Chapter 228 - Hysteria
Li Huowang opened his eyes after the pounding pain eased and found himself lying in a small tent. By his side was Bai Lingmiao, wearing nothing but a bellyband. At this moment, she was silently combing her hair with a comb fashioned out of a bull’s horn.
After a moment, Li Huowang reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Just as she was about to undo her bellyband, Li Huowang shared with Bai Lingmiao what he had learned the previous night.
As she listened, her bashful gaze gradually turned into one of horror and disgust. Sun Baolu’s mother had been through far more than anything she could have imagined. How could someone commit such acts against a fellow human being?
“So, it appears that the Liang Kingdom isn’t as wonderful as it seems,” murmured Li Huowang as he placed his fingernail-less hand on Bai Lingmiao’s shoulder and let out a sigh.
“But... but where I come from, these things don’t happen... my hometown is great,” said Bai Lingmiao weakly.
Li Huowang chuckled. Of course, that was something true for Bai Lingmiao. In their small and simple world, the vast majority of commoners spent their whole lives within twenty miles of their houses. As a result, they were more or less unaware and oblivious to the outside world.
At the same time, Li Huowang was aware that it was presumptuous to judge the entire Liang Kingdom based purely on the experiences of Sun Baolu’s mother. Her’s might just have been exceptional cases.
Nevertheless, Li Huowang always thought about the worst-case scenario. He needed to be prepared to be able to survive in this world.
Thus, Li Huowang lovingly embraced Bai Lingmiao, buried his nose in her soft neck, and took a deep breath before saying, “Don’t worry. I didn’t say that we are not going back. But, we should re-evaluate the situation after we enter the Liang Kingdom.”
Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao breathed a sigh of relief. She had almost thought that Li Huowang had decided not to accompany her home.
“Let’s get up. Now that Sun Baolu has returned home, we should also continue with our journey,” said Li Huowang as he patted her head.
Although this was a nice place, there was no reason for them to stay in Qing Qiu when there were still potential dangers. They could rest all they wanted when they eventually reached their destination.
When the two of them emerged from the tent, they noticed that everyone else was already awake. After last night’s drinking session, it was evident that the others had grown quite close to Qing Qiu residents. They even went so far as to wash up at the river while linking arms and chatting.
They were speaking to each other, but it was clear that neither side could understand the other’s language.
The morning air was quite refreshing. As Li Huowang stood in front of the tent while surveying the lively surroundings and took a deep breath, he felt his spirit being lifted. He scanned his surroundings and eventually settled his gaze on Sun Baolu. Surprisingly, despite having consumed so much alcohol the previous night, Sun Baolu had woken up quite early. He was currently busy herding some of his sheep.
“What are you doing? There’s no need to send any more sheep with us. We might not even be able to eat all the sheep that you’ve already given us,” said Li Huowang as he approached Sun Baolu.
After returning home, Sun Baolu seemed to have become a bit more cheerful. He wore a bright smile on his face as he spoke to Li Huowang, “No worries. If you can’t finish eating them, then you can just sell them. Qing Qiu’s sheep fetch a good price in the Liang Kingdom. Consider it an early gift for you and Junior Bai.”
As soon as Sun Baolu finished speaking, he sensed that Li Huowang was ignoring him. His eyes appeared to be empty as his body swayed, and his face became very unsightly.
This is bad!
Li Huowang suddenly squatted down and clutched his head, startling Sun Baolu.
“Baolu, quick! Go get a chain from Gao Zhijian and tie me up! It’s happening again!” exclaimed Li Huowang in agony.
Sun Baolu quickly realized that Li Huowang was having another one of his episodes. He immediately threw down the whip he was using to herd the sheep, and ran toward the cowhide tent in the distance.
When he returned with a group of disciples, they found Li Huowang standing upright, tilting his head back and muttering to himself, “Wang Wei, I have nothing much to say to you. Please leave.”
“I am very clear about my situation. Don’t even think about using reverse psychology. Someone has already tried that on me before, and it won’t work again.”
Just when the disciples were unsure of what to do, Li Huowang seemed to sense their presence nearby. He spoke as calmly as he could, instructing them, “Have you brought the chains? If you have, then stop dawdling and tie me up. I’ll do my best to stay still. After you've tied me up, go and pack your things. Once all of you have had breakfast, we’ll continue with our journey.”
Hearing Li Huowang’s instructions, the others immediately snapped to attention and worked together to securely bind Li Huowang with the chains. Even so, when they recalled their previous experience, they didn’t dare to take any chances and quickly moved away from him after they finished chaining him.
“Is it any of your business who I talk to? Here we go again! If you have the guts, then go ahead and kill me today. Otherwise, get the hell out of here!” said Li Huowang.
After saying this, Li Huowang fell silent, and just when the others thought that it was finally about to end, he suddenly erupted into a furious roar that startled them. “Do you want to die? I’m mentally ill now! Killing someone isn’t a crime for me!”
Bound by his shackles, Li Huowang abruptly stood up upright like a zombie. This scene instantly caused the onlookers to step back in fear.
Meanwhile, realizing that something was amiss, the other Qing Qiu people gradually gathered around, with Sun Baolu repeatedly explaining what was happening to Li Huowang.
Soon, several hundreds of people formed a circle as they watched Li Huowang’s performance. By this point, he’d gone from being an enraged figure to one filled with tremendous helplessness and frustration.
“Mom? Why are you here? I was just angry, I didn’t want to kill anyone... Please, don’t cry. My condition hasn’t worsened,” Li Huowang begged.
Then, as if he had heard something, Li Huowang’s expression slowly shifted from one of resignation and irritation to one that was filled with pain. He gradually collapsed to the ground, curling into a fetal position.
“Mom, I’m begging you, just let Dr. Wang leave. I don’t need treatment. I know my situation. Don’t waste any more money hiring experts. Please... just keep it for your own use,” pleaded Li Huowang.
Seeing his labored breathing and increasingly pained expression, Bai Lingmiao could barely hold back her tears. She wanted to rush over and hold him, but was pulled back by Luo Juanhua and Chun Xiaoman.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed? Senior Li can kill you with just a single touch!” reminded Xiaoman.
Li Huowang seemed to be listening to something. Soon, his face contorted in pain as he twisted on the ground like a worm, repeatedly rubbing his face in the grass. His tears mixed together with the dew on the grass, slowly turning indistinguishable from one another.
“Mom, are we short of money at home? If we are, then just tell me, and I’ll figure something out.”
“Don’t lie to me. You’ve even cut your own hair with scissors. I can tell...”
At that moment, Li Huowang suddenly sprang up from the ground, his face contorting with anger as he screamed into the air, “Wang Wei! Shut your mouth! It’s none of your fucking business!”
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