Mutated Tao

Li Huowang patted Bun’s head gently and stared at the departing little girl through the semi-transparent black veil.

A hint of envy blossomed in his heart as he mused, How nice would it be to regress to the time when I knew nothing…

A muffled bang echoed just then, and the ship swayed to the left. The people fighting inside the cabin immediately turned into a tangled mess as they rolled to the left.

Li Huowang unsheathed his sword and thrust it into the ground. Then, he reached out and grabbed Bun’s tail. That was such a massive rogue wave. Is the carriage in the lower deck okay?

Li Huowang couldn't help but feel nervous as he thought about the consequences of Black Taisui breaking free in the cabin. He couldn't wait for the ship to stabilize as he stumbled toward the stern of the ship.

Li Huowang breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the carriage he had nailed down to secure was doing fine. The blindfolded horse was still quietly chewing on horse fodder as well.

Li Huowang examined the carriage carefully to reassure himself.

After a while, he turned around to leave and was astonished to find that the people in the cabin had gone missing. The thin leaf cards on the ground were scattered haphazardly on the floor.

A muffled bang echoed once more, and the entire cabin swayed violently.

He gripped his sword and rushed toward the deck.

The pouring rain quickly drenched Li Huowang, and he eventually found the people from the cabin. They hadn't inexplicably vanished but had gathered on the deck, listening to the captain roaring while gesticulating wildly..

“Who was the idiot who lied about their surname?! Come out! Everyone on this ship is going to end up as fish food, and it's all because of you!”

Boom!

A deafening noise echoed, and the ship swayed deeper; everyone on board was frantic, creating a cacophonous din that pervaded the entire deck despite the pouring rain.

Li Huowang noticed something amiss. At first, he thought a rogue wave caused the swaying of the ship, but the nearby sea was calm. Clearly, the ship was swaying not because of powerful, towering waves but because of something else.

Li Huowang walked up to the railings and peered into the water. Perhaps it was due to the dark clouds in the sky, but the deep blue sea had become a mysterious ink-green color.

Bang!

A violent tremor ran across the ship.

Li Huowang clapped his eyes on a blurry figure underwater, and strands of black hair swayed gently in the water as they rose to the surface.

There really is something in the water. Li Huowang's expression turned ugly at the thought that there was something similar to a sea god in the waters.

Nothing had happened during the majority of the trip, and the chaos only happened when they would soon arrive at their destination. Just as Li Huowang was contemplating what he was supposed to do, he heard powerful knocks behind him.

The captain was on all fours, knocking his head on the floor. Blood flowed out of his forehead as he stood up and drew a dagger from his waist.

“Who the hell is it?!" the captain roared desperately, "If you're not going to come out, then I’m going to kill everyone!”

The captain’s bloody and desperate look scared everyone.

The young man with a bandaged forehead hurriedly pointed at the pale yellow woman next to him and said, “It’s her! I heard her calling her daughter by her nickname! Her daughter’s surname is Chen!”

The captain rushed toward the little girl as if he had seen an oasis in the middle of a desert. The captain grabbed the little girl by the arm; she was the same little girl who had given Li Huowang a sesame candy earlier.

“A person with the surname Chen actually dared to board the ship?! Damn it, how come the Dragon King didn't find her until it was too late!”

“What are you doing?! Let go of my daughter!” exclaimed the pale yellow woman.

“The Dragon King is already knocking on our doors! What do you think I'm about to do?! Damn it, let go!” the captain roared.

The din created by the roars and the cries of the little girl pervaded the deck, but it sounded muted amidst the torrential rain.

Bang!

The ship swayed upon getting hit by something.

The onlookers panicked and tugged at the pale yellow woman to force her to let go of her daughter.

Li Huowang was about to, but a voice echoed from next to him.

“Are you guys still humans? You actually want to feed a child to an evil spirit in the sea?”

Hmm? Li Huowang looked up to see that the bearded bald man had spoken up. The bearded bald man was one of the best leaf card players from earlier.

Since someone else had intervened, Li Huowang didn't bother to step up. He stood calmly, ready to watch how things would unfold. If someone else would handle the situation, he was happy to remain an onlooker.

The captain wiped away the rain on his face and turned to the bearded bald man, shouting, “Talk is cheap! The Dragon King is in the water! My ship won’t last a few more hits, and if the ship sinks, we're all going to die!”

"You want to throw that child into the sea, but do you really think that what's in there will calm down and leave once you've thrown that child into the sea?"

“Of course! This Dragon King only eats people with the surname Chen! We'll survive once we've thrown her into the sea!”

“You fool! Move aside!” The bearded bald man pushed the captain aside and walked toward the bow of the ship. He gestured with both of his hands, creating hand seals while chanting an incantation toward the inky-black water.

The bearded bald man looked ordinary, but he definitely had tricks up his sleeves.

Li Huowang pondered briefly before asking, “Are you confident?”

“Would I be here if I weren't? Also, I can’t back down now, can I? A real man won’t shrink back and watch a little girl die for me.”

Li Huowang glanced at the little girl in her mother’s arms and nodded. “Well said.”

The bearded bald man glanced at Li Huowang and finally noticed the latter's strange attire. “Who are you, and which sect are you from?”

Before Li Huowang could answer, the ship swayed once more, and a creaking noise echoed from beneath the ship. The creaking that sounded loud and clear even amidst the rain sent shivers down everyone's spine.

The captain urgently shouted, “She can’t hold on anymore! Hurry up and do whatever you need to do!”

Li Huowang took off his hat and stepped onto the ship’s railings. He looked down at the black hair on the surface and noticed that they had multiplied. “Regardless of what's underneath, let’s work together. Hopefully, our combined strength is stronger than this thing."

The bearded bald man cast a solemn gaze at Li Huowang’s skinless head and nodded.

“It's coming! Get ready!” Li Huowang roared. Then, he unsheathed his bronze coin sword and crouched down.

The bearded bald man took out some Buddhist beads and placed them on his fingers.

A black shadow emerged from the waters.

Li Huowang jumped into the waters.

The clumps of black hair on the surface of the water seemed to come alive, and they moved to catch Li Huowang in mid-air.

Li Huowang's mouth fluttered open as he chanted a quick incantation. The bronze coins came to life, and there was a flash of light as the clumps of black hair were sliced into pieces.

Li Huowang took a deep breath before landing in the cold sea.

Splash!

The salty seawater enveloped Li Huowang instantly, and he immediately shivered in pain as if he had been dunked into a cauldron of hot oil.

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