Chapter 225
Chapter 225
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 225
>Chapter Title: Riverside
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> “Hey! You woman!”
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>> Seeing Chun Xiaoman treating him like a pack mule, Gouwa grumbled under his breath.
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>> But he only dared mutter softly, afraid that if he spoke too loudly, she’d swing her knife at him.
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>> By now, Chun Xiaoman had come up to Li Huowang, who was sitting cross-legged. “Senior Brother Li, why are we in such a rush today?”
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>> Li Huowang patted the ground beside him. “There’s a potential issue. It’s just a hunch, but better safe than sorry—leaving early is the way to go.”
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>> He twisted his head once more toward the direction of Women’s Mountain. For now, regardless of whether that Lion Dance Palace was anything like Zhengde Temple, they probably hadn’t noticed him.
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>> “Should I make contact with them? Ask about Beifeng of the Sitting Oblivion Dao?... No, approaching them rashly is too dangerous. If I want to shake off the heart elements, I need to start from somewhere else.”
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>> Mantou trotted over with a da-da-da of paws and placed a stone he’d fetched from who-knows-where beside Li Huowang, then wagged his tail while gazing up at him.
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>> “Senior Brother Li, there’s no need to keep some things bottled up all by yourself. You’re already unwell—if you hold it in, you’ll make yourself sick for real. Tell us what’s going on, and we can all figure it out together.”
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>> Li Huowang patted Mantou’s head and turned to Chun Xiaoman, who had spoken. In a calm tone, he recounted last night’s experience to her.
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>> “The hallucination next to you told you those lion dancers had more hands than feet? And then you recalled that yeah, those lion dancers really did have more hands than feet?”
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>> Chun Xiaoman felt an overwhelming absurdity, and suddenly thought that maybe what Sun Baolu had just told her wasn’t wrong after all.
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>> Li Huowang keenly sensed her distrust. He wasn’t angry, just sighed softly in disappointment.
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>> Staring at the three hallucinations of varying heights before him, he muttered to himself, “See? This is exactly why I always keep things to myself instead of telling others.”
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>> Some things, once spoken aloud, didn’t gain him any understanding from others—instead, they just made people think he was truly mad.
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>> “Daoist, it’s fine—they don’t get it, but I do. Tell me, I’m on your side.”
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>> Li Huowang ignored him completely, tilting his head slightly toward Chun Xiaoman’s empty sleeve. “Now that you’ve lost one hand, getting used to it?”
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>> Chun Xiaoman’s expression shifted faintly. “If it saved everyone, losing a hand’s nothing. Without you all taking me in, I’d have been gone long ago.”
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>> After a moment’s thought, Li Huowang decided to explain. He reached into his left eye socket, fingers brushing the shriveled eyeball that had just begun to take shape.
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>> “Actually, this ability of mine to regrow a severed arm isn’t me holding back. It’s just that you really couldn’t use that method—the process would be too much for you to endure.”
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>> Chun Xiaoman nodded. “I know. If I could use it, you definitely wouldn’t hide it from me. You’re not that stingy.”
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>> With that, she opened her mouth as if hesitating to say something more, but in the end, she stayed silent and turned toward Bai Lingmiao, who was foraging for wild vegetables in the distance.
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>> She came up beside Bai Lingmiao, squatted down next to her, and picked some weeds out of the basket.
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>> “If you’re really going to spend your life with him, you’ve got to figure out a way to cure his hysteria. It won’t do like this—it’s already messing with daily life.”
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>> Bai Lingmiao was still lost in yesterday’s events, nodding with a smile on her face.
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>> Chun Xiaoman nudged her lightly with her shoulder. “You hear me? I’m talking to you.”
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>> “I’m listening, Sister Xiaoman. Honestly, sick or not, it doesn’t matter to me—as long as he’s Senior Brother Li.”
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>> Chun Xiaoman looked at the girl beside her with exasperation, like iron that wouldn’t forge. “You just won’t listen. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t bother.”
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>> Bai Lingmiao, still smiling, reached out and gave Chun Xiaoman a light hug. “Thank you for worrying, Sister Xiaoman. I get it.”
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>> Gazing at that exquisite face, Chun Xiaoman’s heart instantly softened. “Alright, alright. Sun’s so hot—cover your eyes quick.”
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>> “I’m keeping my head down digging for veggies, so it’s fine. As long as I don’t look straight up.”
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>> Summer was nearly upon them, and wild vegetables were sprouting everywhere on the grassland.
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>> Half went into the boiling pot of noodles, while the rest were stored in the ox cart for tomorrow.
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>> Wild greens and barley flour—they scratched the throat a bit, but everyone ate heartily. After all, the noodle soup was topped with pork fat.
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>> Once the meal was done, quite a few men headed to the river together to bathe. The weather was warming up, and the sticky sweat felt awful.
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>> When the men finished, it was the women’s turn.
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>> Bai Lingmiao and Chun Xiaoman supported the big-bellied Luo Jinhua as they made their way to the river, surrounded by the women rescued from the bandit lair.
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>> So many women bathing naked was sure to stir the other men’s restless hearts.
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>> But Li Huowang sat there like a stabilizing needle from the sea god, keeping everyone’s heads firmly turned away.
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>> Over by the river, though, it was a completely different scene. The setting sun dyed the entire river red.
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>> Vermilion water was scooped up in delicate hands, then slid down skin as smooth and white as clotted sheep’s milk, leaving shimmering droplets behind.
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>> The sight left even Chun Xiaoman, another woman, momentarily entranced.
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>> Nearby, Luo Jinhua saw it too and couldn’t help exclaiming, “Tsk tsk tsk, such supple skin—won’t your man rub it raw in bed?”
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>> Bai Lingmiao’s face flushed red as she covered herself and squatted into the shallow water. “Sister Luo, what are you saying?”
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>> “No man around, what’s there to be shy about? At my age, you’ll understand—that shyness is all for show to men.”
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>> She hugged her belly like a watermelon and sidled over, eyes gleaming. “Hey, how’s your man in bed? Any good? How long can he last?”
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>> Seeing Bai Lingmiao nearly bury her head underwater, Chun Xiaoman came over with a helpless expression to bail her out. “Sister Luo, the girl’s shy—don’t tease her.”
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>> Luo Jinhua looked regretful. “I was just trying to teach her since she doesn’t know about that stuff. If she doesn’t want to hear it, fine.”
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>> “Besides, this is nothing. Back at the village pond, all the women washed clothes while swapping dirty talk—way raunchier than this. The men heard from afar and turned right around.”
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>> With that, she hugged her belly and crab-walked off toward her daughter, held by another woman in the distance.
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>> Chun Xiaoman reached out to steady Bai Lingmiao’s slick arm and helped her up from the water.
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>> “There, she’s gone. Up you get—don’t drown yourself.”
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>> Bai Lingmiao patted her chest, still shaken. “Sister Luo’s never this bold usually. Scared me to death.”
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>> “At her age, they’re all like that.” Chun Xiaoman took a cloth and helped wipe Bai Lingmiao down.
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>> “When we reach Sister Luo’s age, will we turn into her too? So embarrassing... How does she even say those things?”
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>> Bai Lingmiao’s blushing face was full of shy coquetry as she glanced at Luo Jinhua, who was laughing freely in the distance while holding her daughter.
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