Yang Xiaohai groggily opened his eyes when he saw the sunlight coming in from the paper windows. Then he got out of his blankets and started wearing his clothes.
Creak~
He pushed open the door to the kitchen and stared at the water in the water jar. Feeling that it wasn't enough, he picked up a shoulder pole and two buckets before heading out.
"My Senior Brothers and Sisters will need water to wash up after they wake, and I also need to cook congee today, so that amount of water wouldn't have been enough," muttered Yang Xiaohai.
As someone who used to be an assistant within the Zephyr Temple, even though Yang Xiaohai was only ten years old, he could do every household chore, including sewing, washing, cooking, and repairing clothes. He even knew the medicinal properties of some of the ingredients that were used to refine pills.
He was forced to learn all of these things—if he hadn't managed to learn everything fast enough, then he would've been dead.
In that cave where there was no sunlight, he learned one thing and one thing only; he learned that people who were useless were nothing more than useless trash.
If his Senior Brothers and Sisters decided to leave those who were dragging them down, then they would abandon the ones who were still sleeping on the bed.
Yang Xiaohai had a secret that no one knew—the location he had provided as his home was fake. In truth, he had no home. His only wish was that they could continue their travels. Then, at least he would always be able to have something to eat.
He was different compared to the others. Most of those within the Zephyr temple were either sold or abducted; however, he had gone there willingly just because someone told him that he would be provided meals over there.
When he walked out, Yang Xiaohai greeted the Senior Sister practicing the sword in front of him. "Good morning, Senior Sister."
However, Chun Xiaoman ignored him as she continued to study the blade.
Yang Xiaohai did not get offended. He was already used to her demeanor. This Senior Sister of his who was covered in strands of black hair was always busy studying the blade. The only exceptions were when she was eating or sleeping.
Yang Xiaohai walked alone on a path as the morning fog accompanied him. The grass was wet with dew.
I wonder if I can ask Senior Sister to teach me the ways of the sword? Once I master the sword, at the very least, no one would dare bully me when I once again become a beggar. But would she agree to it? She's usually quite indifferent.
He thought about it as he arrived at the village's small pond and took some water.
Just then, a large black shadow appeared from within the fog, startling him.
However, he soon saw that it was a group of people. They were wearing ragged clothes while their faces were black. They were beggars. At one point, he used to be one of them as well.
When he saw them sniveling, Yang Xiaohai deduced that they must've had to sleep without a fire last night.
Meanwhile, the group of beggars was surprised to see Yang Xiaohai as well.
After both parties confirmed that each other to be indeed living people, the group of beggars pushed forward one of the younger beggars to collect some water.
The child was hesitant and didn't dare to speak.
Just when the other child was about to head back after collecting water, one of the older beggars walked over and pushed the child beggar down before bowing toward Yang Xiaohai and asking politely, "Young brother, may I ask if this is the Wu family village?"
"The people you seek are not here. Everything has been abandoned here. There is nothing left," replied Yang Xiaohai.
Yang Xiaohai's words caused them to get even more agitated as their noses became redder. One of the old beggars pointed at the surroundings with his fingers and asked, "The houses and the land here, it's all abandoned?"
However, Yang Xiaohai was no longer interested in talking with them, especially to the beggar that had pushed the child down. He turned and left.
Back in the kitchen, he poured the water from the bucket into the water jar. Then, he wiped the sweat on his forehead, picked up the pole and buckets, and headed back outside; it was a very large water jar so he would need to make multiple trips.
When he came back, he saw the beggars were rummaging through the empty houses.
However, he knew that they wouldn't be finding anything valuable inside. All the valuables had long since been taken away by the people who left. If anything had been left behind by them, then Puppy and the rest would've taken it.
But beggars could not be choosers. They would even celebrate finding torn clothing.
When Yang Xiaohai came out for the third time, he saw that the beggars were fighting amongst each other. He wasn't sure what they were fighting for.
"Don't live here. It's an ominous place. Something might happen to you!" Yang Xiaohai shouted toward the beggars, to no avail.
After the fourth trip, Yang Xiaohai was so tired that his face was pale. Still, he pushed on and walked back to the courtyard. Once inside, he placed the pole down and caught his breath. He was waiting for something.
