Chapter 304: Reeds

Chapter 304 Reeds

Seeing the last member of the Bai family, Bai Sai, step into the dense reed marsh, Li Huowang lifted his foot to pursue. "Wait!"

But a giant hand larger than his own body suddenly yanked him back. When Li Huowang looked down, he realized there was no giant claw upon him at all.

He whipped his head around, glaring at the Tianjian official wearing a wooden mask beside him. It was this person's illusion again.

Seeing Li Huowang brimming with killing intent, the other raised both hands high and retreated several steps. "Brother, I am helping you here."

"Those people know your identity now. If you rush in alone like this, you're just looking for death."

Irritated, Li Huowang shook his head vigorously. Memories surfaced of the details Bai Lingmiao had described about her family before.

In her words, her parents and clansmen were all kind-hearted people who treated others well, completely opposite to what this man described.

"Could it be... Bai Lingmiao lied to me? No, she couldn't lie to me!" Li Huowang's hesitant eyes instantly hardened.

From his previous contact with the Bai family, they certainly did not seem like what this man said.

"There must be some misunderstanding. I need to ask them clearly face-to-face!"

With that, Li Huowang left the masked Tianjian official behind on the spot and walked straight toward the reed marsh amidst his shouts.

As soon as Li Huowang entered this reed marsh, the sky instantly darkened. The reed heads above, resembling sausages, squeezed away almost all contact with the outside world.

Looking down at the footprints on the ground, Li Huowang lifted his foot and followed slowly. "Headman Bai! It's me! Come out! Let's talk!!"

After shouting for a while with no response from the reed marsh, Li Huowang first glanced at the continuous patch of waxy yellow reeds behind him, then spoke again: "Rest assured, I share a life-and-death bond with Second Girl! If the Bai family has difficulties they cannot speak of! I will surely lend my full support!"

"I am on your side! That person wearing the wooden mask, I've only met him once too. As long as I am here, he dares not do anything to you!" Li Huowang's voice carried far through the reed marsh.

Just shortly after these words were spoken, two burly young men from the Bai family jumped out from the reed marsh ahead, staring silently at Li Huowang.

Seeing them emerge, Li Huowang breathed a slight sigh of relief and continued speaking to them: "I know you think I am from the Tianjian Bureau and don't trust me. Actually, my ties with this organization aren't as close as you imagine. How about this? We go back to Niu Xin Village first. Second Girl is there. You can let her explain everything to you."

The two youths said nothing. They directly spread their left and right feet apart to either side, then tore off their clothes and began performing martial forms naked.

Li Huowang didn't understand what they were doing. This form wasn't quite boxing as they didn't clench fists, nor was it magic as they didn't make hand seals.

As their hands gestured in the air, the two muttered under their breath. "Immortals grant true divine power, Heavenly soldiers manifest divine might. All paths of immortals hear my command, quickly enter my mortal body!"

The next moment, Li Huowang saw a tall, thin, shimmering phantom wrapped in black strips float up from the ground, moving toward their bodies.

"What evil spirit is that!" Li Huowang quickly drew his Coin Sword, ready to drive the thing away.

But before he could approach, the two Bai family youths suddenly raised their eyes, glaring at Li Huowang with eerie gazes.

Shocked, Li Huowang stopped in place, looking at the two whose demeanor and behavior were completely different from before. "This... what exactly is this? God Strike? Summoning evil spirits to possess?"

If Li Huowang had been somewhat skeptical of the Tianjian official's words before, after seeing the appearance of these two, suspicion gradually rose in his heart.

"Listen, I really don't want to fight you. Whatever you did in the past has nothing to do with me. Troubling you is the business of other Tianjian officials!"

With a 'whoosh', the bodies of the two naked youths, almost trailing afterimages, suddenly lunged toward Li Huowang.

Possessed by some unknown evil spirits, they were strangely distorted; every part of their bodies seemed to have its own independent existence.

Those individual fingers separated, thrusting toward Li Huowang's neck like writhing snake heads.

These two didn't look strong, but Li Huowang didn't strike, because he knew everything he learned was lethal.

If he truly struck, these two would either die or be injured, and this was absolutely not what Li Huowang wanted to do.

Li Huowang's body flipped and twisted within the reed marsh, constantly dodging the attacks of the two opponents.

Not knowing what evil spirits possessed them, their agility was unexpectedly nimble, leaving Li Huowang very passive for a time.

"Slap!" Li Huowang lost his footing slightly, and the two opponents pounced directly. They didn't attack Li Huowang directly; instead, they went to snatch the Coin Sword from his hand.

Li Huowang pressed his hand down. The next moment, with a 'clang', Li Huowang felt lighter on his back. "Trouble!"

Li Huowang turned his head. A beam of cold light flashed, and the Purple Tassel Sword, radiating killing intent, stabbed fiercely toward his face.

He wanted to counterattack or block, yet both his hands were grabbed by the two Bai family youths.

At this critical moment, Li Huowang instantly shifted position, forcibly moving his body a few inches to the left.

"Azna Lingguang Dashie!" The Coin Sword in Li Huowang's hand exploded violently. Under the pull of red energy, it easily severed those fingers approaching him.

Then kicking the person in front hard, Li Huowang quickly created distance from the others.

Just as they stared at each other, the man clutching the Purple Tassel Sword immediately knelt on one knee with a twisted expression, and the eerie look on his face quickly receded.

As the Purple Tassel Sword in his hand fell weakly into the ground, he collapsed to his knees, expression extremely irritable, roaring wildly.

Looking at the two youths before him whose fingers he had sliced, and the other Bai family member possessed by killing intent, Li Huowang sighed lightly. "Did it have to come to this? Couldn't we just talk properly?"

As soon as the words fell, the reeds around began to sway. Countless eerie male faces appeared and disappeared within the waxy yellow reeds.

Those faces devoid of temperature made Li Huowang shudder. Almost half of the entire Bai family had been possessed by evil spirits.

Among this crowd, an old man with a single tooth, supported by Bai Sai, revealed himself. Trembling, he began to speak.

That mouth with only one tooth opened and closed rhythmically, singing something. Some foul-smelling black sludge flowed from the corners of his mouth.

"Qin~ Tuan~ Han~ Xie~ Shi~"

When this familiar yet strange sound rang out, several familiar figures appeared before Li Huowang.

It was Master You. Although there was no trembling of bells, Master You's figure coalesced exceptionally vaguely, but since Li Huowang had used Master You so many times, he could still recognize their appearance.

Looking at Master You appearing and disappearing like ghosts in mid-air, Li Huowang recalled the information Bai Lingmiao had told him inside Qingfeng Temple.

Why would an ordinary girl like her know about an evil spirit like Master You?

Now seeing the scene before him, everything became clear. This old man must be the grandfather who told her stories.

(End of Chapter)