Chapter 719: Method

Chapter 719: A Solution

The cultivation abilities granted Li Huo Wang an undeniable boost in power, yet the side effects that came with it were equally tremendous.

"Really? Or is it fake?" Li Huo Wang, breathing heavily, looked at Bai Ling Miao's expression with disbelief.

"Senior Brother Li? What's wrong—" "Don't come any closer!" Li Huo Wang quickly called out to Bai Ling Miao, who was walking toward him.

"I'm asking you! Back then, inside Qingfeng Monastery... No! That's not how I should ask! If she truly was cultivated by me, then she must know!"

Li Huo Wang paced anxiously along the riverbank. Having reached the pinnacle of cultivation, he could no longer distinguish truth from illusion. Anything could be real if he so wished.

"Hehehe..." Tai Shan Shi watched this scene and let out a mocking chuckle. "No wonder you're the heart of Ji Zai."

"Slap!" Li Huo Wang slapped him across the face, causing his left cheek to swell rapidly. "Shut up! You'll have plenty of time to cry later!"

"Ling Miao, don't worry. Let's... let's do this," Li Huo Wang said after a moment of contemplation.

"We go back the way we came. How you arrived before, return the same way." It was a crude method, but also a practical one.

If they retraced their steps and there wasn't another Bai Ling Miao on the path ahead, then this one would be genuine. But if another Bai Ling Miao followed behind, then this one would be false.

Bai Ling Miao didn't agree or disagree with the suggestion; instead, she asked directly, "Senior Brother Li, can you tell me what exactly happened? Are you... having another episode again?"

Li Huo Wang’s current erratic behavior genuinely worried her.

"I didn’t... well, maybe I am." For the Bai Ling Miao standing before him—neither fully real nor completely false—Li Huo Wang didn't want to explain too much.

He didn’t wish to invest too deeply emotionally. If things grew close, and if this Bai Ling Miao turned out to be false, would he erase her or live with two Bai Ling Miaos for life?

Just as Li Huo Wang turned around and pulled out his instruments of punishment to interrogate Tai Shan Shi, he suddenly noticed something odd in the reflection of water.

At first, he thought he had misseen it, but upon closer inspection, the reflection stopped moving. The surface of the water no longer reflected the sky—it had become a mirror.

Slowly turning around, Li Huo Wang was shocked to find that Bai Ling Miao's body was swaying like a shadow submerged in water!

"So you really are fake?!" With those words, Bai Ling Miao began flickering in and out, gradually fading into nothingness.

"Senior Brother Li! Li Huo Wang! What are you doing?! Help me!" As her body changed, Bai Ling Miao struck her drum frantically while chanting the invocation spells of the White Lotus Sect.

As Bai Ling Miao's form vanished completely, the twin lotus blooming between her brows suddenly emitted a soft glow, blocking Li Huo Wang's vision.

The light enveloped everything, and in the blur, Li Huo Wang suddenly felt that familiar presence—the Mother of the Unborn.

That sensation came swiftly and faded just as fast. Yet from her, he learned something extremely important. He immediately lunged forward and clutched Bai Ling Miao tightly, trembling with relief.

Though he had faced countless trials and tribulations in the past, he had never feared anything. But just now, he truly felt fear.

Had it not been for the brief reminder from the Mother of the Unborn, he might have actually destroyed Bai Ling Miao through cultivation!

With his current strength, he certainly could restore Bai Ling Miao, but would such a restored Bai Ling Miao truly be the original Bai Ling Miao?

Bai Ling Miao tried to push Li Huo Wang away, only to find him holding her tightly, like iron. "Li Huo Wang, what's wrong with you?! Explain yourself! Are you having another episode again? Just say it if you are!"

Seeing this, the group of Bai Ling believers ignored the Saintess's orders and rushed forward. "Rascal! How dare you show disrespect to the Saintess!"

After regaining some composure, Li Huo Wang released Bai Ling Miao and, trembling, lifted her red veil.

He gently stroked her fur, her scales, her spines, and those eyes—large and small.

This experience finally made Li Huo Wang understand the severity of his situation. He knew he couldn't ignore the side effects of reaching the peak of cultivation.

If he didn’t resolve this issue, not only would those he had cultivated without reason disrupt his consciousness, but anyone nearby might also be mistaken for a fake and eliminated—truly a great danger.

Although Bai Ling Miao was protected by the Mother of the Unborn and could resist his cultivation, what if next time someone else was involved? What if it was Sui Sui herself?

Li Huo Wang recalled the brief appearance of a fake Sui Sui during his training in the forest, and his heart tightened.

"What happened? What did you go through while I was gone? Speak up!"

Hearing Bai Ling Miao's inquiry, Li Huo Wang—who had temporarily resolved the question of authenticity—began to recount everything.

Half an hour later, Li Huo Wang sat beside the campfire, putting on the red Daoist robe Bai Ling Miao handed him. "That's how it went. I’m not ill—I’ve simply reached the pinnacle of cultivation. I know every gain comes with a price, but I never imagined the cost would be so great."

And this trouble, he suspected, would only grow stronger with his increasing cultivation power. Now already dangerous, what would happen in the future? He dared not even imagine.

Bai Ling Miao nodded beside him, finally understanding why her senior brother had acted so strangely. "Then, Senior Brother, do you have any idea how to solve this problem?"

"Ah, I wish I knew how to fix it either. Solutions don’t come from staring at the ceiling," Li Huo Wang decided to consult Ji Zai first.

As Bai Ling Miao frowned and rested her chin on her hand, she joined Li Huo Wang in thinking of a solution. Silence fell over the surroundings.

Sui Sui also wanted to help her father, but she couldn’t quite grasp the concept of “true” and “false” that her father kept mentioning.

When Li Huo Wang walked to the riverside and called out to Ji Zai, who failed to respond, he heard Bai Ling Miao ask, "Senior Brother Li, do you remember that person? The one who sold breakfast."

"Breakfast seller? Who?"

"That chubby one, the one who made fried dough sticks and glutinous rice balls."

"Dice?!" Li Huo Wang instantly remembered who that was. That fellow had targeted him in pursuit of his own goals.

"When you left the city gate, didn’t he shout something to you?"

"Cultivation without cultivating the real leads to madness."

"Cultivation without cultivating the real leads to madness." Both said it in unison.

"Yes, Senior Brother, that’s what he said. This situation you’re in now must be considered madness, right?"

Li Huo Wang frowned at this. Logically, it made sense—but the speaker had issues.

Dice was the leader of the Forgetful Way. Did his words carry hidden motives? Even though he was dead, who said the dead couldn’t deceive?

(End of Chapter)