Chapter 255: Birth

Chapter 255 Birth

Lu Zhuangyuan continued explaining to his eldest son: "The Little Daoist Master is a man of great affairs. Don't think he cares about these trifles. But just because he doesn't care doesn't mean we shouldn't have some sense when doing work!"

"Besides, who knows if this isn't an opportunity for our Lu family! Didn't you hear the Xiucai say that painted-face skinny guy was granted divine powers by the Little Daoist Master? We're better off than him, aren't we? Think about what lies within this matter well while you're tucked in your quilt."

Lu Juren stared wide-eyed at his father's old face; so all that circling around was actually for this.

"Ask less, do more! Don't spend all day thinking about things that exist and don't." Lu Zhuangyuan pulled his son and walked toward the carriage.

Not long after, the Lu Troupe took advantage of the idle time to warm up their voices and practice martial stances. Seeing as the troupe was about to set up again, the basics of singing couldn't be neglected.

After finishing noon meal, everyone started setting out again, walking toward the direction of the Liang Kingdom with a touch of anticipation.

They still didn't know their exact location, but seeing the green grass on the ground becoming sparse and starting to be replaced by scattered shrubs, everyone understood they were very close to the Liang Kingdom.

As the sun gradually tilted west, a cry of pain broke the relaxed atmosphere in the ox-cart convoy. Everyone turned their heads toward the sound, finding it was Luo Juanhua sitting on the ox cart.

She clutched her belly somewhat panic-stricken, looking down at her skirt hem wet with amniotic fluid.

"Quick! Help her onto the carriage quickly, Juanhua is giving birth!" Lu Zhuangyuan's voice made others hurried, causing all the ox carts to stop.

The women went over to help, while the men stayed far away.

"What are you going to do? You can't help at all." Li Huowang asked Bai Lingmiao who was rushing over.

Bai Lingmiao turned around, cheeks flushing slightly red as she glanced at him. "I... I'll go see how delivery is done. Perhaps this knowledge might come in handy later."

Li Huowang stepped on the carriage wheel with his foot, flipped over to lie on top of the carriage, watching the patches of clouds in the sky dyed crimson by the sunset.

Listening to the frantic sounds in the distance, Li Huowang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

No hallucinations. Li Huowang hadn't felt such peace for a long time; he finally didn't have to struggle between reality and illusion.

"Daoist, you haven't had an episode for some time."

Li Huowang turned his head to look, seeing the monk standing in mid-air, along with Peng Longteng and Jinshan Zhao beside him.

Although there were no hallucinations, these three things always accompanied him.

"Hmm, the Black Tai Sui worked. I never have to fall into those illusions again. Hehe, do you know? Actually, when I provoked Wang Wei last, it was because I held a tiny hope, maybe that side was real. Pity, illusions are just illusions."

Speaking of this, Li Huowang looked at the patch of cloud in the sky resembling Yang Na, his gaze vacant, saying with deep nostalgia in his voice: "Actually... I quite hope that side was real."

"Daoist, what are you talking about? Why can't I understand?"

"Hehe." Li Huowang turned his body sideways, facing the lonely green hill in the distance. "If you don't understand, then don't. Stop talking, otherwise others will think I'm having an episode again."

After a while, Li Huowang stole a glance at the carriage behind. It had been some time, why hasn't the baby been born yet?

He didn't know if this period was too long or too short, after all, he had never experienced childbirth before.

"Hope it goes smoothly. If not, I can't help much anyway."

"No wait, I learned alchemy for a while at Qingfeng Temple before. Pity, I don't even have an alchemy furnace nearby, I can't even refine Blood Moistening Pills."

"Hiss..." A faint, barely perceptible sound made Li Huowang sit up suddenly. After listening carefully, he found no sound around.

With a puzzled expression, he lay down slowly again. "Did I hear wrong? Where did that sound come from?" Thinking for a moment, Li Huowang stuck his little finger into his ear canal and scratched, finding there really was something.

As his fingernail kept scratching, eventually he pulled out a long scab of dried blood from inside the ear hole.

The moment the scab was pulled out, everything around became clearer, even the sound of grass growing on the ground could be heard.

"It's too loud, this won't do." Li Huowang took out a small serrated scissors, flipped off the carriage, cut some wool from a sheep, and stuffed his ear holes full.

"Phew~ Much better." Li Huowang lowered his head, putting the small scissors back into the torture tool bundle.

"Hmm? What is that?" Li Huowang gazed at a small black dot on the distant mountaintop. Unfortunately, the distance was too far; even with his extraordinary vision, he couldn't see clearly.

"Wah~ Wah~ Wah~" A confident infant cry rang out instantly, making Li Huowang turn his head and walk toward the ox cart with the others.

Just arriving at the ox cart, he saw Lu Juren alone there smiling foolishly, muttering softly in his mouth, "Hehe~ I have a son, hehe~ I have a son, hehe....."

When Li Huowang saw the crying male infant in Bai Lingmiao's arms, he couldn't help but feel confused. Was this child sick? It was too ugly. Like a hairless little monkey boiled in boiling water.

Chun Xiaoman beside him saw Li Huowang's expression turning serious, immediately knew what the other was thinking, and hurried to explain.

"Senior Brother Li, they all look like this right after birth. He's different from us."

"Oh? Is that so?" After getting Xiaoman's detailed reply, Li Huowang realized he had thought wrongly. The infants in his impression were all at least three months old, fully grown.

Right when dragged out of the belly, they look this ugly.

When seeing Lu Zhuangyuan crawl out of the carriage with his butt sticking out, Li Huowang walked over to congratulate him.

"Hehehe~ Congratulations to you too." Lu Zhuangyuan's wrinkled face was now like a blooming chrysanthemum.

Immediately he cupped his hands to the others gathering around, "Everyone~! My apologies! There are no eggs here. Once we reach town, these red eggs will definitely be made up!"

Just as others were congratulating him one by one, the atmosphere harmonious, Li Huowang inexplicably felt a tightness in his heart, suddenly raised his head, looking at the distant grassland.

The grassland that should have been dyed red by the evening glow appeared with a small black circle. That small dot that appeared on the mountaintop earlier had actually moved closer!

"Something's not right!" The distant anomaly made Li Huowang's expression instantly grave. "Drive the flock of sheep up! We leave here!"

Li Huowang's words instantly broke the festive atmosphere. Although confused, seeing his serious expression, no one dared to take it lightly.

Amidst Mantou's barking, those dozens of white sheep followed the ox carts and began moving again.

Time passed bit by bit, the sky gradually darkened. Taking advantage of the last afterglow in the sky, Li Huowang saw that mass of black getting closer and closer!

(End of Chapter)