Chapter 816: Suppress Age

Chapter 816: New Year’s Money

Li Sui leaned slightly, pressing against Li Huowang. “I’m not siding with him. It’s just that the dice are a clever man. He knows that stirring up trouble now would benefit no one. No matter what, if Da Nuo were to meet with misfortune, it would only bring harm to him.”

“Da Nuo,” Li Huowang murmured the word to himself. “Is that the name of our living world?”

“Da Nuo is also our name. Everything in the four seas and eight directions—every grain of soil, every grain of sand—is part of Da Nuo.”

“And what about Si Ming? Is Si Ming also part of Da Nuo?”

“Da Nuo is the Great Si Ming.”

“The Great Si Ming, the Great Si Ming, without beginning or end,” Li Huowang sighed deeply. “We are Da Nuo, but who are they? What are they on the side of the Yu'er God? What are they?”

Li Huowang tried hard to recall what lay beyond Bai Yujing, what had torn it apart, yet he couldn’t seem to remember.

In an instant, the heavens and earth seemed about to split open, and that fissure began to writhe with malice—it was alive.

“Don’t think too much! Stay focused!” A low shout suddenly brought Li Huowang back to his senses. The voice sounded like Ji Zai's, yet also like his own.

He gave his head a sharp rap. When he looked around again, everything remained unchanged, as if everything that had just happened had been nothing more than a hallucination.

“I don’t know what they’re called over there. The Ministry of Celestial Observations usually refers to them as the Fusheng Heaven,” Li Sui’s voice came at just the right moment.

"Why do they call them Fusheng Heaven? Is there some legend behind it?"

“It’s passed down from the past. Since they were once called Fusheng Heaven, we continue to call them that.”

After pondering for a while, Li Huowang looked up at Li Sui. “Since you already know all this, why didn’t you tell me before? Are you playing riddles with me?”

“Father, I was afraid. I feared that changing things might bring about unforeseen consequences. If that caused Ji Zai to disappear, it would be a huge mess.”

A mocking tone nearly escaped his lips, but Li Huowang stopped himself. Ji Zai was essentially the same as his past self—he would become Ji Zai the moment he entered Bai Yujing.

“By the way, why did you choose this name? Xuan is understandable, but what does ‘pin’ mean?”

“Father, Xuan means black. As for the character pin, it means female beast. Just like the phrase ‘pin ji wu chen,’ which refers to a hen not crowing at dawn. There’s nothing else to it.”

Li Huowang showed a trace of embarrassment. If he had known the meaning of that character earlier, could he have guessed something beforehand?

“Sui Sui, you’ve grown up. You’ve even grown taller than me now, and you understand more than I do,” Li Huowang said with a touch of emotion.

His daughter was already one hundred and sixty years old. Although Li Sui had deliberately changed, he still felt something different about her compared to the Li Sui of the past.

Recently, since Li Sui hadn’t been around, he always felt a hollow emptiness in his heart.

“Father, no matter how much I change, you’ll always be my father.” Saying this, Li Sui pointed toward a distant alley where Lü Xiucai was pulling his already deranged father toward their home.

“Look, even though Lü ZHUANGYUAN has forgotten everything and doesn’t recognize anyone, even though he’s gone mad, he’s still Lü Xiucai’s father.”

Li Huowang nodded, then reached out and gently pinched a tendril. “Over these one hundred years, you’ve worked hard. The peace of this world today is partly due to your efforts. If you hadn’t sent the dragon energy in time, this matter wouldn’t have ended so easily.”

Though Li Sui hadn’t spoken of it, Li Huowang understood that Li Sui had waited for a full one hundred and sixty years of reincarnation just to deliver the dragon energy to him.

He knew how long that time was, and how agonizing that waiting had been.

“Father, when I was little, I thought being by your side meant everything. But children must leave home eventually, just a matter of timing.”

“Whenever I encountered trouble before, I could always retreat into your body, knowing you’d solve everything. Only after leaving you did Li Sui begin to interact with the outside world, truly starting to grow up.”

“These one hundred and sixty years weren’t just waiting—they were also a crucial part of my life. They shaped me, made me into Xuan Pin, into the Grand Minister of Celestial Observations of the Great Liang. As the Grand Minister of Celestial Observations, it is my duty to protect Da Nuo.”

Seeing his daughter speak such words beside him, Li Huowang felt a complex mixture of emotions. His daughter had truly grown up. It felt like watching his daughter get married.

“I know you’re busy. Can we wait until after lunch to go?” Li Huowang looked toward the kitchen where smoke was rising and asked Li Sui.

“Okay. I’ll help Mother with the cooking.” Saying this, Li Sui simply passed through the tiles.

This year was the second day of the New Year. The dishes were just heated up for the holiday, and soon a meal was ready.

Li Huowang walked into the hall holding a plucked live chicken, twisted its neck, tore it in half, and placed it before Li Sui. “Eat this. I know you like raw meat. Have a good meal before you go.”

“Father, I don’t need this. I’ve already gained control over some of the habits of the Black Great Year.” Li Sui declined Li Huowang’s kindness.

“Then…” Li Huowang looked at his own arm.

“Father, eat the vegetables.” Two tendrils emerged from within Xuan Pin’s robe, wrapped around the chopsticks, picked up a piece of braised pork ribs, and placed it in Li Huowang’s bowl.

Feeling Bai Lingmiao lightly kick him under the table, Li Huowang abandoned the idea of removing his arm.

“Come, eat, eat,” Li Huowang picked up a duck leg and put it in Li Sui’s bowl.

Xuan Pin’s tall figure gradually shrank, and finally, the girl’s body emerged from within the robe.

The three sat around a round table, finally experiencing a rare sense of normal family warmth.

Just as the three enjoyed this warmth, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Gou Wa led his daughter, dressed in new clothes, along with his wife, smiling happily into the house.

“Brother Li! Happy New Year! I’ve come to pay my respects! May you prosper and have everything go well!”

After delivering his auspicious words, Gou Wa embraced his daughter and brought her close to Li Huowang. “Nannan, say hello! This is your uncle Li.”

“Uncle, hello.” After the little girl stammered out her greeting, Gou Wa stared intently at Li Huowang without saying anything.

Beside him, Bai Lingmiao took out a red cloth-wrapped packet of New Year’s money and handed it to the little girl. “Jin Yu is so smart, speaking so clearly. She’ll definitely be a talented woman when she grows up.”

Seeing his goal achieved, Gou Wa beamed with joy and prepared to take his daughter to the next house.

“Brother Li, now that you’re free, why not have a child? If you don’t have kids, look at this—during the New Year, you give money but get none back.”

“Here, Father will keep it for you. When you get married, I’ll return it to you.”

At that moment, Li Sui blocked Gou Wa’s path. “Uncle Gou, Happy New Year. Wishing you endless blessings like the Eastern Sea and longevity like the Southern Mountains.”

“Uncle Gou?”

While Gou Wa was momentarily stunned, Li Sui reached out and snatched the red envelope from his hand.