Li Sui's appearance was almost exactly as he had imagined, except that he looked even more terrifying than he had imagined.
His body was not very solid, and some parts were even hollow, exposing some organs.
It was obvious that Mantou's body was not enough to support Li Sui, as the broken bones were all entangled by black tentacles.
Although it was not good to say this about his daughter, she was really scary now.
Li Sui's chest was beating, and with each beat, a book wrapped in flesh and blood could be seen through the cracks.
Li Huowang remembered that it was the complete collection of talismans he had given to Li Sui.
"Dad, what's wrong?" Li Sui didn't understand why Li Huowang was staring at her like this.
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"It's nothing, just looking." Li Huowang stretched out his hand and patted her head.
"Go. Go find the kids and have some egg soup. Also, help me call a few people over."
In Niu Xin Village, after dinner was the time to rest, so no one was wandering around, and soon all the people Li Huowang wanted to find were gathered.
There was Gao Zhijian, who was tall, Chun Xiaoman, who was covered in fur, Zhao Wu, who leaned on a crutch with one shoulder higher than the other, and Dog Wa, whose face was half white and half blue. These people were all his brothers who had been born and died together.
In addition to them, there was Yang Xiaohai, who was noticeably shorter than the others.
Li Huowang looked at the cook in Niu Xin Village, "I didn't call you, why are you here?"
"Hehe, since they all came, I came to take a look. So, Li Shixiong, should I leave now?" Yang Xiaohai scratched the back of his head and smiled apologetically.
After spending so much time together, they had obviously become familiar with each other. If it were before, he wouldn't dare to do this.
Li Huowang couldn't be bothered to deal with him and turned his gaze to Gao Zhijian, "How is the recruitment of the village militia? How long will it take for them to become combat-ready?"
Gao Zhijian sniffed and shook his head dissatisfiedly. "A long time."
Soon, Li Huowang learned from Gao Zhijian that there were not many people in the village who were suitable for martial arts. Either they had disabilities or their aptitude was not good. After picking and choosing for a long time, only two were barely satisfactory.
But this seemed to be within reason. These people were all the trash that Bai Lingmiao had picked up from the Fangrenya.
But this didn't meet Li Huowang's expectations. He needed to speed up this progress.
"Zhao Wu, I split the gold that Sun Baolu's mother gave me in Qingqiu. Use the money to buy more qualified servants for Gao Zhijian, even if it costs more money, we must choose loyal ones."
"We must form the village militia as soon as possible, so that even if I'm not here, they can protect themselves if they encounter any other disasters."
"Yes, Li Shixiong." Zhao Wu, who was in charge of the money, nodded and responded. "Li Shixiong, are you going out again?"
"Yes, there's something I need to take care of. If everything goes well, this time shouldn't take too long."
Then he looked at Chun Xiaoman, "Under the ancestral hall, you've been practicing the techniques of the White Lotus Sect, right?"
"Yes, I've been practicing."
"This kind of thing should be done quietly. It's fine to teach others, but you must find someone you trust."
"It's different from the military. Although that divine possession of the child seems interesting, the White Lotus Sect is well-known, and their techniques are likely to be easily recognized. Being too conspicuous will attract the attention of the Monitoring Bureau."
When Chun Xiaoman heard Li Huowang's detailed explanation of the Monitoring Bureau and the previous encounter with the Bai family, her expression became serious and she nodded, feeling the weight on her shoulders.
Then Li Huowang looked at Dog Wa, the last person. He used to be noisy, but he had become much quieter since he had a daughter.
"Dog Wa, are you okay?" When Li Huowang asked, Dog Wa immediately put on his signature smile.
"Oh, I'm fine. What could be wrong? I eat and drink as I please. Li Shixiong, you can rest assured, I'll take care of Niu Xin Village and keep things in order."
Li Huowang nodded and then pointed to the decayed wooden ruyi on the table, "I'll give you this artifact. It can confuse people's minds and can be used with your white hair needle."
This was the gift that the eunuch gave him when they parted. It was a special artifact refined by Heart Su's tongue, which could make people's minds filled with confusion.
Li Huowang had never used it since he got it, so he might as well give it to Dog Wa.
"Oh, this, this, this is a divine artifact! Li Shixiong, you're too kind. You actually gave it to me for free." Dog Wa held it in his hand and looked at it up and down, exclaiming in admiration.
"And here's the prescription. I copied a book that contains the recipe for the Runxue Pill and the Peiyuan Guben Pill, as well as some methods for refining pills. It was taught to me by that leper in Qingfeng Temple."
"There are also some talisman drawing methods for medical purposes. There's no doctor in the village, so find someone who can read and make do as a half-doctor."
"I, I, I! I can read! Master praises my intelligence every day! I already know thirty characters now!"
Yang Xiaohai volunteered and walked over, picking up the prescription book and flipping through it.
Li Huowang frowned and looked at him, "You're holding it upside down."
"Oh, oh, oh..."Li Huowang scrutinized the five people before him, "We've all been through life and death together. I always feel uneasy about the state of the world. If something really happens, we can't rely on mountains or rivers, only on ourselves."
"Hey, it's okay, we still have you, Brother Li. You're so powerful, who would dare not give you face?"
Dog Wa's flattery only earned him a cold glance from Li Huowang.
"What if I die one day? What if I go mad again? What will you do?"
The atmosphere in the room became somewhat oppressive as soon as Li Huowang's words came out.
Dog Wa opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to lighten the mood, but said nothing.
"Alright, everyone except Gao Zhijian can leave now."
The other four glanced at the tall Gao Zhijian, took the items given by Li Huowang, and left.
Li Huowang looked at the tall Gao Zhijian in front of him, pondered for a while, and then said, "Zhijian, your past must not have been simple, right? Although they always say you're foolish, I think you're wise but pretending to be foolish."
Gao Zhijian silently nodded.
"Do you want to go back?" Gao Zhijian shook his head.
"Alright, since you don't want to go back, I won't ask. From now on, this is your home. Besides me and Miao Miao, you're the strongest. When I'm not around, help me protect this home."
Li Huowang cut open his stomach with a knife, rummaged inside, and pulled out a bloody human skin.
"Take this. It can save your life at a critical moment."
Seemingly aware of the value of this item, Gao Zhijian gasped and repeatedly waved his hands to refuse.
"If I tell you to take it, just take it!" Li Huowang forcefully put it into his hand. The phrase 'my skin is almost healed' lingered in his mouth for a while, but he swallowed it back down.
Li Huowang patted him on the shoulder. "We're brothers who've been through life and death together. You're being too polite."
Gao Zhijian looked at the human skin in his palm and carefully put it away.
Then he took out a dagger from Li Huowang's tool bag, cut his own palm, and then cut Li Huowang's palm.
He then clasped their bleeding palms together.
Li Huowang looked at the gradually clotting cut on his palm and chuckled softly. "What kind of custom is this?"
After Gao Zhijian left, he took out a piece of paper from his bosom. It was something he had written when he was blind, listing his current troubles in four lines.
"This trouble doesn't exist!"
As Li Huowang slowly traced his trembling finger over the second line, the words on it quickly disappeared.
Two: The abnormality of the heavenly disaster. Since the plan of the Skywatch Bureau was disrupted by the Taoist sects that deceive beings, perhaps there will be more such disasters after this. I'm not afraid, but how can I ensure that Niu Xin Village...
(End of the chapter)