Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 78
>Chapter Title: Aftermath
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Chapter 78: Aftermath
At the shore of Reed Island, Li Huowang stood there holding the bamboo slips that reeked of blood.
The others stood at a distance with pale faces, huddling together as they watched him.
They still hadn’t recovered from the aftermath of what had just happened.
Li Huowang’s expression showed some hesitation. Right now, with just a forceful toss, this vile bamboo slip—so disgusting that merely looking at it could make someone vomit—would sink into the lake mud and never see the light of day again.
This seemed like an excellent choice. No matter who had written this bamboo slip, the power of Ba Hui wasn’t something to be borrowed lightly. Leaving it in the world would only bring endless suffering to others.
Li Huowang stood there pondering for a long time, but in the end, he tucked the bloody bamboo slip back into his robes.
The methods recorded inside were utterly bloody, but they were undeniably effective.
Even a common thug like Yuan Er could use them, so there was no reason he couldn’t.
Better to have it and not need it— who knew if he might really need it in some dire situation.
If he didn’t want to completely turn into Danyangzi, then whenever danger arose in the future, he’d have to find a substitute. Even if that substitute came at an exorbitantly high cost.
Li Huowang turned his head back toward the others. “Push the boat over, then prepare the dead bodies and the gold. We’re leaving this damned place.”
The trouble had been resolved in an unexpected way, so there was no need to linger in this place full of corpses.
The small sampan the water bandits used for robbery was pushed to the shore by the strong swimmer Sun Baolu. The others boarded it, carrying their companions’ corpses and those gold ornaments.
“Get on the boat and row. Take us to the other side of this huge lake.” Li Huowang glared menacingly at the boy in front of him as he threatened.
“C-can you promise not to kill me if I take you out?” The terrified boy asked timidly.
When he saw Li Huowang’s hand reach for the sword hilt on his back, the boy scrambled onto the boat in a panic, piss streaming down his legs.
As the boy rowed the oars, the small sampan turned and headed deeper into the reeds. The others stumbled along, paddling to keep up.
The dense reed marsh was very quiet. Aside from the sound of oars breaking the water’s surface, no one made a sound.
Everything that had happened on the island before left everyone shaken, their faces deathly pale.
“Exalted one, my name’s Yuan Fu.” The rowing boy suddenly spoke up.
Li Huowang, his brows furrowed tightly, didn’t reply. His eyes scanned the pitch-black surroundings like a hawk’s.
“Exalted one, actually, I know that killing and robbing on the water isn’t good. Whenever my dad was raiding, I never went.”
The nervous boy on his face tried to explain something.
“I actually want to take the imperial exams, go to the capital and become a big official. I’m sick of this place. I know the area really well, exalted one. Where are you headed? I can show you the way.”
This finally caught Li Huowang’s attention. He looked down at the rowing boy. “How much do you know about the nunnery on Heng Hua Mountain?”
That was their next destination. Maybe he could learn something from this kid. Heng Hua Mountain shouldn’t be far from this lake.
“Nuns? Yeah, I know about them. Once when I was working with Second Bro, we ran into them. We’d already scouted the cargo on the boat, but at the last moment, Second Bro said we weren’t doing that job.”
“He told me it was Great-Grandpa’s rule: no robbing black-robed nuns, baldies who keep birds, or gods who carry drums. That’s the three no-rob rule.”
“What do those nuns look like? Anything special about them?”
“They’re fat. Super fat. One of them could match three of me. And lazy too— they’d never stand if they could sit, never sit if they could lie down.”
“And they stink to high heaven, filthy as can be. Once one of them took off her shoes, and I could smell it from the boat.”
“Exalted one, are you going to find those nuns? I can guide you.”
Fat, lazy, filthy—those words were hard to associate with nuns from Buddhism.
Li Zhi said they could barely be considered good people? But after all these events, Li Huowang seriously doubted if there were truly any so-called good people in this world.
After winding through the reed marsh for a long time, the vast lake surface appeared before them again.
After the small boat reached shore, the sky was already starting to brighten. From sunset to sunrise, they had spent a whole night on that island.
As sunlight fell on everyone’s faces, their heavy hearts finally eased. Having rowed all night, they were utterly exhausted and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
Li Huowang said to the others, “Don’t rest yet. Go into the woods and gather firewood. Burn these three bodies, or they’ll start stinking soon.”
Seeing the three drowned companions on the boat, the others struggled to their feet and staggered toward the nearby woods.
Li Huowang stopped Xiaoman, who was clutching her arm. A large patch of skin on her right arm had been torn off, exposing raw red muscle to the air.
“How is it? You okay?” Li Huowang pulled a pill from his waist and offered it to her.
Xiaoman didn’t take the pill. “I’m fine. Surviving this is already lucky. This little injury can be covered with wood ash later.”
Having spent these days together, Li Huowang knew her stubborn personality well, so he said nothing more.
Soon, three large bonfires rose on the shore. Li Huowang hugged the three dead bodies and tossed them in one by one.
Everyone watched as their companions, who had been full of life just yesterday, were gradually engulfed by the flames.
When the sun hung high overhead, the flames finally died down.
Li Huowang used his longsword to poke through the ashes, smashing large bone fragments into smaller pieces before scooping them into ceramic jars along with the ashes.
Looking at the urns of ashes before him, Li Huowang felt deeply depressed. The events from last night had left his mind in turmoil.
At that moment, Bai Lingmiao, her eyes already bandaged, reached out and gently tugged at his clothes.
Sensing something off in his mood, she leaned over and pressed against his back.
“I’m fine. No need to comfort me.” Li Huowang bent down, picked up the three jars, and placed them in the Fool’s arms.
Yuan Fu stood by Li Huowang’s side like a lackey. “Exalted one, want to rest a bit? If not, I can take you to the nuns right now. I know the way.”
The calm Li Huowang flicked the ashes off his sword, then suddenly swung it toward the voice before sheathing it with a reverse grip.
“Take the ashes. Let’s go.”
Yuan Fu’s eyes widened in disbelief as he clutched his bleeding neck.
He opened his mouth toward Li Huowang’s back, as if wanting to say something, but could only cough.
In the end, he staggered a few steps before his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground, the light fading from his eyes.
(End of chapter)