Mutated Tao

With his eyes shut tightly, Li Huowang sensed that he had wounded his opponent. He decisively drew a flint across his skin, and flames enveloped his entire body.

Whatever this creature was, he needed to go all out given its immense size.

He controlled his two arms and a dozen tentacles, then grasped the wound's edges and tore it open further with a fierce roar.

Li Huowang plunged into the wound, accompanied by a ripping sound. He wielded three swords in his three hands, then charged through the creature’s body while engulfed in flames.

He repaid the frustration they had suffered back to this unknown creature by a thousandfold.

He soon heard the sizzle of burning flesh interspersed with anguished roars resembling the agonized cries of a dragon. The intense trembling nearly made him open his eyes.

The more the creature struggled, the deeper he burrowed. When the pressure eased, Li Huowang realized he had pierced right through the creature.

The sizzling sound of burning flesh gave way to the sound of intense flames, and Li Huowang felt himself falling.

Just as he hit the ground, he opened his eyes and saw the storm clouds turning into burning clouds that quickly dissipated. He had won.

Water! Li Huowang landed in the mud with a splash. Moments later, he spat out the mud and crawled out of the soil.

When he stood up again, the rain had stopped. The thin rays of the morning sunlight shone on his charred face.

The air after the rain was fresh, and everything seemed finally over, regardless of whether the creature was dead or just wounded.

The three monkey children had never witnessed such things before. They regarded Li Huowang as a god, and they kowtowed to him with utmost reverence.

Li Huowang didn’t care about their reactions. Instead, he gazed at the sky as he contemplated other matters.

That creature was not an ordinary evil spirit. However, it didn’t feel strong enough to be a Siming.

If he had to define it, he thought the creature resembled a God of Happiness, or something similar to the beings outside Baiyu Capital.

The world was not simply black and white, nor were there only mortals and Simings. There was a vast spectrum in between.

Has god Yu’er started to recruit those things? This realization darkened Li Huowang’s mood, and the extent of the enemy’s influence increased again in his mind.

If these creatures were present even in such remote areas, what guarded the Dragon Vein of Hou Shu?

Li Huowang saw everyone look at him and shook his head. “It’s all over now. Let’s rest. We’ve been through a lot tonight, and everyone’s exhausted.”

Everyone felt more reassured and began to tend to their tasks. Some tended to wounds, while others started to cook.

Their fear and anxiety quickly dissipated as the piping-hot food entered their mouths.

Li Huowang gently unwrapped the bandages on Yang Xiaohai’s wound, examined it, then rewrapped it. “Have your wife change the bandage. It got wet, and the wound is turning pale.”

“Senior Li, my injury is minor, but your wounds...” Yang Xiaohai hesitated, looking at Li Huowang’s charred body.

“Take care of yourself. This is also a minor injury,” Li Huowang replied. He moved back to the campfire and began to eat a bowl of noodles with grilled salted fish.

“Senior Li, don’t move. I’ll get the Bai Family to treat your injuries,” Bai Lingmiao said and began to drum.

“I don’t have any lifespan pills left. Don’t summon the Immortal families.”

“Senior Li, they are quite accommodating now; they don’t need lifespan as payment anymore,” she said as she beat her drums.

As Li Huowang ate, he sensed something approaching that was watching him.

Though he was tense, he pretended to be calm, removed the long bones from a piece of braised fish belly, and then placed it into Yang Na’s bowl.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw Madam Qi and then relaxed a bit. It wasn’t them this time.

Yang Na had now recovered. She noticed Li Huowang’s actions but said nothing, praising Sun Xiaoqin’s cooking instead.

After the meal, Li Huowang walked to his bedroom and sat on the stool with a serious expression.

This couldn’t continue. Yang Na had just taken her medication when those people’s gazes had returned. He had briefly confronted them last time, but he hadn’t managed to take a photo of them with his phone.

He didn’t care about himself, but he was concerned about Yang Na and his mother.

Li Huowang opened his phone and dialed a number. “Hello, it’s me. Have you found the source of those two severed fingers?”

“It’s been so long, and you still haven’t found anything? Is your database comprehensive or not? You can’t even trace two severed fingers.”

“What do you mean there are more important matters than two fingers? Once again, I am not crazy! Someone is actually trying to kidnap me!”

He heard the door open behind him, then hung up and turned to see Yang Na holding a a fruit platter. He asked gently, “How are you feeling?”

Yang Na shook her head slightly and placed the fruit platter on the table. She held his hands and asked, “Huowang, what’s wrong? Is it the side effects of the medicine?”

“Of course not, haha, I’m fine. Just thinking about some things.” He hesitated for a while, then said, “Nana, can you do me a favor?”

“Sure, what do you need?” Yang Na nodded.

“I need to visit Kangning Hospital to see an old friend, but I don’t want my mother to come along. Can you go with me?”

The enemy was still around and he needed to see Qian Fu, even if the man was mad and incoherent.

His words had proven true. The surveillance had been tampered with, and someone was indeed after him. Li Huowang couldn’t ignore this.

Yang Na didn’t ask further because Li Huowang needed her help. She hugged him gently and nodded. “Okay.”

Li Huowang and Yang Na set off while Sun Xiaoqin was away.

Before they could leave the complex, Madam Qi and two elderly men blocked them at the gate. “Little Li, where are you going? Where’s your family?”

“I'm going to Kangning Hospital,” Li Huowang replied honestly.

“Why are you going to the psychiatric hospital? Do you have a valid reason?” Madam Qi asked suspiciously.

Li Huowang faced her scrutinizing gaze and retorted, “You know I have a mental illness. Why else would I go to a psychiatric hospital? Of course, it’s for a follow-up. What, is that not allowed?”