Liu Huowang, head covered with a conical bamboo hat, led a horse in silence, standing by the roadside, gazing at the distant Niuxin Village.
Several months before, he had stood in this very place, contemplating how he would explain to Bai Lingmiao that he had killed her entire family.
Today, still in this very place, he stood there, pondering how he would explain to the other villagers what he had experienced during his time away.
He had achieved his objective, he no longer needed to suffer the disturbances of hallucinations, and although he was about to see them again, for some reason, he felt very uneasy in his heart.
Compared to the desolate cold of winter, the Niuxin Village of spring was noticeably livelier; in the fields surrounding the village, there were people and oxen hard at work.
These people were young, clumsy in appearance, yet they seemed to be laboring earnestly. Yet, for some reason, these people did not look quite right.