Chapter 864 - Trigger

Li Huowang rode his motorcycle slowly down the lane, with Yang Na seated behind him.

He intentionally freed one hand to grip Yang Na’s hands, fearing she might fall.

Yang Na clung tightly to Li Huowang, her long hair fluttering in the breeze. “Huowang... where are we going?”

“Home.”

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

“Home? Why go home? It’s all fake and all just projections. I’m now the Heavenly Mater. I’m like you now—a Siming, a deity of the world.”

Li Huowang felt a sharp jolt in his heart. At that moment, he finally understood the despair his mother must have felt when she knelt at the kindergarten gates.

“Nana, you’re sick. It’s all fake, just... illusions.”

“Then what about yours? Were all the things you said just illusions too?”

Li Huowang’s head began to ache. He felt as though two giant hands were violently pulling at his brain, attempting to crush it into a pulp.

He clenched his fists and punched his own head several times. Finally, he nodded with great pain.

“Yes, that’s right. I was very ill too, with a serious mental illness. During that time, I had all sorts of hallucinations.

“But look at me now. I’m cured. I no longer have any hallucinations.”

“Really?” Yang Na rested her head against Li Huowang’s back, her eyes filled with deep confusion.

She slowly began to cry, and her tears soaked Li Huowang’s back.

“Don’t cry. If something is troubling you, tell me. Keeping things bottled up isn't good for you.”

“I’m sorry... it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t called the police, you wouldn’t have lost an eye. It’s all my fault.

“Huowang, you only have one eye left, and there’s a scar on your face. If I die and no one wants you, what will you do?”

Li Huowang replied, “It’s okay. It really has nothing to do with you.”

He continued to comfort her, despite knowing his words likely wouldn’t help much.

She was too ill to be cured with mere words. She needed medical treatment.

While they talked, Li Huowang drove the motorcycle into a residential complex and stopped at the entrance of a building. He had been to Yang Na’s home many times and couldn’t possibly forget where it was.

He saw the missing person notice posted at the building’s entrance and paused momentarily. It seemed Yang Na had been gone for a while.

He helped Yang Na off the bike, supporting her frail body as they headed toward the elevator. However, Yang Na wasn’t cooperating.

She grabbed the door tightly. “Huowang, are you lying to me? Why does everything you said before seem different now? Why do I feel like something’s wrong with you? What’s going on?”

“Come on, nothing’s wrong.” Li Huowang tried to pull her hand away. Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind him.

Li Huowang’s scalp tightened. He froze in place when he turned around to see who it was.

The next moment, he was punched and sent flying backward. As he staggered and felt his teeth loosen, he stood back up to see the man holding Yang Na in his arms.

Li Huowang didn’t get angry. After all, that man was Yang Na’s father, Yang Wanli.

Li Huowang rubbed his face and lowered his hand. “Hello, Uncle.”

“You bastard! So it was you who abducted her! What have you done to her?” Yang Wanli led his daughter to his wife, then rolled up his sleeves and charged at Li Huowang.

“Wanli! Come back! That guy’s dangerous! He’s a madman who’s killed several people!”

His wife’s words brought a sudden calm to Yang Wanli, who quickly retreated and stood protectively in front of his wife and daughter.

"Li Huowang!" Yang Wanli's voice shook with fear and desperation. "What did we ever do to you? Why are you doing this to Nana?"

“Look at her! Look at her wrists!” Yang Wanli raised his daughter’s delicate arm, where scars crisscrossed on the inside. “I’m begging you! She’s already suffered so much. Please let her go! Are you only gonna stop once you’ve pushed her to the point of death?!”

Li Huowang stood silently and endured the accusations. In the end, he said nothing and turned to leave.

As he mounted his motorcycle, he heard Yang Na’s heartbreaking scream from behind. “Huowang!!”

Li Huowang’s heart trembled. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. He understood everything.

Yang Na had external depression. To help her recover, she needed to be far away from her triggers, and he was the biggest trigger.

No matter what happened to Li Huowang, it seemed that misfortune would inevitably strike those who were associated with him.

If nothing went wrong, today might be the last time he saw Yang Na. He was willing to let go if his departure could help Yang Na recover.

“Uncle, if possible, take Nana to live in another city for a while,” Li Huowang said, seated on his motorcycle. Then, he revved the engine and drove away.

The motorcycle sped up, soon reaching a dangerous speed. At that moment, Li Huowang found himself thinking that, perhaps, dying in an accident wouldn't be such a bad thing.

However, things didn’t go as he wished. There hadn’t been any accidents even as he neared White Tower Prison.

By that point, his motorcycle was low on fuel. He tossed it on the roadside and began to walk towards White Tower Prison.

A black car slowly approached from behind on the deserted street, matching his walking pace.

The car window rolled down, revealing Ban Nanxu holding a beer bottle. “Hey, kid, did you forget something? You’re too young to have such a bad memory.”

“Get lost! I’m not in the mood!”

“Don’t play dumb. We went through all the trouble to break you out from there. You’re not walking back. Come on, Zhao Shuangdian wants to see you.”

“I’m not going! Why do they need me so badly? Is the sky going to fall without me?”

“Kid, that’s not how this works. We had an agreement—we help you escape, and you join us against Qing Wanglai.”

Li Huowang turned his bloodshot eyes towards her. “I’m breaking the deal! So what? Come bite me if you don’t like it!”

The screech of brakes echoed as the two siblings stepped out of the car. They looked at Li Huowang with malice. “We’ve been waiting for you to say that. Been wanting to take you down for a long time.”

Li Huowang scanned them to search for weaknesses.

I can’t fight both at once. I’ll have to take down the girl first, then focus on the big guy.

Just as the situation was about to escalate, a sharp ringtone cut through the tension.