Chapter 628
Chapter 628
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 628
>Chapter Title: Tree Flowers
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The sunset in the sky, red as fire, dyed the clouds on the horizon red and also dyed Li Sui's profile red.
At this moment, she was sitting sideways on the horse, leaning against her dad's back, her head lowered as she focused intently on her new body.
This was still a woman's body, just older than the previous one and uglier to look at.
The black cloth over her shoulders marked her identity—one of the Fa Cult followers who had ambushed Li Huowang before.
There was only one reason for choosing a woman: the skirt could hide her dog head and four limbs.
She could have done as before and burrowed into her dad's body, but after what happened last time, she was a bit scared. She feared getting stuck inside her dad and unable to come out—that would hurt him a lot, and she didn't want him to hurt.
When the sound of the horse's hooves suddenly stopped, Li Sui cautiously poked her head out from behind her dad and saw many houses blocking the road ahead.
"The sky's about to get dark. We'll rest at this post station tonight and ride hard tomorrow to reach Yinling!"
As the postmaster and station attendants came out, they spotted the Supervisor of the Natural Order token held high by Fo Yulu and paled in shock, immediately pulling out all the stops to serve them.
These were deadly important people, even more urgent than the 800-li express riders.
As night fell, fine wine and dishes were brought out, and they even thoughtfully prepared vegetarian food for the three monks.
Sitting on a bench, Li Sui held a single chopstick in one hand, watching the others skillfully use those two wooden sticks.
She had no idea how to use the things. In the past, she just swallowed her food whole.
"Eat the eggs. Eggs don't need chopsticks." Beside her, Li Huowang gulped down mutton soup and reached over to yank off the black cloth from Li Sui's shoulders.
Li Sui nodded lightly, picked up a shelled egg from the plate, and under the postmaster's wide-eyed stare nearby, swallowed a dozen or so whole in a row like a giant snake, without even chewing.
Li Sui didn't like these things—they had no flavor at all. After filling her stomach a bit, she stood up and, like a curious child, looked around the post station. Anything unfamiliar caught her strong interest.
As she wandered about, she reached a window and peered out at the county town beside them. Watching the bustling crowds on the streets, Li Sui's eyes filled with curiosity. It looked so lively over there.
Glancing at her dad, who had started talking to the bald monk again, Li Sui slipped out the door. Dad was staying here to sleep, so as long as she got back before bedtime, it would be fine.
As she entered the county town, the lively atmosphere instantly infected Li Sui, and she grinned happily. She loved the bustle. "Is it New Year's again? I love New Year's."
"It was New Year's just recently—how could it be New Year's again? This is a festival." A passerby nearby couldn't help but chime in.
"A festival! Festivals are fun too!" Li Sui walked among the crowd, following along and taking in the street scenes around her.
There were tons of people out tonight, and just as many performers doing stunts—stilt-walkers over here, fire-breathers over there. It was incredibly lively.
As they walked, everyone suddenly stopped by the city wall, standing quietly and staring into the pitch-black wall, waiting for something.
"What's going on? What's happening?" Li Sui asked curiously to the people around her.
"Shh, they're beating tree flowers. Keep quiet."
Just as Li Sui was still puzzling over what "beating tree flowers" meant, she saw an old man wearing a straw hat and a sheepskin coat draped backward over his shoulders. He had a long face full of worry as he carried a bucket of molten iron to the wall.
With a vigorous toss, he flung a ladle of the iron water onto the wall. Red droplets the size of pearls splattered across the dark surface.
With a "whoosh," clusters of umbrella-shaped golden-yellow sparks exploded into view, scattering along the wall into the distance. In midair, they formed a massive, brilliantly radiant golden tree flower.
"Wow~~ Beating tree flowers is so pretty!" Li Sui's eyes sparkled as she joined the crowd around her in a collective gasp of awe.
Bloom after bloom of tree flowers flashed briefly before exploding anew. Li Sui watched with utter delight—she had never seen anything so beautiful.
When no more tree flowers appeared, the onlookers left the wall, a mix of reluctance and satisfaction on their faces.
"Tree flowers are wonderful, but they lack something. In a scene like this, there should be sound and color, accompanied by song and dance. Only then can it truly be 'the furnace fire illuminates heaven and earth, red stars whirl in purple smoke. The blushing youth under the bright moon, songs stirring the cold river' ah~" A scholar shook his head and recited as he passed by Li Sui.
Li Sui had no interest in figuring out what the man was saying. Her mind was entirely on something else.
She wanted to learn how to beat tree flowers and show them to her dad and mom! Something this beautiful—they definitely hadn't seen it!
"Can you tell me how to beat tree flowers? I want to show my dad!" Li Sui ran down to the base of the wall and blocked the old man's path.
But he didn't even lift his eyelids. "I don't teach girls!"
As he tried to skirt around Li Sui with his iron bucket, she blocked him again. "Why not? Why can't you teach me?"
"You little girl! You—!" The old man jerked his head up. When the distant light illuminated her face, his eyes widened in shock.
"Nini? Nini?!" The old man reached out his hands, covered in old scars and fresh burns from hot metal, and tremblingly grasped Li Sui's shoulders.
"Just teach me, please. Tree flowers are so pretty. My dad would love them."
The wrinkled old face under the straw hat completely crumbled as tears welled up.
He nodded vigorously, his voice shaking. "I'll teach! I'll teach it all! Whatever you want to learn, Dad will teach you!"
"Really? That's great! How do you learn to beat tree flowers? From a book?"
"Come, come on, follow me!" The old man grabbed Li Sui's hand and excitedly rushed toward his home.
Soon, Li Sui followed him to a dirt hut. The old man pushed open the door in agitation and shouted inside, "Old lady! Old lady! Look who's come back!"
An old woman with narrowed eyes, carefully threading a needle by the light of a single candle, heard this and wet the fine needle in her mouth before tucking it into her salt-and-pepper hair. "Who is it? Who's here?"
As she turned around while speaking, she finally saw Li Sui's face and rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
Li Sui smiled and nodded at her. "I'm here to learn tree flowers from him."
The old woman slapped her knees hard and came running over, throwing herself onto Li Sui in tears. She pounded her chest and wailed in a dramatic cadence. "Wah wah wah~ My~~ Nini~ Oh, wah wah~ Such a hard life~~"
Li Sui didn't understand what the woman was saying, but the way she shouted reminded her of the Wu family opera troupe's performances.
She turned to the old man wiping his tears beside her and asked, "Do you have to do this to learn tree flowers?"