Chapter 40: After Midnight

Chapter 40: The Latter Half of the Night

"Huh? What kind of nonsense is this?" Li Huowang muttered with a slight frown, stepping into the woods where the fool was lingering.

The moment he entered the grove, Li Huowang's pupils contracted sharply; he saw the fool squatting before a small earthen mound alongside the old beggar from earlier, both munching away noisily.

Atop the little mound lay a few sheets of yellow paper, weighed down firmly by a stone.

Suppressing his fury, Li Huowang rushed over and kicked the fool to the ground. "Get up! You dare eat grave offerings! Are you tired of living? Didn't I tell you not to talk to this beggar?"

The fool scrambled up, looking aggrieved. "I didn't... didn't... didn't talk to him."

"Kneel! Bow your head and apologize, now!" Li Huowang ordered sternly.

Watching the fool kowtow heavily several times toward the grave mound, Li Huowang reached out and hauled him to his feet.

This godforsaken place held all manner of horrors; he dared not gamble, lest a misstep bring immediate disaster.

With a sharp clang, Li Huowang drew the longsword from his back, pointing it straight at the old beggar's nose. "I don't care what your motives are, stay away from my people! Or don't blame me for showing no mercy!" he said coldly.

Without waiting for a reply, Li Huowang grabbed the fool and turned to leave.

"I'm no beggar, I'm a monk," the man mumbled under his breath, remaining squatting there to eat the dead man's offerings.

Back on the road, the group resumed their journey; Li Huowang's expression was grave as he began to instruct the others. "Don't sleep too deeply these next few nights; something might happen."

Though the fool had kowtowed in apology, heaven only knew the temper of whatever lay in that grave, and he dared not take chances.

Hearing Li Huowang's words, the others immediately understood and nodded gently.

As the sun dipped below the western hills and nightfall descended, the travelers dispersed into the roadside woods to gather firewood.

Around the two donkey carts, Li Huowang built a roaring bonfire, having the others chop more than enough wood from the forest.

There was no moon tonight, leaving the surroundings pitch black; the branches swayed in the gentle breeze, as if countless unseen things hid within, peering at the people around the fire.

As time passed, the surroundings gradually fell silent, and the others drifted off to sleep.

Li Huowang, however, did not sleep, sitting in quiet anticipation of something.

Beyond the surrounding woods, more than half his attention was fixed on the old beggar.

If that thing came looking for trouble, it would surely come for him first.

It would be all the better if it did, giving him the perfect chance to see what this fellow was truly about.

Through the long wait, the first half of the night passed into the second, reaching the hour when drowsiness strikes hardest.

"Brother... Brother Li, over there... was there just a face?" Gouwa, keeping watch with him, asked with a tremor in his voice.

Li Huowang glanced swiftly over, yet saw nothing in the darkness.

"Are you sure?" he asked in a whisper.

Gouwa swallowed hard. "Not sure, maybe... maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me."

"Don't speak, stay quiet." Li Huowang pretended to stare at the bonfire, casting sidelong glances in that direction.

After a quiet wait, in the faint glow of the firelight, he saw an ugly face slowly emerge from the darkness, twisted into a cruel smile.

What made Li Huowang's scalp tingle was that more heads slowly emerged behind the first, with streaks of white light flickering beneath them.

"Wait, white light?" Li Huowang sprang to his feet, snatching a burning branch from the bonfire and hurling it. "Halt! Who goes there?"

Li Huowang's shout cracked through the silence like a thunderclap, jolting the others from their slumber.

As the tumbling firebrand landed beneath those heads, revealing feet and shadows, Li Huowang instantly realized they were living men.

Not only Li Huowang saw them; the others did too, and they saw the heavy cleavers in their hands. "Bandits! Run for your lives!"

That panicked cry threw the crowd into an uproar, and everyone grabbed their bundles and scattered like startled birds.

"Damn it! We've been spotted! Bring the horses!" Soon the clatter of hooves rang out as the bandits charged down the road, blades in hand.

"Run into the woods! Their horses can't gallop through the trees!"

Hearing the old beggar's shout, the others fled the main road and plunged into the surrounding forest.

They ran, but those like Li Huowang with donkey carts could not; a donkey could never outrun a horse.

Hearing the hoofbeats closing in from behind, Li Huowang halted and turned, spotting a towering steed bearing a scruffy bandit swinging a blade at an old woman.

"Can't dodge!" Li Huowang swiftly pulled a pill from his pouch and popped it into his mouth, a surge of heat instantly flooding his body.

Just as Li Huowang pushed off the ground, lunging toward the bandit.

The old beggar suddenly darted out from the side, shoving the fallen old woman out of the way.

Gao Deqiu, atop his horse, looked at the old beggar with a sneer; without even raising his blade, he yanked the reins, rearing his mount to trample the man.

A cruel smile graced his face as he anticipated the bloody spectacle; aside from women, this was his only pleasure as a highwayman.

Yet in the very next instant, he saw a figure burst forth, delivering a heavy punch squarely to the horse's head.

With a loud thud and a horse's shriek, the charging beast was violently wrenched off course, toppling to the right.

Plummeting toward the ground, Gao Deqiu could do nothing but watch the caved-in skull of his horse, his own eyes bulging in horror.

The next moment, with a dull crunch, his head met the same fate as his mount.

Seeing their comrade fall, the other bandits stuck fingers in their mouths and blew sharp whistles to summon help.

Yet Li Huowang, empowered by the pills refined by Danyangzi, quickly made them realize they had provoked someone they shouldn't have.

Muffled thuds echoed continuously along the dim dirt road, and after losing several men, the bandits fled in a panic.

"Retreat! This guy's tough! He might be from the Jiantian Bureau!"

Li Huowang stood there, his fists dripping with blood, panting heavily.

He turned to look at the old beggar behind him; after that display, he was certain this fellow was no tiger, but merely a pig.

Under Li Huowang's gaze, the old beggar rose, walked to a man slain by the bandits, knelt, pressed his palms together, and began to chant softly.

As Li Huowang drew closer, he made out the words.

"Amitabha, Amitabha, Amitabha..."

The poorly pronounced chant of Amitabha was repeated over and over.

After chanting it dozens of times, the old beggar walked into the nearby woods and began to dig at the earth with his bare hands.

(End of Chapter)