It was only after he heard footsteps that Yang Xiaohai picked up the pole and walked back inside.
Soon, the pole-carrying Yang Xiaohai got into contact with the rest of his Senior Brothers and Sisters. "Good morning, Senior Brother Cao Cao."
"Hey, why are you the one filling up the water jar? You are good at household chores, so you should leave this kind of physical labor to Simpleton." Puppy patted Yang Xiaohai's head and walked out.
"Senior brother Cao Cao, the congee is cooking in the pot. We can eat soon," Yang Xiaohai shouted toward Puppy's back.
"Alright, I will go and wake up Simpleton," said Puppy.
By the time sunlight was shining into the courtyard, everyone had already gathered in the dining hall.
Their breakfast consisted of simple congee with some preserved vegetables that Puppy found within an underground basement in the village. They even ate their own rations and guokui. There were also two eggs in a bowl.
However, none of them began to eat; it was as if they were waiting for something.
Just then, Xiaoman, who had been practicing with the blade in the courtyard, walked in. Puppy asked her playfully, "Senior sister, how was your training? You've been training very consistently. Once you master it, you can teach us as well."
"Not too bad; at the very least, I'm not swinging it blindly anymore. The bodyguard from the courier service told me that there's no shortcut—only through training can one master the blade. I've also made two bamboo swords. After our meal you can come and practice with me," replied Xiaoman.
Hearing this, Puppy's face instantly turned bitter.
Meanwhile, Xiaoman hung her sword onto the wall and sat down at the table, joining the others as they waited for something.
Soon, the stench of blood filled the air as footsteps rang out. Yang Xiaohai instinctively lowered his head, not daring to look in the direction of the footsteps.
It was none other than Li Huowang.
He knew that Senior Li would not harm him. In fact, he was taken in by Li Huowang. Even so, he was afraid of Li Huowang, especially after everything that had happened on their journey so far.
Bai Lingmiao carefully supported Li Huowang until he sat at the front of the table. Only after he started eating did everyone else join in.
Even Li Huowang did not know when this rule had come to pass.
Halfway through their meal, the sound of saliva being swallowed was heard. A few beggars were standing outside and staring at them as they ate their meal.
"Why are there still beggars? I thought the village had become empty," asked Li Huowang.
Hearing this, Yang Xiaohai stood up nervously and told him everything that he knew about the beggars.
"Hoho, looks like their information network is quite efficient, to the point that they even knew that this place had been vacated. But don't you think staying at the place that the Eighteenth Lunar once used as its feeding ground would be quite unlucky? I've eaten enough, you guys can continue on," said Li Huowang, standing up.
Chapter 101 - War
Once Yang Xiaohai saw Senior Li walk out, he sighed in relief, finally allowing himself to relax. Meanwhile, the rest of them continued eating and talking. However, there wasn't much to talk about and soon, their conversation turned toward the group of beggars outside.
"I don't recall seeing so many beggars along the way. Where did these people come from?" asked Sun Baolu.
Hearing this question, Yang Xiaohai placed a piece of guokui into a bowl of congee before taking it and going outside. "Let me ask them."
Puppy stared at Yang Xiaohai's back and said, "What an understanding child. If it wasn't for the fact that he needs to return home, I would've kept him as my son."
"Son? You mean to say you would use him as a servant, don't you?" commented one of the guiding drug ingredients.
Puppy saw that his ploy had been seen through, but merely chuckled.
Meanwhile, when the beggars saw Yang Xiaohai walk out, all of them focused their attention toward the broken bowl in his hand. Some of them even started singing to gain his attention.
Yang Xiaohai ignored all of them and approached the child beggar that was pushed down earlier. The child was standing in a corner and looked ever so pitiful, just like how he was earlier.
"Let me ask you something; if you can answer me, then this guokui will be yours," said Yang Xiaohai.
Looking at the guokui in Yang Xiaohai's hands, the disheveled child nodded.
"Where did you guys come from?" asked Yang Xiaohai.
"East. We came here from the east! Also, we are not beggars! I followed my parents to run away," replied the child. "However, halfway through, I was kidnapped by someone else. Somehow, I managed to escape. That was how I ended up as a beggar."
