Chapter 208: Dangerous

When the porcelain doll saw Li Huowang, who stood before it like a mountain, its face, covered in white powder, showed a mixture of surprise and fear.

"So, you *can* feel fear!"

With a clang, the long sword was drawn, and Li Huowang swung it down with overwhelming killing intent. Amidst the sound of cracking porcelain, the two dolls were instantly decapitated. What splattered from their pale bodies was not blood, but a grayish-brown powder. Mixed within it were fragments of white bone—ashes. These dolls were made from human ashes!

"Something's not right; these don't look like wild evil spirits," Li Huowang murmured as he noticed distinct finger marks on the porcelain jars.

A rustling sound, like bamboo leaves scraping against paper, made Li Huowang quickly stand up. Suddenly, his expression turned grim. This time, it wasn't just two sets of eyes watching him. Innumerable gazes pierced him from all directions; he was surrounded.

Soon, Li Huowang saw them: figures dressed in paper burial shrouds. They had no faces; instead, each wore a white porcelain jar for a head. A long strip of red paper with writing on it was pasted on each pale jar, watching Li Huowang like an eye. Their forms flickered in and out of sight within the dark, looming bamboo forest. They were moving, though Li Huowang couldn't discern their actual movements. Yet, they were clearly approaching him in an unseen manner.

With a rustle, the "Great Thousand Record" rapidly spread open on the ground. Li Huowang took out a pair of pliers, ready to put them into his mouth at any moment. Just then, something red wavered and obstructed Li Huowang's vision. This red object, resembling a yellow talisman from a zombie movie, was stuck to Li Huowang's forehead. Li Huowang quickly reached up and pulled it off, shocked to find it was a wide red paper strip with a single line of text: "Deceased Husband: Li Huowang's Place."

Upon reading the words on the paper strip, Li Huowang's mind was instantly flooded with chaotic information. "Are they assimilating me? Am I turning into one of them? Who are they?! No, wait! I think I heard about them at Qingfeng Temple before." In a flash of lightning, a name surfaced in his mind: "Great Grandmothers! They are the Great Grandmothers!"

Almost immediately, Li Huowang raised the pliers again, but this time, he aimed not for his teeth, but for his left eye. With a *snap*, as his eyeball was crushed, a strange light enveloped the surroundings. The Great Grandmothers around him were covered in a viscous, hazy glow. All the gazes surrounding him vanished at that instant.

Li Huowang seized the opportunity to quickly charge forward, returning to the roadside. The others by the roadside, seemingly unaware of what had just transpired, stood idly, yawning. "Move! Get out of this bamboo forest, it's dangerous here!" Perhaps it was the deterrent effect of Li Huowang's bloody, dripping left eye, but no one questioned him. They all began to run, dragging their tired bodies.

They ran without stopping. After passing through the bamboo forest, they emerged into a vast grassland. Everyone fled across the open grassland, running until the distant horizon began to lighten before finally stopping. Jin Shanzhao, drenched in sweat, stumbled and threw the bamboo basket off his back onto the ground. He then lay directly on the ground, gasping for breath. He picked up a blade of tender grass with his right hand, looked at it, then weakly put it back down. Out of breath, he stammered, "Ha... ha... Qing... we're almost... ha... ha... we're almost at Qingqiu... ha..."

At that moment, Li Huowang once again stood on the roof of the ox cart. The open environment afforded Li Huowang an extremely far sight. With a furrowed brow, he surveyed everything around him with his single eye. If the mysterious Great Grandmothers could still follow them even now, Li Huowang knew he would have no choice but to confront them head-on. Fortunately, as the sun gradually rose higher, its warm rays dispelled the chill from Li Huowang's body, and no more gazes were directed at him.

In the bamboo forest they had left behind, the figures of the Great Grandmothers were gone. A stone spoke. "What should we do? This young man seems difficult to deal with. Even the Great Grandmothers we lured couldn't stop him. Should we go back to the division and call for reinforcements?" No sooner had the stone finished speaking than a nearby bamboo shoot replied, "Why bother with that? Isn't Peng Longteng looking for this young man? Just tell her directly; it'll save us the trouble." "You're right. If anything goes wrong, we can blame her. And if there's credit, the three of us will get a share." After saying this, the stone and the bamboo shoot fell silent.

That day, Li Huowang and his companions rested in that spot for an entire day. They had no choice but to rest; after all, humans aren't made of iron. Fortunately, during this period, nothing unexpected happened, apart from a few passersby.

Li Bailingmiao sat on the ground with her legs bent to the side, looking at the sleeping Li Huowang with a pained expression. Even in his sleep, he was restless. Li Huowang slightly turned his head, constantly murmuring something under his breath. She raised her fair fingers and reached out to touch the horrifying bloody hole on Li Huowang's face. "How much must this hurt..."

With a *boom*, Li Huowang jolted awake from his sleep, his hands instantly gripping Bailingmiao's slender neck and tightening. This action sent chills down everyone's spines, including Li Huowang himself. Full of lingering fear, he quickly released her and, after a careful check to ensure Bailingmiao wasn't harmed, he pulled her into a hug, kissing and embracing her.

"Senior Brother Li... others are watching..."

Li Huowang paused, saying with lingering trepidation, "In the future... when I'm sleeping, please stay away from me."

"But... we've always slept together."

"Listen to me, be good. My nerves are a bit frayed lately; let's talk about it after this period passes."

"Alright then. By the way, Senior Brother Li, your... eye."

"It's fine. This way is better; it's a greater change than before, making it easier to hide."

Li Huowang and the others continued their journey across the vast grassland for three days, finally spotting a pass on the afternoon of the third day. It wasn't much of a pass; this dilapidated place was merely surrounded by a low wall, and the border guards were few, leaning lazily against the wall, looking particularly sluggish. "That's natural. Qingqiu and Later Shu are allies, so they aren't that wary of each other," Jin Shanzhao explained thoughtfully as he noticed the confusion in Li Huowang's eyes.

"Allies? So those bandits won't raid Qingqiu?" Li Huowang asked, observing the bustling street before them.

"Absolutely not. The Later Shu army entering Qingqiu would almost be equivalent to starting a war between the two nations. Such a thing is far more serious than killing a few thousand people." Hearing this, Li Huowang's heart felt a little lighter.

He suddenly remembered something and re-examined the old man before him. "Are you heading back home?"

Jin Shanzhao smiled and bowed to Li Huowang. "True Man, we shall meet again. Your life-saving kindness will never be forgotten. If one day I become an official in the court, I will repay your generosity a hundredfold."

Li Huowang chuckled. "Can you even do that? Don't bother yourself if it's too much; just find a place to retire."

At this, Jin Shanzhao's expression became serious. "A gentleman should cultivate himself, manage his family, and bring peace to the world! I have dedicated myself to studying strategies for decades; how can I not put them to use? This old man is determined to realize his ambitions, to eliminate all conflicts between nations and restore peace and order to the world!" As he spoke, a light seemed to gleam in Jin Shanzhao's somewhat clouded eyes.

Li Huowang was somewhat stunned by Jin Shanzhao. This seemingly timid old man before him actually harbored such a grand ideal in his heart. And judging by his demeanor, he wasn't just idly talking. Li Huowang solemnly performed a Taoist salute to Jin Shanzhao. "Then I wish you immediate success and the realization of your grand vision."

A smiling Jin Shanzhao returned the salute. "Thank you, True Man. Then, we part ways here."

"Whoosh~" A whistling sound suddenly erupted. With a *slash*, the smiling Jin Shanzhao was cut in half at the waist by a flying halberd. Right in front of Li Huowang, he was literally split into two.