Chapter 297: Heartfelt Simplicity

"Hahahahaha!!" Hong Zhong's laughter echoed around Li Huowang. "A Heart-Mind! Li Huowang, hahahahaha!"

Li Huowang sat there, holding a cup, bewildered, staring at the half-corpse in Tuoba Danqing's hand beside him, at the dead head and the internal organs still attached below.

After a long pause, Li Huowang's eyes slowly widened, and an expression of shock gradually appeared on his face. "So this is... a Heart-Mind..."

At that moment, his fists under the table were clenched very tightly, yet he showed no emotion on his face.

The drunken Tuoba Danqing was pleased to see Li Huowang's surprised expression, saying with a hint of pride, "Well? Never seen one, have you? To be honest, this is the first time even I've seen a Heart-Mind that was alive!"

Li Huowang trembled as he reached out and gently touched the Heart-Mind's face with his fingertips.

It was the face of a middle-aged man with a square jaw, seemingly around forty, with a full beard.

If one only looked at his appearance, it was an ordinary face, yet the features on this face were extremely contorted. The sorrow, indignation, and despair in his eyes were frozen along with his death.

Li Huowang himself understood physical and mental anguish very well. He knew that such an expression only appeared when someone died under extreme pain. This person, whose identity was the same as his, must have died a terrible death.

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Just a touch is fine. Strictly speaking, you're not qualified to see such a treasure. Letting you even glimpse it is an exception. This is a rare heavenly and earthly treasure destined for the national treasury."

Tuoba Danqing protected the Heart-Mind, stuffing it back into his tattered cloth bag.

Li Huowang mechanically raised his arm like a puppet, pouring the wine from his cup into his mouth. His expression and posture gradually relaxed. "Brother Tuoba, why is this Heart-Mind... only a head and internal organs?"

These words seemed to strike a chord with Tuoba Danqing, who immediately slapped the table in annoyance.

"Ah! We originally wanted to keep it alive. A living Heart-Mind is far more useful than a dead one. But guess what? When Lord Jixiang and I were nearing the border, someone actually intercepted us! We fought with all our might and only managed to snatch this much. It's truly a great pity."

Li Huowang nodded, the deep drunkenness gradually masking the shock on his face. "Ah, Brother Tuoba, it is a shame indeed. If this Heart-Mind were alive, it would be wonderful. I heard the 'bewilderment' in a Heart-Mind's brain is very useful."

Tuoba Danqing continued to boast, "More than that! The Heart-Mind's flesh is also a treasure! Brother Er, the Heart-Mind's flesh and bones, and its heart and liver, are all incredibly rare materials!"

"Let me tell you, Lord Jixiang has a powerful magical artifact refined using a Heart-Mind's 'Zhaocai' that can plunge another's spiritual consciousness into bewilderment when they're caught off guard. I heard someone offered two hundred years of lifespan for it, but he wouldn't sell it!"

"Zhaocai?"

"Zhaocai is the tongue, and the tongue is Zhaocai. You don't even understand these elegant terms, Brother Er, you still have a lot to learn."

"Regarding Heart-Minds, I've only heard of them before, never seen one. I never imagined there were so many intricacies. Brother Tuoba has truly broadened my horizons." Li Huowang raised his wine cup and toasted Tuoba Danqing.

"Broadened your horizons, haven't I? Heh heh, if you come out with me more often in the future, you'll see a lot more interesting things. Come on, let's drink, let's drink!" With that, he casually stuffed the Heart-Mind back into the cloth bag and continued drinking.

They drank from the second watch of the night until dawn, until Tuoba Danqing finally fell asleep, only then did the gathering break up.

Li Huowang helped the mumbling Tuoba Danqing into the guest room, supporting him onto the bed. Then, he picked up the yellow cloth bag containing the Heart-Mind, weighed it in his hand, and placed it to the left of Tuoba Danqing's ceramic pillow.

With a creak, as soon as Li Huowang closed the door, Tuoba Danqing, who had been snoring with his mouth open, suddenly opened his eyes, not a trace of drowsiness in them.

He propped up his head, first glancing towards the door, then reaching out to touch the yellow cloth bag beside the pillow. A look of approval appeared on his face. "Not bad, not bad. This lad showed no greed in his eyes at all when he saw the Heart-Mind. The person Hong Da brought in this time is much more reliable than last time."

Li Huowang, reeking of alcohol, stumbled along the street. Besides the two swords on his back, he was also carrying a large bag in his hand.

Under the morning sun, Li Huowang's face was devoid of joy or sorrow; he simply walked in silence.

Other people on the road, smelling the pungent alcohol on him and seeing his strange attire, couldn't help but cover their noses and steer clear.

"Where did this drunkard come from? Drinking so early in the morning."

"Exactly. Young people these days are getting worse and worse."

Accompanied by these voices, Li Huowang arrived at the inn where he was staying. As soon as he pushed open the door, Bai Lingmiao, who had been pacing anxiously inside, immediately came forward to meet him.

"Senior Brother Li, why did you leave without saying anything? You worried me sick! Have you been drinking?"

Li Huowang opened the things in his hand; inside were several bamboo-woven food containers. "I went out for dinner with someone last night. Let everyone try it. I got leftovers. These things are very expensive, so have a taste."

After speaking, he lay down stiffly on the bed and sighed deeply.

Seeing Li Huowang's low spirits, Bai Lingmiao no longer thought about eating. She sat by the bed, looking at Li Huowang's back. "Senior Brother Li, what exactly is wrong?"

Li Huowang sighed deeply again. "It's nothing, just some things didn't turn out as I expected. Miaomiao, I suddenly realized that in this cursed place, nothing is reliable. Lean on a mountain, the mountain falls; lean on water, the water flows away. In everything, you can only rely on yourself."

As he spoke, Li Huowang recalled that distorted face again. Besides the abbess's son, this was the third time Li Huowang had seen a Heart-Mind. A Heart-Mind that had been forcibly torn in half by others during a struggle.

After seeing that face, Li Huowang instantly understood that the powerful and numerous Supervisors of Heaven were not, and could never be, his reliable allies. On the contrary, they could turn into his enemies at any moment.

To completely rely on the Supervisors of Heaven and ultimately find a foothold in this dangerous world was nothing but a fool's dream.

These dangerous people could only ever be exploited from a distance, never approached with goodwill.

The moment he revealed his true identity, a friend who was just drinking with him could, the next second, tie him up and sell him.

Being a Heart-Mind was his original sin. As long as he carried this identity, he would be like the "Tang Monk's flesh" that everyone wanted a bite of.

Bai Lingmiao seemed to sense Li Huowang's heavy emotions. She leaned down, reached out, and gently stroked his back repeatedly with her palm, trying to comfort him.

"Senior Brother Li, don't worry. No matter what, you still have us."