Hearing this answer, Yang Xiaohai pulled out the guokui that had been softened by the congee and gave it to him.
Immediately, the child scarfed down the entire guokui, ignoring the fact that it was scalding hot.
"Why did you guys run? Was there a disaster?" Yang Xiaohai continued his questions.
As the young boy licked the bits of congee stuck on the guokui and swallowed it, he nodded. "Yeah. But we wouldn't have left behind our fields if it was just the drought or the floods; we had to run because the soldiers were going to war. All of us had to run away because of the soldiers. There were so many of them. The soldiers ransacked our village and took away everything. Some of the villages were completely destroyed because of that."
Just as Yang Xiaohai was about to ask something else, a large shadow enveloped him. It was Gao Zhijian. He stuttered, "They... they... they are not soldiers... going... t-to... war... They... they... they are... the defeated soldiers!"
"Senior Gao, does this mean that there is a war going on right now?" Yang Xiaohai raised his head and looked at Gao Zhijian's wide chin.
When he saw that Yang Xiaohai did not look down on him for his stuttering, Gao Zhijian was pleasantly surprised. He gently patted Yang Xiaohai's head with his large hands. "Th-that's... right."
Yang Xiaohai turned around to the child that had been frightened by the giant Gao Zhijian. "Are they really at war? Why did I not hear anything about it before? Did you say that your house was located in the eastern direction? Can you tell me where the war is happening in detail?"
"I'm sorry but I only know that my house is located in the east," replied the child.
Looking at how the child did not know much about this matter, Yang Xiaohai turned around to look at the older beggars. "What are you guys doing, talking so much with the beggars? Come back and eat first. We have to wash the bowls later on," called out one of the guiding drug ingredients.
Upon hearing those words, Yang Xiaohai became a lot more alert.
"Let me wash the bowls! I will wash them!" said Yang Xiaohai as he turned around and walked inside.
When the child saw Yang Xiaohai's clean shoes and then stared back at his own feet that had turned purple due to the cold weather, he felt quite envious. "I wish I was bought by them."
"Senior brother Cao Cao, the beggars came here to escape the war happening in the east," Yang Xiaohai went back to the table and reported his findings.
"It's fine. The war does not concern us. Sun Baolu was only asking about it out of curiosity. No need to think of his words as some kind of a sacred decree. It's not like he's an emperor," said Puppy.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang was lying down on a white hospital bed, feeling conflicted. Looking at his surroundings, he realized that within his hallucinations, he had been transferred to a normal ward from the ICU.
At this moment, he was holding a round jade pendant. Back on the other side, he had threaded it, wearing it like a necklace.
He could recall that he had given this piece of jade to Yang Na, but now, it had mysteriously appeared here.
As for how it returned back to him, Li Huowang was no longer concerned about that. Currently, he was thinking about what Doctor Li had said to him during their last meeting.
Right, Little Li, didn't you say that you could bring something belonging to that world back here, and that's why you thought this world was fake? Then, have you tried bringing something from here to there? Maybe you will find an unexpected answer.
Looking at the round jade pendant, Li Huowang decided what he had to do and placed the jade pendant back inside his hospital gown.
No harm in trying. What if it actually works?
But when that question appeared in his mind, he paused.
What if it works? What would it mean? Would it mean that Bai Lingmiao and the rest are fakes? Or would it mean that both sides are real?
Li Huowang didn't know, and at this point, he didn't care. He would try it first before coming up with a plan.
Time slowly passed as he waited for the result. He really hated how time seemed to be passing slower and slower, to the point that it almost felt like he had been waiting for an entire year.
Finally, when a nurse changed his medications, he felt the world around him slowly start to crumble.
Back in the old room, Li Huowang touched his chest and found the jade pendant, causing his expression to freeze.
Then, without even bothering to wear his clothes, he rummaged through the bed before pulling out another identical jade pendant. He was perplexed.
Two? How could there be two jade pieces? Why are there two pieces?
Li Huowang felt his mind going into disarray. He had considered the possibility that he might be able to take something from the other side and bring it back here, but to think this would end up being the result.
"Huowang." At that moment, a soft female voice was heard. It belonged to Yang Na.
