Chapter 303: White Family

"Heh, Li Huowang, be careful. This kid is lying to you." Li Huowang looked up at Hong Zhong, who had just spoken.

Hong Zhong, eyeless and skinless, sat atop Peng Longteng's head. Seeing Li Huowang look at him, he bared a row of stark white teeth.

Li Huowang's lips twitched slightly. He looked around at the crowd but said nothing.

His composure was still lacking; he couldn't remain unperturbed in the face of these hallucinatory words.

As for what Hong Zhong said, Li Huowang completely disregarded it. To put it another way, he wouldn't even trust a punctuation mark coming from Hong Zhong.

Li Huowang's gaze shifted from Hong Zhong to Bai Sai beside him. He was very attentive to a detail in what the other man had just said.

"Clan Elder Bai, you said they came to trouble you because your son picked up a stone. Could you tell me what kind of stone it was?"

Bai Sai furrowed his brows in thought for a moment, then used his hands to gesture its size in the air for Li Huowang.

"It was an orange stone. About this big, and it felt very warm to the touch. The boy picked it up from the field and brought it home, intending to use it to warm his grandmother's knees."

"Is the stone still there? May I take a look at it?"

Bai Sai sighed dejectedly. "Our entire family was being escorted, so how could we keep hold of it? It was snatched away by the young man with the wooden mask long ago."

"A fist-sized stone that emits its own heat?" If that stone was some kind of rare spiritual treasure, then this was an incident where an evil entity, disguised as a Censorate official, was seizing a treasure.

However, something felt off about it. Putting himself in their shoes, Li Huowang realized that if he were the one trying to seize the treasure, he would either steal it, or if he couldn't, he would openly seize it and then eliminate everyone involved.

Forcing all these people into wooden cangues and driving them such a long distance towards the capital didn't seem logical. The other party must have had their own objective for doing so.

Li Huowang stood still and asked Bai Sai again, "Clan Elder Bai, how tall is the person you mentioned, the one with the wooden mask?"

It sounded like the White Impermanence hallucination he had seen earlier was created by this person.

"Hmm, about your height, and his voice was young. On the road, if someone was disobedient, that scoundrel could make people see terrifying things in their minds that aren't usually visible."

Hearing Bai Sai say this, many in the crowd clearly showed a hint of fear in their eyes. It seemed they had been tormented by the masked man using this ability.

Li Huowang nodded silently. It seemed the giant White Impermanence he had seen earlier must have been an illusion, created by that person using some method.

It didn't quite seem like a simple illusion, though; ordinarily, such common tricks shouldn't be able to deceive him now.

With too little information available, Li Huowang was completely bewildered about what had truly happened.

"Oh, Benefactor, since we've escaped, let's not worry so much. We should leave quickly. It would be a huge problem if that person held a grudge and came looking for us again." Bai Sai was very worried, clearly thinking of the entire Niuxin Village.

Li Huowang actually wanted to ask more questions, but hearing what the other man said, he remained silent.

Regardless, these were still Bai Lingmiao's family members, and he certainly had to save them.

Without the wooden cangues, everyone walked noticeably lighter, and expressions of relief after a narrow escape were visible on their faces.

They continued walking until midday, when the elderly and children in the group could no longer endure, forcing them to stop and rest.

"Mom, I'm hungry." A child tugged at his mother's clothes.

It wasn't just the children who were hungry; the adults were too, they just didn't say anything.

Although Li Huowang had some dry rations on his horse, there were so many people that distributing it would likely not even be enough to fill a tooth gap.

Seeing their empty hands, it was clear they had no food. Li Huowang thought for a moment and said, "We should reach a village tomorrow. We can buy food there. As for today..."

At this, Li Huowang patted the horse's slender neck. "Let's slaughter the horse first."

One horse had enough meat to feed many people.

Bai Sai immediately shook his head upon hearing this. "Benefactor, what are you saying? For something as simple as filling our stomachs, there's no need for you to slaughter your own mount."

After speaking, he turned and called out to the crowd, "Hey... Liangzi! Take those from the third and fourth households into the woods to find some food! And be quick about it!"

"Understood!" A strong young man led some people towards the forest.

Li Huowang was about to help, but others quickly stopped him. "Benefactor, please sit, please sit. This is a small matter; let the younger generation handle it. Oh, Feng, the Benefactor is sweating, please get some large leaves to fan him!"

Unable to refuse them, Li Huowang was compelled to sit down and enjoy the fanning of a plump young girl.

Li Huowang had initially thought they were going into the forest to find some wild fruits or vegetables. However, an hour later, amidst the rustling of leaves, they returned carrying two sika deer and several muntjacs in their hands.

Seeing Li Huowang's surprised expression, Bai Sai explained proudly, "Those who live by the mountains live off the mountains. Since we live near Niuxin Mountain, our Bai family is naturally skilled at hunting. Catching some animals is nothing unusual."

After speaking, he quickly called out to his clansmen to start a fire and then presented the most delicious venison to Li Huowang, carrying it on a flat pebble.

Looking at the faces before him, eager to please yet full of anticipation, Li Huowang felt truly awkward. He had never been treated this way before.

Only when they saw Li Huowang pick up the venison with his hand and put it into his mouth under his copper coin mask did the others begin to eat what was left.

That night, during the watch, Li Huowang once again received special treatment.

"Benefactor, please go to sleep. Let the younger generation keep watch tonight. Their vitality is strong, so ordinary evil spirits won't dare approach."

"Young people have strong vitality?" Li Huowang glanced at the teenagers by the bonfire. "Clan Elder Bai, is there a specific reason for that?"

"Uh... a reason? There's no particular reason or explanation for it. My father just taught me this way."

Hearing this, Li Huowang sighed in disappointment. After all that, it was just hearsay again. Why were the people here so superstitious?

As Li Huowang slowly closed his eyes, the surroundings gradually quieted. Besides the crackling of burning wood, there was only the increasingly soft sound of breathing.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but in his hazy state, Li Huowang felt something approaching him.

When he suddenly opened his eyes, he found himself in a hazy mist. Seeing that Hong Zhong, the monk, and the others were nowhere in sight, Li Huowang immediately realized this was not a real place.

"Who?" "Who?" "Who?" Li Huowang's echo reverberated further and further in this misty world.

Faintly, the giant White Impermanence materialized from the thin mist. It didn't walk out; instead, it was suspended, dangling by a rope around its neck.

"Who are you?" "Who are you?" "Who are you?" A sinister echo continuously circled Li Huowang.

"Why did you ruin my plans?" "Why did you ruin my plans?" "Why did you ruin my plans?"