North Wind

The Zuowandao operative Li Huowang was pursuing before being pulled back into the hospital reality. His almost-capture represents the last thread of concrete action Li Huowang had in the other world.

Definition

The Zuowandao operative Li Huowang was pursuing before being pulled back into the hospital reality. His almost-capture represents the last thread of concrete action Li Huowang had in the other world.

Story context

Get ready—this chapter is a masterclass in psychological warfare, not martial combat. Li Huowang sits down for a "friendly chat" with the severed little head growing from Han Fu's corpse: Han Fu's Nascent Soul. And by "chat," I mean a calculated, gut-wrenching interrogation using the Ao-Jing Sect's healing arts as an infinite-loop torture enhancer. This isn't a fight scene; it's a dissection of how far Li Huowang has come. He's no longer a terrified victim or a desperate escapee. He's a man who has learned to use the world's cruelest tools—pain, mercy, and even healing—as weapons to extract information. The horror is not in what he does to the creature (though it's plenty horrific), but in how calm, clinical, and almost bored he seems while doing it. This is our protagonist growing into his role as a survivor of a world that has no place for the squeamish.

Why it matters

Okay, let's be real for a second. This chapter is *rough*. It's a graphic interrogation scene, and Li Huowang is the one holding the tools. If you're squeamish about detailed torture, this is your warning sign. But if you're here for the psychological evolution of a protagonist in a world that breaks everyone, this is peak Li Huowang. Watch how he doesn't rage. He doesn't monologue about justice. He is polite, professional, and utterly terrifying. He treats the Nascent Soul like a broken machine he needs to fix and then break again to get the right output. The most chilling line isn't the scream—it's "I'm not really that skilled at torture" said while holding a barbed hook. Li Huowang has absorbed the logic of this world: pain is information, suffering is a tool, and even kindness (the healing fire-slug) can be the cruelest weapon. This is the cost of his survival, and we're watching him pay it in installments.