Hearing the voice, Li Huowang looked at the door, astonished.
How did Yang Na get here? Wasn't she just a part of my hallucination?
"Senior Li" This time it was Bai Lingmiao's voice.
Then, the door opened with a creak as it was pushed open from the other side.
When he saw the 'thing' walking toward him, Li Huowang was extremely terrified.
"NO! NO! STAY AWAY!!" Li Huowang sat up from the bed, covered in cold sweat.
Looking at the old furniture around him, he realized that everything had just been a dream, a result of what he was concerned about during the day.
But just as he was about to lay back down, a sudden thought popped up in his head.
Was that really a dream?
Chapter 102 - Benefits
The thought that had just popped up in his head left him trembling.
After a while, he carefully touched every inch of his body and only sighed in relief only after confirming that there weren't any additional jade pieces on his body.
"I was right; it really was a dream. All of that was just a dream," Li Huowang mumbled.
"What's wrong?" asked Bai Lingmiao groggily as she lit up the oil lamp in the room.
"Nothing. Nothing happened. Go back to sleep," said Li Huowang.
When she saw that Li Huowang did not wish to answer her, Bai Lingmiao just closed her eyes. At the same time, her white hair gently lay on his shoulder as her small hands softly caressed his chest to calm him down.
Meanwhile, he held the hand on his chest and stared at the rafters above them. "Miaomiao ..."
"Hm?" Bai Lingmiao answered, half asleep.
"Do you want to know about my past? And why am I having hallucinations?" asked Li Huowang.
Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao's sleepiness was instantly dispelled. Her eyelids fluttered open in shock as she stared at the man beside her. This was the first time he had talked to her about his past.
Since she had spent more time with him than the others had, she knew that he was different from the others.
It wasn't a difference of culture, country, or other things, but a difference that caused him to not be able to fit with them and the society. Something... otherworldly. She was not the only one who thought so—the others had thought about it too. It was just that none of them had said it before.
"I'm actually not from here," said Li Huowang.
"Yeah, I know that you are not from the kingdom of Si Qi," replied Bai Lingmiao.
Li Huowang shook his head. "I meant that I'm not someone from this world. I'm from another world." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
Under the dim light of the oil lamp, Li Huowang slowly talked to Bai Lingmiao about his past and current predicaments. The more he said, the better he felt. It was as if someone was bearing the weight in his heart along with him.
It was only when sunlight started to illuminate the room that he stopped. The room was completely silent.
"Is there anything you would like to ask?" asked Li Huowang.
"Yes." Bai Lingmiao removed her hands from around him and held his hand, the one that was missing three of its fingernails. Her fingertips trembled as she touched the scab. "What's the matter with the red bamboo slip?"
"Let me tell you something interesting. A person's fingernails can regenerate, even after they have been pulled out." Li Huowang tried to divert the topic while trying to pull his hand out from Bai Lingmiao's grasp, but she held on to his hand even tighter. At the same time, he saw Bai Lingmiao's eyes becoming redder and redder as she stared at him.
"I don't care where you come from nor do I care what happened within your hallucination. All I want to know is whether the injury on your abdomen was related to the bamboo slip," said Bai Lingmiao firmly.
Li Huowang did not answer her, embracing her instead. He held her head close to his chest and slowly patted her.
"Senior Li, that thing is too dangerous. Please... please throw it away. If you continue on like this then you will eventually get killed by it," After saying so, Bai Lingmiao stopped and pleaded with him. "If you end up dying, what will happen to me?"
Seeing her like this, Li Huowang sighed. While she looked soft and squishy, she was actually a really tough girl. Soft on the outside, harsh on the inside.
"Let me think about it," said Li Huowang.
Li Huowang knew that the Profound Records represented a double-edged sword, one that could easily cut him up if he was not careful when using it.
But at the same time, it was a very valuable tool. He had no choice but to rely on it to survive in this bizarre world. If he threw it away and happened to encounter some other entity like the Eighteenth Lunar, then what would he do? After all, he couldn't just rely on Dan Yangzi at all times.
He wanted to join a sect and grow stronger as well; however, doing so was extremely difficult.
