Chapter 470
Chapter 470
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 470
>Chapter Title: Village
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“Creak, creak.” The wheels ground two narrow tracks into the ground.
Li Huowang sat on the front board of the cart, lightly shaking the horsewhip to urge the horse onward. Meanwhile, Li Sui, dressed in a straw raincoat, sat beside him, peering curiously at the sparrows on the branches through the black veil newly hung beneath the brim of her bamboo hat.
Li Huowang rapped on the side of the cart. “Miaomiao, there’s no need to stay cooped up inside every day. It’s so stuffy. It’s dusk now—you can come out for some fresh air.”
Bai Lingmiao lifted the carriage curtain and gently sat down beside Li Huowang. She removed the white cloth covering her eyes and gazed around at her surroundings.
Looking at that delicate profile, Li Huowang noticed that Bai Lingmiao seemed somehow different. If her eyes had once been pink, they were now a pale pinkish-white.
What this signified went without saying.
Li Huowang reached out and gently squeezed her hand in reassurance. “It’s fine. The capital is almost here. Once we arrive, we’ll definitely find a way to fix your eyes.”
Of the four pressing matters, the issue of self-preservation in Oxheart Village had been temporarily resolved for now. The most urgent problem next was Bai Lingmiao’s eyes.
This matter was extremely pressing, but fortunately, solving it wasn’t as difficult as he’d imagined.
Having witnessed the great clash between the Surveillance Bureau and the Sitting Oblivion Dao before, Li Huowang didn’t think swapping out a pair of eyes would be any big deal in this chaotic world.
“Senior Brother Li, why did you want me to come along too?” Bai Lingmiao asked in a soft, feeble voice.
“Of course you have to come. This is about curing your eyes—how can it be cured if you’re not here?” Li Huowang replied matter-of-factly.
“Oh.” Bai Lingmiao lowered her head and softly acknowledged.
“Tired? There’s a village up ahead. We can stay there tonight—no need to sleep in the cart.”
“Don’t worry. At this pace, we should reach the capital by tomorrow night. Then not only will you be able to see everything clearly again, but you’ll be able to open your eyes even in broad daylight from now on.”
“Mm, alright, Senior Brother Li. I’ll do as you say.”
This wasn’t Li Huowang’s first time heading to the capital; he was already quite familiar with the route. As the sun began to vanish from the sky, a cluster of villages appeared before him.
But as they drew closer, a trace of worry appeared on Bai Lingmiao’s face. “Senior Brother Li, it’s the same here too...”
It didn’t look so bad from afar, but up close, the mud-brick houses were all crooked and slanted, on the verge of collapse. Overgrown weeds and tangled spiderwebs showed that no one had lived in them for quite some time.
Though Li Huowang’s expression grew grave, he wasn’t surprised. This wasn’t the first time he’d encountered a situation like this.
That heavenly disaster had been brief, but villages that weren’t so lucky had basically lost some of their people.
Even villages that got lucky and suffered nothing were mere exceptions.
This wasn’t just one or two villages—it was the whole world. Who knew how many people had died in the process.
“Who are you looking for?” An elderly voice made Li Huowang’s hand instantly grip his sword hilt.
But when he saw that the words came from an old man with only a few teeth left in his mouth, tremblingly leaning on a cane, Li Huowang relaxed his hold on his weapon.
A strip of black cloth hung from the old man’s right shoulder, signifying that someone in his family had recently passed away.
“Old sir, it’s me. Remember? I stayed here before.” Li Huowang walked up to him and snapped his fingers between the old man’s eyes.
The elder stared at Li Huowang’s face for a moment before suddenly realizing. “Ah~ it’s you, little one. Come, come. There are plenty of empty houses in the village now. You can stay as long as you like this time.”
As the old man turned to lead the way, Bai Lingmiao quietly sidled up to Li Huowang. “Senior Brother Li, do you really know him?”
“No, just a little trick. The old fellow’s memory isn’t what it used to be.”
As the man led them deeper into the village, the other villagers gradually came into view before Li Huowang.
Men and women alike held large bowls, either squatting or standing as they gathered under a massive banyan tree, eating and chatting while there was still some light left.
They all turned to stare at Li Huowang’s cart. Some who knew the old man called out casually. “Old Zhao, got family visiting?”
Their expressions seemed normal enough, but black cloths hung from everyone’s arms—the most Li Huowang had seen on his journey.
Soon, Li Huowang was brought to the front of a clean little mud-brick courtyard. “This was my youngest son’s. He died a couple years back. You can stay here.”
“Thank you so much, Old Zhao. Sorry to trouble you like this.”
“Hey now, what’re you saying? It’s just a night’s stay. No trouble at all. No trouble.”
Watching his receding figure, Bai Lingmiao spoke with a hint of sympathy in her voice. “Senior Brother Li, it looks like a lot of people died here because of that last heavenly disaster.”
At those words, Li Huowang immediately glanced toward Zhuge Yuan. He was standing silently in the air some distance away, his back turned toward them without a word.
The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart. Given what he knew of the man, Zhuge Yuan would surely blame himself for these deaths.
“Never mind, that’s all in the past. Don’t bring it up. I’ll fetch some water from the well and cook us something hot.”
Since they still had to travel tomorrow, dinner was a simple affair. After washing up, the two went to bed.
Li Huowang hadn’t expected any trouble that night, but around the third watch, he was woken by Li Sui, who was on night watch.
Li Huowang glanced at Bai Lingmiao’s slow, steady breathing beside him and whispered to Li Sui at the bedside as quietly as he could. “What is it?”
“Dad, they’re singing opera outside.”
“Hm?” Li Huowang glanced at Bai Lingmiao once more, then quietly slipped out of bed, pushed open the door, and stepped outside.
Soon, beneath that banyan tree from before, Li Huowang spotted a group of people gathered in a circle, gesticulating wildly as they danced something.
They were none other than the villagers from under the tree earlier—even the old man who’d led him in was there.
“Dad, what are they doing?”
“Shh, don’t make a sound. Let me watch.”
Li Huowang’s brows gradually furrowed. It seemed he’d unwittingly crossed paths with some sect or cult he’d never encountered before.
What puzzled him was that when the old man had led them into the village, he’d deliberately checked, sensing no malice whatsoever from the man’s Ten Emotions and Eight Sufferings.
“Could they be like Abbess Sun, more or less good people?” After some thought, Li Huowang decided to bide his time and observe what they were up to.
No matter whether they harbored any malice toward him or not, Li Huowang had nothing to fear at present.
From this distance, only fragments of their chanting reached Li Huowang’s ears.
“Enduring endless hardship, myriad woes untold... Oh child god, naught goes right at all... Cut off in distress, money gone, granaries bare... Oh child god, clothes all worn to shreds...”
(End of chapter)