Chapter 633: Beard

Chapter 633: The Beard

Upon hearing the words that escaped Qian Fu’s mouth, Li Huowang did not respond immediately.

He first lifted the bowl of pumpkin porridge to his lips and took a sip, washing down the bitter taste of endive with the warm broth. After carefully examining him from head to toe, he finally said, “Double personality, is that it?”

“That’s one way to put it,” Qian Fu replied. “But unlike others with dissociative identity disorder, I have more than just one illness. My other self suffers from mental illness.”

“Double personality? So one is normal while the other is mentally ill?” The more Li Huowang thought about it, the stranger it seemed. He muttered inwardly, “Could this guy actually be suffering from undiagnosed delusional disorder?”

“I don’t mean any harm,” Qian Fu said. “I just wanted to apologize. Since my alternate self hasn’t affected you, that’s a relief. If that’s the case, please continue eating. I’ll be leaving now.” With those words, he turned and walked away.

“This guy’s got some serious issues. Should’ve known better than to wander around the psychiatric ward,” Li Huowang shook his head and resumed his dinner.

Half an hour after finishing supper, he took his medicine, then sat in the lounge watching the news broadcast before it was time for lights out.

In truth, aside from the effects of his condition, life within the psychiatric ward was quite healthy and structured. No one stayed up late, nor did anyone indulge in junk food. The quality of life here was clearly superior to the outside world.

Still, despite such a regimen, Li Huowang found himself unable to sleep at such an early hour. There were no entertainment options in the ward, so he could only lie in bed staring at the ceiling.

Drowsiness began to creep in as he drifted into a half-sleep state. Just as he closed his eyes, preparing to drift off into dreams—

Suddenly, his whole body tensed. He shot upright in bed, eyes snapping open, staring toward the window.

Outside, Qian Fu—whom he had met earlier that day—was pressed against the window with both hands, his eyes fixed on Li Huowang like those of a ghost.

If anyone else had seen this scene, they would have been terrified. But for Li Huowang, all he felt was anger tinged with irritation.

He yanked back the blanket and walked over to the window, facing Qian Fu across the glass. “I don’t want trouble, but you’d better stay far away from me from now on. Otherwise, I won’t be gentle.”

He hadn’t expected to be followed simply by taking a casual stroll.

Yet, despite his threat, Qian Fu remained unmoved. His mouth stretched wider and wider until he let out a sinister chuckle, his voice carrying a tone of flattery. “Little Li, let’s work together. You can’t handle this alone. We need more allies.”

“Only that way will we have a chance. If we lose, everything is over!”

“Who are ‘they’? The aliens from Leo, right?”

“Yes!” Qian Fu nodded enthusiastically.

“Don’t play dumb with me. I’m the one who’s truly insane! Since you’ve seen my news reports, you should know what I’ve done.”

With those final words, Li Huowang grabbed the curtain and pulled it shut. Then, turning toward the surveillance camera in the corner, he said, “So this is how you pay people? A mentally ill man wandering around at night with no one watching?”

After speaking, he lay back down and closed his eyes. But the interruption had robbed him of most of his drowsiness.

Fortunately, there was no further disturbance outside, which brought him some peace of mind.

He tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling into a dreamless slumber.

In the dream, Li Huowang found himself back at school, sitting behind Yang Na once again.

Looking at the ribbon around her neck, he clenched the pen in his hand, and without thinking, reached out to trace it.

Just as he was about to pass through the bow—

A dull *bang* echoed from afar.

*Bang... bang... bang!*

*Bang!* A massive wooden mallet was raised high, repeatedly pounding the steamed glutinous rice inside a mortar. Beside it, an old man knelt, flipping the rice with a dampened hand during each pause between strikes.

Whenever someone grew tired, another would take over, prompting bursts of laughter and teasing.

The entire village—men, women, children, elders—gathered around with joyful expressions, watching the pounding like a performance.

They looked at the white rice in the center, while Li Huowang crouched atop a tree branch, vigilantly observing them.

“Are these them? Is this a hideout of the Law Sect?” A furrow formed on Li Huowang’s brow as he wondered uneasily.

As hands swapped, the pounding continued. Soon, the steaming rice was pounded into a paste.

Then, while still hot, a small amount of the paste was squeezed out and rolled in black sesame and sugar. The white, sticky rice was coated in sugar and sesame, creating a sweet snack called *mazhi*.

For some reason, seeing the villagers stuffing the *mazhi* into their mouths reminded Li Huowang of his senior sister who once gave him sugary treats.

That foolish sister was just like this rice—beaten into paste by Dan Yangzi, one blow at a time.

Though she appeared normal, Li Huowang decided it was necessary to investigate thoroughly.

From the treetop, Li Huowang extended his limbs like a giant spider, descending from the sky.

He adjusted his body color to blend with the ground and gripped his sword hilt, alert and ready as he approached the small village.

As he drew closer, he heard more details. It seemed that one family had given birth to twins—a boy and a girl—and thus had prepared large quantities of rice and sugar to make *mazhi*, sharing in the joy.

Children in the village, thrilled by the rare treat of sugar and flour, held bowls and ate with chopsticks.

Watching their dirty faces, devoid of any suspicious expression, Li Huowang continued deeper into the village.

With everyone gone to eat *mazhi*, the village was quieter, making his search easier.

He quickly scoured the entire village but found nothing unusual.

Drawing upon his experience from Niu Xin Village, he even checked the ancestral hall, yet still found no hidden passages.

“Could the information from Si Qi’s Sky Watchers about He Xin be false? Or perhaps they’ve already moved?”

Just as he pondered this, chaos erupted from the direction of the village entrance.

When Li Huowang leaped across rooftops and returned to the village edge, he saw a towering man with a tattooed face wielding a huge crescent-shaped shovel. With a mighty swing, three heads flew into the air, and the ground was soaked red with blood.

Just as he was about to charge at the children, Li Huowang revealed himself, standing directly in front of him.

*Clang!* Sparks flew. They separated instantly. Li Huowang was surprised by the sheer force of the attack, while the man stared in shock at the missing notch on his crescent shovel.

Li Huowang didn’t draw his bone sword because he noticed the badge on the man’s waist—the insignia of the Sky Watchers.

“You’re from the Sky Watchers?”

“Huh?!” The man’s bull eyes widened. After sizing up Li Huowang’s appearance, he slammed his shovel into the ground. “Oh, well, looks like a flood has washed away the Dragon King’s temple—family doesn’t recognize family anymore. It’s you, Elder Er. My apologies, my apologies.”

“You kill people so casually? Even children?” Li Huowang asked with a cold gaze.

“If I guessed wrong, so be it. Besides, I didn’t guess wrong. See for yourself.”

Li Huowang turned around and saw the villagers who had fled moments ago, now glaring at him with hatred.

“Kill the imperial dogs!”

“Kill the imperial dogs!!”

With cries echoing, they tore black cloths from their belts and draped them over their shoulders.

-----------

Next chapter updates at 11:30 PM.

(End of Chapter)