Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 63
>Chapter Title: The Red Veil
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Chapter 63: The Red Veil
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> Seeing that Li Zhi’s expression wasn’t quite right, Li Huowang walked straight over and said, “Brother Li Zhi, about what happened last night, I can explain.”
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> Li Zhi raised a hand, blocking Li Huowang from continuing. With a hint of impatience, he said, “Pah, what’s there to explain? I didn’t do anything to you, so what’s the big deal?”
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> With that, he stood up, pulled his wife along, and turned to walk out of the room.
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> Li Huowang watched the two receding backs in silence.
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> “The Second God called me a Pureheart Immortal. That sounds like some special title, and she warned me not to look at the family guardian spirits. She must know something about me. I need to find a way to pry that information out of her.”
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> He didn’t want to let this hard-won clue slip away just like that.
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> “Senior Brother Li, what’s wrong? You got beef with that jumping shaman?” Hearing Gouwa’s words, Li Huowang shook his head.
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> “Nothing. This is my personal business. Everyone, go have breakfast. It’s rare to have beds, so rest well these next few days. Once we leave this village, we’ll be sleeping on the roadside.”
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> In the following days, Li Huowang didn’t seek out Li Zhi again or pay attention to what he was doing.
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> He knew the man was surely still upset. Asking about the Second God now would probably not go well. Better to let it simmer for a bit.
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> That was Li Huowang’s thinking. However, during the wait, a minor trouble came knocking—Bai Lingmiao had fallen ill.
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> This trouble could be big or small. Big, because in this godforsaken place, neglecting even a minor illness could easily take a life.
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> Small, because with the pills refined at Clear Wind Temple, he could barely pass as a country doctor. He couldn’t cure other ailments, but this little sickness was no problem.
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> Li Huowang rested Bai Lingmiao’s slightly feverish head against his chest.
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> He carefully placed a red pill into her mouth.
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> “Senior Brother Li, am I... going to die? I don’t want to die...” The extremely weak Bai Lingmiao clutched tightly at the sleeve of Li Huowang’s robe.
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> “Don’t think nonsense. It’s just a little cold. You’ve taken the medicine. Sleep it off soundly, sweat it out under the covers, and you’ll be fine.”
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> “Knock knock knock.” A sudden knock at the door interrupted their conversation. As Li Huowang looked up, he saw Li Zhi standing at the doorway with his wife.
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> “How is she? I heard from the villagers your sister’s sick? Need any help?”
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> “No need, thanks.” Li Huowang gently tucked the blanket over Bai Lingmiao and turned to walk toward him.
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> “Come on, no need to stand on ceremony. You treated me to noodles before, so I gotta return the favor. The Bai Family Old Immortals are unmatched at curing illnesses and saving lives. As long as you don’t have designs on my wife, we’re still friends. I’ll help with this.”
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> Li Zhi’s tone was natural, as if that whole incident had never happened.
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> “It’s just a minor cold. No need to call your great immortal, and besides, we can’t afford their ‘tea money.’”
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> Li Zhi paused, then burst out laughing. “Yeah, you’re right. Count me as stirring up trouble. Old Immortals really can’t be summoned lightly.”
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> “But Real Person Li, you neither know how to exorcise evil nor treat illness. You’re really something as a Taoist.”
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> Li Huowang sized up the man before him again, along with the very natural smile on his face.
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> “I’m already treating her. The pill’s gone down. We just need to wait for it to take effect.”
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> The stern-faced Li Zhi stood there, shaking his head repeatedly. “Nah, that won’t do. I’ve seen other Taoists, real pros. They just draw a yellow talisman, burn it to ash, mix it in water, and drink—no matter the illness, it’s gone in a flash.”
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> Li Huowang smiled faintly, sensing the relaxed atmosphere. He felt now was a good time.
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> “Brother Li Zhi, could we talk? About your wife—she doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. Are all the Second Gods in the jumping shamans like that?”
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> The smile on Li Zhi’s face froze. “Real Person Li, you say that, and it gets awkward. You’re a cultivator too. Surely you wouldn’t tell me all your secrets, right?”
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> “Have I asked you where this bunch of heaven-cursed wretches came from? No, I haven’t.”
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> With that, the grinning Li Zhi patted Li Huowang’s red Daoist robe and turned away with his wife.
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> Evidently, though Li Zhi seemed very chatty on the surface, even complaining about the immortals behind their backs as if he cared about nothing, it was all an act.
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> Li Huowang pondered thoughtfully for a moment before turning back into the room to tend to Bai Lingmiao.
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> That very night at the third watch, a tapping at the window jolted him from shallow sleep.
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> “Creak~” The wooden window slid open silently. A pair of blood-red embroidered shoes hovered there, swaying gently.
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> Li Huowang recognized those shoes—they belonged to the Second God. She had come for him.
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> Li Huowang thought for a moment, then said in an extremely low voice to the embroidered shoes, “The grove at the village edge. I’ll be right there.”
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> Seeing the shoes slowly withdraw, Li Huowang took a deep breath, rolled out of bed, and began dressing.
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> Moments later, under the hazy moonlight, Li Huowang arrived in the pitch-black grove outside. There, beneath a tree, he spotted the motionless Second God.
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> Li Huowang glanced warily left and right, confirming no sign of Li Zhi, then approached. “Miss Second God, what do you have to tell me?”
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> The Second God raised her bleeding finger once more and began writing on her red veil again.
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> Too far to see clearly, Li Huowang instinctively leaned closer to the red veil.
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> “You... must... be... careful...”
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> Halfway through writing, without warning, the Second God raised both hands. Her black nails extended straight and plunged viciously into Li Huowang’s neck.
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> “Thud!” Muscles tensing instantly, Li Huowang seized the red veil before him. His right foot shot up, slamming hard into her belly.
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> Though he’d escaped immediate danger for the moment, four bloody holes now oozed from both sides of Li Huowang’s neck.
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> Trembling, he stuffed several hemostatic pills into his mouth and fixed his gaze on the Second God, clad in garish red and purple.
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> Li Huowang never imagined that the Second God, who had seemed about to warn him, would suddenly strike to kill.
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> But when he saw her face, he froze.
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> Though her features were distorted, and her face bore snake-green scales, hedgehog spines, fox ears, and traits of various beasts all at once.
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> By the faint remaining traces of humanity, he could tell—this was clearly Li Zhi’s face.
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> No, it was Li Zhi in female guise. The scant human skin left on her was powdered.
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> The protruding fangs of the beast mouth on one side couldn’t be helped, but the cherry lips on the other had been deliberately smeared with red rouge.
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> Seeing Li Huowang had glimpsed her true face, “Li Zhi” covered her mouth and let out a piercing, fox-like cackle.
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> “After all that probing, turns out this Pureheart of yours is just a facade. Lucky no one snatched you up first.”
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> “After all that probing, turns out this Pureheart of yours is just a facade. Lucky no one snatched you up first.”
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> The voice came in two layers—one right before him, the other echoing from the dark woods all around.
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> “Boom boom boom!!” Prolonged, rapid drumbeats resounded from the woods.
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> “Please~ the~ god~!”
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> (End of chapter)