Chapter 764: Woman

Chapter 764: Woman

"Li Huowang?" The roar of an engine echoed as a black-heavy motorcycle came to a halt beside Li Huowang.

Li Huowang looked at the tattooed man before him—the man named Ba Shengqing. The tattoos on his face gave Li Huowang a poor impression of this man.

Though he thought that way in his heart, Li Huowang still extended his hand toward him. After all, who knew what kind of relationship they might have in the future? It was uncertain now. "Pleasure to meet you."

However, instead of accepting Li Huowang's outstretched hand, Ba Shengqing did not reach out. His gaze drifted toward Yang Na.

Li Huowang immediately frowned and pushed his right foot slightly forward, blocking the man’s view. "Did you want something with Qingwang?"

Ba Shengqing didn’t respond but changed the subject entirely. "Have you been involved in everything that’s happened recently?"

Not answering his question, Li Huowang had no intention of replying either. He stared at the man with a hostile expression.

"This matter... you shouldn’t have gotten involved." Clearly, Ba Shengqing knew more than he let on.

"Heh, like I’m supposed to stay out of it and remain untouched," Li Huowang scoffed. "It wasn't that I wanted to interfere; they were the ones who started it first. If you don’t know what I’ve gone through, maybe you shouldn’t be giving me advice so quickly."

With a slight twist of his wrist, the motorcycle beneath him roared to life. "Come on, my sister wants to meet you."

"My sister?" Li Huowang was momentarily stunned. Where did this sister come from? This was the first time he'd seen her—yet she acted as if they were old acquaintances.

Ba Shengqing said nothing and simply rode off on his motorcycle.

Just when Li Huowang hesitated, Yang Na beside him spoke up. "Huowang, don’t go. That guy clearly isn’t someone to trust."

"I know, but..." Li Huowang couldn’t voice what was on his mind. There was something faintly familiar about him—a feeling he had never experienced before.

"Let’s go. We can handle a truck, so why fear a little bike?" Li Huowang mounted his own shared electric scooter.

He didn’t fully trust this guy. As long as the motorcycle headed toward a desolate area, he’d turn around and leave.

But to his surprise, Ba Shengqing didn’t drive into a remote place. Instead, he rode straight into a bustling pedestrian street.

On the second floor of a shop along the street, Li Huowang saw the tattoo parlor named Blood Festival — a name as strange as its owner.

As he stood hesitating whether to bring Yang Na into such a dangerous place, she pulled out her phone from her bag.

"Huowang, if you're going, I won’t stop you. I’ll stay upstairs across the street filming and keeping watch. If things go wrong, I’ll call the police and alert Qingwang immediately."

"Okay." Feeling secure with the military knife on his back, Li Huowang relaxed slightly and walked toward the stairs.

Ba Shengqing’s shop looked no different from ordinary tattoo parlors. Photos of people after getting tattoos hung everywhere—large and small, like human skin art, covering the entire space.

Behind black curtains in the back, a room buzzed with the sound of a tattoo machine—someone was getting inked.

Ba Shengqing tossed the motorcycle keys onto the counter without even glancing at Li Huowang, then walked directly into the curtained area.

The buzzing stopped for a few seconds before restarting. A woman emerged from the room—not Ba Shengqing—but a lean woman with thorns tattooed on her neck and face, just like him. However, while Ba Shengqing was bald, this woman had long gray hair covering most of her scalp, leaving only the left side of her head exposed with intricate tattoos.

She wore a nose ring and multiple ear piercings, her eyes shadowed darkly, lips painted deep red—all black attire.

If not for these features, her face would have been quite attractive.

Seeing the faint resemblance between her and Ba Shengqing, Li Huowang deduced that this must be the sister he mentioned earlier.

While Li Huowang studied her, she also examined him. For a moment, neither spoke.

Li Huowang was certain he had never met her before, yet she possessed that same inexplicable familiarity that Ba Shengqing carried.

"You’re Ba Shengqing’s sister, right? I heard you wanted to see me. Do you know me? Have we met before?"

She took two fingers, painted black, and plucked the cigarette from her mouth, blowing a puff of white smoke directly at Li Huowang’s face. "Damn, you talk like you’re trying to pick me up."

The sense of familiarity vanished instantly. Her actions and tone made Li Huowang feel extremely irritated.

"Do you have something to say? If not, I’ll be going now." Just as Li Huowang turned away, she blocked his path.

Before she could speak, Li Huowang had already placed his military knife against her throat.

Feeling the cold metal, she finally became serious. She put the cigarette back in her mouth and raised two fingers to push the blade away from her neck. "Don’t trust Qingwang too much—he’s not a good guy."

Li Huowang felt no emotion. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe everything someone said upon first meeting. At least so far, Qingwang hadn’t done anything harmful to him.

Moreover, during her speech, Li Huowang noticed her tongue was cut down the middle, like a snake’s venomous core.

Although one shouldn’t judge by appearance alone, this woman’s first impression left him deeply unimpressed.

"Thanks for the warning. Did your brother summon me here just to tell me this? I’ve received your message. Thank you." Li Huowang sheathed his knife and prepared to leave.

"Here’s a tip: Qian Fu and Qingwang are on the same side. Whatever he did, it was ordered by Qingwang."

Li Huowang glanced at Yang Na, who had stopped walking. "You called me here for this? Sowing discord?"

"Sit." The woman tapped the table covered with various tattoo designs and threw the burnt cigarette butt into the ashtray, lighting another.

"I believe Qingwang told you about projections, parallel worlds, right? Don’t believe him—he’s insane. He’s sick." She poked her temple with her finger.

"I don’t care if he’s crazy or not. Whether he is or isn’t, it doesn’t stop us from joining forces against our enemies. But it’s you two siblings who are causing trouble."

Li Huowang looked toward the room where the tattoo machine hummed. "It’s you two who sit idle, enjoying the fruits others have earned."

"Damn, how do you know I haven’t done anything? You just met us today, don’t you think you know us well enough?"

Seeing Li Huowang look away, she casually placed both feet on the table. "Don’t follow Qingwang’s path. He’ll drag you into a ditch."

"If everyone thinks differently, then each should walk their own path. Forcing people together only causes more problems. As long as we stick to our own ways, all difficulties will resolve themselves."

Li Huowang didn’t understand much of what she said. He sensed she was about to explain her worldview to him.

(End of Chapter)