Chapter 200: Manor

Chapter 200 The Village

On a muddy loess path, Li Huowang and his group, having returned to their normal forms, continued their journey.

Several days had passed since they escaped from the town.

At this moment, exhaustion marked every face; there was no help for it, with poor food and poor clothing, this was surely the result.

When they reached a slightly flatter area, Li Huowang wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. "Let's all rest a while."

As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone immediately collapsed, lying sprawled across the ground. Gasping for breath.

Bai Lingmiao carefully took out the last yellow cake from her bosom, broke off half to put back, then handed that half to Li Huowang. "Senior Brother Li, here, eat something."

Li Huowang glanced at her, reached out and pinched her stomach directly; it was hollow.

This gesture made Bai Lingmiao feel utterly ashamed, yet she could not bear to refuse.

"Don't save it, I know you have a big appetite, eat when you should, definitely don't starve, I'll figure out the other things."

"I'm really not hungry, you eat it." Bai Lingmiao pushed the cake back again.

This time Li Huowang was too lazy to take it again, reopening the map, searching for a way to replenish their food.

Food and supplies were running low, they must be replenished as soon as possible.

He had considered robbing those bandits, but thinking of the relationship between bandits and the soldier-bandits, Li Huowang dismissed the idea.

It was hard to say clearly, whether these bandits were actually that woman's outposts.

They had barely managed to escape before, it wasn't worth provoking the soldier-bandits again just for some food.

"Rob ordinary common folk?"

Li Huowang rejected this thought immediately, he would absolutely not do beastly things like his master, he was Li Huowang, he was not Dan Yangzi.

Not robbing bandits nor oppressing the people, yet still needing to get enough travel funds and food, this was truly somewhat difficult.

Just then, Gou Wa from the side came over with a grin. He reached for the cake in Bai Lingmiao's hand, but was slapped away by her.

"Senior Sister Bai, give it to me, Senior Brother Li isn't hungry, I am."

"No, this is all the food left now, go eat your own!"

"Mine was eaten up long ago."

"Then you starve, starving for a few days won't kill you."

Dejected, Gou Wa stuck his hand into his loose clothing, scratching his ribs.

He turned around, looking at the others nearby.

But this time, everyone had no food, even the most understanding Yang Xiaohai didn't give him any.

Gradually his eyes landed on those women rescued from the bandit stronghold.

"If I knew earlier I'd have thrown these women away, they do nothing, only waste food, completely a burden."

Gou Wa's words made those women show expressions of terror on their faces. Helplessly huddling together in bewilderment.

"Are you a man? Why so much nonsense!" Chun Xiaoman could not bear to watch.

"That's just how it is, am I wrong to say it?"

"Don't... don't leave me behind! I'm useful, I know where there's food, not far from here, I can take you all to borrow some."

These words made the others' gazes converge on that group of women.

The speaker was a big-mouthed woman, having the capital to be robbed by bandits, she clearly did not rely solely on her big mouth.

Seeing everyone else looking over, this woman uneasily lowered her head.

"Is what you say true? Can you really get food?"

Li Huowang walked over, standing before her he asked.

He suddenly realized he had just been overthinking things, with this group of Hou Shu locals leading the way, what need for a map.

"Mm... near here there's a village... my fourth aunt farms there... I can go borrow..."

Li Huowang looked again at the map in his hand, finding no mark on it.

"Hehe... there are too many of these small villages and stockades, how could this old man mark them all." Jin Shanzhao walked over and explained awkwardly.

"Brother, if you don't know you don't know, why pretend, how much trouble have you caused this little Daoist master,"

Lu Zhuangyuan's teasing made Jin Shanzhao's old face turn red, "Old brother, I'm not talking nonsense, do you know how many such places exist in all of Hou Shu—"

"Enough, no time for chatting, we'll go over and look first, you take us to your fourth aunt's home."

Li Huowang's words settled the matter, making everyone still resting stand up.

Immediately after, the group followed that big-mouthed woman towards a stone mountain in the distance.

When they arrived at the foot of the barren stone mountain, the big-mouthed woman did not stop, leading the others to begin climbing the lonely mountain.

At first there was some path, but later there was no path at all, requiring all four limbs to climb up.

Several times, Li Huowang thought this woman was lying to him, this broken place looked nothing like a place with a village.

But after expending tremendous effort, climbing to the summit, a scene of a paradise appeared before his eyes.

This mountain was a flat-topped mountain, on this flat top there was actually a village.

More importantly he saw vast stretches of green fields, this was truly rare to see in the barren Kingdom of Hou Shu.

"Which madman... which full-bellied person did this? Actually building a village here, tired me to death." Gou Wa rubbed his sore legs complaining.

"This old man guesses, perhaps to avoid oppressive taxes and corvée labor, or to avoid conscription, anyway nothing more than these few types."

"Ai, thinking about it this way, the common people of this world suffer, so many things to worry about."

"Do the officials of Hou Shu force people so ruthlessly? Forcing people up onto the mountains, the officials where I'm from aren't like this, during autumn harvest they only take fifty percent tax grain, and farmers are exempt from corvée labor."

Comparing himself to worse people gave Lu Zhuangyuan a cheap sense of satisfaction.

While they spoke, Li Huowang had already asked the big-mouthed woman clearly about her fourth aunt's location, and walked towards the inside.

It looked truly peaceful here, every house was clean and bright.

Everything outside had not affected this place in the slightest. As if it truly was a paradise.

"Senior Brother Li, our village is about the same, although fewer people, but all good people."

Seeing everything before her eyes, Bai Lingmiao remembered something, a trace of joy rose on her face.

"Once settled, being able to live on with others in a place like this in the future, seems also a not bad choice." Li Huowang thought secretly.

Keen perception let him hear the sounds inside the house.

A large group of outsiders walking into the village, surely attracted the attention of the people inside.

But as the big-mouthed woman accurately spoke her fourth aunt's name, the hostility on their faces lessened greatly.

Originally thought everything was starting to turn for the better, but upon hearing their distant relative came to borrow food, that family didn't even open the door.

That big-mouthed woman stood at the tightly shut main door pasted with two door gods, looking at the others in terror.

Her tears flowed uncontrollably. Sobbing she said: "I... I truly... don't know... don't leave me behind... I have nowhere to go...."

Irritation hung upon the faces of those who remained where they stood; without more food, they would have nothing but the northwest wind to drink.

(End of Chapter)