Chapter 455: Natural Disaster

Chapter 455: Heavenly Disaster

“A solar eclipse?” Li Huowang frowned deeply as he listened to Zhuge Yuan’s words, his gaze fixed on the pitch-black sky above.

“Could it be a solar eclipse?” He muttered to himself, his thoughts in chaos.

But soon, he dismissed that possibility. Back in first grade, he had been fortunate enough to witness an eclipse.

Even during an eclipse, the sun wouldn’t turn completely black—it would still show a faint glow around its edges. It would never appear like this, utterly dark.

“Bang bang bang bang bang!” The violent sound of gongs echoed through the air, accompanied by Lü ZHUANGYUAN's voice—carrying a theatrical tone—shouting from above the village of Niu Xin. “The heavenly dog is eating the sun! Hurry and beat the drums and gongs to scare the dog away!”

The moment the noise began, panic gripped the entire village.

Li Huowang pushed off the window with one hand and leapt down to the first floor, following the sound.

Not far ahead, he saw Lü ZHUANGYUAN leading his group, each holding lanterns and beating their instruments with all their might.

“Enough! Stop right now!” Li Huowang snatched the gong from Lü ZHUANGYUAN’s hands.

“You little brat, maybe you’re good at other things, but when it comes to this, I’ve got more experience than you! This is the heavenly dog eating the sun! Back then, it was my third uncle who led the whole village to beat drums and gongs to drive away the dog!”

Lü ZHUANGYUAN spoke with such conviction that Li Huowang furrowed his brow even deeper. “This won’t work! Tell everyone in the village to gather at Bai Family Compound immediately! We need to count heads!”

“But what if the heavenly dog really eats the sun without us beating drums?”

“Go now! If you keep talking nonsense, do you think I’ll let you keep your things? I’ll burn them all!”

Lü ZHUANGYUAN seemed about to protest further, but seeing Li Huowang’s serious expression, he quickly turned to his son and disciple and went off to gather people.

Watching them walk away with lanterns in hand, Li Huowang finally raised his head to ask Zhuge Yuan carefully.

“Brother Zhuge, is this truly a heavenly disaster? Are you certain it’s not something else?”

In this world of madness, anything strange would no longer surprise him.

Zhuge Yuan glanced toward the upper left corner of the sky, recalling. “It should be correct. I once read a note that described such a disaster—darkness so complete it seems to blot out heaven itself.”

“Brother Zhuge, did that note mention anything else regarding the so-called ‘heavenly dog devouring the sun’?”

“No, nothing else. But Li Brother, the key isn’t the disaster itself—it’s the timing. Do you remember what year and month the last disaster occurred?”

“Last year, right?” Li Huowang looked up again at the ink-black sky, remembering the previous disaster.

The last time, decay had vanished. Thus, nothing rotted or decomposed anymore. Though the process wasn’t fast, nor slow, it was steady.

That’s why Li Huowang remained calm now. Though called a disaster, the last one had only taken Master Tai’s life; everything else had left him untouched.

“Exactly. But disasters usually come once every few decades. Why has another one struck just two years later? Li Brother, when people don’t understand the reason behind events, misfortune follows. When things go against the norm, there must be something sinister at play!”

Zhuge Yuan’s words made Li Huowang’s heart skip a beat. “You mean… inside the White Jade Capital…”

Before Li Huowang could finish, Zhuge Yuan interrupted him solemnly. “Li Brother, since you are a Heart-Seeker and have begun cultivating, try to avoid mentioning such matters in the future. For your own sake…”

Li Huowang instantly understood what he meant and held back his words.

He stood silently, pondering for a long while until Lü Juren arrived with lanterns, reporting that everyone in Niu Xin Village had gathered at the Bai Family Compound. Only then did he stop thinking.

Li Huowang raised his hands in a bow toward the heavens. “Brother Zhuge, regardless of what’s happening over there, I believe we should focus on surviving this disaster first.”

“I have no need to consider those things. No matter what I do, I can’t change anything.”

“No, no. Every man has a duty to the nation’s fate. Let me think, let me think,” Zhuge Yuan tapped his fan against his forehead and fell silent.

Seeing Lü Juren gasp and stare at him in fear, Li Huowang said nothing and walked toward the Bai Family Compound.

When he returned, he saw many people kneeling on the ground, praying to the darkness around them. In such a terrifying atmosphere, fear drove people to seek comfort wherever they could.

“Kid, do we have enough food?” Under these circumstances, Li Huowang decided not to leave. He would stay with them in the Bai Family Compound and wait for the disaster to pass.

“Senior Brother Li, don’t worry—we definitely have enough. There’s old rice stored in the granary from last year. It’ll feed us for two or three years. There’s also a well in the yard, so we won’t lack water or food.”

Li Huowang nodded. From Chun Xiaoman’s waist, he took the bell and shook it sharply. The piercing ring instantly drew everyone’s attention.

“Don’t panic! It’s just a disaster. It will pass eventually. We just have to wait.”

With Li Huowang’s reassurance, though others still wore fearful expressions, they were much calmer than before.

Eventually, when Li Huowang ordered Yang Xiaowa to slaughter a cow for meat, their attention shifted entirely to whether to kill the beast or eat beef, leaving no room for further anxiety.

“Red Middle Brother is great! Red Middle Brother is high! Playing with these people is like playing with a bunch of fools!”

Li Huowang ignored the mockery from the Hall of Forgetfulness and turned to Zhuge Yuan again. “Brother Zhuge, what do you think? How long do you think the Heavenly Tribunal will take to suppress this disaster?”

“Though the Heavenly Tribunal claims they’re resisting the disaster, I’m skeptical whether they actually have any real power.”

If the appearance of such disasters was a struggle between the Fates for control of Heaven’s Way—

Then having seen Doumu’s incredible strength, Li Huowang truly doubted whether a mere mortal organization like the Heavenly Tribunal had any right to get involved?

Or perhaps, the Heavenly Tribunal’s boasts were nothing but empty talk?

“They do have the ability. But after their earlier battle with the Hall of Forgetfulness, which ended in mutual destruction, I wonder if they’re even capable of handling this now.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang felt deeply conflicted. Previously, he had always rejected the Heavenly Tribunal’s callous disregard for human lives.

Yet he never imagined he’d someday hope for them to function properly again.

After all, even if they acted poorly and killed countless people, they were still essential to the common folk.

“Brother Zhuge, you mentioned that unusual events often signal something sinister. Since the disasters came so close together, surely the Heavenly Tribunal will step in to resolve this?”

“That’s true, but the Heavenly Tribunal of Great Li is tangled with the royal family. I don’t trust them at all.”

“Even if Great Li is a fake, according to our ancestral laws, the Heavenly Tribunal must not associate with any secular powers. They absolutely cannot assist the royal family in conquering cities or fortresses—that’s the business of soldiers.”

(End of Chapter)