Not only would he have to worry about whether his application would be accepted or not, he would even have to be wary of the others who knew that he was a Strayed One. Even if they accepted him, he might not have the guts to cultivate using whatever method they told him to.
Zephyr Temple, Righteous Monastery, and Benevolent Nunnery.
Ever since he came into contact with these sects, he had already given up on joining most of the sects. Each of them was more vile than the last.
And so, without a substitute weapon, he would never throw away the Profound Records. It was his strongest method of attack, despite the high price he had to pay for using it.
Amidst their conversation, there was some movement from the door; their comrades were preparing for breakfast.
Li Huowang sat up. Just as Bai Lingmiao was about to help him with his clothes, he realized something and said, "Wait."
He carefully pressed down on his abdomen and realized that it didn't hurt as much as before. He opened up the bandages and saw that his wound had almost completely healed up.
"How did I recover so fast?" Even Li Huowang was surprised.
Li Huowang had expected that it would take his body at least half a month to finish healing, but something had changed within his body.
He thought about it long and hard before thinking back to the very last moment when Ba-Hui had glanced at him during the final moments.
"I think this is a good thing?" muttered Li Huowang.
Li Huowang was both happy and worried. He knew far too little about the thing he had summoned by experiencing the peak of both mental and physical pain.
He didn't know what this meant.
Does it want me to mutilate myself even more?
This was the only reason he could think of after half a day.
But compared to dealing with Dan Yangzi, this was a minor incident.
"Based on my speed of recovery, I should be completely healed by tomorrow. We will rest for today and depart tomorrow," Li Huowang told Bai Lingmiao.
Bai Lingmiao wanted to say something, but stopped. In the end she nodded her head.
Hearing that they were about to leave soon, the others started to pack their things and move them up the carriage. At the same time, they took almost everything they found in the courtyard, including the two egg-laying hens.
When it was dinner time, Li Huowang took off his bandages and saw that his wound had practically completely healed up.
Not bad. At the very least there's some kind of reward after going through so much.
Li Huowang was happy with his ability. At the very least, he wouldn't die so easily.
Back in the dining hall, Li Huowang sat down and ate some rice. The table was filled with vegetables that they had picked from the fields.
Even though the meal consisted mostly of vegetables, they had used pork lard to stir-fry it. Thus the taste was quite decent.
Li Huowang picked up a piece of carrot and bit into it before furrowing his brows. "Who cooked today? Why is it still so salty?"
Even though he didn't have high expectations from this food, he was not a livestock that could eat the same meal everyday.
Hearing his question, an assistant with a pale face stood up. "Senior Li, it was me."
Meanwhile, Bai Lingmiao took the piece of carrot that Li Huowang had bitten and tasted it. "Senior Li, it's not really very salty. It's just nicely seasoned."
"Really?" Hearing this, Li Huowang picked up another carrot and bit into it. However, he still felt that it was very salty.
"Nevermind then. Continue eating. I can just pair it with some more rice," said Li Huowang.
Chapter 103 - Marriage
Li Huowang slowly sipped the tea from his cup. He didn't really like drinking tea; it was just that the meal tonight was too salty for him.
Using the cover of the cup to block the tea leaves, he took a light sip as the bitterness of the tea filled his mouth.
"Dammit. I should've known that they wouldn't have any good tea leaves," said Li Huowang as he spat out the tea and placed the teacup down before heading back into his room. Due to the nightmare from last night, he didn't get a proper night of sleep; he needed to recover his strength for tomorrow.
However, even as he walked back to his room, Li Huowang's mind did not stop. He was thinking about his nightmare as well as the two pieces of jade.
If I get sucked into my hallucination once again, should I try taking something from that side and bringing it here?
However, Li Huowang did not hesitate long.
Yeah, I should try it; however, I can't try it with the pendant. I need to take something that doesn't exist on this side, such as a bottle of saline solution or a pair of handcuffs. If I can't bring it over here, then I will know for sure that the world over there is fake. After that, there won't be any reason for me to keep thinking about that place. But... what if I am able to bring something over here?
Amidst his thoughts, Li Huowang arrived at his room.
Creak.
He pushed the door open, but the scene inside instantly caused his thoughts to grind to a halt.
