Homecoming

Chapter 226: Homecoming (Sponsored by Alliance Leader Luo Wanya!)

Chun Xiaoman continued wiping Bai Lingmiao down. "I just don't see what the big deal is. You've already shared a bed with Li Huowang, there's nothing you can't talk about now. Don't hunch up—stand straight."

"..." The bashful Bai Lingmiao could only respond with silence.

She still felt that such private matters were not meant to be shared.

This group of women splashed around in the water for a long time. Only when the sky was nearly dark did they come back with their washed clothes.

They had set out before dawn, and by nightfall, everyone was exhausted. Aside from those on night watch duty, they all turned in early.

"I've got too much hair; I can only dry myself off halfway. Don't complain."

Hearing this from within the blankets, Bai Lingmiao opened her arms and hugged Chun Xiaoman tightly, burying her face in the thick, dark hair with a happy nuzzle. "How could I ever complain? I like Sister Xiaoman so much."

Xiaoman naturally lifted her furry legs and rubbed them against the other woman's bare skin.

"Haha, don't do that, Sister Xiaoman—I'm ticklish!"

"Like me? But I can't compare to your Senior Brother Li. I bet once I fall asleep, you'll just slip into your bed roll in just your bellyband and crawl into his."

"Senior Brother Li's wound hasn't healed yet. I need to go tend to him."

"Does he still need tending? Aside from that sort of thing, I don't think there's much you can help him with."

"Sister Xiaoman, how can you be like this too!"

As the two were whispering under the covers, they suddenly saw a shadowy figure creeping toward the riverbank.

"Who's that?"

"Who else? Sun Baolu. He's always like this, never bathes with anyone else. He's more afraid of people seeing him than we women are."

That night, aside from the distant howling of wolves, there was nothing else to report.

Early the next morning, Li Huowang slowly opened his eyes, Bai Lingmiao in his arms.

"Senior Brother Li, you had a nightmare." Bai Lingmiao's heart ached as she gently stroked his chin with her soft fingers.

"It's fine. I'm used to it." Li Huowang sat up, dark circles under his eyes. He glanced again toward Woman Mountain, letting his guard down just a fraction.

"I didn't show any obvious openings. They might not know I'm a Heart-Element. And since those guys were just apprentices, no matter what the Lion Dance Palace is really like, we should be safe now."

After washing up, Sun Baolu brought a bowl of brownish liquid over to Li Huowang. "Senior Brother Li, breakfast."

"What's this?" Li Huowang’s keen sense of smell made him lean back involuntarily. The smell was far too gamey.

"Fresh goat's milk mixed with fresh goat's blood, with some salt added. It's called blood-milk stew, and it tastes great. Plus, it's good for wound recovery." He took a sip himself, then offered it to Li Huowang again.

Li Huowang took a sip and nearly gagged, but he forced down the nausea and drank the mixture.

Nutritious? Yes. Palatable? Absolutely not.

Sun Baolu stood there excitedly. "See, Senior Brother Li? Didn't I tell you? If you bring enough sheep, you never have to worry about breakfast, lunch, and dinner!"

Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Li Huowang shoved the bowl back into his arms. "Alright, enough chatter. Once we're past Woman Mountain, we should be close to your home, right?"

Hearing this, Sun Baolu's face lit up immediately. "Yes, yes, yes! Let's go! They're just ahead!"

Though the blue sky and green earth looked the same to Li Huowang and the others, to Sun Baolu, every detail was different.

"Look! That mountain over there! I used to herd sheep on that slope! That's where I broke one of my back molars!"

"I saw a white wolf over to the east! I'm serious, a white wolf! My parents said there's no such thing, but I definitely saw one!"

"Look here! See those marks under the grass? That's where our tribe set up our tents! I can't be wrong!"

As Sun Baolu grew more and more excited, they drew closer and closer. In the last two days, Sun Baolu couldn't sleep at all, and he took over all the night watch duties.

Finally, after cresting a small hill, they saw a patch of white among the green in the distance—sheep. And some black specks—cattle.

Beside the sheep was a large cluster of tents, and tiny figures that looked like ants.

"Hey!!!" Sun Baolu, tears streaming down his face, screamed wildly in the Qingqiu dialect toward them. Then he abandoned the group and charged forward, overcome with emotion.

When Li Huowang and the others caught up, they saw Sun Baolu surrounded by a group of Qingqiu people, hugging and weeping in an excited, tangled embrace.

Though Li Huowang didn't understand the Qingqiu language, he could hear the intensity of emotion in their voices.

A flicker of warmth stirred in Li Huowang's heart. More than the relief of finally getting Sun Baolu home, he was gladdened by the obvious affection Sun Baolu's family showed him.

Just then, Li Huowang saw a Qingqiu woman emerge from a nearby tent, carrying a milk pail.

When she saw Sun Baolu, her expression froze, and the pail fell from her hands, hitting the ground with a thud.

The sound drew Sun Baolu's gaze. When he saw the woman, he started crying.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the two embraced, letting out heart-wrenching sobs.

"So the kid wasn't bragging after all. There really was a woman waiting for him..." Gouwa muttered sourly.

As they held each other, lost to the world, an old man with a colorful necklace around his neck walked over, swaying slightly.

He said something to Sun Baolu in the Qingqiu dialect.

He seemed to be a highly respected elder here because his words finally calmed the embracing pair.

Sun Baolu spoke briefly with the old man, then came excitedly to Li Huowang.

He threw his arm warmly around Li Huowang's shoulder and began introducing him to his people.

The language barrier meant Li Huowang couldn't understand what was being said.

But when a plate of fragrant, steaming roasted lamb ribs—sizzling with charred fat—and a cup of honey water were placed in front of him, he understood.

With a full meat feast on offer, no one else could hold back. Seeing that Li Huowang didn't object, they dug in with both hands.

A bonfire was lit. A group of people gathered around Sun Baolu, shouting and cheering. Sun Baolu, a cup of wine in each hand, responded with equal fervor, spinning in circles.

Li Huowang watched the lively scene and took a sip from his ox-horn cup. "Is this honey? It's really sweet, and not cloying at all."

"It's not honey. It's ant honey—a type of honey brewed by ants. More delicious and rarer than bee honey."

Li Huowang looked up and saw a woman of fair features. Though she was dressed in the leather garments of the Qingqiu people, her pale skin revealed she wasn't a local.

Seeing Li Huowang's gaze on her, her eyes slightly red, she crouched down on the felt rug and bowed her head solemnly to the ground before him.

"Thank you, True Person Li, for the great effort of traveling a thousand li to send my son home!"

(Chapter End)