Chapter 275: Familiarity

Li Huowang looked at the people sprawled on the ground like dogs before him. His understanding of Pixian, formed until now, began to waver.

The ghost that stole men's manhood, the utterly humiliating "treatments," and that final sprinkle of chili powder—it was all far too preposterous. Even though everyone in the county town was talking about ghosts that stole manhood and caused "shrinkage" (referring to both male and female shrinkage), was it not possible that what they were saying wasn't true? Perhaps such a thing didn't exist at all?

Recalling the waiter who had been hanged earlier and everything he had witnessed in Pixian, Li Huowang questioned the other people still sprawled on the ground: "You all constantly talk about shrinkage, but have any of you truly *seen* someone shrink?"

The group looked at Li Huowang, exchanging glances, but no one uttered a word.

Finally, a constable was the first to speak. "My father said it! He personally saw someone suffer from shrinkage!"

"I'm not asking about your father; I'm asking about *you*! Have *you* witnessed it firsthand?" Li Huowang's gaze, sharp as a sword, made the constable stammer, unable to form a coherent reply.

Li Huowang then turned his attention to Yang Hongzhi, the Magistrate of Pixian. "You previously mentioned your son was small and needed to be secured with a silver lock. But children are naturally small, aren't they? Is there a possibility that your son is perfectly fine, and you're simply imagining things? Have you never once questioned this point?"

"Is that so? But how could that be possible! That person distinctly said—"

"Who was that person?! Where is he now!" Li Huowang lunged forward, questioning him face-to-face. Regardless of who this person was, they undoubtedly held a crucial connection to all this absurdity.

"He... he... he died. Because he spoke those... words to others, he 'shrank' to death."

"Ha!" A cold sneer flickered across Li Huowang's face. His suspicions grew even stronger. There was no ghost stealing manhood, nor any method to repel ghosts. All of it was fake! As this realization struck him, the identity of that person became blindingly clear.

When enemies meet, fury burns brightest. Recalling what they had done to him previously, Li Huowang clenched his fists until they creaked, his expression twisted in a savage snarl as he gritted out, "Sitting-Forget Dao!"

Li Huowang ripped the copper gong from his neck and slammed it forcefully onto the ground. He kicked away the constable who stood in his path, then surged directly to Magistrate Yang's side, grabbing him with both hands and yanking him off his feet. At that moment, he finally understood the source of that inexplicable familiarity in his mind: it was the feeling of being deceived by the Sitting-Forget Dao. He had fallen for their tricks once before!

He kicked the magistrate in the chest. Li Huowang's long sword had already sliced open the man's jaw. Amidst Yang Hongzhi's screams, Li Huowang peeled back a corner of his face. Beneath the man's face, there were no multiple countenances. He was not a member of the Sitting-Forget Dao, nor were the other constables. They had simply been deceived by the Sitting-Forget Dao. What was harming people through word of mouth wasn't some ghost capable of stealing manhood; it was absurd rumors deliberately spread by the Sitting-Forget Dao throughout Pixian. The Sitting-Forget Dao had, purely through rumor, made fools of the entire populace of Pixian.

"Who told you about these methods for treating shrinkage? Where are they now?" With bloodshot eyes, Li Huowang intimidated the injured Yang Hongzhi, who dared not conceal a thing. If Li Huowang had sworn enemies, the Sitting-Forget Dao would undeniably be at the top of that list.

"A 'great shaman'! He was the one who said manhood could be 'locked' with a silver lock! But because he 'leaked heavenly secrets,' he also 'shrank' to death two months ago." Magistrate Yang struggled to compose himself, answering with hurried words.

"Oh, so he spread the rumor and then 'shrank' to death, did he? That's quite a coincidence, isn't it? Where's his body? I want to open the coffin and examine it!"

Given Li Huowang's identity as a Supervisor of Celestial Affairs and his unyielding demeanor, Yang Hongzhi ultimately complied. With a creaking sound, the black coffin nails were pried out. When Li Huowang peered inside the coffin and found no corpse, but instead a mahjong tile for 'six of wan,' he knew his suspicions were confirmed. This was clearly the work of the Sitting-Forget Dao, but the true perpetrators had long since departed. The people of Pixian were simply toys the Sitting-Forget Dao had grown bored with and casually cast aside.

Li Huowang wasn't overly disappointed. His goal this time was to join the Supervisors of Celestial Affairs, not to single-handedly confront the Sitting-Forget Dao. Once he understood what exactly had transpired in Pixian, Li Huowang also formulated a plan for how to proceed.

"Everyone, gather around and take a close look! This is your so-called 'great shaman'!" However, Li Huowang's recent erratic behavior had utterly terrified them. They all clutched their wounded chins, reluctant to approach too closely.

"I told you to come over here, didn't you hear me!" As Li Huowang's tone sharpened, the others cautiously drew nearer. When they saw the empty coffin, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief. They distinctly remembered this person being buried within it.

Looking at them, Li Huowang carefully chose his words before speaking slowly: "You have been deceived. There is no such thing as shrinkage at all; it's merely a rumor. There's no need for constant dread."

"How is this possible?" Yang Hongzhi's face was etched with extreme bewilderment. All this time of widespread panic, was it just them scaring themselves?

"The facts are right before your eyes; do you still refuse to believe? Go gather everyone in Pixian; I have something to tell them." Upon hearing Li Huowang's words, the man's expression became hesitant, and he stood in place, moodily contemplating something.

"What's wrong? Don't forget my identity. For matters like this, do you, a mere scholar, truly know more than a Supervisor of Celestial Affairs?" These words finally swayed Yang Hongzhi. Clutching the wound on his jaw, he began to walk outside. "Please wait, honored sir. This official... this official will first go check on my child."

With that, he dismissed himself and his group of constables, while Li Huowang resheathed his bloodstained sword and turned towards the inn.

Upon reaching the inn, Li Huowang informed the still-anxious Gao Zhijian that the entire affair was nothing but a rumor. "It's nothing serious; they're just a group of pitiful people who were deceived. Everything will be fine once it's explained clearly." Li Huowang sat at the eight-immortal table, addressing the large man before him.

Knowing that everything was a hoax and that Pixian harbored no real danger, Li Huowang felt a significant sense of relief. After all that, it was merely a group of people ensnared by the Sitting-Forget Dao's deception. While helping these people break free from the Sitting-Forget Dao's deception was one task, Li Huowang also hadn't forgotten his true purpose for being in this place. No matter which Supervisor of Celestial Affairs was dispatched, if he resolved the trouble for them beforehand, they would have no choice but to engage with him. The beginning is always the hardest. Once he established contact with the Supervisors of Celestial Affairs, everything else would become much simpler.