Chapter 328
Chapter 328
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 328
>Chapter Title: Noodles
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“Clop clop clop.” As the sound of hooves kept drumming on, the carriage driven by Li Huowang gradually moved farther away from Cangshui County.
On the carriage, besides Black Tai Sui, there were now quite a few preserved dry goods as well. Li Huowang pulled out a red jujube and slowly chewed it as he popped it into his mouth.
“Sweet?” The monk leaned over, his face creasing into folds as he asked.
“Sweet.” Li Huowang said as he grabbed a handful of walnut meat and chewed it up. “Do you think they’re happy now?”
“Of course they’re happy. If they weren’t, would they have sent you all this stuff?”
“Good. As long as they’re happy. This world is too painful. The more joy they can find, the better.”
Li Huowang murmured to himself with his mouth full. He struggled in this agony and repression, but helping others escape a fate like his own through his efforts didn’t feel so bad.
Hearing movement nearby, Li Huowang turned his head and saw Mantou wagging his tail, pawing at the basket with his claws. He’d buried his entire dog head in a large bamboo basket and was chomping away noisily at something.
Li Huowang pinched the scruff of his neck with his fingers and tossed him onto the roadside dirt. “Get down. Run alongside. You eat like this every day—are you trying to turn into a grown pig ready for slaughter?”
Mantou whined lowly, seemingly voicing some dissatisfaction. But seeing that Li Huowang had no intention of waiting for him, he quickly bounded after them on all fours.
Gazing at the endless undulating dirt road stretching out before the horse, Li Huowang let go of the reins, allowing the horse to proceed on its own.
Unlike a car, a carriage didn’t need constant supervision. Horses were smart creatures with brains—they’d dodge danger and stop at forks in the road.
With his hands free, Li Huowang pulled an elementary primer from his robes. He patted his abdomen, and Black Tai Sui inside stirred at once. A black tentacle emerged from his navel and hooked onto his finger.
He looked down at the tentacle, lost in thought. After everything that had happened, he wasn’t as repulsed by Black Tai Sui as before.
It had stopped him from killing himself and helped out in a pinch. Having something like this around to lend a hand wasn’t so bad. Of course, it would be even better if it didn’t constantly scheme to possess his body.
At that thought, Li Huowang removed the earplug from his right ear. The grating cacophony sharpened instantly, the bumping sounds within becoming clear. “Before, eat, hungry, I help you,”
“I know you helped me. You don’t need to bring it up every time. Be quiet now.”
Just as Li Huowang finished speaking, Black Tai Sui’s voice grew softer. “So hungry? Eat,”
“No eating. Read the book and learn your letters. Your speech is still too jumbled. You haven’t learned enough.”
Li Huowang picked up the primer and began reading it aloud, word by word.
He didn’t know how much Black Tai Sui could absorb, but the more fluently it spoke, the less harm it posed to him.
As he read on, a new tentacle extended from his navel. At its tip was an eyeball with double pupils.
The eyestalk swiveled crookedly, taking in everything around it slowly but intently, brimming with curiosity.
Feeling two gazes emanating from that single eye, Li Huowang paused. He reached out, snatched the eyeball, and examined it closely. “Red Middle, isn’t this your eyeball? Why didn’t Black Tai Sui digest it?”
Red Middle, who hadn’t appeared in a while, rose up from beneath the rapidly spinning carriage wheels. “This thing’s a real treasure. Took me a ton of effort to swindle it back in the day.”
“Another treasure? This isn’t your original eye?”
“Of course not. Wanna guess where I tricked it from?” Red Middle grinned smugly.
Li Huowang glanced at him and ignored him completely, shoving the eyeball back onto Black Tai Sui’s tentacle before resuming his reading.
No matter how Red Middle tried to tempt him, he didn’t ask further. Through constant interactions, Li Huowang had figured out how to handle the ploys of the Sitting Oblivion Dao.
As he taught on, noon arrived. A roadside stall for travelers appeared by the dirt road, with a few wooden tables scattered with some road-weary folks scarfing down bowls of noodles.
Li Huowang thought for a moment, tugged the reins to halt the carriage, and headed toward the stall with tongue-lolling Mantou in tow.
“What’ll it be, sir?” The stall owner, sporting a little mustache, asked cautiously upon catching the thick scent of blood on Li Huowang.
“Got any food? Surprise me.” With hot food available, Li Huowang had no need for dry rations.
After all, dry goods sacrificed taste for shelf life.
“Right away, sir! Have a seat and some chilled tea first!” The mustached man bustled to the stove with his big-bellied wife.
Li Huowang grabbed the teapot on the table and poured some for tongue-lolling Mantou beside him.
After the mutt chewed on the water line for a bit with no result, Li Huowang poured himself a bowl and drank.
Though the place wasn’t far from Cangshui County, better safe than sorry. He had no intention of capsizing in a gutter.
“I’ve got the pill furnace now. Next up is pill ingredients. The apothecaries in Silver Mausoleum City should have them. If not, I can ask Tuoba Danqing.” As Li Huowang mulled over these thoughts, the mustached owner approached with a bowl of noodles.
“Here’s your noodles, sir.” A steaming bowl was set before Li Huowang. Though topped only with offal, wild greens, and dried radish,
the combination smelled irresistibly savory.
After Mantou had his share, Li Huowang dug in heartily. They were wide noodles, a mix of types, chewy and satisfying.
With only Li Huowang as a customer, the stall owner had nothing else to do after serving the noodles. He helped his wife sit down. Their distant words were crystal clear to Li Huowang’s sharp ears.
“Darling, rest a bit. Don’t tire out our child.”
“Husband, don’t just fuss over me. Grab a quick bite while it’s quiet.”
“Heh, I’m not hungry. Seeing our child keeps my appetite at bay.”
The stall owner squatted down and gently caressed his wife’s belly, speaking tenderly. “Little treasure, can you feel that? It’s Daddy. Come on, say Daddy.”
The pregnant woman pinched his arm playfully with mock reproach. “What nonsense? Whose unborn baby talks? You fool.”
“Don’t interrupt. I’m chatting with our kid. That fortune-teller said if I talk to him more now, he’ll turn out more promising later!”
With that, he lay flat on the ground and pressed his ear to her swollen belly, his voice full of affection. “Kiddo, can you hear me? It’s your daddy. Say daddy.”
Just as the stall owner finished speaking, a muffled voice boomed like thunder in Li Huowang’s ears. “Daddy...”
(End of chapter)