Chapter 364: Carriage

Chapter 364: The Carriage

Seeing everything above his head, Li Huowang finally understood what it meant to be faced with a great trouble that even Zhuge Yuan could not easily deal with.

What exactly were Heart Turmoil and Heart Purity? How could they shake the heavens and earth? Li Huowang couldn't help but ponder this question.

Then he recalled that Ji Xiang had once said that Heart Turmoil and Heart Purity were the most troublesome. This implied that Heart Purity also possessed capabilities comparable to Heart Turmoil.

"Was it my ability to switch places? Or the illusions around me? No, no, no," Li Huowang shook his head forcefully.

No, such power was nothing in front of someone capable of hiding an entire sky. As a Heart Purity, he must have some unactivated ability within him—some power sufficient enough to rival that which could conceal the heavens!

But remembering the predicament of those male and female Heart Turmoils, Li Huowang froze for a moment. If such a powerful force resided within him, was that truly a good thing?

Li Huowang did not know. In this world, he had never encountered anything good.

He didn’t believe such a good fortune would ever fall upon him. Perhaps when he gained that power, he might suffer more than the Heart Turmoils themselves.

"Huowang, someone’s fallen from there! Looks like that old eunuch!"

Hearing Bai Lingmiao's words, Li Huowang turned his gaze toward the sky. He immediately saw several black specks falling from the broken heavens, and the sky that had cracked began to become unstable.

Li Huowang, Liu Zongyuan, and Hongda found Ji Xiang among a pile of emaciated corpses. His head was bloodied, tightly clutching the corpse of the male Heart Turmoil in his arms.

Others were found one by one. Through the knife marks on his hand, Li Huowang realized one person was missing—Tuoba Danqing. He had been permanently hidden away, whether by the male or female Heart Turmoil, he would never return.

Ji Xiang’s story to Li Huowang was consistent: Tuoba Danqing had run too slowly during their escape and was left behind.

Though puzzled, all had fled together—why had he been left behind? But Li Huowang believed them.

At the gate of the Yiling City posthouse, Li Huowang, Liu Zongyuan, and Hongda bid farewell to Ji Xiang as he returned to the capital.

"I'm leaving now. You go back. When we reach Shangjing, we'll write to you. Don’t worry, this time the reward won’t be shortchanged."

"If they dare cheat us, I’ll be the first to go after them! We risked our lives for this, not a single coin less!"

After speaking these righteous words, Ji Xiang turned to look at Li Huowang, supported by Bai Lingmiao. After thinking for a moment, he reached into his sleeve and took out the copper coin mask, presenting it to him with both hands.

"Ertou, this is yours, isn’t it? We saw it while escaping and brought it out for you." Ji Xiang’s voice was unusually kind, completely different from before.

Li Huowang had deliberately kept his distance from them after using the Cangqian Denge. Normally, they shouldn’t have known what he had done.

Yet after emerging, Ji Xiang’s attitude toward him had changed drastically. It wasn’t just closeness anymore—it was respect, even tinged with fear.

Taking the opportunity to return the copper coin mask, Ji Xiang lowered his voice and said, "Don’t worry, I’ll fulfill every promise I made to you. Within ten days or half a month, I’ll send you what you want via carrier pigeon!"

"Greetings to Master Ji Xiang!" Li Huowang took the mask and placed it over his face.

Although he already had the black spindle given by Zhuge Yuan, far superior to this, having an extra layer of insurance wouldn’t hurt.

"You saved my life, and I accept your kindness. Once I retire, the position of Master Ji Xiang will be yours."

Li Huowang gently pushed Bai Lingmiao aside and leaned close to Ji Xiang’s ear, whispering in a barely audible tone, "Master Ji Xiang, if you truly wish to accept my gratitude, please introduce me to the military sect. I urgently need it."

Bringing Bai Lingmiao back to her original form was even more important than freeing himself from the Heart Purity. He didn’t care about dying—he did care about her. He had already wronged her enough.

"Alright, alright, I understand," Ji Xiang smiled and pulled out a red silk scarf from his sleeve, wiping the dust off Li Huowang’s robe before climbing onto the carriage.

With the sound of hooves, Ji Xiang departed in the carriage carrying the body of the Heart Turmoil, leaving the three of them looking at each other.

Liu Zongyuan scratched his head and said, "There’s a new brothel just opened near the eastern gate. Want to..."

He didn’t finish his sentence. The other two immediately turned and left without a word.

Li Huowang, severely injured, climbed into the carriage and slowly headed toward the inn where he was staying.

Lying in the soft cotton, Li Huowang exhaled slowly. All the hardships endured for the sake of the Heart Turmoil had finally paid off.

Now, all he needed to do was wait for the carrier pigeon from Ji Xiang. His plan had taken a significant step forward.

More importantly, Ji Xiang now owed him a great favor. Without him, Ji Xiang would have surely perished there. This debt could prove invaluable.

"Wuuu..." The nearby steamed bun gently rested its head against Li Huowang’s elbow. It seemed to sense how badly he was hurt—the ears that should have stood up were now pressed tightly against its dog-like head.

Two fingers blackened by age reached out from beside him, grabbed the bun by the neck, and tossed it out of the carriage window.

"Huowang, why don’t you throw away the bamboo slips on your back? Every time you move, you get injured. How can you bear it? Do you really feel no pain?"

Bai Lingmiao picked up a soft pillow and placed it under her head, gazing at the girl’s face just inches away. A bitter smile appeared on Li Huowang’s lips. "I feel pain—I want to die... But, Miaomiao, is anything else easier? Compared to cultivating those chaotic arts, *The Great Thousand Records* is at least simple."

A trace of disdain crossed Bai Lingmiao’s face. "Try it yourself. How will you know unless you try? If you keep going like this, you might die one day."

"Death," Li Huowang exhaled slowly, his eyes showing no fear. "Actually, death isn’t so frightening."

Feeling the intent in Li Huowang’s words, Bai Lingmiao lunged forward like a leopard, her blackened fingers gripping his throat tightly, her eyes wild like beasts staring into his.

"You want to die again?! After every use of Cangqian Denge, you always think of ending it all! Are you still a man?! I’m telling you—you killed my whole family! You owe me for the rest of your life! You don’t have the right to die!"

When she saw Li Huowang nod slightly, Bai Lingmiao leaned down and bit down hard on his shoulder, leaving a bloody, jagged mark.

As Bai Lingmiao rose, the atmosphere inside the carriage became heavy. The bun, who had just peeked out of the window, sensed something amiss and quickly withdrew.

"Miaomiao, I met someone earlier. His name is Shentu Gang. He’s also a spiritual medium."

Li Huowang then calmly introduced Shentu Gang’s unique way of interacting with immortals. The tension in the carriage gradually eased.

(End of Chapter)