At the Mountain's Foot

Li Huowang led his group forward through the small town at the foot of Mount Heng Hua. Mantou, clearly unaccustomed to seeing so many people, pressed close against his leg.

The long journey had exhausted everyone. They all needed a good rest.

Although Anci Nunnery lay just ahead, Li Huowang no longer felt the same urgency he had before.

Now that the suffocating pressure of being replaced by Danyangzi at any moment had lifted, he could finally afford to slow down a little.

His tired eyes swept across his surroundings.

The town at the mountain's base looked the same as before. Perhaps because it was a transportation hub, the streets were bustling with people even though it wasn't market day.

The only real difference was the increased number of beggars huddled in the corners.

When these ragged beggars spotted Li Huowang's group—especially the three wagons—they scrambled over, raising their chipped bowls toward him and launching into a singsong plea.

"Have a look, have a see, here's a poor beggar on his knees! Kind sir, good sir, have some pity on a wretched nobody—give a bun, give some soup, and may you live long and healthy..."

"Clang!"

The sword left its sheath with a sharp ring, and the beggars scattered like startled birds.

"Three Bamboos!"

A crisp slap drew Li Huowang's attention.

"Pong! Ten Thousand."

"Ah, what kind of hand is this? Another Nine Dots."

"Hey—One Bird! Haha! Self-drawn Pure One Suit! Hahaha! Pay up, pay up!"

The lively gambling house was packed, every seat taken. The clatter of dice and mahjong tiles was incessant; everyone was absorbed in their own amusement.

"Oh, they're playing mahjong." Li Huowang turned and continued walking.

After a few more steps, he arrived at the old inn where they had stayed before. Stepping over the threshold, he said to the waiter who rushed up to greet him, "We need rooms and a meal. Tell the cook to bring something hearty—but no pork."

"Right away, sir! Please, come inside!"

"Brother Li," Bai Lingmiao said quietly, clearly troubled by his extravagance, "we do have some money, but it's only going out, not coming in. Maybe we should save a little..."

Li Huowang took the seat of honor at the octagonal table, accepted the tea the waiter poured, and took a sip. "It's fine. Let's celebrate a little. We won't eat like this every day."

"You still have the face to eat! You beast! Have you ever thought about how, while you're enjoying yourself, those people are dead because of you? Why don't you just die?!"

Jiang Yingzi's baseless curses washed over him. Li Huowang's expression didn't change as he continued speaking to the others. "Eat first. Wait for me here. Anci Nunnery is filthy too; I'll be down soon."

At first, having two people suddenly appear beside him had been unbearable.

But as the days passed and they lived together, Li Huowang had fully adapted to having a long-dead ghost shouting in his ear.

All Jiang Yingzi could do was keep cursing. It didn't affect him much.

Compared to her, Danyangzi simply stood in the distance, watching him with a sinister stare.

Through some simple tests, Li Huowang had confirmed that these two were indeed just hallucinations and couldn't truly affect him.

He didn't know how long this state would last, or whether other figures might appear in the future. But compared to being replaced by Danyangzi, this current situation seemed easier to accept.

"Hehe—food's here! Azure Dragon Emerges from the Sea! Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl! Three Yangs Bring Prosperity! Blessings as Vast as the Eastern Sea! Please enjoy, honored guests! The other dishes will arrive shortly!"

Lu Xiucai, already drooling, was about to reach for his chopsticks when Lu Zhuangyuan's pipe knocked them down. The old man turned to Li Huowang with an ingratiating smile. "Young Daoist, please, you go first. You've worked hard on the journey. This meal is our treat."

Li Huowang gave him a slightly surprised look but couldn't be bothered to waste time on such trivialities. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

For some reason, Li Huowang felt that the Lü troupe had become even more restrained around him.

Years of traveling had given everyone a healthy appetite. With Bai Lingmiao and Gao Zhijian's bottomless stomachs in the mix, an entire table of food plus two buckets of rice were quickly polished off.

Mantou didn't go hungry either. The bones no one could chew were all his.

After eating his fill, Li Huowang took another sip of tea, stood up, gathered his things, and headed out of the inn.

"I'm leaving. I should be back before dark."

Mantou, who had been gnawing a bone under the table, grabbed it in his jaws and followed.

As soon as Li Huowang was gone, Lü Juren set down his clean bowl and chopsticks, walked over to Lü Zhuangyuan, and cleared his throat. "Father. Come here for a moment."

When they reached the empty stable behind the inn, Lü Juren, his expression tense, leaned against a black horse eating from the feed trough and lowered his voice to barely a whisper. "Father—why aren't we leaving! You're really planning to keep following him? Have you forgotten what he—"

He stopped, looked around to make sure no one else was there, then pressed on even more quietly. "Have you forgotten what everyone said that night? He's not a man of great power—he's a monster! That Daoist robe of his was dyed with human blood! Aren't you afraid he'll eat us all one day?"

Lü Zhuangyuan, his face full of wrinkles, pulled the pipe from behind his neck, lit it, and took a long, satisfying drag. "Maybe... the young Daoist has his reasons?"

"What kind of reason could there be for doing something like that?! Oh, Father, you've lost your mind!"

"Heh! Looking for a beating, are you?! Who's lost their mind?!"

When Lü Zhuangyuan raised his pipe, Lü Juren, usually so docile, didn't flinch. He just stared stubbornly at his father.

"Fine—never mind us! What about Xiu-er? Your granddaughter, Xiu-er? Every storyteller says the same thing: monsters love eating young boys and girls the most! How can you bear to put Xiu-er in danger?"

Hearing this, Lü Zhuangyuan didn't argue for once. He took another deep drag, the lit tobacco in his pipe bowl flaring bright.

"Son, I know what you're saying. But have you noticed something wrong on this journey?"

"I know how it is. At first, there were just a few more beggars on the roadside. Nothing special. But soon enough, people will be selling their own children. This world is about to fall apart."

"If we run off on our own now, we'll be a fat prize for anyone to take a bite out of. Staying with the young Daoist—at least ordinary bandits and highwaymen can't get near us."

"I've lived a few decades. I'm a good judge of character. The young Daoist isn't that kind of evil. His powers are formidable, but his heart isn't deep enough for that. He couldn't bring himself to do something truly heartless."

"But—"

"No buts. That's settled. I noticed your wife barely touched her food just now. That's not like her. And she's been feeling sick lately. Take her to see a doctor. See if she's pregnant."