Mutated Tao

Chapter 481: Irresistible Offer

Li Huowang stared at the plump woman on the third floor while walking on the busy street. A well-kept waiter ran out of the restaurant and stopped in front of the carriage. The waiter smiled politely, “Dear sir, someone has been expecting you on the third floor. This way, please.”

I will cross that bridge when it comes to it, Li Huowang thought. There was no avoiding it. Since the plump woman was looking for him so blatantly, Li Huowang had no plans of hiding from her as well.

Li Huowang took Li Sui with him to the third floor where the plump woman was already waiting for him with a table full of food. Of course, the third floor had other customers as well.

“Come, let me give you a toast! You're incredible!” the chubby woman exclaimed and downed a cup of wine.

Li Huowang and Li Sui sat on the stool and removed their veil at the same time. Li Huowang’s burnt skull and a skinned dog with wriggling tentacles were a shocking sight everywhere, and the other customers definitely thought the same, as they stopped eating upon seeing the two.

After a few moments of silence, they all shrieked in fright and ran away. Soon, the third floor was devoid of people except for Li Huowang and the chubby woman. Li Huowang's actions were a display of his stance. He wanted to let the chubby woman know that he wasn't someone to be trifled with.

The chubby woman sensed Li Huowang's hostility and explained, “Come on, you're such a precious young man. I’m old enough to be your mother, so I would never hurt you. I just want to negotiate.

"I know that you don't trust me, as we had just met in that forest, but I hope that you can relax a bit here. The city guards' office is just across the restaurant. All you need to do is shout, and they'll run over here immediately."

Li Sui picked up a pork trotter, but Li Huowang slapped it away. Then, glared at the chubby woman and muttered, “You want the pure lifespan, right? Didn't I tell you that I have no plans of selling it?”

Despite Li Huowang's words, the chubby woman did not give up.

“I've been living a tough life. I've never had a father, and my mother had a hard life raising me. Still, she raised me without any complaints, and I’ve finally become independent enough to let her retire in peace, but her lifespan is nearing its end!

"I could still remember how she fed me her own blood just to save me from death during that famine…"

Rather than touched, Li Huowang was annoyed. He wanted to walk away, but he saw that her ten emotions and eight sufferings weren't lying. The chubby woman was actually telling the truth—no, at least her sadness was true.

“I pity your mother, but I'm also going to use the pure lifespan to save someone," Li Huowang said and stood up.

The chubby woman panicked when she saw that Li Huowang was going to leave. “I can exchange something for those pure lifespan! You can just tell me what you need! As long as you can give me the pure lifespan, I'll give you anything that you want!”

“I don’t need anything. Sorry, but please do not bother me anymore. Things are going to get ugly for the both of us if you keep on following me!"

Li Huowang turned around and started walking toward the stairs.

"Your wife is a shaman, am I right?" the chubby woman said.

Li Huowang came to halt.

"Those who were forced to become shamans are doomed to live terrible lives. If you give me the five pure lifespan, I can get rid of the Immortal families that are in a contract with her!"

Li Huowang turned around and stared solemnly at the chubby woman. Again, her ten emotions and eight sufferings weren’t lying. It seemed that she did have a method to get rid of the Immortal families.

Since Bai Lingmiao was forced to become a shaman during one of their journeys, the Immortal families had always been a threat to them.

Five pure lifespans, or getting rid of the Immortal families. It was a difficult choice.

While Li Huowang was hesitating, the Second Deity suddenly walked up the stairs and approached Li Huowang. Then, she whispered something into Li Huowang's ears.

“What did you say?!” Li Huowang was shocked. “That's important. Why did you only tell me that now?”

Li Huowang then cast his gaze upon the plump woman, and his face was no longer as solemn as earlier. “Fine! Once we get to Shangjing, I will give you the five pure lifespan in exchange for you getting rid of the Immortal families!”

Li Huowang had never thought that they would hide something so important from him, which was the fact that the Immortal families had threatened Bai Lingmiao and forced her to work.

Li Huowang was certain that Bai Lingmiao wouldn't have told him if it hadn't been for the plump woman's proposal.

The plump woman was delighted, and she immediately nodded as if she was afraid that he would back out of the deal. “All right! Let’s do it!”

Li Huowang told the chubby woman to go to Shangjing first, but she refused and insisted on following him, saying that she was afraid that Li Huowang might run away.

Li Huowang didn't manage to get even a single good night's sleep on the continuation of their journey. Fortunately, the remainder of the journey remained uneventful, and they arrived safely at Shangjing.

By the time they made it to Shangjing, Li Huowang’s wounds had healed to the extent that people could now recognize him.

“I'll bring my carriage to my house first. Wait for me at the gate,” Li Huowang said. He learned of the chubby woman's name during their journey to Shangjing, and her name was Lian Zhibei.

“No worries. I'll go there with you. I'm not really familiar with the roads here, so I need you to bring me around, too,” Lian Zhibei said. She was still afraid that he'd run away and refused to part from him.

Li Huowang knew that she was lying, but he couldn't care less. He turned around and faced Bai Lingmiao, saying, “You guys should go ahead and head back first. I'll return soon.”

And just like that, the team was split into two.

Li Huowang carried the wooden box containing the corpse of the spiritual sin into the halls of the Surveillance Bureau. Nangong saw them walking in together and asked, “Oh, did the both of you take it down together?”

“Nope.” Li Huowang handed over the box to Nangong and said, “This is the mission objective. Give me the rewards now.”

"Wait," Lian Zhibei said. She took the box away and explained, “The mission was from the palace. We will give it directly to the mission giver.”

“It’s the same thing. If you give it to me, I will pass it to them. I will then pass the reward to you once they've given the rewards to me. Of course, it's going to take a while."

"Don't even bother explaining yourself," Lian Zhibei exclaimed, “I know that you and eunuchs here are pilfering lifespan pills from us mission takers!"

"You have to listen to me," Lian Zhibei said, turning to Li Huowang, "It's better if you hand this over to the palace yourself. Otherwise, the eunuchs here would take a part of your reward as a service fee. Perhaps you'd get less than five pure lifespan!”

Nangon didn't even attempt to defend himself against the allegations. When Li Huowang saw Nangong's silence, he realized that Lian Zhibei wasn't lying. With that, he took the box back from Lian Zhibei and said, “Fine, let’s go to the palace, then.”

Five pure lifespan was a small price to pay in exchange for the Immortal families' disappearance.

Chacha and Char's Thoughts

For reference, this is what Lian Zhibei looks like. Credits to 格子的乱七八糟on douyin!