Chapter 468 - Solution
Chapter 468 - Solution
Li Sui’s chest was beating visibly as well, and Li Huowang saw a piece of paper protruding from the tiny gaps in her body. Li Huowang instantly identified the piece of paper, as it was the talisman that he had given to Li Sui.
“Father, what’s wrong?” Li Sui asked. She had no idea why Li Huowang was staring at her like that.
“Nothing. I’m just looking at you.” Li Huowang patted her head and said, “Go tell Yang Xiaohai to make you an egg soup for you. Also, call some of the guys over here.”
After dinner was free time for everyone in the village, so Li Huowang managed to gather the people he needed in no time.
The tall Gao Zhijian, the hairy Chun Xiaoman, the asymmetrical-looking Zhao Wu, and Puppy suffering from vitiligo—they were the comrades who had risked their lives with him, and they had gathered at Li Huowang\'s call.
Yang Xiaohai, who was much shorter than the rest, had arrived as well.
Li Huowang stared at Yang Xiaohai, who was the cook of Cowheart Village, and said, "I didn’t tell you to come here, so why are you here?”
“Hehe, I just got curious upon seeing everyone coming here, so I thought about checking it out. If you want me to leave, I can leave, though..." Yang Xiaohai scratched his head out of embarrassment. He was on more friendlier terms with them, as they had spent a lot of time together at this point. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to do something like this.
Li Huowang ignored Yang Xiaohai and stared at Gao Zhijian. “How’s the militia recruitment going? How long will it take for you to form a group that can fend off external threats?”
Gao Zhijian scratched his nose and shook his head in disappointment. “A long time.”
Gao Zhijian then told Li Huowang that the village only had a few people talented enough to become soldiers. If someone wasn\'t disabled, then they had a chronic illness.
Gao Zhijian screened quite a few people before picking out two people who were barely adequate. However, this wasn\'t really strange, as Bai Lingmiao had bought slaves that the slave trader couldn\'t quite sell.
However, it wasn\'t to Li Huowang’s expectations, and he knew that he needed to speed things up.
“Zhao Wu, remember the gold that Sun Baolu’s mom gave us in Qing Qiu? Take them and go buy a few qualified people with Gao Zhijian. You can spend some extra money as long as they\'ll be loyal to us.
"We need to form a militia as soon as possible so you guys can protect yourself the next time there’s a Natural Disaster or whenever I’m not here.”
“Yes, Senior Li.” Zhao Wu nodded and asked, “Senior Li, are you heading out again?”
“Yeah, there’s something I need to do outside. If everything goes well, I should be able to return soon," Li Huowang responded. Then, he looked at Chun Xiaoman and asked, “Are you trying to learn the techniques of the White Lotus Sect beneath the ancestral hall?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Then, do it secretly. Don’t let the others know about it. You can teach it to someone else, but make sure that they are loyal to us. Those techniques aren\'t as strong as the techniques in the military, but they are worth spending some time on.
"Unfortunately, the White Lotus Sect was once quite famous, so someone might recognize their techniques. Use those techniques sparingly, as we can\'t let the Surveillance Bureau know that we have access to the White Lotus Sect\'s techniques.”
Li Huowang then proceeded to tell Chun Xiaoman more about the Surveillance Bureau and what had happened to Bai Lingmiao’s family.
Chun Xiaoman felt as if she were carrying a massive weight on her shoulders once Li Huowang\'s explanation was over.
Li Huowang then looked at Puppy. The latter had become much quieter than his rowdy self before his daughter was born.
“Puppy, are you okay?” Li Huowang asked.
Puppy beamed and said, “It’s fine. What else can I do? I\'ll just eat and sleep as usual. Senior Li, don’t worry. The village is safe, as I will be protecting it.”
Li Huowang nodded before pointing at the wishwood on the table. “That\'s yours from now on. It’s an artifact capable of confounding people. You can use it with your needles.”
