Chapter 295: 拓跋

With a buzzing sound, the cotton wadding that had been stuffed in his ears for a long time was pulled out, and various sounds flooded Li Huowang's ears.

The chatter from the next room, the shouts from outside the window, and even the thumping of his own heart were incredibly clear and loud.

Li Huowang painfully closed his eyes, forcing himself to distinguish the sounds. Finally, after a significant effort, he managed to hear, amidst the cacophony, the Black Tai Sui's characteristic sporadic voice.

"I'm talking to you! Can you hear me?!" Li Huowang yelled, straining his voice amidst the din.

Soon, the Black Tai Sui responded. Its reply was not terrifying whispers or dark, unfamiliar languages; instead, it was still simple, unrelated words.

"Mouth... Wood... Wu..."

"What exactly are you saying?! Can you understand me?! If I die, you won't survive either! Let's talk!"

This thing could freely crawl out of his nose and throat. Leaving it unchecked was definitely not an option; he had to find a way to deal with it.

He had originally intended to negotiate with the entity, believing that whatever its purpose, they could discuss it.

However, reality did not follow Li Huowang's plan. In response to his questions, the Black Tai Sui still responded with those simple syllables.

Hearing these overly simple single syllables, Li Huowang felt as though he was conversing with a babbling infant.

"An infant? An infant?!" Li Huowang suddenly realized something. Clutching his head, he stood up and called for the innkeeper to bring him writing implements. Enduring the increasingly noisy sounds in his ears, he began to record the Black Tai Sui's words.

"Mouth... Wood... Water... Fire... Field... Culture..."

One by one, simple-stroked characters were written on the paper. Looking at the sequence and these familiar characters, a hint of realization dawned in Li Huowang's eyes.

"No wonder the words coming out of its mouth sounded so familiar! It turns out everything this thing was saying was what I had previously taught Scholar Lu!"

The truth was now clear. This was also why the Black Tai Sui only spoke simple-sounding words: because it only knew these.

It had simply learned a few words by chance while he was teaching the scholar.

The Black Tai Sui didn't understand the meaning of these characters at all. All it did was repeat them endlessly.

"This Black Tai Sui can't even speak proper words. How am I supposed to communicate with it?" Li Huowang re-stuffed the cotton wadding into his ears.

He paced around the room for a long time, hands behind his back, considering various methods, but he ultimately rejected them all.

It was currently inside his stomach, and to suppress the hallucinations, it was impossible to get rid of it. To solve this problem, he could only think of other ways.

After much deliberation, Li Huowang realized he could only resort to a clumsy method: teaching the Black Tai Sui to read and speak.

Once it learned to speak, he could communicate with it. In the last battle against the Sit-Forget Sect, it had produced an unexpected effect.

As long as they could communicate effectively, this thing might even be used as a hidden weapon.

Li Huowang didn't know how long it would take to teach a mass of tentacles to speak, but he was certain it wouldn't be a short process. That's why it was a clumsy method.

"Alright, if I have to teach it, I will. It's better than no solution at all." Li Huowang settled down with a struggle and picked up another yellowish rice paper, spreading it out.

Li Huowang knew that teaching the Black Tai Sui to speak was not something that could be accomplished overnight, so he could take his time.

Compared to this, he had other, more important matters: collecting his payment from the Big Head Doll. This was the first assignment he had taken from the Jiantian Division.

Feeling that his injuries had mostly healed, Li Huowang told the others to pack up and set off. This time, no amount of persuasion would change his mind.

Bai Lingmiao argued with him for a while. Finally, Li Huowang conceded a step, bought a carriage, and spent the entire journey lying in it.

After a long journey on the road, by the time Li Huowang arrived back in the exceptionally prosperous and bustling Yinling City, the wounds on his chest had completely healed.

However, his lost eye and the two ribs in his waist had not grown back.

He didn't know why. Compared to his skin, flesh, and nails, his bones and eyeballs healed very slowly.

