Chapter 1019: Encounter

After so many recurrences, Li Huowang had already guessed what they were discussing: his condition had simply worsened again. However, Li Huowang felt this was better. At least, disguised as mentally ill, he could effectively mislead Qing Wanglai in this situation. Although the situation had changed slightly, he was still in the dark, and Qing Wanglai was in the light. Thinking this, Li Huowang stood up again, took a deep breath, and walked towards them.

"You must think I'm lying, but what I'm saying is absolutely true. We, the Disciples of Fate, must work together to solve this problem!"

"But where's the proof, Li Huowang? Where's the evidence? We can't just take your word for it; we need solid evidence to believe you," Chen Hongyu asked.

"Evidence?" Li Huowang, his brow furrowed, thought for a moment before finally shaking his head with difficulty. "I have no evidence, but what I'm saying is truly, absolutely true!"

"You just *think* it's absolutely true, don't you? Every madman in the world believes what they say is absolutely true," Ba Nanxu, standing nearby, clearly distrusted this point.

"Oh, don't say that about Li Huowang. He's one of us, after all. He must have his own logic for saying such things," Qing Wanglai said, a smile on his face, as he defended Li Huowang.

Ignoring him, Li Huowang suddenly approached Zhao Shuangdian. "Where's your computer?"

"What computer? I don't even have a phone; what would I use a computer for?" Zhao Shuangdian replied with an indifferent expression.

"Alright, alright, we can talk about it later. Dinner's almost ready. Let's eat first, then chat. Fifth Sister, come to the kitchen and lend a hand," Qing Wanglai said, standing up and heading towards the kitchen.

Li Huowang understood this wouldn't work. To deal with Qing Wanglai, he needed Zhao Shuangdian's support, because without it, she could very well be used by Qing Wanglai against him. Watching Qing Wanglai's retreating back, Li Huowang had a sudden idea. He gave Yang Na a look and turned, heading towards the third floor.

Once Yang Na followed him up, Li Huowang immediately drew his military knife and directly cut into his own arm, forcefully slicing off a piece of flesh.

"Huowang!"

Yang Na instantly turned pale with fright. She quickly took out a hair tie and fastened it above the wound to stop Li Huowang's bleeding.

"It's fine, I'm just separating the Dao of Heaven! I have to return Zhao Shuangdian's Dao of Heaven to her first! Only then will she understand what I'm saying," Li Huowang explained, handing the piece of flesh in his hand to Yang Na. "Do me a favor. It'd be too obvious if I went. Cook this piece of the Dao of Heaven and mix it into the dish. Remember, she loves spicy food, so put it in the shredded pork with green peppers."

Yang Na, her eyes brimming with tears, looked at the bloody, indistinct piece of the Dao of Heaven, her expression hesitant and struggling. "But... I don't know how to cook."

"I'll do it," Yi Donglai's voice chimed in. He looked at Li Huowang's wound with a very complex expression, momentarily bewildered about what he was doing. Finally, he took a deep breath, picked up Li Huowang's flesh, and walked towards the kitchen.

Just as Yi Donglai was about to enter, Li Huowang immediately spoke to Qing Wanglai, who was stir-frying: "Qing Wanglai, come out for a moment. I need to talk to you about something."

"Oh? Something wrong?" Qing Wanglai washed his hands, untied his apron, and walked outside. To help Yi Donglai, Li Huowang, accompanied by San Qing, came outside.

"Is there something? About your girlfriend?" Qing Wanglai's face still bore his trademark fake smile.

Li Huowang looked at him intently, but the thought of what the man had done earlier flashed through his mind, and the urge to kill him, to choke him to death, surged within him. But Li Huowang knew he couldn't do that. Dealing with San Qing required extreme caution. Outwardly, he had already mastered the Dao of Growth and the Dao of Secrets, and had taken things from Li Huowang himself. No one knew what hidden tricks he might have up his sleeve. Without thorough preparation, he couldn't easily squander his first move.

"I was taken back to Baitai Hospital by them. Why didn't you intervene to save me?" Li Huowang posed a familiar question.

Li Huowang no longer cared what Qing Wanglai replied; he only noticed that Yi Donglai had entered the kitchen. His objective was achieved.

Under Li Huowang's watchful eye, Zhao Shuangdian extended her chopsticks, picked up the white and green shredded pork with green peppers, put it in her mouth, and began to chew. But just then, the situation changed. Chen Hongyu also reached for her chopsticks, saying, "That looks really good." Fortunately, it was ultimately a false alarm. Yang Na, who was nearby, quickly pulled Chen Hongyu's sleeve. "Auntie, where did you buy those potato chips? They're really delicious; I'm planning to buy more."

With the subtle mutual assistance of Li Huowang and his two allies, most of the shredded pork with green peppers was eventually eaten by Zhao Shuangdian. After eating, Zhao Shuangdian prepared to leave with the others, but Li Huowang stopped her. "When you get back, you could try playing on a computer. Computers are a lot of fun, especially all the different games. If you don't play them, you're missing out on a huge joy in life."

Zhao Shuangdian looked at him as if he were an idiot, then led everyone away. As they passed each other, Li Huowang whispered in her ear, "Topology..."

Zhao Shuangdian eventually left, but Li Huowang wasn't in a hurry. He waited patiently for something. Finally, when he felt his phone vibrate, a slight smile appeared on Li Huowang's lips. Someone had sent a message.

A few minutes later, Qing Wanglai rushed out of his room. "Let's go, depart."

"Where to?"

"To Zhao Shuangdian's home. Something's happened there," Qing Wanglai said, his expression very serious.

Hearing this, everyone started getting into cars. Li Huowang even drove his motorcycle out of the underground garage. Amidst the roar of engines, RVs, luxury cars, and motorcycles all headed out of town along the road. After twisting and turning, everyone finally stopped before a large mountain. It was clear that the mountain was very remote; even the path on the ground was just a dirt track.

It was hard to imagine Zhao Shuangdian had lived in such a remote place before. Li Huowang gripped his military knife and, with everyone else, grabbed his weapon and began to ascend the mountain. Climbing such a pathless mountain was exhausting. Two hours later, everyone was panting.

"Are we there yet?" Chen Hongyu gasped, utterly exhausted. "Is this really true? How high is this mountain anyway?"

Li Huowang, supporting Yang Na, walked past her and continued up the mountain without a word.

"Almost! It's around here!" Qing Wanglai said, his expression grim as he looked around. "But it's strange; something feels off. There weren't this many trees when I came here before."

"Call her," Wu Qi immediately said, pulling out her phone and dialing. After a few seconds, she put the phone down, looking anxious. "There's no signal in this damned place."

"Split up and search!" Li Huowang was about to leave with Yang Na but was stopped by Qing Wanglai. "We can't split up. If she's in danger and you search separately, you'll just be picking us off one by one."

Li Huowang, his face anxious, glared at him and said grumpily, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Qing Wanglai pulled out a tissue and wiped the sweat from his neck. "Let's go back first. This place is too dangerous."

"What about Zhao Shuangdian? Are we just going to leave her?" The moment Li Huowang uttered these words unhappily, he saw a red laser dot settle on Qing Wanglai's head.

The next instant, with a "bang" of a gunshot, a bullet grazed Li Huowang's scalp and shot towards the center of Qing Wanglai's forehead.