Chapter 247
Chapter 247
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 247
>Chapter Title: The Box
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“What’s wrong? Senior Brother Li, the thing we went through hell to bring back—it can’t be fake, can it?”
Seeing Li Huowang frozen in place, Gouwa’s anxious voice even changed pitch.
He desperately hoped this thing would work. Senior Brother Li was way too much trouble when he had his episodes.
Li Huowang shook his head, brows furrowed tight, holding the Black Tai Sui motionless on the spot.
“What exactly am I hesitating about? That side is nothing but an illusion.”
With that thought, he raised the Black Tai Sui toward his mouth. But once again, he stopped short.
Everyone in the tent could tell that Senior Brother Li, freshly recovered from his grave illness, was lost in thought. As for what he was thinking about, only he knew.
When Chun Xiaoman returned from sword practice and leaned in to whisper to Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang slowly placed the chunk of flesh back onto the Black Tai Sui.
“Miaomiao, how much gold do we have left in our traveling funds?”
Though puzzled by the question, Bai Lingmiao answered honestly.
“We exchanged some silver back at Women’s Mountain. Probably a few dozen taels left.”
“A few dozen taels? Not enough. Not quite enough.”
Li Huowang muttered to himself before suddenly turning to Sun Baolu.
“Your clan should have plenty of hard currency, right? Could you lend me some? Don’t worry, just borrowing it for a bit. I’ll give it back once I’m done.”
Sun Baolu’s face showed rare hesitation. “Alright, I’ll go ask.”
“Senior Brother Li, what do you need so much gold for?”
“Yeah, we have enough traveling funds to reach Liang Kingdom.”
Facing the questions, Li Huowang sighed, shook his head, and lifted the tent flap to step out.
“Stop asking. It’s got nothing to do with you all. Got any food? I’m hungry.”
Sun Baolu was far more efficient than Li Huowang expected. He’d barely started his first bite when Sun Baolu returned, cradling a small round bundle in his arms with his mother in tow.
Sun Baolu didn’t speak first. Instead, he glanced questioningly at his mother.
Only after she nodded slightly did he carefully unwrap the cloth in his arms. A golden gleam nearly blinded everyone else.
It was an oval gold box the size of a palm, inlaid with top-quality agates and blue jades.
Inside the gold box lay a few gold ingots and gold jewelry pieces.
It didn’t look like much, but gold was precious—this handful was worth a fortune.
As Li Huowang stared in surprise at its value, wondering how an ordinary person could have something so precious, Sun Baolu’s mother spoke up. “Daoist, no need to hold back. This isn’t from any tomb. It’s my dowry, a gift from the main family back then.”
“A gift from the main family?” Li Huowang reached out, grabbed it, and hefted it—nearly dropped it. Gold was heavy stuff.
The woman’s expression grew complicated. “Yes, from the main family. After all, only the rich and noble can afford beauty paper. To common folk, this is priceless. To some, it’s worthless.”
“Daoist, you saved my son. Consider this repayment. Please accept it.”
“I didn’t say I wanted it. I just need to borrow it. I’ll return it after use.” From the look of things, she seemed intent on settling the debt entirely with this.
The woman, as if eager to avoid further contact with Li Huowang, bowed deeply and respectfully before backing out through the flap.
“What’s up with your mom? Why the total attitude shift?”
Sun Baolu hemmed and hawed, some unspoken difficulty on his mind. He thought to himself: “Senior Brother Li, you scared the hell out of so many people coming back like that. Walking out of that place alive, dragging two freakish things with you—who knows what the clan’s saying behind your back now.”
“Forget it. I don’t want your family’s stuff. Take it back when I’m done. Got it?”
Sun Baolu looked troubled. “Then, Senior Brother Li, when do you plan to use the gold?”
At those words, Li Huowang’s expression fell slightly, hands still cradling the gold box.
“Wait, I guess. I don’t know when either. Baolu, thanks for putting up with us these days. Looks like we’ll be sticking around a bit longer.”
“Senior Brother Li, you’re being too formal. You saved my life.”
In the days that followed, the other fellow disciples noticed that Li Huowang, while recuperating, kept the gold box by his side at all times—like a miser guarding his hoard. And yet, he wasn’t the type.
Bai Lingmiao was the only one who knew the details, the reason behind it.
That night, as Bai Lingmiao turned over in bed, she saw the man beside her pillow sitting up—statue-still through the midnight hours, clutching the gold box on the bed.
Bai Lingmiao sighed softly and rolled over, turning her back to him.
“Senior Brother Li, do you... really miss that side? Or do you still think it might be real?”
Li Huowang said nothing in the darkness.
“Then, Senior Brother Li? Do you hope that side is real? Or hope it’s fake?”
Li Huowang let out a deep sigh. His hoarse, utterly weary voice echoed slowly through the tent. “I want to know the answer to that myself.”
Days passed one by one. As time wore on, and with each shift in position, Li Huowang’s disfigured face gradually returned to normal.
His wounds had mostly healed. Just as Li Huowang prepared to interrogate that little head of Han Fu’s, Sun Baolu—dressed once more as a Qingqiu native—approached.
“Senior Brother Li, the clan head sent me to ask you something.” He said as he reached Li Huowang’s side.
“What is it?” Li Huowang quickly ran through recent events in his mind. Things had been calm in Qingqiu lately—no issues he could think of.
“It’s those women you rescued from the village stronghold. A few have taken a liking to some of the young lads in the clan. The clan head just wants to gauge your stance. Without your nod, they wouldn’t dare act.”
“Sure, why not.”
From the look of Sun Baolu’s mother, this place offered a peaceful life—far better than tagging along on their endless wandering.
Back at the border, Peng Longteng had gotten several of them killed. If these women kept following, who knew how many would survive to Liang Kingdom.
“Great! I’ll go tell the clan head right now!” Back to his normal self, Baolu was no longer the taciturn sort—his personality had brightened considerably.
As the excited Sun Baolu turned to leave, Li Huowang’s large hand clamped down hard on his arm, instantly bruising it black and blue.
Sun Baolu whipped around to find Li Huowang staring at him with a savage expression. “Quick! Have Zhijian bring the chain!!”
“Got it!”
Sensing everything around him begin to shift, Li Huowang shoved the gold box into his robes at top speed.
The noisy, bustling tent camp gave way to a quiet, pristine hospital room. Nighttime here.
Li Huowang stared blankly at his mother dozing on the recliner beside him. She was covered with the little blanket from his bedroom.
“Mom.”
(End of chapter)