Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 103
>Chapter Title: Benefits
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Chapter 103: Benefits
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> This sudden thought popping into his mind made Li Huowang shudder all over.
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> He carefully felt all over his body and, upon discovering no extra jade pendant anywhere on him, finally let out a complete sigh of relief.
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> “That’s right, it was just a dream. It was all just a dream.” Li Huowang muttered to himself repeatedly, still shaken.
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> “What’s wrong?” Bai Lingmiao lit the oil lamp and asked sleepily.
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> “Nothing, it’s nothing at all. Go back to sleep.”
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> Seeing that Li Huowang wasn’t going to explain, Bai Lingmiao said nothing more and closed her eyes.
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> Her head of white hair rested lightly on his shoulder as her slender hand gently stroked his heaving chest, up and down.
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> Li Huowang placed his hand over hers on his chest, his eyes staring straight up at the beam overhead. “Miaomiao.”
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> “Hm?” Bai Lingmiao responded instinctively in her half-asleep state.
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> “Do you want to know about my past? Do you want to know why I suffer from hysteria?”
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> Bai Lingmiao’s sleepiness vanished in an instant. She opened her eyes in surprise and turned her head to look at the man beside her. This was the first time Senior Brother Li had ever talked to her about his past.
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> From their time together day in and day out, she had long sensed that Senior Brother Li was different from the rest of them.
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> It wasn’t the difference brought about by coming from different countries—it was a very unique sense of not fitting in. She wasn’t the only one who thought so; the others did too, they just hadn’t said it out loud.
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> “Actually, I’m not from here.”
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> “I know. You’re not from Siquan.”
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> Li Huowang gave a knowing smile and shook his head. “What I mean is, I’m not from this world. I’m from another world.”
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> With the flickering oil lamp as his companion, Li Huowang slowly explained his origins to Bai Lingmiao, along with his troubles.
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> As he poured out his story, Li Huowang felt a little better inside, as if someone was sharing the thousand-catty burden weighing on him.
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> He kept talking until the paper windows grew faintly bright, then finally stopped. The room fell quiet for a moment. “Don’t you have any questions?”
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> “I do.” Bai Lingmiao pulled her hand from Li Huowang’s and instead gripped his hand—the one missing three nailbeds.
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> Her fingertips trembled slightly as they gently brushed over those scabs. “So what’s the deal with that red bamboo slip?”
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> “Let me tell you a little fun fact: human nails can grow back. Even if you pull them out, they’ll grow back on their own.”
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> As Li Huowang tried to change the subject and pull his hand away, she gripped it tighter. Then he saw Bai Lingmiao’s reddened, stubborn eyes right in front of his face.
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> “I don’t care where you’re from. I don’t care what exactly happened with your hysteria. I just want to know—is the wound on your abdomen related to it too?”
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> Li Huowang didn’t answer her question. He simply pulled her head to his chest and patted her lightly, again and again.
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> “Senior Brother Li, that thing is too sinister. Throw it away. If you keep going like this, it really will get you killed.”
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> After saying that, Bai Lingmiao paused for a moment, then finally spoke with a sob in her voice: “If you die, what am I supposed to do?”
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> Li Huowang sighed softly. Bai Lingmiao might seem soft and sweet on the outside, but that was just her surface. Deep down, she was tough.
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> “I’ll think about it some more. I’ll think about it.”
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> Truth be told, Li Huowang knew full well that the Heavenly Book was a double-edged sword—one careless moment and it would leave him covered in wounds.
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> But it was also an incredibly useful tool. With it, he had some means of self-protection in this bizarre world.
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> Throwing it away—what would he do if he really ran into something like the evils of the eighteenth of the twelfth month? Rely on Danyangzi?
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> He’d thought about joining some other sect or faction to cultivate real power, but that was even harder.
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> Never mind whether anyone would take him or covet his rare heart’s essence—if they did accept him, Li Huowang still might not dare to practice their techniques.
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> Clear Wind Temple, Zhengde Temple, Anci Nunnery—ever since encountering those sects, Li Huowang had no hope left for any others. They were surely more sinister, one after another.
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> Until he found some alternative, he absolutely couldn’t discard the Heavenly Book. It was the foundation of his survival, even if every use demanded a brutally cruel price.
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> Before he knew it, noises started up outside the door as the other senior brothers and sisters prepared breakfast.
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> As soon as Li Huowang sat up, Bai Lingmiao moved to help him dress, but he suddenly froze. “Wait.”
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> He slowly pressed a hand to the bandages on his abdomen and found it wasn’t as painful anymore. Pulling them open, he saw the wound inside was nearly healed.
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> “Healing this fast?” Even Li Huowang was surprised.
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> By his estimates, it should’ve taken at least half a month to recover this much. His body seemed to be undergoing some kind of change.
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> After pondering for a long while, Li Huowang’s attention turned to that final glance Ba Hui had fixed on him. “This should be a good thing, right?”
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> At that moment, Li Huowang’s feelings were mixed with joy and worry. He understood far too little about the thing he’d summoned with the dual torment of body and mind.
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> He had no idea what this meant.
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> “Is it making it easier for me to harm myself?” After racking his brain, that was the only reason Li Huowang could come up with.
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> When lice are plentiful, you stop itching; when debts pile up, you stop worrying. Compared to Danyangzi and his own condition, this was nothing.
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> “At this rate, my wound should be pretty much healed by tomorrow. Let’s rest here one more day and head back tomorrow.” Li Huowang said to Bai Lingmiao.
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> Bai Lingmiao hesitated as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she just nodded.
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> Once they heard they could leave, the others started loading things onto the carriage, stripping the entire courtyard bare—even the two old hens that laid eggs went on board.
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> When dinnertime came around again, Li Huowang unwrapped the bandages and found the wound was basically healed.
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> “Not bad. At least after paying such a heavy price, I’ve got something to show for it.” Li Huowang was reasonably satisfied with this mysterious new ability. With it, he wouldn’t die quite so easily in the future.
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> He returned to the main hall and sat down to eat. The table held simple farm dishes, all picked from Wu Family Village’s fields.
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> They were all vegetarian, but cooked with lard, so they still tasted pretty good.
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> Li Huowang picked up a piece of radish and bit into it, only to frown. “Who cooked this? Why is it still so salty?”
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> He might not crave food much, but he wasn’t a beast, after all.
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> Li Huowang soon saw a pale-faced Daoist boy stand up. “Senior Brother Li, it was me.”
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> Bai Lingmiao beside him took the radish from Li Huowang’s chopsticks. “Senior Brother Li, this radish isn’t that salty. It’s just right.”
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> “It’s not?” Li Huowang dubiously picked up another piece and bit into it. Still incredibly salty.
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> “Whatever, let’s keep eating. A little salt just makes it go down better.”
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> (End of chapter)