Chapter 353: Heart Impurity

The blade was about to strike Ershen when Li Huowang’s coin sword instantly elongated. The coins linked together like a long whip, sweeping away Hong Da’s rusty blade.

“Wait!” Li Huowang, with an unusually grave expression, swiftly rushed forward, stepping between the two groups. “Everyone! She’s not a corrupted entity! She’s my wife!”

Jixiang lowered the rotten wood ruyi scepter in his hand and asked, somewhat perplexed, “Your wife? We don’t believe it! Have your wife remove her red veil; it might be a corrupted entity trying to sneak through.”

Before Li Huowang could agree, Shentu Gang lightly tapped the leather drum at his waist. Ershen responded by tapping rhythmically as well, the drumbeats echoing as if they were communicating.

When the drumming ceased, Ershen, with a single hand, snatched off her red veil.

“Oh, my dear mother! What is this! Brother Er, is this truly your wife?” Observing Ershen’s terrifying face, a grotesque blend of human and beast, the others were visibly startled.

Li Huowang ignored them. Pulling Ershen a few steps away, he asked with a grave expression, “Why are you here? Where’s Miaomiao? Did she follow you?”

Ershen first shook her head, then trembled as she leaned in, wrapping her arms tightly around Li Huowang’s waist. Her feline, beast-like eyes, three times larger than a normal person’s, showed a possessive affection. “Husband… I missed you.”

Her sharp fangs gently nibbled at Li Huowang’s neck, while two tongues, intertwined, emerged from within her mouth, ceaselessly licking his skin.

“Are you done yet?!” Li Huowang grasped her shoulders, setting her straight, and glared at her with a grim expression. “I don’t have time for this right now. It’s very dangerous here; leave immediately!”

“Husband, are you worried about me?” Ershen’s cavernous mouth split open, stretching to her earlobes.

Li Huowang, his expression unusually grave, stepped closer, cupped her head, and then, staring into the largest eye on her face, said word by word, “Leave this place! Now!!”

“Alright…” Her long tongue swept across Li Huowang’s face, and Ershen, with a peculiar smile, turned and left the village.

“Mother?” A voice near his ear made Li Huowang’s expression darken further. “Shut up, she’s not your mother!”

“Brother Er, is she truly your wife?” Tuoba Danqing was so shocked that he stopped polishing the two patinated walnuts in his hands.

Before Li Huowang could reply, Shentu Gang, the shaman, spoke up, his tone extremely hostile. “What? Do you have a problem with that?”

Having said that, Shentu Gang jutted his chin towards Li Huowang. “That big sister is quite good; don’t let her down.”

“Alright, alright, that’s enough. Let’s go, are you here on a mission or on a pleasure trip?” Jixiang, looking anxious, began to urge them impatiently.

Li Huowang glanced in the direction Ershen had vanished, then composed himself and followed Jixiang and the others towards the village.

He wasn’t sure if the woman would listen to him, so it was best to finish quickly and leave before Miaomiao got involved.

Jixiang’s golden abacus began clicking again, its sound, combined with Tuoba Danqing’s walnut-polishing, reverberating throughout the village.

Li Huowang set aside his distractions, remaining constantly alert for any potential corrupted entities.

As they walked, a collapsed earthen courtyard appeared to their left. Beneath a pomegranate tree laden with fruit stood several figures.

Upon closer inspection, Li Huowang realized they weren’t people, but human-shaped agglomerations of vines and weeds, meticulously arranged beside them.

Just as Li Huowang wondered if these were creations of a corrupted entity, Hong Da hurled two small rusty blades. They instantly shredded the humanoid plants, scattering debris through the air.

“...Ah...” An extremely piercing scream erupted from deep within the village.

“Go! Follow!” Shentu Gang, who had been idle until now, began to move. He strode rapidly towards the sound.

As he charged, he vigorously slapped the leather drum at his waist, beginning his shamanic dance.

His spirit-summoning incantation, unlike those of Li Zhi or Bai Lingmiao, was exceptionally domineering in tone.

“From above, spirits and gods descend! Devour demons, swallow devils, bring peace to all four directions! When immortals are called, they respond! When gods are called, they heed!”

Suddenly, Li Huowang felt as if all colors around him began to fade.

Goosebumps involuntarily rose on Li Huowang’s skin. He knew something was approaching, but he didn’t know what.

This shaman, Shentu Gang, was clearly extraordinary, perhaps possessing power akin to Danyangzi in his prime. Jixiang must have gone to great lengths to find him.

“Er Jiu! Lend me your blade!” Hong Da offered a rusty blade to Li Huowang. Li Huowang nodded and swiftly took it.

The screaming ceased, but Jixiang and Shentu Gang had clearly pinpointed the corrupted entity. One beat the drum, the other worked the abacus, their sounds reverberating ceaselessly throughout the village, which itself seemed to begin twisting.

Although the corrupted entity still hadn’t appeared, it was evident that a struggle had begun.

In this situation, Li Huowang’s repertoire of deadly techniques was clearly useless.

Rather than standing by idly, Li Huowang decided to try the only thing he could do. He bit through his fingertip and swiftly drew on the turmeric paper.

He didn’t know if the divination performed with the talisman would work in these circumstances, but it was a last resort.

Recalling the fissures on the skull he had brought, Li Huowang began to scan his surroundings, trying to find similar patterns.

Amidst the surrounding noise, as Li Huowang kept looking, suddenly his gaze focused on the rusty blade in his hand.

Its tip was pointing directly towards a spiderweb on a stone well in the distance.

The spiderweb, torn by something, had a pattern identical to the one revealed by his divination.

“Could it be that this rusty blade from Hong Da also enhances divination?” Li Huowang drew his weapon and slowed his pace, approaching the well.

Carefully using the rusty blade in his hand to part the vines and thorns, Li Huowang peered down into the well.

The next moment, his pupils constricted to pinpricks: a person was standing in the well’s mud!

Just as the person sensed the light from above and sharply looked up, Li Huowang quickly averted his gaze to avoid falling into their trap.

Li Huowang, his heart pounding, abruptly turned and shouted to the others, “Quick! There’s something here…”

Mid-sentence, Li Huowang froze. “What was I just about to say? What’s here?!”

Hearing his voice, the others looked towards Li Huowang. Tuoba Danqing then spoke, asking in surprise, “Brother Er, why are you standing by the well with a rusty blade?”

“Rusty blade?” Li Huowang glanced at Tuoba Danqing, Jixiang, and Shentu Gang, one by one.

“Yes, where did this rusty blade come from? When did it get into my hand?”