Chapter 342: Li Sui

Chapter 342: Li Sui

Upon hearing these words, Li Huowang's pupils contracted slightly. "This ability... is it my displaced power? I’ve experienced this same ability in my hallucinations too?"

At this point, Wang Zhilong finally burst into tears, crying while complaining bitterly, "I didn’t even get a penny out of this! Do you know how many tens of thousands I've invested into this deal? To prevent the urban management from taking you away, I had to use so many connections! All of this was funded by us guys maxing out dozens of credit cards!"

"Ancestor, I beg of you! Please, just turn some of your gold into real gold! We’re about to jump off buildings because of all these debt collectors’ text messages!"

Li Huowang released his grip and looked around with a hint of panic—what was happening? Why did this world seem to be becoming more real?

He glanced down at his bleeding wound, then raised his right hand holding a dagger and stabbed it into his left palm. "Why does this pain feel so real?"

Even if there were a one-in-a-million chance that it was genuine, wouldn't that mean Yang Na and Mom hadn’t abandoned him? Perhaps they were searching for him right now!

Li Huowang’s heart began to race as he kicked open the door and rushed outside. But as he ran, his steps gradually slowed when he was almost within reach of the sunlight.

"But what good would finding them do? Other than causing them more suffering and plunging me deeper into confusion, what else would change? I can’t let them keep being dragged down by me."

Dejected, Li Huowang turned around and walked back into the bridge tunnel with heavy footsteps. "This is fake. Since I’ve decided this side is false, there’s no need for hesitation."

After freeing Wang Zhilong, he lay back on the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Wang Zhilong, now free, didn’t go to rescue his other companions. Instead, after hesitating for a moment, he moved closer to Li Huowang.

"Young Master Li, while you're still clear-headed, tell me—do you really have special powers?"

Li Huowang ignored everything around him, already thinking about how to convince Li Sui to return to his belly.

"I checked the surveillance footage—you gave your mother that golden box full of gems! Just one stone could buy a house!"

"That must be true, otherwise why would they have money to post missing person notices all over the internet?"

"Get lost."

"Hey, Young Master Li, don’t be like that. If you really don’t want to go back, give me some gold. I’ll tell your mom you died and make her give up completely."

When Li Huowang’s gaze focused again on Wang Zhilong’s greedy face, a killing intent flashed in his eyes. "Want gold? Here’s some!"

He pulled out the golden necklace from the fat man earlier and wrapped it tightly around Wang Zhilong’s neck.

Then he kicked his shin hard, using the momentum to yank upward. Wang Zhilong immediately went white-eyed.

Wang Zhilong struggled desperately, clawing at Li Huowang’s hands, but even though his palms were torn bloody and red-rimmed eyes, Li Huowang remained unmoved.

His struggles grew stronger, and as his face changed from red to purple to black, Li Huowang’s pupils contracted slightly. He suddenly realized how eerily similar this scene was to when he himself had been filled with murderous intent.

A wave of fear swept through him, and he immediately let go. He looked down at his trembling hands.

When did I become someone who could kill without blinking?

Li Huowang turned toward the riverbank, where his reflection in the water stared back at him—this ragged beggar was so unfamiliar.

The ordinary high school life had only been a few years ago, yet now it felt as distant as a past life.

His memories were beginning to blur, replaced by strange and chaotic events.

Li Huowang found the answer—he was being assimilated by that world. Somewhere along the way, he had started to become like those people from the Heaven’s Watchers, indifferent to life, filled with hatred.

Even worse, he was turning into another Dan Yangzi.

"No, this isn’t me. This isn’t Li Huowang." Li Huowang turned and walked over to Wang Zhilong, who was lying on the ground clutching his throat, and helped him sit up.

With emotion in his voice, he pleaded, "Please, I beg you! Don’t come after me anymore! I’m a lunatic! I truly don’t want to kill anyone!"

Having narrowly escaped death, Wang Zhilong dared not argue. He nodded repeatedly and, without even looking back at his other three companions, fled out of the bridge tunnel.

That last moment had truly terrified him—he could sense that Li Huowang had meant to kill him.

Li Huowang sighed deeply and approached the other three men, freeing them from their restraints.

Ignoring their frantic escape and his own bleeding wounds, Li Huowang knelt on the ground, closed his eyes, and clutched his head tightly, repeating over and over, “It’s all fake. It’s all fake.”

Time passed, and Li Huowang sensed the surroundings dimming.

He looked up, and sure enough, the entire room was in chaos, as if a storm had swept through.

"Finally back." Returning to this madness and disorder, Li Huowang felt an inexplicable sense of safety.

He walked over to the collapsed bed and knelt on one knee, reaching under it. With a gentle voice, he said, "Li Sui, don’t be afraid. That man was a fraud. What he said was false. You won’t hurt me if you stay inside."

After a short while, a hesitant black tentacle emerged from the darkness beneath the bed and wrapped itself around Li Huowang’s hand. “Hmm.”

With a gentle tug, Li Huowang pulled Li Sui out entirely, cradling it in his arms and gently soothing its long or short appendages. "Li Sui, be good. Come in. Dad really can’t live without you anymore."

Two eyes with double pupils, entwined by the tentacles, gazed at Li Huowang with affection.

"Ugh!" With a feeling of nausea, Li Sui crawled back into Li Huowang’s throat.

A strange sensation followed as Li Sui’s tentacles spread across his body along the meridians.

Feeling his belly, Li Huowang exhaled in relief. As long as Li Sui was here, he would never have to go there again.

Then Li Huowang walked to the window and looked outside. The sky was still gray and gloomy, but it seemed dawn had broken.

After such a restless night, Li Huowang decided not to sleep. He picked up his luggage and headed downstairs toward the stable.

But as soon as he stepped into the main hall, he saw Old Wu, looking extremely pitiful, accompanied by the cook and stable boy, bandaging each other.

Seeing the identical wound on Old Wu’s body as Wang Zhilong’s, Li Huowang instantly understood what happened.

"When did you sneak into my room? Didn’t I tell you not to approach my house unless necessary yesterday?"

Old Wu, the postmaster, tried to force a smile with his bitter face and quickly knelt down. "Young master, I heard the commotion. I feared something might have happened to you, so... I’m at fault! I’m at fault! My blood has stained your hands. I should pay for your hand-washing fees."

Li Huowang grabbed his clothes and lifted him up. "Stand straight!"

Then he muttered a spell, and the wax from the *Fire Robe True Scripture* melted rapidly, forming a fiery centipede that leapt onto Old Wu’s wound.

"Aaaah!!" Old Wu’s scream echoed throughout the hall.

"Stop screaming! This is healing you!"

When everyone’s voices were hoarse, every injury was replaced by mild burns.

Then Li Huowang took out two silver ingots from his pocket and placed them on the table. "These are compensation for your furniture."

"T-this is too much, young master..." Old Wu tried to refuse, but Li Huowang shoved the ingots into his chest.

"Just take them. I don’t want to be assimilated by this place!"

(End of Chapter)