Chapter 208 - Danger

Chapter 208 - Danger

The ‘children’ were surprised and afraid when they saw Li Huowang’s towering figure.

“So you do know fear!” said Li Huowang as he unsheathed his sword while releasing a thick murderous intent.

With just a single stroke of the sword, the urns were smashed and the two ‘children’ were beheaded.

But they did not bleed. Instead, brown ash flew out from their pale bodies. Within the brown ash were bits and pieces of white bones.

The ‘children’ were made from the ashes of the cremated!

“Hang on. This doesn’t look like an evil being that spawned naturally...” muttered Li Huowang as he checked the urns and saw fingerprints on some of the shrapnels.

Sha~ Sha~ Sha~

At that moment, the sound of paper ruffling through the bamboo leaves rang out from all directions, causing Li Huowang to stand up. Knowing that he was in a difficult position, he snarled.

There weren’t just one or two sets of eyes gazing at Li Huowang; he could feel numerous gazes coming from every direction. He was surrounded!

Then, Li Huowang saw what it was. These beings were different; they had a body, with each of them wearing funeral clothes that were usually worn by the dead.

They also had white urns instead of heads.

Each of the urns had a strip of red paper plastered to it, the ‘gazes’ seemingly coming from the paper itself.

They flickered amongst the darkness of the bamboo forest, appearing and disappearing from time to time.

Li Huowang knew that they were moving, but he couldn’t see how they moved. They were slowly approaching him using an unknown method.

After a moment, Li Huowang unfurled the Profound Records and grabbed his pliers, ready to pull out his teeth at a moment's notice.

Just then, something red appeared on his face and covered his vision.

It was a red talisman, similar to the yellow talismans attached to the foreheads of zombies he had seen in movies.

Li Huowang quickly ripped it off and saw the words written on the red talisman: Deceased, Li Huowang. N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.

Staring at the words, Li Huowang’s mind quickly raced with all of the information he knew about this world.

Are they trying to convert me into them? Who are they? No wait, I think I’ve heard about them before while I was at the Zephyr Temple.

At that moment, a single name appeared in his mind.

Mountain Grandma! They are the Mountain Grandmas!

“Senior Li... Everyone is still watching...” muttered Bai Lingmiao.

Hearing this, Li Huowang finally stopped and sighed. “Please stay further away from me when I’m sleeping next time.”

“But... We’ve always been sleeping together.”

“Listen to me. I’m a bit tense during these times so we can sleep together again once this crisis is over, ok?” said Li Huowang.

“Alright... But Senior Li... Your eye...”

“No worries. This is better. At least like this they will have a harder time recognizing me,” reassured Li Huowang.

Li Huowang and the rest continued their journey the next day. They walked for three more days before they saw the border on the afternoon of the third day.

The border was essentially just a short wall with a few soldiers. At the same time, the walls were quite crooked, a clear indication of the sloppiness.

“This is only natural; Qing Qiu and Hou Shu have always been allies. They never had to be wary of each other,” explained Jin Shanzhao upon noticing Li Huowang’s curiosity.

“Allies? Doesn’t that mean that the outlaw soldiers would be able to cross over into Qing Qiu?” asked Li Huowang as he stared at the busy street in front of him.

“Impossible. If the soldiers of Hou Shu entered Qing Qiu, then it would mean war. It would be a much more serious situation than killing a few thousand of their own civilians,” replied Jin Shanzhao.

Hearing that, Li Huowang felt slightly more relaxed.

Then, he recalled something and looked back at the old man. “Will you be turning back now?”

Jin Shanzhao smiled and bowed. “Young Daoist, may we meet again. I will never forget the fact that you saved my life. If I do end up becoming an officer, then I will repay you graciously.”

Li Huowang chuckled. “No need. Just find a place and live out your life quietly. Might as well retire before you even start working.”

Hearing this, Jin Shanzhao suddenly became serious for once. “The only reason I’ve learned so much is for the sake of my future lord! How could I not use the knowledge I’ve accumulated over tens of years? My dream is to stop the wars between nations! I will bring peace to the lands!”

As he spoke, Jin Shanzhao's eyes were blazing with passion.

Li Huowang was impressed by Jin Shanzhao. Even though the latter looked cowardly, his dreams were magnanimous. He could sense the seriousness behind Jin Shanzhao’s words.

After a moment, Li Huowang bowed respectfully toward Jin Shanzhao. “Then, I wish you good luck in your future endeavors.”

Jin Shanzhao smiled and bowed back. “Thank you Daoist. We will go our own separate ways from here on out.”

Shiuuu~

At that moment, something flew through the air as it approached them rapidly.

Shriek!

Jin Shanzhao was still smiling when a massive halberd flew through the air and crashed into his waist. Instantly, he was cut in half just a few feet away from Li Huowang, barely leaving him alive.