Chapter 16: Familiar Faces

While the two were talking, the old man had already turned and walked towards the donkey. On the donkey's back, aside from tools and luggage, there was a string of salted fish of various sizes. As the old man walked, he kept wrinkling his nose, clearly drawn to the fish.

When the donkey whinnied in fright, Er Mao quickly ran over, drew out the long knife wrapped in a bamboo mat, and swung it to drive the old man away. "Get away, quickly!"

The old man didn't retreat; instead, he dropped to all fours and bared his teeth at Er Mao.

Just as the old man lunged at Er Mao, the crippled man grabbed a stone and threw it. It hit the old man squarely on the head, knocking him to the ground as he cried out in pain.

Seeing that the crippled man was about to pick up another stone, the old man, in a panic, scrambled to his feet and, with a quick leap, dashed into the nearby forest.

Worried that the old man might return, Er Mao kept a tight grip on his knife, keeping a close watch on the woods until he was sure the old man had run far away. Only then did he finally relax. Though he had traveled with the crippled man for years, this was the first time he had encountered such a strange occurrence.

After a moment, Er Mao composed himself. "What kind of creature was that possessing the dead man?"

"It's hard to say," the crippled man shook his head. "But from its actions, it doesn't seem like something too powerful."

"Have you encountered such a situation before?" Er Mao asked.

The crippled man nodded. "Yes, I've seen it. It's not uncommon for strange creatures to control corpses and roam for food, but they usually only appear at night."

"It seems they really did block the gods in the divine domain and the underworld. Without the gods to keep them in check, these demons and monsters dare to appear in broad daylight," Er Mao said.

The crippled man gave Er Mao a sidelong glance. "You really think the gods are looking after the world? Even if Mi Tiangang and the others hadn't sealed them, when have the gods ever cared about these matters?"

Before Er Mao could reply, the crippled man continued, "If they cared about the lives of people, there wouldn't be so many famines and disasters in the world, and so many people wouldn't starve to death every winter."

The crippled man's words made Er Mao speechless, but he still felt that the appearance of this creature had something to do with the absence of the gods in the world.

Fearing that the creature might return, Er Mao sheathed his long knife and urged the crippled man to move on. As they traveled westward, Er Mao constantly glanced around, checking behind and in the woods until he was certain that the creature had not followed. Only then did he feel completely at ease.

At sunset, the two began looking for a place to rest. Because the city had closed its gates, the passing travelers and merchants were forced to camp in the wild. Er Mao had intended to rest in a more populated area, but since the crippled man didn't like crowds, they ended up choosing a ruined temple by the roadside to spend the night.

As the saying goes, "Better sleep in a neglected tomb than stay in a ruined temple." Temples were originally places of worship for the gods, and abandoned temples were seen as unlucky places. It was for this reason that the small temple by the road had been left untouched.

After settling in, Er Mao immediately began gathering firewood. The strange creature from earlier had frightened him, and although he had made a fire earlier for cooking, this time, it was for light and warmth. To ensure the fire would burn through the night, he collected a large amount of wood, dragging it back and forth, bundling it up several times.

By the time night fell, the small temple, already cramped, was almost filled with firewood, and even the donkey had no room to stand.

Just as Er Mao was cooking porridge over the fire, it suddenly began to rain heavily outside. Though the temple was in disrepair, it had a roof to shield them from the wind and rain, and with the bonfire to warm them, it was far better than camping out in the open like the other travelers.

"The donkey can't carry all this stuff fast enough," the crippled man said, pointing to the tools and stove piled beside them. "Tomorrow, we'll have to throw all this away."

Er Mao shook his head. "That won't do. We might need it at some point."

"It won't be needed," the crippled man replied. "Once I get you to your destination, I'll be off to do my own thing."

"Where are you going?" Er Mao asked again. He had asked this question before, but the crippled man had never given a clear answer.

"I'm going to see an old lover," the crippled man said with a smile.

"Really?" Er Mao laughed.

The crippled man gave a sly grin but didn't elaborate.

Earlier in the day, they had been in such a rush that Er Mao hadn't noticed, but now, in the light of the bonfire, he saw that the crippled man's eyes were bloodshot. "Why are your eyes so red?"

"Just been staying up," the crippled man casually replied. "Haven't had a good night's sleep in days."

"Same here, I'm exhausted. Let's sleep early tonight," Er Mao said, stirring the porridge in the pot.

Once the porridge was ready, they ate and went to sleep. Because the temple had no doors, Er Mao worried that wild animals or monsters might break in while they were sleeping, so he made the fire very strong. To extend the fire's burn time, he even added a few large dry branches next to the bonfire.

Outside, the rain fell in a steady drizzle, while inside the temple, it was warm and dry. Tonight, they were sure to get a good night's rest.

How much time had passed, Er Mao didn't know, but he was suddenly awoken by a kick from the crippled man. Though he didn't know how long he had slept, the fatigue he felt upon waking indicated that it hadn't been long.

Startled from his sleep, Er Mao was irritated but didn't have time to complain. The crippled man shouted loudly, "Fire! Run!"

Er Mao, still half asleep, instantly became wide awake at the sound of the crippled man's shout. He opened his eyes, looked around, and found the room filled with thick smoke. Just as he was about to speak, a choking cloud of smoke rushed into his lungs, causing him to cough violently.

By the time he rushed to his feet, the crippled man had already led the donkey out, and Er Mao scrambled to gather their belongings. After a frantic effort, he managed to get everything out before the fire fully spread.

Outside, the rain was still pouring down, and with no shelter, the two were left shivering in the downpour, leading the donkey.

"How did the fire start?" the crippled man frowned.

Er Mao didn't want to tell him about what he had done before sleeping, and he simply said, "Maybe the wind blew sparks into the fire."

"There's no wind," the crippled man replied.

Er Mao didn't respond, worried that the donkey would catch a cold in the rain. He quickly draped his mat over it to protect it.

The temple was built of wood, and with all the firewood Er Mao had brought in, the fire quickly grew stronger. In no time, the roof was burning, and despite the rain outside, the flames shot into the sky, unstoppable.

With the heat becoming unbearable, the two had no choice but to run across the road to the other side. However, there weren't any large trees around, so they had to take shelter under a small pine tree, shivering in the rain.

The fire from the temple, now raging, was an eye-catching spectacle in the dark night.

"Arson is a serious crime," the crippled man said, preparing for the worst. "If anyone asks, we can't admit that we started the fire."

"In the middle of the night, who would ask?" Er Mao said casually.

Just as Er Mao finished speaking, they heard the sound of hooves coming from the west. The sound grew louder, and moments later, three soldiers on horseback appeared in front of the temple.

The leader, a middle-aged man in military attire, rode a rare hybrid dragon steed, while the two soldiers accompanying him were younger, clad in armor.

After briefly surveying the area, the three quickly spotted Er Mao and the crippled man crouching across the road. One of the soldiers rode up to them and loudly asked, "Why did the fire start here?"

Though the crippled man had warned Er Mao earlier, even without the warning, Er Mao wouldn't have admitted anything. He simply claimed that they had arrived after the fire had already started.

The soldier then asked if they had seen anyone suspicious, and Er Mao shook his head, saying no.

After a brief inquiry, the soldiers turned their horses to leave. At that moment, the middle-aged man in the lead rode forward, his eyes scanning Er Mao and then stopping on the crippled man.

Noticing the stare, the crippled man quickly clasped his hands and smiled nervously.

"I think I've seen you somewhere before…"