Chapter 486: The Past

Chapter 486: The Past

Seeing Lian Zhibei’s injuries, Li Huowang said, “I’m sorry. Something went awry, and it was my fault. Don’t move—I’ll heal you. Then I’ll give you more yangshou pills as compensation.”

As he supported Lian Zhibei, helping her sit on the meditation chair, he turned to fetch the *Fire Robe Scripture*.

“No, no, no! I can’t take it,” Lian Zhibei clutched a talisman over Li Huowang’s sword hilt and slowly drew the long blade from its scabbard.

“We made an agreement before. Since it's your fault, hurry up and hand over that jade token. We’ll be even then,” she insisted, though her face twisted in pain, her main concern remained the yangshou.

When Li Huowang handed her the jade token that could redeem boundless yangshou, despite still feeling the pain, Lian Zhibei’s expression brightened instantly.

She paid no mind to anything else, glanced at Bai Lingmiao briefly, then clutched her wound and staggered out.

Li Huowang looked up and saw Bai Lingmiao standing before him, her face filled with sorrow.

Then, silently, she walked beside him and gently embraced him with her arms.

Li Huowang raised his eyes, trembling, only to see two blood-red embroidered shoes and a red veil stained with blood where he had stood.

“Senior Brother Li, the immortal who clung to me has left too. Even if I speak now, it’s already too late,” Bai Lingmiao whispered through tears while holding him tightly.

In the dead of night, Li Huowang lay in bed, staring wide-eyed at the rafters above.

His goal had been achieved—the immortals could no longer control Bai Lingmiao. That threat was gone. Yet, despite this being good news, a strange heaviness filled his chest.

“Senior Brother Li, are you asleep?” Bai Lingmiao’s voice softly echoed.

Li Huowang took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“Senior Brother Li, I miss Er Shen. No matter what pain I go through, she always shared part of it with me... She’s like a sister to me…”

“Did I do wrong? But if we don’t deal with the immortals, what will happen to Bai Lingmiao?”

Li Huowang kept thinking. If he had known beforehand that freeing himself from the immortals would cause Er Shen to vanish, what would he have done?

But just before dawn, a realization struck him: in matters of great principle, there are right and wrongs.

For example, the Seat-Wandering Dao stealing the Ghost Eye of Divine Mountain and causing natural disasters was wrong; yet, for the sake of all living beings, the Heaven-Surveying Bureau sending people to eliminate the Seat-Wandering Dao was right.

Yet in matters of emotion, things were not so simple. Here, there were only choices that suited the moment—not so much right or wrong.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo~” The rooster crowed outside. Li Huowang hadn’t slept all night, nor had Bai Lingmiao by his side.

He sat up, draped his robe over himself, and walked toward the main hall. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Li Sui crouched in the center of the hall, gazing at the courtyard where light rain fell.

“Father.”

Li Huowang sat beside him, looking at the half-rotten, blood-soaked wild dog in front of him. He asked softly, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m waiting for Er Niang. I caught this last night. I’ve eaten half already. The other half is meant for Er Niang.”

Li Sui’s words pierced Li Huowang’s heart. He patted his shoulder gently. “Don’t wait anymore. She’s gone.”

“I know. Mother also said Er Niang left. That’s why I’m waiting for her to come back. Er Niang loved this the most.” Li Sui snorted against the bloody meat.

Li Huowang’s lips trembled slightly. “Didn’t you see her disappear? She’s really gone!”

“I did see her. But Er Niang used to appear and disappear. Father, don’t worry. She’ll come back soon.”

Li Huowang said nothing more. He opened his arms and hugged Li Sui tightly, then stood up and walked back inside.

---

Gao Zhijian, his body steaming with heat, stood bare-chested, wielding a massive halberd in swift, powerful swings.

His muscles rippled like iron, red and full of strength.

With one sweeping motion of his halberd, the row of village soldiers holding wooden spears was knocked back by the force of the wind, their eyes squinting, nearly falling over.

When the heavy halberd crashed to the ground, Gao Zhijian steadied his breathing and commanded, “Practice!”

The dozen men looked at each other in confusion. One short, stocky man whispered to his neighbor, “How do we practice this? Is this even human?”

“Practice. Practice. This guy’s stubborn. Just think about the white flour for lunch.”

They began swinging their wooden spears in groups. These were freshly cut, still full of moisture, heavy and unwieldy.

After a few minutes, they couldn’t lift them anymore, but Gao Zhijian didn’t care. His calloused hands weren’t ones to be trifled with.

Through endless days of hardship, noon finally arrived. The cry of “Dinner time!” from Yang Xiaohai sounded like music to their ears.

At the kitchen, they grabbed their long-desired steamed buns, shoving them into their mouths with trembling hands.

Though they couldn’t even hold the bowls steady, they ate with the same hunger as pigs competing for food, chomping and grunting.

Inside the Bai family compound, the other disciples were also pondering the same issue.

“Senior Brother Zhao Wu, we need to buy grain. Senior Brother Gao says we need at least a hundred soldiers. If they keep eating like this, even old grain won’t last,” one said.

“I know. But it’s not the time to buy grain. Prices are high due to the disaster. Wait until harvest season. Then we’ll get it cheaper.”

Yang Xiaohai muttered, “But we have to survive until then.”

“Maybe we should reduce the number of people? We’ve all learned divine arts. Who dares mess with us?” Dogwa said, holding his bowl.

“No!” Gao Zhijian shook his head fiercely. “Senior Brother Li… Li… said… said… we must…”

“Fine, fine. You win. Don’t say anything else. By the time you finish, it’ll be dinner time,” Dogwa said.

Gao Zhijian glared at him and buried his face in his meal.

“Everyone stop arguing. Let’s just do this for now. Senior Brother Li left some gold. I’ll pawn some of it for silver.”

Hearing Chun Xiaoman, everyone resumed eating. The matter was dropped.

But one person noticed the worry on Chun Xiaoman’s face. After dinner, when she prepared to go to the Bai family ancestral hall, Gao Zhijian stopped her. “I… I have money. If the village ever lacks funds… come to me!”

“You have money? Where did you get it?” Chun Xiaoman asked, stunned.

“I… I… was rich in the past!”

“You were rich before?”

Gao Zhijian’s face flushed red. Not knowing how to explain, he simply knelt down and drew symbols in the dirt with his finger.

(End of Chapter)