There were red candles lined up on the table and the walls were decorated with the upside down character for 'prosperity'. Everything was red, from the pillows to the sheets to the... to the red veil on Bai Lingmiao's head.
Staring at the scene in front of him, Li Huowang's heart started racing. For a moment, he stopped right in between the red colored room and the dark night outside.
He felt conflicted.
He knew what it would mean if he walked in. Not only would he have a wife, but he would also have a responsibility and an oath to uphold.
After a moment of hesitation, he took a deep breath and walked inside, locking the door behind him. Then, he approached the bride and asked, "Are you sure about this? You know that I suffer from hallucinations. Are you truly willing to accept marrying an insane person like me?"
"Mm-hmm." A small pair of hands reached out, gently grabbing his large hands. "Senior Li, as they say: you follow the chicken if you get married to one and you follow the dog if you get married to one. No matter what happens, I will live with you for the rest of my life."
Her voice was as soft as usual, but a strong sense of determination could be felt from her voice right now.
Since she had said as such, Li Huowang would not be able to call himself a man if he hesitated anymore.
Just as he extended his arms to raise the red veil, Bai Lingmiao turned away. "Senior Li, it's embarrassing... Could you please extinguish the light?"
Hearing this, Li Huowang waved his sleeves and the red candles were immediately extinguished.
On that night, both of them coiled around on the bed, and Li Huowang finally understood what they meant when they said girls were made from water.
Four hours later, within the completely dark room of the newly-weds, Li Huowang lay on the bed, panting heavily. He gently caressed the head of the girl that was laying on his chest as he recalled the wondrous feeling he had just experienced.
"Husband~"
A single call from her sent a tingle through his entire body. "You can just continue calling me Senior Li. I'm not used to it."
"Alright, I will listen to you. You are the man of the house, so I will do whatever you tell me to do," said Bai Lingmiao as she placed her ear on his chest and listened to his rapid heartbeat.
Li Huowang took a deep breath and hugged the girl even closer. Then, he kissed the top of her head that was covered with her soft hair and hair ornaments.
"Let's go back once the issue with Dan Yangzi has been dealt with. Then we can officially become husband and wife once we get back to your house," said Li Huowang.
"But what about your condition? Is there really no way to treat it?" asked Bai Lingmiao.
"I don't know. I've only heard what others have told me. The Abbess from the Benevolent Nunnery probably did not lie to me nor does she have a reason to." Li Huowang slowly slid his hands down and caressed her smooth skin. "Don't worry. I have you by my side now. Now that I've grown my roots in this world, I won't ever be deceived by the hallucinations."
"Hehe." Bai Lingmiao was very happy. She hugged him with all four of her limbs while pressing her head against his chest.
For some reason, the feeling that Bai Lingmiao gave Li Huowang in the bedroom was different. She said that she was embarrassed, but now she wasn't.
Are all girls the same?
Li Huowang had no experience in this regard. This was his first time after all.
Sensing that Bai Lingmiao had started to move around, Li Huowang held her down with his hands. "Wait, I just felt something weird."
"What are you talking about? I did bleed," said Bai Lingmiao nervously.
Li Huowang laughed. "No, I don't mean it that way; the feeling I got was something different."
"Feeling? What kind of feeling?" asked Bai Lingmiao.
"I suddenly felt like my senses are much sharper than they were before. All of them are much sharper," Li Huowang said as he recalled the moment he almost ascended to Heaven last night. Something felt off.
It hadn't been noticeable before, but after his clash with the Eighteenth Lunar, he noticed that not only was his body capable of healing much faster, even his senses were much sharper than before. Regardless of whether it was his sense of touch, smell, taste, sight, or hearing, all of them had become sharper.
Is this Ba-Hui's power?
Li Huowang realized that both the abilities given to him were related to self-mutilation or sacrifice.
Just as he thought about sharing his thoughts with Bai Lingmiao, he suddenly felt a piercing pain from his right index finger. "Yeowch! Why did you bite me?"
"Does it hurt more than before?" asked Bai Lingmiao.
"Yeah! It's even bleeding, how could it not hurt?" asked Li Huowang.
