Chapter 325: Noodles

Chapter 325: The Face

“Tap-tap-tap.” As the sound of hooves continued to ring out, Li Huowang’s carriage gradually moved away from Cangshui County, growing further and further distant.

Besides Heitaizi, the carriage now carried a good deal of dried goods that could be stored for long periods. Li Huowang took out a red dried jujube and put it in his mouth, slowly chewing it.

“Sweet?” The monk leaned over, his face wrinkling as he asked.

“Sweet.” Li Huowang replied, then took out a clump of walnut meat and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing again. “Do you think they’re happy now?”

“Of course they are! If they weren’t happy, would they have brought these things to you?”

“Happy is good. This world is too full of pain. It's better to be happy when you can.”

Li Huowang murmured to himself, struggling within this pain and oppression. But somehow, helping others escape the same fate as his own gave him a sense of satisfaction that wasn’t so bad.

Hearing movement beside him, Li Huowang turned his head and saw Tangmeng wagging his tail, using his paws to paw at a basket, burying his entire dog head into a large bamboo basket, chomping away at something with great effort.

Li Huowang pinched the flesh at the back of his neck and tossed him onto the roadside. “Get down and run! If you keep eating like this every day, do you want to be fattened up like a pig to be slaughtered?”

Tangmeng whined softly, seemingly expressing dissatisfaction, but seeing that Li Huowang had no intention of waiting for him, he quickly stretched out his four paws and started running after him.

Looking at the endless undulating dirt road ahead of the horse, Li Huowang let go of the reins and allowed the horse to proceed on its own.

Unlike cars, carriages didn’t require constant attention. Horses were intelligent creatures—when danger approached, they would dodge; when faced with a fork in the road, they would stop.

With his hands freed, Li Huowang pulled out a primer book from his chest. As he touched his belly, Heitaizi inside immediately stirred. A black tentacle emerged from his navel and wrapped around his finger.

He looked down at the tentacle, as if contemplating something. After everything that had happened, he no longer felt the same repulsion toward Heitaizi.

The creature had stopped him from committing suicide and helped him in times of crisis. Having such a being by his side was actually not so bad. Of course, if it didn’t constantly try to possess his body, that would be even better.

Thinking of this, Li Huowang took out his right earplug. The harsh, chaotic sounds suddenly became clear, especially the clattering noises.

“Before... I was hungry... I helped you,”

“I know you did. Don’t keep reminding me all the time. Be quiet now.”

As soon as Li Huowang finished speaking, Heitaizi’s voice grew quieter.

“Okay... Are you hungry? Eat...”

“I’m not hungry. I’m reading and learning characters. You talk too strangely. You still don’t know enough.”

Li Huowang held the primer book and began reading each character aloud.

He didn’t know how much Heitaizi could absorb, but the smoother the words came out, the better it was for him.

As he read, another tentacle emerged from his navel. At the tip of the tentacle was a double-pupil eyeball.

This eye-stalk twisted and turned, looking in all directions. Though slow, it was focused, filled with curiosity.

Feeling two gazes emerging from one eyeball, Li Huowang stopped. He reached out and grabbed the eyeball, examining it closely.

“Hongzhong, this looks like your eyeball, doesn’t it? Why hasn’t Heitaizi digested it?”

Hongzhong, who hadn’t appeared in a while, rose from beneath the rapidly spinning wheels.

“This thing is a treasure. I spent a lot of effort to trick it away.”

“A treasure again? Isn’t this your original eyeball?”

“Of course not. Guess where I got it.” Hongzhong smiled proudly.

Li Huowang glanced at him and ignored him completely, placing the eyeball back into Heitaizi’s tentacle and resumed reading.

No matter how much Hongzhong tempted him, he didn’t ask further. Through continuous interaction, Li Huowang seemed to have figured out how to deal with the tricks of the Zuo Wang Dao.

As he taught, noon arrived. By the roadside, a small rest stop appeared, where several travelers sat at wooden tables, hungrily devouring noodles.

Li Huowang thought for a moment, tugged the reins to stop the carriage, and led the panting Tangmeng toward the stall.

“Sir, what’ll you have?” The vendor with the two small mustaches, smelling the strong scent of blood on Li Huowang, asked carefully.

“What’s there to eat? Anything will do.” Since there was ready food available, Li Huowang had no need for dry rations.

Dry rations, after all, were made to last longer, but their taste was hardly worth mentioning.

“Ah, sir, please sit and drink some cold tea first! I’ll bring your meal right away!” The mustached vendor hurried to the stove, where his pregnant wife joined in the hustle.

Li Huowang picked up the teapot and poured some tea for Tangmeng, who had been panting.

Seeing the dog take a long time to drink from the water spout without reacting, Li Huowang poured himself a bowl and began drinking.

Though this place wasn’t far from Cangshui County, he preferred to be cautious. One never knew when a small mistake might lead to disaster.

“The alchemy furnace is found. Now I need to find the ingredients. There should be a pharmacy in Yinling City. If not, I can ask Tuoba Danqing.” While Li Huowang pondered these thoughts, the mustached vendor brought over a bowl of noodles.

“Sir, your noodles.” A steaming bowl of noodles was placed before him. Although the noodles only contained some animal offal, wild vegetables, and dried radish, the combination smelled delicious.

After Tangmeng had eaten, Li Huowang began to enjoy his meal heartily. The noodles were wide, apparently mixed with several types of flour, giving them a chewy texture.

There was only one customer at the stall, so after serving the noodles, the vendor sat down with his wife. Their conversation, though muffled, was clearly heard by the sharp-minded Li Huowang.

“Wife, rest a bit. Don’t tire yourself out, or you’ll harm our child.”

“Er Lang, don’t just worry about me. You should also eat a few bites while no one’s watching.”

“Heh, I’m not in a hurry. As long as I can see my child, I’m not hungry at all.”

The vendor knelt down and gently stroked his wife’s belly, speaking softly and kindly.

“Baby, can you feel it? I’m your father. Come on, call daddy.”

The pregnant woman playfully pinched her husband’s arm in mock annoyance.

“You’re going crazy. Who can speak before birth? You’re silly.”

“Don’t interrupt. I’m talking to our child. The fortune teller said that if I talk more to him, he’ll grow up to be successful!”

Saying that, he lay down and pressed his ear against his wife’s swollen belly, his voice full of affection.

“Child, can you hear me? I’m your daddy. Call daddy.”

Just as his words ended, a muffled voice rang out like thunder in Li Huowang’s ears.

“Daddy…”