Chapter 221: Baolu

Chapter 221 Bao Lu

"Senior Brother Li? Is there something you need?" Sun Baolu asked cautiously, his voice tinged with care.

Li Huowang jerked his chin toward the outside, propped the crutch back under his armpit, and limped away in that direction. "Come, let's talk privately."

Sun Baolu stood hesitating in place, his expression uneasy, before finally lifting his heels to follow.

As night fell, the streets between the tents outside grew exceedingly dim, and figures became exceedingly scarce.

A biting cold wind slightly lifted the hem of Li Huowang's clothes, and the sleeves of Sun Baolu behind him.

At this moment, Sun Baolu's face looked somewhat ugly, pondering how to answer Senior Brother Li's question; he hadn't expected the lie spoken offhand to be discovered so quickly.

"Stop stalling, we have to travel tomorrow. Why did you say that human bone was a horse bone? How many things are you hiding from us?"

After hesitating for a moment, Sun Baolu sighed lightly. "Senior Brother Li, I did not intend to deliberately hide things from you. Junior Brother just felt, since you are only passing through, some of Qingqiu's customs need not be over-explained. If I told you, I feared you would overthink."

"Chopping people into pieces to feed vultures, then smashing the bones to decorate oneself. Is this really just a custom? I don't think so."

The scene witnessed this morning had impacted Li Huowang greatly.

Hearing the doubt in Li Huowang's voice, Sun Baolu hurriedly explained: "To others, this may indeed seem shocking, but this is truly a Qingqiu custom. Except for death by illness, after people in Qingqiu die, they must undergo a Sky Sacrifice."

"Burying people in the earth is just rotting anyway. Better to let the celestial beings take them away, thus feeding some others. We are long accustomed to this."

"After all, no matter what, ultimately it is decided by the Eternal Heaven, the reincarnation of all living beings."

Li Huowang looked calmly at Sun Baolu speaking these words. "Eternal Heaven? Is this the god Qingqiu people worship? Where is He usually?"

This was the second time he had heard this name.

Sun Baolu pointed a finger at the moon in the sky. "There. The Eternal Heaven cannot touch us, cannot find us, but He forever possesses what we crave."

"Hmm?" Li Huowang lifted his head to look at that full moon along with him.

"That is the Eternal Heaven's navel. The entire Great Black Sky is the shadow of the Eternal Heaven, cast under the illumination of two candles!"

"The entire night sky is His shadow? What about daytime?" Li Huowang continued to ask.

"The daytime sun is the two candles held in the Eternal Heaven's hands! The Eternal Heaven silently watches us from behind the candles. Our survival depends entirely on the Eternal Heaven."

Sun Baolu spoke decisively, as if the words he spoke were truth itself.

Hearing this, Li Huowang's expression became contemplative.

The so-called Five Great Buddha Realms from the monks of Zhengde Temple, the Great Nuo from the Nuo Opera before, the White Jade Capital seen with his own eyes, and now the so-called Eternal Heaven from Sun Baolu's mouth.

In this world, everyone's worldview in their eyes is different, and some even contradict each other.

Li Huowang had seen things with his own eyes; there was simply no Eternal Heaven, no Great Nuo, and similarly no Five Great Buddha Realms.

In his eyes, there was only a completely mad world. Whether humans living below, or those unimaginable existences living above, all suffered torment along with the entire world.

Regarding other completely far-fetched worldviews, Li Huowang should have firmly rejected them. Yet he struggled to control himself from thinking so.

"Perhaps what I see is an illusion, and what they speak is true. After all, no matter how you compare, those worlds are far, far better than the mad world I see."

Seeing Li Huowang standing there unmoved, Sun Baolu spoke with a bitter smile: "Senior Brother Li, you definitely don't believe me, right?"

After pondering for a while, Li Huowang slowly opened his mouth: "I believe it. Let's say you make sense. Then what about them decorating themselves with dead human bones?"

"This is also a rule passed down from ancient times by Qingqiu people. They say human bones can store human courage and strength. Wearing them on the body can increase strength and courage. It also wards off evil."

"Furthermore, only those powerful people qualify to be fought over by others. Those obscure people are only fit to be buried underground."

"Are all your Qingqiu customs so sinister??"

"Not sinister at all. Isn't this a very normal thing?" When Sun Baolu said this, it was very much a matter of course.

After Sun Baolu explained Qingqiu's customs and myths to Li Huowang, the terrifying scene encountered before seemed to become reasonable.

However, Li Huowang looked at Sun Baolu before him with a hint of suspicion.

Sun Baolu felt this hint of suspicion, and a trace of bitterness rose on his face.

"Senior Brother Li, we are fellow disciples who escaped from Qingfeng Temple together. You paid so much to let me go home. I can deceive anyone, but I cannot deceive you."

"If I truly had bad intentions, wouldn't it be better to act when you hadn't woken up yet? You are so powerful. If you could move even a finger, how could I fight you?"

Li Huowang nodded. "What you say is indeed true. Since you trust me so much, can you tell me why your clothes are wrapped so tightly?"

There must be some story on Sun Baolu's body. Li Huowang just hadn't asked before. Now he wanted to know what Sun Baolu was hiding.

Sun Baolu's face changed suddenly. He hugged his clothes tightly with both hands and hastily stepped back defensively.

He simply did not know how the conversation had suddenly turned to this.

"What are you avoiding? What harm in showing it? We all have various defects on our bodies. Do you really think we would mock you for a defect? Are you worse off than I am now?"

Extreme humiliation appeared on Sun Baolu's face. His eyes red, voice trembling, he said: "Senior Brother Li! I... am truly different from you! I beg you, if you pressure me further, I can only die!"

Seeing such a huge reaction from the other party, Li Huowang leaned on his crutch and came before him.

"You are leaving soon. Probably we will never meet again. Even so, you still want to hide it?"

Sun Baolu took a deep breath, gathered his strength, and said: "Fine! I... After I return home, I will tell you. Only you! You guarantee absolutely not to speak of it! Otherwise I will die before you right now!"

Seeing Sun Baolu so serious, Li Huowang came to his senses. The other party was not his enemy after all, but a companion. No need to make things so stiff.

Since being deceived by the Zuowang Dao, Li Huowang found himself becoming truly too suspicious.

"If you are unwilling to speak, then forget it. I was just asking casually."

Li Huowang, temporarily believing Sun Baolu's words, leaned on his crutch and walked toward the inside of the tent inn.

Sun Baolu wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, came over, and supported the other party to walk inside.

Just before arriving, Li Huowang's right ear twitched slightly. His head turned to look at the dim street on the right. Light was moving toward this side there.

Li Huowang's foot, just about to step into the tent, shrank back. He stood firm again. "Wait, that light seems a bit wrong. Too scattered."

Gradually, as the light from afar approached fully, Li Huowang's eyes opened wider and wider.

"Baolu, didn't you say there are no evil spirits in Qingqiu? Then tell me, what is this?"

"This is not an evil spirit. This is a Lion Dance. Senior Brother Li, don't you have Lion Dances where you are from?" Sun Baolu said with great surprise.

(End of Chapter)