"Then it looks like you are right; your senses have indeed become sharper, and so has your sense of pain," said Bai Lingmiao. In the next second, Li Huowang felt his finger being placed somewhere soft as Bai Lingmiao started to suck on it. The pain instantly faded away.
"Previously, you told me about the Wandering Gods. Then, have you heard of Ba-Hui?" Li Huowang asked.
"Mm-mm" Bai Lingmiao shook her head while continuing to suck on his finger.
"Hmm ..." Li Huowang opened his eyes as he stared at the ceiling. "Why did Ba-Hui grant me these two abilities? What is its true form?"
Li Huowang tried to picture what Ba-Hui looked like in his mind, but failed. He could not do so with his perception as an ordinary human.
Knock knock~
At that moment, there was a sudden knock on his room door in the middle of the night.
Li Huowang hugged Bai Lingmiao close to his chest and covered her up with a blanket. "Who's there? If it isn't anything important, then we can talk tomorrow."
"Senior Li, it's me, can I enter? For some reason I was laying down on the floor of the firewood room." The sound that came from beyond the door was extremely familiar. Li Huowang instantly realized that it was Bai Lingmiao's voice.
However, if Bai Lingmiao was outside, then who was the one currently in his embrace? Li Huowang suddenly felt a chill run down his body.
"Hehehe, husband~"
At that moment, Li Huowang suddenly felt the thing in his embrace suddenly shrink and roll out of the sheets.
Li Huowang threw off the sheets and lit up one of the red candles as fast as he could.
However, there was no one but him inside the room.
"Senior Li, what's wrong? What happened?" Bai Lingmiao shouted outside.
Li Huowang turned to see his finger, the one that was sucked on just moments ago. It looked extremely pale. Looking at the nasty wound, he was certain that it was not something a human could do with their teeth. It was more like he had gotten bit by a beast with sharp fangs!
Chapter 104 - The Second Deity
The sound of utensils hitting the bowl didn't stop as everyone scarfed down the congee placed in front of them.
Since today was the day they had to resume traveling, they needed to eat a lot. If not, they might end up becoming hungry before lunch, and being hungry was the last thing they needed.
However, amidst all this, Li Huowang was not the slightest bit interested in the food. He glanced at Bai Lingmiao who was sitting beside him.
The girl was miffed ever since she was told to go sleep with Xiaoman last night; last night, he never opened the door for Bai Lingmiao.
After that, in just a short amount of time he disposed of any and all red colored items within the room. He didn't want 'Bai Lingmiao' to find out that she was somehow married to him.
However, even though he destroyed all of the evidence, one question just wouldn't get out of his head.
What was that? What the hell did I sleep with?
Based on the bite wound on his finger, he knew that it was not a normal human.
At the same time, he also realized there were quite a few other suspicious details.
For one, why did that thing ask him to extinguish the candles before removing the red veil? And why was 'she' different from the usual Bai Lingmiao?
He also realized that the 'hair ornaments' were not ornaments at all! They almost looked like they had grown out of her head.
Why did she do it? What's there to gain?
Li Huowang was perplexed. Just in case 'she' appeared again, he didn't sleep throughout the entire night.
But, she did not appear again.
Regarding her identity, Li Huowang more or less had an answer when he remembered the red veil; however, he needed to confirm it himself.
Li Huowang quietly watched as Bai Lingmiao ate her bowl of congee and five pieces of guokui. He had never realized that her appetite had grown so much despite her small body.
Sensing that she had almost eaten her fill, Li Huowang gently kicked her legs to notify her and then turned toward her room.
Immediately, Bai Lingmiao wiped her mouth, placed her bowl down, and followed him. Once inside the room, she saw that Senior Li was staring at her with a serious look on his face, just standing there menacingly.
"Senior Li, what's wrong? Is something the matter?" She suddenly felt that the atmosphere was weird, her voice turning quieter than usual.
"Sit down, I have something to ask you." Li Huowang sat her down on the stool.
After a moment, he finally opened his mouth. "I learnt from Li Zhi that summoning the Immortals from the Immortal Families required two people, one to play the drum while the other who acted as the vessel. Since you summoned the Immortals to heal me, that should mean that you have a Second Deity as well, correct?"
