Chapter 447
Chapter 447
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 447
>Chapter Title: Oxheart Village
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Li Huowang wore a conical hat and led his horse, standing silently by the roadside as he gazed at the distant Oxheart Village.
Months ago, he had stood in this very spot, pondering how to explain to Bai Lingmiao that he had killed her entire family.
Today, he stood in the same place once more, wondering how to explain to the rest of the villagers everything he had gone through during his absence.
He had achieved his goal. He no longer needed to be tormented by hallucinations. He was about to see them again, yet for some reason, his heart was filled with unease and trepidation.
Compared to the desolate chill of winter back then, Oxheart Village in spring was clearly much livelier. The fields surrounding the village were filled with people and oxen at work.
Those people weren't very old and seemed clumsy and awkward, but they worked earnestly. However, for some reason, none of them looked particularly appealing.
"Woof! Woof!" Mantou's barking pulled Li Huowang's gaze back from the distance. He looked toward the big yellow dog behind him. It arched its back and bared its teeth, growling lowly at Li Sui in the woods.
Even though Li Huowang had scolded it many times, Mantou seemed stubbornly fixated on this matter, always harboring intense hostility toward Li Sui.
"Dad, why's it barking at me? I like playing with it, but it doesn't like playing with me."
Li Huowang glanced at Li Sui at that moment. Its wriggling tentacles were completely wrapped in a large raincoat, while its head was covered by a wide bamboo conical hat with black gauze.
To anyone who didn't know the truth and judged by appearance alone, Li Sui in the raincoat looked like a short but extraordinarily obese fatty.
"If it doesn't want to play with you, then go play with something else. Don't provoke it."
In the past, he had needed Li Sui to suppress the hallucinations in his mind, but now he no longer did. For the moment, Li Huowang couldn't think of what to do with Li Sui.
Tell it to fend for itself? Li Huowang couldn't bring himself to say it. From the moment it gained awareness, he had taught it word by word. To say he felt nothing would be a lie, even if it was a terrifying evil being.
It might look frightening, but its mind was very simple and pure—far too easily deceived. In this world, Black Tai Sui counted as a medicinal ingredient. If he let it go off on its own, it wouldn't be long before someone captured it.
For now, the only option was to keep it around like he did with Mantou. Fortunately, it was easy to care for and not much of a burden.
"Once we enter the village, you absolutely must not take off your raincoat or stick your tentacles out from under it. You don't want to scare anyone."
"Got it, Dad." Li Sui replied obediently.
As its tentacles twisted and turned, it followed Li Huowang toward the village entrance, leaving a trail of shallow slime beneath the raincoat.
The two led a horse and brought a dog along. Their attire clearly marked them as not traveling peddlers, immediately drawing the attention of the people in the fields.
"Senior Brother Li!! Senior Brother Li, you're back!!" Yang Kid, who was a head shorter, came out of the fields in excitement, followed curiously by a round-faced woman.
Seeing a familiar face after so long, Mantou shook its head and tail as it bounded over, pouncing onto Yang Kid.
Yang Kid hugged Mantou tightly and eagerly asked Li Huowang, who was holding the horse's reins, "Senior Brother Li, where have you been this whole time? We all missed you so much! Are you okay?!"
As he asked, more and more people gathered around Li Huowang. By the time he reached the entrance of the Bai family estate again, practically the entire village had shown up.
Gao Zhijian seemed to have grown another head taller. He stood out like a crane among chickens in the crowd. He opened his mouth and stammered as if trying to say something, but Gouwa beat him to it.
"Senior Brother Li! Quick, look! This is my wife. And look at her belly—she's about to give birth! I'm gonna be a dad!! Hahaha!"
Gouwa's joyful laughter didn't last long before Chun Xiaoman shoved him stumbling. "Senior Brother Li, you're finally back. Miao Miao's been talking about you all the time and worrying about you."
Zhao Wu leaned on a wooden crutch nearby, excitedly chiming in, "Senior Brother Li, while you were gone, I kept a close eye on Oxheart Village's money for you. Not only did we not burn through it, we even made a good profit!"
Everyone happily chattered about all sorts of things. As for what Li Huowang had said before leaving, they had long forgotten every word.
Surrounded by these people, Li Huowang felt an inexplicable sense of relaxation in his heart. The taut string inside him no longer needed to be kept tight at every moment.
"Maybe this is what home feels like," Li Huowang thought to himself.
"Heh heh heh~ Heh heh heh~ Young Daoist, you're finally back. Come, come, you've been away on a long trip—step over this brazier to ward off the evil." Lv Zhuangyuan chuckled as he placed a brazier at the door.
He was thrilled, of course. With this man around to keep things in check, his heart felt much more at ease. Plus, he was his employer, which made his stay in the village all the more legitimate.
Once Li Huowang stepped over the brazier into the Bai family estate, he saw Bai Lingmiao leaning sideways against the second-floor wooden window, watching him with a faint smile. It was as if the furious departure back then had happened to someone else.
"You're back? Kid, go pull a sheep and a pig out of the pen and slaughter them. We're having a flowing banquet tonight."
"Got it!" Yang Kid agreed excitedly at once. He set down the Mantou in his arms and rushed off toward the kitchen.
Under Lv Zhuangyuan's shouts, who had a keen sense for such things, the others went off to help one after another. Some slaughtered the pigs, some watched the slaughtering. The vast Bai family estate suddenly grew much quieter.
"Is this Senior Brother Li's beloved? Should we give them some space?" Zhuge Yuan suggested considerately as he watched Li Huowang head upstairs.
"Space for what? You're new here—you have no idea what went down between them. The real show's just starting. I've been waiting for this!" Red Zhong said excitedly, about to follow, but Zhuge Yuan blocked him.
"Sir from the Sitting Oblivion Dao, perhaps it's best not to. That's hardly the act of a gentleman." Zhuge Yuan stood in his way.
"I'm no gentleman to begin with! I'm from the Sitting Oblivion Dao! I'm a con man!"
No matter what he said, though, Zhuge Yuan refused to let him get close.
When Li Huowang reached the second floor via the stairs, Bai Lingmiao stepped forward generously and, like a proper wife, helped remove his weapons and the heavy bundle of torture tools from his body.
But just as she was about to say something, she eyed the short, squat figure behind Li Huowang with some disdain, thinking to herself, "Who the hell is this? Following us right into the bedroom? No sense at all."
"This is Li Sui. Li Sui, call her Mom."
"Mom."
"Mom?"
Bai Lingmiao's flood of words was instantly cut off by that form of address from Li Sui. She looked up in shock at the bizarre figure in the raincoat before her.
"You'd better explain yourself! Where did you get such a big kid from?! Did that little bitch Yang Na give birth to him for you?!"
(End of chapter)