Chapter 99: Night Talk

Chapter 99: Night Talk

Hearing Xiaoman's words, Li Huowang snorted coldly. Having already come to understand the nature of the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month, he immediately guessed that these people, just like himself back then, had been stripped of their identities by the entity.

The entire village was a haphazard patchwork stitched together by the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month, and its inhabitants, entirely unaware, had been playing along with its elaborate charade for so long.

Since the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month was constantly controlling so many people, it was clearly not doing this for mere play; it was acting for its own gain. Perhaps this thing was some bizarre evil entity that fed on the names and identities of others.

"There is no Wu Family Village; it has always been the Village of No Family!" Li Huowang said with a sneer.

Yet, the mere mention of the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month made Li Huowang's muscles tense instantly, his expression turning anxious as he looked at Xiaoman before him. "Right! The eyes! Where are the eyes of the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month!"

He had gone through all that trouble to rush here precisely for this very thing.

"We found it beside you. Is this what you were looking for?"

As if she had long anticipated Li Huowang's question, Xiaoman turned and pulled out a black lacquer box the size of a palm.

The box was opened, revealing two red eyes the size of billiard balls staring fixedly at Li Huowang; these were the eyes of the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month.

"Got it. Danyang Zi can be dealt with now." Li Huowang's heart couldn't help but thrill; he would finally no longer have to live in fear of turning into Danyang Zi.

Once Danyang Zi was resolved, he could rest easy and seek a cure for his hallucinations.

With a click, the lacquer box was closed, and Li Huowang placed it behind his pillow.

"Is everyone else alright? Tell me in meticulous detail everything that happened after I left."

Through Xiaoman's account, Li Huowang learned what had transpired after he fell into his hallucination. Just as the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month thought it had finished him off, it immediately turned its attention to the others.

However, just as it was about to succeed, a faceless man burst in, thwarting its scheme.

The faceless man shouted that Li Huowang was an impostor, continually gesturing for Bai Lingmiao and the others to attack him.

Li Huowang naturally understood that it was himself—the self that had lost its name—except that from his perspective, his self at that moment was standing in the middle of a grand avenue, screaming at a red automobile.

"After that, Senior Brother Li's body collapsed rapidly, leaving nothing but a skin on the ground, while that faceless man, seemingly able to see the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month, charged outward."

"We wanted to follow, but those bamboos suddenly came alive, blocking our path. So we lost track of the faceless man."

After Xiaoman finished explaining everything, Bai Lingmiao walked in from outside carrying a bowl of chicken soup; this time, the glistening, oily broth contained a few extra pieces of chicken.

Having just heard the news of Li Huowang's awakening, the others also flocked over to visit. Seeing their senior brother awake, their faces were brimming with excitement as they crowded around to ask after his health.

Seeing them all alive, Li Huowang's heart settled slightly; no one dying was better than anything else.

After chatting for a while, Li Huowang, holding his bowl, said, "Since I'm awake, let's not wait any longer. We'll head back tomorrow."

However, this proposal was immediately met with unanimous opposition from everyone.

"Oh, Senior Brother Li, your intestines are hanging out! Why are you in such a rush? Wait until your wounds heal before going back."

"Exactly, exactly! Haven't you already found what you were looking for?"

"Rest for a few more days, Senior Brother Li. We aren't in a hurry, so why are you?"

Li Huowang gently pressed his wound with his hand and tried to sit up. "It's fine, I can serve as a horse—hiss."

A sudden, searing pain in his abdomen cut him off, and faint traces of blood seeped through the white bandages.

The pain was so intense it nearly rivaled the agony of when he had cut open his own abdomen.

Gouwa hurried over, and together with Gao Zhijian, they firmly pressed Li Huowang back down on either side.

"Oh, our Senior Brother Li, please stop tossing about! Our carriage is terribly bumpy; if your wound gets jostled, your intestines will surely bounce right out."

Seeing this, Li Huowang could only give up.

"Alright, you all go back to sleep. Everyone take this time to get some proper rest. We've been traveling non-stop since leaving the Qingfeng Temple; you must all be exhausted."

After talking a bit more, the others drifted away in twos and threes, leaving only Bai Lingmiao standing there, somewhat restless, torn between wanting to leave and wanting to stay.

When Li Huowang reached out his right hand and took hers, the turmoil in her heart dissipated; she pulled over a stool and sat quietly by the bed.

Resting his eyes, Li Huowang gently squeezed her hand with his right. "Is this all the Great-Grandmother Bai's skill? Healing people only halfway?"

"This was the result after I negotiated with her. I just figured that whatever can heal on its own should be left to heal, so as not to waste too much compensation."

Looking at the large hand holding hers, Bai Lingmiao continued, "Actually, she could have healed you completely, but in that case, not only would all the lifespan in the gourd be used to pay the debt, but she would also have to take something from your mind."

"From my mind? Wasn't it exchanged for my lifespan?" A somewhat surprised Li Huowang raised his head to look at Bai Lingmiao.

Seeing her shake her head, Li Huowang finally realized he had misunderstood the lifespan pills in the gourd; they were different from Lord You, far more greedy.

"Did she say what she would take?" Li Huowang couldn't fathom what in his mind could be of value to them.

"I asked, but she refused to say. The affairs of the host and the immortals are not for the spirit medium to meddle in. But I figured, since it's something from the mind, it must be quite important, so I didn't allow it."

"Hmph, a bunch of low-class riffraff."

Having encountered so many evil entities, Li Huowang had also deduced a few things. Whether compared to the Joyous God or the Great Buddha of Zhengde Temple, the immortals were of a much lower tier, only able to hire some pitiful souls and feed on the scraps left behind by others.

Li Huowang opened his eyes again and looked at Bai Lingmiao. "Have they threatened you with anything? Like forcing you to find a certain number of hosts every month?"

"Not really, they just nag occasionally, which is a bit annoying."

At the mention of this topic, Li Huowang's expression turned serious. "Remember this: if you run into any difficulties dealing with them, tell me immediately and let me negotiate with them. Remember, you are at most their subordinate, not their slave."

Li Huowang wasn't necessarily afraid of them; if it came to a real confrontation, he, now possessing the Record of the Great Thousand, wouldn't necessarily lose.

Since what had happened could not be undone, Li Huowang absolutely would not let Bai Lingmiao suffer the same fate as Li Zhi, because Bai Lingmiao was different from Li Zhi—she still had him.

Hearing the concern in his words, Bai Lingmiao felt a warmth spread through her heart. "Alright."

"If you happen to run into them on the road, you can perform a spirit dance for them, but normally, there's no need to go out of your way to seek them out. We aren't short of those fifty copper coins."

"Mm."

And so, one person kept giving instructions while the other listened quietly. Unaware of the passing time, the flame in the oil lamp on the table began to flicker and dwindle.

"It's getting late. Sleep." Li Huowang pulled back the quilt on the bed.

Bai Lingmiao obediently nodded, gently blew out the oil lamp, and carefully slipped into the warm covers, taking care not to touch Li Huowang's wounds.

(End of Chapter)