The Second Deity usually wore a red veil, and so Li Huowang was suspicious that it might've been Bai Lingmiao's Second Deity.
"Mm." Bai Lingmiao nodded.
"Then is she alive? Or is she an Immortal? Or is she something else entirely?" asked Li Huowang.
"She's alive, but she's not an Immortal. We have to summon one before an Immortal can appear," replied Bai Lingmiao.
"When the heck did Li Zhi's wife crawl out from her grave? Hadn't Gao Zhijian caved her head in before we buried her together with Li Zhi?" aske Li Huowang.
Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao was surprised. "Senior Li, my Second Deity is not Li Zhi's wife."
"What? It's not? There's different Second Deities?" Li Huowang was surprised as well.
"Yes. They told me that the Main and Second Deity are deeply connected to each other. Usually, we cannot use someone else's Second Deity," replied Bai Lingmiao.
Hearing this, Li Huowang remembered Li Zhi's Second Deity. Other than her heavy make-up and beast-like face, the Second Deity was quite literally a second Li Zhi.
"Don't tell me..." Thinking about what had happened last night as well as Bai Lingmiao's familiar voice, Li Huowang instantly realized who he had slept with. "...if we remove the beast-like features from her face, then the Second Deity looks exactly the same as you, right?"
Hearing his words, Bai Lingmiao hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes, she looks just like me. The other Second Deities would look just like their Main Deities as well."
"Then how did she come to be? Did the Immortals from the Immortal Families create a living being just like that?" Li Huowang asked the most important question.
Bai Lingmiao did not answer, struggling visibly; she couldn't stop her hands from twisting her shirt. "Senior Li, I really wanted to tell you and let you know the details. But I have no idea how to say it. On the night I became a Shaman, the Second Deity directly appeared in my dreams. And then... and then..."
Seeing how Bai Lingmiao was on the verge of breaking down and crying, Li Huowang did not press on. He knew that it was very hard to explain anything in detail in this bizarre world.
"That's fine. No need to think about it. Now, can you call her out? I wanted to ask her about something." Li Huowang's eyes were filled with hostility.
Bai Lingmiao carefully stared into his eyes and then pulled the door open behind them. A woman with a red veil and red shoes was standing right there.
Li Huowang tried to suppress his emotions as he walked over and stared at the Second Deity that was covered in a red veil. At this moment, thanks to his heightened senses, he could sense that this thing was staring right back at him.
After looking at the wrinkles on her clothes as well as her body shape, Li Huowang confirmed that the one on the bed last night was indeed her!
"Senior Li, what's wrong with her? Did something happen?" asked Bai Lingmiao, worried.
Li Huowang was just about to tell her about what had happened when he stopped. When he saw Bai Lingmiao's worried face, he decided that he shouldn't tell her.
He really wanted to ask the Second Deity why it did what it did last night, but he could only keep it quiet in front of Bai Lingmiao.
He really couldn't bring himself to tell her that he had slept with... this weird thing,
"Senior Li, what's wrong? Why aren't you talking? What did she do to you?" asked Bai Lingmiao once more.
Bai Lingmiao's question caused him to suppress his anger as he pointed his fingers at the Second Deity in a threatening gesture. Then, he opened the door and left. "Nevermind, let's depart."
Li Huowang had decided that if there was ever a second time, be it under commands from the Immortal Families or the Second Deity acting on its own, he wouldn't let it go.
On the other hand, Bai Lingmiao was still confused as she asked her Second Deity, "What happened?"
However, the Second Deity did not move, standing unmoving, almost like a corpse.
"That's strange. What happened?" muttered Bai Lingmiao, having been left in the dark.
Soon, two horse-drawn carriages were led out from the courtyard. Their group quickly left the place that was slowly transforming into a den of beggars and followed the road back.
Two hundred miles was neither short nor long. As they traveled at their fastest speed, they soon arrived back at the Henghua Mountain.
Compared to last time, the town at the base of the mountain had quite a lot more people; there were a lot more beggars on the street.
Li Huowang opened a box and checked the blood-red eyes stored within it before slowly making his way toward the mountain.
However, this time, Bai Lingmiao stopped him. "Senior Li, let me accompany you. Now, I can summon the Immortals and so I won't drag you down."