Mutated Tao

“Senior Li? Senior Li?”

Bai Lingmiao called out softly. Before her, Li Huowang was absent-mindedly staring at the soup that had cooled for quite a while.

“Senior Li, what’s wrong?” Bai Lingmiao gently touched his hand, which caused Li Huowang to abruptly snap out of his daze.

“Nothing much. I’m just thinking about the dream from yesterday,” Li Huowang handed the bowl and chopsticks over to her.

“That bad dream? It’s okay; my mother said that dreams are inverse of the truth,” Bai Lingmiao took the bowl and chopsticks, then headed towards the riverbank.

Inverse? Li Huowang stared at Zhuge Yuan in the distance silently.

When Bai Lingmiao returned with the cleaned utensils, Li Huowang shook his head, “Forget it; it’s just a dream after all. Maybe it’s just my mind wandering at night.”

Just as he was about to leave, Li Huowang suddenly noticed someone missing, “Miaomiao, where’s Li Sui?”

“She's playing in the water not too far away.”

Then, he walked toward the river to find Li Sui.

Li Huowang saw Li Sui’s oversized raincoat, but he didn’t see her playing in the water. Instead, Li Sui was sprawled out by the river like a dog, staring at a few wriggling carps before her.

“You've captured those fish, so why are you staring at them instead of eating them?” Li Huowang asked.

“I’ve eaten my share. This is Second Mom’s share. I’m waiting for her,” Li Sui said.

Li Sui's words made Li Huowang retract his hand, which was about to pat her head.

Li Huowang looked at Li Sui with a complex expression. Had she yet to realize that the Second Deity was no more?

Just then, there was movement in the bushes to the left, which made Li Sui perk up. A wild gray rabbit dashed out, prompting Li Sui to lower her head dejectedly, resting it on her crossed forelimbs.

“Li Sui, stop waiting for her. Second Mom is gone and won’t come back.”

For the first time ever, Li Sui didn't believe Li Huowang’s words. “Second Mom will definitely come back. She told me that she would come back.”

“Li Sui!”

Li Huowang’s reprimand made Li Sui feel wronged. “Why won’t you let me wait for Second Mom? She clearly said she would come back.”

Li Huowang sighed deeply, and then he reached out to pick her up from the ground. He then proceeded to stroke her wriggling tentacles. “It’s all over, and we need to move on.”

Just as he said that, Li Huowang heard familiar chewing noises behind him.

“Second Mom!” Li Sui broke free from Li Huowang’s embrace and rushed forward in delight. “I knew you would come back!”

When Li Huowang turned around, he was shocked to see the Second Deity with a red veil. She was picking up the wriggling carps and were stuffing them into her red veil.

This... this is impossible! Li Huowang rushed over in disbelief and lifted the Second Deity’s red veil.

“Ah!” Li Huowang was shocked by what he saw, and he suddenly found himself sitting and panting in the carriage while covered in a layer of cold sweat.

Bai Lingmiao took out a white handkerchief and gently wiped away the cold sweat from his forehead, “Senior Li, you've been having bad dreams over these past few days.”

Li Huowang didn’t answer. He cast a strange gaze at her before looking around.

He then decisively pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and stabbed it into his left forearm.

The piercing pain made Li Huowang sigh in relief. That was a dream just now, and it wasn’t real.

“Ah! Senior Li, what are you doing!” Bai Lingmiao knelt down before Li Huowang, and she frantically looked for a needle and thread to suture the wound.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine. I just need to... sober up!” Li Huowang exclaimed, twisting the hand holding the dagger.

“Senior Li, why don’t you stop cultivating in such a ravenous way? There’s no rush now anyway.”

“No! I only have two years, and I must seize every moment! It has nothing to do with my cultivation! I think there's something wrong with the dream itself!”

Li Huowang’s expression turned serious. Could it be Shai Zi? I've been avoiding other people so they can see no gaps in reality. Does that mean they've decided to try and deceive me through my dreams?

It was just speculation, but Li Huowang had to be cautious. Against a Shai Zi, it was never wrong to be vigilant.

“Miaomiao, Li Sui, have you guys had any dreams these days?” Li Huowang asked the two of them.

“Senior Li, I haven’t.”

“Dad, what’s a dream?”

Li Huowang was slightly relieved. At least, he was the only one suffering.

Li Huowang pulled open the curtains. Then, he turned to the misty forest and roared, “Shai Zi! Stop fooling around! I can’t help you with this! Go find someone else!”

His voice echoed pervaded the woods. Apart from startling a few birds, there seemed to be no other response. Li Huowang closed the curtains and turned to Bai Lingmiao, who was still suturing his wound and said, “Let's stop traveling and find a place to settle down instead. We'll stay there for a year or so, and then we’ll come back. We have to keep taking it slow!”

The carriage no longer wandered aimlessly on the road, as they headed towards the distant mountains.

Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain, Li Huowang looked around for a sturdy rock wall and picked up his spine sword.

Li Huowang slashed out, carving open a cavity in the cliff. The rocks were sent directly to the Great Qi. After a while, a clean and tidy cave appeared before Li Huowang.

With the carriage serving as the cave's door, the cave dimmed and became silent.

A bonfire was soon made, and it cast an orange light on the rock walls, making the cave feel much warmer.

After eating fragrant buns for dinner, it was time for Li Huowang to cultivate again. He wasn’t afraid of Shai Zi while he was cultivating. Even he himself dared not approach a Strayed One that was cultivating the "Truth."

Li Huowang stood guard at the entrance of the cave, and he sat down cross-legged with closed eyes. As he took a deep breath, he used the so-called "inner sight" from his eyes to drag the primordial breath in his body toward the second chakra point in his abdomen.

Li Huowang gradually entered a state of forgetfulness. He forgot about the rain, forgot about Shai Zi, and forgot about everything. In his mind, there were only two things: one was the quiet and bound primordial breath, while the other was his empty Sacral Chakra.

Li Huowang cultivated quietly, seemingly unaware of the ticking time. Just then, his primordial breath seemed to have been attracted by something, and it began to move much faster within him.

When his primordial breath collided with the Sacral Chakra, it shrouded it and started orbiting it at a constant rate.

The faint yellow light of the primordial breath gradually seeped into the chakra point, and six lotus petals with the same color appeared intermittently around the Sacral Chakra point.

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