Chapter 967: Funeral

Chapter 967: The Funeral

Though it felt strange to worship one’s own father as a deity, Li Sui did not mind. On the contrary, she felt it was for the best, as it meant her father was watching over her at every moment.

"Father! Wait for me, I will return. I will see you again as Li Sui! I swear it!"

After Li Sui spoke these joyful words, the rationality she had usurped began to regain the upper hand; one cannot consider only the bright side of things without acknowledging the dark.

Even if it seemed impossible, one had to prepare a contingency plan for failure.

Yet Li Sui clearly resisted this rational deliberation; she preferred to remain as she once was, simply focusing on the good in everything.

After much thought, Li Sui looked down at the small clay figurine in her hand, her voice tinged with grievance: "If... if the time comes and I am no longer myself, I will hide away and not tell you. At least that way, Father, you won't have to worry about me, and your heart won't ache so much."

"Li Sui! Return, O soul!" With a swish, the white paper money with circular holes was tossed high into the air by Li Huowang, who was draped in mourning sackcloth, drifting down onto the spirit banner behind him and the large, black-lacquered coffin.

Beside him, Bai Lingmiao, her eyes red from weeping, followed silently while holding a red rope. At the other end of the rope was a piece of flesh—the flesh of Li Huowang that Li Sui had loved to eat most.

This was the custom of Great Liang: after death, one must bind the deceased's most cherished or beloved object with a red rope, held by the closest kin, to lure the soul to accompany the coffin into the earth for its final rest.

The piercing sound of suona horns and gongs rang out behind him, yet Li Huowang’s expression remained unchanged.

With a face like wood, he showed no trace of sorrow, simply scattering the paper money as he walked toward Mount Niuxin.

The deep pit for the coffin had been dug in advance, the site chosen by the finest geomancer in Great Liang for its auspicious feng shui.

As everyone in Niuxin Village bowed solemnly to the coffin, the process continued, and the casket was gradually lowered into the deep pit.

Having decided not to bear children, Bai Lingmiao had come to treat Sui Sui as her own; now that they had finally grown close, she found it impossible to accept that her child had died just like that.

"Sui Sui!" As Bai Lingmiao lunged toward the coffin, Li Huowang grabbed her wrist, stopping her irrational act.

At that moment, Er Shen emerged from behind Bai Lingmiao, its thin, sharp claws filled with hatred as they raked across Li Huowang’s flesh, leaving deep, bloody gashes.

Before long, Li Huowang was a mass of blood and gore, yet he remained silent, watching the coffin descend into the pit.

"Are you mute? Say something!" Er Shen’s actions were finally halted by Bai Lingmiao. She curled into a ball, hugging her knees, and sobbed silently beside Li Sui’s tombstone.

Beyond Bai Lingmiao’s weeping, there was another sound of crying—that of Qiu Chibao, who clutched her rotting child and lay desperately upon the coffin, trying again and again to pull Li Sui out, though every attempt was in vain.

The coffin was lowered, the earth filled, and the stone erected; with the rites complete, Li Sui was finally laid to rest.

The mourners in their sackcloth followed the mountain path back to Niuxin Village, and as the burial concluded, the atmosphere eased slightly.

Yang Xiaohai and a dozen kitchen helpers busied themselves, and a grand feast of eight hot and eight grain dishes was laid out.

Li Huowang did not eat; he sat alone at the head of the table, pouring cup after cup of wine down his throat without a word.

He had never been able to hold his liquor, yet this time he could not get drunk; no matter how much he drank, he felt nothing.

No matter how long he drank, the wine in the pot never diminished; for every drop Li Huowang consumed, the hallucination of Qiu Chibao shed an equal amount of tears.

From dusk until deep into the night, the feast outside dispersed, but Li Huowang continued to drink.

Finally, as Li Huowang reached for another cup, Bai Lingmiao snatched it from his hand and smashed it to the ground. "Stop drinking!"

Li Huowang nodded and said, "You are right, I should stop. It is time to get to work."

With that, Li Huowang stood up, and with a single step of his right foot, he entered the capital city of Shangjing.

He arrived at the Celestial Master’s Mansion and found the Imperial Preceptor of Great Liang, Huangfu Tiangang. The blind old man was playing chess with Gao Zhijian.

Li Huowang sat down between them. "Xuan Pin is dead."

Huangfu Tiangang nodded, picking up a black piece with his fingernails and placing it on the board. "Yes, I am aware. The commotion was not small."

"Before she died, she said you knew something and told me to ask you."

Gao Zhijian noticed Li Huowang’s abnormality and set down his white piece. "Brother Li, are you alright?"

Li Huowang did not look at him, keeping his eyes fixed on the blind Huangfu Tiangang.

After a moment of contemplation, Huangfu Tiangang spoke: "It is nothing major. Xuan Pin meant to tell you that as long as the Ministry of Heaven's Supervision leads, we are not as weak as you might imagine."

"As for the Siling of Fusheng Heaven, if they dare to come again, we will drive them back just as we did the other day."

"The Military School is all but extinct," Li Huowang stated the cruel fact coldly.

"No." Huangfu Tiangang shook his head gently. "Boy, what do you think the Military School is?"

He stroked his long beard. "In these times, with the Siling descending and the world in chaos, if we wish to survive, we must burn our bridges."

"No matter how powerful the Military School is, they are still human. Anyone can become the Military School. If we infect all the common people under heaven with baleful energy, then the whole world becomes our army."

Li Huowang’s breathing hitched; he truly had not expected them to go this far. "That would mean they would all die."

"Yes." Gao Zhijian nodded, placing his white piece on the board. "Brother Li, I know you are kind-hearted, but people must die. Even the royal family is no exception."

Just then, a sturdy little boy ran over laughing, but Gao Zhijian grabbed him instantly.

"Look, this is my son. I chose him. I have so many sons, but only one can survive; the others must all die." Gao Zhijian’s coldness made it seem as if he were not speaking of his own child.

"The Siling of Fusheng Heaven, the Siling of Baiyujing—we cannot trust any of them. To protect ourselves, we must trust only ourselves. This is how the world is now; human life is worthless. Anyone can die. People can be reborn, as long as the species survives."

"Human life... is worthless? But do you know what that means to those who care?"

Jingxin Shitai, the Lu Family Troupe, Zhuge Yuan, Sui Sui—various images flashed through Li Huowang’s mind. His expression twisted, and his teeth ground together with a sharp, grating sound.

"I have had enough! I have truly had enough! Why! Why must it be this way!!!"

With a roar, Li Huowang slammed his right fist, veins bulging on the back of his hand, onto the chessboard, shattering it into pieces.