Contemplation

The donkey cart creaked as its wheels turned, the axle squeaking in a high-pitched, grating sound.

"Dogwa, pour some sesame oil on the wheels," Li Huowang said with difficulty, lying on the cart. His neck had just been stitched up by Bai Lingmiao with a needle and thread, and a gold ointment was applied to it. He couldn't sit up at the moment.

Soon, the screeching noise lessened significantly. Li Huowang gazed blankly at the sky, lost in thought, recalling the events from the previous days.

The trouble at Zhengde Temple had been resolved, but his own problems were just beginning.

To him, it seemed that the immortal Dan Yangzi had killed those Buddha statues. But to the others, it appeared that the monstrous and terrifying version of himself had pounced on the statues, entered their bodies, and consumed them alive.

Two perspectives couldn't exist in one world, so one of them had to be false.

Li Huowang turned his head to glance at Bai Lingmiao, whose hands were tightly gripping his hand, not willing to let go.

He turned his gaze back to the sky and let out a bitter smile.

To be honest, because of his illness, Li Huowang didn't even believe himself anymore.

With his bloated belly and face covered in blood, everything seemed to point to the fact that he, not Dan Yangzi, had carried out the actions.

"Could it be that Dan Yangzi is really dead? Did I just imagine everything?" This thought flashed in his mind but was quickly dismissed.

"I couldn't have defeated those gigantic Buddha statues just from my illness alone. It must have been Dan Yangzi."

"No matter what he has become now, the key is that he is still here, still watching me," Li Huowang was certain of this.

"Only, I had thought he came down personally after achieving immortality. But now, it seems he was merely possessing my body and acting through it."

"I had assumed that Dan Yangzi was protecting me, and now it's been confirmed. But knowing Dan Yangzi, he wouldn't help me out of kindness. His motives must be something else entirely."

Thinking back to the strange feelings he had sensed that night, Li Huowang had a creeping suspicion. He ran his finger softly along his palm, contemplating further.

"Tell me, has my temper gotten worse since we left Qingfeng Temple?"

"No, why does Li Shixiong ask this?" Bai Lingmiao replied with a puzzled tone.

Li Huowang gently traced her hand with his finger. He didn't explain, only silently thought to himself, "Why am I asking? Because I'm worried that this damn Dan Yangzi isn't up to any good!"

Although no one else mentioned it, Li Huowang felt a change in his behavior.

"Could it be that Dan Yangzi wants to revive through my body? So, his protection of me is just for his own sake, to protect his own body?" This terrifying thought exploded in his mind.

However, he quickly calmed himself. It was just a hypothesis.

Dan Yangzi needed to be dealt with, but how was the real question.

Li Huowang felt incredibly lost. The world was nothing like a game where everything was clearly marked out; everything was strange and had to be figured out on his own.

After the troubles at Zhengde Temple, Li Huowang was no longer willing to make contact with any other factions in this area. After all, even the most peaceful monasteries had turned terrifying. Who knew what other places had become.

However, after much thought, Li Huowang realized that if he wanted to survive in this cursed place, he couldn't avoid them.

As Li Huowang pondered these matters, the donkey cart slowly stopped, and the sound of rushing water reached his ears.

"Li Shixiong, let me wash your clothes for you," Bai Lingmiao said, pulling her hand from his and walking toward the small creek with the bloody robe in hand.

The others weren't idle either. They went into the woods to gather firewood, preparing to cook.

Since Li Huowang couldn't sit up, he could only judge what was happening around him by sound.

Not long later, the aroma of cooked food reached his nostrils, and his stomach rumbled in response. His injured body was desperately in need of food.

"Shixiong, let me feed you," came the voice of a woman as Li Huowang felt himself being lifted and propped up against a soft chest.

He now knew the woman who had a body covered in black fur, resembling a chimpanzee. Her name was Chun Xiaoman.

The name made perfect sense, as she was born on the day of the Grain Full (Xiaoman) festival. In rural families, naming girls like this was common—nothing too complicated.

Chun Xiaoman scooped up some horse meat soup with a wooden ladle and brought it to Li Huowang's lips.

One person silently fed, and the other silently ate. Since the incident, Li Huowang noticed that everyone seemed more afraid of him.

He understood their fear. After all, who wouldn't be afraid of staying with a monster who ate people?

Once he had eaten most of the food, Li Huowang whispered to Xiaoman, "Let Bai Lingmiao come back. If she can't wash it clean, then don't bother."

"Okay," Xiaoman softly replied, gently laying Li Huowang back down and using the Heaven Book as a pillow for his head.

Before long, Bai Lingmiao returned. The bloodstained robe she carried still hadn't returned to its original blue color.

"Hang it over the donkey's back to dry. Go and eat; the food's going to get cold," Li Huowang said.

"Mm." Bai Lingmiao responded quietly, bending down to inspect his wounds before heading toward the campfire.

Clop clop clop The familiar sound of hooves approached from the distance.

Before the person even arrived, the sound had reached them. "Oh, oh! Little Dao, I didn't expect to find you here! I thought I wouldn't be able to see you again!"

When the old face of Lü Zhuangyuan appeared in front of Li Huowang, he immediately knew that Lü's gang had arrived.

"Oh, what happened to you..." Lü Zhuangyuan exclaimed upon seeing Li Huowang's disheveled state.

"It's nothing. Just ran into some trouble on the road. Do you need something?" Li Huowang asked.

"Little Dao, why didn't you say goodbye before leaving? We agreed to travel together. Luckily, you mentioned before that you were closing up, or else I'd have really had a hard time finding you," Lü Zhuangyuan said with a forced smile.

Finally, after all the trouble, he had found a free bodyguard and couldn't afford to let him slip away easily.

"Apologies, Lü Gang Leader. I'm injured and can't chat. Please make yourselves at home," Li Huowang said, motioning for him to make himself comfortable.

"Ah, you rest, you rest," Lü Zhuangyuan didn't ask more. After years of wandering, he knew that sometimes, the less you knew, the better.

As evening approached, neither group intended to leave. After all, there was a small river nearby, making it a convenient place to bathe and gather water.

Unable to sleep, Li Huowang lay on his back, staring at the stars, still thinking about the events of the day.

Suddenly, he felt some movement on his right side.

Before he could react, a soft, small body quietly curled up in his arms, trembling.

Recognizing the familiar scent, Li Huowang extended his right hand and gently patted her back. "It's okay. Leave everything to me. I'll take care of it all."