Chapter 301 - Sounds within the Mist

Chapter 301 - Sounds within the Mist

“But it was the Surveillance Bureau who took the people of Cowheart Village away.”

Constable Cao’s words shocked Li Huowang.

How is that possible? Why would the Surveillance Bureau take away Bai Lingmiao's family?

But he recovered quite quickly.

Wait, maybe that wasn’t the real Surveillance Bureau. Maybe someone was impersonating them!

But whether it was genuine or an impersonation, it was not good news for Bai Lingmiao’s family.

Having witnessed this from Hong Da, Li Huowang knew that the Surveillance Bureau was quite ruthless and would not hesitate to take people’s lives to accomplish their mission. But, if it was an impersonation, then it would be even more complicated. The only possible outcomes were bad and worse.

“Which way did they go?” Li Huowang asked Constable Cao with a serious expression. At this point, they could only try chasing after them. It was uncertain whether they could even catch up.

“From the looks of it, they were headed toward the capital. I don’t know how far they’ve gone,” replied Constable Cao.

Seeing Constable Cao pointing toward the west with his trembling hands, Li Huowang swiftly stepped onto the saddle with one foot, mounted his horse and galloped in that direction.

Watching Li Huowang’s figure receding into the distance, County Magistrate Wang breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, his assistant approached him from the side.

“Master, I think there’s something suspicious about this matter. Do you think that there might be some conflict between these two groups of people?” said Steward Hu.

County Magistrate Wang looked impatient as he replied, “If it’s suspicious, then so be it. What do the Surveillance Bureau’s matters have to do with the Magistrate’s office? Let’s head back!”

Clippity-clop.

Meanwhile, the sound of horse hooves echoed continuously as Li Huowang rode his horse to move in the direction pointed toward by Constable Cao. On the back of the horse, he swayed rhythmically, his mind a chaotic mess filled with various conjectures.

If it’s not the Surveillance Bureau, then, could it be...

Li Huowang didn’t reveal himself immediately. Instead, he began to circle around these people, searching for those responsible for escorting them. If they were enemies, then he would confront them. If they were from the Surveillance Bureau, then negotiation was the way forward. Either way, Li Huowang was determined to rescue this group of people.

He circled around them for a while, but didn’t catch sight of a single person of authority.

There’s no way that nobody’s keeping an eye on them. If that really were the case, then the Bai family would have long since made a run for it.

While he was still confused, he heard an incredibly peculiar clattering sound from behind him. It was like the sound of something swaying in a bamboo tube.

Li Huowang slowly turned around and noticed that a faint white morning mist was starting to rise up from within the dim forest. The clattering sound was coming from within this mist.

As the clattering sound drew near, and the slumbering Bai family members began to wake up. Upon hearing the sound, fear emerged in all their eyes, and some of the children instinctively started crying.

Meanwhile, Li Huowang could catch the whiff of a pungent odor, and he clearly sensed that something was stirring within the white mist. Yet, he couldn’t quite make out what it was.

By now, Li Huowang no longer wanted to wait idly. Ignoring whether it was a blessing or a curse, he grabbed the hilt of his sword with one hand, and held his breath as he cautiously ventured into the white mist.

As he approached, the clattering sound slowly grew louder. Li Huowang slowly followed the sound to its source.

Clatter~ clatter~ clatter~

Along with this peculiar sound, a wooden figure, wearing a black watermelon hat with two rosy cheeks, swayed and floated out from within the thick and white morning mist.

Clatter~ clatter~

Each time the wooden figure’s head swayed, the peculiar clattering sound emanated from inside its head.

The instant Li Huowang laid eyes on this thing, every hair on his body stood on end. However, when he noticed that it wasn’t paying any attention to him, he didn’t act immediately.

What on earth is this thing?

As the wooden head slowly floated closer, Li Huowang clenched his teeth, and remained on high alert. Soon, a powerful gaze descended from above and pressed down on him, making every breath feel difficult.

At this point, Li Huowang suddenly looked up and saw a devilish and pale face slowly descend from within the hazy mist, with a wide, bitter smile.

Li Huowang finally grasped what it was as it fully presented itself before him.