It was the artifact that Ji Xiang had given to him, and a Strayed One’s tongue was used to create this artifact, which was capable of confounding others. Li Huowang had never used it even once, so he decided to give it to Puppy.
“Ah! An artifact?! Senior Li, you\'re too kind! To think that you\'d give me an artifact!" Puppy exclaimed. He took the artifact and admired it for a while.
“I also made a copy of a few pill recipes. This contains the recipes for Blood Nourishing Pills and Spirit Reinforcement Pills, along with a few other pill recipes that I had learned from Baldy back in Zephyr Temple.
"There are also instructions on how to draw talismans capable of healing others. We don’t have a doctor here, so I want all of you to find someone who can read and let them practice these techniques. By then, we\'ll have a quasi-doctor, at the very least."
“Me, me, me! I know how to read! Sir Wu also said that I\'m a fast learner! I can recognize thirty words now!” Yang Xiaohai exclaimed. He took the book to try and read it.
Li Huowang frowned. “You\'re holding it upside down.”
“Oh...”
Li Huowang swept his gaze across the five people before him and said, “Everyone, we’ve survived a deadly disaster, and a peaceful life is ahead of us. However, the world outside is chaotic, and I feel unsafe to rely on others for our safety.
"In the end, we can only rely on ourselves.”
“Haha, it will be fine. We still have you, Senior Li. You\'re extremely strong, so there’s no way we\'re going to die under your protection,” Puppy said, complimenting Li Huowang.
However, Puppy\'s compliment was met with Li Huowang’s cold gaze.
“But what if I ended up dying? What if I went crazy? What would you do, then?”
Li Huowang’s cold words made the air around them feel heavy.
Puppy\'s mouth fluttered open, but no words came out of it.
“I want everyone to leave except for Gao Zhijian."
The four glanced at Gao Zhijian before leaving with the items Li Huowang had given to them.
Li Huowang looked at the tall Gao Zhijian and said, “Zhijian, I know that you have a complicated past. They\'ve been saying that you\'re dumb and slow-witted, but I feel like you are not what they say at all.”
Gao Zhijian nodded.
“Do you want to return?” Li Huowang asked.
Gao Zhijian shook his head.
“Fine. Since you don’t want to go back, I won’t ask you about it anymore. From now on, this place is your home. Except for me and Bai Lingmiao, you are the strongest person in this village, so you must protect this place whenever I\'m not here."
Li Huowang sliced open his stomach and took out a doll made out of human skin.
“Take this. It will take a lethal attack for you.”
Gao Zhijian wanted to decline the offer after knowing its effects.
“I told you to take it, so just take it!” Li Huowang exclaimed, shoving the doll into Gao Zhijian’s hands. Li Huowang also told Gao Zhijian that his skin would soon be fully healed.
Li Huowang patted Gao Zhijian’s shoulder and said, “We\'re comrades, so don’t be so distant.”
Gao Zhijian put away the doll. Then, he reached into Li Huowang’s bag of torture tools and took out a dagger. Gao Zhijian cut open his palm before doing the same for Li Huowang.
Afterward, he gripped Li Huowang’s bloody palm.
Li Huowang stared at his palm, which was slowly being glued to Gao Zhijian’s palm due to the coagulating blood.
“What kind of tradition is this?” Li Huowang asked.
However, Gao Zhijian did not reply and simply turned around to leave.
Li Huowang did not mind it and took out a piece of paper.
The piece of paper contained the list of issues that he had to tackle as soon as possible.
“This one is considered solved!” Li Huowang’s trembling finger glided past the second paragraph on the list, and the paragraph disappeared.
Secondly, the Natural Disasters are too unpredictable. The Surveillance Bureau\'s plan to deal with Natural Disasters was destroyed by the Sitting Oblivion Dao. I’m not afraid of Natural Disasters, but how can I ensure the survival of Cowheart Village in these chaotic times?