"Senior Brother Li," Gou Wa said, standing at the gates of Yinling City and offering his suggestion to Li Huowang, "according to the map, we don’t necessarily have to enter the city. This small path is quicker. Master Lu travels from place to place, singing. Perhaps we aren’t even as fast as him.”

"Enough talk," Li Huowang replied. "Into the city. The same inn as before. Go reserve rooms."

Li Huowang, of course, wouldn't tell this bigmouth that he was here to collect payment from the Jiantian Division.

All his previous arduous efforts hadn't they been for this very purpose?

Li Huowang had originally thought that if the other party didn't show up, he would stay a few extra nights. However, it was clear that Yinling City was filled with their eyes.

That night, at the second watch, when Li Huowang arrived at the stables, the Big Head Doll was already sitting on a pile of horse feed, holding a yellow cloth bag, waiting.

Before Li Huowang could speak, the Big Head Doll sprang from the horse feed and came before him. Its tone was noticeably much gentler than before.

"Heh heh, I really didn't expect it," the Big Head Doll chuckled. "You actually have some real skill. The Gan Yuan Village matter was handled beautifully; not a single person died."

Hearing this, Li Huowang's suspended heart finally settled. The test was passed; he had finally officially joined the Jiantian Division.

"Not at all, not at all," Li Huowang humbly replied. "I was just lucky."

"Ah, well, good luck is also a skill!" the Big Head Doll said. "You shouldn't be so modest, kid. Oh, by the way, you weren't hurt, were you? If you suffered any injuries, whether internal or external, there are people in the division who can heal you."

Seeing Li Huowang shake his head, the Big Head Doll grabbed the doll head mask on its head and, with a tug, pulled it off.

Li Huowang discovered that beneath the Big Head Doll's mask was an unusually kind and plump face. Its small, mung bean-sized eyes blinked amusingly.

This smiling, plump middle-aged man clasped his hands together, bowed slightly to Li Huowang, and plastered a cheerful smile on his face.

"I'm truly sorry," he said. "But without testing your abilities and understanding your background, I truly wouldn't dare bring you into the Division."

He reached into his sleeve and pulled out five Longevity Pills, wrapped in yellow talismans. "Here, these are what you gave me before. I'm returning them to you now."

"Senior, what are you doing?" Li Huowang asked, reaching out to push them back. "Once something is given, there's no reason to take it back."

"Take them, just take them for now, and listen to me," the man said, forcefully placing the Longevity Pills into Li Huowang's hand. He then slowly continued, "You know that I was the one who brought you in, so if anything were to happen to you in the future, I'd be held accountable. This is essentially an insurance policy."

"However, if you truly want to join the Jiantian Division," the plump man said with a smile, "then this insurance policy won't be necessary. Wouldn't you agree?" His demeanor made it hard to refuse him.

"I am a few years older than you," he continued. "My surname is Tuoba, and my given name is Danqing. Virtuous Brother Erjiu, if you don't mind, you can call me Brother Tuoba." This was the first time the other party had revealed their surname to Li Huowang, which clearly signified something.

Li Huowang bowed in return. "Thank you, Brother Tuoba," he said.

"Ah, consider this my congratulatory gift to you," Tuoba Danqing said. "From now on, we are family. I wish you a bright future, Brother Erjiu!"

Looking at the Longevity Pills in his hand, Li Huowang's heart immediately felt a warmth. He didn't care about a single Longevity Pill, but rather the other party's attitude.

Ever since he emerged from Qingfeng Temple, apart from the deceased abbess, everyone else had either tried to beat him or kill him. Everyone wanted to harm him; there hadn't been a moment of peace.

Li Huowang was no naive youngster. He naturally knew that the other party's demeanor was probably feigned. But for so long, heaven knows, he hadn't even experienced feigned kindness.

Tuoba Danqing extended a hand and led Li Huowang out of the stables. "Come, come, Virtuous Brother," he said, "this isn't the place to talk. Let's find somewhere more comfortable."