Mutated Tao

It was evening.

Li Huowang walked silently on a meandering forest path. According to the directions he had received from the nuns at the Benevolent Nunnery, this path would lead him to a continuous mountain range. The Ao Jing Sect that he was looking for, was located within these mountains.

Ever since he had fully awakened in the Zephyr Temple, he had been living with others. He wasn’t really accustomed to solitude.

“It’s so peaceful,” Li Huowang mumbled to himself, observing the sparse foliage around him. The further he walked, the more barren the land became. The tranquility of the environment gradually helped calm his restless heart.

Li Huowang raised both hands and stretched lazily. After a sigh, he lifted his right foot and continued walking.

Night fell as he hurried along, forcing him to retrieve a glowing stone to light his way.

However, before long, he decided to put away the glowing stone; the moon had risen, and with no clouds in sight, its bright light was enough to illuminate the forest path clearly.

Under the white moonlight, Li Huowang continued his solitary journey. His legs were beginning to ache from walking all day.

If I manage to survive, then I have to learn how to ride a horse.

By the time the full moon hung high, he was too fatigued to continue. He leaned against a tree and pulled out a hard steamed bun to nibble on. He intended to take just a few bites before sleeping.

At that moment, Li Huowang suddenly stopped chewing and focused his eyes on a point in the darkness; he sensed something there.

Besides his sense of pain and taste, Li Huowang’s other senses had also surpassed an ordinary person’s. He could clearly feel that he was being watched by something.

“Who’s there?” he exclaimed.

At that moment, a yellow figure timidly crawled out from the forest. It was a large dog with a yellow body and pale legs. It did not seem to be in good condition—it had lost quite a bit of its fur, had many ticks clinging to its body, and it was so emaciated that its rib cage was visible.

“A dog?” Li Huowang looked around at the desolate surroundings; this did not seem like a place where one would find a dog.

The dog stared at the cold steamed bun in Li Huowang’s hand, its lips quivering and its tail wagging toward him.

“I don’t care what you’ve turned into. Go away!” Li Huowang’s brows furrowed as he placed his hand on the Profound Records. Whether it was a real dog or not, he just wanted to continue his journey without any complications.

The dog backed away cautiously, but it did not give up. Instead, it began to wag its tail even more vigorously.

Seeing this, Li Huowang violently shook the bronze bell, frightening the dog and causing it to flee into the forest.

Just as he was about to store the bell, his expression suddenly froze. “Damn! Why now of all times!”

In the pitch-black forest, the dog’s ears drooped as it carefully stuck its head out from underneath the leaves, only to witness an inexplicable scene. The person sitting under the tree was smiling cordially, and talking to the bright, round moon in the sky.

“Dad, you’re back? Yes, I know. I’m fine.”

“Yes, I know that you two are not some hallucination. My brain was just a bit fuzzy earlier. Now… I’m able to tell the difference.”

The dog paced around for a long time, and observed that the person did not show any signs of hostility. Then, it turned its gaze to the half-eaten steamed bun that had rolled onto the floor.

Just as it was about to cautiously move toward the bun and bite into it, the person spoke up, making it once again shrink back.

“Mom, I’m not eating the oranges. There’s no need to remove my restraints; it’s good that both my hands are tied up.”

“Right, have you exchanged the gold for money and paid off all our debts? That’s good.”

“Mom, you have a lot more white hair now. Go and dye it. Weren’t you fond of perming your hair?” Li Huowang chuckled and reached out one hand as though trying to touch the moon.

“Ah, don’t ask me any more questions. All I can tell you is that gold was clean. Did you sell the jade pendant as well? No? Why not?”

The dog cautiously circled around Li Huowang. When it noticed that he did not pay any attention to itself, it once again moved forward carefully, then quickly picked up the bun and ran away. It was simply too hungry.

The dog ran into the forest and choked on the bun while eating. After it recovered, it once again came back to the side of the main path and looked over longingly.

Its acute sense of smell allowed it to know that the person still had more food in his bag, and even had meat!

“Sell the jade pendant, and buy back our house; it can only be called home when we own the house.”

“No, don’t leave any money aside for my medical expenses. Just find a place, and then tie me up with an iron chain.”

“Mom, I’m not lying. Ah, please don’t cry. I really haven’t fallen ill again.”

“Woo~” The dog tilted its head at Li Huowang. It could not understand what he was doing. It cautiously crept toward him, then wagged its tail incessantly. “Woo~ woo~”

At that moment, the dog noticed that Li Huowang had finally taken notice of itself, and began to wag its tail even more energetically.

“Hehe, who sent this rag doll? It’s ugly, just like a dog… Dog! Hold on! The dog is still around!”

Li Huowang had been calm until just a moment ago, but suddenly stood up. His expression became twisted as he bellowed at the dog, “I told you to scram! Do you want to die?!”

This sudden outburst caused the dog to be scared out of its wits as it whimpered and ran back into the forest. When it timidly stuck its head out again, it saw the person talking to the moon remorsefully.

“Mom, don’t be afraid; this has nothing to do with you. I’m not having an episode. Just that there are some things I need to settle on that side.”

“Really. Why don’t you guys leave for now, and come back to visit me later. I need to settle some matters on that side.”

“Alright, alright, I know. There’s no ‘that side’. Right, that’s all a hallucination. I will do my best and cooperate with the medical treatment.”

“Woof~” The dog barked at the red-clothed Taoist.

At that moment, Li Huowang suddenly became alert, and his unfocused eyes looked left and right.

Something’s wrong. There’s movement.

He slowly unsheathed his sword and vigilantly scanned his surroundings. Even though his expression was guarded, it soon became irritated.

“I can’t explain! I have no choice! Go first! You guys go first!” Li Huowang’s anxious cries echoed into the distance.

That night, Li Huowang did not sleep a wink. In his hallucination, he tried one method after another to protect himself against the threats in reality.

But when the hallucination gradually faded, he realized that his methods had been ineffective.

He was standing in the center of a small river while hugging that dog he had seen last night. At this moment, it was affectionately licking his chin.

This situation suggested that some things he was not aware of must have happened last night.

Ah… looks like I really can’t do without any company.

Li Huowang carried the dog toward the shore.

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