li Huowang's shoulder. "Rest assured. Since I bring my clan members in, I certainly have a way out. My son's parents are inside too. Regarding worry, I worry more than you."

Li Huowang felt startled in his heart; this Clan Leader Bai seemed to know something he did not.

But since the other party had said so, Li Huowang did not obstruct further. The ox carts and mules slowly moved toward the reed marsh.

But just as they started, a thin mist gradually spread around them.

Li Huowang was exceptionally familiar with this kind of mist. Without any time to consider, he gripped the sword hilt with one hand and decisively stood in front of everyone.

"You go first! I'll cover the rear!"

No sooner had Li Huowang spoken than the ground trembled. That giant White Impermanence slowly revealed a vague corner in the mist, the wooden mask hanging on his chest swaying left and right.

Seeing the Bai family about to escape his pursuit, this thing finally could not restrain itself.

Its mouth, bearing a long red tongue, opened wide, spewing thick white mist from within, making the surroundings even more hazy.

"Shua!" The blade of the Purple Tassel Sword unsheathed. Li Huowang, wrapped in surging killing intent, stood there like the Needle that Calms the Sea.

Seeing the White Impermanence in the mist remained unmoved, Li Huowang immediately recalled what Tuoba Danqing had told him before, pulling out his identity token. "Heavenly Observation Bureau business! Roll away if you don't want to die!"

As soon as these words were shouted, the swirling mist around them stopped instantly.

"Hey, so you're from the Heavenly Observation Bureau too? You should have said so earlier. Isn't this like the floodwaters washing the Dragon King's temple?"

This abrupt voice suddenly came out of that giant White Impermanence's mouth.

"You are actually from the Heavenly Observation Bureau? How can you be from the Heavenly Observation Bureau?" Shocked, Li Huowang raised his head to see the three-foot-tall giant White Impermanence before him.

Since the first moment he saw this thing, Li Huowang had completely stripped away the option of the Heavenly Observation Bureau.

"Wait a moment." That giant White Impermanence slowly faded into the white mist, and immediately a man wearing the wooden mask from its chest walked out from within the mist.

That man similarly pulled out an identity token from his bosom, identical to the one in Li Huowang's hand; it was also a token of the Heavenly Observation Bureau.

"Look at this? I'm even one rank higher than you."

After confirming the other's token was not counterfeit, Li Huowang finally let out a long breath, his expression relaxing considerably.

"Since you are also from the Heavenly Observation Bureau, then it's easy to handle. There must be some misunderstanding here."

Hearing Li Huowang say this, the wooden-masked head shook vigorously.

"No, no, no. There is no misunderstanding. The White Lotus Sect committed great evils; they are a group of evil cultivators colluding with demons. My senior brother and I worked hard to catch them, but as soon as you arrived, you actually shattered my senior brother's seal."

“What? This is impossible!”

Li Huowang, his mind buzzing with static, turned to gaze at the reed marsh behind him, where the last of the Bai family, Bai Sai, had already stepped within.

He cast a glance at the token in Li Huowang’s hand, his eyes freezing into cold detachment before he spun sharply and plunged into the reeds.

“Brother, think on it: if they hadn’t truly slaughtered so many, would the authorities above have sent the Heavenly Surveillance Bureau? And sent two no less?”

(End of Chapter)