Chapter 478: Retreat

Chapter 478: Retreat

Within the peach wood grove thick with the scent of coke, Li Huowang dared not walk too fast; the bone and flesh at his waist still moved, as if they might snap at any moment.

As Li Huowang disappeared further into the distance, the plump woman's expression turned anxious.

"Hey, young man! I don't want anything else! Just the five years of pure yang longevity from the reward! You give me a price, I'll buy it!!"

"Not for sale!" Li Huowang refused without hesitation. This kind of yang longevity without side effects was meant to be saved for Bai Lingmiao, who had such a short lifespan.

The plump woman seemed reluctant, following from afar. But when Li Sui appeared, crawling on all fours, baring his sharp white teeth and growling a threat toward her, she finally stopped.

"Li... Li senior brother?" Bai Lingmiao stared at the dark blur in the distance, her voice soft yet hesitant. It was red before, but now it's black?

Li Huowang immediately mounted up, enduring the excruciating pain throughout his body, urging the carriage horses forward.

"Later I'll explain! Someone is watching us. We must leave quickly."

The carriage galloped down the dirt road under the cover of night, running for several hours until noon the next day. By then, even the horses were foaming at the mouth. Only then did Li Huowang stop.

Seeing no one following, Li Huowang breathed a little easier. Whether that woman feared him or not, at least she wasn't persistently trailing behind.

After enduring the pain through the entire night, Li Huowang finally collapsed, lying back behind the carriage curtain.

"Lingmiao, I'm going to sleep. Don't touch anything on the copper coin sword."

When his head touched the soft fabric, Li Huowang instantly lost consciousness.

This time, he slept for a long while. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Bai Lingmiao brushing something onto his charred body with a brush.

Sniffing lightly, the peculiar smell told him it was badger oil used for treating burns.

"How long have I been asleep?" Li Huowang's words let Bai Lingmiao know he was awake.

"Senior Brother Li, you've been sleeping for three days. I sewed up your chest wound and waist injury with thread."

"Oh..." Li Huowang suddenly remembered something and sat up abruptly.

Ignoring the pain of torn skin and flesh, he reached for the copper coin sword beside him. Seeing no more black smoke rising, his heart sank.

"Senior Brother Li, are you looking for that invisible thing? I bought a wooden box from the peddler to store it in."

Carefully opening the wooden box, Li Huowang probed inside with the other end of his chopsticks.

Feeling that strange resistance, Li Huowang finally exhaled in relief—The spirit evil was still there.

"Senior Brother Li, are you hungry? I've cooked some soup." Bai Lingmiao lifted the curtain to leave, but Li Huowang pulled her back.

"I'll serve myself. Don't touch fire like this, or you'll get burned again."

As Li Huowang stepped off the carriage, the fresh blood crusts on his body cracked open, seeping out blood continuously.

Though still painful, after so much experience, Li Huowang had begun to adapt.

Once he got out of the carriage, he realized the sky outside was pitch black. Li Sui was crouched by the campfire, holding a book, his claws drawing strange patterns in the air.

"Dad? You're awake?" Li Sui looked up at Li Huowang.

"Learning talisman writing? Not bad, keep studying."

Li Huowang patted his head gently, then picked up a bowl with one hand and dipped it into the pot to scoop soup.

But just as he scooped up a hot bowl, Li Sui stuck his head over and licked rapidly.

"What are you doing?" Li Huowang's charred fingers curled into fists and gave his hard head a firm tap.

"Dad, can't I eat? I usually eat first."

Hearing this, Li Huowang studied the Li Sui in front of him. The memory of steamed buns seemed to have merged with his thoughts.

"It's okay, go ahead, eat."

Li Huowang placed the bowl in front of him.

Watching Li Sui lick the hot soup hungrily, Li Huowang said softly, "Li Sui, I'm so injured, and your mother is almost blind. On our journey ahead, you'd better look after me."

"Okay, what should I do?"

"Wash clothes, dishes, start fires, etc. If you can't do those, just collect firewood." Li Huowang said.

"But stepmother does all these things. If I do them, stepmother won't have anything to do."

"Stepmother?"

"Yeah, the one who wears a red hat. I like stepmother. Sometimes we chat secretly."

"We also go outside to catch meat. Once we caught a big piece, we split it in half."

"What about... her and Li Sui's relationship? When did it become so close?" After thinking carefully, Li Huowang realized this wasn't necessarily bad.

"Alright, when stepmother works, you help her."

"Okay, I understand."

Looking at Li Sui with his bloodstained mouth and black tentacles hanging from his tongue, Li Huowang smiled and embraced him with his left arm, patting his head gently.

"Thanks for helping me in the peach grove. Without you, that last hit would have been really dangerous."

At this moment, Li Sui had no time to respond. Smelling the familiar scent, she extended her tongue to lick the blackened parts of Li Huowang's body.

"Sui Sui, do you have anything you want to do?" Li Huowang asked softly.

"I want to stay by dad forever."

"You can't stay by my side forever. After all, you're my daughter, not a pet."

"It's fine now, but later you will. Think carefully, think well. When you decide, tell dad, and I'll see if I can help."

"Dad, I don't understand."

"You will understand later. Now go bring some soup to your mother. After eating, we should rest. We have to travel tomorrow."

That night passed without incident. But when Li Huowang woke up, he found the carriage beneath him moving—apparently, he had overslept again.

Pushing away Li Sui who was half-on top of him, Li Huowang peered out of the carriage curtain and discovered they were in a bustling market.

"It looks like we've entered the city. Which city is this?"

Li Huowang took out the map and checked. This place was called Linzhang. Though not as grand as Shangjing or Yinling, it was still a major city.

"At this pace, we can reach Shangjing in ten days at most," Li Huowang drew a faint black line on the map with his charred finger.

"Senior Brother Li, you're awake? You look quite tired. Why don't we rest here for a few days?" Bai Lingmiao suggested.

Looking at her almost completely white eyes, Li Huowang shook his head slightly. "Forget it. I'll get your eyes fixed, and we'll return to Niu Xin Village to rest slowly. Let's avoid complications."

Li Huowang said this and intended to do so, but trouble came seeking him anyway.

That straightforward gaze was impossible to ignore.

He looked up and saw the plump woman from the peach grove standing on the third floor of an elegant inn, smiling and bowing toward him.

"It seems we couldn't shake her off after all..."