Chapter 182: Village Guardian

Chapter 182 The Village Guardian

Since the Chief Escort had agreed, the matters that followed were simple enough: issue the escort manifest, take the deposit, press the handprint.

Watching as those items were loaded one by one into his carriage, Li Huowang turned his head to look at the Chief Escort beside him.

"By the way, Chief Escort, may I ask, weren't there wars fought some days ago? Has business been affected?"

"How could it not? Speaking of the escort profession, though it's true that the more chaotic the world, the more money one makes, if the world truly becomes completely chaotic, then no money can be made."

"You must know that soldiers pass like a razor shave; those common soldiers won't speak of any rules. But thanks to the Patriarch's blessing, the war has stopped."

Hearing this, Li Huowang felt suddenly surprised. "Escort Chief, do you happen to know what happened, that the war stopped so suddenly?"

He still remembered that many people died during the battles back then; it should not have been ordinary friction.

Following normal procedures, whether winning or losing, the situation should not be like this now.

It should be that some reason prompted both sides to stop hands, no, wait, it seems not just both sides; far more than two countries participated in the war.

But it was as if they had agreed upon it; suddenly they all stopped, this point was very strange indeed.

"How would I know this? If I knew, wouldn't the Emperor's position of Four Qi be mine to sit upon?"

"However, I heard from people who were conscripted to be soldiers and returned that at the beginning it was fine, but suddenly, the dead on the battlefield suddenly stopped rotting, not even attracting flies."

Hearing these words, Li Huowang's expression froze; going round and round, it ultimately circled back to the Nun. This unexpected cease-fire was actually related to the disappearing rot.

"Is it because in the eyes of those in power, the disappearance of rot is far more important than attacking cities and seizing land? So those Emperors stopped the war to work together to solve this problem?"

"Could it be that the disappearance of rot will cause a great change in the world?"

Li Huowang, guessing wildly, turned his head to look at the street on the other side; the streets of the border town were very lively, carriages, ox carts, and camels came and went endlessly, not affected in the least by the disappearing rot.

This world seemed to be undergoing something very important, but all of this had nothing to do with him; now he, like these common people, was just one member of the multitude.

When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up.

Perhaps in this world the disappearance of rot is important, but since the Nun died, this already had nothing to do with Li Huowang at all.

Unknowingly, the escort goods Li Huowang pressed were loaded; two carriages were packed very full, afterwards at night when sleeping he could only sleep below.

"This young friend, you only need to deliver these goods to the Fengteng Escort Agency in Jicheng, Later Shu, and there will be a reward of seventy taels."

Seventy taels! Li Huowang was inadvertently stunned by this reward; knowing that back then the Lu Family Troupe performing a ghost play only had a reward of ten taels, it seems doing escort agency business in chaotic times truly makes money.

"Don't think it's too little, after all it's only the first time; as long as your hand skills are good, in the future everyone's business will naturally grow more and more. This is the escort manifest, please keep it close to your body."

Reaching out to take the escort manifest that served as the agency's proof, Li Huowang performed a Daoist salute to the other party. "Chief Escort, we shall meet again."

"Take care, have a smooth journey."

After walking out from the escort agency, looking once more at the town he had traveled back and forth to several times, Li Huowang sighed melancholically; he already had no concerns in Four Qi, this should be the last time coming to this place.

"The world is so vast, where exactly is my home?"

After everything was ready, the carriage wheels started rolling again; he led everyone's steps towards the gradually barren Later Shu.

If one were to say what difference there was between being an escort now and before, it was that they walked slower; after all, there were more things, and the horses pulling the cart were tired.

To avoid revenge from the relatives and families of those who performed the Nuo play, Li Huowang did not stay in the previous town, deliberately taking a detour.

Just like this, walking for about half a month's time, when seeing a village again, Li Huowang and others, dusty and with cracked lips, had to go in to rest.

Having no water to wash and being a bit sloppy was nothing much; eating dry rations every day truly caused internal heat.

At this moment, a crystal clear large blister hung from the corner of Li Huowang's mouth.

"Aowu~" The howling Mantou was patted by Li Huowang's hand on that smooth yellow head. "This is someone else's place, keep it down."

While feeling Mantou's tongue lick, Li Huowang sized up this not-large Gobi village before his eyes.

Seemingly to counteract the desolate and barren Gobi outside, all the houses were smeared with conspicuous red; other than that there was nothing special.

When seeing a man wearing tattered sheepskin walk out from the village, Li Huowang immediately led people to meet him.

"This sir---" Li Huowang's words just started, but he could not continue, only because the green snot on this man's face stretched in a thread from his face all the way to his chest.

Looking at that thickness, it was obviously accumulated through constant air-drying.

"Eh? Outsider?" This person stood there with toes turned inward, tilting his head and smiling foolishly at Li Huowang.

Li Huowang pulled at the copper coin mask on his face with his hand, somewhat unable to tell if this person was truly foolish or falsely foolish, standing in place watching him vigilantly.

"Han'er, Han'er, the Wu family is holding a wedding! Come over quickly to help! If done well there are baked buns!"

Hearing the shout of an old man from afar, this person's eyes immediately lit up, turning around and rushing towards that side.

"What is this origin?" Just as Li Huowang felt completely confused, Gao Zhijian on the side spoke up, "Village... Village... Village Guardian!"

"What?" Li Huowang looked at him, and from his stuttering mouth learned the meaning this represented.

In some villages there will be a fool; this kind of person is called a Village Guardian, claiming this kind of person is born losing a lifetime of sanity, just to help the village block disasters.

However, this is just nice to say; most Village Guardians' days are not easy to pass, usually full for one meal and hungry for the next, as long as they don't starve to death it's fine.

Only when the village has weddings or funerals, actively going over to help, leftover rice and dishes allow them to rarely eat their fill.

Li Huowang nodded understandingly, "So that's how it is, I haven't encountered this before, truly the first time learning about it."

Just at this moment, Li Huowang suddenly startled in his heart, looking up at Gao Zhijian's honest face.

"For other things you know nothing, how for this kind of thing, you know very clearly? Could it be you... before were also a Village Guardian?"

Gao Zhijian immediately shook his head like a rattle drum, "No... No... No! I... I... I... I... I am not!"

Looking at his flustered appearance, Li Huowang nodded, "Alright, don't explain, I know you are not."

The voice had just fallen, Gouwa on the side chimed in. "Yes yes yes, you are not, you are not."

"I truly... I truly... am not!" Seeing Gao Zhijian anxious until his face was completely red.

(End of Chapter)